This French Life

Author: Craig McGinty

  • The 15-year limit set to be dropped allowing all British citizens living abroad right to vote

    ShindlerTHE UK government has said it plans to end the 15-year limit on the right of British people living overseas to vote in UK general elections.

    Legislation will be introduced enabling people to vote in time for the 2020 election, it said in a policy paper.

    It follows a long campaign waged by World War Two veteran Harry Shindler (pictured).

    “We shall vote at the next general election,” he said. “All those who have taken part in this long campaign will know that it was worth it, and as we kept saying, we will win because we are right.”

    The proposal, which was in the 2015 Conservative manifesto, would allow overseas British citizens who have been previously resident or registered to vote in the UK, to vote in future UK parliamentary elections.

    They would not be allowed to vote in local elections, elections to the Welsh Assembly, Holyrood or Stormont.

    Also with the fallout from Brexit still unsure, those British people living in the EU may yet lose their right to vote in local elections in their adopted countries.

  • Additional soldiers to be deployed to the Dordogne

    Roque-gageac
    MORE soldiers are to be deployed to tourist attractions and towns in the Dordogne as security measures are maintained following the terrorist attacks in France.

    Sud Ouest reports that 27 additional troops will be on patrol, joining the 61 that were ordered to cover the region following the Nice lorry attack, with the soldiers set to be deployed to Périgueux and Bergerac.

    They will support local security at larger events in the Dordogne, with the armed forces set to continue to operate at tourists sites such as La Roque-Gageac and Bergerac Airport.

  • The cranes head south over Saint-Cernin-de-l’Herm

    Cranes-france
    A SHORT video capturing the flight of the cranes, or les grues, as they head south for winter shows them passing over Saint-Cernin-de-l’Herm here in the south of the Dordogne.

    The clip shows them high in the sky in the early evening, and for many it marks the arrival of winter as the birds head towards southern Spain and north Africa.

    It is estimated that there are around 160,000 birds in the west of Europe and when migrating fly at an altitude of between 200m and 1km.

    The map above shows recent observations of les grues across France, the darker blue showing increased activity, and for more details take a look at the European Crane Working Group.

  • A few cèpes pop up across the Dordogne

    Cepe-mushroom
    A HEAVY downpour a few days ago has seen a rash of cèpes mushrooms across the Dordogne, but not enough to get too excited about.

    According to France Blue Perigord, mushroom collectors have been out after recent thunderstorms created enough humidity to spark some life into the cèpes.

    Locally around Villefranche-du-Périgord we had about 20mm of rainfall, which after three months of practically no rain, was quite a downpour.

    But for now, the famous cèpe market in Villefranche-du-Périgord that starts on the ring of the church clock will not be opening just yet as the quantities being collected are still too low.

  • More than six hectares of vegetation lost to fires in the Dordogne

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    GRASS fires are still a risk in many parts of the Dordogne, with the sapeur pompier of the region having dealt with a number of fires in recent days.

    Fire teams operating under the Service Départemental d’Incendie et de Secours de la Dordogne (SDIS 24) have dealt with outbreaks in La Chapelle Faucher (3 hectares), Villefranche du Périgord (1,5ha), Vergt (1ha), Saint Paul La Roche (5000m²) et Saint Eulalie d’Ans.

  • Sanglier plough up football pitch at Saint-Cernin-de-l’Herm

    Sanglier-pitch
    IT was only last week that I was writing about la chasse and how they played a role in the countryside and whether it would change.

    One task they undertake is to try and control the sanglier, or wild boar, as they can do real damage to the crops and in the local football team’s case the pitch.

    A few days ago a number of sanglier dug up around 200 square metres of the pitch at Saint-Cernin-de-l’Herm, covering a corner and part of the goal area resulting in it needing reseeding.

    The sanglier were digging for worms under the surface of the pitch, fortunately the teams at St Cernin have a second pitch to play on as it is likely to require a good few weeks for the pitch to get back to a playable condition.

    And a low electric fence has been installed to try and keep at bay any future pitch invasions.

  • ECREU aims to voice concerns of Brits in Europe after Brexit

    Ecreu
    THE fight is on to battle for the rights of UK expats following the referendum vote on 23 June that saw the United Kingdom decide to leave the EU.

    Expat Citizen Rights in EU (ECREU) is a lobby and self help group that aims to ensure the voice of British people living in Europe is heard during the Brexit negociations.

    ECREU has some very experienced campaigners fighting to get Parliament to focus on the rights of UK people in the EU as well as EU members in the UK.

    They are also fighting to remove the 15 year voting rule and for winter fuel payments to be reinstated.

    The group is free to join and is not political in essence but needs members across the EU so that they can talk on behalf of as many people as possible.

    There are currently about 2,500 members but one aim of the group is to increase this number significantly, forcing MPs and MEPs to listen.

  • Watch out, watch out there are ticks about

    Ticks
    WITH the hot summer temperatures now gone, and mild autumn weather upon us, there is an increased risk of ticks as they take a last run through the forests before winter sets in.

    In France ticks are most common between May and October when temperatures are between 7 and 25°C, but with the summer sun in July and August they are fewer in number, now they will be back.

    Ticks can pose real dangers to your pets prompting diseases such as leishmaniasis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and heartworm which can prove fatal to your pets so precautions should be taken.

    Related: Map shows where ticks are found in France

    It is possible to buy Frontline spray-on and spot treatment that can be applied to cats and dogs, make sure your pet doesn’t try and shake it off once applied.

    But also make a habit of looking over your pet for the distinctive tick, there is a larger black variety and a small red coloured one.

    Learning how to stay clear of ticks yourself and safely unhook them from your skin is an important skill to have, because they can pass on Lyme disease, which can see people suffer flu-like symptoms for a long period of time.

    The UK-based Lyme Disease Association works to raise awareness amongst doctors of the symptoms and offers advice and tips on the illness.

    Here are some tips you can use next time you are out in the forest and long grass:

    – Wear light-coloured clothing that shows ticks easily and covers arms and legs. Wear long-sleeved shirts, tight at the wrists, long pants tight at the ankles and tucked into socks, and shoes covering the whole foot.

    – Apply diethyltoluamide (e.g., DEET) to skin and permethrin to clothing. But do not apply it to clothing while it is being worn, and allow the clothing to thoroughly dry before wearing.

    – Perform daily checks of skin for ticks. Check children two to three times a day. Check under waistbands, sock tops, under arms and any other moist areas.

    – Use a tick removal tool that are available from vets and pet shops that are designed to be twisted to facilitate removal.

    – Suffocating the tick with oil, cream etc. may induce injection of more infectious material into the body, so do not use petroleum jelly, burning matches or cigarette ends, nail polish or other products.

    – Be aware that engorged ticks will contain potentially infected blood, which may splatter when crushed. Do not crush the tick with your fingers and do not allow the crushed tick or the blood it carried to contact your skin.

  • What’s On guide for events near Villefranche-du-Périgord

    Old stone building in sunlit field
    EVENTS and What’s On around Villefranche-du-Périgord, as well as Loubejac, Saint-Cernin-de-l’Herm, Besse, Lavaur and Mazeyrolles.

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    Read and download a free guide to Villefranche-du-Périgord.

    Also discover places to visit close to Villefranche-du-Périgord in the southern Dordogne, with a few further afield that you might enjoy as well.

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    If you have a local event you want to see here contact me/contactez-moi: craig@thisfrenchlife.com

  • Out in the evening with the daisies

    Daisies in Dordogne THE light late in the evening around Loubejac at the moment is long and warm, offering you the chance to catch some glowing colours. Here a patch of daisies in a gently sloping field take in the last of the sun as it sets behind the hills on the far side of the valley.