This French Life

Author: Craig McGinty

  • Real time maps of water levels in French rivers

    THE north east corner of France has experienced very heavy rain over the past few days, with many rivers bursting their banks and flooding local homes.

    There is an Environment Ministry website that is particularly focussed on rivers and the dangers of flooding, its Carte de Vigilance “crues” provides a snap shot of areas that might be at risk.

    If you hover your mouse over the different areas of the map and click, this takes you through to more detail for individual rivers and water courses that shows the levels at various measuring stations.

    At the opposite extreme with summer temperatures on the rise, a different mapping service is available that provides information on water restrictions.

    And if you want to check the water quality coming out of your tap in France, then an online service is available for you to look over.

  • Overseas UK pensions ‘blocked for spouses’

    People living abroad will no longer be entitled to a British state pension based solely on their spouse's work history, under government plans.

    Pensions Minister Steve Webb said some of those claiming a married person's allowance had never been to the UK.

    Some 220,000 overseas residents receive this payment at a cost of £410m a year.

    The measure will be part of an overhaul of the state pension, to be included in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday. Existing pensioners will be unaffected.

    via www.bbc.co.uk

  • Discovering Celtic connections with walks around Brittany

    Roch-ruz-brittany
    Taking in the view from the highest point in Brittany, Roc’h Ruz, by Wendy Mewes.

    THE Celtic ties run deep through Brittany, so much so that historian Wendy Mewes wonders if it was her own roots that brought her to the region.

    For Wendy those ties only strengthened when she drove off the ferry at Roscoff and now after writing walking guides and teaching English-speakers about Breton history, she finds herself entwined in the rich tapestry of the area.

    (more…)

  • Dark Ages for French metal working

    Erdos01
    TANG tang tang, tang tang tang, tang ting. Georges Erdos is at the forge heat-treating a piece of metal. Tang, tang, tang, walloping it with a mallet, writes Carol Miers.

    But leave the nostalgia to others, as Georges Erdos is an angry man, not a peaceful artisan, frustrated more than satisfied.

    “I used to love this,” Georges says. “Now making a knife from a forge is finished. For myself, there is maybe five or six years. Afterwards people who want things, a château railing or a gate, well there won’t be anyone to do it. It is dead.”

    In the 90s knife-making and metalwork gave him great pleasure, because you have it all, the forge, the heritage of the blacksmith, the chemistry of carbon and steel, the way of making knives.

    (more…)

  • BBC iPlayer Radio app on Android devices

    The BBC iPlayer Radio app transforms your access to BBC radio programmes. With the app you can wake up with your favourite breakfast show and instantly find the breadth of BBC Radio at your fingertips.

    Specific features include the ability to:

    • Set the alarm and wake up with your favourite DJ or programme.
    • Spin through the touchscreen dial and listen live to the whole range of BBC Radio stations.
    • Swipe to reveal on-demand catch-up content and videos on every station page.
    • Set programme reminders to ensure you never miss favourite shows and add tracks to favourites.
    • Easily discover what tracks are playing and share with friends.

    The app surfaces a wide range of content including the BBC’s wealth of radio shows to watch and listen to live or via catch-up, wherever you are. There are also hundreds of podcasts, on-demand programmes from the past seven days and video clips from music sessions, events, gigs, festivals and your favourite DJs.

    via www.bbc.co.uk

  • France passes same-sex marriage legislation

    FRANCE has become the ninth European country, and the 14th in the world, to pass legislation allowing partners of the same sex to marry.

    The French parliament has approved a bill legalising gay marriage and adoption for same-sex couples in its final vote on the legislation. The landmark reform has been the source of months of heated debate and demonstrations.

    via www.france24.com

  • WWI soldiers finally laid to rest after 96 years

    The remains of two World War I soldiers who were killed in action in France nearly 100 years ago are to be laid to rest at a military cemetery later.

    The remains of Lt John Pritchard and Pte Christopher Douglas Elphick were discovered in 2009 by a French farmer clearing his field.

    The men were killed on 15 May, 1917, during an enemy attack near Bullecourt.

    Descendents of the two soldiers will attend the ceremony in which the men will be given full military honours.

    via www.bbc.co.uk

  • Australia contributes to French WWI museum

    Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Warren Snowdon, announced plans to develop new visitor interpretive facilities at Péronne, France to highlight the Australian experience of war in the 1918 Battle of Mont St Quentin.

    Mr Snowdon said the project, in equal funding partnership with French authorities, will deliver two walking trails and a new interpretive room at the l’Historial de la Grande Guerre, or Museum of the Great War, in Péronne.

    “The new facilities will tell the story of the 2nd Australian Division’s greatest victory on the Western Front, the capture of Mont St Quentin on 1 September 1918, and will complement the existing Second Australian Division Memorial at Mont St Quentin,” he said.

    In Paris Mr Snowdon presented the Australian Government’s initial contribution to the project of €200,000 (approximately AUD 250,000) to the Director of the l’Historial de la Grande Guerre, Mr Hervé François.

    via minister.dva.gov.au

  • Don’t get caught out by rising pollen levels

    YOU can keep ahead of pollen levels in France thanks to the Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique (RNSA) website.

    One feature of the RNSA website that could prove particularly useful is a weekly email service that allows you to choose up to three départements and get updates to your inbox about pollen level risks.

    And the pollen levels of individual towns and cities can also be checked, they can be found to the right hand side of the page, with an estimate of forthcoming pollen levels plotted on time graphs.

  • Guide dog owners face problems every week accessing public places

    Guide-dog-franceMORE needs to be done to make businesses and public bodies aware of the rights of guide dog owners, claims the Fédération Française des Associations Chiens guides d’aveugles (FFAC).

    A study by the association found that at least once a week guide dog owners faced restrictions in public places, despite being legally able to access establishments such as restaurants, shops and public buildings.

    The association used 119 guide dog owners across France, asking them to visit 1,044 services, between February 12 and 27, 2013 with some worrying findings.

    In around 7% of cases problems were faced trying to access food shops and public services such as the mairie and police stations.

    But access with a guide dog gets worse in other establishments and services:

    • 12% of cases in a supermarket
    • 15.4% of cases in a cinema
    • 16.8% of cases in a theatre
    • 23.9% of cases in a hotel
    • 32.9% of cases in a taxi
    • 40.2% of cases in a guest house

    With the association set to put its findings to the disability minister Marie-Arlette Carlotti today it says more needs to be done to make people aware of the regulations.

    Fines range from €150 to €450 for establishments who deny access to guide dogs and their owners.