This French Life

Author: Craig McGinty

  • At the meeting point of les trois évêques

    Lavaur and les trois évêques on Animoto.

    AS the rain tumbled down it was the salle des fêtes in Lavaur, rather than the nearby spring, that hosted the eighth meeting of les trois évêques or the three bishops.

    The small Dordogne hamlet is home to a water source that trickles from the hillside and marks the point where the borders of the Lot, Lot-et-Garonne and the Dordogne once met, writes Carol Miers.

    In 1506 in order to avoid paying a tithe and acting on advice from the local Baron de Biron, the three bishops began meeting at the source on Easter Monday to discuss business.

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  • Tales of Serge Bastarde and his baguette eating

    John-dummerIF you have spent a few hours strolling around a vide-grenier or brocante and thought ‘I bet these sellers have some tales to tell’, then author John Dummer can provide the inside track.

    Having lived in France for more than 20 years he has come to understand and love the country, whilst his time as a brocanteur introduced him to the tricks, tips and characters of the trade.

    One of those characters was Serge, who filled the title and tale written by John in his book Serge Bastarde Ate my Baguette.

    Here John talks about his French life, writing and the best way to get a good deal at the next vide-grenier you attend.

    Craig McGinty: What were the reasons behind your move to France?

    John Dummer: My wife Helen and I moved to France with our three Staffordshire Bull Terriers and two cats in the eighties. I had been managing a rock band, the Screaming Blue Messiahs for three years and have to admit I was burnt out from all the craziness of touring in the US.

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  • Faking it in France, but only for so long

    Karen-batesKAREN Bates spent 11 years in Normandy, slowly working on her own house while handling the paperwork of her partner’s joinery business.

    The couple had crossed the Channel with Karen’s young son, leaving his older sister in boarding school in the UK, and had high hopes of making a success of French life.

    But rarely do plans run smoothly and despite working hard on the business, Karen slowly began to see a change in her family and herself, taking to writing in her journal to help tackle some of the problems.

    Soon the journal became a source of relief, ensuring Karen stayed clear of the gin and anti-depressants, and formed the framework of a book that she went on to publish just before moving back to the UK called Faking It In France.

    Here Karen talks about her time in France.

    Craig McGinty: What was the reason behind your move to France?

    Karen Bates The reason we moved to France in the first place was. It was really on a whim. I mean, it might sound absolutely crazy, but we sold our business and we had some money in the bank, and my brother already lived in Brittany.

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  • Bridget’s story on not being able to write the French chapter

    Moon low in evening sky
    BRIDGET Megarry is suffering from terminal cancer. Her plan was to retire to the Lot region of south west France with her husband, but all her plans have now changed.

    From her home in Dublin, Bridget writes about what she has learned from her illness and to raise awareness of how important it is to donate blood and request that samples are considered for the bone marrow transplant bank.

    During her time in the Lot, the local office of Cancer Support France provided assistance to Bridget and has stayed in touch with her back in Ireland.

    Bridget’s piece first appeared in a special supplement within the Irish Times that dealt with life threatening illnesses.

    A few months ago I had a medium- to long-term future, but now I don’t – and coming to terms with that has brought many challenges, writes Bridget Megarry.

    There have been many articles in this supplement written by people who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illness. They have, without exception, been courageous, brave and inspirational.

    However, as far as I know, few, if any, of the writers have dwelt on the thorny truth that for some of us, there are no cures and with the diagnosis comes the reality that we are beginning our final journey towards death.

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  • Energy costs in French countryside 23% higher than in cities

    Energy-costs-france
    LIVING in the French countryside has its appeal to many, except when it comes to energy costs as they are 23% more expensive than the national average according to researchers.

    Figures from the Centre de Recherche pour l’Etude et l’Observation des Conditions de Vie (CREDOC) show the average spent on energy costs in France is €1,450 per household per year.

    However, households in smaller towns with less than 20,000 inhabitants pay 17% more, but it is worse in communes with less than 2,000 people where costs are 23% more expensive.

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  • Map of nitrate levels in ground and surface water

    Map-nitrate-levels-france
    A MAP is available online that highlights the areas of France deemed zones vulnérables to the presence of nitrates within ground and surface water.

    Nitrate levels are related to the agricultural practices in an area, and in France around 55% of farmland is considered vulnerable to increased pollution.

    The EU’s Nitrate Directive of 1991 provides a framework to identify polluted water and to put measures in place to help farmers improve practices and reduce pollution levels.

    EU member states have to provide reports on nitrate concentrations every four years, and the French map covers observations made in 2010-11, with the updates made last year.

    The areas of France susceptible to high nitrate levels are the river basins of Adour Garonne, Loire Bretagne, Rhône Méditerranée and Seine Normandie.

    The updated map has seen the addition of more than 1,400 communes, with 18,400 communes considered at risk from nitrate pollution, however, 617 communes have improved and been taken off the map.

    Related: Natural risks in France

  • Site sought for memorial to WWI’s ‘forgotten soldiers’

    The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is trying to find a place in the Somme for a new memorial with thousands of names that have been missed.

    Speaking to Today presenter Justin Webb, Terry Denham co-founder of the In From The Cold Project, – the initiative established to find a place for the soldiers to be remembered – explained "the bureaucracy of the day did not keep up with the events… and names just got forgotten."

    via www.bbc.co.uk

  • Call for designated MP for expats

    A British expat has launched a petition calling for new MPs to be established who can represent Brits living abroad. Retired policeman Peter Johnson was inspired after the French government created a new constituency of Northern Europe to look after the interests of French expats living in the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia.

    via www.telegraph.co.uk

  • Out on a snowy Dordogne dog walk

    Dordogne-show-16012012
    I COULD hear tree branches cracking under the weight of the snow as I was out on the morning dog walk here in Loubejac.

    A heavy and abundant coating of snow sits across the countryside, with my footprints being quickly devoured by snow that looks set to stick around for more than just one day.

    The north of the Dordogne has seen around 10cm of snow, and the département currently sits under a vigilance orange that is in place until Thursday morning.

    So the log burning fire is up and running, and as the lights flicker it seems as though the electricity itself is struggling to get through, leaving people cocooned away in the Dordogne countryside.

  • Public holidays in France for 2013

    A LIST of French public holidays for your diaries, so you can plan your visits to France or outings.

    I have also included the days they fall upon, as you can be pretty sure that if one lands on a Thursday, then it might be a struggle to get anything done on the Friday.

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