WITH the temperature heading upwards here in the Dordogne, I went out for a stroll through the woods with the dog.
On a path there are a couple of large puddles, currently full of frog spawn and tiny newts, but today there was also the small snake seen in the photograph (click to enlarge).
I’m not sure what type it is, I’d love it if someone could leave a comment, but seconds later it was gone into the bottom of the muddy puddle.
OUT in the woods this morning and the sound of the cuckoo rolled around the quiet hillside (click thumbnail image to enlarge).
I was able to get a short recording of its song, as well as the bark of a deer.
And hopefully it brings a little of the French countryside to your computer.
OVER the past few days I’ve been seeing lines of processionary caterpillars snaking along the paths and tracks near me here in Loubejac.
The warmer weather seems to have sparked them into life as they descend from their web like nests in the pine trees, heading out to track down more food.
Their hairy skin can be a real irritant, especially to inquisitive dogs, and the lines can can stretch over a metre or more.
IF you want to make your dream move to France a reality it’s important to ask yourself some difficult questions – if you don’t you could be heading back in a few months time.
Here property hunter, Gregory Mose, offers up some thoughts on buying a property that people may want to consider when walking around a house wondering if this is the one.
Housing markets go up and down, but some things you can always count on. Location will continue to be king, estate agents will persist in believing that any room large enough to lie down in qualifies as a ‘spacious bedroom’ and human nature will always be a buyer’s worst enemy.
MAKE Do & Cook is the latest book by Patricia Mansfield-Devine, who has lived in France for more than 10 years and is the author of the Living in France book.
In her latest title Patricia offers advice and tips on preparing delicious meals, whilst keeping an eye on the cost. Here she writes about why it’s time to Make Do & Cook:
As a downshifter living in rural France, I felt almost compelled to write this book.
MANY young people look to spend a working summer in France, so if you are one of them then now is the time to get on with your job search.
The official job centre website, Pôle Emploi, provides listings of positions available, and lets you create an account to track your applications.
Via the page linked to above you can begin your search by choosing a département, or a region, and as you scroll down the page you’ll see the keyword ‘jobsete’ or summer jobs has been pre-populated.
I HAVE just got back in from a walk with the dog and picked three ticks off her coat, and will be keeping me eyes peeled for others from now on.
Ticks can pose real dangers to your pets, but also to people themselves, so as the days get warmer the chance of seeing some of these beasties increases.
Diseases such as leishmaniasis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and heartworm can prove fatal to your pets so precautions should be taken.
THERE is a brutally honest piece on the Daily Mail website by journalist Lauren Booth, who lives in the Dordogne, about the pressures of life in France.
Lauren writes about the difficulties of her having to work in the UK a few times a month, whilst her husband, who suffered a motorbiking accident that has left him unable to drive, stays back in France looking after their home and two children.
THE healthcare system in France is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, indeed many Brits are or have moved to France to take advantage of this system, writes Tristan Freer.
Why then should expats be worried about medical insurance?
The number of British people living and working abroad has, in recent years increased exponentially.
A POSTHUMOUS award has been given to Sister Agnes Walsh, who sheltered a Jewish family from December 1943 in a convent in Cadouin, in the Dordogne.
At the launch of a new award that recognised Britons who saved the lives of Jews during the Holocaust, UK prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the 27 individuals honoured were ‘shining beacons of hope in the midst of terrible evil’.
The story of Sister Agnes has been traced by the Catholic Herald, who tells of how a Jewish mother and her three children were hidden in the convent in Cadouin.
Sister Agnes, originally from Hull, was recognised as Righteous among Nations by the Holocaust remembrance authority, Yad Vashem, in 1990 at the age of 94. She died in 1993 in Mill Hill, London.