This French Life

Author: Craig McGinty

  • Serving up a taste of Burgundy

    Tasting burgundyDESPITE a busy and successful career Sue Boxell knew there was something niggling away in the back of her mind.

    That something was Burgundy; its wine, food and people. So much so that Sue left the UK on an old Dutch barge to sail across to France and make a fresh start in the vineyards of the region.

    “I was a project manager for Eurotunnel and was based in Calais, but our head office was in Victoria, in London, and obviously this was before the shuttle was finished and so I was up at the crack of dawn crossing the Channel either by ferry or hovercraft,” Sue said.

    (more…)

  • Getting to grips with French life

    Living in France bookHOPEFULLY most people won’t just up sticks and head to France, instead they will undertake a little thought and reading in advance to help make a success of a move.

    There are many books on moving to France, but one written recently by journalist Patricia Mansfield-Divine may prove helpful as it brings together her experience of having lived in France since 1999.

    You may recognise Patricia’s name from magazines about France as her work has appeared in many titles, and you will also have seen her comments across many forums and internet messageboards offering tips on French life.

    (more…)

  • Life in the deep end on a banlieue

    IN many ways, Mohammed Diallo is the face of Caucriauville, writes Zach Spittler.

    As a member of staff at a municipal pool in Le Havre, he greets all soon-to-be swimmers with a calm smile and a pleasant charm.

    And as an African immigrant living in a particularly notorious French banlieue, his story turns out to be strikingly similar to those living around him.

    Mohammed Diallo has only been in Caucriauville since 2005, when he followed his wife back to her home town of Le Havre.

    (more…)

  • Health and emergency services

    This French LifeWHETHER you are just visiting France, or live there, it is worth being aware of how to contact the emergency services should the worst happen.

    If you struggle with the language, or are just not confident of getting your message across in an emergency situation, then the pan-European Union number 112 is worth keeping to hand.

    (more…)

  • Advice on having a baby in France

    Baby in FranceNOW having a baby in France is not something I have experience of, but I know a mum who has.

    Wendy Johnson has fired up a website to keep people in touch with her own story of having a second child and offers plenty of advice on the different procedures and steps involved.

    Also a nice touch Wendy adds to her Having a Baby in France site is the note at the end of a story highlighting any costs involved.

  • Counting sheep at Mouton Village

    Mouton villageVasles in Deux-Sevres is doing its bit for European relations, by way of sheep, writes Beryl Brennan.

    Mouton Village occupies a large part of the village, with its 1,600 human inhabitants greatly outnumbered by their four-legged woolly compatriots.

    The commune has around 100 sheep farmers and 18,000 breeding ewes at any one time, producing lambs and associated products; it is the main industry and income provider for the area.

    (more…)

  • Harmonie in Chinon

    Maurice Linda ReffoldChinon sits on the banks of the scenic Vienne river, just south west of Tours, at the heart of the Loire Valley, writes Beryl Brennan.

    It was the birthplace of Cardinal Richelieu, the writer Francois Rabelais, and Richard the Lionheart is said to have died here in 1199 from a crossbow wound.

    It is also famous for its wines; the appellation covers over 2,000 hectares and some 200 vignerons produce wines from 18 villages situated on both banks of the river.

    (more…)

  • Test your French knowledge

    Charles de GaulleAUTHOR Andrew Whittaker has written a new series of questions on all things France to test your knowledge of French history as well as current affairs.

    Some of the questions are drawn from Andrew’s book Speak the Culture: France, while others have featured in the newspapers or are drawn from the art world.

    Below you will find a set of ten questions, alongside a .pdf of the same questions that also features the answers which you can take away with you.

    (more…)

  • Library opens doors in la Creuse

    Creuse libraryA LENDING library has been opened in the small town of Dun le Palestel, in the north of la Creuse, by the local Entente Cordiale group.

    The library will be open on Thursday, and from a little later this year Saturday as well, offering people the chance to pick up a book or two, as well as share language skills with others.

    A small annual fee applies which will enable people to borrow up to six books and two videos for a month.

  • Capturing corners of a hidden France

    Le painMANY people have had a love affair with France for years, although some struggle to put their finger on exactly what it was that sparked the fire.

    Artist Richard Cole can trace his passion for the country back to the 1960s, as it was then in his student days that he joined a friend to spend the summer in a small village in the Rhône-Alpes.

    His connection with the people of the region has seen his work on the walls of local bars and cafés, a world away from his professional career as an illustrator for international news organisations covering court cases such as those of the Yorkshire Ripper, Klaus Barbie and the abuses of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

    (more…)