THE reasons behind a move to France can be many and varied, but often the chance to take things at a slower pace is a real draw.
Whether it is spending more time with the family, working on a new home-based project or just the chance to watch the sun rise over the hillside, people are sure to have a variety of reasons.
AT this time of year people living in France roughly from the south west corner to the north east will spot a real wonder of nature.
The migratory route of the crane (la grue) from Spain to northern Europe sees the birds cross over France, and the massive flocks high in the sky are a real sight to see.
FOR those who were not able to listen to my chat with Julie Maddocks here is a recording of the interview, which lasts nine minutes. Just click the blue play button:
If you live in Kent, or are able to access the county’s BBC radio website, then you can listen to me chatting tomorrow afternoon (February 21) from 1.45pm about France. Just tell me to shut up if I start rabbiting on!
Burgundy is well know for it’s extremes. We get cold winters, hot summers and spectacular thunderstorms.
Summer can see temperatures up to around 40 degrees while winter can get down to about minus 15 degrees and when a thunderstorm is forecast people unplug computers and televisions.
This week we had the first snow, about six inches of white, powdery stuff, which seems to emphasize things you don’t usually notice.
Our large fir tree in the courtyard would have looked beautiful over Christmas, but with the smaller bushes it looks clean and fresh out there.
Our first house in France. At one and the same time it was exciting and scary.
There was work to be done without doubt. The house needed total decoration and a kitchen! We had a sink but nothing to cook on so it was a girl’s dream, retail therapy!
We sat and wrote a list then planned our shopping trip. To start with we bought a kitchen table, a table top cooker, a microwave and fridge freezer.
We needed to investigate the area and get to know our neighbours and the first thing we found was that rural Burgundy was like going back 40 years in England.
THE social security system in France is a complex beast with often two or more different organisations handling the simplest of operations.
It can be a challenge to understand the way that unemployment benefit is administered, or how hospital visits are arranged and the basics of the pension system.
My name is Coral Luke, I was born in Brighton Sussex in 19**! I am married to George and we are both retired.
Well there is nothing new in retired people being in France, is there? But for me retirement means being busier than ever; just one thing that makes it a bit more difficult is that I am disabled.
THE French government has created a website that allows you to compare petrol prices between supermarkets.
The prix-carburants site collects data from around 8,000 shops across France, narrowing down your search via communes – unfortunately the popularity of the site means it is struggling to work at the moment.
HERE’S to a very merry Christmas and I’ll wish you all the best for the New Year.
Many thanks for continuing to drop in on This French Life and to those who have left helpful comments, posted a photo on Flickr and passed on advice in the forum.
So I’ll say Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!!!
Regards, Craig
Life in France as a disabled person is, at least, difficult.
Access, services, employment and independence are all things that are taken for granted in everyday life but for the disabled they are almost exclusively denied.
Banks that have no disabled access, lack of disabled parking spaces, few shopping trolleys that attach to wheelchairs, restricted checkouts in supermarkets and the lack of dropped kerbs are just a few obstacles that make life for the disabled frustrating and humiliating.
Eric Taffoureau-Millet has first hand experience of the problems disabled people face, being the victim of a cycling accident at the age of 17 which left him in a coma. Two further accidents compounded the problems he faced. As a previous top class cyclist he knew that he had to move on and his change of direction empowered him to take up the fight.