WHEN Simon Longe suffered a serious car accident, and spent five years in a wheelchair, the decision to move his family to France was not as straightforward as that of others.
But having come from an agricultural background, and in particular farming rare breed pigs, the accident did not stop him from establishing a farm in France and a reputation as the person to talk to for all things pig.
ONE hundred and fifty years ago homesteaders looking for a place to live in the Californian sun faced the same questions posed by a tough 2000-mile journey across America that confront today’s migrants to the sunspots of Europe, writes Simon Marshall.
The settlers could go DIY with their own wagons or hire wagons with or without the services of experienced wagon masters who knew the route and its dangers.
FOR writer Heidi Fuller-love a move to France meant dealing with a troublesome 2CV, strange bathroom arrangements and non-existent heating in a draughty house.
But when her plans to open a gite with her French partner were met with indifference, ridicule and veiled threats, most people would have headed back home.
THE possibility of working within French agriculture is an attractive proposition for many British farmers.
Farming in France is seen as a vitally important part of the economy even though the numbers actually working in the sector are falling.
I RECENTLY received an email from a reader of the site asking me about selling their French property themselves.
The first thing to remember is that the sale will still have to go through a notaire, and there are some other legal considerations (see Selling your French property).
IF you are busy reading up on moving to France the range of titles on offer can be quite overpowering.
You will find those written by ex-pats who have moved out to a tumbledown farmhouse, or pages of useful facts and figures from a journalist who has clearly spent many hours at the laptop.
FOR every person looking to buy in France there has to be another willing to sell, but what are the steps involved when putting your home up for sale?
As in England, selling a property in France is generally more straightforward than buying, but there are still plenty of traps for the unwary, writes Guillaume Barlet.
IN the rush to start afresh in France some things can be left behind.
One of these may be the thoughts and feelings of other members of the family, especially those of the children who may have had no say in the decision to move.
BEAUJOLAIS is not just about drinking a light red in summer or a Nouveau on the third Thursday in November.
Beaujolais is much, much more and yet who really knows the other side to this undiscovered region? Writes Amanda Bouet-Cook.
RECENTLY the Mail on Sunday highlighted changes to the conveyancing process in France that will allow UK solicitors to handle the entire process.
An EU ruling means the monopoly position enjoyed by French notaires has been broken and should see fees fall.
Although the majority of monies collected by notaires are government taxes, their own fees are around one per cent.
David Anderson, of Anderson Sykes, claimed the new rules would see greater competition.