I met Shaun at my yoga class in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. A teacher of literacy at the local college, he had dreams of becoming a circus entertainer.
Several fraught phone calls later it seemed that our furniture was making slow progress through France in our direction. On the appointed day we received a phone call to say it was on its way up our hill. We ran outside to be confronted by two grumpy blokes sitting in a tiny van on the drive outside the house.
France has a reputation for serving great coffee – but you need to know what to ask for!
Join Marian Thornley every week as she shares the ups and downs of her move to, and life in Céret Settling in France We woke up for the first time in our new home, realised…
Faire la bise - a tongue in cheek look at kissing in France The French ‘bise’ can be slightly awkward for those who haven’t grown up with it Hold out your hand, pucker up your…
by Marian Thornley How not to move to France Our cycling/house-buying adventure was taking place only a few weeks before the first of various financial crashes hit the world. Luckily for us, we managed to…
Tipping in France The English word ‘tip’ was originally an acronym for ‘To Insure Promptness.’ Innkeepers would write this on a box by the door, later simplified to ‘T.I.P.’, to enable customers to show…
More armed police on the streets. La police nationale may now keep their weapons with them even when off duty as long a) he or she wears a police armband for ID and b) he…
MOUNTAIN MAMA IN LES ANGLES What a summer this has been. Blazing hot for weeks on end and then ten days of horrendous storms. The heavy rains always pummel my flowers into the ground and…
The Caliph of St Cyprien (Part 1) by Basil Howitt With the benefit of hindsight, it is none too surprising that Jacques Bouille, 62-year-old former UMP mayor of St Cyprien, was driven to…