• The Expat Life As Seen From Outside

    This is doing the rounds amongst expat bloggers at the moment so I thought I’d join in. (I came across it here first.)   What my friends and family think I do all day. Photo by Pat Fereday http://www.facebook.com/pat.fereday   What the French think I do all day. Photo by...


  • Plan Vélo – France Promotes Cycling

    2011 Tour de France Cycling is forever firmly linked with France, and not only because of the fantastic Tour de France. Mention the country’s name and many people immediately conjure up the image of an elderly fat man in a stripy teeshirt and a beret pedalling serenely along a country...


  • Seagulls, the Louvre and David’s Fountain

    Say ‘the Louvre’ and most people think ‘Mona Lisa’. And I did too, right up until Saturday. Now I think seagulls! We saw our first mouettes (seagulls) since August 2006. Having always lived within 10 miles or so of coast in both England and Ireland, apart from three years at...


  • One Orange Balloon

    Isn’t it amazing the odd little things that happen and give you a boost? We’re all feeling run down after le grand froid and so far the thaw is dispiriting. The farm is slowly turning to mush. However, the animals have cheered up immensely. The llamas have condescended to go...


  • Thaw, More Chaos and Boursin

    Finally the thaw has started but things are still chaotic. We had the heaviest snow fall of the year last night. This was forecast at vigilance orange level, but bizarrely even though the départements to the north, east, south and west of us (Indre, Allier, Corrèze and Haute Vienne) all...