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Our French Life and The French Resistance in Cotes d’ Armor

French resistance in Cotes d'Armor

WWII and The French Resistance in Côtes d’Armor, Brittany

Our first trip to our new French village holiday house was only days after settlement of the property had been completed and we had planned a full and varied holiday of purchasing furniture, meeting our neighbours, sightseeing and generally enjoying being in our new French holiday home and fitting it out.

We decided to fly from Australia to Frankfurt, Germany and then make our way to the house in the region of Côtes d’Armor, Brittany sightseeing along the way.

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Monsieur All-About and His French Aixam Car

Driving in France - wheat fields

Life in France: Monsieur All-About and his French Aixam Car

Living in France continually surprises us with the new things we learn. Let me tell you about one of the men in our village called Monsieur Yves, or as we dubbed him, Monsieur All-About. Monsieur All-About drives a very tiny car, which we later learned was an Aixam. Monsieur All-About seemed to drive in circles around the village all the time. Round and round he went.

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Australians in France by Catherine Berry

French village stone house with climbing rose on wallAnnette Charlton Interviewed For Series, Australians in France, by Catherine Berry

Catherine Berry, Australian author of ‘But You Are in France Madame’ has been writing an ‘Australians in France’ series where she interviews and shares the stories of Australians living in France.

Catherine is keen to share these stories because after publishing her book ‘But You Are in France Madame’ she is contacted frequently by people asking about the idea, or voicing their dreams of spending some time in France.  As a result, she is sharing as many stories as she can to demonstrate that there is no ‘right’ way to do it and that it is possible, and along the way her interviewees give some practical hints on the steps to take.

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Santa’s Magic Sack

My French Country Home

 

Santa’s Magic Sack

A Christmas Story from Our Life in France series

If you should drive past our home in France (photo above) on a winter’s night and see a sack hanging off the roof near the chimney, get excited, take photos and post on social media that you’ve seen Santa’s real life sack appearing to burst with presents, let me fill you in on a little secret first.

It is not Santa’s sack. With only a modest sized fridge and numerous bottles of Taittinger Champagne to keep chilled during our winter visits and Christmas festivities, we’ve come up with an ingenious way to enlarge our fridge’s capacity.

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Living in France – Interview with ABC Newcastle Radio

Living In France – Interview with ABC Newcastle Radio

Ever wondered what living in France is like as an expat or part-time expat?

Well, I got the chance to share my thoughts on this and what’s happening over here in France at the moment during a series of interviews on ABC 1233 Newcastle radio with their delightful host,  Paul Bevan.

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The Funnier Side of Living in France

Too Much Toilet Paper: The Funnier Side of French Life

Do you run out of toilet paper at your home?  We do.  That is, we do at home in Australia but not at home in France. In fact, in France we have way too much loo paper. Why this anomaly you are wondering?

Well, it all started nine years ago. Yep, that’s right we have had too much loo paper for nine years in France.

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Maintaining A House In France From Afar

My French Country Home

Maintaining A House In France From Afar

Are you dreaming of owning your own slice of rural heaven in France?  If so, have you wondered how you would maintain a French house from afar? And is the reality as good as you may have dreamt?

I say the reality is even better than the dream and buying our holiday home in France has been one of the most satisfying and rewarding things we’ve ever done.  Don’t be deceived though into thinking that means it has always been easy, it has had its challenges, but it has been wonderful and I cannot imagine my life’s book without its ‘French Chapter’.

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Our French Life: An Unwanted Guest

A French Life

Living In The French Countryside

Having a holiday home in the French countryside is a wonderful thing and we experience at a grass-roots level all the best things about country life. We love experiencing the quiet drama of the changing seasons, fresh local produce and farm related activities such as harvesters and tractors regularly rolling through the narrow village streets. Traffic jams in our area are made up of herds of cows slowly crossing the street and the jovial gathering of the local farmers standing on the edge of the road enjoying their nightcap outside the nearby Tabac .

These are the benefits of living amongst the wheat fields, chicken farms and grazing cattle. However we have always understood that these surroundings can also be the perfect environment for mice, insects or other vermin to flourish.

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A French Collection is featured in international magazines, ABC National Radio interviews, France Media Group webinars & blog articles and interviews.

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