American Diane Covington-Carter was obsessed with France. She had spent her youth listening to her father’s wartime tales, studying French, and saving every spare penny to go there on her junior year abroad when she finished school. Alas this was not to be, and instead she found herself becoming a young married mother. However, two […]
Now you can discover the truth about what it is like to host helpers for your projects in your own home. Karen Luff, the author, left her native UK with her husband and five-year-old son for a new life in France in 2005. The large house they fell in love with is called Le Chataignier, […]
What do you get when you have two authors, Noël Balen a writer and musician with over thirty mystery books to his name, and his corporate lawyer wife Vanessa Barrot who originates from a family of Parisian restaurant owners? The answer is: a great murder mystery story set in Lyon, the second largest city in […]
Marie-Antoinette, that’s all you have to say and most people will know immediately that you’re talking of the Queen of France who lost her head. She is a legend more than 200 years after her death. Famous for her fashion and her farmhouse at the Chateau of Versailles. Famous for her scented gloves and silk […]
The third novel by Patricia Dixon sees a festive return to the tiny French village of Pierre de Fontaine. Nestled amongst the sleepy hills and misty valleys of the Loire you will be transported to crisp, winter mornings and star filled, moonlit nights. Relax around a glowing log fire and enjoy a taste of Noël […]
Who isn’t inspired by France, with its fascinating history and culture, scenic landscapes, historic towns and villages and amazing food and wine? For writers in particular, all this adds up to plenty of material to write about. Moving to France might provide more time, space and inspiration to write, but it can restrict access to […]
Patricia Sands, the author of the Love in Provence series returns to the South of France with a poignant portrait of a woman who must learn how to create a new life for herself… Sixty-two-year-old Arianna arrives in the South of France for a two-week artists’ workshop full of anticipation but burdened by guilt. Back […]
So, what would YOU do if you lost your house? Panic, desperately search for another one and then take anything you can get? Well, when this happened to Americans Michael and Lisa, they decided to take the glass half full approach. When their rental home was no longer available, they put their furniture into storage […]
Paris loves its book shops, just think of those green book boxes that line the River Seine. Known as the bouquinistes de Paris the 217 book sellers have 900 boxes between them containing 30,000 books! These open air book stalls that line the walls of the offer the perfect opportunity for wandering and flicking through […]
As an animal lover, I have supported, sponsored and admired all my life the people who run animal sanctuaries, not only because of the wonderful rescues they do, giving animals who were unloved, ill-treated, abandoned or uncared for a new chance of life, but also I admire their ability to be strong enough to be […]
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I live part of the year in Provence and one day I was reading Le Monde and a headline about a “sexy politician” caught my eye. “Well, those are two words you don’t see together very often,” I thought. So I read the article and found out that there had been a poll asking French […]
It was lunchtime in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris, and I was ravenous looking for a place to eat away from the usual tourist traps. I turned down a quiet street and saw the most unassuming bistro. In fact, I wouldn’t usually have considered going in but I decided to take a chance. As soon […]
Catharism has been described as “the most successful heresy in history”. In Languedoc, “Pays Cathare” signs dot the countryside. One cannot drive far in any direction without coming upon the ruins of a Cathar fortress. Who were the Cathars? “Cathar” is allegedly derived from the Greek word, katharos, meaning “pure”. The Cathars were also known […]
The people of Provence have been raising sheep for centuries. You see flocks of them all over the countryside, grazing under the watchful eye of shepherds. But Provencal summers are scorching hot and sheep have heavy wool coats so they’re moved to cooler pastures. The transhumance in Provence The answer to dealing with the heat, […]
There have been many famous families in history. Take the Curies, for example: Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes and her husband, daughter and grandson each won one. Quite the talented family! And then there are the Wright brothers and the Brontë sisters. And let’s not forget those comic masters, the Marx brothers. But imagine […]
“They are NOT babies, they are chickens” remonstrated my French neighbour Jean-Claude. He had come to inspect the eight point of lay hens and two “babies” with which I had returned from the local street market. “I’m going to call that scrawny baby one Eaglet” I said “Non, non, non” came the emphatic response “You […]
“When I move to France I only want to have French friends”. This was a line in an email I received from a couple of Brits. They wanted advice on where to move to in France and this was one of their criteria. They also wanted to be near a town that has a market, […]
June 2005 was a difficult month for Peter Friend and his partner Mark. After a change of jobs, relocation and redundancy they decided they didn’t want the sort of stressful lives they were leading in marketing and business development for much longer. Considering their skills, passion for travel, good food and wine, setting up their […]