July 7th 2010 

We are in the midst of the summer months now and the weather, providing you are willing or able to change your routine, is divine. Long, long hot days, where you need to be out and about by six in the morning through till the Al Fresco evenings sitting under the stars with a chilled bottle of Champagne. It all sounds idyllic and of course it is BUT one must not forget the small need to work in the middle of all this paradise.

I would be a millionaire if I had a Euro for every time someone has said to me, "Well it must be great for you, living in France, what do you do all day apart from sitting around the pool sipping wine?" Of course in your dreams! Reality is not so easy, its the same here as anywhere else. Whatever your trade and whatever your lifestyle, you all need money to survive and that income has to be earnt.

So for us its very early starts, riding through the surrounding forest tracks and chemins. When the sun is rising has to be one of the highs of the day, its cool and quiet and inviting deep in the forest. The deer, instead of bolting away, accept you as no immediate threat but instead freeze and wait to react. For that small window of time as you meet their eyes, face to face and you can see their nostrils sensing the breeze, there is harmony. In a blink of an eye they have gone,melting into the fauna as if they were never really there at all.

Much later in the heat of the day when I am working at my desk and the glare of the sun bouncing on the courtyard outside actually hurts my eyes, I'm thankful to be inside the cool Touffeau stone house. When the phones are ringing non stop and the work load is pressurised, its good to reflect on such things as they balance out the stress and commitments in life. I have never managed to find the time for the 'siesta' yet. I keep promising myself the luxury but somehow life always seems to get in the way of this 'time out.'

Still imagine all the wonderful things I'd be missing if i was sleeping........

A Plus....

June 21st 2010

The longest day is here. How can that be? From now on the days will get shorter and we have not even seen the sunshine yet! So to move forward from gloomy thoughts and onto positives.

Sometimes living in France can lead to complacency. Receiving and editing the latest article from Fiona from Barleyfields, which we publish next week, reminded me how lucky those of us out here are. Its so easy to forget the traffic issues, the politics and the general overcrowding and pace of life back from whence we came. How quickly we adjust and settle into our new French Lifestyles. We may not all be able to take the obligatory  'Two hours for lunch' but the pace of life is far healthier and the quality of life is far more attainable if you set your mind to it. Lets not forget just how lucky we are to be here.
 

FH&C are putting together a series of articles featuring Equestrian & Country artists.

There are so many talented and gifted people out there. Some of their work is fabulous, truly stunning, and so we thought they deserved showcasing. First to feature is Marina Radius who has her work on exhibition in a gallery in France. Some beautiful art and bronze sculptors of horses and animals. One even going to a Sultan! So keep a look out for these in future articles too.

Well back to work for me, sifting through the properties to publish I realise that I had better get them published for all you readers that are researching the move over, to discover. Happy hunting......

Bonne Juin 21 A Plus!

June 1st 2010

Just where is the year going?

And so we come to June!   

Wonderful June with the long, long evenings and the al- fresco dining. A month of socialising, vide-greniers, gardening and writing. Sitting by the lavender, immersed in a sea of violet and green. The joys of living in France. All wonderful if you have the leisure time to relax and take them in your stride, the problem however is balancing a busy lifestyle whilst still taking full advantage of all the benefits of French Living.

I think many people will be in the same situation, I meet many new and interesting people with my work. They came to France for a 'quieter and less frantic way of life' and yet find themselves back on the treadmill. Spinning those plates and keeping everything going, while cramming in the 'living the dream lifestyle.' Longer days are wonderful but somehow there needs to be more hours in the day, to fit in the life commitments with the constant striving for tranquility!

It is possibly the same wherever you live, the wonderful plus here however, is that when you do find that rare moment of relaxation, then surely France must rate highly as one of the best places to enjoy it.

A Plus!

'From the Editor' ' MAY 2010 

'From The Editor' - APRIL 2010

'From the Editor'  

  December '09 to April 2010   

August 2010 - The holiday month in France!

What a sensible idea, mass exodus from the cities to the beaches, the mountains and the tourist attractions, of which there are many in France. Its a yearly migration with no thought of 'what happens to the business?' or 'who will answer the office phone?' or even 'what if you are waiting to sign a house purchase contract?' No conscience that everything that keeps the wheels of life turning, will grind to a halt. " Mais Madame, c'est Le Grand Vacance!" Oh that's OK then, everyone is on holiday so a shrug and lifting of the arms will suffice until September!

It all seems to work so wonderfully well however, provided you have tolerance and acceptance of August in France. 'The silly season,' as many ex-pats fondly call it, begins on or about the last week in July. If you work in an office then turn off the computer and leave your In-Tray piled high till your return. Everyone will understand and get back to you in September. Well on second thoughts, ensure you leave it to the second week of September, because the first week is left free to re-acclimatise and read through the backlog!

So, you have two choices in France at this time, whether ex-pat or native. You can either become very frustrated, agitated and spend lots of time and energy getting no where fast, or you can kick back, relax and enjoy the sunshine, knowing that everyone around you will understand and if not then that is not your problem, it is theirs. I know which camp I am in. When in France, remember to accept and tolerate the French way of life and customs. See you all in September then........

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