Sharing France with you

At least I can vote in this one!

European elections are being held in France on Sunday 26th May.

One of the few frustrations of being a local councillor as a British national is having to man the voting office when I don’t have the right to vote! As a British national, if you have registered on the electoral register, you may only vote for your local council or in the European elections.

The old ones are the best...

A deep joy of life in France is vide-grenier and brocante season. What’s the difference? For vide-greniers think car boot sale where individuals bring along the attic finds and cupboard clear-outs and set them out for sale. Brocantes are the rather more upmarket relatives with lots of professional or semi-professional exhibitors selling antiques and collectables. And, of course, the two terms get mixed and muddled along the way and you’ll find a bit of both at many events.

If finding a bargain or hidden treasure makes your heart leap (as it does mine) then you need to get on to the website vide-greniers.org. Put in your département and the date and it’ll show you a listing of all the brocante and vide-greniers coming up.

Cherry Clafoutis: the perfect Spring tart

Cherries really are a mark of springtime in France. If you're lucky, you can be walking your dog along one of the many chemins and just happen upon a tree with plenty of ripe cherries.

You may even have cherry trees in your garden. Either way, this classic French dessert is a very simple and delicious way to use this seasonal treat.

If you fancy somewhere with cherries on your doorstep, check out these properties.

Recipe from Home Cooking Adventure

Meet the Agent: Sally St Leger

‘I’ve been in France for around 9 years now and in that time I’ve done two major renovations with my husband.

Our experience of buying each time was poor and I was sure there must be better agents out there and a better experience to be had. So I decided to be part of that better experience and join Beaux Villages as a Sales Consultant.’

Sally has made her latest home in the south of the beautiful Vendée, right on the edge of the green and lovely Marais de Poitevin and she and her husband have realised their personal dream to convert an old barn.

With a background in sales, customer service and training, Sally has her eye firmly on what her clients need. ‘I want to be the local expert, the one who can introduce people to a new village or a different property style, and give people a real feel for the area they might end up calling home.’

Italian week comes to Nérac

Those of you blessed with living in the beautiful Lot-et-Garonne department might already be aware that the historic town of Nérac is hosting an Italian themed week. 

Run by the Nérac-Mesola twinning committee, the week promises plenty of free activities, concerts and shows. Pictured is the colourful Venetian masks parade that took place earlier this week. 

Expect more to come this weekend!

The event is held to commemorate the end of the Great War and to remember those lost.

Photo: La Depeche

Current exchange rates: saving on your French property

Despite the uncertainties surrounding Brexit, political indecision and the Bank of England recently trying to "talk down" the Pound, the exchange rate
between the Pound and the Euro is on an improving trend since the start of 2018, as the chart below shows.
The rate topped 1.1750 yesterday.

As an illustration for British buyers of a 200,000€ property in France:
At a rate of 1.10 (the low on this chart), it would cost £181,000.
At today's rate of 1.17, that same property would cost £171,000, a saving of £10,000.

Seems like a good time to have a look at our latest reduced properties.

Heard of Piégut-Pluviers and Cussac?

Ssshh! Don’t tell too many people – these are our latest best-kept secrets. Beaux Villages and Piégut Immobilier have joined forces and we are loving working with the expert local teams at the two offices in these pretty and well-served villages at the heart of the beautiful Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin (PNRPL).

The Park was established with the aim of protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural heritage of the region, developing local resources and preserving the biodiversity of the area.

A night at the museum!

If you have always dreamed of being locked up in a museum for an entire night to enjoy works of art in peace and quiet and in the shadows, this event is for you!

On Saturday the 18th of May you'll be able to visit museum at night in many different places in Europe. 

Check out the museum in South West France on the website of the event here. 

From wildcard to living the dream

My wife Joanne and I are the proud new owners of Les Chambres de CoCo – a sensitively restored 19th Century manoir located near Aubeterre-sur-Dronne in the south of the Charente. Neither of us have a hotel or hospitality background but we love hosting and entertaining people. Joanne, who is Canadian by birth but British by choice, is a Garden Designer with a Master’s in Landscape Architecture. I was originally an officer in the Royal Navy and then a business executive in the shipping and offshore oil and gas industries.

French police are rewarding good drivers

In a pirouette from a punitive to a rewards-based system, the Gendarmes in French department Oise (Hauts-de-France, north of Paris) have begun rewarding good driving behaviour with cash prizes of €100 - €200.

The operation saw some 80 drivers benefit from the system and were rewarded for things like correct indicating, respecting the speed limit and proper lane discipline. 

It came as a bit of a shock to the drivers receiving the rewards as they were pulled over much in the same way as if they were in trouble!