Can you believe it’s August already? I honestly don’t know where the time goes, I actually thought about starting to look at our annual Christmas in France book for 2014. But I stopped myself as it’s summer still and I can’t quite bring myself to think about Christmas just yet!
I’d like to say a big thank you and welcome to all new subscribers to The Good Life France Newsletter – there are quite a lot of you and I’m very glad to meet you. I always love to have feedback, suggestions, comments so please don’t hesitate to contact me.
This week in my part of France, Pas de Calais (which the southerner call the North Pole), we have had the most glorious weather – blue skies clear of any cloud. I never every thought this would be a bad thing but it has caused a bit of an upset chez moi.
Since I arrived in France I appear to have developed a stray animal magnetism – I have, without quite knowing how it happened, ended up with 6 stray cats, 3 stray dogs and a variety of fowl of all sorts that are not for the pot.
One of the dogs is called Bruno, he is a French hunting dog crossed with a black Labrador and he is big, like a small pony. Most people in the village are scared of him on account of the fact that he was living rough in a front garden here and everyone was quite mean to him before I realised that he was in fact unwanted and took him in. He has not forgotten them.
Even though I know he is a gentle giant, he looks a bit ferocious and his size and big teeth certainly are off putting. He is afraid of certain villagers, most strangers and growls menacingly if he encounters them.
I wonder though if the villagers would still be intimidated if they knew that some nights, when the sky is clear and the moon is full, Bruno curls up in his bedroom in the house and howls like a baby at the big yellow ball in the sky! I have to confess, I sometimes miss the clouds (but only at night when my idiot dog wakes me up)!
Best wishes,
Bisous from France,
Janine
Ps This weekend is the busiest of the year for travel to/from and in France so be prepared for delays and to those travelling – Bon Vacances!
Paris Plages: If you’re in Paris this summer, one of the coolest and hottest places to be is the city seaside. The paris beaches are the place to see and be Seine…
Baking bread with a artisan baker in Montmartre: Lyn Baker from Australia falls in love with Montmartre in Paris and goes off the beaten track to bake bread and discover where Julia Child bought her baguettes…
Hairy bikers and a pop star: Peter Schoenmaker is a very funny writer and his irreverent story of his guests, the hairy bikers and a pop star makes for fun reading…
Make friends with your French neighbours: Donna Kerridge, expat in France, reveals how she made friends with her French neighbours…
Uzes: Intoxicating, elegant southern French town, our reporter Lucy Pitts chills out in two fabulous spa hotels and doesn’t want to leave…
Fete to Remember: Julia Stagg’s latest book about a fictitous town in the mountains of southern France is a rollicking good read – we loved it…
History of Jazz in France: Margo Lestz tells the story of how jazz came to France – and thrived…
French flea market shopping tips: Ali Stokes, antique dealer and French flea market expert tells you what to look for on your bargain hunting trips…
Day trippers from UK – looking for something to do this summer, we have hundreds of pages of things to do, places to visit – just click on our regional guides section for Nord-Pas de Calais:
Day trips on foot
Day trips by car and shopping in Calais, nearby Gravelines makes for a great visit, and St Omer is just 3o minutes away with Montreuil-sur-Mer not much more…
Weekend in and around Calais
Thank you so much to all of you for helping us to grow by liking, sharing and commenting on Facebook and Twitter and sharing our features via the buttons at the bottom of every feature – I can’t tell you how much it is appreciated…
