Reupholstery in Languedoc Roussillon

There has been a little bit of a reupholstery job going on at Le Moulin, over the past few weeks so I thought we should share the before and after with you.

Well actually I should say the after and before to be strictly and factually correct.

It was a tricky little job and certainly had our resident expert scratching her head once or twice, but as you can see the end result was fabulous and the owners were delighted with the outcome.

Unfortunately I can't claim any of the glory, it was all the work of my wife Angela.

But I did help to turn it around a few times so that easier access could be gained to the work face; there is just no end to my talent.

Well that and I provided copious amounts of moral support; although I suspect taking more turns at doing the washing up would have been more appreciated.


The chair is going to reside in the owners new home at St. Paul de Fennouillet in the Pyrenees Orientales; but actually came over from the United States of America. So it probably deserved a new coat after all that traveling.

Oh yes and I promised you a look at the 'before' as well didn't I, so here you go.

Looks even better with the matching foot stool.

I think there is going to be many an evening spent sitting and reading in this comfy chair during the winter months.

Beats one of those fold out recliners any day.



Money well spent I would say, and congratulations to Angela for a job done well.

Autumn Leaves are here in France

Summer is now officially over here in France and the autumn leaves have arrived.

This week has seen the covering of the pool, our first frost of the autumn season and we have had to light a fire to take the chill off in the evenings. That's actually quite nice because we have a big log burning fire and it is very pleasant to have a real fire.

The days are still pretty glorious however and we are waking up to lots of lovely sunshine which has a real warmth to it during the day.

I actually love this time of year, its when I feel inspired to get the camera out and take a few photographs of the autumn skies and the changing landscape with the amazing light and different colours you get from all the trees going into their winter preparations.

The holiday season isn't quite over as we still have people arriving next week for the UK half term break which they have decided to take with us here in the South of France, good decision I think and hopefully the sun will continue to shine for a couple more weeks.

We have actually sat out well into November before now having lunch at a cafe in town when the sun is shining. Obviously not every day is like that and there is a chance the weather can turn to be pretty chilly or wet, but when that sun comes out it really is warming, even at this time of the year.

A little about French life, its funny how the chores change as you go through the year, I am now looking to build the wood pile for those winter evenings, I know I will have to start soon, in fact probably should have already if I am honest. So instead of tending to the pool I am cutting wood, preparing fires and taking care of the maintenance jobs I have been putting off all summer on the basis it was way too hot for that sort of work. Oh well no more excuses now, guess I will just have to get on with it.

We are also looking to install a log burner in the gite, which has now taken on a little more urgency, although in typical French style I have been waiting for about 3 weeks for the local heating engineer to come up with a quote following his initial visit. We did think at one point that it would have been nice to have it in for next week, but 'c'est la vie', I guess the central heating will have to kick in if it is too chilly.

Of course while I am waiting there are plenty of walks to go on armed with my trusty Nikon D40 SLR camera to capture a few seasonal snapshots.

Property for Sale - Languedoc Roussillon

If you are interested in buying a property in or around the Languedoc Roussillon region of Southern France you can find a selection of properties available below. Please contact the owners directly for more information and to verify the accuracy of the details.

Tarn et Garonne (Quercy). 30 mins west of Cahors. 5 mins shops. Beautiful stone farmhouse ( 4 rec, 3 bed , 3 bath ) with separate stone guesthouse ( 1 rec, 2 bed, 1 bath ) 2 garages. Set in 1.6 hectares of wooded parkland. Heated 12m x 6m swimming pool, oil central heating, two open fires, original exposed beams and stonework throughout. €399,000.

Contact Clive Brooks 0673 944127 . Email brookswicker@sfr.fr for more photos.

Superb 5 bedroomed villa on the edge of Villasavary, a small village with all commerces 20km west of Carcassonne. En-suite to master bedroom plus family bathroom and separate wc. Pool 11m x 4.2m , 3/4 acre land, own driveway with ample parking and garage. Open plan lounge/kitchen/diner of 38sqm. Beautiful mature gardens looking out onto rolling hillsides. €370,000

View more photos on www.lecantou.com . Call Rob or Mary on 0033 468 247758 or e-mail rob.hesketh@spectrum-ifa.com

Fully renovated 200 year old village house with enclosed south facing garden with views of Bugarach and Rennes le Chateau with plenty of parking space.The property has three bedrooms all with en-suite facilities and could be run as a Chambres D'Hotes.It is situated in a quiet wine making village 15 minutes from Limoux and Quillan and 5 minutes from Esperaza.The asking price is €270,000 or nearest offer. More photos on www.audemaison.com Contact Gill or Richard on gillabdy@hotmail.com

'Mon Repos' is a waterfront haven located at La Tamarissiere, Herault, with stunning views of the river Herault and Mediterranean. This luxury detached two-storey villa, situated in its own secure grounds, is located on the banks of the river Herault, where it meets the Mediterranean. Entirely renovated to an exceptionally high standard, this beautiful villa is the height of waterfront elegance. Priced at 750,000€ as a private sale.

For detailed information, contact: monrepos@orange.fr

An exceptional 1861 Maison de Mâitre, fully restored for luxury country living. 'Maison La Serre' is an imposing family home in South West France. Located within an hour of Toulouse and Spain, it sits in a dominant hilltop position with panoramic views of the Pyrenees. Priced at 998,000€ for a private sale.

Detailed information can be found at: www.perdigots.com

St Ferréol (Revel 4km)
Immaculate villa, 147sq.m, in tranquil woodland setting 300m from Lac St Ferréol . 4 double bedrooms, large bathroom, separate WC. Shower room, laundry/utility room. Separate kitchen. Living room 36sq.m with feature fireplace. Summer salon 36sq.m with pool/billiard table. Double glazing and reversible air conditioning throughout. Integral garage, 2,600sq.m land. Priced to sell at 270,000€

Contact Jeannette or Alan on 0033 5 62 18 01 39 or jareeves@sfr.fr

To add your property to this page contact brianstephens@gmx.com for details.

I've got a brand new combine harvester, handy for a Sunflower harvest

I can't believe how brilliant the weather has been this summer, we have had blazing June, scorching July, red hot August and now we have had the best Indian summer I can recall for a September, although I have lived most of my life in the UK, so that's hardly surprising.


Oh pity you that decided against a holiday in September and actually October as well because it's still going. But as we have had the pool to ourselves this week, we have been making the most of it and going for a swim most days, still have to work though which is a bit unfortunate but it has been very nice taking an hour out by the pool for a change.

Not entirely sure the farmers have enjoyed the amount of sun we have had, I think they actually like it to rain once in a while, except harvest time of course when they do like things nice and dry. That's when life got a little bit exciting just recently, our local farmer arrived to reap the reward of his toils and to harvest the sunflowers, or tournesols as they are quaintly referred to here in the South of France.

I went out to take a few photographs and when Jacques (the farmer) spotted me the next thing I knew was that I got invited to take a ride in his brand new combine harvester which is a pretty impressive piece of machinery I have to say.

This was actually quite fortunate because quite a few of the guests who have stayed this year have asked me how they collect the crop when it is ready, so now I have a photographic account of exactly how it is done.

I think what was really impressive was the speed at which the machine could traverse the field taking in sunflower heads at one end, separating the seeds from the chaff and then filling the built in hopper with a big pile of them ready for transfer into the skip.

It is all totally automated so before you could blink what was a field full of dried ready for picking sunflowers was now a skip full of sunflower seeds that could be loaded onto a lorry and taken to a processing plant to be turned into Sunflower oil or some other sunflower based product.

So there you have it, that is how you harvest sunflower seeds, pretty neat really.

A new low cost and environmentally friendly way to cross the channel

Ryanair may be in trouble if this new, low cost and environmentally friendly way to cross the channel takes off.

There is still the need to hire a car when you get to France, but there can be no doubting that for members of the green parade this new mode of transport will be a big hit, and for the financially challenged it is difficult to see how a more economic option could be found.

Actually by going via Dunkirk you will find that the first motorway section down to Lille will actually be free, not the case if you go via Calais, so hiring that car at the other side should not be so much of an imposition.

Hope you find this new mode of transportation to your liking. By the way if the video doesn't run blame Google, they don't seem to be able to support their own software adequately, but it is worth persevering.



The source of the video is unknown to me, but I will be happy to give it the proper credit should the owner(s) come forward.

An American Viewpoint of France

I wanted to help out an American friend who has a brilliant blog on the American political system called Dixies Political Blog a very insightful look at American politics and one which I think will help you understand a little more about the American Psyche. Its well worth a visit if for no other reason than to get a sensible view of the politics in the States.

Photograph courtesy of Creative Commons

Of course in my other role as super Internet Marketer extraordinaire, I couldn't just post about a political blog without finding some relevancy to the subject of travel, how I could I put such a black mark over my search engine optimization expertise.

So I looked for an American slant about travel to France to add to my post. This is when I stumbled across Guidelines for American Tourists in France which is one of the funniest posts I have read for an age. Here are a few extracts:

General Overview France is a medium-sized foreign country situated in the continent of Europe. It is an important member of the world community, though not nearly as important as it thinks. It is bounded by Germany, Spain, Switzerland and some smaller nations of no particular consequence and with not very good shopping.

France is a very old country with many treasures, such as the Louvre and EuroDisney. Among its contributions to western civilization are champagne, Camembert cheese and the guillotine.

Although France likes to think of itself as a modern nation, air conditioning is little used and it is next to impossible to get decent Mexican food. One continuing exasperation for American visitors is that the people willfully persist in speaking French, though many will speak English if shouted at. As in any foreign country, watch your change at all times.

Safety

In general, France is a safe destination, though travellers are advised that, from time to time, it is invaded by Germany. By tradition, the French surrender more or less at once and, apart from a temporary shortage of Scotch whiskey and increased difficulty in getting baseball scores and stock market prices, life for the visitor generally goes on much as before.

A tunnel connecting France to Britain beneath the English Channel has been opened in recent years to make it easier for the Government to flee to London.

Cuisine

Let's face it, no matter how much garlic you put on it, a snail is just a slug with a shell on its back. Croissants, on the other hand, are excellent, though it is impossible for most Americans to pronounce this word. In general, travellers are advised to stick to cheeseburgers at leading hotels such as Sheraton and Holiday Inn.

Conclusion

France enjoys a rich history, a picturesque and varied landscape, and a temperate climate. In short, it would be a very nice country if it weren't inhabited by French people. The best thing that can be said for it is that it is not Germany.

Now you might be fooled into thinking he is just picking on French people but there are one or two clues that he might be taking the mickey out of Americans as well e.g. "American travellers are advised to travel in groups and to wear baseball caps and colorful trousers for easier mutual recognition."

There is one small problem with this blog and that is the owner David actually lives in the Wirral near to Liverpool in the UK and I have no idea whether he is in fact an Englishman or even if he wrote this article but I don't think we should let semantics detract from the hilarity of his post and I would urge you to visit the page and read it in full.

In the meantime I will contact him and invite a comment on this post with confirmation of his nationality and whether he was actually the author of said article.

Don't forget to visit Dixies Political Blog either as it was her postings that inspired me to find the American Guide to France.

French Life Summer Highlights

The summer season is drawing to a close in Languedoc Roussillon and it is time to have a little think about the best bits from this year.

Highlight number 1

I think it can be said without fear of contradiction that this summer was absolutely glorious, we did at times see temperatures touching 41C(105F), fortunately that was on the coast where you could benefit from a cooling breeze coming off the Mediterranean. Further inland temperatures maxed out at a positively balmy 36C(97F) where there was many an evening spent sitting out until midnight waiting for things to cool down for a better chance of sleep. Apologies to those in the UK that had to suffer the stereotypical British summer, but at least there was no flooding this year and I heard there were a few days of sunshine, so we haven't had it all our own way.

Highlight number 2

The odd electric storm or two, this may seem a bit of a contradiction but when you have been roasted for a couple of weeks or more then the arrival of a good storm with a downpour of rain and a spectacular lightening show came as a welcome relief, well as long as it didn't hang around too long. I think we only had about 3 of these little interludes but they were very nice when they arrived. I didn't quite manage a flash of lightening, but this is the sky lit up by the storm.

Highlight number 3

The sunflowers, this years crop in front of Le Moulin, which were pretty impressive if a little trifid like, the variety in front of the house were a good 6 feet tall and the flowers on the top were like huge saucers of sun. The flowers lasted for about 3 weeks from around the end of July through the beginning of August giving you that quintessential feeling of being in France.

Highlight number 4

La Cite Ablaze at Carcassonne castle to celebrate Bastille Day, one of the best pyrotechnic displays in the South of France which takes place on July 14th and kicks off at around 10.00p.m. Amazing fireworks that attract crowds of thousands and are almost as good as mother natures efforts.

Highlight number 5

The guests at our self catering accommodation here at Le Moulin, we have had some really nice people to stay again this year and have enjoyed both their company and their very nice comments in our guest book. Not that this means we will be getting complacent, attention to detail can make the difference to someone having a nice holiday versus someone having a great holiday. So a big thank you to the guests that have been and the ones yet to arrive.

All in all a lovely summer and we are now looking forward to the rest of the year and a few more bookings as we go into autumn. I think we need to get that log burning stove installed for some cozy evenings in.

French Life - evening entertainment in Languedoc Roussillon

The summer is drawing to a close and the autumn is just starting to peep over the parapet. Evenings are getting a little chillier even though the sun is still very warming during the day.

We were drinking a glass of wine the other evening, sitting on the veranda and taking in the view when we noticed just how beautiful and blue the sky was and how it was contrasted by the most wonderful cloud.

How does the poem by William Wordsworth go ' I wandered lonely as a cloud. That floats on high o'er vales and hills, when all at once I saw a crowd.....'

Well this evening we were the crowd and the cloud was our evening entertainment, as we sat and sipped and chatted, it still wasn't cold and we were still able to wear shorts and T shirts quite comfortably.

I have to say you can get the biggest wide screen, high definition TV in the world but you won't get a better picture than this one. I suppose I am waxing a little lyrical as I write this but I just needed a written account of just how wonderful this time of the year can be. It actually got better the later it got, the moon came up and was very full, shining through the trees and lighting the garden almost as well as daylight.


I am sure there will be a few people who will think I have lost the plot when they read this, but the last time I really stopped to consider the environment we live in and the peace and serenity it can offer, if allowed, was a little while ago now.


In our busy lives we can all too easily let moments and evenings like this pass unnoticed and that, I think, is a little bit of a crime.

So next time you get to relax for a while, stop take a look around and see if there is anything for you to appreciate. I am pretty sure there will be, even if you are not living in the South of France at one of the best chill out places I know.

Online foreign currency trading for individuals

Online foreign currency trading for individuals

If you are locked into managing your foreign exchange transactions through your bank and whether that is a matter of comfort, lethargy, lack of knowledge or a belief that high street banks offer the best exchange rates, you may want to reconsider.


Having been involved in quite a number of foreign exchanges since moving to France it has become pretty clear to me that using the high street bank for your currency deals is probably not your most favorable option.

Looking into what terms and conditions you can obtain through a reputable Forex broker may just save you a significant amount of money.

Dealing through a broker is admittedly a little more complicated than using your bank but once set up and registered it is a fairly straightforward process for making your currency exchanges and it is highly likely that you will make savings over what the banks can offer.

Take a look at foreign exchange trading for individuals to find examples of what savings can be made and the types of contracts you can use to manage your finances.

TorFX is a company that I have used extensively in the past and who have offered some very competitive deals. They are not the only company that do this but they are one I have no hesitation in recommending as a starting point for using Forex brokers.

From a practical view point it would be worthwhile registering with a few Forex dealers so that you are able to compare and contrast to establish which one will provide the best deal for you.

French Food Markets in and around Languedoc Rousillon

Revel - This food market is considered to be one of the best in France and is rated in the top 100 for the whole of the country. It takes place every Saturday morning with the food and garden products centered around the belfry in the towns main square, including, as is the tradition, hot food ready to eat such as paella, roast chicken and local dishes.


As you move further away from the square you will find plenty of other market stalls for, clothing, materials, tools and pretty much anything you might fancy. Also don't forget that all the shops are open in Revel on a Saturday morning with plenty of boulangerie's, patisserie's, cafe's and craft shops.

To top it off there is nearly always some form of live entertainment available often in the form of a jazz band, so all in all a lovely place to visit on a Saturday morning.

Fanjeaux - has its market on a Saturday morning as well if you prefer somewhere a little different with fabulous views thrown in, its a little further afield, but not that much further.

Castelnaudary - the food market in Castelnaudary in my opinion is almost if not as good as Revel's and takes place every Monday morning. Lots of fresh local produce and plenty of other items of interest as well. You could also visit the wine cave at the port alongside the Canal du Midi or visit the Charcuterie Escudier in Rue de Dunkerque where you can purchase fresh cassoulet.



Mirepoix - as an alternative to Castelnaudary you could visit the lovely little medieval city of Mirepoix for their Monday morning food and crafts market. Everyone who visits Mirepoix falls in love with it a little.

There is also an evening market occasionally on a Thursday which has been highly recommended for food market fans.


In addition to the market there are numerous cafes, restaurants and gift shops in Mirepoix and it is a regular favorite for visitors even on non market days..

Carcassonne - has markets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, being a bigger city, and they are always well attended, Carcassonne plays host to over 3 million visitors a year. For an evening venue in the summer months Limoux has an evening market on a Tuesday.

Victor Hugo Food Market - there are a number of options for visiting a food market on a Wednesday but none better than the Victor Hugo in Toulouse, which you could combine with a day out visiting the pink city.

It's not really the traditional French food market you expect being located in the basement of a multi-story car park, but there is no questioning the quality, quantity and variety of the local produce on offer and none more famous than the Toulouse sausage, a staple ingredient of Cassoulet the local dish of Castelnaudary origin.


Labastide d'Anjou - has its market day on a Thursday and is only about 25 minutes from Le Moulin and while you are in the town you can visit the pottery workshop and pick up a traditional earthenware container for Cassoulet.

Villefranche - holds it's market day on Friday which gives you almost a complete week of market day options. A slightly further away option is Limoux which also has its market on a Friday.

Durfort - not a market but does give you an option for some Sunday entertainment, a little further on from Revel you will find lots going on with the shops opening here when everywhere else is likely to be closed. the town originally specialised in copper crafts but has expanded its repertoire to include leather craft and more in recent years. Well worth a visit.

I have concentrated on the markets and facilities close to our gite for the most part but belowI have listed market days for some of the more significant towns and cities in the region that are a little further afield from us.

Montpellier - like Toulouse market day is every day in the captial of Languedoc Roussillon it is held in Halles Paillade on avenue de Heidelberg

Narbonne - Thursday & Sunday morning plus the food hall is open all but 1 day in the year from 7.00a.m. to 1.00p.m.

Beziers - Friday morning is market day for the city and there is a covered market (Les Halles) open every morning. The main market is famous for its flowers and can be found on the Allees Paul Riquet right in the centre of town.

Limoux - Friday morning is also market day for Limoux

Lezignan-Corbieres - You will find Lezignan Corbieres market day is a Wednesday

If you have other holiday destinations that you would like included in this list then please drop me a comment and let me know, I can easily track down when the market days are on and add them to the list.