Columnists

November In The Morvan

Pumpkins and Chrysanthemums I am typing this on 28 October. The clocks went back last night and everyone is preparing for a long weekend of socialising. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Hallowe’en has not caught on

A Bad Case Of Wind

No, I’m not talking about the unsociable aftermath of last night’s aloo gobi; I refer to an atmospheric disturbance, believe it or not, of an altogether more vicious persuasion: Typhoon Mangkhut, very powerful, you may have heard about it. Although

Autumn In The Morvan

Quarré les Tombes is a pretty village with an enticing weekly market. Its claim to fame is not its unremarkable church but the large number of empty stone sarcophagi (tombes) in the graveyard surrounding the church.A Nice Day Out 46

Heat, Heat And More Heat

Benvenuti and Welcome to all my Lovely Followers, If you are new to this column I should tell you that each month I reflect back on the previous one, which in this case is August 2018. My aim is to

I Saw You Coming

The most expensive place to live screams yet another annual report on expat living. Really? I’m not sure. In fact I sometimes wonder if these authors are referring to the same city in which we live. Don’t get me wrong,

Art, Music And Culture In Tuscany

Benvenuti and Welcome to all my Lovely Followers, If you are new to this column I should tell you that each month I reflect back on the previous one, which in this case is July 2018. My aim is to

Sweltering In The Morvan

‘Quelle canicule!’ translates as ‘What a scorcher!’ and the Morvan has been sweltering since early June. We get up early and do our chores, including giving the geraniums on the patio their morning drink of the previous night’s bathwater, conserved

Choosing Schools In France

There are plenty of well-written articles explaining the French school system – but I struggled with understanding school years, and finding information on choosing schools. Similar to in the UK, if you opt into the state school system in France,