After the external structural work was begun (roof tiles rain down) and the rebuilding was finished (a phoenix arises from the rubble) – it was time to work inside the pig pen.

The OH who is the Gov’nor when it comes to building, instructed me, the apprentice, to do the painting of the horrible black, sticky, smelly anti-damp paint on the breeze block walls before we went any further.

By now I was used to pulling the pallet truck with the hot tub on it which was in the middle of the room. As you may recall we had to put it in the room before we built the last wall as it was way too big to fit in through a door or window.

Painting with anti-damp liquid is a horrible job, it smells vile, clogs up the paint brush and is physically difficult to get off the brush and onto the surface.

After that we got on with stud walls, insulating – and I can’t stress how much we’ve learned how important it is to insulate as much as possible when you’re renovating these old French properties. We boarded the walls and ceiling and then plastered. By now we had split the room into two halves – one for the hot tub, the other for a sparring area for the OH who is a boxer and for another great e-bay bargain I’d found – a sauna!

The end of the first room to be renovated was in sight – it had taken months. The last bit of plastering done we heaved a sigh of relief and tried to pull the hot tub into place – the OH fell backwards and straight into the wall where he promptly made an enormous derrière sized hole.

I can’t tell you we laughed it off – we didn’t.

After we had replastered, our neighbours Aris who is Greek and Katherine who is Australian helped us to manoeuvre the hot tub and this time it went to plan.

We painted, laid the floor and unwrapped the hot tub.

What a moment it was – we were so thrilled. After all the hard work we finally were able to have a bit of luxury we thought…

We’d bought the hot tub to France from the UK on the back of our old trailer, it had been stored for 3 years in a shed and then the best part of a year in the pig pen while we were renovating around it – we had no idea if it would even work, the lights came on when we plugged it in but we could only really know once it was filled with water.

We ran a hose pipe into the tub and after several hours it was full. We turned it on – soft coloured lights came on under water, bubbles came out  of holes – we were ecstatic.

However bubbles weren’t the only thing that came out – water did too, from underneath the hot tub. Not only that – the water didn’t heat up at all.

The chances of getting a hot tub engineer to this remote part of France for a reasonable price was not an option. We had to figure it out for ourselves – the company I’d bought the hot tub from had gone out of business (that’s why I’d got it so cheap in the first place – definitely a lesson for me there).

When you take on a big renovation project in France you learn to be pragmatic and determined. We scoured the internet and figured out we had a broken pipe and a broken pump. We managed to track down replacements from other models that looked similar – it took several months.

Finally, we had the bits, the OH went out to the pig pen/spa and told me to stay away until he’d finished.

Several hours later, he returned to the house triumphant, took me by the hand and led me to the prize – a bubbling, warm watered tub, in a dry floored, sparkling clean room.

I can tell you I stayed in that tub until my skin was so wrinkled I looked like an alien!

A bientôt

Janine

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As spring turns to summer and warmer weather, gardens are in full bloom and if you’re looking for a Chelsea Flower Show moment in France –  you won’t be disappointed with a visit to some of the most beautiful gardens in France.

For a Chelsea Flower Show style visit – the International Garden Festival at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire can’t be beaten. Hundreds of show garden ideas are submitted by the top garden designers around the world with the best being created in the grounds of this fabulous Chateau with its beautiful permanent gardens and park.

Best formal gardens in Paris and France

French Gardens are known for their precision and geometry and for their beautiful parterre designs – formal hedging used to create form and pattern. Amongst the best known examples are the Versailles Gardens – all grandeur, regular linear shapes, fountains and canals.

Designed by the most famous of French gardeners André le Nôtre, who also designed the gardens at the magnificent Vaux-le-Vicomte, Fontainebleu, Chantilly and the Tuileries.

In Paris there are several splendid formal gardens – the Jardins du Luxembourg, the Parc Monceau, Parc Montsouris, Parc de Bagatelle, the Buttes Chaumont, the Champs de Mars, the Esplanades des Invalides, the Trocadero and the Jardin du Ranelagh are just a few of the magnificent parks open to the public and the perfect place for a stroll or a picnic.

For something a bit off the beaten track in Paris – a wander round the 18^th Century designed gardens of the Presidential Palace are a real treat. The Elysée Palace was once the home of Madame Pompadour and the Elysée Palace gardens are well worth a visit – open free to the public on the last Sunday of each month.

Beautiful gardens of France

France is a land of many landscapes and climates – as a result the variety of gardens is superb.

Normandy is the location for Claude Monet’s garden of Giverny – one of the most famous gardens in France and indeed the world.  The artist’s eye for colour is transferred to the garden making it one of the most visually striking gardens in France.

In the far south of France is the Domaine du Rayol, in the Var, which overlooks the stunning islands of Hyères-les-Palmiers. The garden has been developed to represent as much of the world’s biodiversity as possible and is divided into 11 different areas including Canary, California, South Africa, Australian, Subtropical Asian, New Zealand, Chilean and Marine Garden. A 20 hectare conservation area, 7 hectares of which are landscaped gardens and events and workshops throughout the year make this an excellent day out.

There are hundreds of beautiful gardens in France – in all areas. The tag Jardins remarquables (Remarkable Gardens of France) is granted to gardens which meet criteria of outstanding aesthetic, botanic or historic value. There are almost 400 gardens of different styles from contemporary, to botanical, to arboretum or even English gardens that have made the grade. (Remarkable Gardens of France).

France puts on a number of different events throughout the country, many of them around May and June, to celebrate its natural assets, both wild and tamed by human hands.

Top garden events in France

Fete de la Nature celebrates gardens all over France each May with a week of events focussing on nature in the garden.

More than 800 events which can be anything from a nature walk and insect workshops, to exhibitions and games, or shows to festivals. From small gardens to the grandest it’s a chance to get involved and enjoy nature first hand.

France’s first and most famous Safari Park (the equivalent to Longleat in the UK)  is the Thoiry Park and Chateau. To celebrate the national fete this year, they will be creating a habitat in their ecological park with 70 different species of invertebrates and amphibians. Other species at the park include snow leopards, elephants and lions! Alongside the expansive zoo, the chateau itself is a wonderful historical gallery to visit.

Fete de la Nature website for details of events

Rendezvous aux Jardins is held the first weekend in each June – it is a chance to visit both public and private gardens over a weekend – many of them are usually closed to the public so it’s a real chance to enter secret gardens and find out more.

Themes are chosen each year for instance 2013: “The garden and its creators” will celebrate the 400th birthday of André le Nôtre (the principal gardener of King Louis XIV), see also the gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte for more Le Notre celebrations.

Find out more about the Rendezvous Aux Jardins.

The post Best gardens of France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Chelsea Flower Show week – the premier garden show and event in the UK and one of the best in the world.

The British are known to be a nation of gardeners but did you know that the French are just as enthusiastic and obsessive about their gardens?!

The equivalent of the Chelsea Flower Show in France is The International Garden Festival at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Each year a series of conceptual gardens are created chosen from hundreds of submissions from designers from all around the world and put on show in the Chaumont Festival over a period of six months.

More than twenty amazing gardens – the most innovative, original, beautiful and sensational designs are brought to life in the fabulous setting of the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire. Located 200km south of Paris, between the towns of Tours and Blois, and home to a beautiful chateau which dates back to the 10th century.

Chaumont-sur-Loire château is a UNESCO world heritage site – it is a perfect illustration of both the defensive architecture of its period and the architecture related to the pleasurable pursuits of the Renaissance.

The palace once belonged to Queen Catherine de Medici and later Diane de Poitiers and reached its peak at the end of the 19th century thanks to Prince and Princess de Broglie. The royal couple designed magnificent modern stables, with the help of Maison Hermès, and entrusted Henri Duchêne, the landscape architect, with the creation of a landscaped park.

You’ll also find the beautiful permanent gardens of the Chateau – the farmyard gardens, white rose garden, vegetable garden, childrens’ garden and many more different themes.

The icing on the cake – tour the Chateau, contemporary art exhibitions and park which are open all year round – see the video below for a little taster of this most magnificent castle in France.

Visit the International Garden Festival at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire from April to October.

See the website for Domaine de Chaumont for further details.

More on fabulous gardens of France.

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Workaway brings hosts together with volunteers in an extensive range of different countries and is the brain child of David Milward.

David used his travelling experience to set up a database which registers families and organisations who will host visitors – individuals, couples and sometimes groups who are willing to volunteer work in exchange for accommodation and meals.

From painting to planting, building to babysitting and shopping to shearing – Workaway aims to introduce working travellers and language learners to like-minded hosts, without having to pay expensive agency fees.

An experienced traveller on a budget himself, founder David says that “after meeting so many nice travellers and backpackers who were looking for a bit more than just the hostel experience” he conceived the idea of an exchange site that would offer them a place to stay in return for a bit of help around his house and land. He loved the idea of travelling and becoming immersed in the culture of a country but knew first-hand that this can be expensive.

The idea of a website that brings together those who want to travel and have a real opportunity to get to know the culture and life style of a country grew and grew and in France alone there are now almost 700 hosts registered who offer accommodation and meals in exchange for a few hours help each day.

You have to pay to get yourself to your French destination but food and accommodation are provided – it’s a bit like staying with friends. As with friends, you’ll be expected to help out around the house and hosts specify how much help they require – generally it is 4-5 hours per day and the rest of the time is your own.

Volunteer work in France includes:

Working in organic agricultural farms (WWoofers will like this one), lavender farms and vineyards and even a zoo! Renovating farmhouses, mediaeval buildings, campsites and chateaux; looking after children, dogs and other animals… The list is endless, varied and quite fascinating to read.

David himself lives in Spain and has a lot of volunteers at his place – he estimates around 100 workawayers have spent time with him and says “all them have been fantastic with a different set of skills”.

When we spoke to him he emphasised that the main point of the scheme is that “Culturally it’s a great way to meet people – when you’re away from your home country you make new friends, get to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet… it’s a chance to stay with a new friend, meet their family, friends and neighbours and truly experience the way of life as well as often helping to make a difference. “

We spoke to a Workawayer from the US, Susan Watson. Susan has been the resident stained glass artist at Dollywood, a theme park in the smoky mountains of Tennessee. Susan told me: “Sevierville is the birthplace of Dolly Parton and I’ve done several creations for her throughout the years. She’s a sharp lady and I’m thrilled to be a part of the Dollywood family. Since I “retired”, I return as a guest artist and sell glass pieces to various shops on the park.”  Retiring from full time glass work at Dollywood was also an opportunity to travel and Susan decided to try Workaway.

She says “Workaway was completely wonderful.  I was able to experience the French culture – actually the expat-in-France culture – rather than have a tourist-type memory.  I particularly liked the fact that I used my talents to “earn” my room and keep. I would, and have, highly recommended the program to my friends and relatives — and a few strangers too! Workaway in France was my first experience and I do plan to return to France, as well as New Zealand in 2014. It is a great way to have an authentic cultural exchange in a foreign country and get to the everyday places that locals go.  I loved it.”

Occasionally there is a mis-match – expectations may be too high on both sides. It seems those mis-matches don’t happen often though as Davis advises there is 0.4% negative feedback and he doesn’t try to hide the fact that sometimes – it just doesn’t work out for hosts or volunteers. Usually it is due to some hosts having unreasonable expectations about the amount of work they expect from Workawayers. One tale we heard involved a three page list of jobs and rules, a lack of hot water and a very limited offer of food that seemed to consist mainly of beetroot!

David says many of the hosts travelled themselves when they were younger and are open to meeting new people and introducing them to a different way of life in a new country. In France many of the hosts are expats and he would love to see more French families getting involved. “French host sign up is growing, there are pockets of native hosts in France – one family does it, spreads the word and more sign up – in fact word of mouth is how the whole Workaway concept thrives – there is no advertising, no hard sell”.

Donna and Nik Kerridge, expats who lives in the north of France told us “We have been hosting Workawayers at our home for 2 years and are totally in love with the scheme. We feel honoured to have met such an interesting array of individuals from all over the world. They bring renewed energy and enthusiasm into our project and the idiom that many hands make light work is never truer. We have been so lucky with the guests that have come our way. We have a house rule of working together as much as possible to keep it sociable and every one of them will kick back with us after dinner and a day’s work and say “So what’s the plan for tomorrow Donna?”  It keeps us focused and motivated and we can never thank them enough after their stay.”

We spoke to several host families and all of them said that having a bit of help in the house, and introducing their way of life to their workawayers was nothing but a positive experience. One family wrote “Ron (Workawayer) came for 6 days, he has been here for 66 days and we never want him to leave…”

First and foremost David wanted to promote cultural understanding between peoples from different countries as well as enable people travelling on a limited budget to fully appreciate living and working in a foreign environment.  It’s also a great opportunity for those learning French to immerse themselves in everyday life situations that can really help to improve language skills and understanding.

Workaway costs €22, or €29 for a couple/two friends for two years, enabling you browse hosts for free on the website and arrange placements directly with the hosts. All meals and accommodation are included; some hosts also offer occasional use of a car.

It is completely free for hosts to register, easy to use and has good guidelines for safety recommendations.

Website for Workaway.info

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Eco loans are available from high street banks and are completely interest free to residents in France whose application complies with the requirements.

The duration of the Eco Loan is usually ten years but can be extended to 15 years if necessary – i.e. there is a lot of building work and therefore the top amount is borrowed. The amount you can borrow depends on the work to be undertaken and applies only to properties built before 1 January 1990.

Interest-free Eco Loans in France cover energy saving installations and renovations such as loft insulation, fitting double glazed windows and doors, solar panels, green heating systems, rain water harvest systems, sewage systems,

In order to gain an Eco Loan you will need to have a thermal survey conducted on your property and apply to your local energy efficiency office: Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie (ADEME). You can download a form (in French) from their website (below).

You must apply for a package of works (a bouquet de travaux), not a single element – the loan is not available for just one unit of renovation/conservation.

Once the form is completed you will need to apply to your bank for the loan. This will require you to arrange estimates (devis in French) for the building work from a registered builder – DIY projects are not in scope.

Once the loan is granted, the lender has a period of 2 years to complete the work and return to the bank to present the invoices and receipts.

Useful websites:

Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie

French Government Website gives clear guidelines and assistance

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Historic connections abound along the Loire –  Roger St. Pierre visits Angers in the Marne-et-Loire department, a culturally rich and historic town, proud of its Plantagenet history which joined French and English interests in the Middle Ages…

After the working week’s pressures and bustle, it was a perfect way to spend a Sunday morning – pedalling gently along the traffic-free dedicated cycle route that runs along the tranquil banks of the broad Loire, France’s longest river.

It’s a favoured locale for Brits – both expats and visitors – for the Anglo-French connection runs deep in this beautiful region – often called ‘The Garden of France’ – where England’s kings and queens once ruled in their concurrent role as Dukes of Normandy.

Sir Winston Churchill famously described the British and the Americans as “Two nations separated by a common language.” My own observation is that the British and the French are two nations separated by a common history.

Just look at my own background. Despite residing in England for 800 years, our family has kept its French surname and a strong feeling of affinity with our nearest Continental neighbours. Give it another three or four generations and perhaps we will be pure English but for now we treasure our Gallic roots.

We are far from alone. Many British families have roots in France, from the Norman Conquest to the mass influx of Huguenots fleeing the wars of religion and the current flood of young Frenchmen and women employed in the City.

Wherever you wander in Angers and its environs the ghosts of this shared Anglo-French past will follow your footsteps.

For a city so immersed in royal visits and affairs of state, it’s no surprise that, besides a mighty castle, Angers has a vibrant and richly endowed museum district. Must-sees include the Maison Bleue and the Galerie David D’Angers, with its vast collection of monumental 19th Century sculptures by the renowned local artist craftsman, as well as the imposing Collegiale St-Martin church, which itself dates back to the pre 1000 AD Carolingian period and is built over now excavated older buildings from the end of the Roman Empire.

Besides the fortress, which holds the spectacular Apocalypse tapestry, highlights of a stroll round the mediaeval old town include the riotously half-timbered Adam’s House and the cathedral.

Angers is rightly proud of its recently installed tramway system, a short ride on which will take you out to the Terra Botanica– an inspired new theme park dedicated to fostering a better understanding of the life of plants – as well as providing a fun day out for all ages. Given Anjou’s role as France’s premier horticultural region, it’s a perfect site and, now in its third season, is deservedly attracting huge crowds with its educational and pleasant and relaxing day out appeal.

A little further afield, the massive seven-storey Chateau Brissac is the country’s tallest castle, built in 1502 and still occupied by the Ducs of Brissac. It stands in the midst of 500 acres of beautiful parkland.

To appreciate the gently undulating countryside at its best, I’d recommend taking that bike ride. You’ll find a choice of well-maintained machines at Loire à Vélo. Follow the Natura2000 riverside trail signs and then take a short detour for a wine tasting at the Domaine du Closel where Viscountess Evelyne de Jesse Pontbriand reigns as the fourth generation of women vintners at this delightful property.

Round out your time in Angers with a guided tour of the Espace Cointreau distillery where the delicious Cointreau liqueur has been made for the past 130 years and learn the art of cocktail making and visit the fascinating volunteer-run Musée Régional de L”Air located just a few steps across from the Angers Airport terminal.

Aviation has a long history in the Anjou region, a fact lovingly documented with photographs, documents and an amazing collection of more than 40 restored and replica aeroplanes, including a to scale model of the glider that was built in the late 1800s by local inventor Chanute – a flying machine that inspired the Wright brothers’ design. You can also inspect the actual plane in which René Gasnier made the first powered flight in Anjou, in 1908.

Where to stay and where to eat in Angers

The Hotel D’Anjou (www.hoteldanjour.fr), a three-star member of the Best Western chain, offers comfortable accommodations in an elegant 19^th Century building close by the pretty Jardin du Mail, right at the heart of the city.

Le Mail is a friendly contemporary brasserie overlooking the flowerbeds, water basins, streams and birds of the Jardin du Mail.

Decorated in 15^th Century François 1er style the Hotel D’Anjou’s La Salamandre restaurant offers a refined slant on traditional French regional cooking.

Starring local produce and wines in its inventive high quality cuisine, Le Relais (www. Lerelaisangers.fr) is one of Angers’ leading gourmet restaurants.

A classic round-the-clock French brasserie, the plush Brasserie du Theatre (www.brasserie-du-thetatre.com) offers tables out on the square for café society people watching exercises. Inside it’s the extensive menu of national and regional specialities that catches the eye. Fish and seafood figure prominently – the plateau fruits du mer is a truly gargantuan melange of shellfish.

Discover more about what to do and see from the Angers Tourist Office website

by Roger St Pierre, Member of British Guild of Travel Writers

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The papers are currently full of news about proposals to mount wind turbines on the beaches of Normandy – including at least one of the D-Day landing beaches.

Some newspapers are calling it an “invasion” – emotional words, and this is a very provocative subject.

The proposal is to erect 75 of the huge wind turbines (approximately 180m high I’ve read) several miles out to sea – “6 to 10 miles off the coast of Calvados by Courseulles-sur-Mer, covering a total area of 50km².” Apparently they will be visible from the beaches and the plan is to erect them in 2015, the year after the 70^th Anniversary of the D-Day beach landings.

Courseulles-sur-Mer is the location of Juno Beach, site of the Canadian armed forces landing in June 1944; Wikipedia’s description of Juno Beach reads “There is little development here, so nothing interrupts your contemplation of beach and ocean. You can imagine the sands littered with mines-on-sticks, spiky metal “hedgehogs”, barbed wire and other barbarisms intended to rip the heart out of landing craft and the 14,000 Canadians that landed in this area”.  With the installation of the wind farm – this description will need to be radically updated.

We’re told that some local people are onside – it means jobs and in times of recession such as France is currently going through – you can understand that they are keen on that aspect, though I wonder how much tourism in the area would be affected by the change – also a major source of jobs.

On the whole though everyone I have spoken to is against such a move.

The D-Day landing beaches are one of the most visited sites of Normandy, every year hundreds of thousands of French and foreigners come to remember, to pay their respects. The area has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

French groups are forming to protest against such a move and European Platform Against Windfarms has set up an online petition against the Normandy beaches wind turbine plan and say that thousands are signing up to it.

There are a series of public debates going on in Normandy to consider the proposals which have been brought to the table by a consortium of German, Dutch and French businesses.

The commission managing the public debate states in their first newsletter “The public debate process is open to all. The location of the project off the D-day landing beaches fully justifies the participation of any British, Canadian and American nationals who may have concerns”.

This one looks set to become a huge topic of discussion – my French friends and neigbours as well as my foreign friends and neighbours have differing opinions as to why not to go ahead but all of them are against the proposal and wonder why the installations can’t  be placed somewhere less inflammatory.

A similar proposal bought last year to erect wind turbines within sight of Mont St Michel was unsuccessful when UNESCO threatened to pull the plug on the famous island’s World Heritage Site status.

Loos, in northern France is also under consideration for wind turbines – the site of a major battlefield in World War I, this has also raised public opposition and is currently on hold.

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This old recipe for infused fruits came from one of my great-great aunts who ran a pub in the deepest part of Devonshire and this was “allegedly” a firm favourite with some of the regulars.  It has transferred easily to France where there’s nothing nicer than perusing the French markets to see what fruit is in season and just ripe for making a delicious infused fruit tea.

It’s very simple and fantastic with some natural yoghurt. It’s also one of those recipes to have stored away in case of a surprise dinner party and you don’t have time to prepare (or buy) a desert. Simply spoon over vanilla ice cream for an impromptu fabulous pudding.

Mark Binmore, proprietor of Maison de l’Orb, Beziers, France

Ingredients

Fruit – any fruit. My latest version currently on the stove has greengages, apples, dried apricots, coconut, raisins, dried cranberries and dried banana. In the summer I go with whatever seasonal fruits I can find.

Cup of hot cinnamon tea, or you can substitute with any herbal tea, lemon and ginger is also good. (Make it by adding boiling water to a cinnamon stick;  piece of ginger; 2-3 slices lemon)

Spices – don’t use too much or you won’t taste the fruit! Again use what you wish but Bessie (Great-Great Aunt) liked to use a level tea spoon of ginger, nutmeg, allspice and a touch of what she called “Christmas spice”.

Method

Put all ingredients into a huge pot/saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer gently. Cool overnight.

Lightly re-heat when needed and enjoy – perfect any time of the year.

Bon appétit!

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Having removed the roof from the old pig shed (and survived being knocked out by a roof  tile dropped on my head) – we now had an empty three walled shell.

It was time to move the hot tub in!

Yep – the pig shed was earmarked for an Italian hot tub bargain that I had got from a company that was selling off stock. It had been covered in bubble wrap and a giant tarpaulin for three years in the shed and weighed an absolute ton.

We managed to get it onto a hand pallet truck (don’t ask, we have so much stuff in our house) and wheel it down the garden into the building. It had to go in at this stage as once the last wall was up there would be no way to get it in through the door or windows. I honestly don’t know how we managed between the two of us but we did – we pulled and pushed that trolley with the hot tub balanced precariously down a 100 metre grass hill that was the front garden and into the building.

After that we built a new wall with holes for a door and windows, repaired the existing walls, laid a concrete floor and rebuilt the roof. We had to keep moving the hot tub from one place to another and work round it – it wasn’t easy.

The OH is a builder and carpenter and knows what he is doing. I on the other hand know nothing of building and renovation and what I am taught I seem to forget instantly – causing the OH to shout at me, the lowly apprentice. I dread to think what the French neighbours must think of all our yelling at times. This usually occurs when I am told to get a tool and get the wrong tool – this happens a lot. I am called names and sent back until I get it right. Being an apprentice labourer is not all fun.

Putting the roof back on involved the OH making the gable ends down on the ground and then us having to haul them up to the top of the walls – they were big and very heavy.

One of my (many) phobias is heights.

After a bit of coaxing, followed by an instruction to “bloody well man up”, I mounted the ladder to the top of the wall where I was to pull the heavy wooden gable ends up while the OH lifted them.

How we don’t both have hernias is something I will never understand.

We finally, after much heavy breathing, grunting (not in a good way) and swearing, got the first gable resting on the top of the wall. My job was to stand and hold it while the OH bolted it down. I felt sick and dizzy standing up there holding this huge wooden frame that weighed more than me and was taller than me. Pierre the farmer went by on his tractor and laughed out loud at the latest antics of the mad English pair.

By the end of the day we had the gable ends up and secure. By the end of the week we had the roof tiled.

It was time to do the internal work – electrics, stud wall, insulate, stud ceiling, plaster board, plaster, paint, lay wood floor. All the time the hot tub had to be moved about, still on the palate truck, in its bubble wrap. We had no idea if it would even work after three years being in storage. We’d unwapped it and tested that it turned on – the lights came on, but it couldn’t be fully tested without being filled with water – we just had to hope for the best but I’m sure you know what happened next…

The pig pen reborn.

A bientôt, Janine

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The Good Life France talks to Roger St Pierre – an award-winning writer who has visited every one of France’s 94 metropolitan departments as a cyclist, journalist, author and Francophile…

Roger, who The Good Life France is honoured to include amongst its very talented group of writers, tells me he taught himself French by reading magazines and working out from picture captions what they said! His brother went youth hostelling in France and returned with lots of magazines about cycling: “There were photos of people covered in sweat, mud, blood – and tears too. I thought it was heroic. I remember vividly a photograph of two guys sharing a bath; Tour de France cyclists… their bodies were marble white, their faces, arms and legs burnished bronze, almost black. They looked shattered but happy to have survived another day of the world’s toughest sporting event. I thought it was incredible, exciting, and it started a passion for cycling that has never ended.”

Favourite place in France

Asking me to name my favourite place in France is like asking Imelda Marcos which is her favourite pair of shoes. It is simply impossible to say! I used to love the high mountains – mostly because of the Tour de France and the epic sporting battles fought out on those mighty slopes – but now I favour rolling hills and gentle mountains. I find them more interesting plus their valleys are less often in shadow, so they see more sun – the uplands of he Cevennes, Lozere, the Lot, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Auvergne, the Dordogne are all delightful… I love the River Loir (the little one), Normandy, Brittany… the granite and half-timbered houses and, nearer home, the Seven Valleys, close to Boulogne… then of course there is Provence.

From region to region everything changes, there is so much variety in France – building materials, the people, the cuisine, they all change dramatically from place to place. In the north it’s normally cream and dairy based cooking. In the south it revolves around olive oil and those wonderful Mediterranean vegetables. The northerners might often seem quite dour but are very warm when you get to know them and overcome their surface reservation. In the south they are like Italians – extravert and exotically foreign to us British!

France is like a kaleidoscope – every time I’m there I discover something new, no matter how many times I visit. Often it’s something that has existed for a long time but which I had somehow not noticed before, like some of the regional culinary specialities of the South West that I have only just discovered despite many previous visits to the region.

With France – there is just so much to it. So many incredible stories… the French have left an imprint on the world and must rate highly among the top ten most influential nations.

People and heritage in France

I love how France so proudly embraces its heritage yet somehow leaves a little room for the influence of others to squeeze in. Couscous for instance is now pretty much as French as croissant – which also didn’t actually originate in France by the way! I like to observe the different quirks in character that the French have; they are obsessed with making rules – and then with finding ways to break them! We British are obsessed with resisting the introducing of new rules but then sticking religiously to them.

Despite our many differences, the British and the French have a very close relationship – our language and customs are intertwined. Long before Julius Caesar, for hundreds of years we were trading partner, pre-Celtic. Our DNA is mixed up and we were travelling to each other’s countries and exchanging customs and goods long before Thomas Cook came along.

Sir Winston Churchill once famously said: ’The British and the Americans are two nations separated by a common language’. My own observation is that the British and the French are two nations separated by a common history.

Favourite French Character

Louison Bobet is certainly is one of my favourites. He was my hero when my classmates were all idolising footballers and cricketers. He was the first man to win the Tour de France three years in succession and sparked my love of cycle racing in France. Did you know that he is the godfather of seawater treatments? When he left cycling he opened the first thalassotherapy centre in the world – in Brittany. He brought science into sport. {Ed’s note: Roger wrote the forward for the acclaimed book “Tomorrow We Ride”, by Jean Bobet – the fascinating tale of how brothers Jean and Louison became champions].

I dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist and reached first-category amateur status but I also wanted to be a writer and tried to do both. I’d finish a 100-mile race then be straight off to the office to write up the report on it. You can’t really do both but I couldn’t give either one up.

In the end I raced for 21 years and did reasonably well but was never able to put in the amount of training you need to log up to reach the top of the sport. To get there you have to be totally focused, single-minded and self-centred too

It didn’t help that much of my writing was in the music field, notably for New Musical Express and Blues & Soul among others, and I was PR for the Jacksons, Marvin Gays, BB King, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis and other big stars, so there were lots of late nights – which isn’t the best preparation for race day!

Eventually I became a single dad, bringing up three kids on my own, so my racing career took a back seat and I soon found myself pumping up their tyres and getting their bikes ready to race. They ended up winning 16 national championship medals between them.

I’ve now been to 130 countries around the globe but my special love for France has never wavered. I vividly recall my first ever trip abroad, arriving in St. Malo at five in the morning, entering a cafe and watching the men there pouring big shots of Calvados into their hot black coffee. They were wearing denim dungarees and  berets – not to mention all those big, bushy moustaches – it was all very strange and exotic but I felt that I’d arrived in my spiritual home.

Roger St Pierre has been writing for 57 years and is to this day still discovering new things to love and write about France.

The post Roger St Pierre, Journalist, Author and Francophile appeared first on The Good Life France.