This French Life

A passion for pétanque

SATURDAY afternoon in Villeréal and it is time for a game of pétanque, the classic French game.

Who’s that in the beard?

IT’S not every year you get the chance to play Santa but for my first Christmas in France the honour was all mine.

A site worth noting

A USEFUL site for Dordogne property hunters is that of the region’s notaires.

On track to a carte grise

IF you spend a great deal of time in France it may be worthwhile buying a left hand drive car, that’s the easy part, the challenge is the paperwork.

Just like the UK you need to be the registered owner of the car and for that you need to apply for your carte grise.

The Reid project

WOW is the first word that comes to mind when you drive up to Elley and Gavin Reid’s home in the Lot and Garonne.

Fighting for high-speed access

THE fight to bring high-speed internet access to Villefranche du Périgord is gathering pace.

The railway cottage life

WHEN Bernard Traynor’s doctor said he should leave the UK for the good of his health, he and his wife Carole headed to the Dordogne.

Final leg of PETS passport

TRAVELLING back into the UK after you have received a PETS passport for your cat or dog is not as straightforward as just getting the next ferry across the Channel.

The first thing you should do is check on the certificate (PETS1) what the period of validity is so you know from what date you are allowed to take your pet back into the UK.

The mammoth horse chestnut tree

NO one’s certain how old the giant horse chestnut tree is, but one thing is certain it is big.

The lost hamlet

LOST deep in the woods is a small hamlet, its buildings crumbling before your eyes, evidence of the drift of people from the Périgord countryside in the past.