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Tag Archives: SW France
Abandoned Village: Saint-Amans-le-Vieux
Today was a beautiful, if still too dry, autumn day, so the SF and I decided to bestir ourselves and make the most of this fine weather for a walk. “Where shall we go?” We are faced with an embarras … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places, Walking in France
Tagged Bonnette Valley, Caylus, deserted village, lac de Caylus, rural exodus, Saint-Amans le Vieux, SW France
4 Comments
Bowled Over: One of France’s Favourite Sports
Under the plane trees on the outskirts of a southern French village, an ancient tradition is taking place. A knot of men is gathered, fortified by glasses of Pastis. The sun dipping behind the trees makes zebra patterns on the … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, French life
Tagged boules, faire la bise à Fanny, la Boule Lyonnaise, Marcel Pagnol, pétanque, Provence, SW France
4 Comments
From Monks to Mona Lisa: L’Abbaye de Loc-Dieu
Imagine a place the locals dreaded so much that they named it locus diaboli, the devil’s place. A lonely, remote spot near the major trade route between Rodez and Cahors, with dark woods bristling with bandits lying in wait. And … Continue reading
Rally Round: the Caylus Car Rally
It isn’t exactly the Paris-Dakar rally, but it’s an annual event that we really enjoy taking part in. The Caylus rally is not about speed; it’s about discovering the local historic heritage during a 50 km circuit with eight checkpoints. … Continue reading
Posted in Places
Tagged Bach, Caylus Notre Village, Jamblusse, Lacapelle-Livron, lavoirs, Loze, rallye touristique, SW France, Varaire, wash-houses
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Timeless Monument: The Cathedral of Cahors 900 Years On
2019 marks the 900th anniversary of la Cathédrale Saint-Etienne in Cahors. The cathedral is even older than the ill-fated Notre-Dame de Paris. Yesterday, 27th July, was supposed to be the official anniversary, since it was on that day in 1119 … Continue reading
Drought in Southwest France
First, let me wish you a joyeux Quatorze Juillet. Today is la Fête Nationale in France and one of the most important holidays in the calendar. Today is sunny and hot. In previous years, we have been known to light … Continue reading
Posted in Weather
Tagged drought, Quatorze Juillet, rainfall, SW France, SW France weather, water restrictions
25 Comments
Summertime, and the Living is – Busy
Life on La Lune has been a bit quiet recently. One non-negotiable reason is that we had huge problems accessing the internet during the past week. While it is back, it’s wobbly. The other reason is that summer has arrived, … Continue reading
Quirky Quercy Art – or Quart
Some of you will remember the late lamented Fyfe Robertson, a British TV journalist known for his trenchant views. A somewhat quirky figure himself, with his tweeds and deer-stalker hat, he had his own series, ‘Robbie’, in which he roamed … Continue reading
Posted in Places, Quirky stuff
Tagged Art, Caylus, Contemporary art, Quercy, quirky art, Saint-Grat, SW France, Vidaillac
4 Comments
Noses to the Grindstone? La Meulière de Clayrac near Cordes
Our walking group has recently taken some interesting routes, which have introduced us to the patrimoine (historic heritage) of the region. Some of the sites are quite off the beaten track and we hadn’t come across them before in our … Continue reading
How Does Voting Take Place in France?
For people like me who are not French citizens, voting here is a rare event, confined to the municipal elections (every six years) and the European elections (every five). The last time I voted was in March 2014, for the … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Top tips
Tagged European elections, European Union, SW France, voting in France
8 Comments
A Walk Around Caylus
It’s been an eventful 10 days or so. My latest novel is now out, involving quite a lot of last-minute effort. And the Irish Embassy in Paris phoned on Tuesday to say that my citizenship application had been accepted. My … Continue reading
A Special Day for Life on La Lune
Today is a rather special day for us. More of that below. It’s been a rather eventful couple of weeks, which explains my erratic blogging record just now. Having taken part in a concert in the hilltop village of Puycelsi … Continue reading
Posted in Places, Walking in France
Tagged Félines, orchids of SW France, Puycelsi, SW France, walking
15 Comments
Clock This
I hope you remembered to put your clocks forward last night if you’re in Europe, otherwise you’ll be a bit behind everyone else. We posted reminders throughout the house so that we wouldn’t forget, but there’s always at least one … Continue reading
Posted in French life
Tagged Daylight Saving Time, European Union, summertime, SW France, Time zones, wintertime, World War II
7 Comments
Say it with Flowers: France’s Villages Fleuris
The garden is burgeoning and it’s that time of year when one’s thoughts turn to planning and planting. While driving around France, you might have noticed village signs declaring “Village – or ville – fleuri(e)” and sporting one to four … Continue reading
Tilting at Windmills
One of the things I love about living here is local people’s interest in le petit patrimoine, the vestiges of a rural life that has faded away. Groups of enthusiastic volunteers contribute to their restoration to rescue them from oblivion. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Association des Amis du Moulin de Saillagol, Moulin de Saillagol, patrimoine, Saillagol, SW France, windmill
9 Comments
The Story of the People at La Lune
I’d love to know who lived in our house long ago. Elderly neighbours have always been hazy about this, perhaps because it doesn’t really interest them. This week, at last, I discovered a story about previous occupants.
Posted in History, Places
Tagged French archives, French census, French country life, infant mortality, la France profonde, paysans, SW France
22 Comments
Very Welcome Visitors
We knew they were there, because we’d heard them. But we didn’t know exactly where. They kept themselves well concealed, only moving about at night, until we stumbled upon their secret hiding place.
Posted in Nature
Tagged Asio otus, long-eared owl, moyen duc, owl pellets, owl roost, owls, SW France
16 Comments
New Technology Lands on La Lune
Life on La Lune passed its 9th birthday last week on 14th February. A few things have changed since then, not least our ability to access the internet. When I published my first post (the present one is the 628th), we … Continue reading
The Bells, the Bells: the Magic of Church Bells in Rural France
In Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the loud ringing of the cathedral bells has turned Quasimodo, the bell-ringer, deaf. Some of you will no doubt have seen Charles Laughton hamming it up inimitably in the 1939 film. I … Continue reading
La Chandeleur: Candles, Customs and Crêpes
Today is la Chandeleur or la fête des chandelles. I had never heard of it before we moved to France, but I had heard of Candlemas – lovely name – which is the British equivalent. To those of you in … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, History
Tagged Candlemas, crêpes, French customs, Groundhog Day, La Chandeleur, la fête des chandelles, pancakes, SW France
3 Comments
Five French Weather Phrases
The Brits have a reputation for talking about the weather. Hardly a surprise, since you can experience four different seasons in one day in parts of the UK. It was a surprise to us initially that French people also talk … Continue reading
Épiphanie, the Day of the Three Kings, in France
Now that New Year’s Eve has passed, I can wish you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful 2019. In France, it’s considered bad luck to do so before midnight on 31st December. Although we have turned the corner of … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, Food/drink/recipes
Tagged Épiphanie, Caylus Notre Village, Epiphany, France, French customs, Galette des rois, SW France, three Magi, Twelfth Night
10 Comments
Mistletoe in French Tradition
When I lived in the UK, mistletoe was a rarity, only to be found in over-priced bunches in garden centres during the run-up to Christmas. Moving here, I saw that it grows abundantly in our area. Some species of tree … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, Nature
Tagged Christmas traditions, Druids, Gauls, gui, mistletoe, mistletoe on oaks, SW France
4 Comments
Béret Nice
Along with the Eiffel Tower, the baguette and the Citroën 2CV, the béret has become a (caricatured) symbol of French culture. Thus, it was adopted by people like Ernest Hemingway, who wanted to look French even if they weren’t – … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, History
Tagged béret production, Bearn, beret, Blanq-Olibet, French beret, Musée du Beret, Nay, SW France
2 Comments
Wild Boar
When we moved here in 1997, it was not uncommon to see whole troupes of these animals, of up to 20 individuals. We have also seen the occasional lone male. Since then, our sightings of them have been much rarer. … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged battue, French wildlife, hunting, sangliers, SW France, wild boar
10 Comments
Millau: Towers, Markets and Bridges – Guest Post by Angela Wren
I’m thrilled to welcome back to the blog Angela Wren, whom I had the great pleasure of meeting at an authors’ event in Carcassonne in September. Angela is a Francophile, who has visited many more corners of France than … Continue reading
Posted in Books/writing, Places
Tagged Angela Wren, Emma Calvé, Jacques Forêt mysteries, Millau, Millau Bridge, Millau glove-making, SW France
4 Comments
France’s Flower of the Dead
For a fortnight or so before 1st November (Toussaint; All Saints’ Day) pavements outside French florists’ shops and undertakers, and whole marquees at supermarkets, are heaving with chrysanthemums in pots. But don’t be tempted to offer a pot as a … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, History
Tagged Chapelle de Teysserolles, chrysanthemums, flower of the dead, French cemeteries, SW France, Toussaint, World War I
8 Comments
Ça Sent la Rose
Roses must have one of the loveliest scents of all flowers. They have been cultivated for more than 5,000 years and thousands of varieties now exist. Unfortunately, they don’t do well here in our poor soil and they didn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, History
Tagged Château de l'Astorguié, François Coty, Parisot, perfume distilling, Rosa centifolia, rose oil, rosewater, SW France
22 Comments
French Flavours: Pounti, Traditional Auvergnat Dish
During our recent visit to Cantal, we had the opportunity to taste again a dish that is traditional to northern Aveyron/southern Cantal: pounti. Before we first visited that area, 25 years ago, I had never come across this dish, not … Continue reading
Posted in Food/drink/recipes, History
Tagged Auvergne, Cantal, French regional cuisine, Goose Fat and Garlic, Jeanne Strang, peasant food, picoussel, pounti, SW France
6 Comments
