Category: Life in France

Life in France

The vet bill was how much?

Someone is more interested in looking at the castle than the camera
Someone is more interested in looking at the castle than the camera

Heather takes us on daily walks. We generally set the direction but then she determines the destination and speed, pulling on the leash and glancing back to make sure that both of us are keeping up. Since she’s not fond of loud noises we often go along the river where she gets to sniff to her heart’s content, we get glimpses of snow-capped mountains and the occasional passenger train zipping to or from the Mediterranean Sea, and we all three enjoy the tranquility. As long as she’s pulling us along then we keep going. But then on an outing last week she stopped pulling. Continue reading “The vet bill was how much?”

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Life in France

Monsieur Rogers’ neighborhood

Frosty margaritas and spicy southwest rollups
Frosty margaritas and spicy southwest rollups

Did you ever watch the PBS television program hosted by Fred Rogers where he invited you on a daily excursion to meet the people around him? In contrast to the fast-paced cartoon entertainment offered at the time on other channels, Mr. Rogers was a kind and gentle man who made you feel comfortable in strange surroundings, emphasized respect for others, and offered reassuring advice that things would work out OK. His Land of Make-Believe even had a castle towering above all the houses below. Guess where we live. Continue reading “Monsieur Rogers’ neighborhood”

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Life in France

Cozy they call it

Cool house beside the Canal-du-Midi
Cool house beside the Canal-du-Midi

We live in a small house. I hadn’t really given it much thought until the other morning when Bill was loading the dishwasher…from his seat at the breakfast table. That’s also where we eat lunch and dinner and from my side of that same table I would be able to load the washing machine which is there in the kitchen too. In US real estate terms that would be called “cozy”. Continue reading “Cozy they call it”

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Life in France

You can bank on it

The Bank of France building in Carcassonne
The Bank of France building in Carcassonne

Banks in France are different from what we were used to in Atlanta. Here they have fees for pretty much every service and we understand that it can take at least a couple of weeks to get an account open. It’s not uncommon for your branch to close for lunch, be open on Saturday mornings only, if at all, and not at all on Mondays. Combine that with the US government’s requirement that the Bank of France report all financial activity of any American who has an account here and you start to understand the delays and the challenge. Thanks to the Internet, we may have a solution. Continue reading “You can bank on it”

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Life in France

Bundles through Britain

The French crystal comes home
The French crystal comes back home

During World War II an organization called Bundles for Britain sent non-military supplies including knitted sweaters, scarves, and hats to the UK from the US. Seventy-five years later we have our own version, right down to the knitting, going on with the arrival of our household goods from Atlanta via Southampton, England. Continue reading “Bundles through Britain”

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Life in France

Little choices, big impact

Team Farmers!
Team Farmers!

You’ve seen several posts on this blog about markets. In Carcassonne we have the open-air fresh fruits and vegetables market on the square three days a week; inside the heated/air-conditioned Les Halles covered market you can buy meats and seafood all week-long; and every other week or so there seems to be a fair that highlights the local wine, honey, nuts, cheese, and other products made here. In other words, we’re faced with an embarrassment of choices. Continue reading “Little choices, big impact”

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Life in France

Angels’ feet

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An afternoon snack of Morbier, St. Nectaire, & Tommes des Pyrenees cheeses.

Today we were in a supermarket and I noticed a display for an air freshener. I didn’t bother trying to translate the words since the pictures told the whole story. The product’s maker wanted you to know that their freshener would handle the strongest odors from dogs, shoes, and since this is France, cheese. Yep, a big ‘ole hunk of stinky cheese was right up there as a common household smell. Continue reading “Angels’ feet”

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