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Real life in Southern Brittany I moved to France in April 2002 with my husband Mark and our daughter Iona. Joe, our son, was born in France, in 2003. The main reasons for moving to rural Brittany were to escape the fast pace of London life and to experience a simple, yet very fulfilling lifestyle. Read all about real life in Southern Brittany

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Gallic Grapevine

English - France, Brittany, Travel

http://frenchgites.com/gallicblog/

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Gallic Grapevine · 1d ago

What is your favourite Breton beach?

What a scorcher yesterday… and today it is set to be 29 degrees. Summer has arrived!.. Hope this weather continues right through until September, four months of glorious sunshine. Sunday, we are off to La plage, there are lots of beaches within easy reach, the coast town of Vannes is just 30 mins aw

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Gallic Grapevine · 3d ago

The realities of country living……

Iona and Joe were invited to a sleepover to a friends’ house Saturday evening. Sunday morning, very bleary eyed they returned home. ‘Was it fun?’ I asked. ‘Too cool’, replied Joe. ‘Claude’s papa caught a rabbit in their garden. We weren’t allowed to hold it because it might have fleas.’ ‘Where is it

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Gallic Grapevine · 1w ago

The African savannah in…….. Brittany?

We are having a sneaky five day holiday… no school on Wednesdays, Thursday was a bank holiday and all the schools are shut today,,, why go to school for just a Friday!!. Yippee, so today we went to Branféré Parc. What a fantastic place. Branféré Parc is involved in the preservation of 24 protected s

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Gallic Grapevine · 1W ago

Labelled as Les Anglais. Offensive?

We will always be known as ‘Les Anglais.’ If we book a table in a restaurant, order something from a shop or make an appointment with dentist we rarely have to give our name. We are ‘Les Anglais’. Yesterday, I was asking about a kettle and the shop assistant shouted to her collegue,’ L’anglaise wan

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Gallic Grapevine · 1W ago

It is quite a luxury not having to share the sofa with a nail gun!!.

We need a shed. For ten years we have needed a shed. For ten years I have nagged Mark about a shed. As we don’t have a shed his tools are everywhere, in the hall, under the kitchen table, under the stairs… he can never find anything and I keep tripping over the circular saw in [...]

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Gallic Grapevine · 2W ago

Friday Night. Galette Night.

There aren’t too many takeaways in rural Brittany…. In fact I think our closest takeaway restaurant is 45km away!!. So instead of a takeaway night the French have a ‘galette night’. In Brittany, this is usually Friday evening. Galettes are savory crêpes (pancakes), they are larger than crêpes and ar

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Gallic Grapevine · 2W ago

French nationality, or not?

I peeked inside the letter box. An envelope says ‘Ministère des Affaires Étrangères et Européennes’. Could this be ‘The Decision’. Do we have French nationality or not? I tear open the envelope, a formal letter and four printouts, two for Mark, one for me and one for Iona. What about Joe?, as he wa

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Gallic Grapevine · 2W ago

Le jour de la libération

Le jour de la libération WWII Victory Day (la fête de la victoire, le jour de la libération) is a holiday to celebrate the end of World War II and the French people’s freedom. It is the anniversary of when Charles de Gaulle announced the end of World War II in France on May 8, 1945. Today, [...]

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Gallic Grapevine · 2W ago

Child Allowance goes up.

Letter in the post this morning. Our child benefit for Iona and Joe is going up by €2.34. Wow, M.Hollande works fast……

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Gallic Grapevine · 2W ago

Hollande or Sarkozy ?

The village shop was definitely the place to be today if you wanted a lively political debate !!.. I ran in for our lunchtime baguette. The bar was full, Nadine was in full flow. Lucienne arrived just after me. ‘Who did you vote for?’ Nadine shouts across the crowded bar. ‘Hollande, of course, Sarko

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