Hi Sharon,

Things are going very well, thanks you for asking. Agent was extremely helpful during a busy afternoon of viewing five properties.

Overall, three days looking and we have seen some good and some not so good. However best so far is with Cle France!

Graham is currently viewing with us, and with other agents (bah humbug!) in Lower Normandy and specifically in the departments of Manche and Calvados, perhaps one or two in Orne.....

BUT as always it seems Cle France have the better properties and as we always say, if we don't have it for sale in Normandy, it is probably not worth viewing, we have around 4000 in Normandy after all.

Hi Sharon,

We hope all is well with you and David, we will be moving on the 22 September and are over the moon. We are in UK until 11th August so will have a lot to do when we go back.

I understand the vendor has spoken to you and at the moment he has found a Gite to rent. He is a nice guy and we will probably stay in touch.

Thank you once again for all your support and we hope to stay in touch.

All the best, John and Sandra.

Having sold their property in Aquitaine, John and Sandra are moving up to Manche department of Lower Normandy. Sharon seems to be turning on the charm and offering excellent customer servicewith vendors and buyers in equal measure!

Today Cle France are thinking about French Cheese!

Is there anything more stereotypically French than le fromage (cheese)? Maybe a beret, maybe a baguette, but cheese definitely ranks near the top. There are literally hundreds of different variétés de fromage (varieties of cheese) and it would take many years to really get to know them all and to be able to discern the subtle differences between them. Let’s enjoy une dégustation virtuelle (a virtual tasting) and explore two of the more popular cheeses that have become world famous.

From Normandy to Nice and from Mayenne to Marseilles you cannot escape from the vast array of cheese on offer, so just enjoy!

Image by Gunnar Magnusson on Flickr

Camembert :

Perhaps the most famous of French cheeses, Camembert is named after the village of Camembert in Normandy, France. Made with du lait de vache (cow’s milk), it was introduced to le palais Français (the French palate) in the late 18th century. Mme Marie Harel is famous for creating the cheese and it gained further renown when Napoleon became one its most ardent admirers (and consumers).

Camembert is très crémeux (very creamy) and meant to be consumed at room temperature. It contains 45% matière grasse (fat) and so is to be eaten in small quantities and always with du pain (bread). Pairing Camembert with du vin rouge (red wine) and des noix et des fruits (nuts and fruit) will only serve to enhance its flavour, and thus your enjoyment.

Roquefort :

The origins of Roquefort are not clear but it definitely dates back plusieurs siècles (several centuries) and was supposedly one of the favourite cheeses of le Roi Charlemagne (King Charlemagne) in the late 8th century.

Roquefort is made of lait de brebis (ewe’s milk) and is characterised by une couleur blue (a blue colour) that comes from a mold called Penicillium roqueforti. Ne vous inquiétez pas (Do not worry)! The mould is perfectly safe to eat and gives Roquefort son gout unique (its unique flavour). The fat content of this cheese is 52%, so again, proceed with caution. Roquefort is best served with des noix et des figues (nuts and figs) along with a glass of fortified wine such as Port or with a good Muscat.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Hi Sharon, thats amazing! Yes yes lets proceed! We can go to the agents office right away, fill out what ever forms we need to and pay deposit if that is required?

Please let us know what to do next.

Thank you Sharon you have been so kind, honest and helpful through this process.

Kindest regards, Tom.

It is always nice to give a client some good news, Tom put in a, shall we say, 'cheeky' offer on a property in Brittany which was turned down but Sharon did her usual careful negotiation with the vendor and our client and after a few days of give an take an agreed price was found between the parties and now both vendor and buyer will be moving in about 10 weeks in Morbihan... success!

France is synonymous with passion. French demoiselles and young macho Frenchmen are the legendary stuff of romance and French literature and films are full of it. Paris is always pictured as the most romantic city in the world and I think it really is. Whenever I visit it I feel romance in the air.

The French language sounds enchanting, and there's nothing sexier than a young French person speaking English. The soft tones of the French accent along with the musical intonation the French have with their speech have an instant effect on most English men and women. So it is when landing at a French port of entry there is an instant feeling of relaxation and romance.

It has always affected me in this way and many people I know with holiday homes in France tell me they get the same vibes the minute they hit French soil. They start holding hands, something they seldom do in England. The next thing is they are whispering sweet nothings to each other and pecking each other on the cheeks. Soon the soothing effect of France and the laid back attitude of the French starts to rub off and the stresses of British life seem to melt away. The next thing they know, long married couples are falling in love all over again and remembering what romance was like when they first met.

Friends regularly say to me, as they near the end of their sojourn how much they would like to stay on and how they envy my living out here. And so it seems that marriages really flourish in France. Yes, honestly!

If you want more? then follow the links above, in the images, where you can buy Fraser's published books.

Fraser Blake, 70, author of 'Dear Chips' and 'A Rant Too Far?' grew up in Africa, was at school in Scotland, and worked for the British South Africa Police in Southern Rhodesia. He has taught English in Saudi Arabia and sold and renovated hundreds of properties in Northern France.

In 1998 Fraser was selling houses in the Mayenne department of the Pays de la Loire region and so was the obvious choice, when Cle France was started, to be their first agent on the ground in France. In retirement he writes, blogs, cooks, drinks wine, and hosts to dinner unlimited numbers of ex-pats.

Always on hand with a viewpoint, Fraser is going to share his views on France, the French and the British, and other people who buy in France. Sometimes informative, sometimes funny, painfully true, outrageously opinionated but always entertaining so we hope it adds a slightly different dimension to the usual normality of searching through the fantastic properties for sale on the Cle France website.

Watch out for more rants and opinion next week or buy the book today for a rollicking good read.