Clé France

Hi Sharon, 

Apologise for the delay in replying but the last few days have been a blur!!! We spent the days after the viewing doing a ton of research from vets and dog walks to what car and fridge freezer we are going to buy!!

Just wanted to say thanks for all your help. There were no nasty surprises with the house which so often happens when estate agents are economical with the truth. In fact the only surprises we had were nice ones such as the building plot which is bigger than we thought and better suited to our plans.

I will definitely want to speak to the insurance man you recommended as I really won’t have the time to shop around and I need someone who can hunt me out a good deal. I will have a look at the currency exchange guy you recommend as well.

Many Thanks once again, Pete.

Pete is buying a lovely house in the Correze department of the Limousin with Cle France and seems to have had a nice time doing some shopping for a new French car and some white goods for his new house in France already! Good luck Pete.

Dear David,

We are having a wonderful time here in France and have been very impressed with your agents, especially Jean-Claude, he truly is very special.

We have decided on a property that ticks all the boxes and we are considering making an offer.

Kindest regards, Jean & Dave.

Jean & Dave are currently in Brittany region of France looking for their dream home, they booked several viewings with Cle France agents across the region which includes the departments of Cotes d'Armor, Morbihan, Finistere and Ile et Vilaine. It sounds like we may have helped them find the right house in France!

Patriotism plays an important part in French life. It seems as though British politicians are trying to instil a bit of this into the British population.

In France, major dates such as Armistice Day [November 11], Victory in Europe Day [May 8], Bastille Day [July 14] are each marked by placing the tricolour around every war memorial in the country. For the war commemorations there will often be a small parade of veterans followed by a church service.

On Bastille Day, towns and villages put on fetes, pageants and usually a wonderful firework display at night. The smaller towns and many villages are also great at organising interesting events that pull in the crowds and which also give the locals a wonderful feeling of togetherness.

These events can be as disparate as something connected to local history in which the people all participate by dressing up, to a simple pig roast followed by a dance. A very small and quiet little village had eight births in one year. This was so exceptional that the local mayoress organised for eight oak trees [of the evergreen variety] to be planted in the little park in the centre of the village. On the day the supplier attended in order to demonstrate how they should be planted and the whole village turned out to watch. The local senator was also present and after the planting, which each family undertook for itself, there followed coffee and biscuits in the community hall, all paid for by the village.

It is such attention to detail that gives the French their feeling of togetherness and solidarity. Any foreigners present are made to feel totally welcome and part of the community.

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.

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

Hi David,

We found you in the Right Move Overseas site seeing you had the English link we decided not to go with anyone else, your company looked professional... And it turned out to be true :)))

Cheers, Lorraine.

Cle France worked with Lorraine choosing properties to go and view in France, over a few weeks lots of emails were exchanged and several phone conversations until Lorraine had around 7 or 8 properties to view that met her criteria in Brittany and Normandy. Lorraine actually bought the second house she viewed as it 'ticked' all of the boxes, located in the rural area of the Orne department in Lower Normandy.

If you really want to learn French, you need to know a few French expressions...

Si tu veux vraiment apprendre le Français, il faut connaître quelques expressions Françaises!

You aren’t going to find these in formal language books but equipping yourself with some of these idioms, colloquialisms and tournures de phrases (turns of phrase) will endear you to the French even if your accent betrays you.

Let’s discover some more French expressions, some of which may be completely foreign to you.

*Phrase in parentheses (brackets) is the literal translation, or as close to it as possible.*

1. Il fait un temps de chien! (It a dog time!) – It’s very bad weather!

2. Coincer le bulle (Trapping the bubble) – Not doing anything, relaxing.

3. Par monts et par vaux (By mountains and valleys) – On the move.

4. Avoir les dents longues (Having long teeth) – Being very ambitious.

5. Casser sa pipe (Breaking one’s pipe) – Dying.

6. Tuer la poule aux œufs d’or (Killing the chicken with the golden eggs) – To trade long term benefits  for immediate profits.

7. Avoir le nez creux (Having a hollow nose) – Having good intuition.

8. Être un as (Being an ace) – Being the best at something.

9. Boire du petit lait (Drinking little milk) – To feel satisfied upon receiving compliments.

10. Pot aux roses (Pot of roses) – A secret or a mystery.

11. À tombeau ouvert (At open tomb) – Going way too fast.

12. Mettre le feu aux poudres (Putting the fire to the powder) – Stirring up trouble or aggravating a situation.

13. S’ennuyer comme un rat mort (Bored like a dead rat) – Being very bored.

14. Clouer le bec (Nailing the beak) – Silencing someone.

15. Garder son sang-froid (Keeping one’s blood cold) – Remaining calm or maintaining self-control.

16. Avoir bon dos (Having good back) – Being easy to blame.

17. Le roi n’est pas son cousin (The king is not his/her cousin) – He/She is happier than a king.

18. Sucrer les fraises (Sweetening the strawberries ) – To have shaky hands (referring to the action of sprinkling sugar on strawberries).

19. Il n’y a pas un chat (There isn’t a cat) – The place is empty or there’s no one here.

20. Donner carte blanche (Giving the white card) – Giving someone authority to do anything..

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

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.