village | A French Collection

Why arriving in our village in a hire car from Frankfurt was a bad idea

How does a hire car full of Australians, a church bell tower and village Mayor relate to the French Resistance in Côtes d' Armor, Brittany? All will be revealed in episode #9 as Annette shares more of her story of living in a tiny French farming village. Sometimes the simplest things have a big impact - and one that you may never have thought of!

Podcast show notes and all photos https://www.afrenchcollection.com/the-french-resistance-in-cotes-d-armor

AFTER A WONDERFUL FEW YEARS OF CREATING PODCASTS, WE HAVE NOW DISCONTINUED OUR PODCAST SHOW.

You can still read the podcast show notes on the link above.

Annette Charlton

Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on numerous blogs and travel websites and appeared on ABC National Radio. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.

www.afrenchcollection.com

The Rules of Boules

Whenever you're in France you'll likely will see a game of boules being played either in little villages or main town squares, or even be asked to join in on a game of boules. It's a popular game played by old and young. I originally thought it may be preferred by the older generation but in our village, children and young adults all play in the terrain (single playing ground) behind our local Tabac (bar) or at the boulodrome (boules competition field) when inter-commune championships are held. It's a lively event when there's a competition and it's on for young and old.

In our village Breton boules is played which is particular to our region with different rules and not with the metallic boules, but a larger resin ball. Read our full article on Breton Boules here. Joining in a local boules game is a great way to meet people and immerse yourself in French culture. If you’re having trouble sourcing a boules game for yourself, then take a look at this game available on Amazon. A lovely story of our Australian friends who stayed at our home, joined in boules games at our bar and made lasting memories can be read in our post Aussies in France.

Twelve Years of Living in France

Annette Charlton from A French Collection

Reflecting on our Twelve Years in Brittany

You may know that recently I spent time at my second home in Brittany, France and if you follow my blog or social channels, you'll know it's been some time since I was there due to Covid travel restrictions imposed by the Australian Government.

I spent time with friends, worked hard cleaning and doing jobs around the house and garden, as well as a good amount of antique furniture shopping and I visited some charming little villages not previously explored by our family. While there I also reflected on what the last twelve years in France has meant to our family and how it has changed our lives. I thought I'd share my reflections with you all.

Our French Life – A Priestly Visit

Village church in Côtes d'Armor

Just How Do You Entertain A Priest If You Can't Speak French and Are Not Catholic?

This memoir is another in our French Life Series where we share what living in France is really like for our Australian family. We went on holiday to France with our daughter, and bought a house in Brittany while we were there, and have been living between our homes in Australia and France ever since. This story is from our early years in France ...

After settling, to some degree, into our new life in France we decided to attend a Sunday service at the local église catholique (Catholic church). We had previously had a failed attempt at this rather simple activity as it was not obvious that, rather than having a service every Sunday, the commune took turns in conducting the Sunday service on a set roster with priests doing the rounds of the local villages. This of course meant that on our first attempt to attend a service, we had turned up on a Sunday our village was 'un-rostered'.

Our French Life and The French Resistance in Cotes d’ Armor

WWII and The French Resistance in Côtes d’Armor, Brittany

Our first trip to our new French village holiday house was only days after settlement of the property had been completed and we had planned a full and varied holiday of purchasing furniture, meeting our neighbours, sightseeing and generally enjoying being in our new French holiday home and fitting it out.

We decided to fly from Australia to Frankfurt, Germany and then make our way to the house in the region of Côtes d’Armor, Brittany sightseeing along the way.

Pontrieux – A Beautiful French Village

Pontrieux is A Beautiful French Village in Brittany

France is famous for its beautiful towns and villages often with cobbled streets, overflowing flower boxes, medieval buildings and quaint stores.

Touring through beautiful towns and villages is part of the appeal of visiting France but when planning a trip, how do you decide which towns to visit? Often it comes down to recommendations by others or personal research.

When on our house buying trip in 2009 we inspected a house in the village of Pontrieux, and ever since this town has been a favourite of mine. Here’s more on why we love this town and what you might like to see when visiting Pontrieux – Best Things To Do In Pontrieux and Pont-Croix, France

Château de Canon Garden – A Beautiful Garden of Normandy

Josselin – 5 Top Things to See and Do

Mimosa Festival in France

Deauville – The 21st Arrondissement of Paris

The Wallace Fountains of Paris – Water for All Parisians

Salies de Béarn – A Thermal Spa Town

Annette Charlton

www.afrenchcollection.com

When You Wish Upon A French Lavoir

What is a French lavoir?

A lavoir is a public wash house or communal washing place found in many French villages, often with a fountain.

These places can be generously decorated with flowers and are usually well maintained by locals and councils. They vary from the very simple to the quite grand. Many were built in the 19^th century when bringing water to a village was considered a priority for village inhabitants and farmers.

Where are French lavoirs built?

Built around natural water sources like springs or rivers and often with roofs for shelter, they were the focal point of village life. Many are also located directly beside rivers or lakes which provide the water needed for washing.

Annette Charlton

www.afrenchcollection.com

Our French Life: The Year New Year’s Eve Came Early

New Year's Eve in France

A New Year’s Eve Party is always on New Year’s Eve isn’t it? Are you sure? Now you have to understand it was the very first time we stayed at our house in Brittany, and actually, in France at all. One quick trip to France some six months earlier we looked at houses, agreed to purchase one, and after the sale transaction was completed we made the trip to France with the family to renovate it and have guests stay.

The Year New Year’s Eve Came Early

Immediately after getting the keys from the real estate agent and taking down the ‘For Sale’ sign, we got busy renovating, furniture assembling and gardening, and after three weeks of this we were exhausted. We’d been to French department stores, French hardware stores, French supermarkets and had learned to accept that things were very different in France and while everything was possible, it all just took much longer, especially as we knew very little French and could speak even less.

Annette Charlton