Thanks for stopping by. This site started off as a sort of diary of life after our move to France. When we first arrived I enjoyed around 18 months of time just to be with me then young children. Since then the pace of life has picked up: my children are starting to form their own lives around school and friends, I have a business to run, and a new one just launching – plus we still have a house to build. This means the blog is quite far down the list of things to do, so now I occasionally post about general “Life in France” stuff but more often I share routes and write-ups from walks, generally suitable for families, and any cycle routes I find – also with a family-friendly slant. If you want to scroll through the whole thing, hop over to the Blog page. Or you can dive straight into a category that interests you using the links below.
Life in France
What is “La Canicule”?
Anyone traveling to, within or living in France will be well aware that this week…
How to Survive the French Summer Holiday with Small Children
It’s “les grandes vacances”! A time when much of France draws to a standstill, unless…
Becoming Fluent in French: Listening is learning
In a previous job my manager commented that I was a “bursty worker.” I asked…
Moving to France Q&A
I’ve set up this page to share my thoughts on the kinds of questions that…
Planning a Vegetable Garden in the South of France
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the planting schedule for the South of…
A Vegetable Garden in Aude: August
Today has been a busy day in the vegetable garden. Over the summer things have…
Places to Visit
Covid-friendly Locations in the South of France: Swimming Lakes
Ah, 2020. Who knew come the holidays we’d still be living our own version of…
Another Summer, Survived. Vive La Rentrée!
Phew! Eight weeks ago the two small people said farewell to their teachers and their…
Walking the Gorges de la Frau in the Ariege
Our First Camp in the Mountains: Orlu, Ariege
Camping. We all had a lovely time on our first camping trip so promised the…
Riding the Voie Verte from Lavelanet-Mirepoix (Part 2)
With the last week of the holidays looming, I really wanted to get out and…
First Family Camp in the Pyrénées-Orientales
It’s the summer holidays and we live somewhere breathtakingly beautiful. In the UK we were…
Walks
A Family Walk in Search of Giant Pine Trees (Les Sapins Geant)
We first tried this walk in early spring (2018). It was warm and sunny in…
A Walk to the Refuge du Chioula
Ever since we moved to this stunningly beautiful part of the world, I’ve been hankering…
Walking the Gorges de la Frau in the Ariege
Walking the Sentier des Plâtriers
We did this walk over a year ago. As the pics I took were with…
A Short and Sensible (But Not Fast or Easy) Walk Around Bugarach
The Plan When a friend suggested joining them for a walk naturally I agreed. We…
Discovering the Voie Verte
The weather started off a little cooler than it had been for a while so…
Bike Rides
Riding the Voie Verte From Foix to Saint Girons (Part 1)
Summer holidays means microadventures! After a few single day rides on the more local-to-me Lavelanet-Mirepoix…
Blue Route MTB (VTT) Challenge!
Okay, so it’s not an official challenge, but I have set myself a goal of…
Are you looking for a cycling route in France?
Finding a great (and often waymarked) cycle route in France is easy, if you know…
If Carlsberg did cycling events…
Well, maybe it wasn’t that good, but for me, getting out on my bike to…
DD’s First Big Ride! Esperaza-Campagne and Back
She started pedalling at the beginning of the holidays. I was impressed with how easily…
Riding the Voie Verte from Lavelanet-Mirepoix (Part 2)
With the last week of the holidays looming, I really wanted to get out and…
Everything Else
What, no Carte de Sejour?
We left the UK almost two years ago to the day, running from the island…
La Rentrée 2018
It’s that time of year for the second time in our lives as parents. Yesterday…
Why 8-weeks isn’t enough – and blogging is back on
Last year, as I wrote in an earlier post, I really struggled with the long…
A Day in the Woods
Yesterday, except for the bit where I lost my bank card and DS screamed the…
Real Life Bullet Journal: Monthly Planner
Ah, the bullet journal. This discovery has truly changed my life because it enables me…
A Quiet Christmas in France
It’s Christmas! It’s the first year that DD has really grasped the concept and for…