This Burgundy Life

Come and join us! Nièvre

The Nièvre, by the sheer fact that it is the department with the largest proportion of the Morvan, is less populated than the other departments in Burgundy.

Morvan is a Celtic word and it means Black Mountain. But don't be put off, because it is the sparsely inhabitated plateau of granite and woodland which appear from hills and farmland that give it such an appeal. The highest point in the Morvan, for you cannot talk about the Nièvre without mentioning the Morvan, is Haut-Folin; standing at 901 metres (2,928 ft.) on the slopes of Mont-Beuvray.

The Nièvre predominately comprises of villages with a few towns, but to the tourist it is the Parc du Morvan that people come to visit for its wide variety of outdoor activities. Whether you want to cycle, canoe, ski, waterski, fishing, birdwatching or horse trekking there is always something for the enthusiast.

The Morvan has it's own infrastructure which is rich and diverse, something the inhabitants are rightly proud of and wish to preserve at all costs.

Come and join us! Cote d'Or

The Cote d'Or covers an area from Chatillon-sur-Seine in the north to Beaune in the south. What links Chatillon and Beaune are wines, as both are famous for their vineyards.

Burgundy has revelled in its fine wines for centuries since the fame of the region's wine spread throughout Europe in the 14th century.

Following the French revolution the Napoleonic laws of equal inheritance split vineyards into tiny fractions, which has resulted in a bewildering number of appellations, which even today results in a dauntingly complex clasification system.

Come and join us! l'Yonne

Burgundy is one of the largest regions of France and covers four departments l'Yonne, Nievre, Cote d'Or and Saone et Loire.

Burgundy is also a rich region historically, cuturally, gastronomically and economically with each department having something different to offer visitors.

Once Burgundy was France's most powerful rival with territory extending well beyond its present boundaries.

For today's visitor there is something for everyone, centres of medieval religious faith at Vézelay, Fontenay and Cluny, the massive Morvan National Regional Park that covers all four departments, and Dijon, the capital of Burgundy as well as the Cote d'Or with its wealth of art and splendid grat palaces relating to the old Burgundian nobility, to name but a few.

Winter arrives a bit earlier this year

Burgundy is well know for it's extremes. We get cold winters, hot summers and spectacular thunderstorms.

Summer can see temperatures up to around 40 degrees while winter can get down to about minus 15 degrees and when a thunderstorm is forecast people unplug computers and televisions.

This week we had the first snow, about six inches of white, powdery stuff, which seems to emphasize things you don't usually notice.

Our large fir tree in the courtyard would have looked beautiful over Christmas, but with the smaller bushes it looks clean and fresh out there.

You, me the gatepost and settling in

Our first house in France. At one and the same time it was exciting and scary.

There was work to be done without doubt. The house needed total decoration and a kitchen! We had a sink but nothing to cook on so it was a girl's dream, retail therapy!

We sat and wrote a list then planned our shopping trip. To start with we bought a kitchen table, a table top cooker, a microwave and fridge freezer.

We needed to investigate the area and get to know our neighbours and the first thing we found was that rural Burgundy was like going back 40 years in England.

You, me and the gatepost!

My name is Coral Luke, I was born in Brighton Sussex in 19**! I am married to George and we are both retired.

Well there is nothing new in retired people being in France, is there? But for me retirement means being busier than ever; just one thing that makes it a bit more difficult is that I am disabled.

Cascade Catastrophe!

Take a quiet afternoon, you are talking as you tidy away the washing in the bedroom, when suddenly you hear a dripping noise.

You check the bathroom, the toilet nothing then you reaslise it is coming from the spare bedroom. You open the door and - water is pouring through the ceiling!

Cascade Catastrophe!

Take a quiet afternoon, you are talking as you tidy away the washing in the bedroom, when suddenly you hear a dripping noise.

You check the bathroom, the toilet nothing then you reaslise it is coming from the spare bedroom. You open the door and - water is pouring through the ceiling!

Celebrating Europe

Following the success of the English Christmas, the MJC and British residents in the canton of Venarey les Laumes (21) a team of 8 French and 11 British residents are now planning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the treaties of Rome

Celebrating Europe

Following the success of the English Christmas, the MJC and British residents in the canton of Venarey les Laumes (21) a team of 8 French and 11 British residents are now planning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the treaties of Rome