9 black and white stripes and a quarter of hermines.
If you spend your holiday in
All my Breton friends have a sticker on their cars!
Bretons in general are very proud of their region. They all say, they are Breton, not French! One of our friends from Dinan even told me last week, he is going to spend his summer holiday in
If you are looking for a bargain (furniture, briac à brac, cloths, games, books, etc), apart from Vide greniers (car boot sales) in France, you can visit Emmaüs, a French charity shop.
Emmaüs is a homeless charity founded in 1949 in France by the Priest Abbé. It provides homeless people with a home and work, usually collecting, sorting and reselling donated furniture and household goods.
To find the nearer Emmaüs in your area, look in the yellow pages and search for “Emmaus”.
Look for the church in Hédé and take the road at the back of it. Emmaüs is about 500 m further on the left.
Emmaüs will be happy to receive any items you don’t want anymore.
You will definitely find a bargain there!
Lily of the Valley is traditionally sold on 1st May in
The flowers sell lovely. They are one of my favorite flowers. I always have a vase on my desk and on the kitchen table filled with Muguets.
Beware: I have just read that all parts, including the berries, of the lily of the valley are highly poisonous. Thank you Wikipedia for this precious information!
May 1st is a public holiday in
If you are thinking of moving to
All you need to know about septic tanks:
Use cleaning products special for septic tanks ‘sans danger pour les fosses septiques’. You can easily find them in French supermarkets.
Don’t flush anything into the system apart from toilet paper (no nappies, tampons, bleach, etc).
Don’t drive over the drainage system
Don’t plant trees or shrubs on the drainage system as the roots could block it.
Put some biological activator on a regular basis (Eparcyl is a good one. You will find it in any supermarkets or drogueries in
If you look after your septic tank, it will be ‘healthy’. It should not smell.
It is advisable to have the septic tank emptied every 5 years. Look in the yellow pages (www.pagesjaunes.fr) under vidangeur. The vidangeur will ask you how far he will be able to approach the tank with his lorry so measure before calling him! Ensure also the access point is uncovered when he comes.
Depending on the size of the septic tank and how many meters of pipes are required, it will cost you around €100-€150. Local farmers used to empty septic tanks but they are not allowed anymore!
If you need to send an important letter in
I have just helped an English client to reapply for a British passport and to ensure paperwork will not get lost in the post I am going to send it by registered post (en recommandé).
Visit your local post office and ask for “envoi en recommandé”. They will give you a slip (see photo) where you will have to write your name and address and the same information for the recipient.
The post office staff will date-stamp the multi-part docket, give you one which will be your receipt. Once the recipient has received your letter, you will get another copy of the docket which will also be date-stamped. This will be the proof that the letter has been received. It will cost you around €5.
How to go about redirecting your post when you live in If you move back to the
Visit your local post office and ask for a form call “réexpédition du courrier”. The minimum is 6 months and the maximum is 12 months but can be renewed for another 6 months.
When you fill in the form, you will need to write:
- the name of all the family members
- the old and the new addresses
- starting date you wish the post to be redirected
- date and sign the form
- and pay! (either cash or by cheque. Post offices in
The tariff for post redirection within France for 6 months is €23 and €41 for 12 months (April 2010).
If you are renting out a gîte (self-catering villa) this summer near Dinan, in
La Bourbansais Zoo is involved in protecting endangered species, and has over 60 rare and unusual species in a natural, wooded and flower-filled setting. With its zoo, events, shows, castle and gardens, this estate has something for everyone.
Most our guests staying in our gîte in
When I get a booking for our gîte, guests always ask me how far we are from the nearest bakery. In Evran, we have 3 bakeries. Even 4! The 4th baker works from home and bake bread with organic flour and cooks it in his bread oven. The old fashion way...
Looking at the photo, you know why guests enjoy going to the bakery every morning! When you are on self-catering, you can have what you want!
You just want to try all the different breads! I must say, I did miss my nice fresh crusty bread when I lived abroad. Now spread some lovely Breton butter on it and enjoy it!
Dinan bowling Alley “Le Belem” reopened a few months ago. It is a great place to have a birthday party or any party!
The food is simple and good value and the atmosphere is friendly. If you go between Sunday 7pm and Friday 7 pm, you can play 3 games for €10. Bargain!!
Here is the address: Z.A.
Enjoy it!
If you are thinking of selling your French property, you might wonder if you are liable for Capital Gains (impôt sur la plus-value).
If your house in
However, if you are not a French resident, you will be liable unless you have owned your property for over 15 years.
Some building work may be deducted from Capital Gains (extension, conservatory, etc) but you need to be able to prove the work has been carried out by supplying your local notaire with invoices from registered builders.
Small improvement jobs like fitting a new bathroom or kitchen can not be deducted.
Check with your notaire before putting your house on the market. He or she will be able to tell you if you are liable for capital gains or not. If you are, he or she will keep the tax amount from the sale proceeds and pass it on to the tax office!
Déchetteries in
More or less whatever you can’t recycle in the 3 containers can be taken to the déchetteries.
Asbestos needs to be taken to a specialist. Your local déchetterie should be able to give you the address of the nearest one.
Déchetteries are free to use. Businesses (builders, gardeners, roofers, etc) however pay a fee each time they use the déchetterie.Our déchetterie in Evran (Brittany) charges €7 per m3 for gardening waste, €11 for rubble.
Staff can assist with the unloading of your car on request.
Check with your local mairie for the opening hours. Déchetteries are usually open from Monday to Saturday 10 am to 12 and 2 to 5 or 6pm.
It is advisable to take a water or EDF bill with you to prove you are a resident of the commune where the déchetterie is. Some communes give stickers to put on the windscreen.
Please note it is forbidden to recover items from the déchetterie!!
