Just Droning

A tongue-in-cheek look at...

Life in rural France

by the editor

Well, we have been experiencing a bit of a heat wave (canicule) haven’t we! I must say, having had a few skin cancers already I am very wary of being in the sun during certain hours and, given that the temperatures were approaching, if not going over, 40°C I found myself entombed in a shuttered office with the air con going full blast. However, one evening I did venture out to a local bar where, thanks to (so I have heard) new rules about maintaining a certain temperature range in outdoor seating areas, I found myself sat under a wonderfully cooling misting system. It was great but, actually, turned up a bit too high. I arrived looking reasonably okay, sat there like a lettuce in a supermarket, and left looking like I had spent a month in a rain forest. Talk about a dripping wreck, but the sun soon brought my curls back, albeit in a less than orderly fashion (mental note, should I buy a plastic poncho for next time – I think not!) I learned a thing or two about chickens this month too! So what came first, the chicken or the egg? It has to be the chicken surely. Having spent a lifetime thinking I was eating something that could have become a cute chick, I had no idea but it seems that not all eggs are fertile. Daddy cockerel delivers his donation via a cloacal kiss and fertilises the egg of the day, continuing to fertilise eggs for a week or so after the romantic encounter. Like all mums, she knows what is what and which is which and instinctively knows which ones to sit on. What a cracking revelation that was and who knew hens were so clever! Back to the question though, the eggs need a cockerel to lay fertilised eggs so, unless the cockerel laid them in the first place (err no..), it had to be the chicken – didn’t it? Remember the tale of the disappearing car keys in the last issue? I must thank a reader who wrote to say that the pic we had used was just all wrong. So please accept our apologies. It seems that the image was of Australian magpies and, as she said, they couldn’t have flown that far. Sadly the photo library we used hadn’t made the distinction but we have let them know. Since then, I have heard about many local people losing rings and small garden items in exactly the same way. The French, or maybe it’s just Lot et Garonne magpies, are obviously very good at their fabled hobby. Well they can buzz off.

Until next time ….

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EXCLUSIVE

Pretty Property

Dordogne €181,365

Ref: A13754 - Character 4 bedroom house with second small house attached.

7% agency fees included paid by the buyer. DPE: Ongoing

Lot €299,600

Ref: A11698 - Perfectly renovated old stone house with garden and parking, in a quiet village.

7% agency fees included paid by the buyer. Energy class: F Climate class: B

Lot-et-Garonne €355,000

Ref: A10687 - Beautiful Perigourdine farmhouse with swimming pool, large stone barn and 2.71 acres.

6% agency fees included paid by the buyer. DPE: No data

Dordogne €61,600

Ref: A13828 - Small 80m² house with new roof and large non-ajoining

garden.

Agency fees paid by seller. DPE: Ongoing

Gironde €249,310

Ref: A10687 - 3 Bedroom house with south-facing terrace, views, enclosed garden and garage.

7% agency fees included paid by the buyer. Energy class: E Climate class: E

Lot-et-Garonne €161,000

Ref: 116137 - 3 Bedroom house with fabulously large garden, in the heart of Miramont-de-Guyenne.

Agency fees paid by seller. Energy class: C Climate class: A

Dordogne €475,000

Ref: 106528 - Exceptional Knights Templar property with outbuildings, pool and a 2½ acre park. A13087

Agency fees paid by seller. DPE: Ongoing

Gironde €694,925

Ref: A13712 - Beautiful barn conversion 35 min from Bordeaux, 40 min from Atlantic beaches.

5% agency fees included paid by the buyer. Energy class: D Climate class: D

Lot-et-Garonne €598,500

Ref: A13757 - Exceptional stone house with pool, outbuildings and 4½ acres of grounds.

Agency fees paid by seller. Energy class: C Climate class: C

EXCLUSIVE Quiet Location

Lot €105,000

Ref: A13087 - Old stone house + barn to renovate, 10 min from Gourdon and 20 min from Sarlat

10% agency fees included paid by the buyer. DPE: Ongoing

EXCLUSIVE Stunning Views

Gers €285,000

Ref: A13728 - Charming, traditional Gascon 3/4 bedroom house with pool, terrace and rose garden.

Agency fees paid by seller. DPE: Ongoing

Lot-et-Garonne €429,300

Ref: A13620 - Modern 5 bedroom villa with a large plot of land, in a tranquil, rural location.

6% agency fees included paid by the buyer. Energy class: C Climate class: D

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