Trick or treat

Like Mc Donalds and hard core rap, French kids love Halloween. Not because it evokes some kind of transatlantic bond, it’s just the sweets, stupid. From sugar laden birthday parties with full fat Coke to pain au lait & a slab of chocolate for breakfast, it’s a nation with a sweet tooth. It’s a nightmare for our dentists, but a good swop for the booze binge culture North of the Channel. So, back to business - if you’ve an office or shop in town, make sure that you have a kilo or two of Chewits in stock – as close to the door as possible is best, as otherwise hordes of goblins, ghosts and the occasional (mis dressed) Spiderman  will trash the place before you can say Freddy Kruger.

And it’s the Centre de Loisirs  - which is part of the local primary school, has brilliant staff & will look after your children for almost no money during the holidays – who wrangle this mob of under 10’s around the streets and ensure that the damage is kept to the minimum.

The weather’s still great & over 20°, as is the norm at this time of year – and the monsters have fun, tricks and all. No Jamie Lee-Curtis lookalikes amongst the staff though – which is a minus – but no knife wielding nutcases either,  which is a plus. But the treat side has to be the weather  –  we get the full four seasons here, but Autumn is, as ever, still fab. And after some rain in November  –  lots we hope after the driest year on record – December and much of January should be crisp and clear.  Then, God’s mood and released CFC’s permitting, a couple of cold weeks followed by the first hint of Spring.

Don’t forget when looking for your French home that the climate can vary even within a departement. The Dordogne is a well over 2 hours drive from top to bottom and the further North in it you go, the longer and wetter the Winter. So make the most of the late Autumn and beyond if you’re house hunting  -  because almost everywhere in France looks great in the sun.