Tour de France puts France on the map

I'm not a great fan of the Daily Mail but they ran a terrific article about the Tour de France this week.

You can read it here and in it they say:

"The Tour is more than just a race. It is a showcase for what may – and feel free to disagree on this point – well be Europe's most beautiful country. Certainly, France is a place of endless geographical diversity – from the sun-bathed sands of its south shore to the snow-clad peaks of its two major mountain ranges, via a chorus line of cosmopolitan cities that all come armed with epic slabs of history and decadently tempting culinary options.

And the Tour does an able job of showcasing the whole package. I defy anyone to watch some of the astonishing footage that the French broadcasters conjure onto our television screens – the star contenders for the title snaking up a steep Alpine pass, the magnitude of their task underlined by helicopter shots that capture their progress from high above; the peloton powering through fields heavy and golden with corn as horses canter happily alongside – and not feel an urge to grab their passport and immediately leap the Channel".

Six of us spent a terrific day at the stage going into Brive.  The local mairie had set aside an area with do it yourself barbecues - the local butcher was on hand to supply the entrecote, the boulanger had baked fresh bread and the other market traders were there selling cheese, wine, fruit & veg.

We sat munching our food and breaking off chunks of bread while washing it down with a local red before diving around like lunatics at the goodies thrown out by the "caravan".

The cyclists flew up the hill we had carefully chosen and we just had time to get back to the town to huddle around a radio and cheer on Mark Cavendish in the sprint finish.

It's a truly unique experience and, as the Daily Mail says, the winner of the great race is France itself!

www.cognacproperty.com

French whine

Last night, around 6.30pm the phone rang...it was my father in law.

"Hello, we've got some friends coming round for dinner, do you have a bottle of white wine we could borrow"?

My in-laws live a couple of hundred metres away (my fault, the mayor told me that they were going to put the old school up for sale and the rest, as they say, is history). It's actually quite delightful having them so close and we see them most days, if only for a coffee and quick chat.

Turns out though that a "bottle of white" was actually three bottles of my good stuff.... but here's the punch line:

"I'm just about to jump in the shower - you couldn't pop down and put them in the fridge could you old chap"?

Have to hand it to him, he's got style my beau pere.

www.cognacproperty.com

Living in France - what's it like?

A phone conversation with a friend and a typical Daily Mail article have prompted this post.

Let's start with the phone call.  I spent twenty minutes or so chatting over a potential property purchase with a friend of mine.  We spoke about buying property with both the head and the heart.

There's a convincing argument for French property as an asset class by itself at the moment. UK equities are tied in with the ropey economy, gold looks over-valued, UK property could go either way, gilts & bonds have low returns while France has a stable economy and property is realistically priced after recent falls.

Then, of course, there's the added bonus that owning a place in France gives.  Decent weather, high standard of living and the chance to own somewhere that makes your pulse race as you drive up to it.  Owning a place in France can bring pleasure that a share certificate simply can't match.

However, life isn't better over here, just different.

This article in the Daily Mail typifies this.  It's well written and after reading it through you have to feel sorry for Mrs Booth (although a little less for her husband who was driving at five times the legal limit. My best friend out here lost his wife and left leg fifteen years ago due to a drunk driver).

Pause for even a nano second though and you can see where it all went wrong.

Looking to "escape" is not a good reason to live here - despite the name of the TV series.  If your marriage/career/life has problems then they will probably be exacerbated by a move to France.  Particularly if you don't bother to learn the language. It won't be the fault of France Telecom, Ryanair, EDF or your local bartender either.

However, come here because you want to embrace the culture or because you love the scenery, pace of life, politics and/or weather and you stand a good chance of happiness.

Be realistic and do your research - then move for a positive reason.

Believe me when I say that whilst I adore my life here and am very happy, my kids still get sick, it can rain, earning money is difficult, I sometimes argue with my wife, my dog chases rabbits and - above all else - French tv is dire.

www.cognacproperty.com

So that's why CNN loves France so much...

"Why France is the best place in the world to live" screams the headline on the CNN website.

Read on and you'll see that the person they have interviewed seems to base this on the fact that she can have 12 months maternity leave followed by seven weeks holiday pa....wondered why my taxes & cotisations were so high.

www.cognacproperty.com

So how rich are you?

The Office for National Statistics have just released a UK "wealth & assets" survey and it's fascinating reading.

There are a bewildering amount of statistics but the most pertinent is probably that median household wealth is £204,500 - most of which is made up of property & pension assets.

Of course the figures vary wildly dependant upon location & age - no surprises that a middle aged Londoner is worth more (on paper) than a 20 year old in the highlands.

It does though allow you to compare your wealth to those around you.  The calculations are actually pretty simple. 

Add up your property wealth, financial wealth, physical wealth (cars, TV's etc not your six pack) and private pension wealth.

Now, subtract your household borrowings and arrears.....if you need a calculator then you're wealthier than me.

There's a synopsis of the findings on this BBC blog by Mark Easton and I'll leave you with his secret to accumulating wealth:

So, if you do sincerely want to get rich, get a degree, buy a house in Surrey, live with a pensioner and don't have children.

www.cognacproperty.com

Bush & Obama in "trial of the decade"

OK, hands up...I'm sure you spotted my cheap shot at getting your attention. Bush & Obama aren't actually involved at all.

It's Sarkozy and de Villepin who are today beginning the so called "trial of the decade". That shouldn't lessen public interest though.

It's a complicated affair but in a nutshell ex French prime minister Dominique de Villepin faces accusations of a smear campaign against current prime minister (and Obama favourite) Nicolas Sarkozy.

If found guilty he faces up to five years in prison and you can read about the accusations and murky background of the case here.

It's old money against new and it's going to get dirty. My eyes will be glued to the news each night for the next few weeks.

www.cognacproperty.com