Normandy Real Life Stories

English woman sets up horse refuge in the heart of equestrian Normandy

Find out how one horse lover has devoted her life to caring for neglected ponies and horses by setting up a sanctuary in the heart of Normandy. Discover how you can help support this worthy charity for our equine companions...

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Buying a property in Normandy on a whim

Warning! Buying a house just because you fall in love with it and changing countries without a second glance, or buying a gorgeous 2cv van without seeing it in the tin, and/or buying and importing a classic VW campervan from the USA without inspecting it carefully and at least knowing the seller can seriously affect your life... more...

Impressions of the Armada

Soak in the magical atmosphere of the 2008 Armada captured in this special feature on impressions of the Armada, written by Rob Silverstone, author of best-selling novels A Mule in Rouen and a Mule in Brighton...

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Murder in the Channel Islands - Extract 3

FrenchEntrée Normandy is delighted to feature the third and final extract from the murder mystery novel ‘Murder in the Channel Islands’. Read on for more clues as to what connects the brutal murder of a former French Resistance agent now living in Jersey with the German occupation of Normandy, half a century ago...

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A Mule in Brighton - Extract 3

FrenchEntrée Normandy is delighted to feature the third and final extract of ‘A Mule in Brighton’ by Rob Silverstone. In this extract, Rob finds himself at Rouen cathedral for a sound and light show, which projects him back in time...

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French Cricket by George East

FrenchEntrée Normandy is delighted to feature an extract of the book French Cricket by George East from the Mill of the Flea series. French Cricket finds our heroes returning to La Puce after a two-year absence to find their home in a sad state of disrepair...

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A Year in Normandy Part 7: A Crafty Business

As they consider alterations to their Norman holiday home, our favourite couple is faced with the question: 'to project manage or not to project manage the building work themselves?' Commissioning the project management would appear to be the ‘easy option’, albeit more expensive. But not in this case. Our couple explains…

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A Mule in Rouen - Extract 3

Wonderful France... and its not so wonderful regulations...

FrenchEntrée Normandy is delighted to feature the third extract of A Mule in Rouen by Rob Silverstone. In this extract, Rob tells tales of how France is a great country for regulations...

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Normandy Horse Owners Club

If you move to France with your horse hoping to continue competing as you did in the UK, you may be in for a bit of a shock. But do not despair, a new Social and Fun Club covering the entire region of Normandy now welcomes the less competitive horse owner...

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René & Me by George East

Mill of the Flea series - Extract 2

FrenchEntrée Normandy is delighted to feature an extract of the book René & Me by George East from the Mill of the Flea series. The sequel to Home & Dry in France tells the story of our heroes’ attempt to survive a year living off the land and their wits at their dilapidated watermill in Normandy…

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Home & Dry in France by George East

Mill of the Flea series - Extract 1

FrenchEntrée Normandy is delighted to feature an extract of the book Home & Dry in France by George East from the Mill of the Flea series. Tellingly sub-titled A Year in Purgatory, this enchanting book is a sometimes hilarious and always entertaining account of how one couple set out with a dream, and eventually ended up home and (fairly) dry at The Mill of the Flea. The series is published by La Puce publications and is available in a variety of bookstores and online at Amazon : Home and Dry in France: Or a Year in Purgatory Click here to read an extract...

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Lest we forget - Remembrance Day in Normandy

How one British couple became involved in their local Remembrance Service in Normandy

As Remembrance Sunday approaches, Judy Mansfield describes how she came to be a regular participant in her local Rembrance Service in Normandy and her husband, Russ, an officially appointed porte-drapeau...

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Home & Dry in Normandy by George East

A biography by George

FrenchEntree Normandy is pleased to announce that it has joined forces with author George East to provide extracts from his Mill of the Flea series over the coming weeks. The books follow the adventures of George and Donella East as they try to realise their dream of living the good life in rural Normandy. The series is published by La Puce publications and is available in a variety of bookstores and online at Amazon. But first, a little bit about the author by George himself...

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Normandy apples or aerial?

How a British property owner in Normandy discovered the Rever du Marais apple

It wasn’t on the estate agent’s “blurb” but when we bought our house in Normandy, we inherited three apple trees, a pear tree and a vine. Cows grazing lazily in the shade of an apple orchard is so typical of Normandy that to have the odd apple tree or two in the garden was obviously not worth mentioning...

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A Mule in Rouen by Rob Silverstone

An Extract of the book based on the author's experience of life in Rouen, Normandy

French-Entrée Normandy is delighted to announce that, over the coming weeks, we will be featuring extracts of ‘A Mule in Rouen – a discovery of Upper Normandy’ by Rob Silverstone.The book is based on the author’s experiences of living in Rouen, where he moved to live in the year 2000. The discovery of the regions' art, history and cuisine provided the inspiration for this compulsive read for all those wanting to explore Normandy, and for the growing band of Anglo-Saxons thinking of setting up shop in France. The book is published by Pegasus Publishers and is available to buy in a variety of bookshops and online from Amazon : A Mule in Rouen: A Discovery of Upper Normandy

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Back in Time

A look at how the Tractor makes a Living in Rural Northern France

When we came to our rural idyll in this mainly agricultural region five years ago, the last thing we expected to see was the type of treasured beasites that many readers lovingly restore for the show circuit or heritage collection, working for a living on neighbouring farms.

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Moving to Normandy

Nicky and Steve tell their story of how they bought a property in Normandy

Deciding what to do with our fish was one of the problems we needed to solve before leaving England...

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Summer in Normandy

Bringing in the sheaves - A smallholders tale.

All over northern Europe farmers and smallholders play Cat and Mouse with the weather every year, to ensure they have sufficient hay to feed their livestock through the winter.

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