What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Reckless Rat]

You can always make a fair assessment on what the general weather is like in a French area by looking at the roofs of the local properties. Areas that have a higher average rainfall and/or snow will have roof pitches much steeper than in drier areas (such as in Rekkersland) where the normal roof pitch is 19° such as this old farmstead in the Cévennes:



whereas as soon as you go further north, away from the mediterranean influence, the architecture changes and even just a few miles into the Lozère (where it can be two overcoats colder in the winter):

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Another piece of fairly useless information unless you have a certain penchant for all things railway orientated... wherever you go in France, if there is, or has been a level crossing, in the days prior to automatic barriers they were always manned. The keeper would live in a little house next to the crossing, provided by the SNCF. The French adopted many of the charisteristics of British Railway engineering, including the 4'8 1/2" gauge, as well as the design of the level crossing and the keeper's cottage, which was designed by a Brit. (so I am told)

So, on your next trip around France (whenever that might be is debateable unless you're already here), get your I-Spy book out and see how many you can spot...

They look like this:



Most have been sold off and some are very cunningly camouflaged.... (I don't know whether the brick built s**thouse in the garden is a standard feature)