After a busy summer my wife and I decided to take the opportunity of visiting the Verdon Gorge with my wife's parents for a few days. 

If you have not been to this little pocket of paradise nestled in the South East corner of France, it really should be on your places to visit in France list.  Setting off on a bleak mist laden Friday morning at silly o'clock, the 900 odd kilometre distance soon gave way to blue skies and warmer climes. The countryside across France is fantastic, sunflowers giving way to grapes and the flat terrain of Poitou Charente meandering into highs and lows as we headed toward Toulouse and Carcassonne and veering toward the coastal motorways to Aix en Provence and up to the Verdon Gorge.  I say up as it was literally up. The flat terrain swapped for more than just hills!  But as we travelled toward our destination the scenery was spectacular.  Lac de St Croix was heavenly, clean, clear and swimmable, which I did. 

The place itself is perfect for campers, motor home owners, cyclists, motorcyclists, randonneurs, and all manner of water and air based sports.  Hotels, B&Bs and restaurants were all busy, which was a great way  of speaking the language.  Next weekend it his home to the Natureman triathlon where 700+  will participate  http://natureman-verdon.com/  Having seen the Gorges, we wish them the very best.

The lake and the Gorges themselves coveted picturesque villages with grape laden vines, busy restaurants and lots of people.  We took the opportunity of driving through the Gorges, surprised by the small active and vibrant villages complete with bars, shops and mini markets.  The twists and turns lead to a myriad of marvels. 

On the way back we called in at Carcassonne to see the world's oldest castle, again another must see. The castle is steeped in history and even at the end of September was pretty busy, so we were rather thankful of visiting out of season. 

We crammed a lot in 4 days and have returned refreshed and in awe of the stunning places that France has to offer, which reaffirms why we moved here in the first place.  It's easy to get caught up in the work flow and let the seasons and years roll by without taking advantage of the natural beauty that France has to offer.  Judging by the number of motor home travellers we came across, it seems that many a have got it right. It really was a great place to recharge those batteries.   Click through the small selection of photos, who knows, you may be inspired to take a trip there yourself.

I  have seen many a property with relatively good electrics in them.  Then there are others, which are pardon the pun, literally quite shocking.

It seems that many an expat has purchased a property and applied their own knowledge to electrical installation. Which I believe and agree is fine up to a point, and that point is when you start to overload the supply that already comes into your home.  Or the work has been carried out by an 'incompetent' electrician.  Electrical wiring is completely different to the UK, my extensive training and understanding of electrics along with knowledge of French wiring puts me in a good position when it comes to making your French home safe.

This is where the knowledge of a qualified and competent electrician pays dividends as we understand the load of appliances and the impact that they have on the various circuits around your home. We know  where additions to existing circuits can be made and where new circuits need installing.   

I was recently asked to visit a house to look at their electrics.  A visual inspection and testing revealed that certain aspects of the present electrical work were fine, particularly those carried out by an electrician. The aspects which were not fine, were those carried out by the current or previous homeowner.  The diagnostic report verified these findings. The homeowner was somewhat surprised as they never had an issue with the electrics over the years.  To be fair, a reasonable amount of knowledge was applied to the internal work that was carried out, but much of the property was not protected by earth, so some fundamental aspects were completely missing from the home.  My philosophy is that if you are selling a home, it needs to be a safe home that you are selling.

I have also seen homes with UK boxes, boards and sockets, which are an absolute no no.  Outdoor circuits wired with incorrect cabling and fittings and cookers not on a designated circuit.  All these add up to frequent tripping within the circuits due to overload, under sized or damaged cables.  Just because you can turn the power on doesn't mean that the journey from supply to source is the right.

The basis of my business is to make your home electrically safe.  Research suggests that many fires in domestic homes across France are attributed to electrical faults.  Even some of France's beautiful properties have been destroyed by fire due to electrical fault, La Rochelle earlier this year, for example. 

I am in favour of diagnostic reports. They outline the basics but they do have 6 key areas of safety that need to be adhered to when selling your property.  

If you are in any doubt about the condition of your electrics be it frequent tripping, power outlets or lighting not working or no external earth connection  always refer to a  qualified electrician such as ourselves, we will be only too pleased to help. We are fully equipped to conduct relevant testing before recommendation and repair.