Hi Steve,
Thank you for the feedback, itâs not the sort of information the locals where I live now take great interest in 
â it seems like every neighborhood tends to prioritize its own issues first. It looks like ChĂąteauponsac is in âla France profondeâ as they say â deep in the countryside.
There are many shops that are âbiologiqueâ â and easy to find in larger towns but also in shopping centers in decentralized areas-- even Carrefour has dedicated outlets now that specialize in organic food.
And France has various activist groups for animal welfare (farmed and otherwise). While the news may have been focused on the gilets jaunes, there are a plethora of demonstrations/marches/festivals/fundraising marathons, etc. to be found on a regular basis in larger towns. With the internet, grass roots organizing is much easier and can thus easily reach smaller villages as well for those who are so motivated.
You could probably find some groups on Facebook or Twitter and start following them to network if that calls to you. I suspect that when eventually we all get past this quarantine business, the French will find a way to demonstrate â even with 6ft distancing and masks or whatever.
Just my two cents.
Stay safe!
Cheers,
Pamela
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Your definition of âexpatriateâ included the word âtemporaryâ.
The Oxford dictionary does not.
Frankly I canât see the point in nit-picking⊠about temporary⊠itâs all in the perception surelyâŠ
Iâm an immigrant⊠sold up lock stock and barrel and came to France to make a new life⊠no intention of ever moving anywhere else⊠this is HOME
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Typically in the US, they study US history one year, then âall the rest of the world,â US history, âall the restâ as though the US were not a part of the world. This is a systemic ideological flaw, in my opinion. promoting the concept of US exceptionalism. (Iâve taught k-8 homeschooling, junior high public and private, high school and college public and private, university from Princeton, to Marist college in the north to Birmingham Southern an University of Alabama in the south.) I exposed my children to a variety of ideas and am glad they had a chance to attend school in the north as well as in the south where you still hear people refer to the Civil War as âthe war of Northern Aggression.â Re Camus, and colonialism, you might find this article from the Smithsonian interesting. It is within recent memory for many and lives on. Hereâs one quote:
âBy the time the war ended in March 1962, anywhere from a half-million to more than one million Arab civilians and freedom fighters were dead, along with nearly 40,000 French soldiers and pieds-noirs. A million pieds-noirs fled to France; others were massacred in Oran and other Algerian cities, while still others disappeared. (Camusâ mother died of natural causes in Algiers in September 1960.) Outside the former Barberousse prison, next to the Casbah, I studied a stone tablet that listed, in Arabic, the names of hundreds of fighters executed on the guillotine by the French occupiers.â
Cheers,
Pamela
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Expat or immigrant, whatâs in a name? Personally itâs not a biggie for me but I can imagine the new owners of AngloInfo gave it some thought before deciding not to change their brand to Smart Immigrant. 
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The Road Traffic Act changed its terminology. What was referred to previously as a Road Traffic Accident changed to Road Traffic Collision inferring that somebody is to blame. There is never an âaccidentâ and one of the drivers would be reported for at least a âdue care and attentionâ if there was ever a police officer around to deal with it!! Most are now reported over the telephone or individuals are sent self reporting packs.
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Thanks for that, I wasnt sure of the actual point of the change from accident, I had thought it was crash, but I can now remember it is collision so thanks for the clarification.
Steve,
We live out in the middle of the vines and have never had a problem with the local chasseurs. They respect the rules about how far to stay away from habitations.
I donât know of anybody who has had a problem whther they be ex-pats or locals.
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In 2021, 120 mayors of Oise issued a ban on hunting with houndsâŠâŠdecision of the supreme courtâŠâŠjudge could have set case law throughout FranceâŠâŠ
Jolly well hope soâŠ.!
It makes sense to have a limit/space, between dwellings and hunters⊠much like farmers spraying their fields/crops near schools/dwellings.
300m is not exactly a hugely safe distanceâŠ.bullets can travel further than that.
Recently Iâve been getting hunters consistently hunting very near my land and house. Less than the obligatory 150m. And there seem to be two cars parked pretty close by fairly regularly in the evenings, and then the gunshots start. I want to approach the local hunters/mairie about the situation, but when I was discussing the situation with a friend recently, they mentioned they had someone in their village that had approached the mairie about hunters being close to their property. Next minute they ended up with graffiti sprayed on the walls of their house and a pigs head on their doorstep. Sounded absolutely horrific, so have thought twice about pursuing my particular situation, but certainly not comfortable with the hunters coming so close to my property.
Sure this isnât an urban myth? Itâs the sort of rumour that circulates a lot!
Does your friend live in your village and know your local chasse? They are very different in each place depending on president and members.
Unfortunately itâs not an urban myth, and very real. The friend lives in a neighbouring village, so not mine, but must admit it did make me sit up a little and think twice before making any moves. Will certainly mull over what I do, and now maybe try to eke it out for this season and see if I can subtly deal with it before next season kicks off. Dealing with matters subtly isnât necessarily my normal way, but very conscious of the possible ramifications.
Whilst you may not wish to give your own whereabouts⊠can you at least say which Department has suffered such disgraceful behaviourâŠ
Itâs dept 34
Well only another few days to go this year, so probably a good plan. You will have time to get to know who is a member of the local chasse, and who might be approachable. Ideally if you could find a friend of yours, who is also a friend of some of the hunters, and for them to have a quiet word about his mate being concerned for his children, elderly mother, whatever. Things are often much better received that way.
Yes, totally agree, think the subtle approach is definitely whatâs called for, and indeed, the next few months will allow me to suss out a bit more as to whoâs who 
La Chasse doesnât fully close until the end of March here in the Charente Maritime.
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