Villa la Rive

11/10/2026

🇬🇧 🇪🇺 WOULD EUROPE ACTUALLY WANT BRITAIN BACK?

Well, that’s a question guaranteed to cause an argument over Sunday lunch! 🍷😂

In our latest episode, we’ve been out and about in beautiful Marmande, asking people what they really think about Britain potentially rejoining the EU.

Ten years after the Brexit referendum, have opinions changed? Would Britain be welcomed back? And would we even get the same deal?

The answers were certainly interesting!

But don’t worry, it’s not all politics. There’s another spectacular encounter with French bureaucracy, a lunch that wasn’t quite what we expected, and Richard being refused entry to a historic monument because… somebody was filming there.

The irony was apparently lost on him. 🎬😂

And Maria has a few things to say about being seen holding Richard’s hand in public!

☀️ Join us for another slice of life here in southwest France.

🎥 Watch our latest episode here:

https://youtu.be/2Ikn6ojXF88?is=9OmrVTK8iiV-I0zg

And we’d love to know what YOU think. Should Britain rejoin the EU, or has that particular ship sailed?

🇫🇷🍷 Maria & Richard
Villa La Rive, Temple sur Lot

Does Europe actually want Britain back? 🇬🇧🇪🇺Ten years after the B...

07/10/2026

If you were dangerously close to mowing the lawn or doing something sensible this Saturday, good news. You have an alibi.

The French have decided to shut Rue Nationale in Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot so everyone can mill about, haggle over bits of kit they didn't know they needed, and consume copious amounts of street food under the banner of civic pride.

Saturday, 17th October (9:00 to 17:00)
Rue Nationale, Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot
Admission: Zero euros
Food: Abundant

Come along, support the local trades, and pretend you're out purely for the cultural enrichment.

🏡 Book a stay at our villa: https://villa-la-rive.com/

27/09/2026

🇫🇷 HOW DID WE MISS THIS?

Nearly four years living in Southwest France and we are STILL discovering places practically on our doorstep that we never knew existed.

This week we stumbled across beautiful Beauville, perched high above the countryside, and it turned into one of those wonderfully French days where you go out for a quick look and somehow lunch becomes compulsory. 😂🍷

But it’s not all gorgeous villages and long lunches.

There’s also the small matter of exchanging our driving licences, which has developed into another glorious encounter with French red tape. Just when you think you’ve reached the final page, France produces another page. And a medical. Obviously. 😂

We also explain why, after nearly four years, we’ve finally changed the channel name to Maria and Richard in France.

So grab a glass of something suitable and come with us for a little slice of real life in Southwest France.

🎬 Our Life in Southwest France: How Did We Miss This? 🇫🇷

Watch the new episode here 👇
https://youtu.be/bIsruayQSsI

And if you enjoy it, a comment on the YT channel or a share really does help us enormously. ❤️🇫🇷

Maria & Richard

27/09/2026

Two great local events coming up near Villa La Rive this October 🍂

First up, the Hunters’ Lunch in Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot on Sunday 4 October at 12 noon, with spit-roasted wild boar, a raffle and a proper village atmosphere. It’s €25 per person, and you bring your own plate, cutlery and glass. 🐗🍷

Then on Saturday 17 October, Cabaret Madame K comes to Le Temple-sur-Lot, with an evening of cabaret, song, dance and fire performance. Tickets are €20, adults only, with advance booking required. 🎭🔥

We love seeing so many different events happening in the villages around us. If you’re staying locally, these are both worth knowing about.

Villa La Rive
Temple-sur-Lot, Lot-et-Garonne 🇫🇷

24/09/2026

September evenings at Villa La Rive… and the Lot is putting on quite a show tonight. ❤️

No filters needed. Just sunset, reflections on the river, the church across the water and one of those evenings when you remember exactly why we fell in love with this place.

Autumn may be creeping closer, but summer clearly hasn’t quite finished with us yet.

Villa La Rive, Temple-sur-Lot 🇫🇷

13/09/2026

We bought a pool robot.

A perfectly sensible purchase.

Unfortunately, nobody considered the effect this would have on our pool boy. 😂

What followed involved Ian, Serious Dave, Mowgli, Bubbles, a small employment crisis and considerably more drama than anyone expected from cleaning a swimming pool.

After missing last Sunday, we thought we should return quietly and sensibly.

We failed. 😉

Our new episode is out now.

🇫🇷 Maria & Richard in France

Life at our villa in rural France was supposed to be getting easier...

10/09/2026

Misty mornings on the River Lot at Villa La Rive. 🌿

There’s something rather special about waking up to this view, with Fongrave just across the water and the river slowly coming to life.

Breakfast with a view doesn’t get much better than this.

Villa La Rive
Riverside Bed & Breakfast
Temple-sur-Lot

02/09/2026

We Inspired 28 People to Move to France… Was It a Mistake?

We Inspired 28 People to Move to France… Was It a Mistake?YouTube...

23/08/2026

🇫🇷 We’ve lived in France for years… and somehow we’d NEVER discovered this!

This week started with a fabulous French night market, involved a rather underwhelming eclipse, and then rain forced us somewhere we’d been avoiding for years.

A museum.

About prunes.

We weren’t exactly trembling with excitement. 😂

What happened next involved monks, ancient ovens, Armagnac, fruit from 1857 and Maria making a discovery about prunes that frankly should have happened several decades ago.

Welcome to SECRET FRANCE! 🇫🇷

Our brand new episode is live now. Come and join us, and please tell us we’re not the only people who didn’t know some of this stuff!

https://youtu.be/dgJwOaZF55Y

A New Life in France takes another slightly unexpected turn this we...

20/08/2026

Ten years of pushing boundaries.

And now one of those machines has arrived on the banks of the River Lot.

We thought Mowgli would simply cut the grass.

What we didn’t expect was how much time he would give back to us.

Less mowing. Less noise. Less time working.

More time for the river, our guests, each other, and the life we came to France to enjoy. 🇫🇷❤️

The LUBA 3 AWD has become part of our new life in France rather quicker than we expected.

Watch the full story of Mowgli on our YouTube channel


Interested in LUBA 3 AWD?
Link in bio 👆