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A WOMAN has revealed why she ditched the UK for France to live in an abandoned farmhouse.

Sam Maunder, 34, moved into the 500-year-old cottage, which her parents bought for £12,000 when she was 4.

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Sam is currently renovating the od farmhouse[/caption]

SWNS

She says she’ll never have a 9-5 again after ditchiing the UK[/caption]

But the farmhouse, two cottages and barn located in Dordogne, France, were left abandoned when her parents divorced in 1998.

Maggie, 69, and John, 71, divorced, and Sam and her mum moved back to the UK leaving the land and its properties abandoned.

Untouched for more than two decades, Sam decided to return in 2018 to see if she could bring the once-loved family home back into use.

She had to break into the main home and discovered it was still full of their possessions, but had been taken over by animals and dust and required an entirely new roof.

Overgrown plants meant the properties were totally hidden from the road nearby, but the outbuildings had been emptied – and some were just a shell.

In 2019, she began the painstaking renovation to bring them back to their former glory – a project she admits will cost “thousands” and take another three years.

She is splitting her time between the UK and France, allowing her to do some of the work herself and keeping costs down.

Sam, a laser clinic business owner from Cardiff, Wales, said: “I was really young when we first bought it.

“My parents are well-travelled and adventurous, so it was them who decided it was for them and they stuck with that plan.

“I have so many memories there as a child, and it’s the only place where my mind is at ease.

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The abandoned property was overrun with dirt and animals[/caption]

“I’ve been obsessed with it for years. It’s really relaxing, and the whole lifestyle is just what I want.

“It does need a lot of work, but I know that and I am willing to do that. I can’t wait to call it my own.”

Sam’s parents found themselves in the South of France because their neighbours, who they were very friendly with moved there and while visiting them they loved it so much, they just took the leap.

When the family bought it in 1993, Sam described it as “a shell.” It had concrete floors, was not very inhabitable in the slightest, was very old-fashioned, and had not been lived in for 50 years.

It was abandoned in 1998, and Sam came to stay for six weeks in 2019 before she got married.

She said that to be legally married in the country, you have to live there for over 40 days.

By then, the already old home had fallen into near total disrepair.

In the main house, some of the ceilings have totally collapsed, the beams are rotten, and the whole roof needs replacing.

The walls need repointing, which Sam wants to learn to do herself.

Sam has done two deep cleans, recycled and cleared out boxes from the second cottage, and her dad has rebuilt a wall in the barn.

She’s currently flying or driving to France to do two weeks of renovation work every two months and has yet to apply for a visa to eventually live permanently there.

Sam said: “As I’ve grown older, I have felt more confident. I would be nervous about moving to a new country.

“I am also slightly nervous because of the language barrier, but I have started taking one-to-one lessons, which I enjoy, and that is going well.

“Once I move, which I hope will be around two to three years, I won’t miss the UK and I’m just so excited.

“The overall plan is that the first cottage will be for living in or holidaying in, and the second cottage will become a three-bed rental.

“The barn would be a recreation area that would be turned into a storage unit, bar, and seating area. Outside will be landscaped, possibly with a pool.

“The ground needs cleaning, but the roof is the most urgent job.

“I have a vision for the existing cottage, which is great, but because the other properties are so barebones, it is tricky to tell which direction it needs to take.

“It’s a little tricky to see the vision, but I can start with the fun stuff once the roof is done. My dad can help on the projects as he worked in the trade, which is really helpful. If we were living there full-time, it would be a bit quicker.

“I just can’t wait to host family parties and BBQs at my home in France. This is a really exciting project and I can’t wait till it’s finished.”

A Thai woman nearly lost her left hand after switching on a radio that was abandoned in a small hut in a rice field in the northeastern province of Roi Et, after the device exploded when she switched it on. Similar incidents were previously reported in Lop Buri province in central Thailand. Local police officers …

The story Thai woman injured after turning on modified radio in Roi Et as seen on Thaiger News.

ROSS Tierney reckons that Bohemians should draw comfort from their recent run.

The Gypsies host Galway United tonight looking for a first win in three matches, having drawn their last two.

But what made their 1-1 result against Sligo Rovers and 0-0 stalemate with St Pat’s noteworthy was those are their only draws of the campaign.

It has been boom or bust, with Bohs winning 12 and losing nine of the opening 21 games. But Tierney reckons that the draws show progress.

He said: “The last two games . . . it’s been frustrating. We’ve come off in both feeling disappointed, which is probably the standard we’ve set ourselves.

“We’re a bit annoyed we didn’t win both games. But it also shows how far we’ve come in a short space of time.

“The last time we were in Inchicore, we lost 3-0. And now we’re disappointed leaving them with a draw. We probably lose both those games earlier in the season.”

The fact that Bohemians are now picking up results where they were not earlier in the campaign bodes well for the run-in, with Alan Reynolds’ side currently third in the table.

They are 11 points off top dogs Shamrock Rovers, with two games in hand which will be played this month — the first being this evening’s clash.

But Tierney cautions against lofty expectations as he recalls last year when he joined a third-from-bottom Bohs side that could have gone fourth had they won their games in hand.

Instead, three months later, after playing those outstanding games, they were still third from bottom.

This time however, the former Motherwell midfielder believes Bohs have benefited from the hard work done in pre-season and their recent habit of scoring late goals.

Tierney and Co may not be not be the league’s most prolific scorers, but no other team has netted later than the Phibsborough outfit — including winners against Shamrock Rovers, St Pat’s, Galway, Cork and Sligo.

The 24-year-old added: “It’s not by luck, we go right to the death, it’s one of the reasons why we work so hard in pre-season.

“We were back in on December 3 and we were giving out saying we shouldn’t be running around when all the rest of the teams were on holidays.

“But it was drilled into us that it would get us an edge on the rest of the league.

“We saw the benefits straight away in pre-season games. But it took a while for it to show in league results. We started well, but then the results weren’t as good as the performances.

“Even the last two, I felt we were going to win them because it was us creating chances in the last 15 or 20 minutes.”

Bohs have the same squad as last week with Alex Lacey (hamstring) and Archie Meekison (hamstring) the only absentees.

Galway hope that Patrick Hickey can recover from a foot injury, while new signing Aaron Bolger could start.

ODDS: Bohemians 8-13, Galway 4-1, Draw 27-10.

K-POP chimes loudly as posters are plastered across the walls advertising typical South Korean treats and fictional businesses.

Presented like a Seoul high street, Squid Game: The Experience immediately transports you to South Korea.

Cyann Fielding

Presented like a Seoul high street, the Squid Game experience immediately transports you to South Korea[/caption]

Then the anticipation builds as ‘pink guards’ lurk around the dark corners, and this is all before you have even been handed your bib.

London’s Squid Game experience opened last month at ImmerseLDN on the waterfront at the ExCeL and welcomes players into the world of the hit Netflix show… but without actual violence and death.

Over the course of five challenges, players can get competitive – playing for points to ultimately win.

From the moment I received my numbered bib, I was no longer ‘Cyann – travel reporter’, I was player ‘008’.

Then after having my mugshot taken, I entered the game.

The first room is set out like the sleeping quarters from the show, with bunk beds uniformly lined next to each other.

Your host then introduces you to the experience ahead, as you prepare to enter the first challenge.

As the doors open and you move into the next room, in front of you lies four rows of glass, next to each other.

Mimicking the ‘glass stepping stones’ from the show, four players simultaneously step in accordance with a pattern memorised a few moments earlier.

The glass lights up green as you go if you get it correct.

If you don’t, it turns red and you are forced to stay where you are.

Players are then awarded different amounts of points depending on how far they reached across their ‘bridge’.

Whilst the game is one of the most iconic moments from the TV show, in the experience itself there is a lot of waiting around.

I was in a group of about 30 people and as one of the first four people to do the challenge, myself and my friend found ourselves waiting around for all the other players to complete the challenge.

Whilst watching a few groups attempt the game with some messing it up is entertaining, it wears off quickly and you are left waiting with nothing else in the room to occupy your time.

Once everyone is finished crossing the ‘glass stepping stones’, you enter the next challenge.

Cyann Fielding

Then the anticipation builds as ‘pink guards’ lurk around the dark corners[/caption]

Arguably the best game for those who are super competitive, in groups of four you stand around a small table, each with a bucket of 10 marbles.

The aim of the game is to throw the marbles in the middle of the circle.

Those who achieve this, then get to take all the marbles from the table into their hoard.

If you run out of marbles, you lose.

The game lasts about five minutes or so and it’s a great way to meet other people that are in the experience or have some family/group fun.

Once this game is complete, again you scan your wristbands depending on whether you won, lost or drew.

Cyann Fielding

Over the course of five challenges, players can get competitive – playing for points to ultimately win[/caption]

Then on into a dark room, lit by flickering street lamps, with a singular rope running along the ceiling and dropping down to the floor.

For this challenge, you play as a team – with another group of people on the other side of a glass door, doing the same challenge.

Essentially a version of tug-of-war, each player has five seconds to pull as hard and fast as they can.

Whichever team brings the marker on the ceiling closer to them by the end of the game, wins.

For me, this had to be the least thrilling challenge of the experience.

Whilst my team had no children, the team we played against had several – giving us a slightly unfair advantage.

Cyann Fielding

Some challenges you play to get points as a team[/caption]

Whilst families on the other team may have had fun together, there were also groups of friends on the team who may have felt a little disappointed with the inevitable lose.

However, the next challenge is where the experience thrives – an icon of the whole Squid Game franchise – ‘Red Light, Green Light’.

Standing on a red line, with dozens of people either side of me, I keenly wait for the giant girl at the end of the room to close her eyes.

On green light, you go.

On red light, you do not flinch under any condition.

Guards lurk over your shoulder, waiting for you to scratch the itch on your head or even blink.

Cyann Fielding

Players get an wristband which they scan to collect their points on throughout the experience[/caption]

The on green light, you can move freely and as quickly as you can to the other side of the room.

This was definitely the most fun game of the experience and makes you feel as if you have stepped into the TV series itself.

Again, if you cross the line before the timer ends – you get points added to your player profile.

The final game in the last room plays upon the iconic shapes from the series.

Stars, umbrellas and squares sit around in a circle and you move clockwise around the circle – kind of like a game of musical chairs.

When the music stops, a shape is presented on a screen in the room that you then have to rush to find on the circle.

Cyann Fielding

An icon of the whole Squid Game franchise – ‘Red Light, Green Light’ – is also part of the experience[/caption]

The players that find the shape first, stay in the game.

For me this is where my ultimate competitive side came out.

I was in this for myself and I’d already not got that many points throughout the other challenges and this was my chance of redemption.

As a nimble person, I sprinted to each shape the screen presented and managed to get past the first and second round.

With just two players against me, I fell at the third – literally on my face.

The final player then goes head to head with the player that has the most points from the experience thus far.

Cyann Fielding

Once you leave the experience, there is also a bar and photo opportunities to explore[/caption]

The ‘Front Man’ in a dark black cloak and mask then emerges, to conduct a game of rock, paper, scissors between the final two players.

The winner overall then gets to decide whether they want to share their prize or keep it to themselves.

Unfortunately, this is the rather anti-climatic end of the experience, as you then leave the maze of rooms and head back to the faux highstreet.

However, you can extend your stay by purchasing Korean drinks and snacks from the bar – which is well worth it – and snapping some pics are some set up photo ops.

The experience definitely transports you to the series, but the lengthy waits really prevent this experience from being the best it could be.

Whilst it cannot be helped if there are children in your booking, it would perhaps be better if the experience separates adult-only sessions and family-friendly ones.

It’s great for fans but for competitive friends, not so much.

The experience costs from £26 per adult and £18 per child.

One woman visited the new Paddington immersive experience in London with ‘train rides’ and street parties.

Plus, the ‘world’s most immersive experience’ to open two new UK sites after huge success.

Cyann Fielding

London’s Squid Game experience opened last month at ImmerseLDN on the waterfront at the ExCeL[/caption]

Vina Morales was one of the celebrities who were thankful to the Kapamilya network Singer-actress Vina Morales expressed gratitude to ABS-CBN for her career in the entertainment industry. Vina started her career in showbiz at a young age. Eventually, she became a household name. She did various acting projects and concerts in the Philippines and ... Read more

The post Vina Morales Expressed Her Gratitude To ABS-CBN For Her Career appeared first on PhilNews.

Economists are increasingly concerned about potential deflationary trends but the Bank of Thailand (BoT) asserts there are no definitive signs of deflation despite ongoing low inflation. At a monetary policy forum on Wednesday, July 9, Surach Tanboon, senior director of the central bank’s monetary policy department, stated that the bank has not identified any signals of …

The story Bank of Thailand dismisses deflation fears despite low inflation as seen on Thaiger News.

ONE of Dan Quirke’s fondest memories of his son Dillon is from their 2017 trip to New Zealand.

That summer, Warren Gatland‘s British & Irish Lions battled the All Blacks in a three-Test series.

Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Domnick Walsh Eye Focus

The series was eventually drawn 1-1 after the Lions lost the first Test, won the second, and drew the third.

Eleven Ireland internationals were part of Gatland’s panel, which was cheered on by a sizeable cohort of travelling Irish fans.

Among them were the two Quirkes, ardent Munster Rugby supporters who had made the trip in search of an unforgettable summer.

Dan Quirke explained to the Irish Sun: “Dillon was such an amazing young man. He really, really was. He was mad about all sports.

“We personally travelled to New Zealand with the Lions in 2017.

“We were huge Manchester United supporters. We were Munster supporters and Ireland rugby supporters.

“We travelled all over Europe to follow Munster.

“I spent three weeks in 2017 with Dillon which was amazing. We were like brothers, not father and son, and we were best friends.”

Those are the kind of memories cherished all the more following Dillon’s untimely and tragic death in 2022.

The 24-year-old died of Sudden Adult Death ­Syndrome during a hurling match for his club Clonoulty-Rossmore at Semple Stadium that August.

A rising star in Tipperary hurling, his passing was felt far and wide and led to his family launching the Dillon Quirke Foundation.

The organisation’s ultimate goal is to ensure every young athlete between the ages of 14 and 17 get cardiac screening.

It serves a dual purpose. First of all, it raises awareness of sudden adult death syndrome, which kills 100 people in Ireland every year.

Meanwhile, it has also been providing an avenue through which the Quirke family could process their own grief.

Dan said: “We started it because we were obviously in shock at the time after Dillon.

“We had such a huge outcry of support from all the country, not just in Tipperary and Munster but all over the country and outside the country.

“We got an introduction to AMS [Advanced Medical Services] in Cork and then we started to screen. It has been mighty since.

“I think my wife Hazel and our two daughters Shannon and Kelly, they stay in the background. They find it difficult because it is full on.

“I am at it full-time now since I sold our business and I am giving my life to make sure that we can make it mandatory in time but definitely, as a healing process, I find it a huge solace.

“From time to time, I get calls from parents thanking us for starting the foundation and sometimes they are in tears.

“We can’t bring Dillon back and we miss him hugely but the next big thing is to be able to help somebody else and help other parents and help other young kids.

“Unfortunately, we are losing two lives a week and I do a lot with the first responders on the ground. They are telling us that it is getting worse so look, it is so important to get screened.

“We all want our kids playing sport, we all love sport. In the GAA, we buy our kids a hurley, we buy a helmet and surely it is cost effective to get the kids screened.

“When you can save lives, I think all sports should be doing it.”

“He was an amazing young man and nobody has a bad story about him. He was a great role model to our own parish here in Clonoulty and all over Tipperary.”

Dan wants Ireland to follow the lead set by Italy.

Italian law mandates that every competitive athlete must undergo annual pre-participation evaluation to identify cardiovascular diseases that pose a risk of sudden death during sport and other conditions that may threaten the athlete’s health.

Such checks were made mandatory by law in 1982 and has led to incidents of SADS dropping to as little as 0.24 per 10,000 people in 2021.

Working towards that goal, the Dillon Quirke Foundation facilitated the screening of over 10,000 young athletes between the ages of 14 and 17 last year.

This week, it partnered with Cycling Ireland to screen young cycling athletes from the Munster region in Killarney, Co Kerry.

Some 45 athletes were screened on July 10 at St Oliver’s Primary School, followed by another 45 on July 11, with tests overseen by advanced medical services.

The Foundation facilitates screenings every day from July 1, with the exception of Sundays, to take advantage of the school summer holidays.

And Dan Quirke stressed the need for parents to embrace the message, as well as their kids.

He added: “The cohort we are dealing with mainly is 14 to 17 so it really comes down to the parents.

“Once the kid reaches 18 and is an adult, they are not inclined to get these done because they don’t feel they need to but, as parents, we want to look after our kids as best we can.

“At the minute, it is probably 70:30 males against females but we hope that the female side of it is building and we are delighted to do that.

“It seems to be athletes who are prepared diligently and trained to high levels. It seems to be a problem more for them.

“We have got to keep getting the message across of, ‘please get screened’. That is our message.

Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

“If we can’t do it because we have a waiting list, we will help in any way possible to make sure it is done.

“With SADS, losing two lives a week, generally you don’t get a notification. There are no symptoms. It can just happen.

“What we have been hearing from cardiologists, if you do 45 minutes of sport as a young athlete or a young kid between 14 and 17, they should be screened.

“I go around and I speak in schools and try to get as much information out as possible.

“I actually find young boys and girls much more appreciative of what we are doing and they are much more active about getting done themselves.

“I think our young adolescents nowadays are brilliant people and they can see it better than my generation. I find that great and I find they are doing their best.

“They all want to be healthy. We all want them to play sport but surely the first thing you do is make sure they are safe to play.”

SADS is not the only issue at play.

Quirke added: “We find it is not just heart health; we find kids could have blood pressure, they could have diabetes.

“There are many different things which is not just heart issues but that is the big thing for us.

“It is non-invasive and takes 15 minutes and it is changing lives. I would imagine it is in double digits, the number of lives we have saved to date.

“We know it works and it is so important that people know that screening makes a difference.”

ON THEIR MINDS

Dillon Quirke’s memory and legacy has taken on more poignancy after Tipperary made it to their first All-Ireland hurling final since 2019.

The starlet won All-Ireland medals at minor and under-21 in 2016 and 2018 before making his senior Tipp debut against Limerick in January 2020.

He played all of the Premier’s games in the Munster hurling championship in 2022.

Dillon’s final appearance was the 3-31 to 2-22 defeat to Clare in May; less than three months before his tragic passing.

Craig Morgan, who had met Quirke for a coffee the day before that fateful afternoon in August, revealed he was on Tipperary’s minds before the All-Ireland semi-final win over Kilkenny.

And dad Dan believes his son will be looking down on Liam Cahill’s men when they face Cork with Liam MacCarthy on the line.

He said: “I was speaking to different people over the last number of weeks. Now with Tipperary being in the All-Ireland final we are back in the limelight.

“If you watch Dillon in 2022 when he played every minute of the Championship with Tipperary, Dillon had a smile on his face.

“Any picture you see of Dillon playing, he had a smile on his face and there are not many guys who do that, to be honest.

“He was an amazing young man and nobody has a bad story about him. He was a great role model to our own parish here in Clonoulty and all over Tipperary.

“I meet his county teammates on a regular basis and they tell me how much they miss him and how good he was around the place.

“I think they carry a photo of Dillon with them and I am sure he will be with them in spirit on the All-Ireland final and hopefully things will go good for Tipperary.”

Domnick Walsh Eye Focus

AN INFERNO has sent fireballs and plumes of smoke billowing into the sky above Stoke-on-Trent.

It is understood that the blaze erupted in Sneyd Green overnight with sparks and flames launched into the air by the inferno.

Witnesses to the fire on Pleydell Street at 2:30am saw flames pouring into the sky from a fire close to one of the homes on the street.

It is not yet clear if the fire originated from one of the houses or not.

Images captured by residents show a jet of fire and sparks rising from a blaze on the residential street.

Houses up and down the road were illuminated by the glow of the fireball.

Emergency services raced to the scene in the early hours to tackle the blaze.

Witnesses reported several fire engines arrived to tackle the flames.

Emergency crews were still on scene this morning, The Sun understands.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue services also raced to the scene of a fire in Tamworth last night.

Emergency services have not released any information on the fire.

StokeonTrentLive/BPM

The inferno raged close to homes on Pleydell Street[/caption]

IBA, Zambales — A Cessna 172 training aircraft (tail number RP-C2211) crashed in this capital town on Friday (July 11), injuring four individuals on board. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the aircraft was on a training flight from Subic when it figured in the accident. A report said all passengers

THERE have been calls for legally defined max temperature rules and protection for employees as the mercury rises to a sweltering 32C this weekend.

Met Eireann has placed 14 counties under an 18-hour Status Yellow high temperature warning today and issued the same alert for the entire country tomorrow.

meteologix.com

Temperatures will reach highs of 32C this weekend[/caption]

Niall Carson/PA Wire

Labour’s Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock warned that workplace heat poses potential health risks.

A status high temperature alert has been issued today for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary.

Deputy Sherlock has called for the introduction of legally defined maximum temperature limits for workplaces.

And she warned that workers must not be left out of pocket if their workplace closes early due to the risk posed by extreme weather.

She said: “Climate change is increasingly exposing workers across the world to occupational heat stress. Ireland is not immune to this. 

“While temperatures hitting 30C may feel like a novelty in Ireland, the reality for some workers is far from pleasant — and, in some cases, it may be dangerous. 

“These temperatures can be particularly difficult for those working in spaces with poor ventilation or lack of air conditioning and for those working outdoors, they may be in the absence of easily available water and shade.”

Deputy Sherlock insisted that rising temperatures are not “just a short-term summer issue”. 

She explained: “Climate change is altering weather patterns in Ireland.

“We are more likely to see prolonged heatwaves and temperature warnings becoming a regular feature of working life. That must be met with a proper legal response.”

The Labour TD echoed the European Trade Union Confederation’s call for a Directive to establish binding maximum working temperatures, alongside mandatory heat risk assessments.

She said: “Ireland cannot afford to be left behind on this. In Germany, a workplace has a normal maximum temperature of 26C. In Spain, a maximum temperature is set at 27C for work spaces.

“We also support clear legal definitions of heat stress, the development of workplace heat management plans in cooperation with trade unions, and increased resourcing of labour inspections to ensure compliance.”

Now facing higher summer temperatures due to climate change, she warned that action must be taken to protect workers’ health and safety. 

WAGE COMPENSATION CALL

Sherlock continued: “Critically, employers must be compelled to assess risks based on temperature, humidity, and airflow, and consider vulnerabilities including age, pregnancy, migrant status, and precarious working conditions.

“Government must also explore financial supports such as wage compensation for workers impacted by work stoppages due to heat. That’s about basic fairness.

“In advance of any legislation being enacted, our appeal is to employers to do the right thing, put protections in place for workers and ensure no worker is out of pocket for workplaces being closed early.”

A status yellow high temperature warning is in place for the entire country tomorrow and Sunday.

Sherlock added: “We have the evidence, we have the warnings, and now we need the legislation. 

“Maximum temperature limits must be introduced in law for all workplaces. 

“We need comprehensive legislation to prevent occupational heat stress, ensure fair and safe working conditions, and enforce employer responsibilities — especially for the most vulnerable workers.”

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