Amymarria

My husband and I have stayed in quite a few B and B's in France and have always struck lucky. We try to treat our hosts and their property as we would want people to treat our home and us if we were running a B and B.  My mother-in-law was in the business for many years when my husband was a teenager and a young student so he has strong views about how paying guests should behave having seen the best and worst of them from the sharp end so to speak.  We have always tried to be friendly, unobtrusive, paid our bills on time and in cash and left our room clean and tidy.  The last people we stayed with e-mailed their thanks to us after our stay and then e-mailed again when their new baby arrived as we had shown an interest in their little boy and asked when the new addition was due.  Treat peole as you would wish to be treated yourself and remember that your hosts work hard and deserve consideration is our motto and so far it has stood us in good stead.

What is is with daughters? Mine also got through approx. a loo roll per day sometimes more!.  Now she is no longer living at home we always have spare loo roll and we insist she warns us in advance about her visits as we would otherwise have to rush to the local 24 hour Tesco!

I am fascinated. Any more word on Alice and her Dad?  Has the money arrived?

Sorry - just realised that it says where you live in the name posting part of posts - for those already living in France.

cooperlola - thanks for your reply.  We are really considering it not because we are fed up with life in the uk but because we love France and think we would enjoy living there. There is a downside to everywhere and you have to accept that. Our family are very scattered so we feel we are free to go where we want to as anywhere we go will be far away from some family members.  I think we will probably spend more of our holiday times over the next year visiting areas of France we would consider living in and looking at them more from a residents point of view than from a holiday makers point of view. Also just getting a feel for the type of property we could afford. Where in France ar you located, if you don't mind me asking?

Thank you Patf and Anton.  Our french is fairly good and we are working on improving it.  Do not particularly want to live where there are lots of Brits and would really prefer the outskirts of a small town to the country.  My husband will retire in the summer as he can get his work pension then in full but I will be continuing to work for at least a year and maybe two so we are really at the beginning of our thinking about this move.

Thank you for your helpful reply.  I am just wondering how people have found the experience of living in France once they are retired. Is it harder to integrate than for working people?  I am also a little concerned about moving so far from family but travel is so easy nowadays it is much easier to get to family if a problem arises so I am thinking it would be OK. We spend many holidays in France but living there will be very different.  My husband is very keen but I am a little bit more cautious.  Anybody got any thoughts on this?

Sorry about posting on the Earning A Living in France forum but I was not sure where to ask this question.  My husband and myself are considering retiring to France.  We would both have a work pension - not vast but not too bad either.  I assume we would still be eligible for our British retirement pension as we have paid into this.  Anyone who has retired to France like to share experiences?  Any advice gratefully received.  

I am a teacher in England and agree about the standards of parenting. I am very firm with children at school and they know they must do as they are told. However, it has not affected their attitude to me. They know I am fair and they respect that and like me for it. I live very near the school and often meet children when out shopping etc. They always come up for a chat or call to me if I don't see them, wave from their car windows etc. Children like to know where they are with people and respect those that set clear boundaries. My own children - now adults - were brought up to behave well in restaurants and in their own and other folks homes. They could be naughty sometimes, like any children, but knew "No" meant "No" and we were frequently complimented on their behaviour. I now dread going to restaurants and finding noisy, ill-mannered children at the next table. The teacher in me itches to intervene and tell them how to behave! We have young families living next to us and the children are awful. We have not sat out in our garden at all this summer as the noise from both sides is appalling and goes on late into the evening. My daughter is studying for an M.A. and has to stay at Uni until late in the evening as she cannot study at home with windows open and the noise of these children, music blaring and some of the language used is dreadful. I shudder to think what the NEXT generation will be like as parents.