Tresco

 To Zap, who has moved a lot further than I have, you make some great points. Good luck.

Jill, i'm not quite following your reply. The quote thing is rubbish on LF, but I hope you can fommow my response. Surely road conditions can change within 30 metres, never mind 30km, however similar the terrain may seem. I'm a bit of a mad cap person, however serious my replies seem on this site, but I stay within  the recommended speed limit As for getting the taxi fare back - I got let down once for 20 quid. I was gutted, but I  had done what I thought  was right. As you say, at the start I would insist on having the car keys or I would put the friends up.   I would rather people thew up in my house than killed someone else, due to my not paying the fare in advance.

yes! yes!, but TU, just how intimate?

Thing is, Deby, I have done this myself. I was not over any legal limit, but knew I should not drive. Did it anyway. Got home no problem. Before I start to sound like TBlair with my lack of verbs, the question SB poses is a really interesting one to me. Never mind the mayor, what would you people do? Here's another for you all, when you see children rolling around in the front or back seat of a car, unsecured, what do you think? what do you do, if anything? As an afterthought, this reminds me of a thread a while ago about 'flashers'. Lots of people said they flashed others to warn them that there was a police speed trap ahead. I don't agree with it, but at least it slows people down.  

And for those of you who live a bit further north, i.e near the NW of England, there is the same kind of activity going on right now under Liverpool, and probably Manchester. Philanthropists in the late 1900's used to pay for people to dig tunnels rather than them get money for 'nothing' via 'assistance'. Sorry no reference for this, but the lesson is, don't leave your books behind when you come to France, no matter how much they weigh!

I have been assured, by someone who claims to know, that she is on the tapes to ensure that people who feel/are slow, will be heartened by her constant dimness. Can this be true? If it is, then I say again, she is my hero, whether she is a great actor or not, because she made me stick at it, and go way beyond it (the cds in question), just so I would not be as thick as her. Pathetic, yes, but sometimes that's what it takes/took to get me on the roundabout.

Yup, It's it's exactly what I was thinking Miki. I don't have to work (but I am am too young to retire, so I hope to one day), and have no dependant children, so yes, I am very happy here, mainly because of the peace and tranquility I have here, which I could not have 'afforded' in UK. I just don't see that it can be an easy option to move to any other country if you have always lived in just one, but I do think I have made it easy on myself.

Thats a great book, SB, I would recommend it to anyone. I would even lend them my own copy, if the first thirty pages weren't missing. (bloody kids)

Thats a tricky one, isn't it. Shop your friends to the police? I hope I will never be in that position, as I could well be plastered at the same time as my friends, and may not have the judgement to stop them. The woman has lost half her family, and her grandchild is orphaned; ism not surprised she feels strongly. I have stopped loads of people driving by taking their keys and ordering a taxi in England, sometimes paying in advance for it. Never been in that situation here, but we have had French and English people laugh at us for walking home when the car was there. We were both legless. I like to think I will always have the courage of my convictions, and stop them driving - after all, if they were sober, they would hopefully do the same for me. If I did knowingly let a friend drive off drunk, and s/he caused death/destruction, I am pretty sure I would blame myself for the rest of my life, because I 'knew'.

The woman on the Michael Thomas Tapes, She's my hero. She really keeps me going, because she is the only person in the world who is slower than me at learning by this method. My favourite moment is when she tries to be clever, and offers " vol-eu-vent" sp??? instead of 'voulez-vous'. Trust me, all starters, no one could be slower than this woman, you will feel like the brightest star in the linguistic firmament compared to her.

No, TU, and I have to assume that this is one of the reasons why even the biggest dictionary is not enough. When you are ready, I hope you will release me from this new, tiny portion, of the constant misery I find myself in.

Tried them. Mmmm. Entrails, stuffed into........ entrails, (I think). I think not. bleuuuucchhhhh!!!!!

I don't hide from the neighbours, but sometimes wish I had, after I run up saying Bon Jour - and then nothing else will come. There is no rhyme or reason to it. Madame next door has to constantly readjust her views, loudly broadcast at all functions we attend, between "Marie-Therese can not speak french at all", and Marie-Therese can speak good french now". I find Michel Thomas pretty good, but i'm always worried about what he's not telling you. I need to sit down and learn the grammar, which he doesn't teach properly.

Just tried to put it all in my own words, and got 'timed out' aaarrrrgh. Then I re-read the previous posts, always a good idea. Cjb, I am in total agreement with your post. I would add, I can't believe anyone would give a job to someone who was not the best candidate. What equal opps practices hope to encourage, is that suitably talented, qualified people from all 'sectors' of society will apply. Furthermore, that they will not have their application dismissed at the phone call/ written application stage by someone in admin who says "I can't be arsed having to spell that (name of African or Asian origin)". This is a real life personal experience, in a well known restaurant chain. The franchise I worked for had three restaurants, with two non white employee out of approx 260 staff, and one of their names was anglicised by the manager, "because no one can say it" which was absolute nonsense. (By the way, the manager was my brother, and here's another argument for equal opps practices - he squeezed me into a job for which I was completely unqualified, unskilled etc, and here I am slagging him off in cyber-space). Finally, when they do get to be employed, they walk into the staff room, to be greeted by a wall sized St Georges Cross. I very much doubt whther any black Gordon Ramsays' will start their career in that chain. I hope this woman succeeds in her job, if she's good at it. If she makes a positive role model for young women/non-white people even better. If she's not good at her job, she will be ditched, and rightly so.    

Come back April, please don't not tell us what you think about all this comment in response to your post, and tell whatever you can about your own thoughts about moving to France. 

OK, I hold my hands up about humble. Love this kind of thread.

Later, I had my only child FAR TOO YOUNG, as he tells me now.   I think there is actually no good, sensible, viable, unselfish reason to have a child, apart from the aim/hope/desire to bring a child up to happy healthy adulthood.  Adding it all up, no person in their right mind would consciously choose to have a child, so it's best that the good guys, or gals have these little 'accidents' or are impregnated by 'acts of god'. I wish I had had more children, it's still the best, most fun, and most important thing I ever did.   But Later, they don't get easier, so don't believe the old ladies at the bus stop. (Mind you, believing their lies kept me going for about 20 years).

  Well if it is 'humble', as opposed to 'honest' why state that you are humble? I'm not humble, but I will admit i'm wrong, if someone presents a good argument. Sometimes I am just plain wrong, no argument neccessary, and up go my hands, but humble? Once I started to think about it I just couldn't use these admittedly, very common terms; again.  

Why oh why is******o a forbidden word?

Ooooh******o, blimey.   I agree, lots of these things are curious, but I can't say they are amazing as I have read them many times before on this site alone, and am guilty of at least one of them. It may be that April 'knew' or 'knows' all the things you or I knew, or thought we knew, but got cold feet, and spewed it out in a post. It may be that she will trawl the archives and come back with more questions. You did make lots of good points, and I hope April responds.

Ooooh******o, blimey.   I agree, lots of these things are curious, but I can't say they are amazing as I have read them many times before on this site alone, and am guilty of at least one of them. It may be that April 'knew' or 'knows' all the things you or I knew, or thought we knew, but got cold feet, and spewed it out in a post. It may be that she will trawl the archives and come back with more questions. You did make lots of good points, and I hope April responds?

I don't know why it's at the top, all I know is that they asked for help. By help, I'm not sure what they mean. Everything that others say is not there for them, is there for me, but it's so very slow. If it's a help to know the site is slow, with a brand new computer that isn't clogged up with nonsense, then that is what I have to tell whoever has the thankless - well, not entirely, because I will thank you - task of dealing with it.

Yes Jill, and here's another "To be fair" - What, do you mean you aren't always? Now we really are in the wrong thread, and may even be accused of being irritating posters if people were feeling very pedantic. 

April, I really feel for you. Your experience reminds me of a friend who 'put off' having children for years because a 'really good mate' went on and on (and on) for years about the (her experience of) birth, adjustment to being a parent, loss of nights out etc. There's good and bad where ever you live, and many people on this forum have interesting and valid things to say about France. Go back as far as you can in the archives as they are really useful, but the main thing is, do you think it's right for you and your immediate family? If you think it is, and you prepare as well as you can, what's the worst thing that can happen afterwards? That you find it difficult ( you probably will), that you have to get back into the UK property market? (can you put a safeguard in place?); that your friends will say 'I told you so'? (sod them). The one thing I will never have to say when i'm older is, 'I always wished I could have lived in France'. Whatever you decide to do, I hope it works out.    

I used to get seriously irritated by one particular poster -  'I am a super bunny, comfort me, love me', but, what joy, said poster has found new play-pen. This must be a very personal thing, beacause so many people say it, not just in cyber-space.  I'll sling it in anyway. IMHO (In My Honest Opinion) It makes me think that at this point, you are being honest, but not at any other time you don't make this 'clarifying' statement. Now, I know that my fear is ungrounded, because I know people who say this myself, and they are good, honest people, bur why say it? Just realised this should probably go in the thread about linnit, y'know, like etc, but I am very lazy - and always try to be honest.