Autismuk
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Posts posted by Autismuk
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We've had a folding caravan for several years (solid bottom, canvas top) ; not quite the same. The only real potential weakness apart from obvious things like damage to the canvas etc. is the poles in the erection system. It can be difficult to get replacements.
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Sounds wrong to me, unless the B&B was ridiculously expensive to start with ; £400k gains in 2 years is pretty spectacular. Are you sure about the valuation ? If you have renovated a wreck, have you included all the costs.TBH, if you *have* made £400k in 2 years you can't really complain that much ....
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I've stayed at Chateau Ribagnac, once. It was the end of the summer season, and was full. We turned up on spec and got in because of a late cancellation.It's nicer than it looks on the TV ; grounds are nice too. In decent weather (not like last summer) it'd be a terrific place to spend a few days, the children loved it. They're nowhere near as "chaotic" as they come over on the programme - or if they are they hide it well. Didn't see much of Mrs but Mr is sharp and clued in. What *is* true is that they come over as quite laid back and friendly - which he certainly is, but things happen when they should. We'd stay there again, TV programme or not. I didn't ask him about it. (largely because I suspect he's fed up with people asking him about it !)On the subject of TV docs, if you read Nigel Farrell's book about his Indian Restaurant (far better than the programme IMO) then there's quite a lot of stuff in there about how the program was put together.
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I did a quick model at http://www.robsons.org.uk/gitemodel.xls ; it is only really a one year thing but it'll give you *some* idea on numbers
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I can't see how the accessing the forum could cause you to contract avirus. It would be difficult to do it if Archant actually *wanted* itto happen.Java would not allow you to execute any Virus code (you can runprograms but not actually hurt your system). About the only way ofgetting it in is via ActiveX ; and there doesn't actually appear to beany ActiveX downloads on the forum. I'm running under Linux andit hasn't objected at all, or queried such.I suspect you have a virus that is triggered - somehow - by accessing the website.It is theoretically possible, albeit very unlikely, that the cachedHTML produced for the website has the same signature as a virus.
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Princess Toni is the worst of all worlds. You get the mass spending, handouts and swathes of public spending and tax of old Labour combined with the extreme control freakery of the extreme right wing of the Conservatives.Unfortunately the git will get in again because (i) you get more seats/vote in Labour areas (ii) the handout club will vote for him (iii) the "public sector" skiver quango lot (of whom there are masses) will also vote for him.
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And it was I think seriously considered at one point. I remember reading about it. The idea (I think) was there was to be a short tunnel out to a stopoff point a mile or two out, then a sequence of bridges.Anyhow they've done it in Scandinavia, the Knudshoved/Halskov and Copenhagen/Malmo bridges must be fairly long.
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[quote]Annoyed, I can think of many other scenarios in which moving to France for this couple is a better idea than staying put in the UK. It makes my blood boil when other suppose they know how to run someo...[/quote]
It's true that there may be scenarios where moving to France is better. There may be scenarios where it's better to move to Rockall as well.What I am suggesting is that people should try to avoid the obvious mistakes which are repeated endlessly, which include :-- no French language at all.- no other income beyond the "tourist" income or whatever.- underestimating costs and time of conversion/renovation- no idea what the area is really like in terms of life, tourism etc.- no plan 'B', contingency fund, fallback position etc.It is true that house prices in France have been boringly stable. However, the UK in France tends to focus on a small subset of this, the renovation/gites/b&b market which it is trying to drive in a similar way to the UK market. The French aren't interested in this market. Overall economically it is swamped by the mass of French housing, but to the UK market it is key. If you renovate an old house and sell it the French are unlikely to be that interested. There's a reason all these cheap old homes are about. The two housing markets are inextricably linked because people are funding the "dream" from the high resale housing market. If you can sell a cupboard for £500,000 and buy a Gite Complex for half that and invest the rest, yes, it might well work. But if the UK housing market goes badly the "dreamers" will drop away. They won't be able to sell their properties at all, let alone at a premium, and making ends meet will be the main focus.The OP has no young family or really no ties at all ; I think it is "just her". This is fine, with two corollaries. Firstly, operationally, she's on her own, Secondly, her costs are reduced accordingly. But the math still works, or doesn't. Estimate what your income is going to be in several scenarios ; good (say 18-20 weeks) average (13-14) poor (7-8), add in any UK or other income, deduct running costs, then ask yourself do you want to live on "that". (Knock up a little spreadsheet).That's the real unquantifiable. Some people have more and less expensive tastes. If you spend your lives walking in the woods you'll be better off than if you want to go boating on the Riviera. -
[quote]I still would like to know...how the Hell the British who came here years ago...managed to survive without sites like this and DIY books about living here. Easy, they were generally very, very diffe...[/quote]
... and, most importantly, they weren't one of umpteen people doing exactly the same thing.It's like mobile phone shops. In Norwich, near where I live, there was a time where you could stand near the market and there were NINE shops in sight. It is now something like three or four.Any market full of people doing the exact same thing will be swamped. -
[quote]>A recipe for disaster ? Or not ?Only a fool would try to decide in advance without knowing the people. Here is just one scenario where in retrospect this would actually be a shrewd move, I can think ...[/quote]
Well, yes it might work like that. It's a property ladder scenario though, where you are basically relying on economic movements to make it work.A more realistic option is that you sell now in a falling market, buy in France on an overheated market, spend much of the balance restoring the house, and find that you have a house which is worth much less than you think (the French don't value restorations that much) and the market in the UK has skewed further stopping you from getting back in.A "shrewd move" is not IMO defined solely by the outcome. It is possible to act incompetently and get away with it simply because of House Price moves (see TV), similarly it is possible to get caught.I still think the French tourism/gite/B&B/live the dream thing is in a boom caused by TV and House Prices in the UK and France. There are too many Gites etc. and not enough tourists, and individuals may be doing well but I doubt the industry as a unit is. IMO, those who are relying on their B&B/Gite income to live on (or even worse, pay a mortgage) are likely to get seriously screwed. -
I haven't lived in France (yet), but I did live and work in the Netherlands for about 8 months when I was younger.Having been there on holiday before, it was still the same place. *However*, once the initial shine wears off, much of the time you do what you do at home ; you go to work, you go shopping etc etc etc. It's not that different. It was more pleasant than living in England, but it's not the same as being there on an extended Holiday.If you are going to "get away from something" you have to be honest with yourself about what it is you are trying to get away from.
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Another alternative in the not too distant future is the A28 extension, which will allow you to head off in the direction of the Vendee and down the coast ?Not sure when this is due to open though.
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His biography is astonishing .... there has also been a row in the US over how factually accurate it is.My own view is that it's basically accurate - mostly.
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50 is Manche, 53 is Mayenne, presumably this lady lives somewhere South of Mortain.Either via the N175/A13 or via the A81/A11. If you are going to CdG then maybe the former because it is easier to cut across on the A14/A86 (North of Paris) onto the A1 to the Airport, whereas if you go via Le Mans/Chartres you've got to go round or across Paris.OTOH if you go A81/A11 you can use the Versailles road (N10?) which gets you in the same area (St Germain) - or you can go round the Peripherique
Is the Northern Francilienne complete ?
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[quote]As a user of B&B's I would endorse that thought. When we were property hunting and using B&B's we got more help from B&B's recommending competitors than we did from web directories. Good ...[/quote]
These directories are rather dubious. Quite often they are marketed as independent views when they are just advertising. You know, for example, the Independent School Guides you can buy ; it's a fib. You pay for advertising.Can't see a basic website being a problem. -
Becoming a craze ? It's been a craze for ages. Hence the vast number of Gites/B&B opening up. (Mostly by people who haven't done their sums).I've predicted this before (so I suppose *eventually* I'll be right) but I think the market will collapse, partially. Not in the retirement or second homers but in the "coming over to set up a Gite complex" market. There's just too many of them.People jump on bandwagons. I remember when VCRs became common, five video places opened up in the town I lived in simultaneously - in the high street. Now there aren't.Similarly, Mobile Phones. In Norwich a year ago, you could stand near the market and see about 8-10 Mobile shops within a stone's throw - literally. There are now about 3 or 4.So everyone watches the Nigel show or whatever and thinks "I can do that"....
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Remind them about their stunning record in the last Footy World Cup....
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Formule 1 : Cheapest, no ensuite but a sink in the room. Standard double with bed over top arrangement.Premiere Classe : Next up ; fewer but they are ensuite. Same layout.B&B Hotel : Something resembling a proper bathroom, same layout, also have some double + 2 single rooms.Very similar ; concrete block hotels. They are cheap and cheerful and fairly clean. Free brochures with maps & directions available from any branch. The websites list hotels as well ; just drop into one when you pass and pick up a book. The most common ones are F1, comfortably. Depends how much you want to spend. Sadly the old Cafe/Bar/Restaurant/Hotel that were anywhere in France when I first went 20+ years ago aren't very common.They are on the outskirts of most major towns ; usually in commercial estates. Large towns can have 4 or 5 of them.https://www.envergure.fr/pclassefr.htmlhttp://www.hotel-bb.com/http://www.hotelformule1.com/formule1/index.htmlYou could of course get a small tent or similar And take your own pillows ; they do have some, but they're not very nice There are other cheap'n'cheerful chains as well but I think they are smaller.
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[quote]Said it all really. Read about an auction and the prices were WAY above the estimates. It was in Ouest France today. I will try to find a link.[/quote]
Supposing I want to buy Heterosexual Records in Quimper - how much then ? -
[quote]Hello I have often wondered why incoming brits always head for things like opening a B&B or a "GITE" or doing menial tasks for someone. Why don't people open a foundry or plant for canning veget...[/quote]
>I have often wondered why incoming brits always head for things like opening a B&B or a "GITE" or doing>menial tasks for someone. Why don't people open a foundry or plant for canning vegetables or go into the>retailing business. You know real business....Because they can't speak good enough French. So you are stuck with things you can do with English ; tourism and manual labour. -
I have rented off them ; they seemed a fairly decent bunch of people. Of course, the other end is somewhat different !
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I don't think they did have the money. They had some money but not that much ; they were borrowing it - or so they show said. It may have been inaccurate. But I rather got the impression that the money was all borrowed, so they have a really nice house, which is owned by the bank.It was an incredible piece of family dynamics. The woman spent the money, and basically said to the bloke "I can't do the finance.... " (you sort it out).I was hugely impressed by the bloke ; how he managed NOT to murder his wife I don't know. The Psychic and the Feng Shui drivel, oh I've just spent another £2,500 on a packet of Opal Fruits and so on. I'm fairly easy going, but after about 10 minutes DW said to me "you'd go through the roof if I did that" - and it got worse.
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[quote]This might have been asked many times before but I would like to know where all the Brits are moving to in France & have the French accepted you!! Where are all the Brits ?Well, all over the place Seriously, there are British everywhere (Franche-Comte maybe ?)One would think historically, Brittany & Normandy and the Dordogne. Growth areas would seem to be the Languedoc & Charente. (this is purely OTOMH), and coming up, the Limousin/Correze bits of Central France.The French will generally accept you if you don't whinge endlessly about the food, the frogs ..... you get the message. The French will accept you if you behave acceptably :-)If you have no idea, then it's a bit of a daft question. Do you like the city or the country ? Do you like the sea or the mountains ? Do you like lots of people or privacy and quiet ? Do you want to work or retire ? Do you want easy access to the UK - by plane or by car ? Do you like outdoor activities, walking, climbing, or are you a bit of a home bird ?It is as daft as "where's the best place to live in the UK ?". Some people like Kensington, some like the Isle of Skye.At the risk of sounding silly, read some books. There are umpteen which will give you some idea of what the various bits of France are like - browing round a big bookstore should give you plenty of first examples. Then maybe do a bit of a "grand tour" of the areas you like the sound of, ideally off season so you know what it's like at its worst.As a wild guess, you talk about wanting to return to the UK, but presumably don't want to fly (umpteen UK-Spain flights), so you may want to look at the Northern "strip", Brittany, Normandy and Picardy ?If you want nice weather what about Morbihan or the Loire - or Charente if you think that's not too far to drive - Sarthe maybe will offer good access to the Channel when they finish the A28 ?
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An off the wall idea coming up !At the moment, they don't run the business, they are in Spain doing something else, it's run by their aged P's, right ? If you are keen to try it, you could consider (and this is off the top of my head so there might be massive reasons this is a lousy idea) you running it on their behalf and them taking a cut of the profit (or whatever), or even all of it, or pay them a flat amount. The latter might appeal to them as it's guaranteed income, whereas at the moment they don't have any.Effectively they lease you the B&B & business for the 2005 season. A bit odd, but I suspect they are in "just ticking over" mode waiting for a sale.That way you could rent out your current home to provide some income, try out the business and hopefully have enough to live on from the rental (if you squeeze your lifestyle a bit). You could do one season ; then it would give you a much better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the place, how much work is involved, what the income is now, and how (possibly) you could increase it, and so on.You'd also find out if you actually want to live in France.Then if it all falls apart, or it is a hopeless non-starter, you can return to your own home slightly poorer maybe but wiser If you then want to try it somewhere else, you'll have learnt masses.If they are keen/desperate to sell, or the aged P's are keen to go home they might agree to it. Difficult to judge without being on the ground there.Have to think some more about this idea :-)
buying a pop up caravan
in Sport, Leisure and Pastimes
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