Calva
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Posts posted by Calva
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St Amour wrote:
"I read this posting out to my husband and he said that if a stranger came round here asking questions about our neighbour Thierry we may play dumb, until they further enlightened us as to WHY they wanted to know if we knew him."
Is your husband Welsh then St Amour!!??
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Please indulge me for returning to this point but I would just like to add my experience to the 'language change' debate. It seems to me only fair that the Welsh perspective is recorded.
Welsh is my first language - English my second and French my third. During my career, I have worked in Mid Wales, North Wales and South Wales as well as in England (and that was brilliant too!!). I am however not a Nationalist and in fact disagree quite strongly with most of their policies. I have NEVER been in a situation where I have been speaking English to my fellow Welsh speakers and then switched to English when the Sais (the English) walk in. This is something I really don't understand. When you have walked in and experienced this - how much of the conversation have you actually heard?? What doesn't make sense to me is why Welsh speakers would speak English to each other in the first place? When Welsh people know someone else can speak Welsh (and God knows there aren't that many of us!!) they will always speak Welsh with them. For those of you who may be fluent in more than one language, you will appreciate that it is so unnatural to speak to someone you know well in another language. The whole relationship seems to be 'false'. I did read the posting about the person who initially didn't know the man who'd lost his wallet, and I can only say that the Welsh can very 'private' people and were probably reluctant to divulge the man's identity as they didn't know you themselves and were uncertain of your business with that person - Maybe right, maybe wrong, but that's sometimes just the way we are!!
Oh and if you think I'm going away from the thread, I am not. The ways that les Anglais make me wince is when they speak increasingly loudly in English in order to try to get a French person to understand what they want. It would seem (perhaps unfortuante for some) however that the SE 'plummy' voice seems to carry way beyond any other (either that or because they really do shout louder!!). There have been may times when my husband and I have been tipped with wink by a waiter, allowed him to have his 'fun' when he pretends not to understand an order, and then been called on to help out!!
P.S. In my experience of reading what Coco, St Amour or whatever you wish to call her, has to say - I'd say she is a pretty good judge of people. It is rare for me to post on the Forum, as you will know but I do keep up to date with all your postings. Don't stop sharing your opinions St Amour - that's what this forum is for - isn't it??
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I'm very interested by your remark Hoddy. Just to fully understand your post, are you saying that as the 'language change thing' made you chose to spend your money in France instead of Wales? Presumably therefore the French speak English when you walk into a bar or shop just for your benefit??? It certainly doesn't happen where we are in Calvados and neither would I expect it to.
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Coco - Oh no!!! my spell check didn't work!!!
Alan - please believe me - didn't mean to offend you - but I'm just finding it so hard at the moment. Husband - gone... but my kids make up for it - I need to look after them. There must be a way - I was just hoping that this friendly forum would be able to help rather than judge.
I'm sure that I'll find a way - certainly the sunny weather today as helped me to see that there must be a way through all of this.
Thanks anyway
Calva
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Coco - I have a superb recipe for Toad in the Hole - if you like I'll E mail it to you separately - honestly it never fails. Why not substitute cherries for the sausages???
Let me know
Calva
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I'm thinking of starting a B+B in my french house in Mayenne. However, like many on here, I don't wish to pay any french taxes. Can anyone please advise me the best way to do this on the quiet. I am recently divorced and the french way of life is my only hope of happinness
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Does this thread relate to a Salad de Tarregatte avec foie de volaille seen on the 19€ menu at the Trois Rois in Villers Bocage this weekend???
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Has anyone any experience of the car park near to the ferry terminal in Portsmouth?? My friends are coming over to visit soon as foot passengers and plan to leave their car there for a few days. They wonder whether
a) there is much likelihood of the car park being full up when they turn up
and
b) if they have to go to the overflow carpark - is there CCTV there too
They just need to be as sure as they can that the car will be there when they return!! so if anyone could help then it would be much appreciated.
They have tried to phone and ask but very little info was forthcoming!!
Many thanks
How do les Anglais Make You Wince?
in The Complete France Post Bag
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