Coco

I don't have any kids so can't comment from the parental point of view.  However, my parents divorced when I was 8 and I lived with my mum.  Although my dad only lived about 150 miles away I still only saw him during the Easter and summer holidays but we wrote regularly.... inititally.  By the time I was 12 my visits had gone down to about once a year and eventually I hardly got to see him at all (not through wont of asking on my part, he was always "too busy").  He then came up with some feable excuse about it being too upsetting for both of us on parting.  What a load of old tosh - of course it was emotional and upsetting but as a kid you bounce back within 24 hours, and as a father, no matter how upsetting it was, it was something he SHOULD have had to live with for my sake. What I'm trying to say is, I don't think distance is the big issue here if you intend to have your daughter over to France annually.  The most important thing is that, even though there will be 1000s of miles separating you, she should feel that she is still part of your life, that you miss her and that you care about her.  With email and webcams it should be really easy to keep in touch long distance and tell her all about your new life, what you can do together when she visits etc and send lots of pictures.  And then, of course, when she does come over to France, make her feel really wanted.  She'll be the envy of all her friends going on such "exotic" holidays. Ultimately only you can decide whether the move will work within your relationship.  But speaking from the point of view of a child separated from a parent, it was the contact in one form or another that was important to me, not so much how often I saw my dad, I would just liked to have felt that he cared and was interested in me.

Who said it was 300,000?  That sounds low to me.  I've heard the figure of 500,000 Brits in France banded about quite a lot and just about any newspaper or TV current affairs programme claims that there are more French in the UK than Brits in France.  I heard there were 250,000 in London alone. We also heard from our S African guests the other day that there are 1.3 MILLION South Africans in LONDON at the moment.

...... to turn away the one-nighters? During our first year we were pleased to get any bookings at all and many enquired as to whether we would take them for just one night as a lot of B&Bs have policies against this.  We didn't start until the end of June that year, so none of our bookings were that much in advance. Last year I took bookings from quite a lot of one-nighters  early on in the year, on their way to Britanny or the south during July and August, and found that closer to the dates I lost out on better 3 or 4 night bookings because there was a one-nighter slap bang in the middle of the chosen dates. This year, during the winter, I said I wouldn't take them so far in advance.  But when it came to it I lost my bottle and took any booking that came along, on a first come first served basis.  Last night was a classic case where a French guy contacted me requesting a Saturday to Saturday one week booking for the family suite, for any of the weeks in August.  One week is completely full but on the other 3 weeks I have just one or 2 nights booked and therefore can't offer him a single week throughout the whole month, just because of 3 or 4 other nights booked.  This has happened about half a dozen times in the last month or so. I decided last night that next year I won't accept the one-nighters for July and August until at least the middle of May.  But then, I said that last year too!! Does anyone else have this policy of no one-nighters, and if so, how long did it take you to have the courage to enforce it and turn bookings away whilst you were still empty? Hopefully next year we will have an extra room, so it wouldn't occur so much anyway.

...And don't forget Manche!  We've got a national stud in Saint-Lo (can't remember his name off-hand ) I believe that something like 80-90% of France's thoroughbred horses are raised in Normandy, but not being a horsey person myself, I prefers the cows and donkeys, I don't know what riding at the standard Raymer is talking about is like round here.

Well Mr King has accepted my offer and wants to pay me 4,000€ on account with a international cheque. I have told him that I can't accept this but am willing to take a French Bank cheque or he can pay me by cash sent registered post or by credit card. That was 4 days ago and I have not heard a thing since. Quel surprise!!!!

And yet where we are based in Normandy, being a little inland, where we don't get the sea  breezes, it can get very warm indeed.  Whenever we are asked by visitors how the weather compares to the UK we always say that it is just a little warmer in the summer (as can be seen by how much earlier most plants flower) and a little colder in winter.  However, in general (This year excluded!) we have found that the summer weather, although temperature-wise is similar to the south of England, tends to be a little more reliable as far as sunshine hours are concerned.  We have LOTS of rain, but at least in the summer it is usually the warm type, that as long as you are undercover, you don't mind being outdoors in.  And it also tends to go as quickly as it arrives, rather than lingering all day like it did where we lived in SE England. As for the season being shorter - asolutely definitely NOT!  When we used to rent our house as a gite it was always full in April through to mid July and September/October.  If we ever had any spaces it tended to be August, probably because we actively discouraged children and those without the ties of school holidays tend to avoid them.  Usually our August bookings were university lecturers or school eachers, who were tied to those times but had grown up kids. Also, at the time we didn't have central heating so we didn't take any of the many enquiries we got for February, November, December and Christmas and New Year. Since we have run the house as a B&B we find March-early May and July-October to be our busiest times. I believe the rationale behind this to be that those booking gites further south are LOOKING for the sun.  If you book a gite in Brittany or Normandy, heat and sun are probably not your priorities (although blue skies do help!) so a good location near interesting places to visit is probably a good idea, along with, as you have already suggested, a games room if possible, DVD's and TV; although we never offered these as we felt that there was little point in coming away to France if you were going to sit in front of a TV all day.  And many of our guests said they like the fact that they did get right away from it all. Also, as Gay says, with the proximity to the channel ports, it is a good area to take a long weekend break out of season, especially if you want to take the car (for stocking up purposes!) but don't have the time or inclination to spend 8 or 9 hours driving south for the sake of a 4 or 5 day break.

Having bought a number of tickets before and being eligible for a freeticket and Mr W wanting to go over for a few days to take over wood for shed or something, I though that a Wednesday Dover to Boulogne  on 11th May and Saturday back may just be right. But has to be Tues, Wed or Thursday each way and booking now not even £38 or £50...but £68 for those few days ( £10 extra for booking on the phone ) I don't quite understand this posting.  Free is FREE, so why are you quoting £38, £50 and £68?  I got a "free" ticket in December, to be used before the end of this year.  I fully understood the conditions that it was Tues, Wed or Thurs only, and not in July and August.  That's fine, we want to go the the UK for a long weekend in Oct/Nov so those dates and restrictions are OK.  But are you now suggesting that you have to pay?  I was only aware of a £10 charge if I book the ticket and then make alterations to it.

In the UK we had a fantastic clematis growing through an old apple tree, called Madame Boisselot (Sp?).  It had beautiful white flowers about 6-7 inches across - being white, presumably they won't fade but don't know how it would fair in a hot climate.

Just copy and paste it Margaret.

That's exactly why we now have it in our booking conditions that alcohol is not to be consumed in the bedrooms.  Our first guests last year were having a bottle of red wine a night in their room and when they left the room looked like the Texas chainsaw massacre had taken place: wine on the sheets, the white counterpane, ring marks on the furniture and the cloth on the bedside table!!!  And of course, to top it all, it was their own wine, so we weren't even making any money out of it.  Unlike Buns, I'm afraid if they did that much damage I would certainly drop the hint that I would now have to replace all the bed linen - if they cough up begrudgingly at least you've covered the cost.  However, I suppose the fact that I have already made it clear that alcohol is not allowed in the bedrooms, so they've already broken the house rules and I would expect recompense.  If they're that begrudging about paying I wouldn't worry about not having them back either! But, as Buns also says, accidents do happen and it's part and parcel of B&B, so if someone had been sitting in the lounge or dining room and ruined a tablecloth I would grin and bear it.

British food, especially their infamous crumpets, literally flew off the shelves and into the baskets of French shoppers at the branch in Paris.  And it was no doubt the same in Bordeaux, Toulouse and where else were they? When we did an exchange visit with a family in Nevers (58) several years ago, we took several gifts of various types of typically "English" food, bought from M&S.  The response was that of sheer delight, saying that they always stocked up when they had to go to Paris or Lyon on business but that it wasn't often enough for their liking.

French men on the otherhand were, if I remember rightly, a couple of years below their British counterparts.  M YOu wouldn't believe that statistic if you saw the men around here...... or perhaps they just LOOK 90!!!

The message I received had the same IP address Arnold but I didn't know how to trace it.  Well done!  We've received another this morning and my husband has literally said about ten minutes ago, "are this lot being generated from Nigeria" Well there you go, he has his proof. The new one is as follows: Additional Message/Request: I am Mark Thomas of Springlife Agency London,i want to book reservation in your hotel for a christian summit that will hold from 1st - 20th of June 2005. Please get back to me if these dates are free and if you can accomodate us. I expect to hear from you soon. Kind Regards, Mark Thomas Considering that the email address is from someone of a completely different name and he has asked for accommodation for 10 adults, and we clearly state in our ads that we can take a maximum of 4 adults and 4 kids, I think it's pretty obvious this is yet another scam!

[quote]Architects quote for just the upstairs addition was 1000 € but when the permission came through the bill was only for 500 €. Very pleased. If you are just making an addition you don't need detailed pl...[/quote] We're turning a barn that is integral with the existing house into a large kitchen/utility room and then making a first floor with a lounge/bedroom for our own living accommodation, so that the rest of the house can be turned over to B&B, but according to the DDE they DO want plans of the whole house You're all quoting prices that in the back of my mind I was thinking it would be, I was just hoping there would be a few more around like Charles' tame architect!  Oh well, looks like a pine floor, stained with chene rather than a solid oak one then, just so the architect can top up his bank balance!!

[quote]Yep, had that one several times and a few other "plays" on the same theme.I also don't normally reply to the scams but for one the other day, I simply asked the chap to look out the window, where if l...[/quote] Got that one myself this morning, and as Miki says, I normally don't respond or I just send a one liner saying thank you for your enquiry, I have forwarded your request to the fraud squad.  But today I decided to tell this man that in order to be a good con artist he needs to keep at least one step ahead of those he is trying to defraud but that unfortunately I had be warned quite some time ago that I could expect to receive such a request.  I then, very politely, told him to go and bounce his cheque somewhere else!  Very satisfying, I must say.  I also copied it to the administrators of the host site that it came via.  Not that they can do much about it, but just to make them aware too.

Just been watching News 24 where some French expert thinks it will be tight but still erring towards NON.  They then spoke to a Dutch expert who says that the Turkey issue (right or wrong) is having a big influence on the Dutch voters.  Apparently there the NO voters number about 60%; however, the Dutch parliament have the final say and they intend to vote yes unless more than 60% of the electorate vote no, so it all seems a bit arbitary really. So what's going to happen if both countries vote No?

Didn't realise you were even looking Chris!  Is this is permanent move or a seasonal one like your parents? Is the appartment central Saint Lo?  Good luck, whatever.

I was going to ask the same question myself.  Around here there are plenty of posters saying "Je garde la France, NON a la Turquie" (Sp??) I think the NONs have jumped on the bandwagon of not wanting Turkey in the EU and the inherent fear that a lot of French people seem to have of muslims.  So, by the way people are talking around here, there seems to be a lot of support for the NON vote, but I don't think it's an informed vote at all, as the whole issue of Turkey joining is not really anything to do with the consitution, but that's the way it seems to be getting pushed round here.  I'd really like to know what the implications either way are.  But I don't have a vote so does it really matter - after all, I only live here

I do have to agree that your comments shouldn't be removed just because not everyone agrees with them but I think you also have to see that YOUR comments were much more confrontational than the original posting and I think you may be brain-washed by the belief that so many of the Brits moving to France are past it or close to retirement.  In my experience, and in this part of France there are ONE HELLUVALOT (too many for my liking, yes, I'm one of those who wants to close the doors once I'm here ) of Brits in this area, and only one couple (my own parents) are anywhere near retirement age.  We moved to France because we have always wanted to live in France (for well over 20 years, since the age of 20) but most of the people we have come across are indeed leaving because they don't like the way TB is running the country.  Now whether you think they have got it right or not, the fact is, that is their perception, and their reason for leaving, so I don't think the title of this post is at all provocative or confrontational.  But being a Guardian reader you can probably see no wrong in our beloved leader. Now that IS confrontational!!!

Well done Di!  I was going to comment last night but had had a few glasses of wine, so thought I had better restrain myself, or I might have ended up getting banned!  It may well have only be said to try and wind people up - but if it wasn't, then this idiot obviously doesn't know what he's talking about, as more and more younger people are coming to France and finding work and therefore contributing.  We personally don't have "French jobs" but we are paying cotisations and (if the business goes well enough) taxes on our Chambres d'hotes, and we won't be in a financial position to retire for a good few years yet, so we're doing our bit for the French economy.  Besides, those Brits who are coming here at, or close to, retirement age are paid their pensions from the UK and old doesn't necessarily mean unfit and uge medical bills!

We were seven weeks down the line and feeling that no news was good news as far as the permis de construire went.  But oh no, Mrs Jobsworth had to work it out and decide that our house, after the work has been done, will now be 180 sq metres SHON, because they only allow 5% reduction in the SHOB for walls, even though all our exterior, and some interior are a metre thick!  So we have to have architects plans drawn up.  She graciously said that once we have these she will put us on the top of the pile so that we don't have to start the process all over again and should get the permission quite quickly, but, well, thanks a bundle - just stick a whacking great bill on it just for the sake of it why don't you?  The barn conversiont itself is only going to be about 40 sq m but that's obviously 10 too many.  She's happy with the rest of the information and just wants us to get our existing plans redrawn by an architect, and NOT my mate, (who will do it for a case of beer,) because he's only a fully qualified member of RIBA - but of course, that doesn't count in France! (bad France day today!) Does anyone have any idea - just a vague ball park figure, so that we know if we're being ripped off when we go and see an architect next week, what a set of simple drawings like this will cost?  There's no design work as such to be done, all he's got to do is draw plans of the existing house, with the batiment attached and then one with the batiment as a kitchen on the ground floor and a living room above.  By vague, I mean, is this likely to run into the 100's of euros, or 2000+, 3000+, the sky's the limit? And is TVA on architects' work at 5.5 or 19.6% if it's for a conversion on an existing, old building?

Brits always have had a wanderlust. I read somewhere that Brits travel abroad more the any other nation.  Something to do with the weather and being a small island perhaps!! What???  Even more than Kiwis?  I can't believe that!

It wasn't Coco's fault, but she still feels 'rotten', and somehow that tells me something good about Coco. Getting to the stage where the 'rotten' feeling is gone quickly isn't easy though, well it wasn't for me anyway. Oh, I hadn't thought about it like that..... now I feel good about feeling bad!!

[quote]Those fantastic fresh seafood platters that the supermarkets will make up from their counters at about 10 bob a portion! It will be our 20 th wedding anniversary tomorrow , a large seafood platter a...[/quote] Oooooohhhhhh YES!!!!! we have them on New Year's Eve and a few weeks ago for my birthday - takes all the effort out of it and you always get so praised by your guests (for doing nothing - my kind of entertaining!) Tartiflette gesiers (duck or goose) foie de volailles (just can't believe I went 45 years without trying them!) Oozy camembert and livarot Brie, slices in half and then sandwiched back together with fresh walnuts Feuilles de chene (about a million times more interesting than boring lettuce) Eating the above cheeses with the feuilles de chene and a really nice lemon and walnut oil dressing instead of bread or biscuits Grated celeriac Rosette de Lyon BULOTS!!! Really fresh, small bulots with mayonnaise, crusty bread and a glass of ice cold muscadet - ooh dear, I've got to cook for guests tonight and now I'm all geared up to hop in the car and drive to the coast!!!!

Thanks to both of you - knowing the word elagage has certainly helped and I have now found 31 elaguers in the departement and 6 within easy distance!!  Now I've just got to get one of them to commit to doing the work before 2010!