Monika Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 With other words, "it will never happen": things don't get dropped on the Forum! And the pigs are flying over Cassis' place! Thanks for that, good play on words but as you say, andyh4, slightly obtuse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 I can assure you it is dropped from my perspective. So keep an eye on those pigs, they are real :-))be well folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Btuckey Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 [quote user="chief"]' I am researching the First World War, largely in Carshalton......[/quote]I didn't realise that Carshalton was so pivotal to the outcome of the war Dick! [:D]Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Double posting. Very slow today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 The war was pivotal to the deaths of 300 men in Carshalton. Is the point. There's a lot of caring about that still going on.I don't know what 'Chief's' point was at all, though. Good idea to look at someone's website to see if there's anything you can use against them - pity there wasn't, eh?And I love the snobbishness of 'my degree's better than your degree' - actually it isn't - what precisely is an MA in International Business? How many boxtops do you have to collect?(The plural of thesis is theses, and it's PhD)No, don't answer, I'm losing the will to live... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Some notes in brief on how we moved here:We had been vaguely thinking about moving to France for 4 years before we actually moved, toying with the idea of a small B&B to supplement income from other sources. I won't go into the reasons for the move here.Decided to concentrate on areas north of the Loire and the west because we find further south too hot for us in high summer and we wanted a climate similar to the SE of England - we were used to gardening in those conditions.Started avoiding hotels and staying only in B&B's 3 years before the move, to get some ideas what to do/not to do and what sort of house layout worked best. We were surprised to find that we actually preferred B&B to hotels - shame it had taken 20 years of holidays to find out. Started picking up estate agents' brochures but did not bother talking to agents as we knew we were not ready to buy. Spent all our holidays and short breaks in Lower and Upper Normandy and Brittany during these three years, including visits in winter. Noticed work starting on what appeared to be a massive viaduct east of Bec Hellouin, which we found was intended for the new A28 linking Rouen to Alençon.Decided to move for definite in summer of 2003. Bought a shedload of books on moving to France, setting up a B&B etc. Sold my car ([:'(]) in September 2003 after our annual holiday to France. Firmed up on Lower Normandy as our intended destination and took a couple of winter trips to sample the weather. Drew up a business plan for the B&B and checked the financial viability of what we were planning. Contacted Gites de France to get details of what the requirements were for their different B&B classifications. Drew up a detailed list of house requirements - must haves, nice to haves, definite no-no's - and briefed a couple of French agents with details of budget and checklist of the requirements. Told my MD what I planned to do in February 2004. Agreed to extend notice period from 3 months to 6 months in return for a 'bung' - did not mention that 6 months actually suited me fine.Went to a weekend FPN/TF seminar - bit of a waste of time as it added nothing to the stuff we had read and the speakers were a bunch of people pushing their own services. But we felt reassured for having done it (innocent as we were at the time).Came over end of March 2004 and spent 2-3 days with each of 2 agents looking at property that they had shortlisted for us. Some of it was in no way like our requirement list, but fortunately the very last house we saw on Friday fitted the bill. We put in an offer Saturday. It was accepted on Monday. We put our house on the market first week April. Exchanged compromis de vente by post end of April. Accepted offer on our UK house first week May. Fixed acte de vente on French house for end of July, one week after planned completion date on our UK house. Contacted an FX dealer that we had met at the seminar (about the onlyuseful thing from the seminar - I prefer dealing with people I havemet). Made a Euro transfer for the deposit and took a 3 month advance option on another sum.Spent a fair amount of the rest of my time at work planning final details of the move and messing about. Lunchtimes got longer and I stopped working late.Completed on the French house July 28th 2004. Moved over lock, stock and barrel that weekend. Then we really started to learn how things are done here and that you can't learn French systems from a book (though it's better than starting with no knowledge whatsoever).Then during winter 2004 - early summer 2005 there were architect's plans to finalise, permis de construire, maçons, electricians, plumbers, menuisiers, charpentier-couvreurs, painting, decorating, Gites de France, tiling, laying floors, tourist offices, website design, planting the garden, a saga with CPAM, etc. Opened for business June 2005.Voilà. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 PhilAre you sure you haven't missed anything?[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Yes - lots! [:D]I bore our friends and former work colleagues in the UK to death with a monthly newsletter telling tales of our life here. It averages 1500 words a month so I guess I've spewed forth about 36,000 words now!But it does keep us in touch and we do get more than the occasional reply. The biggest response was July this year when I reduced the news to 7/8 words:"We're knackered - be in touch next month."I got 30 replies that month - the norm is single figures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted September 23, 2006 Author Share Posted September 23, 2006 I check all www. links for suitable places for myself and family to stay. Generally find that British B&Bs will reflect the needs, etc of a British clientele. I have absolutely no need to look for something to use against you Dick, your tone throughout this entire thread says more than enough about you.......................without being offensive, i doubt very much you would take much unraveling.adious.....perhaps see you in another thread, but certainly not this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 That's "adios". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 DickHaven't you got some marking to do?[kiss] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Watch it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Sorry sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Don't do it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Mr Dick Sir, you never did correct my spelling of colleague (that one looks right now ???????) best forget it then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 You can't get 'em all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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