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Phil 1968
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Are there any decent Indian restaurants in or near Bergerac?

There is one at Saintes [17] which is reasonable.

Does anyone remeber the Documentry/soap created by  Nigle and Nippy based in the Ardeche...Nigel[forgotten his surname] has a series on tv at the moment.

The Indian restaurant seemed full of promise...and maybe his life in France.

Does anyone know the real story?The chap who owns the Star of India in South Kensington London...he was involved.It was a taste of Bollywood in the French countryside.One or more of you must have lived or do live near the restaurant

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Re. TV series with Nippy and Nigel:

I believe the Indian restaurant only lasted for the Summer season and then closed down. The next T.V. series showed the original house being sold and Nigel trying to run a B&B (without much success) in a rented property with a chicken farm close by.[8-|]

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As I understood it, the restaurant was rented for the summer season to see how things went.  Not sure what happenned after that.

I cannot say I was surprised to find that the house was sold because Mrs. Nippy was not in the slightest bit enamoured with the place when she was dragged there to see it, but worst for me was seeing that Nigel slavering all over Celine the mortgage broker [+o(]   I hope she regained her senses and ran a long way away before he drove her insane with his clingyness!!

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Restaurant went well but closed - clash of personalities perhaps? The other guy (from London) wnet home in a tiff and left Nige to it. Then Nigel ran the B&B but without Sarah Beeny's advice on renovation, it was really a no go - in the end Celine left, Girlfriend from England left, Nippy left and Nigel was last seen producing (I believe) some of those military tv shows in Iraq - he also edits some of the doing a home up in france type shows - so watchout!!
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[quote user="Jo Taylor"]Nigel Farrell's been working in documentary production for twenty years or so, wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing was a concocted drama![/quote]

You mean a bit loke that double glazing outfit from Coventry, although I admit it was very life like.

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[quote user="Phil 1968"]

The end result i am looking for is a better future for my children (number 1), a rewarding experience for my work and a better retirement outlook(not monetary but quality).[/quote]

Phil, Mackyfrance was talking a lot of sense about the educational system.

Now, this "not monetary but quality" thing. I know that money doesn't buy happiness, but poverty certainly doesn't either, be under no illusion about that! "Poor but happy" is a fantasy. Think about what your basic requirements are for you to be happy - even if it's only new guitar strings every 6 months, how happy would you be if you had to think twice about buying good ones?

Your children's future? Well, do you know how many French youngsters go to London to find work or set up their own businesses? Lots! And for a very good reason!

Some children settle beautifully, but for every one that does, there's another that doesn't. As another poster said about moving to Australia, one sibling thrived, the other didn't. If they're both happy just now, why uproot them? My son's collège, 800 pupils, had 5 anglophone children. 2 are fine, 1 is a psychological mess (seriously!), and 2 have gone back to where they came from because it was all just too awful.

OTOH, if you have itch, you gotta scratch it somehow, eh? But think seriously about whether a lock, stock, and barrel move to France is the best way right now?

Why not stay in England, earn loadsa dosh, then you can retire to France in comfort, and never have to worry about anything ever again, LOL!

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Thanks Saligobay, all the talk of nigel and whoever got me confused LOL,

I think I have had some sane reasons to put up and shut up for now, with the kids being the main focus in my life and plans, its only fair i take advantage of the only good free thing this country has, education, I will try not to buy something when i come over in august, but i can certainly do lots of window shopping while im there. Many thanks to all posters for your careful thoughts and words of nigel ..... I mean wisdom!

...... ahem north or south of the river???? whats best ?? haha

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Hi Phil

why not try a compromise ? - like yourself we wanted to change our lives - but we had two children who were already  settled and doing well in the education system here  in the UK - and to my mind the diffference between the two education systems is too great for most kids to cope with (unless they are just at the start of primary).

So we did move - but within the UK - we moved right out to rural Lincolnshire - house prices were (are) lower than most of the rest of the UK- we got a Victorian farmhouse and 2 acres of land for the same price as our small bungalow near Basildon, Essex.

So our kids got to grow up with ponies and dogs - kept their own chickens and ducks and had endless space to roam about in. Jobs were difficult to come by and wages far less than in Essex - I worked in a local school but my hubby had to commute daily to London - not great fun but worth it for the wonderful life we had in the countryside.

...and now ? ..now we are are on the brink of realising our dream of retiring to France - the kids have grown up - have good jobs and have flown the nest ..we will have good pensions to live on and the house will sell for a good profit giving us a much sounder basis for our new life.

you CAN live your dreams but in a different way ...just look at other alternatives.

 

 

Yvonne

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Another good solution (for her and family) from Yvonne.

If you think about it you can easily come up with a hundred reasons to move to France / Lincolnshire / USA / Spain / Australia / Essex.

On the other hand, if you think about it you can easily come up with 100 reasons to stay put.

We tend to get what we focus on.

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I have friends that came over with 3 children - 9, 12 & 14 - two are at collége and absolutely love it. They get extra help instead of English lessons and they have extra help in the evenings with a private tutor.

I came over with a 3 year old which was probably easier as he didnt really know any different. We all love France, love the way of life, love the friendliness of the people and above all, we love the security of it for my son (now 6). Yes we have been fortunate that my hubby has found good employment within his gardening business. Its nothing like the wage he used to earn in the UK as an Oil and Gas Engineer but the lifestyle is far simplier and we spend more time together as a family doing things we didnt get the chance to do in the UK.

I know you have to be practical about things and make sure u know what youre getting yourself into but I do think its a little like having a baby - if you sit and work out if you can afford it, you'll never do it. Moving abroad is like that - I would rather take the chance than regret it 10 years down the line that I didnt do it!

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[quote user="Phil 1968"]

Thanks Saligobay, all the talk of nigel and whoever got me confused LOL,

I think I have had some sane reasons to put up and shut up for now, with the kids being the main focus in my life and plans, its only fair i take advantage of the only good free thing this country has, education, I will try not to buy something when i come over in august, but i can certainly do lots of window shopping while im there. Many thanks to all posters for your careful thoughts and words of nigel ..... I mean wisdom!

...... ahem north or south of the river???? whats best ?? haha

[/quote]

Phil 1968 - whilst I think it's important that you listen to all the great advice and opinion given here I would also say don't give up on a dream.  We spent years talking about our move and always found reasons why we couldn't/shouldn't do it.  In the end, after reading lots of posts on lots of forums and gathering advice and information we decided it was just going to be too hard and we decided sadly to stay in the UK... and maybe buy a holiday home in France.

And then, just as we'd talked ourselves out of it, a health scare really made us re-think what life was all about... and how easy it is to 'um and ah' without making bold decisions.  So, we did it... we decided to think positivly and not just settle and make do... we found solutions and answers to our doubts, found a house, bought it and moved last August... my only regret... that we took several years to do it... my biggest worry... that our son settles in school - he was 8 when we moved and so far he's doing really well - and he's happy.  What have we gained... well a big adventure for one... we're living a life we dreamed of for years... and we have so much more time together... that was for us the most important thing and what a difference it makes! 

Of course our situation is different and everyone has their own story and everyone will no doubt be different (and all are worth listening too)... but as has already been said... it is the things you don't do in life that you end up regreting the most...

good luck with what ever you decide [:$]

 

 

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Well, just when I think that all the common sense has ended, you all come back and make me soooooo yearnful! (not sure if it's a real word!) Bold decisions, positive thinking, years of dreams turning into reality ....  I have come to the realisation that starting a new life and career all in one go is a nono. But being practical, work will come to those who seek it, however hard, IS a reality. I WILL do lots of window shopping on my holidays and try to find an area that suits and then move on step by step. Work, income, schooling, house and then, hopefully, live life rather than exist!

Thanks again.....

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Celestine,

It is good that it worked out for your friends childrens education, but it is clear from the education link that for many it doesn't. The general consensus seems to be that once your children are in their teens it is just too risky for their education, to move at such a critical time into a completely different education system taught in a language they have little or no comprehension in.

Yes, it might work but the downside risk is immense as any adverse disruption to a teenagers education may impact the rest of their lives. You might take the chance if you had teenage children but if their education went pear shaped as a result, would you not regret that more ten years down the line?

 

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It is a difficult position to be in and its down to personnal decision at the end of the day. There is another post on here about job prospects for our children once they leave school and that theres not many jobs out there. However, someone has posted a reply that wasnt life supposed to be simplier, nicer, more family orientated in France and even if they end up working in a basic job, the lifestyle and safety of France is the most important thing - isnt that why we all came here in the first place? I know here they think nothing of making a child re-take the previous year if they arent up to scratch and its not frowned upon as it would be in the UK. Eventually, I would presume, they will catch up. I understand there are concerns with teenagers not fitttng in etc, its a harder age but if I was in that position, versus living in atown were most teenagers are on smack, crack, vandalising everything, no respect for anyone or anything and not even attending school - I know which I would rather take the chance with.
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