roxy Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Well, thanks idun for that link to the thread. I have been promising myself to move to France for some years, but circumstances have conspired against me until now. 'Seize the day' is a phrase bandied about a lot nowadays and I'm not getting any younger to have a go at this; so do I sit in my bungalow next to my lovely neighbours, in a lovely part of the country, with lovely friends for the next 20 years until I fall off the perch?....Well I know no-one can answer that except me, but it's a dire possibility to have nothing new to look forward to. Having holidays and buying trips is not the same as living there I know, but I wasn't expecting to read the harassment thread, it's worrying and it all sounds a bit 'lawless'.....hey ho, I expect to have a few more sleepless nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I vaguely remember reading a few years ago, about a lady who had to move to France with hubby due to house being re-possessed in Uk. They bought a ramshackle house and barn, and brought their animals over, but hubby (Terry?) had to go back to Uk to work, leaving her here. Story much the same, how she struggled to live, but with old car, many animals and life experiences she got on with it. Her story makes me realise that in the end it is down to what you can put up with and how you make the most of it! [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 roxy,don't have sleepless nights. And I don't think that staying where you are is necessarily a recipe for stagnating. You could plan and visit all of France, there are so many adventures you can have, knowing that good neighbours will keep an eye on your property. And you could end up stagnating nulle part in France. Our village was quite dynamic compared to some, but in winter, unless you caught people buying bread or at the butchers, it was dead. One had to hunt out activities. If you chose to move, then maybe somewhere with a bit of life. Personally there are few things I wouldn't do in France. I wouldn't live with someone and be unmarried and I wouldn't live as a woman alone. Certainly where I lived there was too much unwanted attention given to women alone. Ofcourse I'd only hear of it from the women who didn't want it, although I dare say that some did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I agree with the not living with someone as unmarried bit, several couples in my little commune have married during the past two years after 20 odd years together and children in all cases because of the problems of inheritance and rights etc which could see the woman being kicked out of her home,plus the tax benefits are better too for a married couple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTrash Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 "I wouldn't live as a woman alone."Idun, I'm a bit lost for words here. What do you suggest single women should do then? Refrain from living?It's a good job I'm an ugly old hag so I don't get too much hassle (well what other explanation can there be), however even us ugly old hags do get a bit of attention, so I can report that the attentions I've received in France have on the whole been far higher quality than the attentions I used to be subjected to in the UK. Polite, considerate, respectful, far quicker that most British males to take the hint and less likely to take it as a personal insult and go off in a huff. Ad I've never once in France had to resort to the forceful behaviour that was sometimes necessary in the UK.I never thought I'd be the one to complain about sexism, but honestly Idun .....! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 So....EuroTrash, give us some examples and tips on how to fend them off?OTOH, I don't think I'm likely to attract any attention either.....just thought you might have some amusing anecdotes for us [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I realise that Chancer has mentioned some pushy women in Picardie, but further south where I lived, the men of the village, were in general; rather full of themselves. So, Eurotrash, if I had ever ended up on my own, I would have been out of France like a shot. I'm talking about men and not women, so how can it be sexist. Men in their bleus, trop de pinard and thinking that they were Don Juans and that is how it was in my village. And the same for a girl who used to post on here and lived on the far side of France from me, and she had much unwanted attention. I'm pleased that you found that saying 'no' worked. And who knows if I had been in that position it may have worked for me too, but frankly if I was unattached, it would have been very unwelcome and I would have felt very uncomfortable. I don't make this stuff up. I lived in that village for 25 years and would hear all the gossip and scandals. It was different in the city where I lived for 2 years, but that too posed other problems, of which I cannot post on here as I think that the software would delete the words I would need to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I rather question your definition of sexism, Idun. Which is more sexist : "Women can't drive" or "Men can't multi-task." Both b*l*x and both sexist because they sweepingly attribute one charactaristic to one group of people, based purely upon their sex. Are all French men DSKs? Not in my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Can't we generalise about the sexes bearing in mind that these are just generalisations; and like all good comedy there is a soupconne of truth in the generalisations. Does DSK represent all french men, no more than those vile vieillards in my village represent all the men in my village, but they exist never the less as does DSK and his ilk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 [quote user="idun"] Can't we generalise about the sexes ?[/quote]Personally, I'd rather nobody generalised about anything but that ain't going to happen. Maybe we'd appreciate individuals more though, if we generalised a little less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 [quote user="cooperlola"] Are all French men DSKs? Not in my experience.[/quote]Do I detect an air of disappointment [:D]Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Nope. In spite of what it might sound like Paul, I'm perfectly content with the one I have.To be fair, if I were on my own, I'm not sure where I'd live or in which country really, but I don't think I'd let my marital status dictate it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I'm going to have to filer a l'anglaise, as I could say so much, but I wouldn't want to say anything that would get too personal about anyone.[:)] A discussion for another place and time I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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