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'Little England' will you be watching?


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Well the another negative angle I can think of is people seeing these wallies will wonder why the expat pensioners living in France should get winter fuel allowance as they clearly have plenty of money (usually not true by the way, many are all fur coat and no knickers). If you remember when it was really cold a year or two back and the extra fuel allowance kicked in the papers like the DM etc were having a right old pop at people living in Spain etc getting theirs as well.
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cooperlola said:   You only have to pay a visit to the UK and tell somebody you live in France and off they'll go. 

 

 

How true that is. Before I moved back I'd tell people I lived in France and get all the 'shunt' about 'their dream to move to France'. So I say, are you learning french, not once did anyone think of that. And now I've moved back they say 'why'. And my feelings on both counts,  the former are clueless and lack imagination and the later are clueless and lack imagination.

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Ive  only gone back for 9 days in the nearly 5 years we have lived here (and that was by special request to do some emergency baby- and house-sitting) so I don't get to gauge people's reactions back home.

The ones that come here to visit tend to say so you seem to have settled down all right.

If I didn't like it though, I'd soon upsticks and go.  I never feel that I can't go off somewhere else if I chose though I do like a very quiet life and so any move or disruption is to be avoided unless absolutely necessary

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I'll leave anywhere and even anyone if I was unhappy. Why stay.

 

In our early days in France, we would also get asked when back in the UK, 'why' we had moved there and did we want soap sending, but then fashions change nez pah!

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Having a house in the Dordogne I decided to venture out to Eymet to see if anyone there new about this appalling programme, this was in October'11.

I talked to the local tourist office and nobody new about the program, the local bars had heard of the program but nobody watched it as they felt it was a disgrace,I did eventually speak to a person who apparently had featured in the Choir and she was shown on the programme. She informed me that the Dordogne was a large area (like I needed to know) and that very little of this programme was featured in the Eymet area. There are a number of villages in this area that have Eymet as part of their name but nobody could tell me were this programme was filmed, I believe it is a disgrace to the mass number of the British who have happily integrated with the local French community, learning the language and their way of life.

I think the producers of this programme should be ashamed, also the participants.

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I watched Little England for the first time this week and really enjoyed it. The couple with the Alpacas seemed very happy. The vineyard owners dito. The sun was shining and the Dordogne sparkling. To say the Producers and participants should be ashamed is a bit OTT. Lighten up for goodness sake. Glad you are not my neighbour.

Mrs. Bugsy.
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I have been following Little England - the farmer/butcher family (the Hicks) I know quite well - we used to get our sausages, gammon, and bacon from them. In last night's programme they were testing their pies on a couple of restaurant owners (Michael and Sitze - he's Dutch), who lived "close by" . I know them well, they have the Auberge in Forges, about 20 minutes away from here. The joke of it is, neither the Hicks nor the restaurateurs are from the Dordogne at all, they're all from the Correze, miles away from the Dordogne. You just can't trust the telly, can you.

Chris
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I think it is irrelevant where the farmer lives, he is part of the program for several reasons; The family are ex pats, they are making a living in France, they are bringing 'something British' to France and making a success of it, they are providing many other Brits (and French) a 'product' that is unique and obviously a good demand for and many of his customers live in Dordogne.

The program has already said where the Hicks family farm is, so nothing is being misrepresented.

I am enjoying the program, it's not top of my must see list, but as I love the cinematography and the scenery, it's worth the not so good bits.

   

 

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[quote user="Bugsy"]I watched Little England for the first time this week and really enjoyed it. The couple with the Alpacas seemed very happy. The vineyard owners dito. The sun was shining and the Dordogne sparkling. To say the Producers and participants should be ashamed is a bit OTT. Lighten up for goodness sake. Glad you are not my neighbour. Mrs. Bugsy.[/quote][:)]

And you can spell, Mrs B.[Www]

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I have watched this programme once.  Not because I don't enjoy it but because I go to Keep-Fit on a Monday and, by the time I get home, it's practically over.

I recently moved to live in the Dordogne and I absolutely love it here.  I love the beauty of the countryside, the warmth of the people in my village and I don't worry about whether I am "integrating" or not.......and no, I don't fnd the programme, the people shown or anything connected with it "offensive" or "embarrassing" or, even worse, "laughable".

It's only a TV programme, for heaven's sake, and it is only a "representation" of real live and representations can be notoriously  inaccurate.

Anyway, to each their own.  Why not?  Watch it if you like it and don't if you don't.  But, please don't feel embarrassed or anything else on my account!

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The purpose of deciding to move to a different area in the world is to experience the differing cultures. To say that you don't worry about intergrating shows a degree of arrogance that unfortunately seems to be prevalent with the British culture. It is not a represenation of real live(if) and actually shows the British populus in a bad light.
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OK then, think of me as arrogant if you like.

For your information, I have lived in 3 different countries before I came to live in France and I learned to speak and read all the languages of all the countries I lived in and that includes Welsh.

Of course, you wouldn't know that I came to live in France precisely because, having a French godmother, I wanted to come to see and experience her country for myself.

As it happens, it was French music that drew me here...

And, in any case, it was me who said that the programme was only a "representation"; a very edited and doctored one because that's the nature of mass media designed to entertain.

Please do not presume to tell me I am arrogrant or anything else as you have never met and do not know me.

BTW, how are you getting on with your French subjunctive tenses?

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[quote user="David Watton"]Having a house in the Dordogne I decided to venture out to Eymet to see if anyone there new about this appalling programme, this was in October'11.

I talked to the local tourist office and nobody new about the program, the local bars had heard of the program but nobody watched it as they felt it was a disgrace,I did eventually speak to a person who apparently had featured in the Choir and she was shown on the programme. She informed me that the Dordogne was a large area (like I needed to know) and that very little of this programme was featured in the Eymet area. There are a number of villages in this area that have Eymet as part of their name but nobody could tell me were this programme was filmed, I believe it is a disgrace to the mass number of the British who have happily integrated with the local French community, learning the language and their way of life.

I think the producers of this programme should be ashamed, also the participants.[/quote]

As many of you will know (or have guessed)  I live in the Dordogne... and I make no secret of my love of my new adopted home.

I have watched all of the series so far and I have enjoyed everyone... well maybe not the Colonel (very sweet man but not my cup of tea)... but the rest I've enjoyed. 

I think it has shown a great number of very nice people intergrating and making a life and earning a living in their new home.   I've enjoyed 'meeting' the Alpaca family, the farmer/butcher, the dog groomer, the young lady who is training to be a chef, the photographer come grape picker, Mr Murphy and his lake, the recent wine producer and the choir master... and the couple with the camp-site and bowling green.

What I don't understand is why so many forum folk have felt it is ok to make jokes or unpleasant comments about all these people.  Is it so wrong to enjoy a full life in France whilst still enjoying a nice cup of tea, or a plate of fish and chips, or whatever it is you miss from the UK?  Are you a lesser person, less well intergrated or not-quite-such-a-good-expat if you have a hobby that you're passionate about and have found it catered for in your new country (lawn bowls)? 

This week I booked a slot with the shoping man for December... I'm going to do a Tesco Christmas Shop with lots of traditional goodies that the family like at Christmas... does this somehow make me less intergrated? 

Tosh... is what I say.

I do accept that the programme could have shown people who are struggling to make a living, or finding it harder to settle, or maybe show that not having the language can be a huge barrier for some folks... but the programm is light entertainment, it is showing a region of France where some Brits live... so maybe this will explain why it's not covering these other topics?

I dont think anyone needs to be ashamed and I'm sorry but I dont understand why the programme is upsetting so many people (on here and other forums).  It shows my beautiful Dordogne off in all her glory and I'm looking forward to meeting more folks in the coming episodes.

And as Sweets has already said... if you dont like it dont watch... that way you wont feel so upset.

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[quote user="David Watton"]The purpose of deciding to move to a different area in the world is to experience the differing cultures. To say that you don't worry about intergrating shows a degree of arrogance that unfortunately seems to be prevalent with the British culture. It is not a represenation of real live(if) and actually shows the British populus in a bad light.[/quote]

No, that's your purpose, it might not be wise to assume what other peoples purpose in moving is......

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Well said, Rose! I don't live in the area, but think it's a beautiful place from my various visits - and it's been lovely to see the scenery on the programmes. I've only seen a couple of the programmes, but most of the people I've seen have been making a living in a place they enjoy and came across as pleasant. What they offer is obviously in demand; it may or may not be what all of us want, but we're all different.

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This latest "intergration evangelist" isn't the first, won't be the last and has nothing new to say on the subject. There's no point in trying the challenge the narrow thinking of the More French Than The French contingent.

I too think the Dordogne is beautiful... but it is also the only place in rural France where I've been in heavy traffic... with most of the cars having British plates. [:P] That was about 15 years ago, one sunny September morning, just outside Brantôme... I'm sure all the cars have been re-registered by now... [6]

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Bravo, Rose!

Like you, I love the Dordogne with a passion....

Never been so happy anywhere else.  There is so much natural beauty here and I also do not "get" why people shouldn't live in the way that they enjoy best.

They must know what works for them and it's not for anyone else to say what they should or should not be doing.

And that includes being able to watch the TV programmes that they like......[:D]

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Thank you  [:$]

I should also add that whilst I love the Dordogne I also love other areas of France too... in fact there are so many wonderful places and I'm sure there are very many interesting and lovely people.  Maybe they'll make another series in another location?  Perhaps we could then get to see where 'you' live?

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