Pace of life

[WJT]

If it wasn't for the two hour closing in the middle of the day my vote would be France. But have to admit it causes a lot of problems and stress in itself. I am all for a two hour lunch break for all employees just not all at the same time, ARGHH!!

[ericd]

[quote user="WJT"]If it wasn't for the two hour closing in the middle of the day my vote would be France. But have to admit it causes a lot of problems and stress in itself. I am all for a two hour lunch break for all employees just not all at the same time, ARGHH!![/quote]

I fully endorse this comment. It is just SOOOOOoooooo annoying. We went to look for a mattress last August in the BUT @ Villefranche/Rouergue. We were litteraly pushed out of the shop because these good people wanted to go to lunch.......and two hours is a very long time to wait.....didn't buy it from them in the end !

[Gardengirl]

Where our house is in UK it's busy on weekday mornings for the school run, and on Sundays when everyone goes to the local Asda to shop. The local town is always busy, with big traffic jams at rush hour. But generally I find the pace of life agreeable, and I love shopping at M&S, Waitrose and John Lewis. [:)]

Here in France, we're a 5 minute walk from our small town, which has just about everything for day to day living, a marvellous Saturday market and very good local food market on wednesdays. weekday evenings there's a 3-minute traffic jam, and a huge one on Saturdays, when people flock in for the market. I get up early to get my shopping done in comfort, otherwise I'm queing at each stall and getting elbowed and my feet get trodden on! The pace of life suits me very well, with lots of chat when I pop in to each shop; I must admit I got caught out yesterday though. Our first Monday back here, season over; favourite bread shop shut as usual on Mondays, greengrocer not got his shop set up yet - he's just had a month's holiday, so he was very late opening; favourite butcher shut. Never mind, we went out for a pizza!

I was back in the NE a couple of weeks ago, sadly for a funeral. We stayed in a hotel on the front, and had the most marvellous view of waves landing on the prom at Seaburn; waves lashed each high tide of our stay. The funeral procession went all along the coast road so we could pass the cricket ground, which my brother was so fond of. I got up early on the last morning for a walk along the beach; it had been a very stormy night, but had subsided by dawn and the world looked new. I walked along the beach and round the rockpools, and had a marvellous time; nobody else in sight until I turned back and went onto the prom.

The poor car was caked in salt; it had been to the car wash before setting off north, and needed another very soon after leaving! 

When I was growing up I always felt comforted by the fog horn, which we could hear clearly, despite living about 3 miles from the coast. And Seaton Sluice brings back memories of street trips there in my youth!  The parents paid a shilling a week into a club, and we had marvellous outings there1 [:D]

[Will]

It's nice to see people giving the positive aspects for life in both countries, something that was unheard of in the earlier days of the forum - and still is in certain other places.

Then you were either fervently pro-France (taken as read if you were using a francophile forum) or equally pro-UK (in which you were regarded at best as a traitor to the forum, and told to go home, or alternatively a BNP-card-carrying nationalist). There was no middle ground for those of us who were able to enjoy the best of both worlds.

[Sprogster]

Will, it was generally those new posters in the process of thinking of moving to France and new arrivals, that were most fervently anti UK. However, in the current economic climate there are very few postings in this category, with most of the active posters seeming to be those who have been in France for a sufficiently long period of time to get a more balanced view!

[Iceni]

"If a comparison is sought to be made between two persons of equal virtue and worth resulting in the depiction of one in a bad light, perhaps incorrectly, vis-a-vis the other, then such comparison is frowned upon. This kind of comparison is termed an odious comparison. "

A reasonable summary?

John

[Panda]

Having lived in both countries very recently I can compare the pace of life and how it's been for me.

One of the many reasons I ended up living in France was due to the stress of everyday life in the UK, I had a young son and was working long hours as I had risen sufficiently in my career to warrant a relatively high salary and the pressures that come with it.  When I came to France I enjoyed being able to relax, I took my job with me but with much fewer hours and none of the requirements to be involved in the day to day polictics and enless rounds of meetings so I had lots of time on my hands.  In my first month I read all 4 of the Lord of the Rings books (includng the Hobbit) so you can imagine the shift in pace was huge for me.  I enjoyed it this way and as I had no family that required me to show my face every couple of days and no work place to to go to, I could do as I pleased. 

After about 3 years the lack of structure started to get to me though and I craved a reason to be in a particular place and to end the drifting.  We moved house at this time so  had a new purpose, this lasted another year, house renovated, what now?  We then moved ot the Alps, new place to explore, new issues, even a part time job, this all became run of the mill after 6 months and it was at this point that the decision to move back was made, this was influenced by my sons growing hatred of schooling in France.

So now I'm back in UK, what has changed?

I still work for the same company but as an employee again not a contractor, I resisted the offer of my old level of job back and continued to work from home part-time, I do vist my mum and family every couple of days but because I couldn't for so long, I really enjoy it.  I do something everyday here with friends, swim, run, walk, ride or play hockey, I am getting fit again which I really enjoy.  I never found any 'girl friends' in France but have rekindled all of those i lost touch with before and thats the reason I 'do' so much in the evenings.

I am a better person for living in France, I am less wealthy without doubt and hold a lower position than I could have done but being in France has made me treasure friends, family and bizarrly my job and my employers. there is a certain amount of freedom offered when you have a steady income and of course a certain lack of it when you don't, I really appreciate that now.

Still love both countries though....