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What is it like returning to the UK ?


Deimos
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Hi ho, hi ho, It's off to Saint Malo Fair we go :

Cassis cassis  lend me your grey mare,

All along, down along, out along lee,

For I want for to go to Saint Malo Fair,

Wi' Bill the Conk, Betty Doo Dah, Old fluffy kitten, Twinky Davy, Katey Whiddon,

Harry Tresco,
LG2,Verviale and all, old Auntie Rumzigal and

al.........

And when shall I see again my deleted posts?

All along, down along, out along lee,

By Friday soon, or Saturday noon,

Wi' Bill the Conk, Betty Doo Dah, Old fluffy kitten), Twinky Davy, Katey Whiddon,

Harry Tresco, LG2, Verviale and all, old Auntie Rumzigal and

al...........

And all the long night be heard skirling and groans,

All along, down along, out along lee,

From Tozzers posts and those ghastly moans

And
Bill the Conk, Betty Doo Dah, Old fluffy kitten), Twinky Davy, Katey Whiddon,

Harry Tresco, LG2, Verviale and all, old Auntie Rumzigal and

al............(and all the uvvers who couldn't get in but I will use them in my next blockbuster  movie, out soon)
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I posted a reply in this thread which, more or less, commented that the UK is not an homogenous place nor is France and that a lot of the comparisons being made may be unfair.  The post then got deleted for being off-topic.

 

Would it be off topic to ask whether the question heading the thread refers to

*returning to rural UK or URBAN uk

*from where ?

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Re FK's wanger:

Apparently, it's all here: http://www.googlism.com/what_is/w/wanger/

Or alternatively http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wanger (don't look if you don't like dubious language)

Or for real http://wangerassociates.com/ (though as a kitten, you are lovable enough and don't need a PR consultant)

----------------------------------------

Owens 88 - that sounds pretty much back on topic to me, but what would I know?

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RE: What is it like returning to the UK ?

 

Well from where to where.

Nullpartville-en-Campagneperdue to say Peckham would probably be a bit of a shock. Just like for me moving from absolutely anywhere to Nullpartville-en-Campagneperdue would be a shock......... and in fact I would always prefer to give Peckham a try.

I have done a partial move so far and it is fine for me, there again I never left the UK with any sort of problem with it either. And won't be leaving France with any sort of problem, I'll happily be back on holiday and anyway I have friends to see.

 

Incidentally, one can get to know lots of people on a very banal level quite quickly even quite easily. We do have novelty value too. And I suspect really good friends are harder to come by anywhere really.

We are all different. Our needs and requirements are fortunately not all the same, otherwise I could have english neighbours here and I do not[:)]!

There have been some great discussions on this thread and too many have now disappeared.

 

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Must be magic...how did he know I winked a lot as a young man ?

I could wink with both eyes and when on form, both eyes at the same time but then some spotty girl said that was blinking and not winking.......but I still reckon it was ambidextrous winking.

Not sure what to do tomorrow night really, go out with the wangers or go out with the tozzers, decisions, decisions eh.....

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Ambidextrous winking is a very useful skill, whichever side of The Channel one is on.[;-)]

Speaking of which. I had a fantastic time the last time I went to England. I spent just short of 4 weeks there.

On public transport you get a whole different view of the place, as long as you aren't reading the Daily Wail.

People still talk to eachother at bus stops, help with heavy shopping, buggies, unruly toddlers, and give seats to people who need them more.

Shop assistants were friendly and attentive - everywhere.

Even the litter was much better than on previous visits. Really, MUCH better.

Edit; And the litter thing, well every time I see a 5 person team sweeping dust off the side of a dual carriageway, or a 7 person team tending a roundabout here in France, I wonder about the economics of it.

 

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[quote user="cooperlola"][quote user="Tresco"]

 as long as you aren't reading the Daily Wail.

[/quote]It is my suspicion that this is the key to this whole argument, Tresco![/quote]

Think we should campaign for the DM to be banned in France and all Brit residents of France should be ‘compelled’ to watch French News and read the Press instead of British Television or face the guillotine.

 Mind you, for the most part, the French Media is terribly mediocre. Most of the journalists spend their time being so buddy buddy  kissy kissy with politicians and coupled with the ‘Privacy laws’, not many are inclined to really criticise the politicians in virulent terms.  Have you watched politicians being interviewed?  I always get the impression that the journalists simply want to ask for their autographs and invite them out instead of really probing them on what they are doing to sort out the issues of the country.

We all know that the British Press are always at war with politicians and so we have every single bad news shoved at us on a daily basis. Reading the French media provides little sense of anything ever going drastically wrong here.  I get the impression that if there were tanks on their borders ready to invade, they would still be talking about the Bison Fute and giving the Meteo des plages for the weekend. Their leaders get away with murder. Unleash the British press on French politicians and most would run back to their mummies in tears.

Dearest Tozzer… Wanger, tried to steal LG2 but LF wouldn’t accept it. Suppose they think I have enough split personalities. Also need to hear you sing the song to be convinced it even half rhymes.[;-)]

Ambidextrous winking – think this is the condition I come down with when I get my various impots demands. Is it curable?

 

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Banning anybody from reading/watching anything and/or forcing them to read or watch same is the beginning of the slippery slope IMHO, but I take it you were joking!  I agree about the fawning French press, and I guess its very regionalised nature is a bit of a culture shock to us too.  I do read Le Monde's website a bit.  One of the things about being here is that I tend to get a lot of news from various press websites, and don't stick to one as I always did in the UK, as I couldn't justify the cost of buying more than one newspaper but can surf across the board for free.

99  change eyes.

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[quote user="powerdesal"]I think ambidextrous winking at impot time should be renamed as 'simultaneous ambidextrous winking - in slow time' ( some might call it wide eyed shock!)  [:P]
[/quote]

Cooperlola, at least you make an effort to know what's going on. We can never know everything (I certainly don't) but those who don't even seem to try but prefer to whinge non-stop about the UK based on what they see daily on British TV, read in our belligerent media as well as on short uncomfortable visits, simply get my goat. That's all. There could be disasters a few km away from their French homes and they probably wouldn't even know but come on forums like these to tell us what is wrong over there.

I  don't see any harm in some of us trying to redress the balance a little. Hate to think that young Brits growing up in France will only be confronted by constant negative images of their country of origin on listening to these people. Many in the UK complain that certain communities do not integrate enough (learn language, get to know British people, live only within their own worlds etc ) but then move abroad to do exactly the same thing.

Let's face it, if we lived in a beautiful oasis in the middle of the Sahara desert and knew nothing else, the world could also seem magnificent.

 

Steve

'simultaneous ambidextrous winking - in slow time' -  That must be the second phase of the condition, just before I pass out [:D]

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LG2 [quote] Ambidextrous winking – think this is the condition I come down with when I get my various impots demands. Is it curable? [/quote]

I had to have accupuncture for it in the end from me mate Miki Chan, as the girls complained it never did me justice, as against the boys who winked and whistled at the same time, annoyingly something I couldn't do. Well I could still wink, one eye at a time but my whistle let me down just at the critical moment, by the time my bird like shrill came out, the girl had long gone and dear old Ethel from number 4 took it as a compliment to her [:(]

All went well until I arrived in France and got my first lot of cotisations and then this gurgly groan came on the scene  "'How bluddy much" followed once again by the same blinking that you get from your demands. I have stuck pins in me eyes, me nose and me neck, as well as places it should hurt enough to stop me but still the bills keep coming and the blinks are never much further away than the opening of the letters..........................Oh my, what a to do !!

 

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RE the bit about reading French papers, I can't remember who said it or when.  I didn't buy a paper, watch the news or have any interest in currant affairs in the UK, so I don't feel bad doing the same in France.

Its not that I don't care, but I'm not really interested in the drivel that pads out a paper or a news programme.  If something serious in the world is happening then I can see it on the home page on my pc.  Otherwise it just ain't news.

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[quote user="Dotty "]

RE the bit about reading French papers, I can't remember who said it or when.  I didn't buy a paper, watch the news or have any interest in currant affairs in the UK, so I don't feel bad doing the same in France.

Its not that I don't care, but I'm not really interested in the drivel that pads out a paper or a news programme.  If something serious in the world is happening then I can see it on the home page on my pc.  Otherwise it just ain't news.

[/quote]

Dotty 

That’s fine but then I suppose you would not be one of those people slagging off you know where.

 A little note re ‘’the drivel that pads out a paper’’.

Most of the time, it’s snore inducing stuff – I would agree- however, it may also contain information saying, for example, that a local school, sports centre, service etc are earmarked for closure, that your quiet corner of France has the TGV coming through it in a few years or that a beautiful field near your house is earmarked to be transformed into a waste landfill site (There is village in the Aude facing this very problem now) or even that your ‘cotisations’ are going to increase by 30% in the next budget.  None of this may be on your PC but you may be aware if you mix properly in your community, read the press or watch the news.

 You will I suppose be happy to receive your new bill increased by that much without having made any preparations for it or have that beautiful field turned into a waste landfill site without having had the opportunity to fight against it etc,etc.  Knowing a little about our new country can be useful but then again, you could always write into LF for someone who does pay attention to the ‘’drivel’’ to explain things to you.

 Tozzer

 In other words, ambidextrous winking is incurable….

 Did you hear Chirac’s almighty gaff the other day?  He was announcing that the French business tax rate (Highest in EU closely followed by Spain) was to be progressively reduced to 30% over 5 years but instead said ‘over 20 years’, then quickly and shamefacedly blabbered his way out of it.  This was a live broadcast so was not edited. A great comic moment but we now have to wait and see whether it was cheap electioneering or something real

 

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Well thats OK  Dotty but how do you find out about local stuff that might effect you ?

I was bought up to try and keep up with current affairs, as was my mother - her father bought one  paper on the way up to London in the morning on the 'workman's train' and then two for the return (one was for my grandmother). They discussed current affairs over their evening meal - my mother has often told me of how murder trials, for example would be reported verbatim.

I think TV has made us lazy about this, too ready to accept the ever present 'sound bite' I know I certainly don't 'keep up' the way I used to.

LG - we posted at the same time !

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I have looked at a couple of forums and it does appear as though a lot of people expressing a desire to leave the UK are doing so because they are disenchanted with life in Britain. I don't know their personal circumstances so wouldn't deem to tell them that they are right or wrong. Perspectives are a personal thing. As I have said before, I don't have any problem with the UK.

However, it also seems as though those that tell it as it is in France with some sort evangelical zeal that only they have seen the light, are more than ready to defend their old country. Could it be that you have been out of the UK too long and in finding out about the real France you have retained  rose coloured glasses about the UK ?

It is really not my intention to offend anyone, I suppose I just am playing devils advocate and giving the debate a push in another direction .

 

 

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I agree with your last comment Beryl - IMHO its equally difficult for someone who hasn't lived in the UK for a few years to comment on the social decline (or otherwise) of UK as it is for someone who hasn't lived (i.e. worked, paid taxes, been involved in the community etc) to comment on the politics, economics and lifestyle of the French.

Kathie

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