What would you change in France if you could ?

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="cooperlola"]I asked a french lad I know who has just passed his test, why it was that the French seem to indicate left going into a roundabout no matter which way they are going to turn, then just turn their indicator off before exiting.  He said "that's what my instructor told me to do." Must look at the Code Routier.[/quote]

Hi Coop, have a look at pages 66 and 67 of your 'Code Rousseau' for the gen on the roundabouts. It doesn't mention indicators, but it certainly tells you which lane you should be in and it is not the way most French drivers do it!

If I could change anything as far as driving is concerned it would be the price of the 'Code Rousseau'. At 15€ it's a rip off!!! If it was cheaper then perhapse more English people would buy it and learn the French road rules...

 

[cooperlola]

Sorry, Rousseau - I could not for the life of me remember what it was called!  Pricey, maybe, but I for one felt it was an essential if I was actually going to live here!

[Jonzjob]

Such a young age for such a senior moment [Www]... That's my excuse anyway? We thought it was essencial too. You know what the old expression says.

"When in Rome, wear a toga" it show me legs off to their best advantage [8-|].

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]

Such a young age for such a senior moment [Www]... That's my excuse anyway? We thought it was essencial too. You know what the old expression says.

"When in Rome, wear a toga" it show me legs off to their best advantage [8-|].

[/quote]Picture of you in Rome please![:D]  (On a Saga holiday?)

[Jonzjob]

Don't you mean a sagger holiday Coops?

[IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/BAGONHEAD3-1.jpg[/IMG]

With my wonderful legs nobody nitices your hat's toooooooo big? [Www]

[Meg]

Ooohh jonz, not the knees again, you know how they affect me! [:$] I'll have to go and lie down now!!

[Pun]

Hi Cooperlola,

I would have replied yesterday but Ive been working on thehen house roof, but many thanks for your reply and here goes with the bit I said about cheaper housing,

Well like you If I was to buy the house I live in here in france back in england it would be a no no no. I just couldnt do it,

But I also wouldnt want to bring the U.K. here to france, I do really love the french way of life I now have,

Im not new to living away from the U.K. as I did spend many years in H.M. forces and served in many away places and all over the U.K. (training in Aldershot, ) "anyone from Buller barracks ? Hi hope you're  well.

But the point I was trying to say is this, We expats here in france are the foreigners, and as such we should make every effort to remember why we decided

(no one forced us to come here) to live here in the first place, It wasnt because of the love of living in the U.K..

I have a lot of friends both french and brit, and to be honest the brits do the most moaning, ie why do I have to pay so much for a plasterer, or its cost me a fortune to have this or that done, when in actual fact many an expat when back in the u.k.couldnt change a light bulb but come here buy what they call cheap houses that need a hell of a lot doing to them and then decide to do the work them selves and wonder why things go wrong.

How many times have you seen the likes of  no going back, T.V. program  ,        only to hear,"" we didnt know the place wouldnt be ready in time, and we have  a booking?

or we've run out of money and the banks not let us know yet if we can have a top up or the wife's having a baby.

France really has a lot to offer but if you want to know about france and the area your thinking of living in then who better to get to know ?

the local  french people, you cant live in france without dealing with the french, (not a lot of   english  people seem to  know that)

ref the weather , here in dept 23 limousin about 200mile from Paris going south we really do have the best of both worlds, a short winter, and long summers,

I would say it was worth while having a pool, it would get a lot of use in the summer. We do have frost and snow during winter but it's not for long.

 

Well I hope this has given you a sight of this area and my reason or my views on the topic,

Like you cooperlola, I dont get up for work, but I do wonder how the times gone, "great life isnt it?

Well I must go now and read up how to change a light bulb,

bye for now.

 

[Pun]

Hi Albert,

(A) I did live very close to Chester for years and then moved to Bala, mid wales but Ive lived in many parts of the U.K. as I was in the Army for many years,

and it.s now 7 years since we got the first house here in france and Ive owned the second house (a gite project) for just over a year. the gite will be ready for trading in the next 6 month but wont be in service until dec 07,

ref children, We live in dept 23 limousin and its a very countryside area, the place is covered in farms, and  as I said the children are like children all over the world, kids are kids, but around here you dont see any signs of wrecked cars, theft, or kids being bad manners,

But having said that we do see the odd child doing the child like thing as you'd expect, but both myself and wife dont feel any threat going out in the local village of an evening or when its dark,

Ive never had any cause for any complaint ref leaving my car near to the local school when the kids are having a walk about ect.

Credit when its due, the children in this area are good, But to give you a better idea of the area, 7 years ago we didnt see that many brit number plates but only this week on french local t.v. they said that in the cruise area alone the head count was 2000. So as you can see the area is growing fast.

regards Pun.

[Le Petomane]

What about their pharmacies? In UK, if you've got spots on your bottom you can go into the chemists and all the bottomspots medicines are there on open display. You can read the info and choose which one you want. Here all the medicines are all locked away in drawers, guarded by white-coated dragons. The public area of the shop is filled with beautifully arranged displays of dogworming pills and breath-fresheners. Let's get Boots over here.

[Pun]

Powerdesal,

If youre around this way ?let us know we have a coffee pot thats never cold and a welcome mat thats well worn.

regards pun.

[Pun]

Renaud,

We do a big monthly shop and on the way to the larger town (LA CHATRE) we pass a farm thats had the santa climbing up the roof for two years now and yesterday he was still hanging on inspite of all the storms ect for 2 years he's still there.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Le Petomane"]What about their pharmacies? In UK, if you've got spots on your bottom you can go into the chemists and all the bottomspots medicines are there on open display. You can read the info and choose which one you want. Here all the medicines are all locked away in drawers, guarded by white-coated dragons. The public area of the shop is filled with beautifully arranged displays of dogworming pills and breath-fresheners. Let's get Boots over here.[/quote]On this subject : I went to buy a pair of in-flight socks (you know the things that help prevent DVT).  As you say, I couldn't just pick these up off a shelf so I asked the lady behind the counter.  She took me into a back room, measured my leg, brought out a few different sorts, showed me how to put them on, explained what else I should do during a long journey to help avoid said problem, asked if I suffered from any sort of leg problems (as apparently you should not wear them if you have varicose veins etc) then I paid for them and left the shop.  I felt the way I so often do when I've been served over here - I went off smiling thinking to myself  : "I'd never have got service like that in Boots!"[:)]

[Mark]

Copious amounts of gin and tonic take your mind off DVT on flights, I find.  Drink it in the bog, though, away from the prying eyes of the budget carrier trolley dollies, who given half a chance will confiscate your carry out and force you to choose something overpriced from their carte instead.

Booze tip. [:)][B]

[cooperlola]

Thanks for the tip - but I was unwhittingly doing this anyway - never thought it was also helping with the DVT![:D][B]

[Chief]

Best not to change anything, seeing as most brits are constantly whinging about other nationals apparently wanting to change Great Britain................. :-)

[cooperlola]

Chief, whingey types will whinge wherever they live.  The ex-pats around here who moan about France are usually the ones who tell me they came here to get away from the UK.  Lifetime malcontents it seems to me, and probably destined to be so for ever more.

[Cassis]

You may be helping encourage DVT if you sit on the bog drinking G&T!  Go have a fag in the stewards' nest now and again to stretch your legs - usually a good craic.

[cooperlola]

Cor, and now I know where I can smoke on a 'plane.  The things you learn on this site.

[Cassis]

On long haul I always used to book non-smoking (this was when you had a choice - not that long ago, either!) and then politely ask the crew if I could join them for a fag.  As most smoked and liked a natter it wasn't ever a problem. [:)]

Ah, smoking - those were the days!

[Chris Head]

Just the incredible rules and regs, erm, not that I know anything of them but the sight of Sarah with a pile of papers and streams of rather unladylike language tumbling forth on quite a regular basis sort of gives me a clue.

I know the charges are high here but I'm not that bothered about them, we get what we pay for.

Moaning Brits? We seldom mix with Brits but the French spend great amounts of time moaning about their own country.

The lack of availability of good beer.

Bolly is too expensive.

 

 

[5-element]

I silently vowed to stay well away from this topic. And here I am... Plenty of things I would like to change about France, but there again there were (are) plenty of things I would like to change about the UK. I don't see myself as a whinger, or even as a perfectionist. It's just that, let's face it, there is plenty of room for improvement wherever you are!!!

* I would change the ludicrous obstacles (financial and bureaucratic) that face anyone trying to set up as  self-employed - that would automatically take care of some of the huge black economy which many people are practically forced into.

* I would change the laws of inheritance so that one does not end up liable for the debts of one's dear departed parent, especially when the said departed parent abandoned his  family when his children were still young. Being unable to disinherit your children is one thing. Being liable for your father's dissolute lifestyle is another.

*I would make compulsory, basic counselling training courses for anyone involved with the public - teach shopkeepers not to be so rude, train people to answer emails, return phone calls, turn up at appointments.

*To follow up on above, I would, starting at creche level, to teach children that it is OK and desirable to acknowledge when one makes a mistake, that it is OK and desirable to plain apologize when one is wrong. This is something that many French seem to be genetically incapable of doing. Not only in shops when you have been overcharged, or return some defective item, but also when someone messes you up big time.

*I would definitely do something drastic about the embarrassingly high male-dominance in any posts of management - even in the association sector. Just yesterday in my local paper, an article describing how a number of "associations de solidarite" were getting together in the region, and were having a meeting, with a photo. The photo showed 9 people.... ALL MEN. The worst about this is that it usually goes unnoticed where and when it happens, as it is so usual and embedded in the culture.

*I would also take a look at the Hospice movement in the UK and learn lessons from it. Here, palliative care wit the same quality is still in its infancy, long way behind.  Psychological/emotional support to a terminally-ill person and their family is supposed to be the realm of the doctor, and nobody else, even when there are trained counsellors who volunteer for that kind of care!

* this is a tough one as I have no idea how this could change: how to inculcate notions of respect to individuals so that there is no parking in spaces for the disabled, no dog-poo any old where with the dog owner insulting you if you dare make a remark "Et vous, qu'est-ce que vous faites alors, quand vous avez envie de chier?" one of them spat at me....

and now for some less serious stuff

*I would scrap most of those excruciating French TV variety shows with all their "vedettes", i.e. an endless suply of wannabes or rather, "would-like-to-have-beens" - this format of entertainment has not changed a bit in the past... 40 years!

*I would start to use small plates to put the bread on, instead of directly on the table when eating meals or breakfast

*I would stop people from using a saucepan without a lid to heat up water, and acquaint them with kettles

Lots more, but this will do for starters...

Oh, and just in case someone accuses me of  dissing "our French friends", I AM ONE OF THEM!

(and I am British too!)

 

[powerdesal]

[quote user="Pun"]

Powerdesal,

If youre around this way ?let us know we have a coffee pot thats never cold and a welcome mat thats well worn.

regards pun.

[/quote]

I may take you up on that offer, if I knew where you were !!!!!!!!!  [:)]

[chris pp]

Congratulations, 5 elements, exactly, I'm totally lost for words, that to me just about sums it up.

Brilliant.

Chris

[5-element]

Well thank you, Chris. Coming from you, I take that as a huge compliment.

Oh, and something else I would like to change (I warned  I shouldn't start on that thread!)

*I would like people to learn to behave better at meetings, ANY meeting, so that you don't get 5 conversations going on at the same time, with no regard for the speaker at all. Encourage everyone to sharpen their listening skills. I have noticed that there are not many people here who can chair meetings effectively! Which would mean shutting up the incessant chatter....back to the "respect" category.

*On the subject of meetings, insist on everyone sitting around in a circle (this is still considered extremely radical, and many people are amazingly ill at ease with the notion!!), instead of having an old style classroom arrangement, with the "teachers" delivering to the assembly from their platform, which distorts the type of interaction possible.

 

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="Chris Head"]

The lack of availability of good beer.

Bolly is too expensive.

[/quote]

I've told you before Chris, try Jenlain. 75cl bottles with the corks wired in, 7.5% and very nice with it. That's beer by the way.

As for bollicinger, too dear for not much! Have a go at a reasonable Blanquette de Limoux. It pre dates champoo by a hundred years or so, about 1/3 the price and better!