letrangere Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Came across an interesting couple at a drinks party, early 60s, early retirement, they moved permanently to the Lot in May. Lost the rose tinted specs pretty quickly though and are already having a moan. Feel they paid too much for their house, should have looked around more. (Canny British neighbours suspect they are right.) Don't like the French, they're "a miserable lot". And, surprise, surprise for rural France, "they're all farmers"! Well, they're not actually, one works in a bank, another is a teacher but as this couple don't speak a word of French, they'll probably never discover that. On the subject of learning the language, here's their response: "There are so many Brits in this area, we didn't think it would be necessary." Other gripes include "miss the shops" and the familiar French shop opening times, "they're always closing just as we arrive". Plus "We have to get the car out for everything". And distance they have to drive to shops (4 km for bread, 12 km for basic store, 26 km for Carrefour). You would have thought they'd figured that out before they even signed a compromis. She doesn't drive, incidentally...Best of all though, and I loved this bit, "It's over two hours' drive to the nearest IKEA!" That's a classic, surely? Perhaps they should have moved to Neasden? All they wanted were beds yet pointing out that these can be purchased quite readily from an array of stores at nearby Cahors fell on deaf ears. Ikea it has to be.Couldn't help thinking how they should have done some homework, and what a shame they didn't discover this Forum. Sudden thought: hope to goodness they don't find it now!!!M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesLauriers Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 "Over two hours drive to IKEA."Ah! Yet another benefit of living in France! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Pillocks, can't think of anything else to say really. ps Opening hours in England are .......... difficult for me. That is being polite. I often get ready and have a walk into town at 4pm, it really isn't the time to go as everything is winding down and is closed by 5pm. It isn't worth me getting to grips with this yet as we aren't in the UK full time, but it is something that I will have to change a bit. I am used to and well adapted to french times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Don't worry, there are always other forums we can redirect them to which may be more to their taste. An all too familiar story, I'm afraid. They don't mention shop opening hours in 'A Place in the Sun'. It can't all be blamed on TV producers, I know, but they do have a lot to answer for. I always think of another of those progs, called 'I Want that House' which involved the agence immobilier just up the road so we knew the places, and indeed the actual properties, viewed. The alarm bells rang when the buyers said that by far the nicest, best situated and best value house (with a charming French lady seller) was unsuitable because 'the decor was French', they went instead for an English resale in an out of the way place. There was a follow up programme a few months after, showing the couple doing their local shopping (actually in the main town for the group of communes, several km away) and buying a lawnmower at another 'local' shop (15km or more away) and other lapses of distance-related memory, all giving the impression that everything was just a short walk from their French front door.I'm sure we all have similar experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chauffour Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 just imagine.... ...if 'A place in the sun' was presented by Vanessa Feltz instead of the lovely Amanda Lamb... half of us would't be here!!!! ..or is it just me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 "....I'm sure we all have similar experience."Just a few Will...just a few IKEA kinda tricked us, we were led to believe there was one being built near to where we proposed moving to Northwards in 1999, they actually meant Nantes and that is over two hours away and thought by them to be local, B$%^&*?@~"!...still only two more years, then we Notherners can gloat SB !! I can almost taste them balls now ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Blimey Massimo, We were enticed more by Frank Bough and his driving through France using the Arthur Eperon 6 (or was it 7 ?) routes through France ! Wonder if dear Amanda can still find new rooves for only 5000€ all in, all timbers included, how many poor folks listened to just how cheaply Ms Lamb could get things done for ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Life is never perfect... is it ?Perhaps if people accepted and appreciated a little more what they have, instead of regretting what they do not have, and stopped moaning, complaining and calculating...That's my rant for today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur smith Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 makes me wonder why, in preparation of our permanent move, we're;going to night school to try to improve our basic french,trying to budget for all eventualities, then doubling it "just in case"reading everything we can to hopefully prepare ourselves for the movevisiting as often as we can afford to, to try to avoid the pitfalls so often seen and read about.hopefully it'll make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Since we've been here (Feb this year) we've been flooded, got ourselves albeit through our insurance company in a right royal row with the vendor over a vice cache though it looks as though this may be a win for us, we can't do anything inside the house while we wait for the result except the kitchen and bathroom, garden is full of those long brown and green tree thingys or plants.We live 4 km from the local Champion, it's an hour to Bergerac or Perigueux for bigger shops, half an hour to Sarlat, two hours or thereabouts to Bordeaux and Ikea AND place is full of French. We need two cars and we have to drive everywhere including about 1.5km to our local village - which has no commerce at all!And we love every minute of it - life long learning, changed our life style, said goodbye to East London/Essex and haven't looked back, met the odd miserable eejit but nowhere near as many as in London, love the small things - like people coming into shops and saying bon jour to total strangers - and all the other little kindnesses.It's all a challenge, including the language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Sorry but bon jour is not a kindness. It is an automatism, which is rather different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 This couple missed by 1.000 kms. They should be in South Eastern Spain, but still no Ikea. Benjamin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaligoBay Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Came across an interesting coupleAre you sure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jc Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Someone once said multiply your expected costs by three and divide your expected profits by three;probably about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opas Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 The newest brit resident to our listed village, famous for its chateau and ancient church with chiming clock,complained to me that the noise of it got on her nerves!Mrs O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayB Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 [quote]Sorry but bon jour is not a kindness. It is an automatism, which is rather different.[/quote]**Sorry but bon jour is not a kindness. It is an automatism, which is rather different.**Sort of like 'Sorry!' in the UK, you mean? (g) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayB Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 [quote]Came across an interesting couple at a drinks party, early 60s, early retirement, they moved permanently to the Lot in May. Lost the rose tinted specs pretty quickly though and are already having a m...[/quote]**Couldn't help thinking how they should have done some homework**You started a good discussion here, M. I had to just smile all the way through it. I think we all have run across these folks at one time or another.We DID do our homework before coming plus we had been coming to this area for the previous 7 years. We already had friends, knew where the shops were and had our favorites, etc. It was no more hassle than any move to a new house was. It has been over 3-1/2 years now and we love every moment of it.One of the things that makes us smile is when we are picnicing, people walking by wish us 'Bon appetit!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Korrigan Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Ray... like the sincere words most Americans use daily prehaps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mpprh Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Hihave to agree that I run into people who seem to think it is like moving from Harrow to Brighton.They seem surprised when everyone speaks a funny language ? Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayB Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 [quote]Ray... like the sincere words most Americans use daily prehaps...[/quote]**Ray... like the sincere words most Americans use daily prehaps...**Wow! How many of the 280 million of us do you know? How often have you been to the states? Where did you go? How long were you there? Impress us with how you got your expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 But I did find them interesting, SB, they fascinated me. And although I am having a laugh at their expense here, can't deny that (and I do feel a twinge of guilt), without sounding too patronising I actually felt a bit sorry for them for they're clearly unhappy and with winter around the corner surely it's only going to get worse? They live in a typical holiday home village that is already a ghost town and although there are some permanent resident Brits, they're a pretty cliquey lot, been there for yonks, "well integrated" and rather aloof when it comes to new arrivals, etc. The couple in question have a lovely house but they paid a lot of money for it, sold up in UK, etc. so possibly (tho' I don't know their financial situation) would struggle if they had to move back. Someone earlier on says that many people today view moving to France as no different to moving from one town to another in the south of England and I agree, that really does appear to be the case. The media has possibly been responsible for this but also the world has got smaller, we are all so much more mobile. Perhaps too people have, at least outwardly, acquired more confidence with foreign travel and foreign things? Or do they think that many parts of Europe are just little outposts of England? M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Mmmmm Ray, may I ask just how many French you know, and from what region and just how well, as you are always saying marvellous the French are ? So can one take it from your post, that you know ALL the French folk ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Have a good day, Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRT17 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Last night while waiting in the queue at Manchester airport on my way to Gatwick, I overheard an interesting conversation. A young American and young English woman were comparing living abroad. The American had studied and lives in Amsterdam and the English woman it seemed, had emigrated to Australia two and a half years ago and was back on a business / family visit.The English one said "it was very, very hard at the beginning, we love it there but we had to make new friends, find a flat, find jobs etc. all very difficult" So it is not that easy to just uproot and settle in a new country, with a different culture however rosy it appears from afar. Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayB Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 [quote]Have a good day, Ray[/quote]**Have a good day, Ray**Thanks, Gay, and may you have one, too. It is a gorgeous day today with sunshine, a blue sky and no rain for a change. We have had high winds here yesterday and today. I read where Devon and Cornwall had 70 mph winds yesterday. I remember them well from our 10 years in Looe.I'm having one of my 'better' days and looking forward to getting out for a while this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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