We're selling up and going back

[SaligoBay]

radio Luxembourg

Now you're talking!!  Even WORSE than the songs, they had musical adverts for - oh I almost can't say it........ Tampax!!!!    And look where it got them, eh, all that wickedness, corrupting innocent young minds under blankets. 

[Will]

Talking of Radio Luxembourg, who remembers Horace Batchelor?

Were getting very musical here, what with Bobbie Gentry and all of these songs that FK says he is going to write.

A song that seems to be getting played a lot on one of our local radio stations (France Bleu, Basse Normandie) is 'Shame and Scandal' by Madness. The lyrics are, of course, in English, and are about incest, which I would have thought was a rather touchy subject in rural Normandy, so either the listeners don't understand it, or perhaps they do, only too well.

I was sure I remembered it from way before Madness's time, so did a bit of searching around and found it had been recorded by hundreds of people, including Lance Percival in the 1960s, which I'm sure is the version I first heard. There was even a Sacha Distel recording in 1965, as Scandale dans la famille. The version sung by Madness (and Lance Percival) was apparently first recorded in the 1940s by a Jamaican singer called Sir Lancelot, but it goes back even further, apparently to an 18th century French story about incest among the aristocracy (which reminds me of a quote from the late great Vivian Stanshall - "so much incest in that family, even the bulldog's got a club foot"). That story was revived by a Canadian poet, called Robert Service (b1874), who was best known for his comic songs and monologues about the Yukon gold rush of the 1890s - including 'The shooting of Dan McGrew' (the rather dirtier 'Eskimo Nell', has been attributed to him too). He lived in France for some 30 years until his death in 1958 and during that time published 'Madame la Marquise' a poem about the French aristocracy with the same storyline as the Madness song.

It is thought that Service's book, published in the 1930s, found its way to the West Indies, where the poem was adapted to a Jamaican Calypso, the format of the best-known versions. It also found its way back to North America, whether this was via Jamaica or not is debatable, where it was recorded as a country song by people such as Burl Ives and, in 1971, by Buffy Sainte-Marie, as 'Johnny be Fair' though she claimed to have written it herself based on an Irish joke. It is not known whether Bobby Gentry ever sang it...

A simple little song, but an interesting tale.

The lyrics of the original calypso version (as heard on French radio) are:

In Trinidad, there was a family,
  with much confusion as you will see.
There was a mama and a papa, and a boy who had grown,
  who wanted to marry and have wife of his own.

He found him a girl who was suiting him nice.
  He went to his papa to ask his advice.
The papa said, "Son, I've got to say no.
  That girl is your sister, but your mama don't know."

    Woe is me!  Shame and scandal in me family.   [ Chorus ]
    Woe is me!  Shame and scandal in me family.

The weeks went by and the summer came down,
  and soon, the best cook in the island he found.
He went to his papa to name a date.
  His papa shook his head and to him he did say,

"You can't marry this girl; I've got to say no.
  That girl is your sister, but your mama don't know."

     Woe is me!  Shame and scandal in me family.   [ Chorus ]
     Woe is me!  Shame and scandal in me family.

He went to his mama, he covered his head,
  and told his mama what his papa had said.
The mama she laughed, she said, "Go man, go!
  Your daddy ain't your daddy, but your daddy don't know!"

    Woe is me!  Shame and scandal in me family.   [ Chorus ]
    Woe is me!  Shame and scandal in me family.

[Turnip]

Seems like the big exodus to France is now followed by the big retreat from France to the UK. Do you think UK TV progs. misled the many who left the UK to find a "new" life in France?

Another thread talks of falling house prices in France ( mirroring the UK perhaps) so maybe the froth is coming off the market until the next gold rush?

Will.

Horace Batchelor.........Yes, I remember him

[ChezShells]

I suppose the more people that move to France the more you will get going back.

Not sure about misleading, with it being on TV it puts it into peoples heads.

If you fancy moving to France then do it, its a break if nothing else.

[Alexis]

I can remember Radio Luxembourg being blooming hard to tune in on a car radio.

Especially if you were fighting for your honour in the passenger seat.

Ah!  Happy, innocent days.

Madness are all the rage at the moment ...  I've always liked them.  I saw a clip of their video the other day.  Certainly aged well.

"Our house, in the middle of our street la la la"

[Isaacsnana]

Chance could be a fine thing!!!  We have a 200+sq.m. place here with a pool and about an acre, plus a barn.  For what we could sell it for, we could maybe buy a 2 up, 2 down rabbit hutch in the UK.  I still love France, but since we decided to up sticks and move here, a much loved grandchild arrived out of the blue, totally unexpected, and now another, also totally unexpected, but will be equally adored by all.  So we miss our family very much, and although they visit and we go back to the Uk quite frequently, it's not the same as being 10 mins drive away.

I KNOW we would miss the quiet roads, the clean air, the wonderful starry nights, being able to plan a BBQ in advance and be relatively sure of the weather, but I also miss seeing my kids, M & S and having a takeway after a busy day, when you dont feel like cookingl

What to do? - what a dilemma!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Miki]

Don't forget the conker comp at Abjat, is the guv Stewart at the boozer still a misery

[Laotze]

And if you went back Isaacsnana and a little way down the road your kids turned round and said they were immigrating to Australia - then what would you do???? Hard as it is, one needs to be independent of ones children. At least you are living an interesting life that they can come and share for a holiday and you have loads to talk about when you do get together. I have seen too many parents sitting on the sidelines waiting to be invited into the childrens lives in vain.

And M&S and takeaways are no good for either the figure or the health!!!

[Iceni]

Youngest has just gone off to Australia - not a backward look in my directiion - which I am pleased about. The saddest people I know in the UK live their lives through their children and their grandchildren - and the rows and angst that comes through this would make me rush to the very interesting bottles of pills I legally have for my own angst and ills.

It is YOUR life, please find enough love and enjoyment with each other to make it all worth while.

I bet if push came to shove your kids would do what they wanted rather than what you wanted - regardless of the concequences.

[Debra]

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[Isaacsnana]

[quote]Don't forget the conker comp at Abjat, is the guv Stewart at the boozer still a misery[/quote]

You got that right Miki!!!  More miserable than ever!!!!!!!!!!

[Isaacsnana]

Just because someone is attached to their grandchildren and wants to spend time with them doesn't mean they are living their lives through them! 

 

Quite!!!

 

Youngest has just gone off to Australia - not a backward look in my directiion - which I am pleased about. The saddest people I know in the UK live their lives through their children and their grandchildren

My two daughters and I have always been like 3 "best friends".  I thought long and hard about leaving to live in France.  although we all visit regularly, I had no idea I would miss them so much. I think anyone who can talk in a detached manner about their children, obviously are not very close to them.

[Laotze]

Relationships are tricky and not easily read from the outside! What am I saying - they not always that easy to read on the inside either! I love my kids to bits and spend half my time worrying about them. Any problem and they are on the phone and we all miss each other. But they are so proud of us and enjoy our adventures. So many people dont live their lives to the full - some have very valid reasons. Sometimes its right to go back but sometimes one just has to accept that life is not all roses and all happiness is bought at a price.

[Patf]

We moved to Southend to be near one of our sons who was having problems and needed support and within a year he had moved with his new wife to India. We also have a son in Kuwait, and wouldn't want to move there. As I wrote above, we are in more than two minds about going back. If things got worse in the UK on the security front at least they could all come and hide out with us here in deepest Gers. Pat.

[Christine Animal]

You are in one of the most beautiful parts of France Pat (and there are so many).  We visited the Gers before finding our place in Poitou-Charentes and we found it so beautiful down there.

I used to go to school at Southend, many years ago, we lived near Burnham-on-Crouch.

[Missy]

[quote]incompetant managers, You obviously haven't had to deal with French management then, Chezshells! EVERYBODY I know who has talked about this, French/British/American, whatever, says that French mana...[/quote]

Don't know about French management but lately I have been at the mercy of poor British management!

I have just been victim of the most inefficient blunder from a high street retailer! which took about X number of calls, 12 weeks and one SO VERY rude letter to sort it out...

I guess poor management is a human frailty, doesn't matter which nationality...

[vervialle]

I have read this topic with great interest, I have owned a house in central France for 15 years and have watched the increase in English people moving over to france to start new lives. I myself considered it when my son was ten he is now 19.I am always sad when I return to England and leave my beautiful farmhouse and when I get on the M25 , I wonder why I never took the chance. However from people I have met that have made the move the ones that have taken early retirement and have private pensions seem to fair best. although it is cheaper to run a house in France everything else is about the same price.So you do need a good income to have a decent standard of living , and there is nothing worse than a shortage of money. My son has had a brilliant education in England and whilst he did not want to go to university has managed to get into a stockbrokers as a trainee, I know he would not have had that opportunity in central France. I myself looked for a job with more vacation and managed to get a job at a university, thus having 18 weeks holiday in which I can be in France. I feel I have the best of both worlds and look forward to retirement giving me the freedom to stay in France longer if I want to. I would like to wish those returning home good luck, I am sure you will be happier for having spent some time in France, it does not mean you can never go back, but you can be sure you can earn some decent money whilst deciding, which in turn gives you freedom. I think money is the key issue unless you are happy living on a lot less. Everyone I have met that are really happy in France are over 55 years old, perhaps they have been there ,done it, worn the tea shirt. maybe thats the answer.

[Logan]

An excellent and thoughtful reply Vervialle.

Our lives are about making choices and sorting personal priorities. I think most Brits who come to live, retire or work in France accept financial rewards will be sacrificed for among other things a form of inner peace no longer found in pressurised Britain. Life in rural France at least, gives you time for reflection and time for yourself and family. The cost is materialism and I suppose it can only be decided by the individual if that price is worth paying. Some of us could never accept such a compromise. Inevitably some folks who do try make a choice that it's not. The rest of us who stay are quite sure that it is. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ejc]

Very interesting topic, we recently bought in dept 79, our initial plans were to move permenantly next year, but on reflection we have a business here in the UK that is growing and needs our attention - and we don't want to go and be forced back by lack of cash. So we've decided for the moment we'll use our home as a holiday home, airming to spend as much time there as possible and to be able to retire there in due course, but not to go until we know we have enough passive income so that we don't have to worry about income.

[le bouffon]

Ejc just one question when will you yourself think that you will ever have enough,and life is about choices you want to make you fortune in the UK than you cannot live in france it is that simple for most people. 

[Debra]

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[Val_2]

Selling up and going back to the UK seems to be in vogue at the moment, I have been told about three households here who have their homes on the market so they can return to the UK. Two are elderly and have no relatives etc here and family back there and the others cannot make a go of it financially and are going whilst they still have a bit of money left.

[le bouffon]

D64 that is the point when does someone feel that they have enough to live on and at the same time stop bemoaning the fact that they cannot come and live here in france,it is a life style choice,and like I said you make your fortune then come and live in france so you wait a longer time making money or you take what you have ,taking in what you say an amount that one could live off?

[Missy]

Turning the table on the subject of going back HOME… i.e going the opposite way that most of you are considering going...

Iceni, you are saying:

>>It is YOUR life. Please find enough love and enjoyment with each other to make it all worthwhile. I bet if push came to shove your kids would do what they wanted rather than what you wanted - regardless of the consequences<<

That’s just it. It is MY life and unfortunately, try as hard as I did, I found out in the last 15years, that there is no longer much love and enjoyment with the other half of this marriage so I am pushing for my kids to do what they want to do in their lives and not to worry more than a second about me.

I still have some financial constraints to comply with, here in UK, but the minute that this is sorted out and over: I am off back HOME… to France !!…

The consequences…:

To the OH?… Gutted of course but he’ll cope, he’ll have his own family, his mother, his local pub and his bike club and won’t even notice beyond the week that I have gone!…

To the kids?… They are quite focussed on their chosen paths for their lives. I make sure that my phoneline and Email are always open for them, for any problems they wish to discuss and they know I would go and see them if they wish me to do so, but they also know one thing for sure :

This is MY life and I am looking forward to the next new adventure….

As Laotze says:

>>Hard as it is, one needs to be independent of one’s children. At least you are living an interesting life that they can come and share for a holiday and you have loads to talk about when you do get together<<

Which will be my primary intention once back home! The children can’t wait for all those free hols!…

I can’t think there is a hole in the CV either, as MWJ says :

>>I guess these returnees have the experience of living in another country but they also have to start all over again within the UK economic system which is ever changing. A big hole in a CV is not always looked upon with favour in a competitive environment. The going could be just as tough as the one you are leaving<<

The fact that I, you or any other person, have been able to live in a foreign country, to manage and sort out a home, to cope with a strange language, culture and laws, to create a business or held a job and carry on a social life, to me that is an enormous bonus. At an interview I can see that this person is willing to put him/herself on the line and is able to ADAPT…

As to ChezShells I wish them all the very best for the new chapter of THEIR lives. May they go towards it without fear…..

[Debra]

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