JohnRoss Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Yes we had the Horsham singers here a few years ago, very good. Examples of other musical activities. http://www.saint-maixent-lecole.fr/ (Click on culture on the left) Enfants du Monde every year is very good with free street performances as well plus Bach à Pâques .......JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Don't forget you can use Internaute to get an idea of towns, and the opinion of locals.For Maricopa's suggestion for example there is http://www.linternaute.com/ville/ville/accueil/425/loches.shtmlbut you can just change the name of the town.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikep Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I suggest you have a look at Evian or Thonon, on Lake Geneva. Evian is about your size, nearby Thonon bigger and busier. Both are less than an hour from Geneva airport (Easyjet plus others), you have beautiful lakeside scenery and with the Alps just 20 minutes away. Both have railway stations and a ferry across to Lausanne for the Swiss rail network.Both are old spa towns with interesting architecture and polite, pleasant inhabitants. We live in the mountains half an hour away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaud Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Albi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Have you noticed how quiet I have been all day?That's because I feel overwhelmed by the trouble you have all taken to answer my post.JR, I do wish to see St Maixent and Norman, that link was useful although it didn't show every town I entered into the box.I have now made my list: all your suggestions are on it. I shall work through the lot and, if any of you spot a likely property in your favoured locations, please, please, please let me know!The days are getting shorter and househunting time is limited!Jen, Cendrillon and Renaud, special greetings.............I'm bound to catch up with everybody sooner or later! [kiss]Many, many thanks to everybody who have replied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 One of the things I liked about Loches is that you can buy cheap shooting sticks in a traditional cobblers, and the shop even does riding crops for controlling the distaff side.[6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Distaff side, indeed, Wooly. It would serve you right if you never find that nice little wifey because you don't deserve her!PM, BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Who needs a 'wifey', or even a 'wifelette'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 I thought Dog was the only person on the Forum with a wifelette? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 [quote user="sweet 17"] The days are getting shorter and househunting time is limited![/quote]Have I missed something S17, have you bucked the trend and sold your existing house?? If so how and where did you advertise?EDIT, having read the thread now I can say that I personally think that Cognac and Jonzac would hold a lady of your intelligence interest for a day trip (max), not a life... I don't know the other places except Bordeaux where I would happily live in my retirement, what about Archachon??Panda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Hi, Panda, how are you? And the Sprog? Is it half term in the UK as well?Arcachon? Do you think I am made of money or what?No, no sale yet but haven't tried. Neighbour (Brits) sold in about 6 months.Thought I'd just look around and, if I still have any money in the bank, buy something anyway! What the hell, the money can't do worse than being stagnant in a bank back in the UK, don't you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 HelloAll good here thanks, sproglet is loving school in the UK, he's full of enthusiasum for school again which is all I ever wanted. It is half term here yes.Glad your neighbours sold easily good to know, I will want to sell some property sometime in the not too distant future so I'm hoping for a sub 18 months sale as is being quoted to me as average at the moment. Anything will sell at the right price I guess.Arcachon is lovely, you might need to buy smaller but the right area is more important than size for me and if you live by the sea outside space is less important, still worth a look. I even saw one on one of the aution sites once so you never know! Panda xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnRoss Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Good luck in your search Sweet 17. If you do come to St Maixent L'Ecole then you could try La Marmite especially if you like galettes and crêpes though they do other things as well. Map here http://www.resto.fr/restaurant/saint-maixent-l'ecole/restaurant_la_marmite/59113 It pays to make a telephone reservation for lunch as they are popular and get fully booked quite frequently!......................................JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachapapa Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Fontenay-le-comte with Niort & La Rochelle as your two metropolises.La Gare for popular culture.Vouvant for the twee & meet the fluffies.Venise Verte for hot summer days.La Tranche for bracing sea breezes.http://www.ville-fontenaylecomte.fr/Videos.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 JR, everything sounds good about St Maixent. Have even had a PM about it from another kind member.Panda, I am so happy for you about your son. You are so right to move him back for school. I am a great believer in a good education. Once you have provided that, then, with a bit of luck, they should be able to earn their own living and you can go on to spend their inheritance guilt-free.[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Sweet, I don't know what went wrong with the Charente Maritime, but I 'm sure St Maixent is indeed worth a visit.I was a teacher there for 7 years. In my opinion ; it's a small town that ticks many of your boxes.Great classical music concerts in the church, lots of fairs, vide greniers, nice countryside around, within easy reach of Poitiers or Niort, ( come for coffee one day !!)Another nice restaurant there, the asian one, don't remember the name, last time we went , we were enchantés .( The pizzeria's really worth a visit too.)Please google ( image) " le puits d'enfer " , a very unusual country walk, great., with a waterfall, you'd have a feeling you're in the mountain, and it is a conservatoire for wildlife. The old town has charming little streets , with shops.If I were you, I would not consider anything south of Saintes, too hot.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogslegs Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I thought you wanted somewhere not too hot or too cold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Another one for the mix:LA FERTE BERNARDTicks most of your boxes, I reckon.[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Deus Sevres is not too cold!!For me; cold is the Creuse, the Ardennes, etc, but not DS.I am like sweet17, neither too cold nor too hot for me.I'm from the south east but would never ever go there again, tooo hot in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booboo Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Hi Frenchie, could you please tell me exactly how cold its gets there in the winter, does it drop much below zero and stay there for long? the reason I ask is my partner and I are thiing about buying a town house there and are looking at costs for heating this.. It has storage heaters and a open fire place.Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booboo Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 SORRY... st maixent l ecole that si.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phylisbide Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 How about Montignac in 24? World music festival in summer; not completely off the map in winter; some good restaurants; lovely river running through (Vezere) and pretty countryside around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Still no useful additions from me Sweet 17, but I'm really enjoying looking up all these places. We aren't looking to move, very happy where we are, but looking costs nothing.We are in the south, and as Frenchie says,it's too hot in summer (and this last summer was very hot, according to locals), but as we knew that already we had no intentions of spending summers there.There seems to be a lot of music and lovely countryside around many of the suggested places - lovely.GG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnRoss Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Booboo the weather here is somewhat variable but I would say that as a rule we have some heating on in our house starting this year about now, though other years as late as mid November. Usually only in the evenings, only 2.5 degrees last night. As I have said you can get a warm November and not need it. We burn about 6 steres of wood in our stove during the winter months and the need for heating has usually gone by early April. Probably use the wood burner about 4 to 4.5 months a year. For evening only heating at the beginning and end of the Winter season a turbo paraffin heater seems to be adequate. In St Maixent itself I suspect the temperatures are a little warmer, we are located on high ground a few kilometres outside of the town. Last Winter we did have one night at -12 and in 2001 it went down to -17 but such low temperatures are exceptional. In mid Winter -5 Celsius minimum at night is more typical. Not many daytime hours stay below zero as a rule. There must be a web site that can give you a history of temperature for St Maixent. As I say I suspect the town itself is significantly warmer in Winter than where we are located. I suspect that Niort, even more low lying than St Maixent, is probably warmer still........................JR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just john Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Much bigger than your 20k but Angouleme has all the activity you might want, in its own micro-climate second only to Provence, but cooler in summer, motoring, cartoon /art/animation and gourmand festivals; surrounded by beautiful villages/small towns, Riberac, Villebois Lavalette and Aubeterre. Its own airport (luton in season) and in a quadrangle of other airports; on the Main TGV route Bordeaux/Paris; Not to mention the rivers trip and chocolate Factory! Romanesque churches and history bursting at the seams. Sipping distance of Cognac, worth a look anyway[8-|] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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