I quite like the UK

[alittlebitfrench]

I have decided I quite like the UK.

The more I visit the more I want to stay. My 10 year old girl can't get over the fact that people are so nice in shops.

Why do the British want to move to France ?

P.S Enough with this negative Brexit talk.....when you look at the problems France has I think the UK will be fine in or out. There is just a completely different mentality in the UK compared to Europe.

[woolybanana]

which UK?

[alittlebitfrench]

All of it I suppose Wooly.

What France do the British like ?

[woolybanana]

Varies according to taste, nqf.

[alittlebitfrench]

Well, I blame French forums for bringing the UK down. It is not so bad. As you know Wooly I know France, and I don't think the UK is as bad as people make out. France vs the UK. It is a difficult one.

P.S...what does nqf mean ?

[woolybanana]

never quite French!!

[alittlebitfrench]

Gotcha

Good point.

So what is being 'completely' French ? I know my OH would move to the UK in an instant. Is she nqf ?

[EuroTrash]

I quite like quite a lot of the UK.

Some bits nobody could like because they are sh1te-holes.

Some bits aren't sh1te-holes but I still don't like them for whatever reason.

Some bits I like a lot.

I could live there no problem. Well I did, for over 50 years, But there were things I didn't like about it, and I fancied a change and I tried France, and discovered on balance I prefer it.

Each to their own. If you want to live in the UK, why not? You don't need the forum's permission!

[woolybanana]

nqf, have a look at Dover; paradise on Earth, so they say!

[alittlebitfrench]

Wally, is it as nice as Calais ?

Having said that, Calais vs some cliquey British encave in Eymet !!! Calais vs some British enclave in Limousin. Calais vs some (insert some weird British enclave in SW France of your choice) !!!

Tough one ...... NOT !!!!

I would prefer to live in the UK. I can personally go into ASDA rather than ordering food online and having it driven halfway across Europe to eat it.

[EuroTrash]

"I can personally go into ASDA rather than ordering food online".

No you can't. Nobody who is anybody personally goes to Asda these days. Your new neighbours will be judging you on how many Asda home deliveries you get per week. But woe betide you if the delivery driver ever skids in the snow and leaves a tyre track in the neighbour's lawn, happened on the twee estate where I used to live and the feud lasted for years.

[alittlebitfrench]

I took my little boy to the Spitfire museum in Southampton today and it was such a pleasure. He was beaming when he came out. The people running the place were so nice and took such time to show him around. You won't get that type of attitude in France. Just driving there was a pleasure without the worry of being killed.

I have been to the Grand Palais in Paris and it is naff beyond naff and costs five times as much.

Maybe I am getting old but France is becoming to hard work.

[woolybanana]

Asda, you must be joking; Waitrose or Sainsbury's at a pinch.

[Chancer]

Had some delightfull French customers this week-end, married couple but probably not to each other (2 cars different plates) they took in the sights, they went to visit "Le petit train" a tourist attraction (not) from WW1 and went on the return sightseeing trip, they said they have never met anyone in their life so miserable and surly as the 3 staff on the train, they are used to rudeness and incivility but were aghast that people working in tourism could be so far beyond any of their worst expériences, they said not one word of commentary or explanation was given the whole time, the train stopped in nulpartcampagne, the guys got out and started smoking and gobbing off, the bemused passengers not knowing what to do after a while went for a look around and the train left without them, all of them [:'(] They wrote in the visitor book "manque de dialogue" I would not have held back.

 

Several times a week I am met with the question "can you recommend a good restaurant?" by someone bright eyed with anticipation, my heart sinks but I have to smile and try and put on a positive air whereas all I want to do is say FFS DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! luckily they find that the restaurants have only remained open for the pleasure of telling customers that they are closed and they return with pizzas from the distributeur automatique that gives the best customer service experience in the area [:D]

 

Had 2 couples stay recently who asked could they have take-aways delivered to the apartment, it was really hard to keep a straight face, perhaps in another 200 years they will be able to or maybe Amazon will send up drones from Paris to deliver.

[NormanH]

I have a bright wheeze[geek]

Why not change your pseudo to

alittlebitbritish

And find a Forum about life in the UK to post on?

[andyh4]

But he might need TM's permission for his OH and kids to live there post Brexit, if the current UK proposal becomes UK law.

[alittlebitfrench]

@ Chancer......that was very funny. I bet the automatic machines do give better service. Although I bet the machines are still programmed to spit the pizza out so quick that you can't catch it and it lands on the floor upside down. The machine then makes a gallic shrug type noise, lights up a fag and complains about how hard it works.

@ Norman....I am thinking 'alittlemorefrench' for my new name. What do you think ? Might get a couple of tattoos to match as well.

[Chancer]

I have just had a brilliant idea[I]

 

I am going to smash a hole in my side wall, buy and install one of the pizza machines, that way the customers can have a delivery service and I will get all the passing trade that would otherwise have to go into town to the other automates.

 

You might think that I am joking about the success of the machines but there are always big queues beside them at all hours of day and night and they dont refuse or insult the customers or throw abuse at them when they leave, I have so many boxes left in the tri that they will no longer take them, I do a déchetterie run with my trailer every couple of weeks. 

 

Maybe a fish and chip machine that takes £'s only [:P]

[idun]

Been to Wales once since we've been back, had a lovely time.

I live in England, and I am happy here. Even if the £ strengths, I reckon that we are better off financially than we would be in France. Last time I was in France, I found so much expensive and I don't think our standard of living would be as good.

And if things do go up post brexit, tant pis, je m'en fiche. We'd just get on with it..... and if we end up back in France, well I was happy there too...... but I accept that nowhere is perfect, so we would be fine.

[Judith]

Quite Idun.  Likewise.

We are currently in France because we wanted to move out of London and couldn't afford the house we'd like then in the UK in an area we'd like to live in. 

But time moves on, and like you any rose-tinted glasses I had on are slightly smoked now - some superb things about France - healthcare, reasonable access to clean countryside and comparatively empty roads to drive on, including autoroutes - all this excludes the Ile de France without saying - and some nice places to eat out and some stunning scenery.

BUT, and it is a big but - quite a few of those things can also be found in certain parts of the UK, house prices are stabilising with all the Brexit furore, and if you are really worried about healthcare you can go private (after all you do have to pay for really decent healthcare here in some form or another.).

Added to that, the lack of language difficulty (usually), much better customer service than in France, an easier succession regime .... to name just a few benefits.

Swings and roundabouts, and one day, like you, we may decide to return to the UK.

If, because of Brexit, we are forced to, though that is unlikely, it would be some other cause I think, I for one would go back, perhaps not entirely happily, but with an understand of life elsewhere which is always a boon.

[alittlebitfrench]

I think if we did not have half French kids and French family, we would move back. I struggle to think of one good reason to stay. Like I said earlier, France is to hard work (fed up fighting all the time) expensive and to be fair.....quite boring. There is so much more to do in the UK......especially for kids.

I have seen nothing change in 21 years in France so I can't see anything changing in the next twenty years.

[idun]

wow, on my 27 years there I saw lots of changes, and still do.

Need to fight quite a bit in the UK too these days.

NOWHERE is perfect!!!!

I am a very practical person in general, and don't get pink and fluffy emotions about anywhere. IF ever I was perpetually unhappy with where I was living.......lol even who I lived with, I would move on accepting that nowhere/no-one is perfect.

I have no idea what half french kids would have to do with it. I have known people move to the UK with kids born and brought up in France and it has been fine.

[woolybanana]

NQF, don't let the kids be the excuse for not doing something; they are quite young, I think and can move more easily now than later when they are in exam cycles.

But, be sure what you are getting into - the UK ain't perfect and the immediate future does not look so good whereas, as we all know, Saint Macron will change everything over night and make it Paradise. You will know when this has happened because the Calais illegals will disappear into France and there will be a camp at Dover for the illegals trying to get to France on trucks etc!!

[cajal]

When you do eventually rock up in the UK here is a forum where you can b.itch out all day as to why anybody French, in full possesion of all their faculties, would want to live in Kensington.

[Chancer]

You are in Hampshire I think, why not go along to the ex-pat meeting in Southampton on Saturday and meet some people who will no doubt remove any lingering doubts, from the photos shown they are all your age as opposed to the inactif crinklys on French forums.

 

Glad to see that you have done some soul searching and are being honest with yourself, for yourself and the kids it can only be a win-win situation, for the wife well I have no knowledge, and rightly so, if she can find a job worthy of her talents and that values he being bi-langue then another win-win I reckon.