The Poultry Keeper

Juju · Joined: 22 Oct 2008 Posts: 24 Location: Near Chartres

Well I've been here for 25 years - I married a native and have gone native myself! UK feels like a foreign country to me now although I do go back at least once a year to see my family and have always done so. I lived the equivalent of the rat race in Paris for many years, now I have a b&b and occasional translation work and I'm very happy in my rural environment with my husband, cats and hens. I left the UK in the early 80s, I can't imagine going back now!

Debbie · Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 113 Location: Moncoutant

we moved out here just over a year ago. We wanted a better way of life for the children. Sadly, my eldest decided the peace and quiet wasn't for her and she hightailed back to the bright lights of brum. The other two attend school here and are doing much better than in the uk. In school here, if you want to work hard, you are not seen as a nurd! I am looking for a job now as I am almost confident enough with the language, but don't expect to get much more than minimum wage. That being said, we live in the country and I am sure there are similar problems in the big cities. Life here is not a bed of roses, but it is what you make it, the same as wherever you live.

mojo · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 10:50 pm Post subject:

if you intergrate its a super place...........if you dont it can be lonely.......like all foriegn places

Elodel62 · Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 57 Location: North of France

Sylvia · Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:48 pm Post subject:

Can we have a translation please, majority of this Forum are English speaking. Confused

Elodel62 · Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 57 Location: North of France

wow... I thought you could understand french.... sorry! Laughing

To summarize, I was saying that I'm really impress by what you've all writen.
Smile

it's really deep and i'm glad to see how foreign people are pleased (or not) to live here, even if french people are not often frienly. Embarassed

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2671 Location: South Cumbria

I have understood most of it but not the last sentence Embarassed

not good for someone hoping to move there

Elodel62 · Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 57 Location: North of France

I think it's the same everywhere, ....

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2671 Location: South Cumbria

Thank you

Dusty · Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 1042 Location: St. Asaph

Mr D you've asked the question I came onto the forum to ask Laughing

France is where we are considering retiring in 2 years, (lucky to be retiring aged early 50's and mortgage will be paid off - 25 years seemed to be a lifetime when we took it on.)

I think it's like anywhere, if you are lucky enough to live in a small commuity which isn't affected by crime statistics then life is more relaxed.

I love Wales (where I live) but have found France to be more relaxed and friendly with better road network.

My schoolgirl french was accepted without any mocking.

It's a big move but as we won't be reliant on looking for work, then many of the stresses won't be there.

Even OH who finds it really difficult to relax chilled out in France this year, mind you we were by a canal -he's obsessed with canals Rolling Eyes

mojo · Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 2:16 pm Post subject:

dusty........find a canal with a canal preservation club nearby for him to join.......will have fun and improve french speaking

vanessa · Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 1269 Location: Correze

We moved to France to escape the rat-race. We've just notched-up our 2nd year here, and life is very different from in the UK. I tried explaining to our neighbours (who are all French BTW) the way Brits tend to shop ... at 90 miles an hour, without stopping to say a proper "hello" to friends they pass by. They just couldn't understant that at all!!

For us, it's space, pace of life, less traffic ... that sort of thing.

Sure, there are down-sides too ... but there are to life everywhere.

Patf · Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Gers, France

We have always liked hill walking, and had a cottage in the scottish highlands. But then came that terrible summer of 2001 when the british countryside closed down due to foot and mouth. Even the scottish hills were closed, though the disease hadn't spread there. So we came to France instead, and husband went walking in the Pyrenees.
To cut a long story short, we sold our scottish cottage and bought a cheap house with a little bit of land, (and 2 ready-made chicken houses) in the Gers near the Pyrenees, and became fulltime residents.
As we are both now over retirement age we can just about manage financially, though the poor exchange rate has hit us hard.
We love it here, but will probably return to the UK when we start to get really decrepit, because our hearts and roots and family are still there.

french hens Mike · Joined: 04 Dec 2008 Posts: 7 Location: nr Ruffec dept 16

In the uk I was a proffesional driver for 40 years working up to 15 hours a day, six days a week. (Not all driving, including loading, plus I was away from home 5 nights every week).

I wanted to get back to my roots (fur and feather smallholding, with vegetables and soft fruit), off a country lane.

Today 3 tractors went by and one car. IT WAS TOTAL GRIDLOCK!!!!!

Mike

NannyP · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:03 pm Post subject:

Oh yes, I completely understand.....we wait for hours at the junction onto the main road, looking for a gap in the traffic Laughing