Why France?

[scarey55]

I think Tony hit the nail on the head. I was born and bred in UK and most of my family are there and I love to see them but the UK has a much faster pace of life.

I love being in rural France (not for everyone) but I love it. Everything is calmer, slower and the shops close on Sundays (and Mondays in my local town) It took a little while to get used to but I like that everything stops on Sunday.

As my Father says, it's like it used to be in the UK in the 50's and I think that just about says it all.

As I said, it's not for everyone but it certainly suits me sir.

[trousers]

we cant wait ,not to be a slave to my trade, mortgage free,debt free,larger house and land for wellie to transform, i think in a word quality of life. oh and to be able to send piglet French Letters.

[Snadger]

ah ha - well I did ask and it sure got you athinking and following Snadger I went into Monty Python mode

It must have been cos I watched the Life Of Brian on New years Eve!

[piskieinboots]

me too sooo funny

[TonyF]

It's wet, grey and overcast this morning. J has just got up and is wandering round, we've just decided to go to the Sunday market in our local town which at this time of the year is almost tourist free. Sunday is a hunting day here but the hunters only kill what they and the commune eats.

I've been watching 'my' pair of buzzards wandering round in the canopy of the woods. There's an owl hooting somewhere, probably in my neighbours garden. And I've just watched 7 roe deer wander through the woods, stopping for a munch on the grass such as it is.

Yes, bestest decision ever!

[TonyF]

I've lived in France so long that the them and us is out the window. The cheap property prices are irrelevant. But would someone tell me how to get rid of the sodding clematis that has creepers bigger than a fireman's fist and that can climb up to 50 meters and live far longer than me. The next door farmers say I can only do it with Roundup. This can't be the basis for organic gardening can it? Don 't tell me I can dig the roots up because I wake up in the middle of the night with hands numb from trying to get the sods out of the earth

Where in France Traveller's Joy?

I know what you mean about the them and us. This is where we live and as far as we're concerned, we're all living here no matter where we originate from. Luckily, we both worked in very cosmopolitan environments in the Uk so we don't have a problem with multi-national, multi-ethnic communities - J and I both come from immigrants families as well tho mine is several hundred years back and French!

Is it the wild clematis you're having the problem with, the one with the insignificant flowers but that grows over long up into the trees? We have it all round us and only a small amount through a lilac tree in the garden. I think this may be a case of abandoning your principles and going for the chemical killer. I have to use it on the tree stumps in the woods as I can't dig out the tree roots and it's too awkward to get a grinder on site to grind them out when we cut trees.

You will get absolution for one small transgression.

[piskieinboots]

we don't have a problem with multi-national, multi-ethnic communities

amen to that

[Jardiniere]

wet and grey here too...so wet we decided not to go to market which is pity cos we meet up with further flung neighbours sunday am.
i wish i didn't have to go back to engerland at all but have three children and a grandchild who i do like to see and they all work (except the 3 year old) and dont get much time off for visits here.
when we first bought the house for holidays in 1991 it felt just like the 1950s but it seems to have moved on a bit from then...not certain what date we are now! But i think having the internet and sattelite TV satellite ? TV changes things.

Forgot to mention we have a wild clematis too (Travellers Joy?- named yourself after your sworn enemy?
its trunk is like a small tree and it winds up the side of the house - at one stage its tendrils reached the roof.
Once we got here full (ish) time we started to hack it back and just kept going so now the trunk is still there in the corner by the pig pen but it only grows a little - just enough to disguise the corrugated iron of the hen house. One day I will grow something nicer instead but little by little .