People come and people go
- This topic has 181 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 3 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
“Fillon will be new president, he will not work miracles, but may be able to change just enough to stimulate the economy.” Love your optimism, bo, but America in general and the rest of the world thought Trump was a joke and wouldn’t get in, why couldn’t/shouldn’t/wouldn’t the same thing happen in France with Marine Le Pen?
Macron wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
I totally agree with you tigre.
We are only in our early 60’s but life threw us a screw ball earlier than anticipated so going back is an option but one we will gladly make
I hope it all works out for you Andrea. My post wasn’t suggesting that all Brits should pack up in later life and move back to the UK, I was simply making the point that often people don’t take in to consideration what life may throw at them and moving home is expensive and often stressful, so it helps to get it right, which means being honest with yourself and practical. Not always easy, as our hearts can rule our heads when it comes to buying property.
We all make our choices to suit our own situation. I don’t really compare costs between France and the UK, as we live in France we live to what we can afford here and I have no idea if what I’m buying is cheaper or more expensive than it would be in the UK to be honest, but if we were thinking to move back there then I expect I would do as part of the research beforehand.
I do know that there is no way we could afford to by anything, not even a beach hut, in Kent where our girls are for the same money that we would pay for a house here.
What I find most different from the UK and like about my life here is the slow pace of life, lack of traffic, brilliant health care and the countryside where we live – but, as I have said, we each have our own priorities, set of circumstances and what is important to us, which all go towards us making the choices that we do.
I did not intend to insult anyone’s choices but was rather trying to say (possibly badly) that for me the choice was clear. Of course there is beautiful countryside in the UK which I have experienced myself having lived in Cheltenham and the Cotswolds. I do not think therefore that any apology is due and I wish each contributor the best but I maintain that the optimum quality of life that I can achieve here is better than anything I would likely be able to achieve in the UK.
Tigre’s point about aging and healthcare etc. is of course valid and each person will adapt to the circumstances that life throws at them. Often the written word is misconstrued or perhaps too hastily written but forums are forums as I well know from experience. I am obviously once again in my personal ‘danger zone’ whereby in defending the way of life that I have chosen I can get myself into trouble.
Of course life in the UK has it’s attractions. The main sacrifice I have chosen to make is that I do not see as much of my family as I would like but as we are very close we manage to survive. Maybe the time will arrive when I depart these shores but for now I prefer life here for the reasons originally stated.
Once again I sincerely wish each individual the best for themselves. That all said I will continue to offer my opinion when I choose to contribute here.
I didn’t think you’d said anything that was insulting TIR or to apologise for, aren’t we all just giving our reasons for the choices we’ve made or will be making? We each respect the other and the choices made for the reasons given I believe. My/our choice and reasons are akin to your own, but, like you, I respect the choices made by others for their own reasons.
TIR, as Fruitcake has said, you have nothing to apologise for. What has made you think that?
I didn’t think any of the posts insulting etc
Luckily we are all individuals and have different opinions.
I have wanted to move back to England for quite some time now and as I have said we didn’t think we would be stopping over 33 years here but we have. We all know when or if it is time to go home no matter what the circumstances and if like some of our friends decide to stay then that is your/ their decision and I respect that. For us it is time to say goodbye to France – have the t-shirt etc and I would love to come back on holiday to see my French friends in the sheepdog world and maybe compete in another sheepdog trial here without the stress of all the paperwork needed just to live here.
The health service here isn’t what I thought it would be – in St Malo – and I know others have better memories than me but it is what it is and I will never forgive the Drs and nurses at St Malo hospital lying to me and giving us false hope and then throwing him out of the hospital as they did .
The NHS cannot be any worse !!!
It is a great shame Andrea that after all your years in France, the health service was left wanting, when you most needed help and support. I can well understand your wish to be back with family etc and we have returned also because of health reasons. My husband cannot drive anymore, neither can I,because of an operation I’ve had since returning, my right eye doesn’t function correctly, and I’m not able to drive or fit to as confirm by my doctor.
I look on it as another adventure, another page in the book, it’s not of my making, but we are having a lovely time in Northumberland, it’s a beautiful county, with loads of castles, views, sea views etc. The people are welcoming and, although we miss France, we had some wonderful times there. I was concerned how I would manage on my own, without a bus service, one could become very insular. I would not wish to become a burden to anyone!
I wish you every success in your move Andrea and wish your husband continuing good health, I have to say we have received exceptional care in the 6 years we have been here. We bought our first holiday home in
France , in 1985 , and I agree then , we lived very well indeed, with the French Franc .
England like most countries, has nice bits, lovely bits, awful bits. Its not utopia. Worst bits are, infrastructure is poor, housing is overpriced, healthcare can be hit and miss, as can education. France on the other hand has very good infrastructure, good over all healthcare, decent education system and plenty of affordable housing, its also not utopia. I lived in Norfolk, incredibly boring county, if I had been born in the Cotswolds or Shropshire, Wiltshire, I may have still been living there. The best things about England are healthcare whatever the quality, is free and social care also a bit hit and miss, is also free if you are of limited funds. One of my daughters is studying in the UK at the moment, she won’t eat the super budget cheap stuff, finds decent food expensive, finds sports facilities expensive, finds the cinema expensive, finds football match ticket prices ludicrously expensive ( used to 8 – 15€ a game at Caen), not £85 at man united, finds public transport expensive. Her Brit neighbours are all on benefits, always making loads of noise, city centre is full of Brits sleeping rough. She doesn’t want to stay in the UK, and thanked us for moving to France when she was a tiny tot. Four of our daughters went back to the UK, one lasted three months, one lasted a month, one was back here in just over a week, and the one studying will be back as soon as her course is finished. With Andrea, I can’t understand if you miss England that much, why did you stay in France for so long, and also if your husband had received top quality treatment at St Malo, would you still be going back. Problem is, your husband could have received terrible treatment back in the UK, plenty of people do. Friend of mine had a cancer op in an NHS hospital, five day stay in a hospital over here, two days he had, then given a bag of painkillers and sent on his way, told to ring local doc or community nurse if he had any problems. My father of 83, had stones, couldn’t pee, doc had catheter bag fitted, gave him nothing to break up the stones, did no other tests. I went over picked him up, brought him over here, my doctor couldn’t believe the treatment, couldn’t understand why follow up tests hadn’t been done, and why catheter had been left in. My father is stuck now, dragging a bag around which he may not have needed. Social care in England, is three half hour visits a day from a care assistant to make sure you are not dead.
Nicely said BV,
Kind Regards All,
France it has to be said, is as much a post code lottery as far as health is concerned. We had a friend who had a hip replaced here, it broke apart and after a year he had it replaced….it broke again. Court cases followed, in the meantime the stress and pain killed him. Wonder how the press in the UK would have put that across to the public?
Housing in France is not cheap if you want a nice home near where decent work can be found. Three of our kids came with us, two lads went back for Uni and stayed in the UK, one now has his own home, second rents due to London prices but they have very good jobs. Daughter stayed, has an excellent job paying very well. She split with her French partner and invested her part from the partnership in to a newish pavillon. My point is that kids anywhere can do well, the lads love the UK, in particular the South coast, my Daughter loves Rennes (not cheap). The two lads who went back to Uni also found things tough, very few students have parents with enough money to make Uni life a breeze and things will be dear but if hopefully it pays off, then the rewards can be very nice for life.
One thing life over a long time here has taught me, the people are ok, just like in the UK, the not so nice people in the UK are just like not so nice people here. We like our life here and we like our ever longer stays in the UK, oh and we like stays in Spain. I do know a lot of people that I am sorry to say sold up in the UK, spent lots on their dream place and now as time passes by, find that they would like to go back but financially sadly it is now not a player as their only chance now is a mobile home, or a place in the back of beyond at best. I really and sincerely hope that is not the case or ever will be for anyone on here.
You well know that it is the case for some people on here Sid Davis that their only chance now is a mobile home, or a place in the back of beyond so I find it rather sickening that you feel the need to gloat. It is very largely by chance that people’s circumstances are changed but most happily accept their circumstances and bravely make the most of the options open to them. The need to feel smug does not occur to them whatever choices they have made or had thrust upon them.
We all have our own experiences and situations to draw from regarding a life here. For me personally I moved here in 2004 and have never been back and have no desire to. Looking at English TV mostly and judging from commercials for the supermarkets, yes food costs do appear to be lower than here, especially meat and cheese which is very expensive here. On the other hand, adding my Tax Foncieres and Habitation together it is still less than I was paying 13 years ago for a smaller property in the UK. The same is true for my water. Add to that cheaper diesel and no car tax, very few parking charges unless you go into cities, free hospital parking etc etc, it is my belief that overall it is no more expensive to live in France depending on your lifestyle.
My experience of the health service here has been second to none having experienced my wife’s care during terminal cancer and having gone through heart surgery 7 years ago and the ongoing consultations. I have always been able to get an appointment with my doctor the same day when needed and within a few days for prescription renewal. I have no children, just a sister in UK who I keep in regular contact with via phone, skype etc.
Life here is far from perfect, it is not Utopia but for me it is vastly superior to my lifestyle in the UK and how I envisage it would be now based on other’s experiences and what I read and hear about in papers and TV (and no, I don’t believe everything I see and read)
It is horses for courses, you only get one life so live it where you are happiest be it here or there. At least for the moment we are lucky enough to have freedom of choice!
My experience tallies perfectly with that of John P.
Going back for me is not an option. I have no family tugging at the heart strings and don’t fancy living in a tiny flat in some dodgy town where it isn’t safe to go out at night. Don’t fancy a two week wait for a doctor’s appointment to sit there and talk to the top of a doctor’s head while he shuffles papers. Don’t fancy having to pay to park everywhere I go and be observed by spy cams 24/7. I only rarely go back to UK and that is to collect shopping that I can’t afford to have shipped directly to Brittany. The last time I went I decided to visit Kent to see my oldest friend. I was apalled at what had been a very pleasant place to live. It has mostly disappeared under a layer of tarmac being just on the main route from the Tunnel to London. Never again.
If anyone goes back to live in a place like that they must feel they have good reasons and shouldn’t be criticised for it. I agree France has its niggles but the life I can live here simply can’t be had in UK. I don’t have a few hundred grand in the bank to buy a nice place in the country or in a “safe” neighbourhood.
Well said shapeshifter & John P, I completely agree.
Like you I wish those going to UK to live all the very best, but after 16 years here we have become very French in our thinking. All in all I think costs are about par, but if you take into account the things that do to have a price tag. It is my thinking that we are much richer indeed. I shall remain
finally… Bill… I have found a suitable Avatar & just need a couple of days to figure out how to change it over
Same with us n&d.
Nothing wrong with the avatar you have, nice boat
TIR POSTED You well know that it is the case for some people on here Sid Davis that their only chance now is a mobile home, or a place in the back of beyond so I find it rather sickening that you feel the need to gloat. It is very largely by chance that people’s circumstances are changed but most happily accept their circumstances and bravely make the most of the options open to them. The need to feel smug does not occur to them whatever choices they have made or had thrust upon them.
TIR that is totally out of order. I have no idea of people’s circumstances on here, in fact I have only ever spoken by Private message with one other person on here and they seem fine.
I don’t do gloat, I was putting my own personal side to the debate and if you felt it was gloating then sorry, what should I post, all the things that we struggled with here, I can do that. I can tell you some things that cost us in the early days though terrible fonctionaires advice. Oh we had problems alright, we like so many, had no forums to help us , all we did to get anything right was by trial and error. It is a doddle now to get free advice and good luck to them as well.
If you felt sickened then so be it, it was not intended post to sicken anyone, if it affected you in such a way, then for many they would be happy that we as a family came out the other end, kids like most ,will need help now and again, it is not all rosy, even now we have to work at keeping the family from tough times.Smug me? Not in a million years but TIR you should look at yourself, you accuse people without knowing them personally and read a post that was not intended for gloating or smugness, totally wrong from my perspective. I honestly feel sorry for you, you appear to be an rather angry person who perhaps doesn’t like anyone to do any good? Me, well I would like everyone to win the Euromillions and not me, like my friends, happy for anyone who does well and offer a hand up to those that need our help.
As I said, you are well out of order, we have helped more people that I care to remember to get out of serious problems here, some even knocked us for loans but it never knocked our faith in helping others.
Sid Davis……….please do not make assumptions about my character or beliefs. Most people who do good towards others usually do not feel the need to crow about it. None of us know exactly what the other has been through.
You know full well that there are people living here who do not have a realistic chance of buying an affordable property in the UK. I was naturally surprised therefore to read that you felt ‘sorry’ for anyone who was not in a sufficiently healthy financial position to return and drew my conclusions.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
