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gil
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415
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sean
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon
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hardworkinghippy
Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 1110
Location: Bourrou South West France
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 Posted: Thu Jan 31, 08 9:58 am Post subject: |
 
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Crikey, Simon, I thought you were very happy where you were. 
Here in Bergerac, we get very hot spells and in winter cold snaps which never last long. To be honest they're very welcome because they help control pests and our animals' internal parasites.
The weather's generally mild and very comfortable and we're outside almost all year round. Gardening here is a pleasure, although we've had drought on occasions and I don't know whether or not that's a long term thing. 
The "English Abroad" society that you speak of exists anywhere in France where houses and land are available. The South West is full of English!
I'm fortunate because I've a ready-made French lifestyle because Fabrice was born in the village and that makes it easier for me to fit in - although to be honest I'll always be treated as a foreigner and "lumped in" with les Anglais. Apologies to all English, my remark is in no way racist or nasty, but there are a lot of English who get up people's noses but there are also lots of newcomers who are French and have started to complain about our way of life disturbing theirs...
If you're not happy then move, but make sure that you have a good few like-minded folk around you - whether they're old French peasants who appreciate what you're up to or new age Frenchies or English or whatever. Having other people helps your energy levels in the same way that having Downsizer helps a lot of us to stick with our daft (according to other people) ideas and ideology.
People who have ideas like ours need to search out like-minded folk, I've got loads of commitmnt and tons of energy to change the world (well my bit of it anyway) but if you don't share those ideas it soon becomes a real struggle.
I've met a lot of great people through working in the agricultural college and if you can get out a bit and meet them, there are plenty of people who are proud of "slow food" and positive about d�croissance (downsizing) and you won't be seen as a freak. The people we spend time with are very cosmopolitan and mostly bilingual and I find that helps me a lot to stay on an even keel. 
I think that that's what you're looking for, and you'll find that where there's a lot of incomers or in a university town or if you're lucky you could find an established "green" community to become part of.
I'm not advertising, and I'm not in a hurry but we've a bit of land - about 5 acres with a "start from scratch" ruin on it for sale with outline PP, I can send you details if you like or we can help you to find something near here - but it's expensive in Dordogne and it might suit you to try Lot et Garonne or even further south.
It takes a long time to build up contacts and friends - bear that in mind (I'm sure you have) before uprooting for pastures new....
Irene x |
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vegplot
Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd
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Blue Sky
Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France
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Blue Peter
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes
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Contadino
Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 190
Location: Puglia, Italia
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| Posted: Thu Jan 31, 08 11:28 am Post subject: Re: Where in France |
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| Blue Peter wrote: |
| Contadino wrote: |
Here, if you make your place in the country too urban, you'll get robbed. It's as simple as that. 2 weeks after building work finishes, you'll get robbed and they'll take everything even if it's nailed down. You put a pool in, you'll get robbed. You put up a satelite dish, you'll get robbed. You rip out a vegetable bed and put in flowers, you'll get robbed.
I couldn't condone it, but it's a great way of keeping the rural lifestyle. |
Do you mean robbed by (otherwise law-abiding-ish) locals? or by the local crims?
Peter. |
I wouldn't want to speculate. It's a very thin line between 'otherwise law-abiding', 'local crims', and Mafiosi. |
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Blue Peter
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes
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Contadino
Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 190
Location: Puglia, Italia
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dougal
Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent
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Ebyss
Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 50
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Vanessa
Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324
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| Posted: Fri Feb 01, 08 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Simon, we're in the Correze, and probably have fairly similar weather to you. We only tend to have snow once a year, and it doesn't NORMALLY lie for more than a day or two (although last year it was here for a fortnight!). We get cold nights, and some cold days ... interspersed with some warmer ones. Spring comes early and is warm ... summer is normally fairly hot ... autumn long and mild.
We had the same battle as Contadino ... each time a new Brit family moved into a seemingly huge radius round us, we were told of their arrival (or of their existence, if they were already there before us); each time we said we didn't know, and weren't really interested as we wanted to learn the language - the more Brit friends we make, the less we'll have to try, and the longer it'll take to learn properly. They now seem to have accepted this, and no longer announce new arrivals  |
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Monsieur Hulot
Joined: 07 Mar 2007
Posts: 7
Location: France
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Blue Sky
Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France
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Lloyd
Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699
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