Club Arnage

Came across this on Yahoo.

No comment!

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=49750&cl=3181331&ch=334515&src=news (http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=49750&cl=3181331&ch=334515&src=news)

I like the 35 hour week, but I don't like the "No Paid Overtime !" Holidays don't pay the bills now do they.

They have a much better work/life balance than us lot. Managed a whopping 2 hours with the wife and daughter this weekend! Work work work- its all I ever do!
 I'd move to France tomorrow if I could get Mrs Sconefinger to go- she's having none of it.

We did and I ended up commuting to the UK to work as I can't afford to not work >:( Not complaining as I agree the system allows for a better work life balance overall and the kids love the schooling system there but if you do have to work the salaries are considerably lower than in the UK, the tax is higher (especially if, like me, your self employed); but the social benefits are very good and jobs are harder to come by, especially in rural areas. We are all back in the UK until September, but given the choice, I tend to prefer it on the southern side of the English Channel ....

Mirrors my weekend my friend, Mrs VQDave and VQDave junior were sadly lacking daddy this weekend too, its 'cause we both work for ourselves......but i do get more time with my daughter than most i think as i can generally be flexible and work funny hours. Every Friday morning we go to Monkey Music which is nice  8) which i couldn't do in a 'proper' job.

Yea I think the French have the right idea, working 35 hrs/week - Great.

Also great place to live as there is more space, just think, I could buy more old cars and platforms  :)

Knew a guy who brought a place near Magny-Cours, old farm house, 7 acres, pool walled garden, 3 big barns. All for £150,000 (mind you this was about 5 years ago) He sold his house in the UK and was going to live of the interest and small amount of work on old cars he did.

May do it in a few (hundred) years time, just need to learn the lingo,

yup.. me too..

we finalised our house in france on LM weekend (thats why I couldnt make it) but a nice three bedroom granite house with 880 sq m of land and a huge (re roofed) barn for 87k euros all in (all fees etc)..

its a holiday home for now.. but in the future we plan to vacate our little island and head south of the ecrehous! (little crop of rocks south of jersey.. see link)http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/United_Kingdom/photo82307.htm

My pal lives near Cahors and is always telling me of 5 bed farmhouses with paddocks and barns that can be had for £150k. Not only that but the local Garagiste has retired and locals now have a 80km round trip to get their cars fixed at some dreadfull quick fit place. They told Bill they would collectively buy the garage for me if I moved there. My wife has much to answer for!

"mange tout Sconefinger mange tout"

France is a lovely country and they have a good lifestyle and laid back attitude, but I do sometimes worry that the French don't really understand the outside world and what's happening elsewhere. This "insular" charge gets bandied at the Americans but the french are just as bad IMO. The 35 hr week is coming to an end, Mr Sarkosy will be putting a stop to it very soon along with other restrictive working practices. France cannot compete on the world markets if it continues and Sarkosy, and i guess those french who voted him in, realise that we are no longer living in the protectionist 1950's and 60's. IMHO, the country looks pretty moribund in places and France needs dragging into the 21st century screaming and kicking. That's not to say that some of the wonderful rural settings need to be modernised or destroyed.

FWIW, I sometimes think the the massive influx of British into France might be spoiling things somewhat. I'm not having a go at those CAers who've made the move, such as Termie/Fagey/RS2babe/Lynx etc, and who've clearly made every effort to integrate on a local level. But recently seeing HP Sauce for sale in a shop in the Dordogne was really very disappointing.

Our new chums in the bar in Champsecret said that 1 in 10 of the houses in and around the Village were Brits! They welcomed it though and said they had all integrated very well.
 One of the reasons I want to move to France is to get away from Brits, although its a certain element of British society I want to escape from- you want to worry when you see The Sport, white track suits and Turkey Twizzlers Andy- I can live with HP sauce!

We are in Charente Maritime (17) and are told there are lots of Brits there, but we have only ever found 2 families in 4 years of owning the place, that said, we don't go out and look for them but integrate with the French, after all, it's their country. Our local L'Eclerc recently gained a 'British' section but thankfully it's limited to things like soups, Heinz Baked Beans and biscuits. In general it's pretty hard to get some of the things we like from the UK but over Easter we went to Murcia in Spain for the week (freebie at brother in law's holiday pad) and it was awful! What seemd to be 'English housing estate on sea' and the shops sold pretty much only English/British food (so we took the opportunity to buy some things we miss and take them back to France) and all the pubs resteraunts seemed to be owned by the English/Irish .... France has a L-O-N-G way to ge before it gets like this ....

Except HP's made in Holland these days.  ??? Globalisation for you I guess, but it doesn't taste the same as proper "Aston Relish", a large supply of which i have at home from before they shut down the Birmingham factory.

Hooded youth is an international problem Jerry, the French have chavs too, though I'm not sure if they're called "Les Chavs". The Dutch call them Jornies (or something from memory), according to the DfH guys who pointed out some nice specimens in Rotterdam.

Surely nobody would miss Heinz Baked Beans enough to pay £1 a tin for them. ::)

Termie, you've been left behind! Heinz are rubbish these days. Branston Beans are the future. Much richer tomato sauce. Get with the program!  ;)

I think I'll stick to my Haricots Verts fried in duck fat and garlic.  (Oh, and Andy, please, not that awful pic again.... ;))

I take all your comments, and boy.. do i love HP sauce (first thing to pack), but if you want to enjoy it.. live like a local when you are there..

roll on july 14th as we have been invited as VIP's to the village bastille celebrations.. lunch.. fete on the footy pitch.. then a ball in the evening.. bring it on!!

and the houses are something else.. Voila!!

Oi Fagey- those bloody French Pikeys have made off with your upstairs windows mate!

dont worry.. the local three legged, one eyed, terrier/doberman cross breed called fifi nabbed them and had a word with their soft bits ;)

Andy has it right with Branston Beans though

And because no bugger ever heard of them I can get a four pack of them at a local supermarket for 99p

Now I go all plaintive 'cos Mrs Perdu won't hear of dashing across the water to Normandie, and some of the houses I have seen are screaming out for my attention...

I mean, a double garage in the downstair section that must have been a coachhouse once upon a time, three floors and a view of the sea to kill for. All within a fair sized courtyard with gates.

For little enough that I could sell up here go there and live off the difference until its time to pop off.

 :(
bill

Why the greenhouse on the front?  ;D

Grapes or Tomatoes?

Perdu, the Normandie sea air will love your Midget- it will rust before your very eyes!
 Sorry to hear about the errant husband RS2, maybe thats why Mrs Sconefinger won't move to France?

Why the greenhouse on the front?  ;D

Grapes or Tomatoes?
[/quote]

now that would be telling ;)

They look like tomato plants but......hold on- whats that smell? ;D