We love living in Devon, but also love France, especially the south coast of Brittany. However, as we live less than an hour from the Plymouth - Roscoff ferry, we can enjoy both.
Proper storm today here in Devon, but it can be lovely.
Thank you to all who've responded. It does tend to lean me back to the Allo Allo side of the channel but also remind me that winters there, for someone like me, can also go quite high on the Anorak scale. I am going to have to do some more research, and I mean boots on the ground research.
La Rochelle was mentioned. G's niece is at college there so a week of exploring that region is in order. It's close to the sea so a big plus for me but this would mean wet winters. I have to get over it.
Peter thanks for that tip and link. I am just discovering the French Morgan scene and have joined Vinmog. This has led me into contact with Jims who not only has a Morgan but a Jodel D9! What are the chances of that, given there are only a handful of D9's in the world?
So it's pretty clear I will have the flying and the motoring interests catered for whatever the final decision. And crossing the channel from France is a doddle compared to the trip from Vienna.
But as the Twiglet years roll on, the medicine cabinet more crowded, the pilot's license invalid, the Morgan less driven, the garden overgrown, the moggy a fond memory, the memory a fond memory! the grandchildren no longer visit (cue violins) - where would you rather be? In a culture you can call your own or a culture you've dropped in on?
I can't contribute as not having been in a similar plight but reading your post I think your mind is already made up in favour of France and perhaps you seek confirmation of that?
Keeping your other half happy is important and as you both get older and spend more time with each other that's a key consideration. If you went UK and she hated it then it might lead to other problems.
Trust your gut feel, me sitting here in miserable UK weather creates a bias.. And as others have said its only a hop away.
But as the Twiglet years roll on, the medicine cabinet more crowded, the pilot's license invalid, the Morgan less driven, the garden overgrown, the moggy a fond memory, the memory a fond memory! the grandchildren no longer visit (cue violins) - where would you rather be? In a culture you can call your own or a culture you've dropped in on?
I think you know the answer to this one. I supervise my elderly parents (86 & 90) who are still very independent, but I recognise that all they really want when times are hard is someone to hold their hand. I'd hate to not be able to do that for them.
Whether my children would feel the same is another matter..!!
You can live anywhere you wish but ultimately it's not all about you. It's about sincere & close friends nearby, your family the same. This takes many years of settling in and becoming part of the community, where language can be a big barrier at times.
About a decade ago I was a thousand miles from home and involved in a road crash. If it wasn't for someone helping me out from laying on the road to going through a very scary hospital with no English spoken, I would have been very frightened.
I can't contribute as not having been in a similar plight but reading your post I think your mind is already made up in favour of France and perhaps you seek confirmation of that?
Keeping your other half happy is important and as you both get older and spend more time with each other that's a key consideration. If you went UK and she hated it then it might lead to other problems.
Trust your gut feel, me sitting here in miserable UK weather creates a bias.. And as others have said its only a hop away
Steve it is almost made up in favour of France and and there is no plan that can't be changed should circumstances change. What might make the difference, whichever way we decide, is the ability to go to Australia (once fully retired) for a significant part of the European winter. That would get me through. But then comes the day when one loses the energy or ability to keep doing that. Just thinking out loud. And you're absolutely right that if the other half is not happy then we are definitely in the wrong place.
But as the Twiglet years roll on, the medicine cabinet more crowded, the pilot's license invalid, the Morgan less driven, the garden overgrown, the moggy a fond memory, the memory a fond memory! the grandchildren no longer visit (cue violins) - where would you rather be? In a culture you can call your own or a culture you've dropped in on?
I think you know the answer to this one. I supervise my elderly parents (86 & 90) who are still very independent, but I recognise that all they really want when times are hard is someone to hold their hand. I'd hate to not be able to do that for them.
Whether my children would feel the same is another matter..!!
You can live anywhere you wish but ultimately it's not all about you. It's about sincere & close friends nearby, your family the same. This takes many years of settling in and becoming part of the community, where language can be a big barrier at times.
About a decade ago I was a thousand miles from home and involved in a road crash. If it wasn't for someone helping me out from laying on the road to going through a very scary hospital with no English spoken, I would have been very frightened.
Friends of ours sold up and went to live in Spain 10 years ago basically for the better climate, after 10 years they returned to the village as they were just so homesick for the friendships they had missed. The village we live in is a particularly close community so this would not have helped them transition I have to add. Steve's point about the fluency of language in the twiglet years I think is a good one.
I don't envy you your decision Kerry, to us it was very straightforward our family is all in this country and having worked overseas in many locations this was the only one we wanted to rear a family in.
2009 4/4 Sport Henrietta 1999 Indigo Blue +8 2009 4/4 Sport Green prev 1993 Con Green +8 prev
We love living in Devon, but also love France, especially the south coast of Brittany. However, as we live less than an hour from the Plymouth - Roscoff ferry, we can enjoy both.
Proper storm today here in Devon, but it can be lovely.
You know, right now, and this explains this thread, I would give up Mary Berry's fish pie for a storm like that. That's weather! You get a storm, it blows, it rains, then the sun comes out. What we have had here for going on six weeks now can not be described as weather. It can only be described in terms of grey, not even fifty shades of but rather degrees of grey, all below zero with the sun refusing to appear - who can blame it - because below is grey on grey. And under that a deeper shade of grey.
This came to a head yesterday. All day in Budapest where the fog was so thick you could cut it into blocks, throw it into the Danube and watch it float away with the slabs of ice. Standing for hours in the ice and snow, walking miles carrying gear, rude officials, only to spend a few unrewarding minutes with a couple of wannabe dictators who are out to poison their societies with their poisoned personalities. Got home after midnight, crawled into bed, knew I was not enjoying it any more.
Devon makes me sigh. The walk along the cliffs from Budleigh to Ladram bay on a beautiful May day in 2004 will always be with me. France or Devon, it will be ok either way.
