Thread: Pom in France (how do you like dem apples??)

Originally Posted by JJF

I live close to Toulouse, to Albi

Hmm,

Looks pretty good. So, we have you with a cathedral town, Jonzjob down in Carcassonne with 'undreds of castles and you have us.........well we have a chicken house or two and a very impressive greenhouse (yes i did build it).

There is a chatux in a local small town and a folly about five kilometres away. It was extended by a couple of French guys. They also extended themselves. Too far as it turns out and went resoundingly bust before it was finished. So most of it is just a facade. Only the original house has a front, back and sides. Most of the roof is still there. The council have just taken it over so it may be restored to its intended glory and be right famous all over this part of France.
Mercerie.jpg

Apart from that its just village life, very peaceful and hopefully, perfect for a couple of old codgers in retirement.

Being as it's show us time here is a nice site that shows Carcassonne. It really is an exceptional place and we get loads of you 'down under' guys up here looking around and holidaying on the Canal du Midi.

Carcassonne - A guide to the city

That is one heck of a cathedrial in Albi init JJF. Buils at the end of the Albigensian Cruisade to show just how powerful the Catholic church was then. That cruisade was a very nasty time for the Cathars weren't it!

An impressive little house there Gus! I'm surprised you haven't volounteered to do it for them free of charge mate If I may, I will make a suggestion about the photo. It looks as if it's several stitched together? If it is and you used the auto exposure settings on your camera the light can change as you pan, so it's a good idea to put it on the manual setting and use the setting that you get on one of the auto exposures. that way, as you pan the setting stays the same and the photos will all have the same shade of sky. Sorry if I'm teaching you to suque les œufs mate

Originally Posted by Jonzjob

If I may, I will make a suggestion about the photo. It looks as if it's several stitched together? If it is and you used the auto exposure settings on your camera the light can change as you pan, so it's a good idea to put it on the manual setting and use the setting that you get on one of the auto exposures. that way, as you pan the setting stays the same and the photos will all have the same shade of sky. Sorry if I'm teaching you to suque les œufs mate

I just press the little button the top John. I will not get into the sort of exposure I know about

What? A bit like this???

Originally Posted by gus3049

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome. If you were living the dream, why did you wake up? I would need a very good reason to leave here. Maybe there is something further down south that equals it??

I didn't want to wake up I assure you...

My customer base was 80% expat an 20% local meaning I was heavily reliant on UK and Dutch clients. Despite being French speaking I was English and viewed with deep suspicion by the locals.

Any how, the reason for leaving was that after four years I could no longer afford to support my (predominantly) British clientele who couldn't understand why I wasn't 'living their dream' and actually wanted to be paid for the work I had done and that matched the devis they had accepted.

Typical scenario;

Excited email asking for quote for hand made solid oak stair case... Go measure, issue quote, quote accepted but no deposit. Forget quote.

3 months later, frantic call 'we are coming down next month, sorry about deposit, have transferred money yesterday, need staircase. Only there for two weeks'

So, get wood, make staircase, bugger up other job in process.

Confirm with client, balance on installation.

Day of install, have you got money ...'yes, of course'

Install stair, happy..'yes'...money...'err just got to go to bank'

...'problem at bank, will transfer money when we get home...'

And so when someone offered me a job in Dubai I decided I had no choice but to leave France.

I deeply love the country and will get back soon, and, I'm pretty sure we will retire there in 15 years.

Originally Posted by cadas

I didn't want to wake up I assure you...

My customer base was 80% expat an 20% local meaning I was heavily reliant on UK and Dutch clients. Despite being French speaking I was English and viewed with deep suspicion by the locals.

Any how, the reason for leaving was that after four years I could no longer afford to support my (predominantly) British clientele who couldn't understand why I wasn't 'living their dream' and actually wanted to be paid for the work I had done and that matched the devis they had accepted.

That sounds all too familiar. However, I have been lucky enough to be accepted by the French in spite of being deaf and hardly speaking any French!!! The Brits have, on average, been terrible, but there have been enough good ones to mean survival. Fortunately, my wife runs a Rose nursery so we haven't had to rely on my income alone.

Now I am getting a pension, the pressure is off a bit.

Hope you do make it back here.

Don't get me wrong, I was well accepted by the French, most of our good friends were local, generally farmers and being an artisan I was accepted by other trades. Plus, I could hold my own in the tabac.

It was when it came to business was the issue. One example was a lovely old lady from the town I had my workshop, wanted a new front door. My quote at 1000 euro was a little bit lower than the 2800 quoted by my French competitor in the next village. And he was only 27, not like he had been there years.

She went to him, and was kind enough to come and apologize, but she wasn't sure I really understood how to make French doors.

Originally Posted by cadas

Don't get me wrong, I was well accepted by the French, most of our good friends were local, generally farmers and being an artisan I was accepted by other trades. Plus, I could hold my own in the tabac.

It was when it came to business was the issue. One example was a lovely old lady from the town I had my workshop, wanted a new front door. My quote at 1000 euro was a little bit lower than the 2800 quoted by my French competitor in the next village. And he was only 27, not like he had been there years.

She went to him, and was kind enough to come and apologize, but she wasn't sure I really understood how to make French doors.

I had that problem with French Widows

Strange lot the French though, they actually expect to pay properly for stuff. I actually had one customer ask for a proper quote as mine was too cheap for what he knew I would produce. He thought I was doing him a favour and wouldn't accept it.

Originally Posted by gus3049

Hi all,

I have migrated here on the advice of a friend. The politics, bad vibes and general atmosphere in the UK forums have driven me both to distraction and finally - away. Hopefully, this will be a friendly, interesting and informative place.

The only training I have in woodwork is related to musical instruments, I have made guitars all my life but finally learnt how to do it properly fairly late in life. My main interest now is woodturning but I still get involved in antique repairs (er...and making)

Professionally, before I retired (in theory) I made and installed kitchens, doors, windows etc and made furniture. I now spend my days working on our rambling house here in France, enjoying the local product of the grape and making lots of woodshavings for the chickens and cats.

We grow most of our own food and enjoy our village community which feels a bit like the UK did when I was young. A sense of belonging, being responsible for each other and actually treating each other as human beings rather than statistics. Before I left the UK, it was beginning to feel like somewhere I no longer knew or wanted to be part of - perhaps the forums just reflect this.

Anyway, I look forward to some community here.

I very much like the impression I get of - maybe rural - France ... from Australia ... and I like their old tools

How did you choose your location?

Cheers,
Paul

Originally Posted by pmcgee

I very much like the impression I get of - maybe rural - France ... from Australia ... and I like their old tools

How did you choose your location?

Cheers,
Paul

Hi Paul,

We just followed the money!!

My wife used to live in this area before she very foolishly decided to meet this wierd bloke she 'met' on the internet. She knew an antique dealer who bought up the local wooden produce and flogged it on eBay. As we needed a) somewhere to live and b) some income, and the dealer needed someone to repair the furniture, it just all fitted together.

I still do some work for him although that is now a very small part of what I do.

I never thought I'd end up in France. That was my sister's thing. Sadly, she died shortly after she moved here.

I have never regretted the move though and we are very happy and settled here. I recommend it. I can't say that the wine is actually much better than what Oz produces (watch the response here from Jonzjob) but it keeps the throat clear of sawdust. Foods not bad either.

Watch it you, or I'll set me dog on you In my one and only visit to Oz I had some very good wine thank you and went to the Sepelts winerie not far from Melborne and saw where the Prime Ministers wine was stored.. The biggest problem that the French wine producers have is the regulations they have, especially if they produce AOC wines. The grapes can't be mixed or matched from different areas. They have to be from specific vine fields. Some can't even be watered or fettilised.

We had been coming over here on holiday for over 20 years before we moved. It was something we had wanted to do for what seemed like ever. I took early retirement from IBM after screwing up my back at work. Bad reason, but good result because I was able to do exactly what I wanted to do, make wooden toys.

We chose here because it isn't particularly wet or damp. That helps the arthritis in my hands. It's also a lovely place to live.

As for the local wine. We are totally spoiled for choice and they are just so full of sunshine!

Originally Posted by Jonzjob

Watch it you, or I'll set me dog on you In my one and only visit to Oz I had some very good wine thank you and went to the Sepelts winerie not far from Melborne and saw where the Prime Ministers wine was stored.. The biggest problem that the French wine producers have is the regulations they have, especially if they produce AOC wines. The grapes can't be mixed or matched from different areas. They have to be from specific vine fields. Some can't even be watered or fettilised.

We had been coming over here on holiday for over 20 years before we moved. It was something we had wanted to do for what seemed like ever. I took early retirement from IBM after screwing up my back at work. Bad reason, but good result because I was able to do exactly what I wanted to do, make wooden toys.

We chose here because it isn't particularly wet or damp. That helps the arthritis in my hands. It's also a lovely place to live.

As for the local wine. We are totally spoiled for choice and they are just so full of sunshine!

Have you been asleep?? That took you almost an hour

Keeping you on yer toes!

æ I can't say that the wine is actually much better than what Oz produces (watch the response here from Jonzjob) but it keeps the throat clear of sawdust. æ

This is a whole other argument (discussion) right there. Oz wine v. French wine.
I might need a drink to help me think
My one point is I can afford Very good Oz wine, whereas to get Very good French wine I'd nearly have to re mortgage

Cheers (no pun i. )

Frank