Live in France? Join us for a gentil thread

[TheAccidentalExhibitionist]

So how about a lovely supportive, information sharing thread for us mumsnetters living in France?
I've been here for two years, this is my second time living here so 4 years in total.
I have my moans about France, the paperwork, the driving but other than that I love it

Our nearest market is like that.All my neighbours in their flowery pinnies and housecoats remind me of how my Nanna used to dress in the 1970s.
We also have a plant stall that sells trays of cabbage ,sprout plants etc.
What's strange though is that it is cheaper to buy the fully grown onesfrom the supermarket.

Sports Direct is great .I got Lee Cooper jeans for fussy DS2 -£11.
The Celio ones he likes are 50e.Also got work boots for DH and a neighbour .Delivery approx £4.

There are some brilliant markets where we go, though they're a lot quieter in the winter. The best things are super-cheap and very nice fabric (including lovely waxed stuff for tablecloths as well as dressmaking stuff from which I made all DD's school uniform pinafores last year), flower seeds (mixed for jacheres in a range of sizes from short flowers to very tall) at about 5 euros for a huge box, dried fruit (massive selection including things I have never seen anywhere else such as candied kumquats, cubes of fantastic soft coconut, sour cherries, strawberries, every kind of tropical fruit), all goose and duck products imaginable, saucissons secs in all varieties (even donkey, which I have not yet tried - the best is the one with tiny cubes of foie gras throughout), bags and clothes - got a lovely smart tiny bag with loads of compartments in supersoft leather for 11 euros last summer, hats (last purchase was a very smart black straw trilby affair), nail polish in every colour and finish for a euro a bottle, lavendery things, gorgeous bars of savon de Marseille in every scent imaginable (I buy loads every year and they are great for Christmas presents for teachers etc). In the big Eauze market, there is a fabulous traiteur section where you can get things like paella and couscous and quiches and puddings and other delicious treats for less money than ready meals only with twice the flavour. The fruit and veg at that market is amazing in the summer. Lots of local stuff but I especially love the little flat peaches from Spain.

Also, Mara des Bois strawberries which are just the best variety I've ever tasted. I ended up buying a load of plants for our English garden as they are just absolutely amazing - very sweet and highly scented and so strawberryish that they're almost like strawberry jam. Incredible fruit.

Sounds wonderful Herisson, though I am a Gariguette woman when it comes to strawberries.
I have heard that there are some villages where the older ladies go to the boulangerie in dressing-gown and slippers, but have never seen it myself.

For those of you who live in SW france (Dordogne, Lot down to Toulouse) I can highly recommend Sterling Shopping ; their delivery schedule is listed.

You can get your ASDA order delivered to their depot in Northamptonshire and they bring it down 2 days later; you just meet the van at heir nearest drop off point.
I have booked it for Xmas food shopping. Will be getting mince pies, pudding for DP Countless tins of beans. Curry sauce & paste. They just charge 20% of the total order.
I also bought DSs pampers before he was potty trained as they were so eye wateringly expensive here.

Other really useful things is they do a crate of small items for £21. Then you can take advantage of all the tiny bits and bobs on eBay for low uk delivery or amazon for free super saver delivery. Will make Xmas shopping so much easier.

The other thing they deliver is English paint for about £27 for 10 litres. i cannot believe how expensive paint is here, i have seen 100 euros for 10litres of Dulux (and not the same quality)

I have also bought some bedding and housewares from Argos

I don't work for them by the way, i was just so delighted when i found out how many places you can buy from

Waitrose and Tescos included

I have also noticed that everything has become much more expensive here in the last 10-15 years :(

I use missmysupermarket.com for my Tesco deliveries, I buy things that are cheaper than they are in France. He adds a few pence onto the price of things and I pay £10 delivery, it still works out cheaper than buying porridge etc in France. He also delivers cheese, bacon and sausages and my beloved crumpets.

Hi all,
Living in Gers for 9 years now (lived for a year in Nantes and a year in Paris before). Still love everything to do with France and the French. DC in 4e, 6e and CM1. Asked DD1 if she'd like to study in Ireland and she absolutely wouldn't- she likes to be considered totally French and won't mention her Irish half at all. Sob.
Great to see this thread.

Hello, I have been three years in Oise (60). Two DCs, CP and CE2.

alicia thanks for the link to missmysupermaket - they have 1kg packs of Cheshire cheese. We used to have a source in the little English shop in Objat, but it's now closed.

Got a very gabbled message from pole emploi that I didn't see until Saturday afternoon. Rang the number this morning, and it's a maternity leave cover for a local Mairie. Have to ring again tomorrow as the person wasn't there. Weird, I can remember the job being advertised, but by the time I'd thought it over, it had been taken down. So, I'm crossing my fingers......

tb he's very good and fair, he upgraded my crumpets for me last month because the ones I wanted had too short a use by date and would have needed to be eaten on the day they arrived at my youse, and he didn't charge me any extra.

Anyone else a fan of Frederic Lopez?

Hello Raptorrethy, how do you like Picardy?

Hi pillowcase! If we move, we would be going to the Gers or nearby. We go every year and are lucky to have a house we can use for holidays so spend several weeks there in the summer and usually a week at Easter and sometimes October half term too. How do you find it? We have quite a few friends in the local area and have so far found that people are really friendly and welcoming.

Herisson, I absolutely love it. We're in a pleasant place and find people really friendly. Kids are all involved in clubs, as are we and the people are welcoming. Of course, we're miles from real shops or things-to-do, but you know that already I guess.

When do you decide if you're moving?

You are not far away from where we go, pillowcase! We stay near Estang when we visit, and in Gers terms that's practically neighbours. Yes, we're well aware of the isolation and lack of actual things to do, but that's partly the appeal. If we do move, it would probably be this summer, on a rental basis for at least a year. That would give us a little while to acclimatise before plunging into school etc (I tend to find it takes me at least three weeks to get back up to speed with speaking French). But this is dependent on me passing my driving test (not yet booked but I think I'm getting there).

squidgy I placed a next order on Saturday afternoon, just cheap leggings and tops for my toddler. The free delivery arrived this afternoon, out here in the sticks. Wasn't expecting it before Thursday based on the four working day thing - brilliant service. Thanks so much for letting us know!

While we're on the topic does anyone know of any British shops that deliver DIY and building supply stuff to France? We're in the middle of a restoration project and losing the will to live with French prices and quality.

Screwfix deliver to France and there are some companies that provide English paint.

herisson,
DS has played against Estang in football!

I do think renting for a while is a good idea. I've known quite a few people who have come and gone in the years we've been here. Some because they're sure they'll pick up work, but don't, some for other reasons. One couple who bought a house still haven't sold after years of trying--not an ideal situation.

How old are your kids? Most schools around here are used to having one or two English kids in each class, but don't necessarily speak English. However they're always delighted when new people turn up with kids because it keeps the smaller schools open.

Hi clearsomespace - I'm a bit to say that we have not explored Picardie very much...been to Amiens and Compiegne etc and some more local places. Picardie is nice but the scenery does not blow me away, iyswim...it's sort of flat and foresty! Do you know it?

Pillowcase, I have just one kid, in Y2 in England, only just 7 and she only has very very basic French. She is doing a French club at school and can conduct extremely basic conversations and she and I do a little practice most days at remembering words and having little conversations. Work wouldn't be a problem. DH is very freelance and all over the country and Europe with his jobs, and DD and I hardly see him anyway. Being in France would just add a day either side of his jobs and we'd just see him for four days less a month. The rent on renting our house out here would cover the small remaining mortgage on our London house and probably pay for our rent in the Gers if we rented fairly modestly (but worst case DH could cover rent and mortgage and bills if we ate plenty of lentils etc). DH could never work in France. He just hasn't got the language skills for his v specialised job and I am not convinced he could acquire them. I currently have a job I could do remotely but one of the reasons for thinking of moving is that I think it might disappear soon. I may get a reasonable redundancy payment, too, which would be a useful thing.

I think we would do it for a year as an experiment and see how it went. If it didn't go well, we'd have lost nothing and DD would have gained some valuable language skills. If it did go well, we'd reassess in a year and see what we felt (including the views of DD who is currently half in love with the idea and half terrified - these are also my feelings).

I absolutely wouldn't buy anywhere unless definite on a long-term plan. My aunt has been half-thinking of selling her house in the local area for some years now and has received some really quite low valuations!

Did your son win against Estang? I have to tell you, I'm rooting for Estang here, because my friend up the road from where we stay runs the local butcher (the old one, not the new one) and there's a man in the car park by the restaurant who sells me lovely strawberries from his garden even though he is a bit ancient and I think he ought to be having a bit of a rest.

My main worry is DD and school, really. She's an only so would be initially a bit isolated (though if I wasn't working I would have more time to be with her). But she is a child who positively loves being sat down and told to do things so might not mind the French education system too much....

What an essay!

Quick hello because it's late here (as you will all know) - am in 76 (Normandy) and have been for 15 years - any year now I will have lived here longer than the UK.

I have 2 DS and a French husband, I also have French nationality, it took 2 long years to apply for it but it's worth it to vote and also worth it to tell people who think there are too many immigrants that actually it is a ridiculously long process which first required that DH prove he is French and provide his parents and grandparents birth certificates...

Otherwise, I also work in FE - but in an IUT, which I think are the bees knees and a million times better than the shambles which is the rest of our university. The courses are great, really practical and the students go on to get really good jobs and have great opportunities. Oh and the teachers are pretty dedicated too

I'm a lifer because both DH and I are civil servants so would be mad to go elsewhere.

DS1 is in CM1 and DS2 in CP (and amazingly we are not being told off for him being able to read already!).

hello to all the posters who I "know" from elsewhere (and all the others too!)

Raptorrethy I've been living here a couple of years. I haven't explored much either, most weekends are spent on DIY at the moment.

Herisson, my dcs have be overwhelmed by how friendly and welcoming the kids are in rural France. The schools who are not used to expats at all have been so accommodating and I am amazed at how many teachers speak English. She won't feel isolated for long, if at all.