Ewood

Nice animals, unless they don't like you in which case, run.
What did you use to 'meet the locals' Tres, when you were in France . I'm relatively new here but i gather you're back in the UK after living in France, but that's about as much as I know

Ewood

A high forehead didn't put a dampener on Yul Brynner's exploits between the sheets

Andrea50

Ewood, what's up m8? Not blubbing are you? That self-defacating image doesn't suit you dear! Where's that brash git who put that Dead Dodgy pic of me on here, in a compromising situation with a chainsaw?

I can't imagine you playing Bingo either, unless everyone was covered in mud and wearing Blackburn Rovers shirts .........

Ewood

Self-defacating!!!!!!!!! Blimey, i don't want to think about that image. Self-deprecating maybe?

I like to keep you guessing Andy

Andrea50

Drat, self-depracating, THAT's what I meant, sorry, going soft in the head.

Suppose it could have been worse, I could have said self-decapitating .....

Ewood

Groan. Not that chainsaw again?

treskillard

I've just spent a year in France and I already spoke fluent French as I'd lived the Dordogne through the late 80s and 90s. So that did make it easier because I could just start by saying "Hi, I speak already actually because etc" which gets a bit boring. So I did alternate with "When did the last working horse leave the area?". When I first moved over to France I had to work and everybody was French. A year of agricultural work and oddments and then English teaching. Really teaching English was a great way to learn French. I was constantly working at simple vocabulary and forms of language and I couldn't help but learn how these were done in French through the kids and fear! So, I'd say offering English lessons or conversation at the least would help that. The other thing that teaching did was got me to meet such a wide group of local people that would have taken years if not generations ;-) to meet otherwise. I was also really nosey - I mean fascinated by the world I had moved into, the words, the way things were done, the manners, the farming, the woods, the history - it all enchanted me and the people who knew most about it were all local and I really wanted to learn. That sounds really self-satisfied but it is true - I mean that I really wanted to know what people had lived through because I wanted to feel at home. Are you in France or UK?

Ewood

UK sadly. Ideally would like to be able to flit back and forth, mainly for family reasons, but for aforementioned family reasons, not going to happen for a good while, whatever the financial state of the union.

For me, getting into the local way of life, learning about the differences and mixing in, that's what its all about. No point in leaving somewhere if all you want to do is recreate it elsewhere IMHO. Admittedly an expat isn't going to become French, ever, but on the whole i think it a good thing to mix in

treskillard

Come on! Who'd want to be French anyway you'd end up surrounded by Brits all wanting to buy your plum conserves.

Le Chant

They can all keep their fithy hands off MY missus' plum conserves!

Matron! MATRON?

I've just 'blogged about a subject that touches upon the ex-pat's we sometimes come into contact with here in France. If anyone wants a look, then it's here - The Bistro Bus.

Ka Ora!

Interesting read, Funny I met some horrible Expats last night, Utter snobs whose justification for being better was being City Folk. I have not met anyone that I choose to dislike that quickly in a long time.:curse: No offense to any other city dwellers here.