smithyandlisa

We're with Chris'n'Julie/Jenny and Charlie. We retired early, and have been here just a year now. We knew our budget was tight, so live accordingly. Our fruit trees were harvested last Autumn and their treasures either stored or frozen. That was a great success. All our blackcurrants became jam. Just planted our first potatoes, to be followed by all our other vegetables. We'd never done any of these things before having previously been city dwellers. And yes we now both have workers hands. We plan on drinking home made parsnip wine this year. Would we change anything/head back to the UK?? NOT A CHANCE! We went over for 5 days last week to see the kids. Couldn't wait to get back home. We love, love, love it here. S&L

RedMonsk

Glad to hear you're loving it so much!

We are also planning to grow veg, which should be interesting as green-fingered I ain't!!!

smithyandlisa

First one to get a boiling of spuds wins the ribbon then!

G-J-B

Bah humbug to all of you with a bit of soil outside your house!

smithyandlisa

Just 'Googling' How to grow humbugs........

G-J-B

You take one cup of bitterness, and into that you seed green envy and jealousy, and the humbugs thrive!

jenny and charlie

We are planning a vegetable plot and to have some laying chickens as well. I have never managed a veg garden before (city dweller) so it's all new to us but we will try our best

RedMonsk

My mum hasn't quite thrown herself all in to country living. Despite having 3 acres, she has decided against chickens as they are meant to be noisy and smelly!

Le Chant

They're neither. Well looked after, they're quiet, (apart from the egg-laying bit), content, and not smelly at all. Source of great amusement, funny, full of character and you'll never buy a shop-bought egg again!

It's the cockerels that are noisy, but there are ways and means of quietening them too!

RedMonsk

Even if they were, I'm sure she could find a quiet corner for them! If we ever end up with a place with a reasonable amount of land - I would give them a go! You can't beat a fried egg after a few too many beers!

smithyandlisa

We were planning to have 'choocks' too, just for eggs. Our French neighbours offered to look after them if we went away, but we decided not to bother. Our potatoes have been in for more than 48 hours now and not a single spud. Hope they're OK.

G-J-B

I buy free range eggs, but we have a friend who has a place in the country and she gives us some fresh eggs from her place every so often - huge difference in taste!

Andrea50

Here we go again with the Daily Mail having a great time with doom and gloom!

Well, here's our story in a nutshell. I had to return from France (south of Cahors) in 2006. Didn't want to come back, ever since have dreamed about returning. No amount of doom and gloom in papers would stop me. At last, we have just got back from Brittany, having signed compromis on last day on (for us) the perfect little property. Chateau it aint, but it's lovely, cosy, small, easy to heat and run (tax fonciere 109 euros A YEAR - my flat here is that per MONTH!).

2 acres, 10 sheds (ouch, Pete's doing his nut), edge of sleepy village (La Feuillee), stunning views, etc blah blah. We are walking on air.

But have we been daft? Nope. Have we worked out everything possible money-wise? Yep. Do we know we can manage no matter what might happen? Yep. Do we need jobs? Nope. So yes, we are lucky. But we are also realistic, well-organised, sensible and not after a high life by the pool with beaucoup de vin etc.

Realism and making sure you can cover yourself if unforeseens arrive is SO important.

Yes, we'll have chickens and I plan to grow veg again. Can't wait to get my hands on 2 acres - what bliss. Already a small verger (orchard) with lovely trees, land has been organically worked up to last year, more new fruit trees, a big field as well. But I have still budgetted for "proper" food, all the outgoings are covered, got a contingency pot of money because we didn't go for the much bigger better house, bought the small easy one we loved anyway, and will have a good £25,000 in the bank plus a flat here to rent.

Am I worried by the Daily Mail? Nope. They can sling their hook!

If you have a dream, just work it out properly. Plan well, do your homework, work out what you would do IF certain things happen, if you would have to come back if your job fails, decide whether you could accept that. You can live a dream but you can't fund a lifestyle with one.

Common sense and good planning and accepting that you might not be able to have those Gucci shoes anymore - make a list of everything you can't compromise on, and work out how to afford it. And accept it's no good crying over spilt milk once you are there. And let's face it, it's quite a good time to buy over there.

And living in England is beyond our means now - so we will go to a place where it isn't. Job done!

Happy Wednesday to all.
Andy

G-J-B

Hey Andy, that's fantastic news - I'm really happy for you. I hadn't expected your dream to become reality so soon! Sounds like you got yourself a real gem.

Herman

Are you retired? We are in our mid 30's (well my wife is, I'm 38) and one day would like to escape the city rate race for a quieter country life especially now we have a toddler and another due in May. However, my work is very specialised (financial services sector accountant), I enjoy it and I can only find work in a small handful of cities in the world, the flip slide being that that I can always find pretty well paid work in those cities. In France its Paris, which is where we are now. We did not benefit from the property boom in the UK, quite the opposite really as we bought our first house in 2006. So much as we would love to do what you have done, without the capital, no other sources of income, without fluent French and with a very low probability of finding work we are resigned to having to wait a good 20 years or so before we can escape.