Re: Cold feet ?
 

I'm not at all worried about the 'Frenchness' of France , my mum came from a Chateau Gombert in Provence and we all returned each year for the long Summer holidays. After my dad died mum returned to France with us to live with her family for a few years before returning to the UK. I'm not looking for 'greener grass ' - just to be able to buy a suitable property in a beautful area outright and have a comfortable amount of rainy day cash so that we can enjoy our retirement. I have Fybromyalgia the severity of which comes and goes and although I could carry on teachng I'm completely wiped out at the end of the day. My hubby had a heart attack 10 years ago and semi retired two years ago , we are both on ongoing medication.

Yep we did consider Ireland - hubby was worried about not speaking French and thought this would be the easier option, we even went over there to look for a house, but beautiful as the Emerald Isle is , it's not for us ( I did'nt know that rain could come in so many different forms !!! ) I do know that Normandy and Brittany will not have the same climate as the Lot but it should still be slightly warmer than southern England.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

Despite what folk say the climate is pretty good in Normandy, it is currently 34 degrees outside we had one day of snow which was all of zero and a half inches. In contrast in the south we were prone to 40+ every year and when it snowed you felt like you where in the live sequel to Frozen and it tended to get down to minus 15 to 20 on cold dips.

You would find being on the outskirts of a village much more rewarding than being in the middle on nowhere imho. In the north it is easy to find a detached house for the price of a mitoyenne house in the south.


Sorry didn't realise but considering the OH has had a heart attack then sensible placement would be very wise, we have the Pompiers in the village but Smur have to come from the local hospital which tends to be the same everywhere as Smur will consist of one urgencies doctor and a nurse. In very remote areas some MT's are trained as Smur doctors as well. If you are in life threatening condition the Smur doctor stays with you until you get handed over to a city CHU or CHR.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

It is probably the same. In fact Brittany is worse in terms of rain and wind.

Given the choice between 'Lot', Brittany, or Normandy I would go for the 'Lot' and hope that you don't end up living next to the joneses. Even if you do, they will probably be more interesting to talk to than trees and grass and the odd horse. Really nothing to in rural Brittany or Normandy hence the house prices and why people only go there for holidays.

I would not move to rural France to get rid of a mortgage. I think a cheaper property in the UK is your best option.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

We don't have SMUR in our area. Our nearest Pompiers are 5 km away and if the Urgences of the Clinique in the same town can't deal with the problem, the patient is whisked 40 odd km away by the same ambulance, or helicopter in extreme emergencies.
OH had the Pompiers take him to Béziers last year and I wasn't allowed in the Ambulance and had to follow by car. This is another thought - if anything happens to the OP's husband, he'd be helpless language-wise until she gets to the hospital. Likewise he'd be helpless if she were to be hospitalised. Apart from deciding where to live, this would give me food for thought.....

Re: Cold feet ?
 

Not being allowed in the ambulance is standard practice (A) space issues (B) emotional issues "it can get messy" they don't have time to sort you out whilst giving care to the other party (C) you will need to be able to find your own way home.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

I know ;), but it was to make the OP aware of her OH's language problem....

Re: Cold feet ?
 

It definitely has its moments - I went for a walk on Thursday, was out for less than 3 hours and I'm still suffering the agonies of sunburnt shoulders. Haven't dared expose myself since :o.
But last year was a bit weird - a nice spring, an absolutely rubbish summer, then a heatwave in early autumn.
However, to my simple mind the fact that we grow apples, potatoes and cows makes it comparable to Worcs/Herefordshire where they also grow apples, potatoes and cows.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

I think this may be being exaggerated a little bit. If a non french speaking spouse remains that way into dotage then fair enough, but then what's the point of being in France? Barring unforeseen catastrophe, there should be time to learn.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

I have the post card teeshirt and an Oscar...

Re: Cold feet ?
 

Yes, but you speaka da French.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

Fair enough, but I meant it in the context of living far from a hospital, OP's husband with a heart condition and not speaking the language (yet). Which is why I suggested choosing to live within easy distance of medical facilities/hospital, and not in the sticks.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

Like they do in 37°2 le matin, thats a bit personal really....

Re: Cold feet ?
 

I agree. Just clarifying a bit.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

This is exactly the position my parents found themselves in. After his stroke, there were no speech therapists who spoke English, so basically he didn't get any speech therapy. Fortunately he was only there for 4 weeks.

Unfortunately we now have the situation where my mother is alone in a French nursing home and my Dad is living in a one bed-room flat in Medway. My mother is now very sick and it is hard to imagine how we are going to transport her back to the UK. Before that we have to find a suitable nursing home which will be way more expensive than the French one. However, once you get to certain level of income in the UK, the government steps in whereas in France, if you cannot afford it, your relatives (usually your children but sometimes the grandchildren) have to pay.
House prices in Brittany are terrible at the moment and most are selling at 2004 prices or less. We have other problems with my parents house so basically all the money they spend over the last 13 yrs has been money going down the drain.
Think very carefully about moving to France to retire.

Re: Cold feet ?
 

It begs the question how long do you expect to stay in France?
If anything serious happens to one of you you can always return to GB; Yes I know houses take a long time to sell here though we sold ours before it was even on the open market...
but how does anyone know what the situation will be in the future? If the OP wants to live in France for part or alll the rest of her life, and has done her homework, then she should do it. It is rare that a decision is made that means it can never be changed.

I don't know anything about showing dogs in France, just working sheep with them. It might be useful to buy some magazines devoted to this activity and read up on it. hOwever I used to run dogs in trials and lived in a corner f France. To get points towards qualifying for the Nationals I had to drive hundreds of kms at least twice a week and spend all weekend at the venue because of the distance. You might consider Normandy a bit far from everywhere else in this situation.
Northern and Southern French culture is very different but there are Brits just about everywhere. Whether you mix with them and how much is a personal decision and don't let anyone tell you how to run your life. I bought this houwe from a British couple whoo had been here 20 years and who insisted on using French and not mixing with the Brits. Both the French and the Brits thought they were a bit odd. However well you speak French you will not lose your British accent and everyone knows you are an étranger trying to be something yoyui are not.
Some Brits have to or want to go back because of long term health problems and I know of one couple who lost her OH and didn't know French so moved back...she took just over a yer to sell her home for a very modest price and found a flat in Sheffield for the same money. But who knows what the future will bring? Today you could pick up a real bargain.

If you want to live in France, go for it. It will only be more difficult to decide in the future. And don't be worried about filling in time...I don't have enough time to do what I HAVE to do!