Our Move to France is Over!

I've suddenly realised that the summer is just about over, the kids are getting ready for La Rentrée, Bill is heading back to Liberia and ......

.....I haven't written this blog for more than 2 months.

I've been writing 'A Family Move to France' for nearly 2 years and I am more than happy to say we are now 'A Family Living in France'.

We have had moments of panic and uncertainty and of frustration and fatique but we have had even more moments of satisfaction, encouragement and fun and that great sense of achievement.



We set out to move our lives to France and I really feel we have achieved it.

Looking back, I kind of wrote this blog as a diary and also as a way of reassuring myself that things were progressing and that we were learning and discovering. And also that we were being supported by people who read this blog, friends we have made along the way and family and friends around the world.

Now our move is over, I think I can stop writing it. Either that or I need to change the title.

Actually we do have a new project on the horizon - Building a House in France.

We originally planned to self build when we first arrived here in Limoux but we ended up buying a house with a building plot instead. Well that building plot is begging us to put a small gîte or maison d'amis on it.

So.......keep your eyes peeled as the new blog is on its way.

A bientôt ~

The French BAC - what the kids think?

Can you believe it, is the 9th March and we are snowed in here in the South of France.

What happened to the 300 days of sunshine per year that we are meant to have?

Here when it snows, school buses are considered hazardous and so the kids don't go to school. "Yippee" my kids are ecstatic. I less so as much as there are some pretty spectacular photos to be taken, I have a morbid fear of ice skating in our car and so consequently we become housebound.

So it seems like there will be no school for at least the next 4 days (snow is 35cm deep) and on top of that there is a teacher's strike at the end of the week so the kids will be staying home then too.

Teachers strikes are the norm here and it seems quite normal for there to be at least a week of no school per year because the teachers are upset about something. I am sure there must be a better way of sorting out the grumbles but Sarkowsy doesn't seem to have worked it out yet.

We have 3 kids aged 14, 16 and 18 and all three are in the French school system here in France.

Douglas the youngest is at 'College'- secondary school from ages 11 to 16 roughly. Sam and Ellie are at Lycee - secondary school from ages 16 - 18.

Up until a year and a half ago we lived overseas in Africa and Asia and the kids started going to French schools from the age of 3. This means they speak pretty good French - shame about the parents :(

Rather than me write all about French school life I asked my kids to write what they thought and here is what they said.....

Sam (aged 18) at a Lycee in Carcassonne and studying for a science engineering BAC

Out of all the French schools I've been to (Africa, Vietnam, Thailand), the French school in France was the only one where I didn't know what to expect.

Having lived overseas my whole life it was easy to fit in at school as they knew how it felt to be emerged in a new world with no understanding of unofficial social laws or friends. Everyone was in the same boat as we all moved countries and schools every few years. Basically there was no effort needed to make a great bunch a friends.

When you go to your first day of your new school you always ask yourself "Will I make any friends?". I did. it was actually easy. I always thought that it would be difficult in France because arriving at this stage in school (for me I arrived in 2nd, which is 10th grade in England) everybody knows each other and they have been friends for ages and you'll be the "new guy". Actually I needn't have worried as they are actually quite welcoming, you just have to make the first step.

Now what is the BAC? It's short for the Baccalaureate but just remember that it's the 'French BAC' and not the 'International BAC'. This is the most important and last diploma you get a school. The diploma is cut into 2 phases. You've got the French part, which I'll be doing this year (1er/11th grade) and the rest next year (Terminal/12th grade).

Now for the school program itself.

It's much more general than England and you're not allowed to drop subjects. You have to continue with most subjects right until you get your BAC. However after 2nd you are allowed to drop a few subjects depending on what BAC you are taking.

After you get through 2nd the school asks you what orientation you want to choose, and trust me you want to do your research first.

Most people go for the general courses which are L(literature), ES(economics), S(science). Those are the main ones, but don't worry if none of them suits you as there are actually loads more than that (it depends to what school you go to).

I chose an SSI course which means that when I've finished I will have an SSI BAC.

What is SSI? It's a branch of the S BAC with a focus on engineering. It's great because I want to do engineering later on so why wait until university when I can specialize right now?

Be careful though, choosing a certain course may close some doors that you'll regret some day. I wouldn't specialize too much as it may be hard to find a job later on. That's why I stayed in S as I'll have more than just engineering jobs open to me.

The BAC is hard and it's rare that someone gets over 14/20 or 70%. But don't worry as most people if they've studied hard, will get 12/20. Once you've got your respective BAC (depending on what course you took) you're off to go!

Ellie aged 16 at a Lycee in Limoux. Studying for a STSS BAC (Science et Technology du Santé Social)

Bonjour,

This year I have the French BAC. It really scares me because I don't really know what it's going to be like!

We have been doing a lot of work at school to prepare for it. Next week, I will have my mock French BAC, and then in June I will have the real thing! Everyone at school is getting a bit nervous now.

I have to say that we are lucky to have our French teacher because he teaches very well and he has prepared us well for our French BAC. But anyway, I think everything will go well… I hope.

Next year I will have my proper BAC (all the subjects, but no French). Normally you will be tested on your last year, but my course is a bit different, so my BAC will be on the 2 last years. That means I have even more to revise!

School is France is good, I enjoy it. I didn't know what to expect at the beginning because I had never been to school in Europe before, so it scared me a little bit. But there was no need to be scared as in the end, everyone was very nice and I have a great bunch of friends.

I won't say much about my teachers because that all depends on the school you go to. All though I don't know all the teachers, I feel like I do as all of my friends tell me what their teachers are like. And there are some teachers that all the students hate, but that's the same for all schools.

My school is okay, it's not the best school in the world but it's not the worst. What I do like is that when it snows, we don't have school because the Aude is not equipped for snowy weather. This year has been quite snowy so we have missed about a week of school I would say.

Also my school is near a bakery and a café and near the town square so when ever we have an hour of free time, we can go to one of those places.

Au revoir !!

Douglas aged 14 at College in Limoux

Secondary school here is quite good: there are lots of students so it's not hard to make friends.

I think that the education level is probably a bit lower than English schools but it's not too bad. The teachers are OK: some of them are really bad because they don't know how to teach but others are very good because they don't bore you to death, they make the class a bit fun but we still work.

They are very strict about attitude here so they've added a new punishment called "observation" which means you lose points in your average score for school work.

When a teacher gives you an observation, they can put a punishment with it if they want to: they can give you stuff to copy or they can give you extra exercises.

The scoring is different here too: instead of giving A's or B+'s, they give a mark out of 20 or 10. So you can get 16/20 or 7/10 for example. A few teachers would give you an observation if you got a mark under 10 or 5/20. Anyway, it's a great school.

So there you have it, our kids view on school here in France....

Next Time: Shopping....:)

The Good Life...But Is It Really?

We've been here just over a year now and the two questions people ask us when they meet us for the first time are:

"Why did you choose Limoux"? followed closely by

"Well you've been here a year now so you must feel settled. Don't you"?

The first question is easy to answer. The second not so. It's like a year is the magic number. 'Live here a year then you'll be fine'.

We arrived here at the end of August 2008 and so 14 months down the line everyone wants us to say "Yes we are totally settled". But then when we actually say "Well things aren't exactly as we imagined....."

You can see some people are disappointed when we say that and you can see the look of pity and 'Oh dear' seeping from their silent thoughts. Others are secretly happy that we feel like they did at this point in time and are relieved to know that maybe it is OK to feel unsettled after a year.

Don't get me wrong, in that, I don't feel unhappy, or that we made the wrong decision or that French life is not what I thought it would be. It's more that settling into a new place, let alone a new country where the language is rather alien is a long and sometimes frustrating process.

We've lived in 6 different countries throughout Africa and Asia in the past 17 years so I know how long it takes to get settled. Moving to France though was the hardest!

I think it's because for the first time we are living in a house we own, we therefore have more bills to sort out, decorating to do, the garden to plant and look after, organizations to join and we are sort of the odd ones out.

Before we were one expatriate family amongst many, and there were lots of new faces arriving together so we all looked out for one another. Here you are a bit on your own at times and when you have difficulty making yourself understood, then the settling in takes on a whole new perspective.

On the ultra positive side though, the kids are 100% settled at school, we own our house and just love pottering and DIY'ing, we have neighbours that stay put and we can throw away all those boxes and packing paper that I have stored for 17 years in preparation for our next move.

We've got a whole new menu at dinner time, the dog is bilingual, our neighbours offer us honey from their bees or fruit from their garden and we never have to go on a waiting list to see a doctor - except for the optician who never seems to have a free slot.

Through this blog, I have heard from many people who have moved to France or are thinking of moving. Many have sent me messages and others I have met for coffee in Limoux town square and I have really enjoyed telling people how we are getting on and settling in. I really don't mind telling things as they really are and I think it gives a real perspective to other thinking of making the move.

Uprooting and moving away from what is familiar and comfortable to you is a huge undertaking. It is exciting but challenging and at times frightening and frustrating. However if you can get over the humps and bumps, and it is something that you really want to do, then life will eventually become easy and fun.

I have learned it may take a year, maybe even 2 or more. But that is OK.

Time to stop rambling and to get in the garden and take the dog for a walk through the vineyard. Maybe meet a neighbour on the way and have a chat about the weather (which is 28C and blue skied and sunny today :)) and then cook moules marinieres for dinner......ah the good life!

Next Time: I'm having a knee op next month. Do they really give enemas as the cure all for everything and will I get wine with hospital dinners?

La Rentree

Hey ho hey ho, it's back to school we go. Yes we have just experienced 'La Rentree'. We have experienced it before (many times) but La Rentree in France itself is different.

To you and me, La Rentree is the same as 'Back to School'. A very welcome day for parents and a day of excitement and nervousness for the kids.

However in France it seems like an opportunity for the shops and business's to tempt us shopping. As if the long summer holiday hadn't already cost us enough.

The amount of adverts and leaflets we have received saying 'It's La Rentree - why not buy a washing machine....invest in a new car....get 10% off your insurance' and so on.

What has that got to do with going back to school?

I suppose you may need a washing machine to wash piles of dirty school clothes and a car to get the kids there and back and then insurance for when your child accidently breaks a dinner plate.....there is obviously a logic in it somewhere.

Our 3 kids were pretty excited to go back - not that they would admit it.

School uniforms don't exist so Ellie meticulously planned her 'outfit' weeks beforehand. The boys just wore whatever was on the top of their clothes pile. That means they will probably wear the same 2 t-shirts and trousers all year. Wear one, Wash one. Saves us a lot of money!

They all go to different schools so getting them all out the door and onto various buses or scooters starts at 6am and finishes just before 8am. That's the least fun bit.

Then there are the school bags.

The kids are expected to carry their books for the day on their backs all day and that includes snack time, lunch time and every other time. Not such a problem.....except their bags regularly weight at least 8-10kg.

Lockers are provided in some schools but there are never enough. There are some girls though who somehow manage to carry just a handbag (much to Douglas's horror - he's 13) containing nothing but a pen and still manage to get through the lesson. We still haven't worked out what their secret is.

School days are long. For the younger ones it is usually 8am until 4.30pm but the day extends as you get older. Sam our eldest has lessons 8am - 6pm with an hour of travelling each way on top.

However there are no lessons Wednesday afternoon so that is the time to do 'activities' of which there are a huge choice here ranging from martial arts to music and dance to crafty things.

In order to participate in anything remotely active, you must have a medical certificate saying you are fit. What a palaver as parents are queuing up at the doctors or just asking the doctor over the phone to prepare them a certificate.

The boys are doing swimming this term and much to their horror we had to do a trip to the sports shop to get them some of those oh so tight and weeny swimming shorts. Then there is the swimming hat. They are not too happy.

So we are now 2 weeks into the new school year. The kids have new friends, our washing machine and car are being put to good use and so far nobody has broken a dinner plate.

Next Time......A year since our move. Was it the right decision?

The Big Hole is No More

Suddenly 6 weeks has gone and I realise that an update on what has been going on in Limoux and in our lives is well overdue.

However we have not been slacking and have been up to our eyeballs with mud, earth, sand, water and the constant digging and cementing of holes.

Basically the last 2 months have rather obsessively centered around the pool. We knew that we were getting ultra boring when the kids started to say "Can we not have just one day when we don't mention the word - POOL?!"

Well triumphantly I can now say that the 'big hole' that we created in June is now a shimmering oasis in our garden.

Yes our pool is finished......well sort of as there is still a lot to do.

But hey we can swim when the stifling heat of the South of France gets too much for us and that is what we wanted to achieve.

In 2 months we went from this.......


To this......

We only filled the pool a week ago and already the water is 28.5C (yes we are a bit obsessive). Wonderful!


So what else has been going on?

Well the kids finished school what seems like an eternity ago. Lessons officially finished at the end of the first week of July but there is a strange system here whereby once you have been given the go ahead to move up to the next school year in September, it means you can stop going to school for the rest of the term.

So our kids have been at home since the last week of June.

Being conscientious parents (and mean according to our kids) we did try and send them but the teachers huffed and puffed as it meant they had to supervise so homeward bound our kids came.

It has been nice having them all at home though as it has meant we have had helpers to build the pool and most importantly we haven't had to get up at 6am for the school bus. I am not looking forward to 'La Rentree' - beginning of term - but let's not talk about that now.

With the pool (well the swimmable bit) now ticked off the list, we have also been trying to tidy the garden (a never ending and thankless task right now), painting walls and doors, putting up light fittings, tidying the garage (another never ending and thankless task) and just feeling we are busy day in, day out.

We have also found time to browse in the weekly Limoux night markets (a fantastic and fascinating lurking opportunity), get immersed in the various music and theatrical events which take place in Limoux square and just enjoy the balmy hot evenings on our terrace listening to all the crickets and insects who seem to have taken shelter in our garden. Bliss!

We have also had a great time with Bill's brothers and families visiting and other friends popping in for overnight stays. We have just loved showing them around and introducing them to our new life here in Limoux. It is a strange but very proud feeling to be living in our own home after renting for the past 17 years.

Much as we would have liked to have hoards of visitors to stay we are not really set up at the moment for welcoming the masses. I think that is a way off unless we sell the kids to make bed space.

Bill's bijoux office has a sofa bed (for small people) so that has been getting some use and as for our idea of putting tents in the garden well that quickly evaporated when we saw how we get buffeted by the wind which is pretty fierce. Plus our garden, big as it may be, is rather a jungle right now with wild rabbits and snakes ready to welcome any newcomers.

So for now we are just enjoying the summer.

Bill has finished his stint in Nigeria and managing a bit of a holiday before his next assignment which he hopes will be desk based and the kids are making the most of their last few weeks before 'La Rentree'......

Next Time: La Rentree (Back to school).

No Ordinary Day

Today I received a lovely surprise in the way of an email from Bill. It contained an attachment of his account of a not so ordinary day in Limoux. I have been on at him for ages to write something and so now here it is.....

Tuesday, May 11th 2009.

A day like any other. It is term-time; Nicole and I are both at home. I finished my last assignment at the end of April and am scouting around for new work.

I start the day at 0610. Its getting light now and I make Nicole a cup of tea (he's such a good hubby - ed), make sure Sam is awake and do 20 minutes of exercises – my back is killing me after overdoing the strimming at the weekend.
I take Sam to the school bus for 7am for his trip to Carcassonne and then finish getting up while Nicole drops off Ellie and Douglas at their schools. We've invested in a 'scooter' for the older kids (and, incredibly, for our youngest when he turns 14 next year) but both of them have had minor accidents, skidding on gravel, so we are back in full chauffeur mode.

So the first task of the day is to ride the scooter down to the Peugeot dealer in town. It's a bit of a come-down since my big biking days, but still there is something exciting about being back on two-wheels. The handlebar has to be replaced; apparently a common problem when these bikes are dropped on their side. It's going to cost 117 € but it seems worth having the job done professionally; there's not much room for error on two wheels.

And then we set off for Carcassonne – to reclaim our repaired iron from Darty (it packed up after a couple of months of use) and to do battle with the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales (child benefit office) over our child allowance. First stop, CAF. It seemed rather unusual that all our contact so far had been by telephone, email and post – so we wondered if going in person might help to unblock the payments. No need. After about 20 seconds of waiting we were talking with a conseiller in front of a computer screen who instantly found all our records and informed us that our payments were on their way, back dated to the beginning of the year when I started paying my cotisations. What a result. Of course the money will be useful (especially as I don't yet know when my next job will be), but another sign of our inclusion and integration into the French administration is also very welcome.

Darty (think Dixons ) also goes smoothly. The iron returned and repaired within a matter of weeks (about 3 actually). Meanwhile we get a call from Sam saying that he wants to come home because it is not worth staying at school until 4pm for only one physics lesson. It doesn't seem much of a school day: one English lesson in the morning (where he is more of a resource person than a student), two hours of French cancelled (the teacher has gone for training) and Physics in the afternoon. It seems to happen too often – but at least it is not as bad as the universities which have been on strike for three months. Anyway, we agree to pick him up and take him home, partly because we are in town anyway, partly because his studies are going well and he is serious about them (generally speaking!).

It turns out to be a good decision. Arriving back at the house we find four trees lying in front of the garage door. We bought them ten days ago, to do something about the wind that blows if not constantly certainly regularly up the hillside from west. But their livraison seemed to be difficult for Jardifort. After a week I phoned to ask when they would be delivered and talked with someone who confessed to be so completely débordé (overwhelmed) that he could hardly take time to answer the phone let alone organise a delivery. I tried again yesterday and talked to someone else who said that they just couldn't even suggest when they might be able to deliver. So we were going to go in to see them on the way back from Carcassonne to cancel the order and ask for a repayment… Now Sam can help Dad dig them in. But lunch first…

Lunch was interrupted by a call from Senegal. A former colleague managing programmes for Save the Children in West Africa is looking for someone to help with the strategic positioning of their programme in Nigeria, where there are lots of opportunities to do good work but also lots of choices to make and risks to manage. Sounds right up my street. I hope it works out, but yesterday I also had an interview (by telephone) with UNDP and the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Lao PDR for a three month participatory planning consultancy which would also be very exciting and would mean I could consolidate some work I did there last year. Anyway, it is nice to be in demand. It is my first time in all my working life not to be employed by someone else. It takes a bit of getting used to: the void and uncertainty of not having work lined up and confirmed even over the next few months.

Although I do find it easy to fill the void!

This afternoon it is planting trees. Two of them (a silver birch and an acacia) are nearly four metres already. Instant gardening.

Sam and I work hard; the ground is hard and stony. We have to improve the soil, we have to stake the trees and we have to water them in. I surprise myself how much I look forward to rainy days (or preferably nights) – the water buts are almost empty and mains water is expensive. The gardening goes on into the evening, interrupted by supper and taking Sam to and then from the Aikido club. I hope that scooter comes back soon.

It is 9.30 pm and just light enough to take the dog for a walk around the fields and through the vines without a torch. She chases after the rabbits without success but with a lot of enthusiasm. By 10 o'clock everyone is ready for bed. It has been a busy day. Tomorrow will also be busy – but different. We have to draw the dimensions for the hole that the terrassier must dig for us to install the swimming pool. It's a big job – every time we read the manual we understand a bit more about the challenge ahead.

There are no ordinary days.

Bill

Teenagers in France !

Moving to France with 3 teenagers and a dog in tow was not a decision made lightly.

Mind you we were several steps ahead of many families making the hop across the channel as our 3 kids have been in the French school system since the age of 3 and they already speak French.

For our kids the biggest adjustment we felt they were going to have to adapt to, was living a more 'normal/different' life than what they were used to.

Having lived in Asia and Africa all their lives they were used to warm climates, outdoor living, a lot more freedom in their social lives and dare I say it but a housekeeper who cooked, cleaned and ironed (I miss that too!).

Parties, sleepovers galore, cheap shopping, beach holidays and eating out were all 'normal' life then. The latest fashions were not a big issue, TV was not really thought about, getting out and about in taxis was cheap as chips and kids were out and about doing things in groups on a regular basis whether it was sport or just meeting at someone's house.

And here we were, about to drag them from the bright lights of city living to the country glow of small town France.

Our kids are 13 and 17 (boys) and 15 (girl) so as you can imagine our house at times is high on hormones and hysteria (theirs and mine). But on the whole they are balanced, healthy and cooperative teenagers - did I really just say that?

We purposely chose not to live in rural France, no matter how tempting the estate agents blurb of a "Fully renovated rural French farmhouse with 2 acres of land with a stream and no neighbours" for half our budget was. Teenagers and 'The Good Life' don't always mix. We also chose to ignore the city apartment (us parents needed a veggie patch) and the cute village house looking onto the square (although I am not sure why).

Instead we went for the small town of Limoux in the Aude.

Limoux is a town of 10,000 inhabitants, has a Lycee and college, train station, cinema, restaurants and biggish shops and is only 25kms from the bright city lights of Carcassonne. And it's under 2 hours from the ski resorts and the sea. A perfect compromise.

So how well are they integrating then?

Having being used to socialising with kids of all nationalities and backgrounds, languages and experiences, they have suddenly found themselves 'the odd ones out'. Some treat them as novelties, others ignore them because they are novelties and others have been genuinely kind and interested.

In a way it has been harder for their peers to accept them than the other way round. Our hats are off to our brave bunch of three though as they have each found themselves a great circle of friends - even if we haven't met most of them as they live in a small hamlet in the middle of nowhere.

As for things for the kids to do, we have been pleasantly surprised at how much organised activity there is.

The French love their clubs or associations as they like to call them. The boys have launched themselves into tennis, Aikido and guitar and Ellie does theater and dance. There are clubs galore ranging from canoeing and belly dancing to singing and knitting (I know what the boys would say). Then there are the outings organised by the schools such as ski trips, theatres and spectacles.

The weekends are more of a challenge though as we have found that French teenagers here don't really 'hang out' and much more is done 'en famille' (as a family).

Sleepovers are pretty rare if at all, birthday parties are unusual and meeting up at the weekend for a film and a pizza are just too expensive for many. Also many of their friends live in other towns and villages and with the lack of a local bus system it makes getting from hamlet to hamlet a challenge unless they can persuade their mum or dad with breakfast in bed (hint) to drive them.

One thing we love though is the respect that teenagers show towards each other. Imagine arriving at school in the UK and kissing all your friends hello or shaking hands? Well here it is normal.

We are also relieved to see that fashion 'must haves' are not really a big thing here and that kids love eating school dinners. Interestingly many English kids don't like the school dinners....Jamie Oliver what have you taught them?

Smoking however is a big issue. Getting through the front door of the Lycee at 8am involves a mad dash through a black haze of fumes - and that's just from the students.

Were we concerned about the move to Limoux? YES.

And 6 months on has it gone OK? Surprisingly YES.

We as parents are getting used to having the kids around the house a lot more, having to see (and try and ignore) bedrooms that resemble a boot sale in mayhem, working as a chauffeur and not getting paid (not even with breakfast in bed) and forking out for all those clubs to join.

As for the kids - well they seem to be doing just fine. They have their mobile phones, their computers and hotmail (to keep in touch with old friends), a nice group of new friends plus the odd club to go to, so what more do they want.


As I write this the wind is howling round the door, the blue skies peep every now and then from behind the grey wall of clouds and when Spring comes, I am sure that I will have other things to add to what our 3 teens are up to.....and I hope one of them is breakfast in bed.

Next Time: How we are coping with the health care system.....I snapped a knee ligament whilst skiing.

New Year...New House...New Resolutions

Happy New Year 2009.
December 23rd 2008 was such an exciting day for us - we finally got the keys to our new 'home'.

Needless to say we are just like kids with a new toy. Bill and I continually find ourselves stopping in mid activity to say "We own this house"!

Although we have owned a house in the UK for the past 16 years it was never really 'home' as we didn't live in it - we lived in rented houses/apartments overseas in Asia and West Africa so this to us is very special.

Getting the keys was fun.

We, our estate agent and the vendors met up in the ever important notaires chambers and it was like walking back in time 100 years.

Imagine entering into an oak wood panelled room, faced with walls lined with files dating back to the early 19th century and succumbing to their faintly musty smell. Then sitting in ornate and delicately carved high backed wooden chairs in front of a huge leather topped solid wood partner desk whilst the notaire read out paper upon paper of house deeds and details which were all about us and our new home.

45 minutes later it was all done and we walked out into the sunshine with a big bunch of keys and a huge smile on our faces.

We were now home owners in the sunny South of France.

Sunny did I say?


The last time that snow settled in Limoux was in 1992. However that all changed on the day we decided to move house - Boxing day 2008.

"Yippee" said the kids, "What's this then" said the dog, "*#*@*!*" said the parents.

Our enormous hired Super U van did us proud as it slipped and slid its way up and down hills and slopes and into potholes and dips.

The award of the day though went to Bill who drove it in the most terrifying conditions.

We probably should have abandoned the move that day but you know when you have your heart set on doing something......

Andy and Erica, Bills parents were also with us during the move and we are extremely grateful to their dedicated lugging of bits and bobs and boxes - the quicker they did it the more cups of tea and Christmas cake they received.

We did hear the neighbours whispering something about 'parent labour'...

Three weeks have passed now and although we have unpacked what seems like mountains of boxes we seem to still have several more mountains to go. I do keep asking myself why on earth have we got so much "stuff" and it just goes from box to box to cupboard to shelf and back to box again, until I decide where to put it.

Bill would probably have a good solution.....needless to say I have hidden the bin bags.

As for the kids and Lily the dog, well they too have settled in brilliantly. They each have their own rooms (Lily has a corner) which I have promised not to interfere in (hard, so hard) and they now feel they can invite friends over. Trouble is if they do they are usually asked to carry boxes up and down to the garage and I think they might be expecting payment soon so we might be had up for 'child labour' too.

So the new year started with a new house and now I just need to think of my new year resolutions. I might start with "I must finish unpacking the boxes by Christmas" and "Give more of our 'stuff' to charity".



Next Time: Douglas has just turned 13 so we now have a household of 3 teenagers. What's it like living with teenagers in France?

Hey Ho Hey Ho It's Off To Work We Go....

Who would have thought that you need a degree just to go through the 'simple' process of setting up a business in France?

Much as we'd love to retire, the 3 kids, the dog, the mortgage and the fact that we aren't even at mid life crisis stage have told us otherwise. So we have spent the past month trying to tell the tax authorities "Hey we are here, we are working and we are ready to pay tax".

Simple? Non!

In the UK, you work, you earn, you fill in a tax from and you pay your taxes. Here it's like climbing a mountain, sliding back down and then doing it all over again....ten times. Not only that but the French have invented a whole new working language which goes something like this.

Visit to the Accountant. Discuss our business options - EI, AE, SARL, EURL and BNC. Glad we know the alphabet.

Register with URSSAF to obtain our SIRET from INSEE which includes our SIREN and our NIC. Choose our CAMPLP. Wait for letter from RSI in order to pay CSG-CRDS using an RIB. Wonder whether we should submit a DUE or BNP. Maybe we would if we knew what they were.

Need to still discuss with the accountant about CNAPVL and CNBF which is supposedly about retirement and CMU and ACCRE should the need arise - something to do with state aid.

And that's not even the half of it.

I must say though that everyone we have met from the accountant to the business advisor to the bank manager to the insurance companies have been nothing but ultra helpful. They too laugh at the ludicrousness of the bureaucracy and even admitted that they don't know what some of the 'Secret Codes' are.

So as of the 1st January 2009 we hope that we are in the system. We haven't yet decided which letters to go for but maybe MYOB would do for now.

Apart from trying to pay our taxes we have also been busy enjoying the Christmas preparations here in Limoux which are much more low key than back in England.

Peverse as it sounds, I kind of miss the manic frenzy of Christmas preparations and fraught parents and over indulged kids wherever you turn.

We have also been sampling the delights of the 'Foire au Gras' and the local fetes and fund raisers not to mention getting ready for Bill's parents arrival - our first visitors which will be very exciting.


And most exciting of all.....23rd December 2008 is the day we are signing the Acte de Vente. In other words we get the keys to our new house.

I do feel for the owners thought who failed to get their mortgage (he is self employed and French banks don't like to lend to non-salaried people - bizarre) so they are moving into rented accommodation. I hope it doesn't spoil their Christmas too much but then again at least they got a buyer for their house.

OK, BTW G2G and Merry Christmas To You All =]


Next Time: Winter in Limoux. Can we cope?

Landed in Limoux

We've landed in Limoux.

Where has the time gone? We have now been here almost 4 weeks and are feeling like we definitely made the right decision to move to France.

The past few weeks have actually been REALLY hectic and gone by in a bit of blur.

However we now:
- have a long term rental
- squashed all our belongings into the garage (we're talking about 30m3 of 'stuff')
- own a car
- bought cooker, fridge, washing machine and TV
- sussed out school transport (well not really as we still don't understand the timetable or lack of it)
- have the kids all in their various schools
- enrolled the kids in various sports clubs
- collected our dog from Toulouse
- sorted all the utilities and bank accounts
- have telephone and Internet
- registered here there and everywhere for all sorts of things
- found time to go to the beach, the mountains, lakes the cinema
- sussed out the town night life of which there seems to be plenty at the moment.....free bands and concerts every night, a fair and circus all this week and next.

Oh yes and we put in an offer on a house!

How I am finding time to write this blog I am not sure but what I am sure of is that Limoux is a fantastic place to live.

People often talk about French towns and villages going into hibernation once the summer is over but here, life seems to go on. In fact life got busier once La Rentree (kids back to school) started. For the past 2 weeks the town has been taken over by a fair, music bands and the all important regional Petanque competition. I nearly bought some balls the other day but then was worried about gouging big chunks out of the lawn in our rented house.

Another French assumption seems to be the 'awful french driving'. In fact it seems safe and sensible to us so far. I am probably in fact the least safe person on the road right now!

We collected our new car (second hand but new to us) 2 weeks ago and I hadn't driven for 8 years so wasn't at all nervous to have to drive it out of the garage forecourt and then drive 25kms straight to Carcassonne! We had to return our hire car the same day so Bill drove that whilst I drove our new car. Was I scared? YES!! Ellie my daughter was with me and she was very good at not pointing out too often that all the other cars were overtaking me.

What about the house we put an offer on?......

We arrived here deciding that we would give ourselves a couple of months to view houses and land (still preferring to build our house and a gite rather than buy ready built) and then by the end of October to have made a decision. Well surprise surprise.....none of that happened.

Firstly several people (yes we know some people now) mentioned about how long self building takes which made us a bit nervous. Sam our eldest has to share a room with his younger brother and he is not too pleased. Nor is he pleased that he is sleeping on cardboard boxes. There is a mattress on top mind you but he feels he's living like a tramp - little does he know! So we feel in all fairness we need to get things moving fast.

Secondly I have been keeping an eye on what's available for the past year - Internet is a wonderful thing - so knew what was available that might suit us.

Anyway to cut a to the chase, we went to visit a house on a hillside and......immediately knew that it was perfect. Well it ticked 9 boxes out of 10 so had to be pretty good.

Box 1: Location, location, location - perfect. 10 mins walk to school for Douglas, 10 mins walk to the boulangerie, 10 mins walk to tennis (free!), open fields around and beautiful view.
Box 2: Large plot (2800m2) plus a building plot attached - perfect.
Box 3: House exactly the size we want and oddly enough it was built by the same building company that we had planned to use and almost to the same spec as the house we wanted to build. Spookey but perfect!
Box 4 - 9: You probably wouldn't be interested about the double garage, basement, study......

Tomorrow we sign the first contract and so you never know we may be in by Christmas.

There is however the little matter about the mortgage which we are working on.......

Next time: Moving out of the honeymoon phase and into autumn living in France.

Limoux is Looming

Our family move to France is just around the corner.

We are just so excited. In less than 2 weeks we shall be winging our way on Ryanair (!) to Carcassonne and then picking up our hire car and heading off on our new journey and life in Limoux.

Everything is in place....sort of. I can't believe the number of hiccups we have had to get to this stage but either way we are still looking forward and treating each hiccup as just a simple detour to our plans.

Our UK house is now sold with the new owner in situ. We have a gite to rent for the first 2 weeks when we arrive in Limoux. We then have a tiny box of a house lined up as a long term rental. The kids are enrolled in their schools (3 schools for 3 kids) and our furniture plus dog are arriving a few days after we get there.

Our dog Lily will be a first time flier and she will be flying on her own and taking three different flights from Hanoi to Toulouse. Let's just hope Air France look after her well. I think the French love their dogs so she should be OK. She'll probably have been fed steak and frites...

Bill is still in Hanoi tying up lose ends and trying to get some consultancies set up for later in the year. Really he would love to retire and grow orchids but I think he will just have to do that in another life. I am back in the UK with the kids, tying up lose ends, popping back and forth to the bank, GP and dentist and above all obsessing over the euro-sterling exchange rate.

Now we have some money from the sale of our house, we need to convert it to euros so we can start house/land hunting in France. For weeks now we have been wathcing the exchange rates and just feeling rather flat and depressed, rather like the exchange rates themselves.

One night couple of weeks ago we decided we just couldn't keep putting it off as you could wait for ever and we didn't really know what we were waiting for. So we picked a day when things looked better than they had for a few weeks and then decided to take the plunge. We dithered a bit and then decided that that when the washing machine had finished that was when we would ring our currency dealer. Now that really is bizarre behaviour from 2 seemingly sensible adults but we needed someone to blame if we had picked the wrong date/time and neither of us wanted to blame each other.

So sorry Electrolux but it's your fault.

So the date is set for next Monday and now we know our budget and let's hope that we stick to it. Hmm.

Next installment: Settling in France. The ups (and maybe downs).

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Well our tenant has vacated!

Two days before the bailiff was due to turn up, our tenant decided to move out. It really must have been in the dead of night and by teleportation as we had various spies watching the property and no one saw him and his furniture leave.

Thankfully he didn't trash the place but did leave a huge brown patch in the middle of the lawn where some say he had a bonfire and others that it was his teleporting launch pad...

Anyway we are thrilled and so is our buyer. In fact she was so thrilled that she decided to metamorphosise from dear sweet old lady to the negotiator. We did sort of expect it but felt we might be able to negotiator a bit but she was having none of it.

Either we reduce the price by antoher 8% on top of the 5% that we had already given her or she wasn't going to buy. We felt totally in a corner and she knew it. We did feel it was a bit of a mean game especially when when she started her case with "I don't normally agree with people who try and reduce the price at the last minute BUT........"

At the end of the day though we just want to move on. There are others in much worse situations than us and at least we have a house to sell. So onwards and upwards from now on.

As for our family move to France, that has not been on the back burner by any means. We now have 2 out of 3 of our kids definitely enrolled in schools in Limoux. Sam our eldest wants to attend a Lyvee in Carcassonne as opposed to Limoux and so it is a bit more complicated. The forms are all filled out though and now we are just waiting for a response.

The other big issue is finding somewhere more permanent to live in Limoux. We have somewhere to live for the first 2 weeks but that runs out the day before school starts. I can imagine the kids ringing us up from the bus stop and saying "And do we have a home to go to mum?"

We can't believe how incredibly difficult it is to find a long term let in Limoux. We are not asking for much - 4 bedrooms, garage and small garden, full stop. That has just proved impossible so we are now down to 3 bedrooms, garage and patio. However that is also proving impossible. Anything that comes on the market that is vaguely possible is gone within the hour. There is definitely a market in and around Limoux for properties bigger than a 2 bedroom apartment - anyone looking for a business?

Luckily we have friends in Limoux who have been fantastic at visiting possible places and asking around for us - thanks Tricia and Chris!

Next time: Will we ever find a house to rent in Limoux?

Did we finally sell our house in the UK?

No we didn't.

For the past month (5 weeks actually) our tenant has not budged. He doesn't answer his phone, ignores emails, ignores letters and we are all hugely frustrated - 'WE' being us the Tod family, the letting agent, the estate agent and mostly our buyer who is patiently waiting in the wings for which we are eternally grateful.

We swing from moments of anger and frustration to moments of pity and sadness for our tenant. For the past 5 years he has been a model tenant. Paid his rent on time, kept the house immaculate and been amenable and obliging.

So what has gone wrong?.... Nobody really knows but whatever it is, it is not doing any of us any good. Oops another nail bites the dust.

Anyway we are still on a high regarding our family move to Limoux. Everyday we think about it, discuss it and dream about the new things we are going to experience and the new life we are going to be part of. Our flights are booked for 18th August (Stansted - Carcassonne) and basically we have our new life sorted till the 1st September.

Then what?..... Panic maybe!

In the first 2 weeks of our arrival in Limoux, we will have to sort out a long term let, buy a car, settle the kids into their new schools (3 schools for 3 kids), buy housey stuff and also try and have a bit of a holiday. Mind you maybe it will all seem like a holiday...well not sure the kids will think the same way.

In the meantime back here in Hanoi, we have just had a long weekend to celebrate the fall of Saigon in 1975. We made the most of it and flew down the coast to a wonderful place called Phan Thiet. My dad and Bill's parents have also been there whilst they visited us and we have always had a really good time..

We had a lovely surprise when we got to our hotel the Blue Ocean, as not only did we have a sea view villa but it also came with its own poool - we were totally gobsmacked and felt very special!

I found 3 cowrie shells (always my mission when we are on a beach), Sam discovered the thrills of kite boarding, Douglas discovered he looks cool in board shorts, Ellie discovered that she could easily eat the largest red snapper in the restaurant and Bill and I, well we just managed to relax and to not think about our house .... sort of.

I blame it on the free Internet in the hotel which is not good when you want to switch off.





So by the time I next write....

* hopefully the legal process will have run it's course and our tenant will be out of our house
* hopefully our buyer will be in there with her paint brushes and
* hopefully the exchange rates will move in our favour.

You gotta have hope :-)

Nicole

Exchange Contracts or Exchange Rates?

This morning we were hoping to exchange contracts with our buyer for the sale of our UK house…..

This morning though, there is panic all round. Well I am panicking even if Bill remains calm. Apparently the buyer went round to see the house yesterday which was vacated at the weekend by our tenant, only to find that he is still there, furniture and all.

She was not happy and neither are we. Funnily enough just 2 days ago I had sent a letter to our letting agent telling them how wonderful they had been at keeping us informed abut everything and being so organized and efficient. Hmmmm. Let's just hope it's a minor blip and that there is a very plausible explanation.

The other thing to worry about though is the Sterling-Euro exchange rate. Everyday we see our money falling further and further. Sometimes we feel lucky in at least we have some money to exchange and at least we have sold (???) our house and other times we just reach out for the gin. What to do and what not to do? Any clairvoyants are welcome to make contact.

Apart from those SMALL worries, we are still avidly looking at property websites and dreaming about the house we are going to build in Limoux and the gite we are going to rent out and the garden full off fruit trees, orchids, vegetables and chickens. Not sure they will all get along. Because of our dwindling budget, the gite has now shrunk from 4 bedrooms to 2. But that's OK though as I never wanted to wash all those sheets anyway.

We were talking to some Vietnamese friends last weekend about house buying and comparing notes. Imagine that there were no estate agents and that you discovered a house was for sale by gossiping with your neighbours or whilst buying tomatoes in the market. Imagine that you discussed the price round the kitchen table or round the mat on the floor whilst drinking green tea or maybe a whisky if you are a man. Imagine not asking how many thousands it will cost but rather how many Taels of gold (1 Tael equals approx 37.5gm). Then imagine rushing round your family and friends to see who might be able to lend you a tael here or a tael there. Imagine that you are not really buying or bidding on the house but what you are buying is the land the house sits on. Then when it's yours you are going to knock the house down and build a house for yourself even if it looks exactly like what you just bulldozed down. Maybe you will add an extra floor though and have 5 one roomed floors instead of 4.

Since we have been living here in Hanoi (for 7 years with a year break in the middle), we have never known what it is like to not have a building site within 500m of our house. If there is land, it will be built upon. If you buy a house, you knock it down and build another. Basically land here is like gold dust (!) but building labour and materials costs little in comparison.

I wish buying land in France could be that much fun. "Excusez-moi. How many baguettes do you want for this field and yes another glass of wine would be lovely."

So for the moment we are in limbo but hopefully by the time I next put finger to keyboard, I will have lots of good news.

Next time: Did we dare to exchange our Sterling to Euros?….Assuming our house sale went through.

Was Limoux as beautiful as we had remembered it?

Well we are back from our 10 day lurk in Limoux and what a trip. It seems the kids and the dog survived without us as did the grandparents to whom we are forever grateful.

So was Limoux as beautiful as we had remembered it and do we still want to move to France?........

We had only ever visited Limoux twice and that was 3 years ago and it was just for a pizza (!) and a walk along the banks of the River Aude. It was July and the sun was shining, the sky was a gorgeous blue and we were soaking up holiday heaven.

This time it was February, considered a cold, grey and boring month with the population still suffering from the after-effects of too much Christmas. Well those who 'consider' maybe got it wrong.

Our first encounter with a Limouxin (male Limoux resident as opposed to a female Limouxine) was as we were fumbling by the roadside in our little hired Renault trying to work out where our accommodation was located. A little tap at the window and there was this smiling, rather bulbous face talking in a strange language that was a bit of a shock to the system – was our rusty French really that bad? May he help us was what he was saying and although he couldn't (maybe he wasn't a real Limouxin after all), he paved the way to a non-stop line of helpful people.

We were warned about the French bureaucracy and the passing from pillar to post, the non stop forms and the need for insurmountable patience. Well we opened a bank account (2 actually), introduced ourselves in the Mairie, visited 3 schools, popped into and had meetings in the Conseil General and the Academy de Montpellier, visited a few (OK lots) of estate agents, organised a long term rental, visited house building companies and talked to builders and home owners and ….and not once did we get frustrated or feel overwhelmed by the French way of doing things. Admittedly that may change over time but what we did find was that if we were willing to try and speak French and to not expect to be treated as different to anyone else, then everyone we met was willing to help.

One very kind lady in the Conseil General told us specifically to contact her with 'any' difficulties as she knew what it was like to move to a new country and not know the system – she was Italian. Now how kind was that?!

We also met some incredibly kind and helpful foreign residents (thank you Jonathan, Angele, Trisha and Chris) who told us all the ins and outs and ups and downs – We owe you a drink or three.

One of our aims was to find a plot of land to build our house. The choice compared to the UK was incomparable. There were plots here, plots there and plots sprouting everywhere. Actually it seemed like everyone had gone plotty and it was a case of build, build, build. There were also in our opinion rather too many little boxes going up on these unappealing housing estates but another way of looking at it was that it was giving people the chance to get on the housing ladder.

So did we find our dream plot?.....

Yes we did - and it even had a little wooden house on it. Imagine a grassy field, slightly sloping with a wood behind and a field of sheep and donkeys grazing to one side. In front of you and a two minute stroll, the Aude River flows calmly and coolly diving into little secret bathing spots.

Two minutes in another direction and you can be canoeing, playing tennis or swimming in the enormous outdoor pool or maybe a few minutes further and you can be sitting in Limoux town square, sipping an espresso outside a café and watching the world go by. The air was fresh and the only sounds were that of the gentle brushing of the trees and the birds and in the distance, the faint sound of.....….clang, bang, clang.

It turns out that just behind the wood and over the hill (0.25km according to Google Earth) is a clay quarry. After a little bit of delving at the Mairie (town hall), we find out that the quarry has a 40 year lease on the land and is expanding in a big way and they do regular explosions. Bye, bye plot.

And yes the phrase "Location, Location, Location" really does stand true.

Oh well we shall just have to keep on looking when we arrive in August - one way ticket already booked!. If we were able to find our ideal plot in a week, just imagine what we will find in a month. Now both Bill and I are terrible (really terrible) at making decisions and the more plots we have to choose from the more we dither and procrastinate…….I can see trouble ahead.

So in answer to my first question about Limoux, yes we loved the place. We are one hundred percent certain that we have made the right decision in location.

Many people have asked us "Why Limoux?"

You know when you are house hunting and you walk into a particular house and it just feels right, well that sums up Limoux to us. It's our size town, beautiful views and weather, friendly people, lots going on, good transport, good schools and just has a very nice feel to it. Naturally I am sure that there are other places in France that would also fit the bill, but at the end of the day you have to pick one.

It is a town of 10,000 inhabitants and growing and there is an event or festival going on every month. Just perfect for 3 teenage children, 2 forty-something adults and a mad dog. The schools seem great and hugely welcoming and we took trillions (it's amazing what you can get on a digital camera) of photos to show the kids and the grandparents.

Even Lily the dog is going to enjoy it although she will miss the smells and rubbish of the Hanoi streets.

So what's next?......Packing and sorting and chucking sixteen years of expat 'stuff' and of course making lots of lists.

Also off to work on my learn french website. The Limouxins have a very pronounced nasal accent which I need to master....

Next Time: Organising a long term rental, registering at schools and transporting a dog.

We Sold Our House - another step forward

Six months on the market, 3 offers, 3 disappointments, 3 price drops and we finally sold our house. Thank you Mrs Toucan.

It's funny as thrilled as we are to have sold the house, we do feel rather flat about it. We ended up giving it away, well we feel like that, as we had to take a 15 % price drop. Basically we needed to sell and our buyer knew . But what really swung it was that she is a cash buyer and in rented accommodation. Our estate agents reckons 2 months and it will all be signed, sealed and delivered.

However it does mean we can get on. Get on with planning, looking, researching, reading and just generally getting excited about our family move to France. We now know what our budget is and although less than we had originally planned, at least we know.

In 2 weeks (exactly) Bill and I are off to France for our weeks reckie in Limoux. We can hardly contain our excitement. People always say you should visit your prospective new home in all seasons, well you can't get more grim than February can you? Even Vietnam is grim. The cold front is sweeping across from China and we are having the coldest winter in Hanoi for the past 20 years.

Nest week is the Chinese New Year of the rat. I am a rat!! Does that mean luck? I hope so and I promise to share some of it with you who are reading this.

Nicole

Next time: Is Limoux as beautiful in the cold and grey?