Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Old-Nail]

I'm quite taken by that kind of local interest, it's like living in the 1950's again, and that's no bad thing when you consider the present day.

Put some more pics on when she's finished won't you!
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"The trouble with the French is that they have no word for 'Entrepreneur'".....George W Bush.

[Greeney in France]

Of course, I think its great, also for me too, as I am a foreigner, its nice to know we have been accepted, like I said they always seem to add on the end of a sentence; "he wears a french beret you know" like its important to them I am fitting in.
There are quite a few "anglaise" here that don't even speak or want to speak the language
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www.OldFrenchCars.com

We do these things not to escape life but to prevent life escaping us

[Old-Nail]

Going slightly off topic I have recently been visiting forums run by ex-pats in France, and their main concern is that too many Brits are moving over!

Quite apart from their reluctance to integrate the newcomers tend to begin every conversation with "Hi, I'm Tom/Dick/Harry and I have a house with four acres of land..."
They also feel that if Brits do buy several houses in their small hamlet then they no longer have the 'authentic' French life that they moved away for.

The 'culprits' are mainly southerners apparently, who have made quite a lot on their UK property and are now buying up all the available ones in France...making it harder for those of us that actually want to emigrate as opposed to merely owning a holiday home.
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"The trouble with the French is that they have no word for 'Entrepreneur'".....George W Bush.

[Greeney in France]

I agree partly with that statement
I had my neigbour in tears just because I built my kitchen in a classically French but functional country way, she though "it would have "an american" style.
We have been referred to as as "tres gentil" (very nice) family purely because we made ourselves known to our locals and not stayed "aloof"
I dont totally agree with the "mostly southerners" statement to the contrary in this area it is predominantly people north of Watford
but there are a lot of southerners whom have holiday homes, you arent a "northerner" by any chance are you pete
It comes down to intergration, it doesnt matter who you are as long as you become a part of them and not set up a little england village
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www.OldFrenchCars.com

We do these things not to escape life but to prevent life escaping us

[Uncle Joe]

As someone else who has emigrated from the UK, I totally agree with you Greeney about integration...following the local customs is a great help.

[Old-Nail]

I can only repeat what the general consensus of the forum was, as told by those that live there and contribute, and it did seem to be southerners that were the main culprits.
It could be due to the relatively huge prices they are now achieving for their properties in the south, so they are perhaps releasing equity in order to buy up those properties abroad, in the north the prices are more modest.

The reason they are predominantly northeners near you Greeney is possibly that property prices in your region are still fairly inexpensive compared to the Dordogne, and thus affordable for northeners who don't have that few hundred thousand in equity.
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"The trouble with the French is that they have no word for 'Entrepreneur'".....George W Bush.

[zandycap]

[Old-Nail]

Exactly so zandy, personally I find it very ignorant to make no attempt to adopt the host country's language and culture. As Greeney says the French do respond well to those that make the effort.
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"The trouble with the French is that they have no word for 'Entrepreneur'".....George W Bush.