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Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 07 2:53 pm Post subject:
Definately need to invest in a french map

MarkS

Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 2626

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 07 3:28 pm Post subject:

RoryD wrote:

So, the question to you French D'sers is how did you get over the family/friends thing?

Maybe I'm hard hearted, but I think you do things for your children and yourself, not your parents. Giving the children a foot in two cultures in invaluable.

Vanessa

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 07 4:17 pm Post subject:

I think friends will show their true colours if you move. The real friends will stay in touch, ring, email, visit ... the others will silently disappear, and I now consider they were simply "friends for a season" rather than "friends for life".

It IS tough leaving family behind though ... but there comes a point when you have to put yourselves first for a change. Family will come to terms with the fact that you've moved house, and most will want to visit. Why do we (and I include myself here) get so hung-up about the location - France isn't that far away, and there are places on the British mainland that are further away in terms of travelling time.

madmonk

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 835

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 07 4:36 pm Post subject:

Sadly both sets of parents are long gone so not a problem as far as moving abroad, but the difference I have noticed with my kids is that instead of coming round and just sitting there eating and drinking and not saying very much then saying see you later , is that when we see them now they allways seem to have so much to tell us, so it's premium time to us, but thats not to say we don't miss them and as Vanessa says it can take longer to get to places in the uk.

Vanessa

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 07 5:23 pm Post subject:

Madmonk, you are so right about it being "real quality time". I miss my daughter so much it hurts, but we certainly make the most of the time we do have together.

Before buying this place, we looked at one in Poolewe in the Scottish highlands. Now THAT was remote! It took more than 12 hours driving to get there ... and even if you flew up, the nearest you could get was Inverness, and it was several hours drive from there! My daughter was very glad we didn't move there

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 07 5:50 pm Post subject:

MarkS wrote:

Maybe I'm hard hearted, but I think you do things for your children and yourself, not your parents. Giving the children a foot in two cultures in invaluable.

That was one of our main reasons for moving. Also like Vanessa said, true friends will keep in touch, others will fade away - it is just a pity I can't get my parents onto the computer - absoletely NO chance of that

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-ça)

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 07 3:12 pm Post subject:
I only see my mother once a year. As she's 89 she can't come to visit us, and it would be too expensive for us all to fly over, so we have to drive, which takes 15 hours.

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 07 4:54 pm Post subject:
Oh Thos - do you how to do the thingy under the c - is it a circumflex - an an english keyboard? Also I can do this accent - é - but not the other one. Please don't say get a french keyboard - my typing is bad enough as it is

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 07 4:57 pm Post subject:
It's a cedilla. Dunno how you do it though. A circumflex is the little hat over a vowel which used to be followed by an 's'.

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 07 5:02 pm Post subject:

Vanessa

Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 8324

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 07 5:24 pm Post subject:
In Word, go to "insert", then "symbol", choose a text font, and a C with a cedilla will appear as an option. You can cut and paste this into other applications. There ARE keyboard shortcuts for the accents, but I can never remember then as I don't use them enough!

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-ça)

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 07 7:55 am Post subject:

Green Rosie wrote:

Oh Thos - do you how to do the thingy under the c - is it a circumflex - an an english keyboard? Also I can do this accent - é - but not the other one. Please don't say get a french keyboard - my typing is bad enough as it is

I am afraid it is an AZERTY keyboard.

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 07 8:02 am Post subject:
Learn to touch-type and set your system language to Frog. As long as you know where they are then you should be able to get them quite easily.

boisdevie1

Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 3897
Location: Lancaster

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 07 8:03 am Post subject:
Something Vanessa said hits the nail on the head. I'm in Lancaster most of the time. Which takes 6 hours to get to where my daughters live. From France it takes 4. So why not consider moving to say the Pas de Calais which is 'real France' and only a short shuttle ride to the UK? Best of both worlds? You don't need to spend 6 hours on the autoroute before you arrive in 'real France'.

Fee

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 15922
Location: Earth

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 07 8:11 am Post subject:

Green Rosie wrote:

Oh Thos - do you how to do the thingy under the c

Come and copy it off Thos' location when you need it

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