Home, apparently is the place you decide you want to go to when you are elderly, its the place you want to end your days.
I think saying 'if you dont like it, go home' does come over as an instruction or an order. If we 'advocate' a way of thinking or doing, wording tends towards comments such as 'I would suggest' or 'personally I think'.
My personal belief is that when emailing comments most of us do not type as we speak. I certainly am aware on occasions I come over as strident, because I leave off the 'softening' words and my comment sounds harsh. Guess it all adds to the spice though!
Oh Finn....you have just written everything I believe in wholeheartedly. All the comments I wish I had made......well....nothing more for me to say. I'll go home now... oops...I am already there. Now I can start complaining about what is happening in my home country....can we have an SUKN?
Come on Finn....Pete Mayle made plenty of complaints in his book, he packaged them up in wrapping paper and bows and made them look pretty and funny...because it sold the books....but the comments about his builders and their ability to disappear for weeks on end....wasnt praise for the French system!
Didn't mean it miss, honest!!
If today's response was serious then I am slipping...
Where is the comment about Hollande and intelligence in one sentence anyway?
Brian...
tut tut...vandal....
Why Shirley? my daughter lived in Thailand and taught at an international school in Pattaya. She knew very little about Pattaya before going there, she knew many of the Islands and Bangkok only. Pattaya for those not in the know is the sex capitol of Thailand. My daughter was housed in an apartment with other teaching staff...from floor 3 upwards. Floors 1 to 3 were for sex tourists. Coming home daily Sarah was aware of European men leading children of both sexes under the age of 12, to their rooms.
Do you really move to a country and accept the things they do Shirely? because when I visited I made blo*dy sure these men knew what I thought, my daughter did on a daily basis and after a while she couldn't stay and left Thailand.
So I refute your statement....of course I am not comparing Pattaya and France...but if you move to a place and the practices are not fair or poor practice then you should have the wherewithal to stand for what you think is right. We all have a responsibility to improve life for people around the world.
Sometimes we interfere with countries and the way the people are treated without ever stepping foot on their soil...look at South Africa and apartheid? should we have closed our eyes to that? after all....it was the way they did things and it wasn't our country.
No way am I going to join the sheep in front of the telly. France has a lot going for it in my view, that's why I'm here. But there are some very annoying things that should/could be put right. Maybe in time, the younger French who are more aware of the world outside France will take steps to make the changes. I agree with every word of Finn's post above and I reserve the right to complain.
Mark, a few months ago going into my physiotherapist's practice, I noticed the sign on the all was crooked. I pushed it straight, it fell off and there I was guiltily with it in my hands in the reception. Just think about straightening them...
I have to agree with Finn & Brian on this one! Although I am not known to make firm or controversial comments on this forum (much!) The boys are quite right. Even heaven is not perfect - it's the catholics who ruin it for me, thinking they are the only ones there! France, like my car, is not perfect although it is very nice & is better than any alternative. In a pub or amongst friends - as I consider Survive France to be - we can talk about all sorts of things & let off steam about those little things but when someone feels that they can tell me where to live?! "Home" IS where I live! The UK is a hell hole to me & France would have to have some very strange practices to make me feel that the UK would be an improvement!
I don't think anyone wants to change the soul of France, Shirley, but maybe just tweak it.
Don't you get the urge to straighten pictures in a friend's home?
Dear Lucifer...
Finn, I went at this topic entirely ironically. A few people have taken it so seriously that I have often had to laugh about that. The irony grows as my suspicion that somebody in France watches SFN grows. Our local Intermarché now have a range of that kind of battery again, VARTA so quality not bad. I did not actually say newsagent, but yes sir, they do too. Furthermore (except that it was sold out yesterday) three local supermarkets now have Philadelphia cheese. Perhaps I should withdraw my discontent by writing a letter of thanks to M Hollande for ordering his intelligence (I await comments...) department to closely observe and act on SFN rumblings of discontent!
Was laughing at this....realised its no good anyone telling me to 'go home' now...Ive already gone..!
Well I upset many American contacts today.....you can guess why.....my take on women having rights and guns being bad.. etc and hooking that up with Obama....was amazed at the anger...but then why should I be surprised, 51% of the population believe in creationism......Im trying to be good today...so will withdraw before upsetting anyone else!
You are going to get in trouble Finn......too much France knocking....well its not me this time!
Not at all unusual. I have given up totally on buying things locally or from French online retailers. They just don't seem to understand the first thing about "retail". On the subject of batteries, Today I received a battery powered item in the post from UK and found it needed a PP3 (9v) battery. The one type I do not have in stock. Just for fun I tried eBay.fr and the first page showing the cheapest ones including postage were all from UK sellers! Luckily I have friends coming over in a few days and can bring me one over. £1.39 with free post to a UK address.
Re, watch, hearing aid batteries etc., Search for them on the web. Usually cheaper -eBay.fr is as good a place as any to start. In fact when I want anything (non-urgent) that's where I go.
a) it has a particular consistency that works for my German recipe but none of the real French substitutes do, and b) I obviously acheived something because two relatively local supermarkets have lots of it since, so why not want if it means you get? ;-D
Why would you want Philadelphia cheese?
In summer, the Beau Stie in Talloires, in winter, the Beaulieu, in La Clusaz. Hotels aside, both areas are great for both winter and summer.