I live in an area of France with is very-rural … and I love it.
Of course, every Country and every Region therein… can differ one from the other…
so I’m not saying that folk cannot find themselves in a bad-place… wherever
But for anyone to bundle All Rural France together, is rather daft (in my opinion…)
I know of areas of Rural France where the family feuds and traditions continue as they have done for centuries… thankfully I don’t live there, but have French friends who do… and they enjoy visiting our little rural haven…
I had a disagreement with my prehistoric farming neighbours, years ago, over the plight/treatment of a kitten belonging to them, resulting the following day, in the slashing of my caravan tyres, the filling of the boot of my car with two inches of engine oil, a slaughtered kitten with its guts hanging out thrown into my garden, together with the decapitated head of a drowned kitten and two paws.
Prior to this I had taken the matriarch of the family to hospital every day for three months, seven days a week without fail, to see her dying son. Her other son, he who had taken vengeance on me, wouldn’t.
I was puzzled about how I was treated and I reminded her of how I had helped her regarding her son. She said something under her breath which I didn’t quite hear. She said again, with apparent great reluctance “thank you”.
How we got back to a previously good relationship I don’t know
The matriarch, grandmere, eventually succumbed to dementia of some kind in her 90s, with hallucinations, and wanted to sleep in my home, away from the men trying to break into her bedroom. Her eldest son succumbed a few years later with schizophrenia.
For a while during the 1990s she was in and out of my house several times a day for a petit bonjour until I told her I couldn’t bare it any longer! She complied but she couldn’t help being the scheming 110% control freak she was, so I managed her as best I could.
But I miss what was once a very traditional French farming way of life around me, which for the most part was unique and welcoming, at least for me.
There is soooo much I could tell about my neighbour grande mere and her family
That is a shocker, you need to talk to the maire I think. But a dilemma because of your cat, who I quite agree may not be safe. Horrible, I’m so sorry,
Edited to add the other neighbours sound like psychopaths and the criminal one should be locked up, vile.
When it comes to elections, most of rural France vote far right, although not exposed to illegal immigration like urban areas. Could not understand why.
Yes, I was surprised to see that the Front National won so many votes when we first moved here. I’ve spoken with friends about it, who happily admit to voting for Le Pen. When I asked if they were bothered by me moving here, they said it was OK because I wasn’t the sort of immigrant being targeted by Le Pen
Edit to add: not that I’m an illegal immigrant in any case
Not the experience we have here. Yes, some small communes did vote for Le Pen, but many more did not. Quite a few, including our commune voted for Mélenchon. Quite a few were for Macron
I have had cause to visit our Maire and our Gendarmes… to report some nasty happenings. (had to pluck up my courage, as it was in the early days… I’m more feisty now )
Received politely… calm discussion… notes taken and advice given (and followed).
Anyone who feels threatened (or worse) should not hesitate to speak with someone in authority… if one is uncertain of local “authorities”… go higher up the ladder but don’t just ignore “bad-happenings”… please.
The (French) people who bought our house 10 years ago in the Loire Valley had moved to a rural village en Provence. They were originally from the Loire Valley.
They decided to move to Provence for a lifestyle change and all that place in the sun type stuff.
The village would not except them because they where not from Provence and were literally alienated. So they moved back and bought our house.
The French are very strange people.
There is foreign immigration and there is national immigration in France.
It’s a generational thing as well. The farming family I lived alongside, with its 19th C outlook, no longer exists. The farm and family are gone, save for some crumbling stone barns, and my memories, mostly good ones.
I’m glad not see any more the dragging of struggling pigs and sheep to be strung up for slaughter, & so too with rabbits, chickens and the regularity of drowning kittens.
Round my way that’s all gone now.
As far as human beings are concerned there will always be behaviours that we’d dearly like not to exist.
But @Bonzocat’s subsequent post about repercussions provides a cautionary note, however much I support the idea of not allowing people to get away with assault.
I could imagine in France that “words of advice” might have been given to the miscreant in your case. The gendarmerie will have perhaps been well aware of his proclivities.
I agree with , I think Jane, a main courant is just a heads up. As I understand it no action taken, unless you want it but a record none the less. Awful situation, really hope no more comes of it x
)