Thank you. Yes it does 
Thank you/
Thank you
[Thank you for the suggestions
Thank you. Yes Dubai is very different now. Unrecognisable from the 70âs. Yes Dubai has people of every nationality - very diverse - and everyone is catered for. And even though you are still in a Islamic country and respect itâs tradition, history and laws, the respect is also reciprocated for everyone there contributing to the country 
Hence a huge amount of choice for everyone. Good job everyone wasnât forced to speak Arabic! Things wouldnât have got very far. But they are forward thinking enough to recognise English as the international language. Have you ever been back?
Thank you to everyone who answered my query and offered suggestions. That has been extremely helpful.
No worriesđ
Missed a thank you. Thank you Some good tips. Very appreciated
"Good job everyone wasnât forced to speak Arabic! Things wouldnât have got very far"
I donât agree, Arabic (I mean fusHa rather than 'aamiyya) is a great language with a rich and fascinating literary/historical/scientific corpus. More people should learn it, and anyone living in any country should learn the language (s).
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Hi hopefully you will settle in to France and be happy. We have a holiday home in Brittany and have been coming to France for 28 years on holiday. One of the things I love is the food. You need to let go and try out new things. The language is essential to learn and so it should be as I would expect people visiting the UK to try to speak english. Have a look in antique shops and at vide greniers etc for furniture which you can always chalk paint if preferred. Try to get to know your french neighbours and while I agree the sometimes grumpy service is annoying, vive la difference! It will take time to adjust as it is very different from Dubai , thankfully! But it a truly fantastic country, so give it a chance and very best wishes.
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I lived in France for 15 yrs, never bought anything from the UK except tea, even when I went back to see my family. I found everything I needed locally with little difference in price overall, swings and roundabouts. I couldnât see the point of living abroad if you continued with an English lifestyle, the idea was to experience a new culture, ideas and along with it, the daily living not the feeling of being on a long holiday. I now live in Ireland and can go into the North to shop if I want to but again not a lot to be gained on most items.
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The last time i did that for tesco and via click of the mouse truck Tesco did not accept mastercard issued in France. Have they changed?
Hello Verity
If you go to Riberac market there is an English products stand that sells many items at a resonable price if you run out of something. You can find them on Facebook " Larder Anglaise". There is also a farm butcher there. They make British style sausages and bacon amongst other things and also sell lamb at a very resonable price in fact I think their name may be Franklin Farm 
also on Facebook. I believe they both operate together and do deliver up in your area on a monthly basis.
Getting out and exploring and bearing in mind how cheap it is to run a car in France is how I justify other things being a little more pricey. âSwings and roundaboutsâ I think would be the term to use with regard to prices here and there.
It would appear you live in the French countryside. Dubai is certainly not in the countryside. Why are you trying to compare what is not comparable? Some of us live in the city ⌠and, surprise, surprise, French cities are brimming with good food shops, furniture shops and paint shops. You can even find Marmite
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Sorry bit late in posting a reply but we have just ordered some diy items from screwfix Europe site and their service was excellent. Free delivery if you spend 70 euros and only took 3 days to arrive. We did try to source the items in France but the galvanised screws we needed were literally 4 times the price here.
As for paint, have had very mixed results with French paint. Will definitely look at the Leroy merlin next time Iâm there. I must agree the cheap stuff here is rubbish, canât even see where youâve painted until it dries. Have used Tollens in bergerac who have a great selection ( even farrow & ball) and they are very helpful too. Just received my first Poundland order which all started as I could not find hoisin sauce anywhere over here and that was good too.
Re furniture, we went to CBA bergerac and bought an old dresser and painted and distressed it - looks fab now, Not sure if thatâs the style youâre looking for.
By the way just want to say I really enjoyed reading the post and all the banter.
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not sure if I am allowed to name the companies here - is there anyway you can contact me direct ?
Hi. Sent you a message. Thanks
Hi - google these two compani
I use gbshoppingdirect which comes down every two weeks
The other one to look at is sterling shopping
I would email if you are not sure which pick up point is best for yourself
Any other questions just ask me
Rgds nina
I have used Forward2me, a couple of times for delivery to my home in the Dordogne and will use them again.
I think there is a minimum purchase price from the supermarket of ÂŁ70âŚ