I know, it seems a bit sad advertising for friends!
We moved to live in france almost 2 years ago and we have met some really nice people and made a few friends, but we struggle to find people our age. My husband and i are 43 & 44 and our daughter is 12. We have 2 dogs, a cat, 7 chickens and a few hundred fish.
My oh works away so i am here on my own a lot of the time, we like to 'try to' keep fit, and my oh plays for a local cricket team when he's home. Obviously we like the normal things like lounging in the sun, swimming in the pool and skiing in the winter. We like to cook and entertain and of course the wine!!
Don't tell the oh but i like shopping too.
We don't want 'contacts' or 'status' friends, we don't care if you have a big or small house or how much money people have. It would just be nice to find someone that's a similar age to us, with something in common that just wants some friends to have a laugh with.
So if you live in the Mirande area give us a shout. :-)
Hi Pam I too come from Cumbria and have been here 5 yrs .i live in Castel Sarrazin a small village in les Landes so we maybe too far apart to be close friends and the age difference maybe a problem , but I am young at heart and am happy to try and make friends so if you want to chat perhaps we can meet off the main site
Friends are so important.
People to share ideas and time with.
Life needs those punctations of work, rest, play and chatting with friends.
Been thinking about the word friendship and the meaning....
It means someone who you can trust and is there for you.
So...friendship dooes not find itself to you overnight...It comes
from the initial relationship which you have with aquinatnces.
It all depends if you want to "talk about the weather" or you can
help each other with problems and delight over good news in a
restaurant or simple lunch.
Some of my friends are much younger than me and others are older...they are
all people with stories to share and we seem to be happy spending time together.
October brings lots of Uk friends so lots of walks ....walnut picking, airport runs, cooking
together and talking about the past and the future.
Hya Sarah, We walk our dogs in Berdoues forest sometimes too. If you drive through Berdoues then turn left for the dechetterie, then after about 500 metres turn right at the crossroads we are the first house down there on the left. Pop in if you're passing through. A cuppa sounds lovely especially 'proper' tea!
Hi Pam
Just up the road from you at Ste Dode. We often walk our dog in the woods at Berdoues - whereabouts are you? This Saturday you'll find us at the Salle de Fete in Ste Dode as there's a band on. I found joining our village asso helped and was also lucky to find lots of lovely people close by. I'll send you my number by pm if you want to come over for a cuppa (Yorkshire Tea, none of yr Yellow Label...) My grand-daughter is nearly as old as your daughter but then I started early... maybe we could point you towards some younger people?
With so many people going back to UK (can't think why!) the circle is getting smaller so anyone out there in 22/29 get in touch.
I second Regina's idea!!!
Hi Pam,
We are close (kind of!) to your age range (49 & 51), however our children are in their Twenties (started early!), so not not quite a match, also we don’t have any pets (yet - it’s definitely on the list to get a dog, some chickens etc.! 
We are about 65km away from you in the Hautes Pyrenees near Lannemezan, might be bit far for a quick coffee and a chat, but maybe meeting up somewhere in the middle at some point would work? Let me know if you and your OH fancied it at all.
We have only moved here in February, have signed the Compromis on a house 1 month ago and hope to move in August. Our house (or big renovation project!!!) is in a small village near Montrejeau/Haute Garonne, distance to Mirande area roughly the same as from where we are currently renting near Lannemezan.
We are still acclimatising to our new life in France, have met a few nice people already, but have also come across the fact that many of the other “étrangers” in this area are a lot older than us. We hope to make some French friends once we settle into our new village. We intend to try and get involved into the village activities as much as possible, probably a good way to meet others and hopefully make friends.
However, as we will be running our own business from home, we won’t fall into the category of the semi- or fully retired age group, and because we don’t have any younger children anymore, we don’t fall into the families category either, not easy to find people of our age group that are in a similar situation to us, so I really sympathise with you.
Regina, I think your idea for a special thread for contacts/looking for friends on SFN is great!
This seems to be a common problem judging by some of the comments! We are in a similar situation: we live in Lyon and had a circle of international friends who all got transferred elsewhere in the meantime and we are the only ones left. Our children, through whom we met a lot of friends, have left home. I stay at home while most French women work and they all seem to have so little time for real friendships. The "Acceuil de Villes Françaises" (AVF) seems to be a good place to make new contacts, but we'd also love to have some foreign friends who face the same battles, frustrations and joys of daily life in France.
Maybe we need to open a special threat for contacts here on SFN?
Hi Pam, we are over in Maubourguet about 45 mins from you, My partner runs a tai chi class and our friend a yoga group. She has a small group of friends mostly a little older than you 50s 60s, without them she would be driven crazy. Maubourguet also has a 'franglais' group that meets weekly organised by a two locals, it is mostly english at the moment, hopefully more french will be encouraged to come. Get in touch if want to.
I'm not in the age range but am also desperately searching for friends... I wish I was closer, does anyone live in or near Rouen??????
Thanks for the encouragement guy. Valerie & Frances, it's a shame we're too far apart, but if you're passing this way theres always coffee in the cupboard & wine in the fridge.
Hi Pam, I admire your initiative and have been on the verge of doing the same myself! Its very difficult as most of the people where I live are retired and I long to mix with people my own age having zero interest in playing Bridge and golf. I do hope you find your kindred spirits, it makes such a difference to life here in France to be with people with similar interests and stories.
Hi Pam, we feel the same way, having moved from the Little England that is Dordognefordshire after 11 years. We feel a little bereft up here in the Ille et Vilaine. It is closer for me to get to work in the IDF, and closer to the ports, but we miss a little company at times. Shame you are down south, we are en route to the ports at Caen and Roscoff though if you are passing. Our son is 9, currently in the Alps with school, and our daughter is nearly 8, going on 18... she is not on the school trip though. My OH spends her time managing us all, whilst I work away, and doing an admirable job I have to say. Anyone out there in the 35/44/53/49 departments?
Good luck to you on your quest for friends to have a laugh with, keep us updated!
lb
yes, not at all sad. Good idea. I live currently in Rambouillet and I have the same problem but am too far away this to work out for us.
I don't think it's sad at all! Shows initiative! Good luck!
Hi Pam. I'm so disappointed because I live a little too far away for quick coffees because I would love to 'adopt' you - or perhaps it's the other way round. But please, if you're ever going gad-about close to the Haute Vienne (Dept 87), I would love for you to drop in. I'm older than you but my son is younger than your daughter (he's 7) so it balances out. We also have two extremely ridiculous dogs and two cats. We did have a snake trying to sneak into the kitchen but he decided not to stay. We've plenty of room here for an overnighter, there's rarely decent food in the fridge but there's wine and juice on the shelf.