Yes Phil, but remember my theory is that 'some countries empty out their psychiatric hospitals into the 'antiques trade' because most of them must be totally barking' so sweeping away leaves he could see but not you with your silly sanity, even if loaded to the hilt. You could never compete with those leaves. Had you offered to buy his entire stock I am sure he would have started a 'wibble, wibble' thing, fingers to lips imagining how many new brooms he could afford to finally get rid of the confounded leaves. Good weekend.
Brian, wouldn't you have thought that if the brocantes are struggling for business, this guy would have made every effort to sell me something, rather than continue sweeping the imaginary leaves!! After all, I may have been a rich dude taking a detour on the way to my Villa on the Cote d'Azur and might have been looking to buy his entire stock!!
I'm not, but he wasn't to know that. We did used to own a 1 bedroomed apartment in Cannes, but that's a story and a half for another day!!
Unfortunately I know 3 people like that and have actually been in France with them, 2 are much to my embarrassment related by marriage, many years ago I brought a party of children to France and required extra adults for supervision one guy had never been before but on arrival in France gave the kids a lecture do not under any circumstances speak or associate with the French they are all of dubious character now as this was a week to integrate with the French and absorb their culture it totally defeated the object of the exercise he also complained bitterly that no one spoke English and assumed the louder he shouted and the more he waved his arms the better they would understand he very quickly became the but of everyone’s jokes and kids can be very cruel.
The other 2 related by marriage refused to say please or thank you to anyone and spoke very loudly about how they dislike France and the French the woman is a staff nurse with a bedside manner akin to Dr Cripin, her husband is a professional dole scrounger they only came to France to see our house never been back as France is beneath them they holiday in more exotic places safaris across Africa, Mexico, India they love culture whatever that is to them, which pleases me no end
Regarding personalised number plates. We have a French car with these. The first two letters are CA as in my wife Cathy and the last are JF. Ok, I agree I had to change my name to Jean-Francois but there you go. We have encountered his type of peasant before. If they are loud, I usually pick up my portable, pretend to have a conversation, then shout at the patron that the Marie from some place several kilometres away asks "Can you ask the English to speak quietly,?" With reference to the clipped accent with no French. I say that I would never have been accepted to Eton if I didn't speak French.
I'm having a week in a gite at Prats-de-Perigord near Belves in August can anyone recommend a nice restaurant in that area ?
Two weeks back was a vide greniers as well in Issigeac, we got half drowned too and almost no vendors showed!
I was thinking more of Brocante and junk shops Brian...we like Issegeac market...on a Sunday...though recently every single time we have gone we have been half drowned!
Carol, we stick to the places over here. In fact we quickly we went to Le Buisson market this morning. Eymet and Lalinde are neither as good, and we can do Lalinde after dropping the children off at school, so what we are looking for is good local produce plus my Stilton and the girls' crumpets.
Yesterday there was the weekly market in Eymet...sunshine...lots of tourists...and must say everyone looking very smirky and perky...! nice to see the market taking some money...plus the cafe's, pub etc were all full...its been a lean time for everyone recently and the English weather hasnt helped...lovely to see the sun...must say we have some lovely peeps manning the Brocante stores....all very friendly, French, Brit and Dutch...on the main Boulevard coming into and out of Eymet..there is a proper junk shop...bit like the UK Charity shops, nic nacs or (is that naks?) clothes, furniture, painting etc.. anyway, charming and very efficient French woman runs the shop and always pleasant...lets you look without trailing around after you...worth a visit if you are driving through..
Phil, nice one. Most of the brocantes hereabouts (Dordogne) are doing such bad business that they are all grumpy as heck. What irks me about them though is that they have put the prices up! There is one particular brocante co-owned by a mad Englishman and a depressive Dutchman where they have gone round with a ballpoint and where they had price labels on a few things, simply crossed them out and put the new higher price on them! I sometimes suspect some countries empty out their psychiatric hospitals into the 'antiques trade' because most of them must be totally barking.
No, my OH is working part-time as an agent and is taking in a lot (really a lot) of houses owned by various UK folk who are really down on their uppers. Mind you, she is looking at university jobs as well with consultancy as flat as it is, so we may come to that unwillingly some time. N.B. she is not looking at UK universities after the way the last one mistreated her and her 'close friend/head of centre' killed herself for probably similar reasons.
We passed through the Dordogne on a road trip to our house in the Aude in April. We pulled up outside a Brocante in a lovely looking village Place which was in the process of having the main square relaid with new flagstones and street furniture.
As we entered the Brocante garage I said "Bonjour" to the proprietor who was lazily brushing up the area in front, whilst chatting to a lady. It was then I realised he was speaking English, but he gave no hint of recognition to my greeting, nor the fact that we were about to enter his establishment.
After a good 10 minutes wandering through his garage stocked with heavy brown furniture, some pine, china and the usual bric a brac, we made to leave and, this time said "thanks, bye".
We could have been invisible - still no hint of a 'morning' or 'bonjour' or 'anything I can help you with'. So we left - my wife muttering quite loudly in her best Lochee accent (comes out when she's fuming) "Well, I would nae buy anything from that place!!"
PS - off topic - daughter has just passed her driving test!!!!!!
haha...thats a good one Richard...would have loved to see that....and good for you...didnt get the comment instantly...'walk...in a sexual manner' then the penny dropped..! good for you. Brian...assume you didnt mean you were thinking of selling up just that you were near impoverished???
I must correct you Carol! The Dordogne seems to attract the near impoverished rather than less affluent ones judging from the people putting houses on the market my OH meets (and us nearly).
Fabulously funny Zoe...think it could be the beginning of a really funny soap...honestly...where does everyone meet these people???? I can only assume I dont frequent the areas where Toffs go...maybe too downmarket where I am...have never in my 50 plus years heard anything close to this...except in a Tesco cafe when a young mum is giving her young children the benefit of her extensive swear word vocab. Where I live..you are more likely to hear expats talking about the UK tourists in a loud and derogatory way...as in ..Good lord...look at that..socks and sandals...another bl**dy brit...which I also find hugely bl**dy annoying....I think you get the old colonial type in Provence and areas like Annecy...ie...expensive....the Dordogne tends to have the less afluent expats...like us....!
I have just seen this and must admit we have come across some very rude English speaking people in restaurants and cafés. On one occasion a very 'loud' lady was literally screaming at her children and using the 'f' word as every other word. Some one from another table commented and the response was 'they're French they don't understand'. As we knew the owners we knew she was so wrong. For those of us who live in France it is common knowledge that most French residents can either speak or comprehend varying degrees of English, whether they choose to use it is their personal choice. Any way we chose to leave as she continued.
I think you have just met my ex husband, he was like that in the UK and also in Spain. He got so above himself everyone were the little people if the worked in service of any kind. So rude
Been there (even in Annecy), heard them, seen them, in many places around the world. 'Usually' American I'm afraid, but one finds these perfect examples of 'waste of good air' in other nationalities as well. Unfortunately the current economic crisis is not going to eradicate THEM, but rather the modest people.....
Can only LOL at range rovers with custom plates. They are so funny. not for the deppaneurs, i suppose, as they probably have to listen to how it takes too long, is too pricey, they need to be dropped off somewhere else, and all that jazz.
Like the personalised number plate bit and it is so heart warming to see a Range Rover with them broken down on a motorway occasionally realising that for once in their lives they must wait and are at the behest of their 'rescuers'.