For any major decision you can only do so much planning and a possible change in government and what they may do to tax years down the line is something that you just have to accept and deal with if and when it happens. How could anyone 20 years ago have predicted and planned for Brexit?
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We first bought a house in France in 1989. Ten years later I was retired, we liked travelling for long periods which gave problems with UK house assurance. So we sold our UK house. Then, a few years later, we became grandparents. Our residence secondaire was a maison du village. No garage, no garden. We decided France was a better bet so bought our present property. By the Med and the Pyrenees. Kept our first house and shared our life between two locations.
But age catches up with you. My wife died in early 2024. I will be 85 next December. Time to move on. My family want me to live with them. They found me an appartment near my daughter and grand kids. Iām in the long protracted business of buying it. I have the money and can pay cash but progress is slow. Then I will sell my home in France.
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Agree Timā¦indeed who can be sureā¦however what you can do is plan on the here and now and also act on stuff now that might minimise the future taxes if somebody did meddle going forwards. I suspect even a really radical government in the uk or france would not radically go back and retrospectively change tax on lifetime gifts.
Bampton was always a nice part of that area. I have colleagues who live in central and west Witney, Carterton etc. and like the area but hate the heavy traffic and commute. If we stayed in the area then Wallingford seems less crowded although weāve not been for a few years. Those parts of the county with poor access to major roads generally seem less crowded for obvious reasons.
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In answer to your post Paul Robson, I am happy with all my financial and legal arrangements made.
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Wow! what a memory of the place!
You probably know this but when the M40 was opened (ages ago), the tiny narrow road from the start of the Dashwoods (from High Wycombe to Oxford) through West Wycombe. ..it got very sleepy and quiet, so much so that you could hear the children at the infants school.
I used to take my lunch on the hills..
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It was like that when I was a child but since the 80ās it got worse and worse. When I used to stay with my grandparents in the school holidays, I used to look through their front door letterbox and see the Mausoleum lit up with lights all around it.
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The mention of Bampton reminds me of when I was there (via google earth) researching my maternal ancestry.
I Managed to get back to 1490 when my 14 x great grand father Pettifer Pettifer was born there. The Pettifer family, latterly spelling Pettyfer, were the life and soul of the village.
Almost all the Pettyfer family were either born, baptised, married and buried at the church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Bampton over a 400 year period.
In later years the Pettyfer family spread their wings to the wider area to Oxford and beyond.
It is all recorded here:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=The+Camel+Connection&i=stripbooks&crid=19CDVZV5NI5R6&sprefix=the+camel+connection%2Cstripbooks%2C164&ref=nb_sb_noss
Volume 4 contains the Pettyfer history.
I dont expect anyone to buy the books but if anyone is seriously interested about Bampton and its historical residents I would be happy to send you a pdf of volume 4 if you PM me.
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Hi AM
Yes, West Wycombe is closer to High Wycombe but not that close. The high St is nice and appealing buildings but not much there to make you want to linger. We have a BIL living nearby. The country side is very pretty.
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Those talking about the weather as a reason not to go to the UK, look at the Giro, horrendous weather in southern Italy at the mo.
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Yeah, thatās right. Iāve not actually learnt any ASL or French sign language as I didnāt fancy confusing myself.
I think itās a great idea for people to learn, itās fascinating.
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As I am not due to inherit anything I have no concerns about inheritance tax.
i expect to go first as I cannot imagine my wife allowing me to enjoy myself should she pre-decease me. Her needs will be catered for.
The only reason for my returning to the UK would the death or serious illness of close friends.
The election results last week convince me that the lunatics have taken over the asylum. If that is what the residents want, so be it but count me out.
Why bother to have moved in the first place?
With that attitude one might as well climb into a coffin shortly after birth!
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What a strange thing to say.
Each stage of my life: growing up in the Home Counties, working in London in the 60s, living in Brazil in the 70s, back in London as my career progressed and then having the freedom in 2007 to come to France for nigh on 20 years. Why bother? Because each place has brought me adventure, new friendships, new experiences, new challenges, broadened my horizons, forced me to face fear, to stretch myself, to learn what Iām good at (and not).
Each place has a bit of my heart. There is a word in Portuguese: āsaudadesā - itās richer than ānostalgiaā but thatās probably the nearest. So I can love where I am, but have saudades for places where I have been and the wonderful people I have known. Our time in France has been magical and precious, but there is a bit of my heart that yearns for England again. Iām lucky I have that choice. Not everyone I know in France does.
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The song we used for our wedding.
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A few more: (one ālikeā is not enough)
That could make an interesting thread (maybe @billybutcher?)
For ours (in a Joāburg resto) people entered to the Kronos Quartetās version of John Adamsā Shaker Loops playing softly, then after the ceremony Tom Waitsā version of West Side Storyās Somewhere 'cos we didnāt even know which continent we were going to live on.
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Very interesting what you say about the noise people make. Do you think this is common in Basque region?
I am also very sensitive to noise and for example canāt abide walking in the countryside with folk who talk loudlyā¦especially those who intonate well.
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Spend it, thatāll sort out that problem.
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