Tag: ournormandylife

Our French Life

The One Where I Get Ram Raided

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I set out to write about things to do in Vire, Calvados or Vir-ray as my brother-in-law calls it. I actually prefer this version as it sounds all posh like.  Well firstly, it’s not to get ram raided by another car in the supermarket car park. This happened to me yesterday in the E.leclerc in Vire. So firstly, if you are out shopping be mindful of the kamikaze parking that goes on here. Everything is different. Logic. Common Sense. It’s like living in an opposite game show where the rules keep changing. I love France and the French people are, by and large, very nice but how it all works (even accepting it) can feel like you’re living in a pantomime. I mean the whole way in which we think, in my view, as Brits is the complete opposite to a French person. Continue reading “The One Where I Get Ram Raided” →

Our French Life

School’s Out For Summer

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Inkedoutdoor swimming brecey_LI
Outdoor Swimming Pool at Brecey – 3 pools in total

A whole 8 weeks of summer holidays. Some dread it. Some love it. I’m probably somewhere in between.  I love not having to be anywhere in particular. I love the freedom of it. The promise of relaxed holidays where we’re all lazing about, peppered with the odd major day out. Invariably, it never quite ends up like that but one can dream. Continue reading “School’s Out For Summer” →

Our French Life

An Amateur In France

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bald tyre

Although I’ve been living here for just over a year now there are some days, or more recently a few weeks, that I feel like a complete amateur in France – and this generally costs me money.

So where to begin? Okay, so last September whilst we were busy sorting out our house, Mr Normandy noticed that the back two tyres of my car, were completely bald. Little did I realise that this was the beginning of my car troubles. In fact, if I have any sound advice to give you upon moving to France, I’d say treat yourself to a new car! It will be cheaper as second-hand cars, with double the mileage, cost a small fortune. This is even allowing for the fees you will pay for your Carte Grise, Certificate of Conformity etc.  I’d also check to see if there’s a main dealer near where you going to be living. But yes treat yourself and hopefully you won’t spend the best part of a year, in a garage, learning new French words for all manner of car parts. Continue reading “An Amateur In France” →