Discussions

Along with a few other folk, when I joined this forum, I assumed that everyone was English or at least British. This has got me to wondering have any non British (very clumsy I know but I don't know how else to phrase it) learnt anything linguistically from this forum about England, slang etc? I mentioned once about myself that, being from Yorkshire, I am tight fisted (a miser). Has anything along these lines, if anything, stuck in your mind ? I ask because a friend in Brittany told me not to try and learn French slang etc. because I would make a fool of myself! Ray, drinking a very smooth Calvados in Selby, North Yorkshire, God's County.

La vache folle a traversé l'Atlantique it is going to be very interesting to see how the americain will react now..............

When I registered at Angloinfo I boringly called myself by my real name. Today when Bald Eagle signed a reply to my message  as Ray I had a totally different image of him. Now I know that Les is not really Les, but doesnt one see people differently because of their name. I got to wondering what I should have called myself. My father used to call me a Wild Wooly Woman, my sister less kindly called me Ginger Lump for a brief time when we were kids My husband has been known to describe me as a Raspberry Blancmange (having heard my hair described as Strawberry blond) The children I used to teach called me all sorts of thing from Demis Roussos,Big H, Stoneage to MissPiggy Now what sort of picture of me have I conjured up? I wonder which I should have used? Do you have a different name you wish you had used? Sally  

I was just wondering about all the visitors we have from the Riviera site, so I thought that i would go and have a look. One thing surprised me and FlumplePrincess as well, as she was asking exactly the same question but the other way around. There are a great deal of members who are regulars on both sites, and as FP put it, " how many are HERE & go THERE or THERE and come HERE?"  Reading through the answer I think we can add two other catorgories as in ON THE OTHER SIDE and IN THE MIDDLE? Just wondering what you all thought? Kenavo!Dan

My husband and I are retiring to Provence (Vaucluse 84) in 3 years. I have browsed the entire AngloINFO Riviera site, but there is no information or members in that location, except a tourist web site. I have two questions, I hope the membership can help me with; 1)Is there any active forum, such as this one in Provence, I could get in touch with? 2)We are going to buy land and create a new build, have any members any experience of this? Anne

Just an idea,   Would it be worth those who are living in france already and those still living in britian trying to talk to each other in french, I know I would find it useful if we tried it via this site, if it was possilbe. I know it might not be practicle but it is just an idea. any thoughts ? Michelle     Michelle

....I only know about the donkeys in my own backyard...but I don't know what life is like in Brittany. Is there a home for me there?... I'm prepared to listen.

Hi all, We all talk about practical problems, info and tips and I was just wondering, doesn't anyone get homesick? Of course our situation for moving to France was quite different than most of you and I do find myself suffering from a bout of homesickness every now and than, especially now with the holidays coming. I miss my old friends, my home and way of life. I really miss these kind of topic discussions on AI. Maybe because most of you are here because you choose to be here and are not job related expats that these topics don't come up. But if you suffer from homesickness what do you do about it? -- Tink (22)

Do we have people of Dutch origin on this board? If so Happy Sint Nicolaas day to you all! Today December 5th Holland and Belgium are celebrating Sint Nicolaas or Sinterklaas night. The Dutch brought this custom with them from Holland to the US. When the English Setters took over from the Dutch in what is now known as New York they shifted St. Nicolaas day weeks ahead to December 25th, the wooden shoes became Christmas stockings and St. Nick became Santa Claus. St. Nicolaas arrives on his boat from Spain in Holland on or around November 16. His Birthday December 6th is celebrated the night before on December 5th. Reason St.Nicolaas arrives so early is that he needs to visit a lot of children and schools and hospitals. The tradition was that children would place their (wooden) shoe near the stove with some hay, bread or a carrot for St. Nicolaas white horse on December the 5th. If they were good boys and girls they would find presents, fruit and money in their shoes when they woke up December 6th. Nowadays children will get presents on the night of the 5th. Usual there will be a knocking on the door and a sack with presents will be sitting there. Grown-ups make silly presents for each other and all have to be accompanied with a rhyme. Sint Nicolaas leaves on December 6th on his boat for Spain to prepare his visit for next year. The last few years there has been a shift in celebrating St.Nicolaas to Santa. I think it's a pity because it's one of those nice traditions. -- Tink (22)

What is everyone feeling about the situation in Iraq ? Personally, although I think the US and the UK used very flimsy excuses for going in there, it seems to me that the "ordinary man in the street" in Iraq is grateful for them having got rid of the oppressors. What is going on now is absolutely horrendous but should the forces now leave and allow these terrorists back in to start a new regime of oppression on the poor souls who live there? How can they be left to deal with that alone? They would end up in a worse state than they were before. To live in constant fear and oppression must be the most awful thing in the world to deal with! shirl

As my French is not good I have been having fun playing with Babel Fish. It gives me the chance to get the basic gist of French websites. Occasionally it comes up with odd things though. My favourite was when looking at a site about Breton waterways was when it called the river Vilaine  "The Unpleasant One"! I wondered if others had found some interesting "howlers" using online translation. Sally

Some friends and I are on our way to our house near Lamballe, and arrive in St Malo on Sat morning.  We are desperate to find a bar with other English that will be showing the game live. I believe the kick off is about 10am local time. Can anyone recommend one? Mark K

And another thing.......yes I know it's bad English to start a sentence with "and"......but.....let's have some good news for a change. What happened to all the "good samaritans"? Are there still any around? Or do the majority still "walk by on the other side"? Does anyone help anyone who looks like they need it these days or are we all so involved with our own lives that "we don't want to get involved"? I can quote several instances where I thought someone should do something but no one did....... If there are still any good samaritans out there, let's hear it! shirl

Okay, at the risk of being boring..... has anyone been following "what the butler saw/read"? It never ceases to amaze me how the general public are kept in the dark. Seems like all sorts of skeletons are now coming out of the royal cupboards. Don't understand why there hasn't been a UK inquiry about Diana's death. Never believed it was an accident. That poor girl was used, betrayed, persecuted and even in death can have no peace or justice! Poor Charles is "dismayed" at the betrayal of his former butler. Oh what a shame! Did he not think Diana would also be a bit dismayed at him seeing "the pitbull" all through his marriage? What wife could live with that knowledge? How can he ever have the "right" to be a King? he certainly does not deserve to be, then again, we all know that throughout history monarchs have been unscrupulous liars, robbers and murderers...... I think he should just take off to some far distant island with his "cling-on", they deserve each other shirl

Or do agressive people choose to live in cities? Having spent some time yesterday afternoon close to the sea with lots of other people- i notice that the agressive drivers seemed to sport the numbers 75, 92, 69, 35 etc probably indicating town dwellers. Why is this? What happened to courtesy ? Help!   regards,Les

This forum isfor all that stuff that would be off-topic elsewhere - a place to chat about (almost) anything and everything - as long as you stay within the AngloINFO Ts & Cs..! -----Forums Administratorforums@angloinfo.com