| In 2001, I had just retired from the Inland | | | | to fit all new electrics, plumbing, wood cladding, line |
| Revenue. I was living in a small flat in a village near | | | | the inside walls, decorate, fit a modern kitchen |
| Dover, quite close to my two daughters and their | | | | and bathroom and repair and paint all woodwork. |
| families. I had worked for several years in Monaco | | | | They also erected a kit swimming pool that I |
| and for a year in Brussels, and my French was | | | | bought from a supermarket (it fitted into my Fiat |
| reasonable. I suffer from perennial wanderlust - I | | | | Punto) and laid gravel down for car parking. |
| need to see what is round the next bend and | | | | The renovations took three months and were |
| over the next hill. From my corner of Kent, it was | | | | completed just as my daughter, her husband and |
| impossible to explore the rest of Britain without | | | | four children came down from Kent. They loved |
| negotiating the nightmarish M2 or M 20 and M25. I | | | | the house, the little pool ( 17 foot diameter, 4 |
| felt trapped - I wanted to visit historic cities in | | | | feet tall), and the wonderful mountain scenery. |
| Europe and travel through foreign landscapes, but | | | | I joined the French health system - as I was over |
| each time I had to rely on planes or ferries to get | | | | 60 I was entitled to 70% of the costs of my |
| me to the continent. | | | | visits to the doctor and most drugs. I took out a |
| I did something which I do not recommend - I | | | | small 'top-up' insurance policy to cover me if I had |
| gave myself two weeks to find a house in | | | | to go into hospital. |
| France. I flew to Toulouse and hired a car. I had | | | | For the first year, I was able to insure my UK |
| spent a wonderful walking holiday in the | | | | registered car in France, but after that I would |
| midi-Pyrenees, and I intended to start my search | | | | have needed to get a 'certificate of conformity' |
| there, but for some reason I turned east ouf of | | | | from the makers and it was too much hassle, so |
| the airport and drove towards the Mediterranean. | | | | I sold the car in England and bought a Nissan Micra |
| I reached a beautiful little town called Mirepoix, | | | | in France. French cars keep their value much |
| close to the ancient city of Carcassonne, and | | | | better than cars in the Uk, and people tend to |
| booked into a little hotel. I visited a few estate | | | | keep their cars much longer. I have kept my UK |
| agents and looked at three houses, but they | | | | driving licence, but I will change to a French licence |
| were not quite right I wanted to be somewhere | | | | when I reach 70. |
| more remote, in the high Pyreness, so on my | | | | I sorted out my income tax with the local |
| sixth day I drove to the town of Quillan. There | | | | 'inspecteur des impots' - my two UK government |
| was an estate agent opposite the main car park, | | | | pensions (I had been a teacher and a tax |
| saying 'English spoken' and I went in. A Scottish | | | | inspector) had to be taxed at source, but my |
| woman showed me a picture of a run-down | | | | retirement pension is taxed in France. I get the |
| holiday cottage, and I arranged a visit the next | | | | benefit of two personal allowances, so I pay no |
| day. | | | | tax in France and very little in the UK. |
| She drove me through some spectacular gorges, | | | | I was very happy in my little mountain reteat, but |
| then we began climibing - and climbing - and | | | | in September 2003 one of my daughters had an |
| climbing. I thought we were going to go off the | | | | operation in a private hospital in England, by an |
| edge of the world. Suddenly, we came out into a | | | | incompetent surgeon. Her stomach was |
| wide, sunlit valley, surrounded by tree clad | | | | perforated, she came close to death and is left |
| mountains. It was November, and there was | | | | permanently disabled. She lost her business and |
| snow on the high peaks. | | | | her house and I had to sell my house to meet |
| The house was outside the village, standing in 350 | | | | her debts. After five years, we are just nearing a |
| sq. metres of garden. It was a bungalow, in very | | | | settlement with the Medical Defence Union, the |
| poor condition - there was fungus growing in the | | | | surgeon's insurers. I have rented holiday gites in |
| shower. It didn't matter - the surroundings were | | | | the Dordogne, Lot, on the coast near Argeles, |
| so beautiful I knew I had to have it. I made the | | | | and currently I am in the beautiful Haute Garonne. |
| mistake of offering the full asking price of | | | | Although it has been a financial struggle, I have |
| 270,000 francs, which was then about | | | | enjoyed the opportunity to try out different |
| £25,000 - I found out when I moved in | | | | regions of France. I don't want to live in a very |
| that it had been for sale for several years and | | | | isolated spot high in the mountains again - although |
| they would have taken much less! | | | | it is very beautiful I found I got bored with having |
| I signed a contract, which gave me seven days | | | | to drive for 30 minutes down the same tortuous |
| to pull out, but I knew this was going to be my | | | | mountain road every time I wanted to go out. I |
| home. | | | | want to be close enough the the Pyrenees to be |
| I had six days left of my holiday, so I started | | | | able to visit for the day, but closer to the |
| driving down to Barcelona on the coast road, but | | | | motorway network so I can continue my |
| the Pyrenees pulled me inland, and I ended up | | | | exploration of Europe. |
| driving through the magnificent Spanish Pyrenees, | | | | I have found the French in each area to be most |
| finally crossing into France in a blizzard, late in the | | | | welcoming and kind - possibly because I speak to |
| evening, and ending up in Pau at 9 p.m., exhausted | | | | them in French (not fluent) and also because I tell |
| and hungry. I saw a sign 'Hotel Bristol, free | | | | them, quite truthfully, that I think France is such a |
| parking', and pulled in. The receptionist said they | | | | beautiful country. |
| had only a very small room left, but I would have | | | | I spend much of my time exploring ancient |
| slept in a barn. The kitchen was closed and I was | | | | towns, little villages, and beautiful secnic areas. I |
| too tired to go out to eat. He very kindly brought | | | | walk for several hours most days, which is very |
| me some bread, cheese, ham, and a jug of hot | | | | good for my arthritis. I go through the various |
| chocolate - it was one of the best meals I have | | | | mountain passes into Spain, to fill up with cheaper |
| ever had. | | | | petrol and have a meal. I am unbelievably happy |
| When I got back to England, I put my flat on the | | | | and hope to spend the next fifteen or twenty |
| market and it sold in two weeks, at a very good | | | | years living independently in France, but visiting |
| price. | | | | my large family (two daughters, ten grandchildren, |
| I flew back to France, and asked in the hotel | | | | two great grandchildren so far) about four times |
| nearest to my new house if they knew of any | | | | a year. |
| good workmen to carry out the renovations. The | | | | However, I do appreciate that not everybody |
| hotel had just been rewired, so I rang the | | | | could live alone in an isolated house on the |
| electrician and arranged to meet him and his | | | | outskirts of a village. I find Sky TV/radio and the |
| friend the plumber at the property. They quoted | | | | internet are great company. |
| me what I thought was a very reasonable price | | | | |