Wednesday 8 July 2020

Hereabouts.



The South West corner of France, the Périgord area in particular, is a very pleasant place to live. It has a reasonable climate; never much above 30 C in Summer, and never much below -5 C in Winter. As you can see by the above photo, it is also very verdant; which means it usually rains enough to keep things lush-looking.

But its greatest attributes are its beautiful architecture, superb gastronomy, and wonderful unspoilt gently-rolling wooded landscapes; and you don't have to be a multi-millionaire to live here. Beautiful old stone-built properties are possibly half the price (if not less) of those back in the UK.

                            

Beautiful medieval Chateaux are around every corner. This exquisite 'family-sized' example (above), is quite nearby. Such wonderful buildings are commonplace.

Like so many rural idyls, there isn't a great deal going on. Farming (what's left of it) is possibly the main activity along with tourism, but paid employment for school/university-leavers is rare. To live here it is best to have been born on a farm, and to rely on Brussels for handouts. Most educated young people wanting a well-paid job tend to leave for either Bordeaux or Toulouse, leaving an area top-heavy with oldies.

People looking for nightlife, international cuisine, raucous music concerts, sandy beaches, noisy bars, souvenir shops, and 'Tea like mum makes', would be advised to go elsewhere.

However, all this inactivity makes the area a wonderful place to live. More often than not, we sit outside in perfect silence, and, at present, with very few white lines in the sky, the area must be as it was hundreds of years ago, and that suits me fine.

However, I fear that it may not always be thus. Things are changing fast.


28 comments:

  1. Sounds idyllic apart from the temperatures. The high 30's are too hot for me and temperatures in the negative too cold.

    Here typical summer temps are 22 to 30 and winter daytime 12 to 17 down to 7 at night. We don't get snow and frosts are a rarity

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    1. That was a mistake. It should have read 30 C (not 38 C). I've now changed it. Thanks.

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  2. Such a lovely landscape! As to young people leaving it that reminds me of Brandenburg: lovely but lonely, the old ones remain, the young ones try their luck in the cities. You can buy a Gutshof for little money (though you need much to restore it).

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    1. These 'exoduses' seem to go in cycles. At the moment there is a sudden return to the country for a safer 'no-covid' lifestyle, but I expect they'll all be rushing back to the cities again very soon.

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  3. What a beautiful place to live Cro .... I’d love to buy the Chateau but think we are too old to start anything like that now !!! It’s hard enough keeping on top of everything in our house ! Enjoy your lovely weather ..... rain all day here ..... I’m about to make a Spring chicken casserole ! XXXX

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    1. That's how we think. It would great to buy some really ancient chateau or manor house, but I think the work would be too much for me now. I should have done it in my early forties. Still, even with an old farmhouse and now a tiny cottage, it's been great fun.

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  4. It does look like a beautiful place to live. If my French language skills were not quite so rusty and inadequate I would be tempted to buy the Chateau.

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    1. It is stunning. Not too big, and with a reasonable amount of land. I would love to own it!!!

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  5. Watching the Chateau with Dick and Angel is enough for me now. I used to holiday in your area in the 1970s.

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    1. It's still a lovely area, but much more noisy than it used to be.

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  6. Your final sentence surprised me. What are the changes you are seeing?

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    1. So many people are cashing-in on tourism. Our tiny hamlet used to comprise of us and two neighbours. Now there are about 15 permanent residents, plus various amounts of holiday makers. Lots of extra noise too; especially today!

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  7. As you rightly say Cro 'The times they are a'changing' - same everywhere and often not for the better. Lovely to have you back after your 'holiday' in Haddocks.

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    1. I return rested! If, or when, all the covid business is behind us, I think the world will be quite different; and as you say, not necessarily for the better.

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  8. The young will always want the excitement of the cities and the opportunities they offer, but eventually, they also age and many want a quieter life again.

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    1. The first thing I did after school was to find myself a job in London, I didn't go to Uni until 3 years later.

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  9. We miss it hugely (except for the horse flies). So many happy memories.

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    1. Horse flies here at the moment, green eyed monsters!

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  10. It surely is a beautiful area you live in. Great temperatures, green grass in summer and those wonderful chateaux.
    Also of course the best of food and drink. Maybe the change will be slowed after this

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    1. We had hoped that the tourists would all stay at home, but it appears not. I suppose they have just as much right to enjoy things as we do.

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  11. There was a time when I used to stay a lot in the Poitou-Charente that I considered selling up here and buying a pottery in France. I'm very pleased with how my life turned out but sometimes I wonder.....

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    1. I was quite young when I moved here; 25. I think it was a good decision, we've had great fun.

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  12. Beautiful area, Cro. I reluctantly left the small town life for a more crowded place because I couldn't find work by staying where i was.

    After a while i moved farther away from the more populated place to one more rural and verdant. And then that place became 'disovered', and never recovered.

    I moved to where i am now, small town similar to the one where I grew up because I could telecommute. Lots of tourism, which isn't happening near as much this year, although i'm in a spot where tourists are simply en route to better known destinations, which suits me just fine.

    We have some people clamoring to move here with all this covid business, but we also have pretty good winters which makes many give pause.

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    1. Finding one's ideal location isn't always easy. My youngest son can't even find his ideal country; he's off to Australia again! I do hope he settles soon, his boys will need permanent schools.

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  13. Replies
    1. It is Sandi. If you ever visit, I recommend either Spring or Autumn.

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  14. Hmm, sounds like the vacation containers are closing in.

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    1. 2021 I imagine. He's finished his pool, and I think he's started making the containers habitable. Yuk.

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