Values

We had to brave some post Christmas shopping yesterday to buy some walking coats as we have discovered that we left our coats behind in France when we came back in November. It was a strangely depressing experience with 70% reduction posters all but obliterating most shop windows, Woolies selling off its shopfittings and a general air of desperation everywhere.
Today the news is of further drops in house values and another drop in the value of the euro - we can't help but feel that we are lucky not to have started a house purchase a few months ago - we might have found ourselves in double trouble now. Time for a sense of proportion before we start feeling sorry for ourselves!

I am brought face to face with REAL financial hardships on a regular basis in my role as a volunteer with the debt advice team at Stoke 's citizens advice bureau. As more people lose their jobs, businesses flounder, and house repossessions increase we can expect our appointments to fill even more quickly than usual at this time of the year. Although it is sometimes tempting to make judgements about those who allow debts to escalate my experience with this work convinces me that very often the initial trigger is something beyond the control of the individual and to be thankful for my own good health and secure employment which enabled me to make my own decision about when to stop working. Next Tuesday my first appointment is to help a family complete bankruptcy forms following the collapse of the husband's business which was linked to the building trade. This will inevitably lead to the loss of the family home and disruption of the childrens schooling - how can I even start to feel sorry for myself!

We have been watching the downs and downs of the pound against the euro over the last weeks and ever so slightly wavering over whether we will be able to make it happen.But as TC says there is no plan B - we NEED to live this dream and we will just have to enjoy helping someone out over the cost of their aperitives and buy somewhere at a great price. In the meantime TC will continue to work to fill the piggy bank under the mattress (best place we feel)

The train adds the strain

For TC's 60th birthday in February we are planning a railway trip to Nice for the Carnaval. We love Nice, out of season especially, and it seems like the perfect destination as there is a party arranged already! TC loves travelling by train so it will be a bonus to get there by rail. So far we have booked Eurostar to Paris from London, the hotel for an overnight stop in Paris, the TGV from Paris to Nice, a hotel in Nice for the week and the flight home. All very straighforward - there's just one missing link and that is the train from Stoke-on-Trent to London at the start of the whole expedition. This is turning out to be the most difficult part of the whole expedition to book or even see the timetable. It will also be the worst value for money ( pound per mile/hour) of the whole holiday.

We don't use trains very often in this country - I wonder why?

who'll feed the cat?

There's so much to consider as we contemplate choosing a new home.There are elements of our present life which we plan would continue and even develop when we are living in France

• we have a lovely garden and grow our own vegetables, we keep chickens and act as "staff " to a cat - Angelo.
  
• we need space for our books and the piano (TC's present piano is a grand - decision on its fate deferred pending eventual house purchase!)
  
• we need room for visitors even though for most of the time it will just be the two of us so we don't want to freeze in a massive "manoir".
  
• We don't want to give ourselves a huge renovation project ( been there, done that etc).

Here we have great neighbours who are happy to feed the animals on our frequent trips away. And there's the rub - many of the houses which appeal most are just too isolated but I couldn't bear not to have space around me and a view of the countryside. And what about neighbours ? We are very happy with our own company in general but would hope to become part of a community where we live.

Cold miserable weather is allowing me to spend far too much time in front of the computer scouring the websites of "immobilier". We have growing list of properties which we may visit in a few months, in the meantime it's just a case of keeping the faith - our perfect place at the perfect price is out there - oh and the neighbours will love the cat!