Bonjour from France and reintroduction

Hi all,

I've introduced myself once before, but since then I have changed and my situation has changed so thought I'd reintroduce myself.

Since my first introduction I've come to realise my choice of career (accountancy) was very wrong for me, quit that line of work, managed to rack up a lot in utterly unnecessary debt and have started working on paying that all off (to never again do so). As this debt is now creeping ever closer to being paid off there's space both mentally and financially to focus once again on a dream I've held for a long time. To have a small house somewhere with a bit of land to have a b&b whilst growing some of my own food and keep some animals.

The stats are:
early 30s
Living in France
Have 2 lovely lurchers
In time looking to achieve the dream a little further north (UK/Ireland/Scandinavia)
Interest in growing veg, keeping bees, keeping chickens

Aiming to be much more active on here to learn as much as I can.

Thanks for reading and all the best!

Hi Niels;
Welcome back to Permies!
Your story sounds very familiar.  
Many go to school and choose a career only to discover they really do not like it after all...
Paying off school debt is a long long affair but... As you know , it can be done!

Glad your back with us!
I hope you find your small home .

I do have a question though???
What are "lovely Lurchers"???

To an American they sound like a bad 1970 teen horror film.

Hey Thomas!

On top of the student loans I also managed to take out personal loans... It was very much the wrong thing to do, but also a very good lesson in what never to do again.

I said no more unnecessary debts, but if someone wants me to fund a 70's horror called "Lovely Lurchers" I may have to stray from that path... (Only joking ).

Lurchers are a "breed" most common in the UK/Ireland. The starting point is always a greyhound that's then crossed with another type of working dog. In my case I have a greyhound/border collie/amstaf mix and a Greyhound/saluki mix! They're a great breed that I fell in love with by accident whilst living in Ireland.

Welcome back! Never too late to change your path, I wish you success (of all types).

And pics please, I love me a lurcher (your mixtures sound so interesting, one maybe quite elegant and the other a "fine mixture" like my own mutt!!)

Hi there and welcome.  Whereabout in France are you?

I love lurchers, would happily have another one if I could find any in France,

Olga Booker wrote:Hi there and welcome.  Whereabout in France are you?

I love lurchers, would happily have another one if I could find any in France,

Hey Olga,

Thanks very much!

I live in Strasbourg now, so also get to do trips into the Black Forest :)

I guess you could go for Spanish Galgos? If not the rescue I got my girls from sometimes have greyhounds that can't be kept in Ireland (for the awful reasons you might imagine), so they're often willing to help relocate them.

Tereza Okava wrote:Welcome back! Never too late to change your path, I wish you success (of all types).

And pics please, I love me a lurcher (your mixtures sound so interesting, one maybe quite elegant and the other a "fine mixture" like my own mutt!!)

Thanks!

I need very little reason to share pictures of my girls! And you are exactly right! One is indeed quite elegant both in looks and behaviour (very princess-like, only the softest of beds and finest of food etc) and the other is... adventurous. She likes to eat vomit of unknown sources, roll around in the dirt and rarely stands still for a picture.

Hi Neils,

Sorry it is a bit far, we are in the Dordogne after spending 12 years in the Pyrenees near the Spanish border.  It's funny, even though I am French, the East of the country is a corner I really don't know very well.  I just passed through itch-hiking (many moons ago) on my way to Holland or Germany, but never spend much time visiting.  I believe Strasbourg has a fantastic Christmas market.

Your girls are lovely.  My lurcher was a rogue, all black and scruffy hair and I would not be surprised if it had been crossed with an Irish wolfhound as people often stopped me and asked me if he was an Irish wolfhound puppy - he was big!  He was a rescue dog from Battersea Dog's home in London so his history and pedigree was a bit sketchy.  That was more than 30 years ago when I still lived in the UK and unfortunately, before digital camera, otherwise I would proudly show him off.

UK is a great country for Permaculture, transition towns, and open to new ideas, unfortunately it is also a country that is overcrowded and where land is very expensive and in short supply.  Also planning restrictions are quite an obstacle.  I love Scandinavia but for me, I prefer a longer growing season.  Wherever you land, good luck with your adventure.

Olga Booker wrote:

Sorry it is a bit far, we are in the Dordogne

Oh that's a lovely area! How long have you been there for?

It does have a huge Christmas market! I tend to avoid it, because it is also extremely busy :D

I'll be looking at Britanny or a bit further down along the coast if the UK isn't an option, but I have time to search for now (also because I'd like to see if Brexit does anything good/bad). I like the area of Machynlleth, also because the town is focused on small business and the environment which would help along a bit of cash flow and a great place to live if it did ever come to it.

Oh that sounds like he was an amazing mix! Irish wolfhound would make sense for a mix too. I love a good mix myself. Tiggy has a weird mohawk as a result.

Thanks, and all the best to you too! :)

Thank you so much for sharing! You just made my morning.... i love the stance and attitude of your tawny colored dog, there's that pit bull I suppose!!
I had a whippet with the same coloring as your tiger-striped girl, also a total princess (and as the vet always reminded me, a complete drama queen. She'd yelp before he even touched her). The sighthounds are such fabulous dogs.

 Oh that's a lovely area! How long have you been there for?

We've been here 3 years in September.  Yes, it is a lovely area.  We moved to be nearer my daughter and also, why not, start a new Permaculture project - in our very late 60s!!

Indeed, Brexit messed up a lot of things!  Machynlleth and the surrounding area is beautiful and especially interesting, being home to CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology).  Unfortunately, that makes it even more expensive to buy a property.

I hope you will keep us posted when you've made your mind up as to where you want to settle.

Tereza Okava wrote:Thank you so much for sharing! You just made my morning.... i love the stance and attitude of your tawny colored dog, there's that pit bull I suppose!!
I had a whippet with the same coloring as your tiger-striped girl, also a total princess (and as the vet always reminded me, a complete drama queen. She'd yelp before he even touched her). The sighthounds are such fabulous dogs.

Hey Tereza,

Glad it made your morning!

Yeah, her stance is the clearest indication she has some of that

They are big ol' drama queens But they are some of the best dogs around. Generally a very easy breed to keep, and in my case they just love everyone which in turn makes a few people happy on every walk I take with them. Which in another turn makes me happy because it's nice to see!

Olga Booker wrote:

 Oh that's a lovely area! How long have you been there for?

We've been here 3 years in September.  Yes, it is a lovely area.  We moved to be nearer my daughter and also, why not, start a new Permaculture project - in our very late 60s!!

Indeed, Brexit messed up a lot of things!  Machynlleth and the surrounding area is beautiful and especially interesting, being home to CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology).  Unfortunately, that makes it even more expensive to buy a property.

I hope you will keep us posted when you've made your mind up as to where you want to settle.

Very nice! It's a great reason. One of my neighbours recently moved to the border with Spain for the same reason. And as Tereza said, it's never too late for a change. I often look up to my mother for that, who only had a chance to do what she really wanted to do in her 40s and has since done so.

It really does... Saving and hoping for the lottery for a place there I guess

I'll keep everyone updated for sure! Now I will go back to snooping around, asking questions and learning stuff.