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16/01/2008, 21:38 PJ Joined on 16/01/2008 Angleterre Posts 1 Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... I'm toying with the idea of spending a couple of years floating around the European mainland starting in France. I'm in my mid 50's and have spent the past couple of decades renovating & converting properties in the UK. Rather than sit around outside cafés drinking wine and oggling girls a fraction of  my age I'd rather find somethig to keep myself entertained.  I'd be interested in finding  someone who wants a hand renovating a French property. I'm not offering to build them a house from scratch and if they want a brick wall built around their estate, every flat surface in the house plastered or a fosse dug by hand I suggest they find a builder. I used to hire people to do that sort of stuff. However, I've plenty of experience making windows & doors appear in blank walls, lofts turn into en-suit bathrooms and have even made the odd staircase. I've still got a van full of tools for tiling, plumbing, carpentry, electrics & whatever going rusty & can vaguely remeber how to use most of them. What I don't want is a job. If I needed to earn a living, I'd stay here and spend my days stuck in a traffic jam on the Euston Road. I wouldn't mind a roof over my head to keep off the rain & sun & the chance to improve my French from the standard that failed my o-level. (Offers of unlimited wine & loose women would of course be considered but I prefer my own cooking.). The less overheads I've got the longer I can spend shirking my responsibilities. As for where, well somewhere warmer would  be nice & I can't see much point in spending 6 months gazing at the White Cliffs of Dover from the front side. Access to broadband or at least somewhere where a 3G connection works would be a help as  I do write on this interweb thingy occasionally. I've got some things to sort out before leaving but a few weeks should see me shoving the car on the ferry & trying to remember which side of the road to drive on. I'd be grateful if anyone had any ideas or suggestions. Apart from the obvious ones that is.....    Report

16/01/2008, 22:05 sweet 17 Joined on 05/08/2006 charente maritime Posts 2,048 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... You sound a nice, interesting, useful person to have around.  Just want to respond to your first post and to wish you all the best with finding a "position".  All the best    Report

17/01/2008, 7:58 s7ephanie Joined on 19/06/2007 23 Posts 9 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... If you are interested in Limousin region we have plenty of things that could keep you busy and i was going to say 'out of mischief' but not sure about about that with my son around!!!    Report

17/01/2008, 17:47 Tony F Dordogne Joined on 10/04/2005 Small village in the Dordogne, near St Cyprien Posts 1,409 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... But you'll still have to register PJ, do the week long course, etc etc, even to work as a gash hand for people. Tony F Dordogne (24) Huguenot Trails    Report

17/01/2008, 22:52 sharkhunter Joined on 20/11/2004 24 riberac Posts 270 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... I agree with you tony, however this guy sounds like he just wants the romance of it all. My advice is do what you feel good with, my recommendation is ' fill yer boots ' as they say up my way. Enjoy your wee trip touring about. I suppose i shall get pelters for egging you on but sometimes its best to just go with the flow, so to all who want to have a go at me i'll say just this......wind yer necks in  www.renovations24dordogne.com    Report

18/01/2008, 15:36 sweet 17 Joined on 05/08/2006 charente maritime Posts 2,048 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... I love your post, sharkhunter, to the point with no messing about.  And why not, sometimes we just complicate matters for ourselves and for others. I don't see any harm in having a bit of an adventure.  It's not as though the OP wants a proper job or anything like that.  He should make some lovely friends and should be able to dine out on his experiences for months afterwards!    Report

20/01/2008, 21:07 savvysarthe Joined on 05/10/2004 England and France Posts 37 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... Hi PJ, If you're passing, we are in between Le Mans and Orleans, just off the A28 in a little village called Montaille. I say we, but what i mean is my hubby Chris who is working on our house whilst i continue to teach here in the UK. The house is warm and dry and there are lots of 'little jobs' to do. It is not the Ritz, far from it, but we love it and it will be lush. We havn't got internet there yet, but there is a nice little Mediateque in the village. As we are not very far down, you may not want to stay too long as it's not that warm yet, but you are welcome to 'bed down' for a bit, eat some food and lend a hand. Bonne Courage a toi.....    Report

25/01/2008, 17:19 Cathy Joined on 07/03/2006 Mostly near Bordeaux; Sometimes near Bristol Posts 1,688 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... Where are you PJ?  Have you found a renovation project yet?  I wish that my OH and I had a project for you because it's sounds as if you would be great fun to have around.   Cathy ----- Your children won't remember you ironing their pyjamas but they will remember you reading them a bedside story.    Report

30/01/2008, 14:11 londoneye Joined on 15/11/2005 Posts 937 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... Hopefully PJ is having too much fun to respond -  I hope so; nothing wrong with flinging off the shackles and having a frolic no matter what age !    Report

02/02/2008, 23:09 BIG MAC Joined on 25/02/2006 53 Mayenne / Hants Posts 297 Re: Not considering entering a new career as a slave but... Tony, What's the week long course you mention and do you think it will figure in me and my brothers and a couple of  mates going down to spend three weeks replacing my roof prior to getting a French artisan to fibro tile them? No money changing hands at all except for the French Guy BIG MAC The frying Scotsman    Report

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