Big Jones News

We're moving to France!! 

Dan has been looking for a new job for a while because he was getting made redundant on 1st September. He's know for quite a few months that this would happen and has been considering different job options. Although his job is great in terms of flexibility and he enjoys working from home, writing procedures for a housing company is nobody's childhood dream. He was ready for change and a bit of adventure. He considered joining the police, which is something he's been interested in since he was a teenager, but there were quite a lot of downsides like random shift pattens, less money, and scallies shouting abuse at you. So he was also looking at remote jobs based in Europe meaning we could move abroad, and he got one! 

Because Dan is half French him and the boys can live in France (or anywhere in the EU). I can get a WAGS pass but only to France not the rest of the E.U.

The job is technical writing for an IT company based in the Czech Republic with offices in London too. So for example he would write a blog abut their stuff in English and French. Here's the kind of thing I would write if I'd got the job: 

Have you heard about our computer thingy? It saves loads of time. Instead of pressing loads of buttons everyday to check your computer system is all fine you just press this one button and then our special thing does all the stuff for you, like an overprotective mother. Think of all the free time your employees will have to just muck around! They'll be so happy they'll probably kiss you. 

Somehow him writing that but better is Dan's new full time job.

We've talked about moving countries forever. I can't really believe I've stayed in Liverpool this long. I've always thought I'd move somewhere Arabic speaking. In 2005 when I was 19 I went to volunteer at a community centre in Bethlehem, I had such a great time that I went back again in 2007. There was a time when I thought I might end up there more permanently, but then when I got together with Dan it felt a bit weird to take him to my gap year place and I thought maybe we should find a new place that's ours rather than mine. 

sleeping on a roof in Bethlehem 2007

We did our big trip cycling from Liverpool to Kuwait in 2013 with the view of possibly finding somewhere on the way that we might like to settle in. We really though Lebanon might be the place, but after spending a while there we didn't really get the feeling. You have to pay to visit the beach there, hotels buy up the best beach spots and make it like a resort you have to pay for, and I'm just not down with that. Also there's occasionally bombing and the electricity doesn't work half the time, but mainly the beach thing. We loved Jordan a lot more though, if I had to pick an Arab country to live in now Jordan would be it. It's a great holiday destination if you're looking for something a bit different.

A cool bit of rock in Petra, Jordan.

When we got back from our trip we realised how much we missed Liverpool. We were so well connected there and as we wanted to have a baby we thought actually it makes sense to stay where our support network is. There was a time when we were tempted to move again, when our house sale fell through and we were suddenly sort of homeless with a house deposit burning a hole in our pocket. It wouldn't really have been great timing though. It worked out well in the end, we bought the house we are currently in and had another baby. I felt really settled. I've enjoyed decorating the whole house, there was definitely a time where I really had no desire to move and Dan was worried we'd live here forever. 

In the elections a couple of years ago I said that if Labour got in I'll have another baby (because they had some free childcare policies) and if the Tories get in I'll move to France (because I hate them). I was a bit joking but a bit serious. That day was kind of the end of me seriously considering a 3rd child but I always thought if I didn't go for number 3 I'd want to do something else more fun instead, so that I wouldn't look back and just think that was a thing I didn't do.

So Plan A is rent out our house and rent a house or apartment in France for one year. We could go anywhere so we're currently trying to pick somewhere. Our criteria is:

1) The south because I'm not learning a new language for the weather of Devon. Why not just move to Devon.

2) Somewhere you can get to from Liverpool or Manchester airports. Because no one wants to travel to Gatwick.

3) Somewhere near the sea or a lake. 

4) Somewhere near an international church. I do want to fully integrate and learn French but it would be nice to have some English speaking friends, and to know some Christians.

And out of those places we'll see what you can get for your money and which ones we like. So far we are researching Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier and Beziers.

Then if plan A goes well and we like France and the boys are happy and stuff, then we might try and buy somewhere or at least move to somewhere a bit more permanent. But if it's not going well and we want to come back then we can. We might have lost the kids school places but we'll still have our home.

We told the boys, Eric has really no concept of time or geography so he doesn't really get it. Percy seemed fine about it. I asked him what he would miss thinking he might say the grandparents but he said "well we haven't see Stonehenge yet so we should probably visit there before we go" -sorry grandparents.

Percy in Nice 2019

I've signed up to French classes that start in October, until then Dan is teaching me. The kids are learning though "French with Mr Innes" on youtube. I forgot how annoying French is with all their gender stuff. like that I have to say Je suis AngalaiSE but the boys would say Je suis AngalaiS. It really made me think about French people who change gender and how difficult that would be for friends and family because there's so many more opportunities to make gender based mistakes.

I've been telling people we're going in January but that's really just a date I've picked from thin air. There's a lot of boring stuff to sort out but were going to do it! And we'll have a big party before we leave.

Au revoir mes amis.