Bonjour from the Vendee

Katie · 2006-03-20T09:42:12+01:00

Meet fellow expats and locals in the Vendee sharing life experiences, gardening tips, and recipes to lighten the weeding burden.

Katie New member

Member since 20 March 2006

KatieNew member20 March 2006 07:42:12

We have sunshine this morning - finally, and the weeds are screaming at me.聽 We are Americans living in the Vendee via Andorra and Ireland.聽 After living in the mountains for 7 years we wanted flat land and gardens and now seriuosly regret it.聽 To get away from the incredibly boring task of weeding, I started a cooking site last summer聽 (re-did it this winter).聽 Then realized that it was not the right place for my incredibly amusing stories so I started a blog 2 months ago.聽 It's all a work in progress, but then so is life.聽 Must go, sunshine has been very rare in the Vendee this winter...

Julien Founder

Member since 11 March 2005

17 years of happy life abroad

JulienFounder20 March 2006 12:43:57

53008

Welcome Katie!

Enjoy the weather if it's good

Remember to add your blog to the 禁漫天堂 directory, you'll find a "add your blog" link at the bottom of every page.

What about the language? Can you speak french?

All the best,

Julien

Katie New member

Member since 20 March 2006

KatieNew member20 March 2006 14:07:55

It's a challenge!聽 The neighbors speak the local patois which makes it more difficult.聽 Our area is very rural so English speakers are not common.聽 As soon as I think of something clever to say the conversation has changed but I am very good at nodding and saying "oui, oui', with the occasional 'c'est vrai?' thrown in for good measure.

Julien Founder

Member since 11 March 2005

17 years of happy life abroad

JulienFounder20 March 2006 19:02:13

53008

hope it doesn't make your life too hard! I saw that you lived in Andorra, which is very close from my home actually (I am from Perpignan). Did you like Andorra?

Katie New member

Member since 20 March 2006

KatieNew member21 March 2006 07:27:15

I loved Andorra! The mountains were beautiful.聽 We were in a walking group and went for 4-hour 'walks' in the mountains every week.
I hated Andorra!聽 The traffic and tourists were so bad it somtimes took 2 hours to drive the 8 km to get to the main shopping area - and then you couldn't find a place to park.聽
Our house was up in the mountains above the village (as are all 'houses', the villages are all apartment blocks) and we got tired of the treacherous drive in the winter snows....and we wanted a garden.聽
Perpignan is a lovely city.

Julien Founder

Member since 11 March 2005

17 years of happy life abroad

JulienFounder21 March 2006 13:01:30

53008

I hope you went skying while you where there. Can't be the same in Vendee

I agree the constant flow of tourists is tiring!

Perpignan is nice, but too quiet ... there's actually no jobs there. This is why I am in London now

Riana Member

Member since 22 March 2006

RianaMember22 March 2006 06:41:37

HI Katie,

I was just pulling weeds yesterday! My dandelions are doing fabulous, too bad that I didnt plant them! And the 'garrance' -that sticky weed that the french used to use as red dye is driving me nuts... Happy Spring!!

Riana

Katie New member

Member since 20 March 2006

KatieNew member23 March 2006 07:45:36

I hate that 'sticky weed'聽 It's impossible to get rid of and it grows so fast!聽 I once spent a couple of hours trailing it back to source and pulling mountains of it down....and underneath it all was a lilac tree - in flower!

I have a new opinion on flowering weeds a.k.a. dandelions, forget-me-nots, etc.聽 If they look pretty and please me they stay....Life is too short.聽 (I do try to prevent reproduction, though)