The local English builder, necessarily a jack of all trades, called by for a brief chat as I sat reading on the bench outside the kitchen. He’s made a living for himself here by attending to the property renovation and improvement projects of the Anglophone immigrants, who have moved into the area during the years since the UK was (first?) in the EU
I asked him what he’d done yesterday, Sunday.
“Nothing. Nothing happens in Vienne.” he replied. He was partially telling the truth, as he had in fact spent much of the day gardening at his home in the nearby village.
Gardening, like farming, cannot be left for anytime at all. If you are lucky enough to have a garden you will appreciate, it won’t garden itself. An overgrown garden is indicative of absence, illness, or infirmity of body or mind.
His throw away line, about the absence of activities in the department, reminded me of a phrase I’d heard a few times when living in Sussex, which suggests having nothing to do was a character fault, rather than a societal issue. Although I can understand that living in a foreign land, without a full grasp of the native tongue, in its depopulated core may be challenging.
There is good reason young people have left this area. Towns and cities offer much more, including other young people. The influx of older immigrants from across La Manche has been a blessing here. They bring their life’s savings, to buy and do up property, they open small bars, they bring life, albeit ageing-life life, to the hamlets and villages.
The area could be described as flooded by foreigners. English is widely spoken, with Australian, southern Aftican, USA, Irish and Scottish accents mixed in. The natives have had to improve their English, some of the immigrants have worked hard to learn French, although there are plenty who have not bothered.
Coming here on my own, I have questioned my attitudes toward the English speakers who have taken on so many properties here. It is tempting to bundle them all up together and make sweeping generalisations about them as a collective group, which would be racist. Obviously, they are not all the same.
Each has a story, skills, talents, hopes and dreams, just like any other human-being. They have also had the courage to up-root from their homeland, to try and make a new life in a foreign land. It works for some, not for all.
Motivations to move here vary: affordability of land, fresh air, commercial opportunity, fulfilling dreams of a cottage in France, escape from an urban life-style, or just escape.
It is also true some have moved here because of a dislike of immigrants, or changes in their place of origin. Here one can remain at arm’s length from changes at home, remove oneself from the responsibility of contributing to that society. One can plonk oneself in this bucolic setting, while still being plugged into the British media. The British media is very good at ladling out hourly and rolling news that serves to reinforce justifications for being ‘best off out of There.’
One major tie to the homeland I think should be implemented for emigrants who want to retain British citizenship is that they should pay taxes to His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs.
Consular services, embassies, HM Foreign Office and the British armed forces, air traffic control, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Meteorological Office, light houses, HM Coast Guard and the NHS do not pay for themselves. I am pretty certain most of the British citizens living out here use these services at some point or another. It would be nice if they chipped in for them
The current USA and Israeli war on Iran has demonstrated that living abroad, even in the tax free havens of the oil nations, cannot be achieved without the presence of UK taxpayers’ back up. Go if you wish, but do not think you can freeload off the British tax-payer when it suits you, would be my message. All citizens of the USA have to complete annual returns to the IRS, with good reason. It is about time British ex-pats did so too.
With that thought I’m off. Tomorrow, I head back north by rail. Paris, London, home. Family, friends, constant change, plenty to do.
~
CLP 16/03/2026
Journey of Words 
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