Rural France

St Ouen le Pin

The same " Bar des Sports"

When I was in Ranau I often used to think how similar life there, was to life in rural Normandie and in the last week of being back I keep thinking how life here in Normandie is similar to that of Sabah. Of course the people dress and look different but as in all relatively poor rural areas throughout the world, the people face the same problems, challenges and pastimes. Where I live in Livarot there are very few job opportunities and many of the younger generation leave to look for work in larger towns or cities or face at the best a job in the cheese factory or ciderie. There are also fewer jobs now on the farms as they are becoming more highly mechanised but collecting fruit, making jams, tarts, cider etc... and selling the produce in the market is just the same here as it is in Sabah.

saucisse et frites barbeque 

 However despite France being thought to be a highly advanced European country  it struck me that Livarot has hardly changed in the last 23 years since we arrived, compared to the very rapid changes in Ranau that I witnessed in 2 years.

The Old Coaching Inn

12th Century church with stalls

  Today I went to a Foire a Tout, which is like a car boot sale or the bundles market in Sabah except that in a typical French way it is only allowed once a year in each town or village so every village has their date in the calendar booked well in advance. It was in Cambremer, which is the village that we first lived near, when we arrived in France. Andrew and I were looking for an alternative lifestyle and gave up our careers, rented our house out in England, packed the car with three girls under 3 years old plus the dog and headed off to Normandie where Andrew had managed to rent a gite de France for the winter. The drive to the little village of Saint Ouen de Pin, near Cambremer, is imprinted on my mind forever.It was all so exciting and we were going to the unknown and didn't know what would be the outcome. We arrived on a Friday, enrolled Lisa at the Maternelle and she started her school life on the Monday not speaking a word of French which didn't seem to bother her. Anyway the years in between are another story but today I drove to Cambremer and relived that drive so many years ago which started our life in France. Incredibly , Cambremer has not changed at all and retains all the charm that it had all those years ago. I spent a grand total of 4 euro and came back with 6 wooden African spoons and napkin holders, an Indian scarf and a Spanish Sangria jug. None of those things that I realised before going were things that I needed so wasn't it lucky I went!!

A Flower pot man

A parade