French Morphing !!! obesrva (1 Viewer)

[FIDGET]

French Morphing !!!
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Just an observation on my part,

Most mornings while in France , when I/we have breakfast ,relaxing watching young french people exercising , walking - jogging - cycling etc, all quite tall slim trim & healthy ( especially the the young ladies !!!) While sat on an aire by a local park/lake /canal etc.

Then later on in the day while driving through various villages or visiting the boulangerie , you see most of the older generation of France . mostly quite short in stature , quite portly or rotund , looking quite rugged & well weathered !!! , looking quite glum or miserable , def not smiling or happy.

SO WHEN DOES THIS MORPHING ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE, & at what age .

( & is it contagious to us visitors)!!!!!

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Another observation.

When driving through small towns & villages where are the residents ,we very seldom see anybody about. Have they all gone to the local Morphing clinic.

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Also, I notice that most of the larger super markets sell DIY products & paint. so do the Mr Bricolage stores ( similar to our B & Q )

WHO actually uses these products !!!! .

No-one that I can see, a lot of premises are almost derelict or very run down& the rest to put it nicely are shabby chic .

I haven't noticed any residence with nice shinny paint work or smart appearance !!

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IS IT JUST ME !!!!

 

[John745]

Funnly enoughmy wafe and I have said the same thing when passing through or visiting France, they don't paint, keep the gardens or open the shutters, which makes the town/village apear to be closed !
This is most noticable when crossing borders like Belgium and there is a chalk and cheese moment.
So it's not just you FIDGET.

 

[John745]

Sorry mt wife has never been a wafe (typo).

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[Vanderek]

We spotted the same a few weeks ago - driving slowly through villages with a "where is everyone?" - We did stay in a very small village near Cognac once and watched hot air balloons with the locals - one locals asked me if I had noticed that a couple of the old looking houses had very secure gates - the reason was that they stored wine - hidden away from the tax man - perhaps this is why we don't see anyone as very few people live in France - just a few younger ones who will drink that wine and morph....

 

[Hollyberry]

Empty villages----- they're at work!!!!!! Many French adults do 2, even 3 jobs, to pay the bills. The shutters are closed on the houses because this is a condition of house insurance. You're suppose to close all shutters if the house is empty, even if you're just going to a local shop.
And as for not smiling, well I live on the coast and I've just walked my dogs around a beautiful wooded area, spectacular views of the bay, but I didn't walk along grinning. Perhaps theFrench are just happy on the inside?

 

[wizzer59]

I thought the shutters kept the houses cooler in the summer heat, also explains why we don't have-need them

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[FIDGET]

Empty villages----- they're at work!!!!!! Many French adults do 2, even 3 jobs, to pay the bills. The shutters are closed on the houses because this is a condition of house insurance. You're suppose to close all shutters if the house is empty, even if you're just going to a local shop.
And as for not smiling, well I live on the coast and I've just walked my dogs around a beautiful wooded area, spectacular views of the bay, but I didn't walk along grinning. Perhaps the French are just happy on the inside?

Thanks @Hollyberry ,
Just thought they can't all be at work, in UK you usually see some form of daily life , I didn't realise about the shutters & insurance , thanks for that.
My observations were tongue in cheek really !!!
but we did comment between ourselves most days on,the little old french peeps & there buildings being not up to scratch, that's when we did see them out & about

 

[Casper46]

It's the Brits that use the paint. But they usually carry it from the UK as it is a frightening price in France. If anyone asks what our village in France is like I describe it as 'the village of the damned'. When walking round the village it looks deserted.

 

[maison]

In France the DIY company Castorama is owned by the same group as B&Q and sell many of the same products, as well as a lot more.

Many of the "shabby chic" houses on the outside are beautiful on the inside. After all, that is the part that the resident sees most of.

In our (rural) part of France many of the older generation are happy with their lot, choosing to spend their "hard earned" on family rather than material possessions. Their kitchens look like something out of 1940's Britain. (they still do a mean line in cooking however).

The younger generation are much more influenced by fashion, buying the latest thing in kitchens and living in the newer, usually single storey, houses.

Who is happier? I don't know! But life here is similar to what we experienced in the late 70 's and early 80's in the Cotswolds. Laid back to the point of being horizontal.

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[gus-lopez]

It's the Brits that use the paint. But they usually carry it from the UK as it is a frightening price in France. If anyone asks what our village in France is like I describe it as 'the village of the damned'. When walking round the village it looks deserted.

I wandered around a few bricolage type places last year for some stuff & was amazed at the eye watering prices , even compared to the UK, & even more amazed at the amount of people in there buying goods.