Blunt Guillotine

About

When we made the move to France from London in 2005 the exchange rate was such that we could walk the streets of Strasbourg with a smug grin our faces. After all at 1.48 Euro to the pound – who wouldn’t have? Every penny we shipped across the channel enabled us to finance a lifestyle that was, for all intents and purposes, a good one and a half times better than in England. Indeedy, it made sense for me to work for British firms and bill them in pounds from my exotically located virtual home office in France, to really get the best of both worlds (British money, French lifestyle).

It goes without saying then that the collapse of Sterling in 2008 came as a nasty shock … and that today, some three years down the line, making ends meet remains a challenge. Forging a life in France though has been worth every effort and our view of the French system from here on skid-row has enabled us to see a different side of the country than the one normally experienced by rich or retired ex-pats. Some days it’s a life of paperwork, penny-pinching and praying, others – it’s about sunshine, scenery and saucisson!

Englishman also blogs regularly at www.englishmaninstrasbourg.com.