Foreign Perspectives

Hi folks,

We had a couple of unexpected emergencies today:

1. The cash box filled up so we were forced to bank some of it; and

2. It got so warm that I had to break out the shorts!

Anyway, things are going fine. Haven’t quite enough to pay the mortgage but we may have to upgrade the size of the cash box as everyone seems to run around with wads of notes here.

We’re in the process of upgrading things so there’s now somewhat fancier bars of soaps in the rooms than previously and we’ll be looking to splash out on a few beds over the next week or two. The range of shops isn’t as great as in Belfast so it’s been harder to track down some things than expected and we only ordered the planned new cooker and fridge this afternoon.

Prices are something else though. If you’ve been checking prices in Belfast lately, you’ll be amazed to know that I was able to pick a big range cooker, big fridge/freezer and microwave for under ‚€800 (£500). In Belfast the cooker alone would be easily twice that: and they’re not even on offer! And no, I’m not whipping off the VAT for that comparison. Actually, in general it seems to be the case that for most things the UK price and the French price are the same except that the UK price has a pound sign in front while the French one has a euro sign ie you’re looking at about 40% off at the moment.

Arnold