I always by kitchen tongs in Australia to bring back. I could never get good ones (if I could get any at all) in the UK, nor here in France.
I can relate to the lack of heating in Australian houses — when we moved from Victoria to Queensland in the 70s we were astounded at how many homes had no heating at all — and it’s not like south-east Queensland is tropical — it frosts in the winter and the rural houses were often single skinned weatherboard with no insulation.
I would say that French apartments don’t have laundry rooms, but rural houses usually do. That and separate toilet rooms is one of the things I really appreciated about moving here from the UK (I also have an LG washing machine that runs on cold and takes 9.5kg :-)) and I dry my washing outdoors on a Hills retractable line that we brought back from Australia because all the clothslines here were so flimsy. I spent 12 years in London in a quite large house that nevertheless had no separate laundry and a bathroom the size of a cupboard with no separate toilet — unpleasant and inconvenient.
Fraussie
October 23rd, 2012 at 10:57 am
Well, I’m certainly going to buy a 9.5 kg LG washing machine for Blois! It’ll make it easier for the gĂ®te. We don’t have separate toilet rooms here though, but we do in Paris. The tongs (all four pairs) we just bought are in our lost suitcase …
Gigi
October 23rd, 2012 at 1:15 am
What do the french use for Tongs , Fraussie? I’d happily swap with you if you ever want a couple of weeks on the Gold Coast 🙂
Fraussie
October 23rd, 2012 at 10:54 am
They usually just use a fork which isn’t nearly as efficient of course. What do you use your tongs for? Your lovely house with its beautiful view would definitely make an excellent swap!
[…] the bottom of the house into rental accommodation, we organised our first home exchange with Madrid and were not disappointed! Since then we have clocked up seven other house swaps in various parts of […]
[…] going to Barcelona for six days on a home exchange in February. I can’t wait. Apart from our trip to Australia in September, we haven’t been out […]
[…] a problem, for example. When we stayed with my brother, sister-in-law, 3 kids and my son in a home exchange on the Gold Coast in Australia, it was a […]
[…] first day in our home exchange in Ciboure on the Basque Coast gets off to a good start with breakfast on the terrace overlooking […]
Gwendoline
July 15th, 2013 at 6:55 pm
A washing machine in Oz that only uses cold water?? Didn’t know they existed. Washing machines in France that HEAT the water!! Didn’t anyone ever think of just hooking up the existing hot water to the machine??!! O la la. Big commercial opportunity there for someone. That tiny ancient fireplace in Hobart! They still exist in many old homes in Oz as some sort of decorative piece but I haven’t seen anyone use one or rely on one. I love my heating, gas and wood and electricity but it is true that in general Australians use less heating than in Europe…of course there are generally very few areas where it snows.
Rosemary Kneipp
July 15th, 2013 at 7:32 pm
Most washing machines we came across in Australia used cold water and the washing powder was often Cold Power ! I guess that machines in France heat their own water because of the different types of water heaters but I’m only guessing. The long cycles are certainly very annoying in any case.
Rosemary Kneipp
July 15th, 2013 at 7:36 pm
The washing machines in Oz were not programmed to use only cold water – their owners had only connected them to the cold water tap. I assume the fact that the machines heat their own water in France comes from the different types of water heaters, some of which may not be able to sustain the heat, but I’m only guessing.
From what you say, we were really lucky to have an open fire in Hobart.
Gara in Sydney
October 7th, 2013 at 10:52 pm
Enjoyed reading about your exchanges, as an enthusiastic and experienced exchanger myself. Am still searching for a Paris exchange, so if you or anyone you know would like to exchange with my modern apartment by the beach in Sydney, please let me know. Am also keen to exchange with New York, so if anyone in New York reads this ……
My home is on the http://www.homebase-hols.com website – No. 24311
Am happy to bring some kitchen tongs to an exchange home, as I do when I go to England, can’t manage without them!
A bientot!
Rosemary Kneipp
October 8th, 2013 at 7:50 am
Hi Gara, I do hope you find an exchange. I’ll certainly think of you if anyone I know wants to go to Sydney. Who knows, perhaps once my daughter is living in NY she will be interested in swapping some time!
[…] but he’s not answering. I phone Black Cat who comes to my rescue. I have the code to the home exchange key box upstairs, so that’s fine. I can get in. And stay […]
[…] time, however, I am fascinated with water traffic in general and our home exchange host tells us that the building we are staying in was once a workshop for making gondola oars and […]
[…] come home to recuperate. After a couple of hours, I notice a leaflet on the dining table of our home exchange hosts advertising free English-speaking tours of Sofia every day starting at 11 am and 6 pm and […]
Sigh — lovely jacaranda in that last photo.
I always by kitchen tongs in Australia to bring back. I could never get good ones (if I could get any at all) in the UK, nor here in France.
I can relate to the lack of heating in Australian houses — when we moved from Victoria to Queensland in the 70s we were astounded at how many homes had no heating at all — and it’s not like south-east Queensland is tropical — it frosts in the winter and the rural houses were often single skinned weatherboard with no insulation.
I would say that French apartments don’t have laundry rooms, but rural houses usually do. That and separate toilet rooms is one of the things I really appreciated about moving here from the UK (I also have an LG washing machine that runs on cold and takes 9.5kg :-)) and I dry my washing outdoors on a Hills retractable line that we brought back from Australia because all the clothslines here were so flimsy. I spent 12 years in London in a quite large house that nevertheless had no separate laundry and a bathroom the size of a cupboard with no separate toilet — unpleasant and inconvenient.
Well, I’m certainly going to buy a 9.5 kg LG washing machine for Blois! It’ll make it easier for the gĂ®te. We don’t have separate toilet rooms here though, but we do in Paris. The tongs (all four pairs) we just bought are in our lost suitcase …
What do the french use for Tongs , Fraussie? I’d happily swap with you if you ever want a couple of weeks on the Gold Coast 🙂
They usually just use a fork which isn’t nearly as efficient of course. What do you use your tongs for? Your lovely house with its beautiful view would definitely make an excellent swap!
[…] the bottom of the house into rental accommodation, we organised our first home exchange with Madrid and were not disappointed! Since then we have clocked up seven other house swaps in various parts of […]
[…] going to Barcelona for six days on a home exchange in February. I can’t wait. Apart from our trip to Australia in September, we haven’t been out […]
[…] a problem, for example. When we stayed with my brother, sister-in-law, 3 kids and my son in a home exchange on the Gold Coast in Australia, it was a […]
[…] first day in our home exchange in Ciboure on the Basque Coast gets off to a good start with breakfast on the terrace overlooking […]
A washing machine in Oz that only uses cold water?? Didn’t know they existed. Washing machines in France that HEAT the water!! Didn’t anyone ever think of just hooking up the existing hot water to the machine??!! O la la. Big commercial opportunity there for someone. That tiny ancient fireplace in Hobart! They still exist in many old homes in Oz as some sort of decorative piece but I haven’t seen anyone use one or rely on one. I love my heating, gas and wood and electricity but it is true that in general Australians use less heating than in Europe…of course there are generally very few areas where it snows.
Most washing machines we came across in Australia used cold water and the washing powder was often Cold Power ! I guess that machines in France heat their own water because of the different types of water heaters but I’m only guessing. The long cycles are certainly very annoying in any case.
The washing machines in Oz were not programmed to use only cold water – their owners had only connected them to the cold water tap. I assume the fact that the machines heat their own water in France comes from the different types of water heaters, some of which may not be able to sustain the heat, but I’m only guessing.
From what you say, we were really lucky to have an open fire in Hobart.
Enjoyed reading about your exchanges, as an enthusiastic and experienced exchanger myself. Am still searching for a Paris exchange, so if you or anyone you know would like to exchange with my modern apartment by the beach in Sydney, please let me know. Am also keen to exchange with New York, so if anyone in New York reads this ……
My home is on the http://www.homebase-hols.com website – No. 24311
Am happy to bring some kitchen tongs to an exchange home, as I do when I go to England, can’t manage without them!
A bientot!
Hi Gara, I do hope you find an exchange. I’ll certainly think of you if anyone I know wants to go to Sydney. Who knows, perhaps once my daughter is living in NY she will be interested in swapping some time!
Thanks Rosemary, fingers crossed!
[…] but he’s not answering. I phone Black Cat who comes to my rescue. I have the code to the home exchange key box upstairs, so that’s fine. I can get in. And stay […]
[…] time, however, I am fascinated with water traffic in general and our home exchange host tells us that the building we are staying in was once a workshop for making gondola oars and […]
[…] holiday in Germany. It’s amazing how far away it already seems. Our next holiday, a six-day home exchange in Lisbon, is scheduled for […]
[…] come home to recuperate. After a couple of hours, I notice a leaflet on the dining table of our home exchange hosts advertising free English-speaking tours of Sofia every day starting at 11 am and 6 pm and […]
[…] you know, I am a keen home exchanger. We have just redeemed three home exchanges in Australia (Coff’s Harbour, Adelaide and Drysdale) […]
[…] began home-exchanging again this year after a break of two or three years. I was able to arrange a one-week exchange in […]