Tracy Walters – Mobile Hairdresser – 25 years experience

Recently, at the St. Patrick Day celebrations at La Taverne in Josselin, I noticed a woman (one of many, I have to say), who was dancing round a handbag to YMCA.

Then, at the 60s and 70s Soiree Disco (also at La Taverne, Josselin), I noticed the same woman dancing (arms flying about – once again, one of many), to Abba.

I rushed outside to recover and have a ciggie – she came outside as well. We started chatting and it turned out that she is a hairdresser and lives in Mohon, not far from where I used to live.

I promised her that when we had both sobered up, I’d ask her a few questions for the benefit of the readers of BretonDiary.

Well, that was 2 weeks ago and I think we’ve both just about sobered up enough (it was a very good night, that disco at La Taverne!)

I started off by asking Tracy how long she’d been living in France?

I have lived in France since September 2006, where hubby and I rented a house for 3 months, until we had decided if we were going to stop. In January 2008 we bought our house.

What made you move over here?

When people ask what made you move here, my only answer is Hubby and the change in the smoking laws in England.

Let me explain. Hubby decided in 2004, while watching a TV programme, that he wished to move to France, ( now like any good wife I said “yes dear” and forgot the whole thing). Now you would think that, that was the end of the matter, but no for the following 2 years I had earache from the said hubby about moving out here. You might think that I should of been a little more understanding of his wishes, but when I tell you that we had never been to France, perhaps you will understand why I took little notice of him. Every month or so he would mention it and I would nod my head and say yes perhaps one day, (all you girls will understand that when we say that it means NO).

Now to give you a little bit of my background, I come from a huge family, all my Uncles and Aunties are like brothers and sisters, and the same with their children. All my life has revolved round them. There is one special lady who I adore and that is my Nana, the thought of leaving her!!!!!! I had a hairdressing salon in England for 20 years, and was very happy, so I think you will understand when I say there was no chance of me moving anywhere.

Well I was at work one day, (and not in a very good mood), when on the radio it announced that smoking had been banned in public places. Now ok had I not been in a bad mood, perhaps I would not have jumped on my little soap box, and started ranting over the government telling us what we can do and what we cannot, after all smoking is not an illegal substance, (now by this time you will have guessed that I am a smoker).

Tracy Walters – Siret no. 45066730800024 – Mobile Hairdresser – Mohon (nr Josselin) – 0634 96 61 47

Really it was not the smoking I was ranting about, just the principle. The time came for me to go home, still fuming about it, I walked in the house and said to Hubby “ok you want to move to France, we’ll go”.

The hubby went to work, and I calmed down, but when he got home he was really excited about the move (oops). Now by this time you are all thinking why did you not just tell him you had changed your mind, (we can all have a bad day), well if you had seen his face, I just didn’t have the heart. Now if I remember rightly, that was Thursday night, so I thought its ok, I can tell him at the weekend that I didn’t really mean I was going to live in France.

You can always Contact Tracy by email – tracywalters15@hotmail.com

The following day, I went to work as normal, and arrived back home around 7pm. Hubby was excited because he had sold all his birds (the feathered kind), this might not mean a lot to you good people but when I tell you he had bred the said birds all his life (since he was 7 and he was now 62), I knew I was in deep trouble.

This is where panic started to set in. The next day, I arrived home to find he had sold our caravan. Now I could have made the hard decision and told him the truth, but instead I took the easy option and said “look what’s the hurry, I have to rent the shop out, we have to sell the house, all this could take 18 months, and your selling all our stuff, it’s not going to be that easy”.

Which really meant, well he will forget it in a few months, but I had to show willing, so I put the house on the market, and advertised the salon. Well you can guess what happened, the salon was rented out within 6 weeks and the house sold in 3!

That is why I moved to France.

Do you work and, if so, what do you do?

When we first moved over here, I was happy not to work, but after 6 months I was bored out of my head and itching to do something. That’s when I decided to do mobile hairdressing. It all sounded so simple, but the reality was very different. If anyone wishes to be a hairdresser over here, please get in touch, I will give you all the contacts I made, because believe me, it is not an easy thing to archived.

I am now employed by a company Oh Les Filles. I have worked for them since December 2008. Really you are self employed, but you send the money you earn from your hairdressing in to them, they knock off all the taxes and pensions, oh and their fees, oh yes I have to pay for the privilege of being employed by them , but that said they are very good. All this would not have been possible had it not been for a French girl named Isabelle Galloux, who has been a godsend to me. After trying for 2 years to become a mobile hairdresser, Isabelle had me all sorted in 6 weeks!

Please describe your business and the services you offer?

I travel round and do peoples hair in their own homes, I offer all aspects of hairdressing, and its brill. To be honest, its like my social life. I don’t think I am meant to enjoy my job so much but, well what can I say? Its really interesting meeting people and looking round their homes, and everyone is so friendly, (which is a good job really because, as the people who have me doing their hair will tell you, I never shut up), personally I think that is a little over the top statement, but I will bow down to their knowledge of me lol!

How can people get in touch with you?

If anyone would like to book an appointment they can contact me on 0634 96 61 47. I will normally travel to within 3 quarters of an hour from where I live, which is Mohon. If anyone lives further afield then you can always come to my house. If you have friends who also need their hair doing, and I can do you at the same time, there is a 10% reduction in my price, for each person.

Tracy Walters – Siret no. 45066730800024 – Mobile Hairdresser – Mohon (nr Josselin) – 0634 96 61 47

0634 96 61 47 – tracywalters15@hotmail.com

You can always Contact Tracy by email – tracywalters15@hotmail.com

Have you seen any changes since you moved over here?

The changes I have seen since I have lived over here,mmmmm…… Well the super markets are now open during the dinner hours, and the cost of the said food rising in price every week. My French has improved, ok not much but hey your talking to a girl who’s first word over here was gracious, (remind me later to dye my hair blond).

The French neighbours now talk to us, well we jester a lot, which is a real improvement. The one thing that has changed the most is me. I am soooooo happy here, I have good friends, good neighbours and an excellent bar (La Taverne) in Josselin where I go to let my hair down. The owners of the bar even have a coffee named after me, and a pizza, just go in and ask for a Tracy coffee, mmmmm….. lovely.

What are the best and worst things about living over here?

Please don’t think this happens over night. It takes time, there are going to be very lonely times, very funny times and very frustrating times, the paper work over here is a nightmare. The said Hubby has nearly been stabbed many times (by me!), after all as any good women will tell you, it’s all his fault when it all goes wrong, after all it was his idea to move out here!

Is there any advice that you would give to other people thinking about moving to France?

The advice I would give people who are thinking of moving out here is LEARN THE LANGUAGE BEFORE YOU COME. That said I didn’t, and I do ok, but it would have made life a lot easier if I had.

Thanks, Tracy, for that insight into living and working in France.

I wish you all the best for the future. I bet many readers are happy to know that there is work out here (apart from the abattoir – locally known as Helga’s House of Pain!)

Perhaps some of the local readers of this site might even give you a call to arrange for their highlights and perms (their wives might give you a call as well!)

I’m sure that, if they come to you, they could combine it with a day’s sightseeing at Josselin as well. What a good idea!

Me? I’m off to La Taverne to try a coffee Tracy!

All the best

P.S. If you want to contact Tracy, here are her details once again….

Tracy Walters – Siret no. 45066730800024 – Mobile Hairdresser – Mohon (nr Josselin) – 0634 96 61 47

You can always Contact Tracy by email – tracywalters15@hotmail.com

P.P.S. If you know of anyone who might like to tell their tale about moving to or living in Brittany, get them to give me a shout. If their story is half as interesting as Tracy’s – I’d be more than happy to write it up here!

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