last time I was on it Brehat had a few tractors :-)

Please add your opinion.

Since I haven't been to Brittany, do you feel that I should spend my 2-3 weeks there and not go to the islands? Also want to hang out in Normandy a bit, too. Have been to the D-day beaches, cemeteries there 4 times.

But whether it's Brittany, Normandy or the islands, I'm looking for a laid back vacation exploring beaches, small villages and more or less living like a local. LOL here as I don't speak more than 5 words of French, so I'll really be local-not. Would that be a problem in any of those areas?

"Living like a local" has become a mantra without meaning. You are not going to live like a local in a week, whether or not you speak the language - which is English in the Channel Islands. You will not go to work, take your kids to school, visit the dentist, etc. You might go to church or a sports game, but you will be doing it as an outsider. You will be a tourist.

English and French are official languages of the Channel Islands. Jersey and Guernsey French is spoken by very few people nowadays, locals told me that some older people who were born & bred on the islands can speak it, but you will not come across it as a tourist, you will mostly encounter English or perhaps French in the Channel Islands. Maybe on a couple of signs, you might see some Jersey or Guernsey French (or Sark- French if you are going to Sark etc), that's about it. Any of the areas you are considering will give you a laid back vacation with plenty of beaches to explore etc.

But note that Channel Island French is... well barely French, more French as it was spoken 500 years ago with a fair few dialect and English words thrown in. Lawyers, for example have to have a law degree from Caen as well as an English University. But the Caen one is taught in old French.

Any of the islands will be laid back outside of the two capitals and so will Brittany, which has lots of prehistoric sites and a canal down its backbone if you like canal walks

Frankly, my take on the Channel Islands is that they are completely worthy of a separate trip. There is something hyper-British about them that both appeals and repels. ("We need to be as British as possible because it reassures the visitors from England and delights the visitors from France.") I would say that it is a jarring experience compared to Brittany and that the two should not be mixed.