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You're going through a tough time at the moment ALBF but let's be civil please. There are many people on this forum with a wealth of experience and talents. As I've already said yours is not the universal truth. I've lived in France for 22 years and my experience is bound to be different to yours and Normans however do you honestly think there is no one else out there that has had to do the things that you are having to do at this moment? Administration ha!! Try going through probate in three different tax jurisdictions when every tax lawyer you contact refuses to touch it. Also trust me, arranging for remains to travel between departments is nothing compared with trying to take them out of the country. Frankly in my experience, when it came to coping with the death of my OH, the French end was a doddle. None of that negates any of the difficulties you are going through at the moment. I truly am sorry for your loss and I hope the day goes as well as possible for you under the circumstances. Let's just try to cool the temperature everyone.

You are not alone. I find it all just stupid. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/22/entertainment/charli-xcx-kamala-harris-brat-meme/index.html

Gnocchi.

I believe he has done the right thing. I realise its not France, but what happens over there effects the rest of the world. Hopefully sense will prevail and a woman will issue in a new era.

Norman, thank you for injecting a bit of sanity into the "woe is me", hand-wringing and do- not- be- elderly- and- ill narrative as though any of us can avoid getting old and, heaven forbid, be ill as well. Indeed what else is more certain in life? I know this is not the first time you have written about your experience and given that valuable website. Fortunately, neither of us has reached that stage yet though my husband is not anywhere near being out of the woods since he fell ill a couple of months ago. The medical care he has received has been exemplary. Just to give a few brief details which may reassure some people. My OH had a very nasty and life-threatening seizure in early May. Of course, it was a Saturday (don't these emergencies always happen at the weekend or in the middle of the night?) but still the pompiers came promptly. His condition was stabilised in the ambulance and he was in hospital by the middle of the afternoon. The next morning, a SUNDAY morning, he was operated on and moved to intensive care to be looked after. Because he'd had internal bleeding, he received an infusion of iron and 2 units of packed red blood cells. When he was moved into an "ordinary ward", he was invited to stay as another operation was envisaged. Because he is elderly (93) and he was desperate to return home, the consultant respected his wishes and allowed him to come home for a couple of weeks before readmission for Stage 2 of the procedure. It did cause the hospital inconvenience and I daresay extra cost to discharge and then readmit him but they could see that, for his peace of mind and relief of his anxiety, it was better that way. Imagine, actually taking into consideration what the patience wants.....my mind did boggle greatly at that. In the meantime, he had 2 operations for removal of a "mole" au cas ou and that indeed turned out to be a melanoma. Those ops were done in out-patients, again with great care and the results were phoned through to us at home by the 2 dermatologists. All this time, we have had nurses, daily to begin with, and now every 2 days. Even after removal of stitches, the nurses made a further visit to satisfy themselves that the wound was properly healed. They also come to the house to take blood for tests to avoid our having to go to the lab. As he is still weak, losing weight and in convalescence, he is given drinks, biscuits, desserts that are high-protein and high-calories to build him up. I have not yet had to get the sort of home help that Norman gets but I have been given advice as to where in town to go and the person to see. I'll end by saying that when I myself get to be "elderly and ill", I'd rather be in that state in France than anywhere else I can think of.

Want to make a quick soup with next to no effort? Here's what to do. You buy a package of "anti gaspi" vegetables of the popular St Eloi brand and use it from frozen. As with most soups, I use a mix of olive oil and butter. Heat in a pan, tip in the pack of veg, thin with water or vegetable stock if wished. Heat up, simmer for a bit and you will see a wonderful velouté in the pan. I used the carrots, squash, potatoes pack so it was a nice orange colour. I also noticed a pack with green veg and will try that next time. Snip some parsely or another herb of your choice, swirl over (artistically, if possible) a drizzle of cream (I suppose some pesto paste might also be good), grinding of black pepper, some croutons if liked and there is your soup. Advantages of doing it like this is that anti gaspi is exactly that, no waste, no peelings choppings or dicings and if properly presented looks like you have spent a lot of time doing it the traditional way.

Perhaps the pedestrian/lawyer couple weren't aware of this:- "Pedestrians account for a significant proportion of road deaths. While you may be considered a priority on a number of roads, in different situations you do not have all the rights. Stay vigilant and do not take any reckless risks, particularly by crossing the road at random without ensuring that there is no danger to you or another road user" From https://www.securite-routiere.gouv.fr/reglementation-liee-aux-modes-de-deplacements/pietons-et-mobilite-urbaine/reglementation-des Maybe the subject couple were not seen to exercise sufficient caution in the opinion of the gendarme - ie actually looking both ways before they crossed? As many of us have seen ,many pedestrians just walk out in front of moving traffic without any observation, expecting the law to protect them.

He was lucky that Alec Baldwin didn't fire the gun.

Mélenchon’s speech last night was just as threatening and worrying as the extreme Right. Corbyn’s inheritance lives on in the left of the Labour Party and in the French Left. Either would offer Cubanization and poverty. One hopes that the Centre will be able to find a way to create some sort of consensus to keep the government ticking over.

Yes, the article is accurate and a year old. The hospital in Sarlat has had to close portions of its treatment facilities multiple times (including its ER and maternity units). Often for long periods of time. This, of course, puts pressure on the other hospitals in the region. It is a vicious circle and a very serious one. And, I don't see any improvement having been made since your linked article was written. I think it will take a long time to begin to see any improvements. I know the government has said they are working on the situation, but it was allowed to get so bad, it will now take a LONG time to make things better. That is why I tried to implore you to check out ALL your medical needs thoroughly before even thinking about moving anywhere in France. If you have a specific area in mind, go there and try to make medical consultation appointments (actually try to make the appts. long before your visit as there will likely be a LONG delay - IF - you are able to find doctors who will see you).

I haven't seen the clips of the U.S. Debate. I saw a couple of headlines, but have been out all day. We knew Biden would almost certainly not be able to pull this off. OH and I wondered what kind of wife would stand for her husband being put in such a terrible situation. Especially since he has already had to endure extreme criticisms regarding his 'state of mind/body.' I suppose she could not stop him, but I would raise one hell of a ruckus. But then, I would very strongly insist he not run again. As for his camp, they've lost the plot and are probably going to lose the election due to their own stupidity.

along with Basque, Catalan, Corsican, & Occitan. But not Klingon

No, but let's return to your original question, it's more interesting 😁 Surely the big question is why you want/wanted to take French nationality in the first place? Was it purely to advance your career prospects? To commit to France, the French and a future life here? To make the bureaucracy easier? (Forget that !). I can vouch for it not changing much, at least in my case. As soon as I open my mouth, the accent labels me 'anglaise', however fluent I am. The UK is responsible for my pension and healthcare and always will be, so I'm regarded as a 'migrante permanente' by the French system. A French passport enables me to move more freely around the world, especially the French-speaking bits of it. I haven't yet tested out the theory of it helping with a move to French territory and how that pans out with aforementioned pension/healthcare provision. It doesn't appear to have changed by one jot how I'm regarded by friends, acquaintances and bureaucrats. If you really do still want to do it, then best get a move on. I suspect it will be less straightforward if/when the RN get in to power.

We have lived at 30 rue de blah blah blah for 14 years According to EDF and Free and every other computer in France, we live at 28 rue de blah blah blah. Why ?….I have no idea. But every utilities company in France they think we live at 28 rue de blah blah blah. There is no 28 rue de blah blah blah BTW. It does not exist. But apparently we live there. We have called, we have sent letters, we have sent attestations from the Marie to all these companies saying we live at 30 rue de blah blah. There is no 28 rue de blah blah blah. Last year we finally persuaded EDF that we live at 30 rue de blah blah blah not 28 rue de blah blah blah…..because there is no 28 rue de blah blah blah. They updated their computer. They said everything is cool now. Anyway, we have installed a new heating system so we no longer require gas. A date was booked for a gas engineer to come around and stop the gas officially. Mrs ALBF was leaving the house on the morning of the said date and spotted a very confused gas engineer walking up and down the street. He was our engineer. Guess what address he was looking for 😃

Thank you, Lori. I have now decided that not only am I a martian but that I am content to remain so!

Thanks Lori. I learned a lot from that link!

I have plenty of experience of coping with the real difficulties of being old and ill as I explained in my earlier post. The difference is that I have both first-hand experience and a command of the administration that I can demonstrate through references to official sources. I am not interested in spinning unsubstantiated tales or making wild attention-seeing assertions. I have enough do coping with reality.

That is quite detailed Norman. I have saved it. Thank you.

Did anyone hear Kamala Harris' speech in Milwaukee today? She was tub thumpingly good. Pitched it just right and socked it to Trump, as the Americans might say. She was smart enough not to call him names directly, non on Trump's "sleepy Joe"

Yesterday evening the doorbell rang and two scouts asked if they could camp in our garden. Of course, was our reply, so they picked a spot down by our mill stream under a tree. My wife was starting to prepare supper and suddenly dropped back into "Mum" mode, asking the lads if they would like to join us for supper. Of course, being large growing boys their faces lit up and said Merci bien. So she cooked a large pot of Pasta, Bolognese sauce, and garlic bread. This disappeared in no time, and while we were sitting outside on the terrace demolishing our ice cream supply the Guinguette along from us and on an island in Le Loir started their Friday evening music show, which was unusually a tad loud. We had said to the boys if it rains you are welcome to come and sleep in the house. Half an hour after disappearing down the garden there was a gentle knock on the door, Madame the music was so loud we could not sleep, so once again Mum mode took over, they left this morning after a hearty breakfast faced with another 25 kilometre walk to their next destination. Overall a delightful episode which involved us in a touch of French country life.

You could also argue that it was a good idea to wait until after the Republican convention when the Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominees were set in stone. Now Harris knows exactly who's on the Republican ticket she can pick the most effective running mate.

Nick, I'm not trying to "top" your story but I thought you might like to hear of a story from my part of France, the Dordogne. A good friend (French) lives on one of the routes on the Compostelle but of course a long way away from the Spanish border. She puts out a flask of coffee and biscuits by her gate each morning with a note to pilgrims to help themselves. One year, a young German man appeared, helped himself to the biscuits and the contents of the flask and stayed chatting animatedly until lunch time. Martine and her husband invited the young man to have some lunch which the young man gratefully and charmingly accepted. After lunch, it being a very hot afternoon, the German asked whether he might be permitted to take a dip in their pool. Go ahead, they said and the man didn't need a second invitation. He spent most of the afternoon swimming and relaxing by the pool. He came back into the house after his swim, spotted the piano in a corner of the lounge and asked whether he might have a tinkle on it. My friends, by now thoroughly bemused and not knowing how the young man's stay would pan out, said OK, why not? After his piano session, it was getting for dinner time. Martine felt obliged to say, well you might as well have something to eat before you leave. Again the young German accepted with gratitude. As you can imagine, the next step was bed as my friends, being my sort of age, are not used to late nights. The end of the tale approaches. The young man slept the night and left the following morning after a hearty breakfast and left with many expressions of thanks and a slip of paper with his phone number for keeping in touch. My final question to my friend was, and did you hear from him again? Oh no, never, but it was an entertaining tale, the way she told it but I don't think I have reproduced the telling here. She told it with many gallic shrugs, mischievous looks and smiles and I laughed my head off

"crapahuter" Came up in my paper today. Not one I had come across. To trudge.

Does anyone think anything different? Any comments? Maybe memes you have seen? Lori, you are the only person I know who actually has a vote, so do you think as I do?

Thankfully no one did. The allies beat him. They might not have been as successful against a replacement?

Our neighbours over the road have just put their property on the market this week, so I think the answer to your question is YES.

Indeed, Loiseau, sometimes I do say chienne but it never sounds quite "right" to me. Don't know why. It's like "cheffe" for chef and whatever the word is for a woman professeur. As most pet owners treat their animals like children, I suppose it's OK to ask if it's a boy or a girl. At least I think that's still acceptable because we haven't yet decided if animals can be bisexual, of indeterminate sex or any number of bewildering combinations.

Those French guns and knives shops always give me the shivers. I can't think of a legitimate use for the knuckledusters, never mind the Bowie blades.

We were walking through the gardens in Nantes yesterday, looking for the new exhibit for the "green line" project. We were puzzled by the many people walking through the park clutching multiple mobile phones, staring at them with close attention. My wife could not resist asking two women, both in their 60s sitting on a bench with no less than 6 mobile phones arranged in front of them! They told her it was "World Pokémon Day". Could not stop to talk as the hunt was on. Throughout the rest of our morning we saw groups of all ages engaged in this pursuit. Had no idea it was still a thing. Anyway, we still got to see the new exhibit. Water streams from its eyes, ears, mouth and nipples.

All the best with your search, Cosford but I think you will find a car indispensable anywhere in the Dordogne. Everything is just so far away, at least far enough away to walk to (especially as you get older) and I think you will regret not having your own transport. You won't need a big car as such, but certainly a little runaround.

Well, menthe and others, I reckon France is in great danger of letting foxes loose in the henhouse and Britain has just done it!

There is a list of what illnesses are "allowed" for an ALD. I once had a copy, but it is available if you want to search for it. Your GP will ask for one if it is appropriate. They are usually for conditions needing life long medication, but not all such illnesses are in fact covered eg high blood pressure, thyroid meds, most usually needing lifelong medication .. don't ask me how they decide what is an what is not ..

We are in a major town (Nantes). First appointment at the major hospital for hearing test - Feb next year.

Being a cattie rather than a doggie person I've little experience of fruit snafflers. However I did have one cat ( Magnum ) who would fight you for a slice of melon.

Type one diabetes (don't know about type two) and cancer are certainly ALDs, all approved treatment is paid for by the state. ALBF is correct though, finding a specialist is sadly more and more difficult now.

Well, I follow T de F avidly and all other things tend to get put on the backburner; watching the skill he used to get to the front after his lead out train got cut off, weaving, elbowing his way to the win was rather awesome. Boy was he hungry for that win. Well done Cav. Pity there is not a finish in Paris this year because of the bloody Olympic Games.

18 months later I will raise this thread to the top. There must be at least one other member of CF who follows or is at least aware of the TdF. Congratulations to Mark Cavendish who won his 35th stage yesterday. It was an impressive sprint against the best in the world.

I try to see the best in everything. That said…there is no denying that France is ripping itself apart. Some (namely me) predicted that this was going to happen a few years back. It was always going to end this way. This is not Brexit…..this is very very bad. You should hear my French wife of 29 years. And our 3 French kids. They make me sound quite moderate. Laugh or cry ? A cul de sac in the UK does not sound so bad to me. Local pub and all that.

JB? Joe Biden, of course! Now I have been studiously avoiding discussions, debates, and related topics about "the elections", in France, in the UK, in the States and elsewhere in the world. However with ubiquitous coverage across all media, it's next to impossible to miss all of it. Saw clips of Biden and the poor old s** comes across as totally vacant with an expression exactly like that of a neighbour who had some sort of "crise", has been carted off to some special résidence and has not been heard off since. I think it's cruel, inhumane, to expose someone like that in public to the world. We are not, after all, living in times where the disabled, handicapped and abnormal are put on show in fairs to be mocked and made fun of. It's just horrible ..... what on earth are his people thinking of? The man deserves respect and to preserve some dignity.

We finally received our postal ballot forms in the post on Friday 28th. votes cast and mailed off immediately. I had previously congratulated the local authority on how painless and efficient the procedure for registering for a postal vote had seemed to be, but now felt moved not so much to complain as to express doubt over whether ours would make it back in time. I received a comprehensive reply which made it clear that the Government has to realise that short timescales will increasingly fail to work with the number of postal ballots increasing, particularly for overseas voters. Didn't I read somewhere that the postal vote percentage is approaching 25% ? Certainly for us the postal services are not to blame, which the media would have us all believe. From the date of nominations closing, there are 600+ different ballot packages to be printed by a limited number of printers. A nightmare for the local authority !

Sorry Mint…you know I don’t want to upset anyone. I just tell it how is. That’s me. For the OP. https://www.leboncoin.fr/f/locations/real_estate_type--1?locations=Bergerac_24100__44.85222_0.48573_5000_5000

Just the DVD box set.

I am always interested to observe how, in voting stations, people take an array of party papers into the booth with them, to disguise their voting intention, and then throw the unused ones in the bin inside the booth. If the contents of those bins could talk!

I doubt that the average British expat could ever be persuaded to rouse themselves into a rabble. Maybe a stern tut ?

I think living in France and all the joys it brings adds 20 years to your natural age. On that basis I am 71 years old.

OK, so I'm guessing ( and it is just a guess ) that your Belgian pension originally provided you with the means to enter the health system in France and therefore should be able to do it again. That just leaves your residency. As you're obviously well travelled you'll be well used to the number of hoops one needs to go through when moving country. I'm assuming from what you've said that you've a good grasp of the French language and, having lived here before, are aware of the country's 'little quirks'. I would look at the Irish angle and see whether or not that can smooth out some of the wrinkles for you. From what you've said, access to medical services will become increasingly important so I suggest you use that as your main focus of research. I think you may be surprised at how much has changed in 4 and a half years. I'd also keep a close eye on political developments in France. Some of the mutterings from certain wannabie operators are a little scary.

Happy to say, just got notificaton that my poll card is now safely with my proxy! One worry less!

While I have no idea about the circumstances in the UK, the healthcare situation in France can vary wildly depending upon where you intend to live. The bigger the city, the more likely it is that you will find doctors taking new patients. As an example, in many parts of Provence, it is next to impossible to find doctors taking new patients. I had to drive 1.5 hours to see a GYN - only one that would accept me (I called dozens). Dentists were equally difficult. All specialists had months long waits. Opthalmologistes, Dermatologists, GYN's were known to have six month (or more) wait lists for the patients they already had. Those we called (dozens) were not accepting new patients. I had to go to an optometry clinic to have my eye exam (not an Opthalmologiste) meaning not the thorough exam a Opthalmo would complete. Then, we moved to the Dordogne. Worse. I called more than 40 MT's before finally finding one who took pity on us and accepted us. I've never found a GYN accepting new patients (I called more than 45). I wrote to CPAM asking for assistance, they called me and told me to see a Sage Femme. Heaven forbid if I have anything outside of an ordinary need. Same with Dentists. I called dozens and dozens delving out to nearly 2 hours drive from our home before finally finding one. So, you may want to do a bit of research on the location in which you wish to reside. And be warned, just because there are dozens and dozens and dozens of doctors in any given region (100's even), that does not mean they are taking new patients. You need to call them to inquire. I wish we had before we made our move. Oh and yes, it rained here from October 2023 through mid May, nearly non-stop. Rock slides, multiple rivers flooding, hundreds of homes evacuated - multiple times. The previous year was serious drought, with water restrictions and impact on land movement and home foundations cracking. You might want to check that out too for the region(s) you are considering. We love France, but it certainly has some really serious issues taking place these days.

Thanks le m-p and Judith. Yes, I get my lab results via email and I have a password to log onto the results page. My OH prefers to get his stuff by post and TBH I don't think he is particularly bothered about a couple of days extra to wait. If it was urgent, for example, covid nasal swab results, we'd request email.

I cannot believe that you think that the RN is a real threat compared to the rag-bag of socialists, communists, green loons, trots, and a their assorted hangers-on that makes up the hastily assembled Nouveau Front Populaire. An agreement between France's left-wing parties was reached on Thursday, June 13, under the banner of the Nouveau Front Populaire. It includes La France Insoumise (LFI), the Parti Socialiste (PS), the Greens (Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, EELV) and the Communist Party. It should worry all of us that Melenchon will be at the centre of it. One former adviser, who asked to remain anonymous, says those close to him both admire and fear him. “Ninety percent of the time Mélenchon is a brilliant orator and a brilliant strategist, but 10 percent of the time he is mad and paranoid,” he said. “He is a scale model of a charismatic dictator,” he added. I'll take the Le Pen option, assuming that Macron is touted as being a busted flush.