Cerise

It is perfectly legal and OK for your family and friends to help you renovate your house so long as you don't pay them.  You can even add a clause to your house insurance which is called something like 'aide benevole' or 'travail benevole' (explain what you want to do and they'll ensure you are covered).  I'm all for people being legal - but some of the posts on this forum on the subject are plain daft.  My French neighbour has just built his entire house with help from family and friends - nothing secret or illegal in that.

It's her - she just doesn't work.  Even in 1980s policewomen wouldn't wear those clothes to work.  The urge to give her a good slap is overwhelming me.

Hi, if you are breeding from Tatty in France you will need to register her with the Societé Centrale Canine if you wish to register her puppies.  Puppies can only be registered with the KC if they are born in UK.  To register her with the SCC you will need an Export Pedigree available from the Kennel Club and signed by her breeder.  When you have registered her you will need to take her to a show here for confirmation (you do not need to show here just take her to be confirmed by a confirmation judge).  After that, all systems go to register her puppies.  The mating must be declared to the SCC - unlike in UK where you register the puppies once they are born.

Almost certainly be cheaper to go to Ireland.  When ever I go to Greece (I know that isn't Turkey but same problem!)I go via Holland, Germany, Italy or UK.  You CAN fly direct from France to Athens but as you are finding out it is about 4 times the price.  If you don't want her to go back to Ireland you could try via Amsterdam and then to Toulouse that is usually cheapish.

Didn't like it either (and I love Life on Mars)  Will, however, give part 2 a go tomorrow to see if it improves.

I understand JR and that is what I find sad.  Children need to have fun while they are young.  Parents who work all the hours god send - he reckons he does a 41 hr week plus all weekend on his ruin and she is doing paperrounds at 5 am.  Furthermore, they'll probably end up like my neighbours kids (now in their 30s) who've both gone off to foreign countries and have just broken their parents hearts by telling them to sell that 'dump' (the country house parents have lovingly preserved) as they'd like the money. No life is for living - prudent yes - only thinking about what you pass on, no.

No it wasn't the money that I thought was sad, simply the grimly having no fun.  When your children are only little why would you need to do up a ruin for them and deprive you, and them, of any amusement in life?

Wooly - sad isn't it, that is the real life for many of the people I know here.  Our local cinema costs 5.50€ but most of my friends can't afford to go with me.  I know people don't complain much, but it isn't much of a life.  Maybe the reason for so may anti-depressants.  All work and no play ..

What proof do you have of that Cathy?  Did you meet Albert Einstein - where is it written that he was not a penguin?  Or his cousin for that matter?

I have just been looking on the net at nice modern, double glazed, easy houses and hoping that some time next year we can sell our very pretty, but hugely expensive to maintain and pain in the ass to clean, huge gardened stone house and have one of the modern ones.  Our house is beautiful, ideal for the B & B and has what I suppose people call the Brit factor but I think my life is more than a house!  I've always disliked housework and gardening is OK only in small doses.  In summer we seem to spend our lives watering and grass cutting.  I walk the dogs so really they only need a small garden and if we stop doing B & B 2 bedrooms is loads.  Maybe I'm just too practical but when I look at most of my friends and acquaintances houses here I wonder why they want so much house and land.  I appreciate for some people it is their raison d'être but I'd rather sit on a small terrace with a glass of wine having done the housework in half an hour than spend my life cleaning and organising this huge house.  Old is rarely warm and I like cosy.  OH wants a nice garage and I want warm and clean, with very little land and no outbuildings to collect junk.  I'd like my house more if I could just be one of our guests and stay in it from time to time.

Buy all your magazines (and new books)  and sweeties in W H Smith the other side of security.  Strangely you can add another entire bag full - I know I did last week! - and take it on the plane with your hand luggage.  Course - this is not about money it is about security, right?[6]

Lottie - can you please let me know who would like books in Villefranche.  I've a lot to get rid of but have to confess that they are mostly things I'd never read myself (Danielle Steele and like)  so hesitate to offer them to others, but someone may be interested - perhaps French folk who are looking for something simple in English.   A lot have been given to me for the chambre d'hotes, I hate to throw books away so would like to find them a good home.

Pay the chap (or one of his workers) at local garage to drive your car out to meet you.

Well, I've watched series one and haven't had time to start series 2 yet so will have to start Ashes to Ashes tonight and try to keep up.  I really wish I could find things like this on French TV.  I keep trying but it is just so disappointing, and when they do have series on why do they think anyone would want to watch 3 episodes on the trot?

Sister-in-law bought me the two series of Life on Mars when I went to Angleterre last week.  Now I'm panicking cos haven't had chance to watch and new Ashes to Ashes thing starting.  Does it carry on or is it something completely different.  Do I have to watch 2 complete boxed sets of DVD's between bnow and next Thursday?

All computer/techno speak - if you mean 'Turn on the machine' then just say so!

Oooooh - do you dispatch knit your own goat packages?     I'm very disappointed in crocheted croissants, at least 3 guests have chocked and the embroidered brioche were frankly naff.  But knitted goats .....

Must be your location then Keith as we simply don't have that many rich tourists in this area.  And you can only attract them if the surrounding area has enough services.  I'd be interested to know how you get round the licencing regs for the minibars - I know someone would be sure to grass me up to local bar owners if I tried that.  Chapeau to you if you are managing it.  I'm not being sarky I'm ful of envy.  The only place round here (not mine) who tried charging more than 60€ - in season - simply got no customers.  

I'll take the business lessons please!!!   I think probably Keith you're not running a B & B as most people know it!  With 5 rooms at the going rate in this area you couldn't make that sort of money if every room was full for every night of the year.   If you are doing it, brilliant for you and perhaps you could advise me of an area of the country where I can do likewise.  Unfortunately if this means buying a stately home or chateau I'm out of the running.  Perhaps the reason for everyone's surprise at your question is that that kind of turnover is not even achieved by many hotels in France.  B & B's are generally much smaller affairs.    

I hope they do something about the inter-department non-communication.  In local Tourist Office we have the ridiculous situation where we have trouble getting info for the 2 nearest attraction because they are in other departments.  We're on the border of 3 departments.  The river which is the department border runs through the village.  If you live in one part of the village, which officially is another village in another department, and a member of your family should die you have to get a prefectoral agreement for them to be taken over the bridge to the cemetery!  This kind of daft departmental rule makes living where we do both hilarious and frustrating.  Recently we introduced charges for our 'salle informatique' - with a special cheap tariff for those in the commune.  Then it was realised that half the village actually lived in another commune, indeed another department, and if the rules were applied our own volunteers would end up paying more than holidaymakers staying on the campsite.   Chaos rules!

If only life was that simple ..........

jon - like many others you seem assume that if someone moved to France it was because they were unhappy in the UK.  Not so necessarily.  I like both countries  and we moved here to see what it was like for real and to have an adventure.  We were not rich or retired and knew that the only income we would have where ever we landed up would be that which we could earn.  And that for me is the problem - it is incredibly difficult to earn a living.  Both my husband and I are hardworking and not afraid to do whatever it takes to earn the necessary cash BUT we can't.  We do work, my husband has re-trained, has a CDI, works for a French firm and at 47earns no more than our young nephew earns shoving trollies round supermarket carparks in his college holidays in UK.  Not very inspiring I'm afraid.  I don't want to be retired but run B & B because no-one will employ me.  It is easy for people to say well go back to UK then, but unless we can sell our house here we couldn't do that easily (no other capital you see) and we have acquaintances who would like to do just that but their house has now been on market for 2 years. If you have plenty of money in the first place then it actually doesn't matter where you live.  I notice that the majority of people who say how much 'better' life is here are retired or still commute to UK to work.  Many of them speak little French, read the UK papers and watch English TV.  Their contact with French 'friends' is limited to bonjour in the bar and an occasional apero.  I lived in rural England so am to a certain extent comparing like with like.  Most of my friends in both countries have kids in their teens or twenties and the English lot ring me up telling me about their children's new jobs/gap years/starting of business, the French ones fill me with woe about how they are paying for their children who still have no jobs after Uni or in many cases how their children are going to have to go abroad to work. I look out of my window every day and think what an enormously beautiful place I live in.  I have fitted in here, speak the language and have nice neighbours.  Those things however don't pay the bills - which in my experience are every bit as onerous as in the UK - I don't live in the parallel France where the local taxes are 50€.  As I've said we have never been rich but I didn't want to live a simple peasant life in UK and don't want to here.  Unfortunately unless employment prospects improve dramatically here I'll probably be compelled to and that doesn't make for a 'better' life, in my view.

Phone a couple of other vets and see if they'll do you a job lot deal!  It does vary from place to place. If you really want to bring your owl you may be able to get permission from French ministery.  I managed (after a long drawn out process) to get permission for a friend's  'sans papiers' rescue parrot.  They had had him for 20 years and he he was a species covered by CITES.  It didn't cost much - just loads of paperwork. Dr Feix - vet in Toulouse is a specialist in birds of prey so may be able to help. 26 chem Glacière 31200 TOULOUSE 05 61 57 99 63

If you are able to get paid employment, I would buy your house and bit of land but take the employment first of all to give you time to settle in.  No doubt about it, it is incredibly hard to make a living here unless you already have loads of dosh when you arrive.  If you already have loads of money then whatever you do is OK.  If you don't then watching the little capital you have dwindle is scary. If you can be employed (even if not well paid) whilst you move in, get the kids sorted at school, get your French up to scratch and decide whether you like it here then you can get yourelves up and ready to start business whilst still earning.   Many people arrive and find,if self employed, that they are unable to get going due to various bureaucracy for some time.  If one of you is earning the other can scurry about doing all the paperwork stuff and you can quit the paid employment (or not) when the business is ready to go. We've been here 6 years - we are not rich, but we are managing to get by HOWEVER I run our B & B and my husband has a salaried job.  Without both lots of money we couldn't manage and we don't have children.  Salaries (unless you are bilingual and very lucky) are a great deal lower than in UK but it is a form of security.  

Christine - is help requiredwith travelling?