Cerise

Love the ad, love the biscuits - so do most of my French pals who nick them whenever I get some.  Think most people on seeing will simply say "Quoi???".

Why does everybody head out at the same time.  Lord knows, but the herd mentality rules.  We have delightful Parisien guests who come each year in August.  They are now 78 and 75 - every year they moan like hell about the heat.  Last year I said 'Well Albert, why don't you come at the end of September, it is lovely here then, and cooler so you can get out more'.  Horrified silence and he said "But Madame, the holidays are in August". We have equal problems with the Caisse de Congés Payés who can never seem to get their collective heads round the fact that my husband has holidays at times other than August.  Causes them endless angst and writing to employer as they can't believe that a person would CHOSE to holiday any time other than August. Currently I have Spanish guests.  They are deeply puzzled by the French inability to provide meals at any time other than 12.00 - 14.00 and 19.00 - 21.00.  I think I'm going to be making a lot of snacks over the next week or so!!  Last week's Germans kept missing lunch too.   

I hope you find thecontentment you are looking for on your return.  Cngratulations for having the courage to make your life happen in the direction you'd like it to go.

On ne peut pas cumuler les offres promotionnelles. or Seulement une offre promotionnelle par réservation.      

It certainly is true - as 5 element says once the card is swiped the doctor knows and can refuse to sign the form for a médicin traitant. You must have a médicin traitant for the CMU to function.  This is even more difficult in rural areas where it is hard for people to get to another doctor if the local one won't take them..

I am surprised by the information as I sold my old car without a controle technique before Christmas.  I asked the Préfecture and the Controle Technique centre we use if this was OK and both said yes provided paperwork clearly marked 'Vendue dans l'état et sans controle technique'.  French acquaintances said the same. The new owners subsequently did a bit of work, had controle done (in another department)  and registered the car without any problems. 

I fear it is a CA thing.  In our local branch you need your card to operate the cash deposit machine.

Fi - very glad to be proved wrong - but as you say probably a regional thing.  You are absolutely right that research, research and more research are the answer.

My nephew in UK - a bright, intelligent, attractive and dynamic lad of 9 - has Aspergers.  In England the help he gets enables him to be happy, friendly and top of his class.  When I have mentioned his Aspergers to French friends, including some who are teachers, they have assumed he is mentally retarded and feel nothing but pity for him and his parents.  My GP has never even heard of Aspergers (and he is young and pretty go ahead).  In our local schools there is NO PROVISION at all for anyone with any sort of learning difficulties.  Any provision there is in any rural area will be in French, as will medical services including psychiatrists.  Are you language skills up to this? If you decide you really want to go ahead with this you need to to do research, research and more research and above all make sure you can find schools, colleges etc who can deal with it and with whom you are able to communicate.  You need to be aware that in many parts of rural France any form of handicap is still seen as shameful and something which cannot be discussed. One of the key features of Aspergers is that those with the syndrome find change extremely difficult.  Is it really fair to a child who will have to make extra effort all his life just to keep in par with his peers to force such huge changes upon him, possibly with no or little support.

Are you surprised?  I'm not.

I'd go for Dalis in Villefranche too.  If you want to be nearer Cordes the Hacienda which is on the main Albi- Cordes road about 3km before Cordes on the right is slso nice for lunch.  Cordes itself is very ^pretty but a bit touristy and the restaurants are much of a muchness.

http://www.montleviaur.fr/   Very pleasant and definitely open Saturday lunchtime http://www.lebellerive.fr/restaurant.html   Nice restaurant with terraceby the river and underneath the castle   If you want some more just shout!      

Most people love to get flowers and Interflora etc do nice planters with things growing in, so it will last longer.  I reckon most ladies would appreciate that.

I'll check a couple in the morning to see if they are open and post then.  It's a bit late now!

Duration Short Term Long Term 0-30 minutes Free Free 30 minutes - 2 hours 0.50€ 0.50€ 2- 24 hours 3.00€ 4.00€ 2 days 6.00€ 8.00€ 3 days 9.00€ 12.00€ 4 days 12.00€ 16.00€ 5 days 15.00€ 20.00€ 6 days 18.00€ 24.00€ 7 days 21.00€ 25.00€ between 8 and 15 days 21€ + 3€   more than 7 days   25€ + 1 €/day more than 15 days 45€ + 2€/day  

If that's the shop at St André Ron, then yes they are doing well in spite of everything.  I'm impressed by how hard that young couple work - but I think they are exceptional and I understand the Mairie paid for the renovations.  Our local shops seem to do OK too, but we are a very long way (40 km) from any grandes surfaces and little public transport.  If there were larger competition nearer I don't think it would be so.

Good luck - get Licence 1 and 3 then you can serve beer/wine with meals.  With licence 3 you can also sell wine with meals if you want, but we have never bothered.  We supply reasonable stuff from local vineyard, and tell customers if they want something more exotic they are welcome to bring it in.  Surprise, they all drink the local stuff!![:)]

If you are a chambre d'hôtes you only have to declare at your local Mairie.  For table d'hôtes you need a licence from the douane and provided your kitchen is clean and tidy and you stick to the table d'hôtes rules (one table, one meal, you eat with them) then that is it.  The principal of table d'hôtes is that it is in your own home at your own table.  Obviously you need to obey beasic hygiene rules but it is a home cooked home based affair.  Don't complicate life for your self if you don't have to.  You only need something more complicated if you are planning to cate for people who are not staying with you.

It works, but if you have animals please be careful.  A friend's dog nearly died last year from drinking it, it is poisonous to them.  So if you make it keep a cover on any standing around.

Dancing Fairy - your post made me smile.  I WISH I could live in a pink bubble.  I often feel I'd be a great deal happier if I didn't speak French very well, took everything on a superficial level and could simply afford not to care.  I've been told off several times on this forum for suggesting that real friendship is difficult if you know nothing about each other.  Maybe it is nicer just to take the neighbours booze and ignore the fact that they are members of the local National Front! Knowing what is going on is quite depressing sometimes.  I'm slightly horrified by cheery English folk who tell me how much safer their children are in our part of rural France when I have first hand experience from the local Jeunesse commission how bad the local rural drug problem is.  If I ever dare to mention this I'm anti-French and depressing, despite the fact that it is the truth and if I had teenagers of my own it would be a huge concern to me.  Knowing the problems that the country has doesn't mean I don't like it and actually I don't remember any posters saying the don't like the place.  Facing facts is not the same as disliking.  As for 'integration' well, I'll never be French and the things which annoy me will still annoy me even if I know that they are that way because of the Napoleonic code or somesuch. Like Will, I'm a 'popper-in' to this forum.  My life is great deal more than the internet, so often don't have time or inclination.  People who pop in are allowed to have opinions too.  And after all that is all this forum is - other folk's opinions.  It isn't real life, those who are thinking of coming to France or already here can read, think and discard as they think fit.  Surely no-one would be daft enough toconsruct their life from opinions on an internet forum!

He looks very fetching in a slow cooker[:D]

Renaud - lots of English folk make a success of food in France!  Many B & B, reataurant and hotel owners are English, many of  them have lots of French customers who are all happy bunnies when they eat.  Jon's food sounds absolutely delicious - as I've no doubt it is - but so is Quillan's and many other posters on this forum.  I'd never describe myself as a chef, just a reasonably good cook, but my French guests are full of compliements for the food they eat with us.  It is a myth that the English can't make good food, I'm surprised you subscribe to it.

Llanthony - I think you go to Montauban, the same as us and I've always found them nice and helpful.  You won't get fined for the late return and I doubt very much you'll pay huge sums of tax.  They've always made sure we understand - yes the forms are confusing, but once you've done it once (make sure you keep a copy) it is easier the next time.  People DO get pulled up for not doing tax returns and it is particularly important if you sell for CGT purposes. Stick with it, it'll come out right.

I sometimes collect and deliver customers to the airport and occasionally take them out.  After lots of advice I have obtained 'occasional' professional cover for the car and have also been advised that such services must be included in the price of their stay and not as an added extra which would in effect make me a taxi driver.  As it is not a regular thing in my case this covers me, but if you are offering guided tours etc it is a different scenario.  Check that you actually have the proper cover for your car.  I originally asked for this and was told I was covered.  When I changed cars I read through my contract and couldn't find anything.  The insurance company were quite dismissive and said that if I had an accident I could say my passengers were friends!  Yeah, right.  It took quite a lot of pushing to get the extra cover, but it was not too expensive.

I make reference because I CARE.  The poverty here shocks me.  Most people I know here (as in UK) are salaried, and being in rural France the salaries are low whatever their occupation - that is reality.  These people are not lazy, nor do they think the world owes them a living, but many are scraping and scrimping all the time despite having full time jobs.  That is depressing.  Of course they don't spend all their time moaning about it, but they are constantly worried and juggling money.  I know there is poverty in other countries UK included but I'm not currently living there.  I help people fill in their applications for ASPA and other benefits, I deal with the folk who can't pay their bills - and believe me most of them aren't feckless.  There will always be feckless people everywhere but they are the minoirty.  I lived much of my life in a little village in Cornwall before coming here and there was poverty but not so much.  The elderly, particularly ladies who may not have paid many if any cotisation, the inheritance system which makes anyone old who wants to sell up and live somewhere smaller feel they are betraying their families etc, etc makes life very difficult for many. I am very glad you are happy in your new life.  I hope that all those who decide to come here make a go of it and are happy. I just think it is patronising to assume that those who are having a hard time are hopeless or lazy and that all those who grow a few vegetables are deliriously happy.  If people really want to come here they won't be put off by a few negative comments.  If you accept a place for what it is, and still like it warts and all, then you stand a good chance of being happy.