tonyinfrance

Many thanks to you all for taking the time to give me your comments - much appreciated. I need to shake off this buyer's remorse and just get on with it. Decisions, decisions..........  

Following Hoddy's recent thread, a related question. If you had your time again, would you buy a maison secondaire?  We've seen a house that meets most of our requirements and I'm having difficulty making the decision to buy it or to hold on to the funds and rent as required instead. Renting seems more logical and lower risk, but I suspect it will be less fulfilling. We're in our 60s so I guess we have a 10 to 15 year horizon.  Our ambition is to spend about 3 months a year in France - perhaps more once we've retired. Thanks in advance for your advice. Tony

At our favourite B&B in Vieuvy (near Gorron 53) the breakfasts are splendid affairs, frequently embellished with little cakes made by Madame.  Lots of homemade preserves etc. which we make a big effort to consume as our splendid hostess has gone to such trouble. We're back there this coming weekend - I'll be needing trousers with an elasticated waistband......  

Thanks idun - that's one less thing to be concerned about........

Hello - we have seen a small house that we quite like on the D33 just outside Ambrieres. les V. We know a new fosse septique will be required - can anyone recommend a local expert for this work?  I'm guessing it will cost between 5000 and 7000 euros - about right?  As an aside, the old fosse is above ground in an outhouse, which is something I have not seen before - should this be a concern? We also will need a plumber for general updates, mostly small works (I hope!). Lastly an english-speaking notaire somewhere in the general area would be much appreciated. All comments suggestions gratefully received...... Thanks

Thanks for that tip Kathy!  I didn't even know there was reflective insulation..........

An interesting topic since we are about to make an offer on our potential holiday home within the next month or so.......especially the rent or buy question.  Renting is more financially sensible I'm sure but we want our own garden (which is something we don't have in England).

Thanks for the update : I'll let you know if I find any enroute...........

We're off to the Mayenne area for the weekend - anyone know where inexpensive breathalyzers might be found between Dieppe and Gorron? Thanks

A Catholic Priest, a Baptist Preacher and a Rabbi got together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop. One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard, a real  challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided  to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear,  preach to it, and attempt to convert it to their religion. Seven days later, they all came together to discuss their experiences. Father Flannery, who had his arm in a sling, was on crutches, and had various bandages on his body and limbs, went first. 'Well,' he said, 'I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The Bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation.' Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, had one arm  and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he exclaimed, 'WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we Baptists don't  sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP  another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quickly DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus..Hallelujah! The Priest and the Reverend both looked down at the Rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IVs and  monitors  running in and out of him. He was in really bad shape. The Rabbi  looked up and said: "Looking back on it, ....circumcision may not have been  the best way to start."

An elderly couple, who were both widowed, had been going out with each other for a long time. Urged on by their friends, they decided  it was finally time to get married. Before the wedding they went out to dinner and had a long conversation regarding how their marriage might work. They discussed finances, living arrangements, and so on. Finally, the old gentleman decided it was time to broach the subject of their physical relationship. 'How do you feel about sex?' he asked, rather tentatively- 'I would like it infrequently' she replied. The old gentleman sat quietly for a moment, adjusted his glasses and leaned over towards her and whispered 'Is that one word or two?'

I was saddened to hear Davy Jones had died - then I saw his face, now I'm a bereaver..........

I saw a brand new telly in the shop window last night with a sign saying "only £10 - volume control stuck on high".  I thought - "I can't turn that down!"

I went to Greenwich last night, I like the place but I don't like the people. They think the world revolves around them.    Last night I had a dream that I had written the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was Tolkien in my sleep.    I went to look at a flat last night. I walked in and all the walls were covered in mirrors. I thought, "I can see myself living here!"    Someone just left me a load of Lego. I don't know what to make of it.    

Conventional thinking is that you need to do at least 10,000 miles per year to make diesel more cost-effective than petrol. Most vehicles dislike very short journeys as it drains the battery (especially in winter) and the engine/exhaust systems don't get a chance to warm up properly but whether it's petrol or diesel probably makes little difference.

Staying near La Fleche a couple of years ago (Sarthe) we asked at 4 or 5 banks before we found one that would do foreign exchange.........our bank (CA) was unable to help.

We enjoy the programme (although I find it a bit over the top) but as others have said it makes Burgundy look like a place spending a bit more time in on the way to the south. We were great fans of Le Manoire when we lived in that part of the country - beautiful place, although watching one of the Spice Girls trying to devour her boyfriend during our last visit was a little unsettling

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgery.   As she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said," I'm so sorry, your pet has passed away."    The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure? Yes, I'm sure. The duck is dead," he replied.     "How can you be so sure", she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."   The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the >duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.   The vet patted the dog and took it out and returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed the bird from its beak to its tail and back again. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly, jumped down and strolled out of the room.   The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."   Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.   The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "£150!" she cried.      " £150 just to tell me my duck is dead?!!"   The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been £20. But what with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it all adds up."

Each to his own I guess. I like the idea of paying in sterling to save me thinking about how much I have in the CA account, and since the max annual overhead is 10 Euros I'm very happy with that.

Following advice from OPs here I scanned various French websites to organise a péage tag and then I came across SANEF UK.  Unlike its French counterparts this company charges for the tag but the billing is in sterling, which is convenient to me.  Completing the agreement is simplicity itself (all you need is your bank sort code and account number) and having ordered it on Thursday it arrived on Friday! It's the size of a credit card and perhaps a quarter inch thick - in other words much smaller than the older generation tags.  There is - in very broad terms - an initial 20 euros refundable charge, and a usage charge of 5 euros per month for each active month but limited to 10 euros per year.  As far as I can see the exchange rates used for the tolls are perfectly fair..... For frequent visitors like me who have a lightly-used French bank account and who do not yet have a house in France this is a good solution:  full details at - https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/  

While acquainting myself with a new elderly patient, I asked, 'How long have you been bedridden?' After a look of complete confusion she answered . . . ' Why, not for about twenty years - when my husband was alive.

I've still got a couple of years to go but this is an excellent tip!  Thanks

gears to go, brakes to slow (standard English police saying apparently)

My wife is a great driver (although she doesn't like it much).  She never complains about my driving as she is usually trying to read the map whilst holding it upside down......as we drift down the A6 and she tells me she's found Stuttgart I know it's not going to work too well...........

Again, many thanks for your advice and comments. I found that SANEF now have a UK company: the tag costs more from them but billing and admin are in UK which might be rather convenient. Their site does mention that payment of French tag accounts by UK credit card will be phased out by the end of this year - https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/support This might be of interest to those who've has a tag for some time and currently pay by UK credit card.....