Gardener

Right, thanks everyone for their input. I have used one of the online comparison sites but to be honest I have not heard of any of the providers they come up with, they may be great but small but on the other hand... I have been to see my agent and they came up with a policy 12€ cheaper, I was hoping to trim off a bit more than that. I have looked at the figures that Idun posted and with ref to the largest daily figure, CPAM pay 80% , which leaves 20% to find, so how does the 400% cover work in that circumstance? As I said before it is the % palava that I find confusing.

I do find the whole % business re health cover a minefield. But as our mutuelle is up for renewal and its good chuck on my income every month for a family of 4, I am interested in where I may be able to fairly safely cut back on parts of the cover. Hospitalisation honoraires en éts conv. 400% everything else is at 150% except pharmacie at 100%. We haven't had to pay anything for prescriptions or dr's appointments except the 1€,  dental treatment for the kids still costs an arm and a leg and blood tests seem to vary as to what money if anything we get refunded. If we were unfortunate to be hospitalised then the 400 % cover would obviously be better than 300 or 200% cover , but I have no idea ( and realise it depends on why one is in hospital etc)   if 400% is more than average / excessive  or if reducing it to 200% or lower could result in a  huge bill if ever one of us was hospitalised or is the difference just that I would have to change my own bandages? I know that the bottom line is what I can afford to pay and what level of risk I am prepared to accept, but I'd like an idea what level of cover others feel happy with.

I have bought two fresh chicken today which were considerably cheaper than other grade A chickens, it was halal and marked as such in arabic and French. I think it was Hugh FW who tried to get the British public to pay more for their chickens and not go for the battery farmed option and most people as I recall didn't really care , as long as the meat was cheap. If people don't care how their food is raised, then why do they care how it is killed?

Excellent post headline :) I have never heard her referred to as Rachida Barbie on French tv though, must be watching the wrong channels;)

I think KFC is generally halal in France.

Does stunning really give the animal a more 'humane' death or just make it easier for the slaughterman to do his job without having to contend with a moving and alarmed hefty animal? There is nothing really humane in eating the flesh of another creature and I say that as a meat eater. Is the debate about how an animal is killed for human consumption, hypocritical? As regards elements of the British press I am sure the outrage at halal meat is as much or more about the fact is practised by Muslims rather than any interest in animal welfare.

Yes, that is when you start paying for the 2011 foncieres.

Unless there is a tax reason or the OP really wants to, does he have to sell his house in the UK? If his stay in France is going to be a relatively short one with every intention of going back to the UK, could he hold onto his house without it causing any problems?

that is waht should have happened for me but didn't.

I have been told that new passwords have been sent , so still no wiser as to why the one category of message is getting through and not the other. I don't know enough about computer secuity to know whether I should be alarmed or not, ( nothing untoward has happened with my MB account) . I think I will submit my details from another email address and get the account changed to a new email address.

Yes. I'm not against having to send a copy of passport etc, but it shouldn't really be necessary. I just find it strange that they say they've sent a password when they haven't or it hasn't arrived and therefore I wonder how sending a copy of my passport will suddenly make said password materialize.  Is this a ploy to get customers to submit pieces of identity as I can't remember having to do this to open an account?

I just tried it again and it says that a password has been emailed (and shows me the email address it has been sent to which is accurate )but nothing ever arrives. Under the lost password section this applies to me <My Moneybookers email address is valid AND I have access to it> On checking that box I have to then do this <Please send us a clear and readable colour copy (scan or a camera image) of both sides of valid official identification document with picture (such as identity card, passport or driving licence).> As my email address is valid and I have access to it, why aren't they sending me a password without the need to do this? [8-)]    

Has anyone alse had a problem with moneybookers? I've  forgotten my log in details, so asked money bookers to send me a new pass word. Moneybookers sent me two emails to inform me that there had been failed attempts to log in , but despite several requests no new pass word has arrived. I was just about to email their customer service but to do so, I have to sign into my account![:@]  

I had a quote from Lapeyre and they were only slightly cheaper than the quote from a local artisan. However not only were the windows he used a better quality, his included replacing parts that lapeyre didn't. Something to do with where the windows and doors fit into. If we'd have gone with Lapeyre the finished job would have looked odd.

Reminds me of the old nazi that the priest hid in father ted. Father Seamus Fitzpatrick: YOU LIAR! You broke all the plates and then you said "Ah, I am so tired! I never had to wash up plates when I was in the Wehrmacht! [Father Fitzpatrick and his Nazi friend take two valium] Father Seamus Fitzpatrick: Wait, these aren't Valium! These are the cyanide pills we kept for emergencies! You put cyanide next to the Valium, you old fool, that's asking for trouble! Nazi Veteran: Oh, shut up! Father Seamus Fitzpatrick: You shut up! We've only got fifteen seconds to live

I have the entitlement to ride a scooter up to 125 as a driving licence holder ( I've never sat a test for motorbikes) which was tranferred to my French licence. Am I required by law to do an afternoon bike training before I ride it on the roads? Can I carry passengers?  

PM sent Aussie

I want to be freeze dried into bits rather than cremated but I don't know if they do that in France ( or even if it's taken off in the UK yet).

I once inadvertantly paid a sneaky premium so that I could be recompensed if good were damaged in transit! The latest one I have found is in a gardening brochure, I was offered a discount and free postage (always worth having in France)  but at the bottom of the order form was written 'particpation forfaitaire aux frais de traitement de la commande  €5.99' , I would be charged for placing an order [:-))] Only in France [Www]

What aspect of it do you object to?

Put him outside soon after eating or waking up and stay with him . Give him a command to pee or poo ( even if he has started without you!) loads of over the top praise afterwards and a biscuit. Food rewards are a great trainer.

He disliked Brown that much that he constantly publically endorsed Brown as a good chancellor and leader of the UK. Give me Brown over Blair any day of the week.

No, I'll point out that their delivery service isn't as good as it was, rather than complain. But I wanted to see if it these delays were typical of deliveries to France or if I was the only one affected.

For Europe it says to allow 4 days, which is probably on the optimistic side, but they used to arrive within about a week. The last card ordered arrived today and it had taken 14 days, I think the one before that took was nearer 20. 

Well yes, I can remember the bad old days when my UK mortgage went up every week it seemed and having to find the extra money was hard. Now if it goes up , it will take longer to pay off and less if it goes down, but at least  my repayments are static every month which is better for me.