idun

Thankyou ALBF, very intesting and does not surprise me. I am wondering how many posters who live in France and especially nulle part, leave  their house doors and cars unlocked. IF I was at home alone, and was in the garden, then the house would be locked. Our cars were never left unlocked. Maybe I lived in the alternative France, it always seemed like it.

It isn't 'just' gossip, because when we move to such places we usually don't know anyone....... it is educational. It's wonderful.  I just love to listen and learn and gently ask pertinent questions, and comme ca knowledge is acquired. Don't get me started about construcable/non constructable land......... bought at agricultural prices and then voila, suddenly worth a fortune. And who is in on these magouille? I know I would never have trusted our local Maitre as far as I could have thrown them.

Chessie, you will need an official covid test just before you travel back and then another two when you get to the UK along with quarantining. See the live links below. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control A carry on, but as people are more or less restricted in the distances they can travel, I am not surprised.

Thanks for that Judith, that is good at least. Pfizer needs specific storage, AZ is much easier and if the EU gets the JJ 'one' vaccine, then things should speed up. Incidentally in the UK we get a card to take to take to our second jab. It shows what we have had and when. Unless they give me something else official there is no way on earth that they will get this card off me after they have noted that I have had it.

Let's face it, the majority of the french population live in specific areas, easy to see on the satellite photo below. People move to urban areas for work, but that never means that there are not bad people in rural areas too. Last time I went back to my old village on my own, I was staying with a friend, but had been invited for dinner at my old neighbours. All of a 10 minute walk, and before 22h my old neighbour insisted on driving me. Nothing I could say to convince him otherwise. Village with 2000 inhabitants spread over a main part to the village and several hameau up in the mountains. The commune covered a huge area. He assured me it was safer for him to drive me...........still do not get it, but there you go.

So you get a choice of vaccines?  I was talking to an old friend in France and she said that her mother, in her 80's was supposed to get her jab a couple of days ago and there was a problem with the vaccine. So she has not got a date yet for her first one. My friend and her husband do not give a hoot as to what vaccine they get, they just want it and now. A QUESTION:  IF you get to an appointment with an ordonnance for say pfizer and there is a problem but they have AZ, can't they give it to you??????  IF that is the case, then no wonder everything is so slow. I shall add, that those who are getting their second dose so quickly in France are so few, that I just do not how the mass of the population is going to get even their first one! Look at the figures, over 5 million doses given, and 1.7 million having had two doses, so that means that there are only  three and a quarter million adults having been vaccinated in any way at all. There are over 50 MILLION ADULTS in France, above the age of 19. Even if under 30's are of little concern? then there are still over 43 million adults, so that means 40 million at this rate who still need vaccinating. Historically, these delays will probably look like they are nothing at all, ofcourse, how distressing and anxious people become is taken out of the equation.......... as are the deaths that are inevitable until we are all vaccinated.

I didn't mention the UK did I. Thus far, and that is all I can say, that neither my husband or me have had any problems.

As I said in another thread when you mentioned this, that for me it always was. Was not too long after I got to France, that I knew people who were shot at with real guns in the city I lived in. I know because they called me in a panic and came to our appartment. And regularly there were killings on the news and in newspapers, often of maghreb kids by the police, and simply gang warfare. My husband was even shot at, fortunately with an air rifle, so did not do much damage to a thick coat. That was strange, we were on our way to our favourite restaurant, and we heard a noise, and he said, 'I have been shot'. We were in a city, I didn't believe it, but he had. I was quite shocked the next day to see the damage. And a few years later he chased the person who had stolen from our car, as he approached the man, the man turned on him taking a sharp instrument from his pocket, but frankly he could have easily  pulled a gun. OH wasn't hurt on that occasion either,  but that was pure luck,  and a long story to go with it. The best is when we were on our way to see our oldest son in Northern Germany, we booked into a hotel in Metz. It was just before xmas so we went into town to visit xmas market. Had a little wander and then said we would go and have a drink. Our youngest son was with us, about 15 or 16 at the time and he said he would have another look around. We gave him some money and pointed to a cafe where he could find us. Our drinks had only just arrived when he stormed in, face like thunder, obviously furious. 'Some lads have just tried to mug me'. There were two of them and one had a knife and pointed it at Idun-son telling him to give them  his money. They must have seen us give him some money. What did he do, well, stood his ground and said, 'HOW DARE YOU, I have just got to your city and you are  trying to rob me, well, NO, go away before I kill you, GO!' Believe me, when we saw him, he looked like he could have done damage to someone and these  voleurs wisely fled. He said that they were both a bit bigger than him, and probably a bit older. If it had been his older brother, he would have either returned to us without his money, or would still have been without his money and stabbed, such was the difference between my boys. Lot of things are not reported to the police and even if they are, they are not always properly reported, ie an english friend in his late 70's, in Paris to see the rugby and on his way back to the hotel when he was mugged and assaulted. The police took him to hospital, he received not a word from anyone ever about this, not a bill from the hospital or something from the police and he had given all his details.  It was like it had never happened. Some things I could add, but are not mine to tell and they are awful, unless those involved are happy for their story on here or anywhere, I shall remain shtum. So yes, France is violent. Lots of places are, I do not know if France is any more violent than other countries.  The official figures will never do 'justice' to the reality of life.

So sorry I cannot be of any help. There are times in the not too distant past when I would have loved to be able to do some sort of face time, mais, helas, we have never succeeded. I am always amazed at how well most people manage to do face time or whichever they are using so well, so will be following this with interest.

We voted for 20 years and then lost our right to vote in the UK. Unlike NH I didn't mind, seemed fair enough. I hadn't known that prior to that there had been a five year rule......... but how could we?[Www] I believe in voting. In fact those who don't vote and can shouldn't be having a whinge about what the politicians are doing. It's like those who moan at the pub or the bus stop or in a train, (or at the tv)............ if you don't like something, then write and complain. I simply cannot be doing with thinking it is ok to mouth off and not do something. And people say, what good would it do, well, if say an MP  got 10k or the PM 10 million emails or letters about something, maybe they would take notice. IF people in the US had taken the not voting attitude and had not voted last November, then we would still have the former president. Voting may have got him, but voting got rid of him too[blink]

Shaken, know who needs a good shaking, bet the president has had his, and by a Dr. Britain sometimes gets things horribly wrong, but for some reason, some people with the authority to do so, have decided that as this needs doing and quickly, that they were going to organise it.... and blow me down, they did. Good luck Wooly and I hope that your toubib manages to vaccinate you.

Interesting, I have looked at a panasonic one, which is £234. I may give it a try. A new microwave would be about £40 for the cheapest, so why not. Re heating plates, I have never dared put a plate into the micro wave to heat it up on it's own, I always put a few tablespoons of water on first. Shall give that whirl.

mint, which vaccine do they have? The pfizer doesn't keep does it?

Confused, about burgers, how can one eat one without chewing the mince? chewing it all??? I make my own burgers from time to time. Homemade bread, and very lean mince from a good butcher, just moulded like a steak hache, with a little seasoning. Lots of salad and some nice dressing. If I tried to just swallow the meat unchewed, beurk, how could I not chew? I truly cannot see what is wrong with my burgers, like I cannot see what is wrong with my pizzas either. Quantity is the thing, has has been said. And let us get down to this chewing millarky. Most of the meat we eat is very tender. ie like a very very good steak that 'melts'..........  or it has been slowly cooked. The raw things we eat like salad things including say coleslaw, also homemade, takes chewing, along with fruit and nuts. Re the steak........I'll add, apart from restos, never ever managed to get really good steak for home in France, no matter the reputation of the butcher, or the price. And haven't I read that diet drinks send quite the wrong message to the brain, especially when taken with a meal. Eat less, yes, that is the clue, but I don't think that it is big meals that actually are the biggest problem, it is the grazing in between meals, or snacking all evening long, after dinner......... that really is the problem for lots of people. AND ofcourse so many people drink alcohol and that is plein a craquer with calories.

My thoughts went like this............IF cow farts are ruining the planet, then all this breathing out 'fat' does what...... and if all those that are truly fat, went on strict regimes, well.......... [Www]

 [Www]Now now NickP, you cannot say that you didn't know that french bureaucracy couldn't be a nightmare before you took the plunge and moved to France permanently. And as you are seeing it certainly can be. I have no idea what you can do about such things either. And we still hit brick walls, with french stuff, even when we think things are sorted.

You are joking, I am furious. How can my husband get his about two weeks ago and you be told this. WELL, I have sent an email about this. This is NOT ON! AND I shall be complaining if I do not get a proper response to this. You do need the form to fill in though and as it is a french licence, not an original UK one, exchanged to a french one, there will be a charge and it will cost you £43. If you have ever had a UK provisional licence you will need to indicate that on the form.

Should I change my name to La Grosse Idun, because that is what Ken apparently insinuates, so yes, I am a joint girl........... and strictly FOOD! Do you know I am fast approaching 70 and I have no idea what any sort of whacky baccy smells like. I find incidentally, that tobacco in general smells revolting, with the exception of Romeo y Juilieta Churchills, which actually smell really nice, but they are not whacky baccy, that I do know.

There were certainly drugs in my old village and they were found at the Lycee in the local small town. I don't think they checked the college but from what I heard, this was not because they were not there. I remember seeing a report on french tv about some villages and small towns where there was a severe drug problem, the particular report I saw was about villages in the south of France, and they were clear that these were examples and a national problem......... so it is not just a big town or city problem, it is everywhere. In fact I would imagine that it is literally everwhere, on most of the planet.

I doubt I would be baking the odd cake in it, as once I start baking, I need my big oven, but it would be for things like say a gratin, or a small joint.

Not just the cities, there have been problems in villages and small towns for as long as I can remember. Trouble is that no government does a thing about any of it. They simply do not. Me I'd legalise brothels and drugs, some, maybe all, and then get the revenue from them. I shall add to that, that if say I wanted to transfer 50k€ or £'s, everyone would want to know where I had got it from, and it would be an inquisition, and yet, what controls are really done on the millions, billions that are floating round and where is this money coming from???????? Money laundering controls, mon oeil!

Has anyone got one and how do you find it. My microwave is on it's last legs and I thought this may also be handy when I have one smallish dish to go in the oven.

Has Germany really been any better with the AZ vaccine? Merkel was still making negatives comments about it last week and then they had a lot of doses in stock.

I never have left over vegetables either. Wondering why I would, but I suppose one might have  deliberately done extra for this purpose, but I usually prefer things from scratch. I make lots of soups and stews and buy veg and pulses etc to go into the huge fait-tout I have. And for a rich flavour, I do not think that you can beat sauteeing the veggies in butter, not oil for soup. I do use oil, usually olive for some things, but soups and bisques, has to be butter. Now it is interesting this food delivery thing, because for all I have done it sometimes in the past for a variety of reasons. I haven't done it once during the last year and yet I have lots of friends who do and get deliveries every week. They continued even when things became a bit more relaxed last summer. My problem with not doing my own shopping is that I am such a fussy shopper, and I like to see what there is etc especially with meat and fish and also vegetables too. Even buying cooked ham etc and I have to see what is on offer before buying. I do understand why people are so cautious, so always bear in mind that it is an option, if I ever feel the need.

well surely if one has been banned, there would be nothing to exchange. I have exchanged my uk licence for a french one, and my French one for a UK one since I moved back. And my husband has exchanged his french one he passed in France for a uk one. I didn't need this extra paperwork,and my husband didn't either, and he received his uk licence just over a week ago. As I explained, the dvla were saying that the french were being awkward requiring this,and suddenly they didn't. C'est tout.