Mac

That's okay if you change ALL of your income for the year into euros. We don't. There's always some income for the year put into savings in the UK -but we still have to declare that. Probably 80% of our annual income comes to France for living expenses, the other 20% is put to one side in the UK for emergencies-but it's still annual income. Hence using an average for all income-if that makes sense!

We keep prints every time we transfer money and average it out. For us it works out at 1.18. Since we can prove that to the tax office if needed-that's what we'll use.

Bomber County Aviation Resources says 1 raid in 1941. It's a good site all about Lincolnshire airbase (of course)!

FIL was 6th Airborne Yorkshire I think. Went to the far east after war in Europe was finished. Have you read Montgomery's tribute to the Parachute Regiment-'Every man an emperor'? Very moving. It was read at my FIL funeral.

My Dad was just too young for WWII-although he joined the MN in 1945. My FIL was in the TA before the war and so was called up immediately upon the declaration. I think he was 18. He ended up on a searchlight battery at Scapa Flow-bored to tears he said which is why he forgot the first rule of Army life-Never volunteer for anything. When a notice went up asking if anyone wanted to join a new regiment he said yes. That's how he ended up in the Parachute Regiment. He landed at Pegasus Bridge on the night of 5/6 June 1944-actually at the tiny village of Ranville. He spoke very little about it-until my daughter married an RAF regiment chap. He felt that this was someone who would understand what he was talking about and we found out lots after that. Luckily he was on honeymoon leave when Arnhem took place as his regiment took part. About 10 years before he dies we took him and my MIL to Normandy for a holiday and visited many of the areas he had fought in-including the bridge-where he got a lovely welcome from Mme. Gonet (I think that's her name) who runs the family cafe there. We visited Ranville where there is a WGC cemetery next to the village church. Inside the churchyard were about 6 British war graves-not in the official cemetery. All PR ,dated 6/6/44. When we asked a local man why they were there he told my FIL- 'They died in our village. They are our sons. We will take care of them'. My FIL never forgot that. People should never say the French don't remember.

When we holidayed in France we always used Hull -Zeebrugges being just the other side of the river from Hull. Meant holiday started Thursday evening after a 40 minute drive from home. Also-As you say no long drive down to south coast. Buffet restaurant on board is good-there's also an a la carte restaurant. Must admit haven't used it much recently as one of our daughters lives in the South so we use Caen or Le Havre to Portsmouth mainly. However used it for the first time in about 3 years over Christmas and it was very good. Will be using it more in the future as our daughter has just been posted to Cyprus so no reason to go to south of England en route to visit family.

Emmaus -one in Angouleme and in Perigeux I think. Good for old fashioned furniture and much more. They do have websites with details of location and opening times.

Fascinating isn't it. Our elderly neighbour (late 80's) has some interesting recollections. Our is a tiny hamlet with only 9 inhabitants (4 British, 5 French) in 7 houses with one empty house and 1 holiday home. When I asked her how many people lived here when she was a child , she did a quick count. She came up with 60!! Some of what are now used as barns were houses. She used to walk 5k to school every day, winding their way through the small communities collecting children on the way. She met her late husband when she used to sit in the field minding the cows .

Having done our own dossier last year and helped 2 friends this year I have to say we were not asked to translate any documents either at the time or later. Maybe because all EU but non-French dossiers now go to the same office-no individual rules from different departments.

My chimney sweep would have great difficulty being anything else as well as a sweep. He is booked for months in advance-his diary is always full. Everyone around here uses him, everyone knows his name. Not taking on new customers as he has no more space.

I also understand that this change is why there are no cotisation payable this year to CPAM -but whether they will seek to recoup that next year I don't know.

I thought the new system would take your income details direct from your tax forms. At least that was the idea.

Tepid (not cold) short shower or all over wash can help. But I think your advice is best-that was certainly the advice I had from a doc. in India when I had heatstroke there. If it continues I think a visit to the doc's could be advisable.

We have taken our dog into a restaurant-only lunch time if we've been out for the day. She lies quietly under the table, as she does when we eat at home. We have also taken her into pubs in the UK where we have also eaten a meal, and not in the bar area either as food tends ro be served throughout the pub now. To be honest I'd rather see some well behaved dogs in restaurant than some children I've had to endure -and I speak as a mother of 2 (now grown up) daughters

When we did ours the dealer did everything. We paid him (with a cheque made out to the prefecture I think) for the car to be re-registered in our names. He gave us an attestation to show the Police if stopped that we had just bought the car and were awaiting a new carte gris-I think it lasted about 4 weeks but the carte gris dame back well before that. We phoned out insurance and as in the UK the policy was amended. I think we had to pay a bit extra as it was a newer car and the new sticker for the car came within a couple of days. I think we phoned up as soon as we knew which date we were picking up the new car and the policy for the old one finished that day and the one for the new one started. We didn't have the carte gris but they gave us the vignette for the car and we had to go back (or send a copy) of the new carte gris in our name when it arrived. Try to do it before you pick your car up so everything is in place.

Gosh Loiseau-yes Marion Richardson. That' a blast from the past! We did that as well using a pink wooden handled 'dipping' pen with a removable nib and ink in asn inkwell in the desk. And I'm not so old-this would have been in the early 60's. Ages spent making curly patterns to make sure you formed the lines correctly and done on paper with 3 lines. Writing on the centre line with the upper line marking the limit for tall letters ( h,f,t ect) and the lower line for the lower letters (y,g ect). I used to love doing it. Certainly made for clear handwriting.

Lots of French residents have UK current/savings bank accounts-we do. Oo the simple fact of living abroad does not mean you cannot have a UK account. We have held our accounts for 30+ years- well before we moved here. The bank know we are here because they send all communication here. I think it is difficult now to open a new account with a UK bank if you live outside the UK.

Can you imagine how much it would cost to unfreeze those pensions currently frozen-and can you honestly imagine any UK govt. doing it? Because I can't. And at a time when money will be tight in the UK then freezing pension payments to those living outside the UK (once the EU couldn't insist on it not happening) could seem very attractive.

[quote user="Harnser"]They may very well be British, but I'll bet they are not english.[/quote] Hope you didn't put money on that as you'd loose. Both white british from Kent. I believe on has even represented the UK in a sporting capacity.

Checked with local post office this morning and they said fine-no stamp needed.

Yes €40,000 is the limit this year. Definitely not the reason we haven't received forms! Having said that I know someone who is above that figure and still received paper forms but had to file on line.

To date I haven't received any of our tax forms. It isn't our first tax forms either so don't know where they are. Like you I'll give it another week and then call into the tax office.

Free delivery normally has a limit. Darty wouldn't deliver free to us from the nearest store which was 50k away. We ended up at Pulsat in the nearest town. Slightly dearer but free delivery and set up-most gas cookers we looked at were set up for town gas and had to be converted ( not a big job as bottle gas jets came with the cooker)

We have the same with our rental income from one property in the UK. It's below the tax threshold but although declared on UK tax forms it still has to be entered on the french forms-you get a credit so not charged tax in France.. The income would be taken into account for social charges for health care costs-if you are in the french health service. I'm sure there will be someone with more info and much better informed than I am who will be able to add to that or forrect me if I am incorrect.

We have wooden ones-but a neighbour who had metal ones said the noise when there was really heavy rain hitting the shutters was dreadful. Not a problem if you are in an area with little rainfall I know.