Mrs Trellis

Good news - he has managed to go all night with no accidents!  He comes upstairs around 6 every day - too early for me as I don't sleep well or go to bed early.  I tried to get him out of the side door but he rushed back in.  I wonder if someone used to chuck him out?  It isn't dark with the street lights, just not extra bright.  Anyway, it was after 8 by the time I resurfaced, washed and dressed and took him outside.  I did use the crate yesterday morning at 6 and that worked too.

That is sad.  I hope not the case here but we have no history.  This dog could have been chucked out because of health problems, not being clean in the house, owner died.... Yesterday he came upstairs at 6.00 am.  I put him out in the street (on a lead) but nothing.  Later we came down to wee and poo.  Today, same time, same story so I reluctantly put him in a dog crate rather than face more cleaning up.  He didn't complain for about an hour and a half and performed when I got him outside!   He seems reluctant to go out sometimes, possibly the cold as he had a haircut before we took him.  I think he's not too keen on the dark tho we have not-very-bright street lights and I suppose only having sight in one eye makes  it worse.  The rescue people were told the blind eye was not treatable but our vet says it is a cataract.  The other eye has the beginnings of a cataract too.  Apparently an operation might be possible, depending on the state of the retina.  But for a dog of at least 10 and a cost of at least 500 euros - we'll wait to see how it goes.

Considering he was found wandering and in a terrible state, he seems quite happy and unbothered.  Our other dog, rescued 4 years ago, was so nervous that at first she cringed when I reached to stroke her.  She gradually started to bark when people came to the door, and after a few months she played with a toy. She still leaves the room if someone suddenly shouts or loudly swats a fly.  Nelson (tho we still say Charlie) is very greedy!  He accepts cuddles and strokes but seems generally passive (except when a friend's big dog got too personal - then there was a bit of a scuffle).  He is probably at least 10 years old.

Thanks for asking!  Well, he is still not very house-trained.  The person who briefly fostered him says he was no problem and used to go to the door when he wanted to go out.  He was OK for the first 4 nights, but last night seemed restless so was taken out 4 times - and still peed on the floor this morning!  We've had other dogs that have been unreliable at first, so hope he will soon settle down. It gets tedious clearing up.  Also if we need to go out for more than a short time, I wonder what we'll come back to.  We are going to a friend nearby on Thursday and usually take the dogs but I'm not sure I can trust this one.

As we are starting with an empty kitchen, we are trying to plan it.  It occurred to me it might be better to have the oven separate from, instead of below the hob.  Is there any  reason why they are nearly always together? (I've watched a lot of house programmes on TV recently!)  Not much different from a cooker except it looks neater. There is the issue of the extractor fan but I think the oven could manage.  Come to think of it, when I was young I don't remember anyone having an extractor in their kitchen and they managed. I'd like to have a high level oven, easier to see the grill and better for my  back, but OH says there isn't room....  

Well, 2 days since we collected 'Nelson'.  He had been given worm tabs and was due a 2nd dose next week.   The pooh looks less alarming now and my vet said it was OK to give him the 2nd dose.  She also said the tabs he was given for the heart problem are diuretic.  Anyway, he doesn't ask to go out but if I think it's about time, I get him outside and he performs. I suspect he's just very old and that explains the leg weakness, heart murmur and blindness.  So long as we can give him love and care it's worth it.  He does become quite lively when I take him out and is very interested in food! He needs to poo immediately after eating.  Maybe because he is so thin his stomach has shrunk?  (Sorry, this is probably too much information!)

I suppose it would be mean to call him Nelson?  

Thanks Judie!  This one also has a slight heart murmur and may be a bit deaf (the rescue organisation mentioned that on the website but seemed unaware yesterday).  Also he has not peed outside when I've taken him out but done 2 large wees indoors.  I'm wondering if he was an outdoor dog.....  The fosterer didn't mention any problems of that sort. What have we taken on ? !  

Hi folks, just wondered if anyone has any helpful advice.  Yesterday we adopted a very sad little dog: terribly thin, slight heart murmur, blind in one eye.  I haven't had a disabled dog before, tho my last Cavalier developed the heart trouble they often have. Any tips for looking after a half blind dog?  Last night he slipped a few times on our tiled floor and also out on the street.  I don't know if that was due to his poor sight or general weakness. He has had worm tablets and is due another dose next week but there were worms (some wriggling) in his poo.  I've emailed my vet about that.

I realise there is a typo in the above but I can't edit it!  I click 'edit' and it won't let me.  Irrititating, do others have this problem?

We don't get many sales calls, thank goodness.  The day after the phone was put in (France Telecom) we started getting sales calls so I found my way on the internet to Liste Rouge.  A few months ago there was one inviting us to a local hotel and offering cadeaux and giving a precise time.  There was something suspicious and the website on the flyer was confusing.  A French friend checked and the hotel knew nothing about it.  We didn't go and I wonder what was the point of it all!  We have a hyphenated surname (only use it for official stuff) and the callers always just use the first part so I can honestly say I am not Madame H. When I ask how they got my number these people never answer.  I have now twigged that the recent calls come up as 'calling' which is strange, others as 'with-held'.  We did have a phase of silent calls with an 04 number. Anyway, the recent spate all mention older people (at 65 I refuse to be old!).  Now I realise the phone shows callers' numbers, I wil be careful about answering.  It could also be handy if it's my neighbour demanding we got out and get her wine or tobacco as sometimes we don't feel like it!  Worse at the moment as the local tabac has no tabac - something to do with bureaucracy - so we have to go 14 kilometres to another one.

We've had several calls recently (despite being on Liste Rouge) saying they are calling older people in the area about helping them save energy.  Sounds like a sales call, but when I asked what he was selling, one said nothing, just advice.  I think he mentioned renewable energy but seemed less interested when I said there isn't much scope in a small village house. As they insist on speaking very fast, I don't always understand everything.  I asked what company the last one was representing but couldn't catch the name. Are they legit, or just trying to con old folk?

Well, maybe I remember incorrectly, but whatever, we couldn't get a store card in Casto.  Had an Intermarche one for years, no problems, in fact it's our nearest supermarket and the points build up nicely. We definitely couldn't get a 2 euro a month Free mobile card online.  Completed the online application with all the CA bank account details, but could not complete the transaction as they also wanted the Franch bank card details.  I don't understand why! I just thought that, as we live here and spend in euros, it would make sense to have our main income in the French bank instead of me having to remember to transfer money from Nationwide a few times a year.  However, if there are such low limits on spending, it makes me wonder!  I'm going to end up buying major items on my UK credit card anyway.

It does sound a bit mad!  I worry about going overdrawn accidentally so it was simpler to keep the French account just for bills.  Friends who run a business find the card limits a real problem.  It's OK to pay cash when possible, but hopeless when you need fuel out of opening hours (late evening or lunch time) and your card is refused when you have plenty of money in the bank. I guess the French have not experienced anything different so put up with this poor service.  

I don't know about experts!  I have been transferring money a few times a year to keep the French bank account in the black.  At least twice the currency company has told me 'now is a good time to transfer, the rate may go down'.  Both times they were wrong!  

I'm going to take the plunge and ask for a card for our Credit Agricole account.  I have resisted so far, because I don't trust CA.  (Found they'd charged us for card insurance for 5 years, when we didn't have a card, and they certainly did not ask if if we wanted insurance - we'd have said 'no'.) I'm confused about credit/debit cards here.  As we have to make some larger than usual purchases for a new house, we'd like to get loyalty card discount, e.g. from Castorama, and need a French bank card. I've seen it mentioned there is a limit on cash withdrawals - maybe 300 euros in one week which is not much if you are buying flooring or kitchen units.  Do you have to pay for a credit card and a debit card?  If it's the same card, how do you make it clear which way you want to use it? Up to now we've used CA for bill payment and Nationwide credit card for shopping (no charge if paid in full every month) but have decided to have OH's pension paid direct to CA. Sorry if this is a common question, but I can't find it by searching the forum.    

I seldom use a mobile so don't want an expensive monthy contract.  I tried to sign up online for the 2 euros a month Free option but after asking for my French bank details, I still couldn't get it as they also insist on French bank card details and I don't have one!  (Having had various problems with Credit Ag, we just use the account for paying bills by direct debit or cheque.) I have a PAYG UK phone, but people here don't like to phone me as it's more expensive than phoning a French mobile. At home we went from FT to Orange for the phone.  Mistake!  The Livebox doesn't always work and we don't know people have been trying to phone us (and assumed we were out) unless we go online and check messages and missed calls.  It was supposed to be cheaper to have Internet and phone from Orange but I'm not sure, we still seem to be paying FT as well. Is there a reliable fixed line cheaper than FT?  We don't make many international calls and Skype is very cheap so free international calls isn't a great attraction.  

About to get numberplates for newly reg. car.  What's a reasonable price to pay (each)?  I've been told the local garage is a bit pricey but need a rough idea.  

We planted a Bramley apple tree in the field by our new house.  The bark has been stripped so it must be deer, very close to the village.  It will be lovely to see them when we have moved in, but how do we discourage them from damaging trees and eating plants?  At the moment there is a bit of steep sloping garden with shrubs and an unfenced area of .59 hectares where we hoped to put more fruit trees and grow some veg.   Fencing would be expensive and also look ugly as our land is surrounded by other land and the whole lot is cut for hay once a year.  We have a nice view and fencing would spoil it.

How thoroughly depressing!  Much sympathy for people who have had such problems. It worries me a lot as we are in the situation of working on a new house, which we hope to move to shortly.  A friend is telling us to rent our first house as it's such a bad time to sell houses but I'm very worried about that as I've heard many horror stories. If 60% of people rent in France, there must be good tenants out there! If we move into the 2nd house, would we then be liable for capital gains on our original house - which we bought 9 years ago and have lived  in full time for 5 years? If we can't sell (there's a lot of property for sale in our village) and daren't rent, we have a problem as our income is quite small and we will have to pay 2 lots of house taxes, insurance and at least a minimum bill on water and electricty. It's a shame there are so many bad tenants as there must be a demand for rental property (not sure about our village and many of the locals seem to be on benefits and to get very drunk often!),  

Doesn't look too hopeful then!  Our last car was also Citroen and the local garage had no problem locating it in the system by VIN number. Another garage told us that cars made for export might not be up to the quality standards of those made for France...  so they make it a pain to import them.  

I had the letter ready to post, with the cheque for 170 euros for the COC to send to Citroen when a friend said he's read somewhere that you don't actually need the COC to register a UK car in France.  The informatiion required at the Prefecture is on the UK registration document. As we don't need a Controle Technique yet and the COC will take at least 2 weeks to arrive, it would be quicker to do without the COC.  We will need one eventually for the Controle Technique but as we are a bit skint, it would help to put it off. Can this be true? By the way the info in the FAQs is a bit out of date re price, I think it was 130 euros 4 years ago. Also it states that more recent UK cars come with a COC.  Our 2 year old Berlingo did not!  I asked specifically and Bristol Street Motors told me to get it from the DVLA.  I knew that was rubbish.    

We brought our older car over 4 years ago and got it into the French system with French plates.  This year we took it back to UK, part exchanged it for a newer one and brought that back.  It seems unlikely someone in UK will buy it and bring it to France and if so, I guess they would have to get it registered in their name, in France.  More likely it would be bought by someone staying in UK and would have to be re-registered in UK. We bought in UK because it is so much cheaper. While there, I phoned our French insurance agent and she arranged for the newer car to be insured here.  We are now in the process of getting a certificate of conformity so it can be given French number plates. I remembered a bit late that we need to de-register the old car in France. which is why I asked about the procedure.      

The insurance was changed to the new car.... I'd best check the bank account to make sure they aren't charging us twice!

Our UK bought car was in the French system and we recently took it back to UK and it was taken in part exchange.  I have just realised we have done nothing to inform the the French authorities that we no longer have the car. I suspect there is a procedure! I also worry that our number was cloned as we had a parking fine a couple of years ago, stating our registration number but the wrong make of car and from a place we had never heard of, let alone been to.  This could happen again.