Mrs Trellis

Thanks!  It's just either finding fencing that cats can't climb - if that exists - or completely enclosing with wire mesh. There is a 4m square terrace and we'd want to extend into the garden so they can go on grass, hide behind bushes, etc.  A bonus is that they won't be able to catch birds and bats. Metal pergolas seem to be very expensive!  But would be more attractive than just a cage.

Having lost 2 cats tragically, when we move to our next house I want to make part of the garden cat escape-proof.  We have thought of putting a metal pergola over a French window and covering it with wire - but that wouldn't be very big so some sort of run would be better.  Any suggestions for fencing/enclosing that would not look too ugly but allow a bit of freedom while keeping them free from straying or poisoning/drowning/being attacked by foxes or polecats/jumping into someone's car and being carried away?  Friends have had 3 cats shot and we had one poisoned but he recovered. OH says I'm paranoid but I can't cope with more sadness.  

Thanks folks.  I knew there was an upper limit at one time.  We are married 40 years and have children together, so should be straightford!

When we bought our house 9 years ago a friend suggested we buy en Tontine so that if/when one of us dies the other will inherit automaticlly without having to involve our children.  We are buying another house and suddenly realise we haven't thought about the issue this time. Can we still do that?  Is it the best way?  There was an upper limit on house prices when buying en Tontine.

I'm sure I read that somewhere! 

French friends live most of the year in La Rochelle and say it's very nice.  They come to our little corner of Tarn et Garonne in summer and up to the end of October. Inland is not always cold!  We seldom have snow, but friends in the other corner of the department have much colder weather and often heavy snow.   Nearer the coast, I thought Carcassonne would be warmer but it is often very cold and often windy. It is very unusual for it to be windy here!  

I'd not thought of that Paul.  OH has always wanted a ride-on mower - maybe this is his chance!

Thanks for the replies.  I'm not too worried as the rest of the land is not farmed as such, the grass is cut annually, so I can't see anyone wanting our bit.  I know about the Mairie pre-emption from buying our current house.  I vaguely remember seeing something on UK TV about a couple who made a lovely garden and were told to destroy it because the land was zoned for agriculture. Hope that won't happen!  We don't plan a huge garden anyway.

We are buying a small house which is within the village boundary but the land is in the agricultural zone.  The notaire tells me there is a 2 month delay because purchase of land over 5000 sq metres (5900 in this case) must be considered by some agricultural organisation.  They didn't mention that when we met to pay the deposit! Does anyone know whether there could be any restrictions put on us by this organisation?  Our land is a bite out of a huge field owned by 3 members of a family who don't live nearby.  This is cut by a farmer once a year.  We plan to plant fruit trees and shrubs.    

We need a dehumidifier so OH did some research on the Internet, chose Ecoair, but the site he found doesn 't deliver to France! Lots of other countries but not here. Amazon.fr have some, twice the price. De Longhi are available in some shops but had a poor rating. Does anyone know of a good make available in France? If so, from which DIY stores? We are not planning a UK trip this winter.

"French licence is valid in any EU country". So that means it's not valid in Andorra, where loads of French people go to shop, or in Switzerland for a start. Does the same apply to a UK licence?

It's all very well to say you are careful with things. So am I generally, but accidents can happen and some things are expensive to replace. That is why people insure. Do you have only 3rd party motor insurance because you are a careful driver? Back to my question! Does anyone resident in France have a more useful insurance policy than the one I had? e.g. cover for loss, damage etc. If I am only insured for theft, the premium is quite high. I hate the UK culture of fraudulent claims which presumable increase the premiums for everyone else! But would like better cover than we currently have in France.

It's a long time since I was in North Wales. I do miss Humph. Still hoping someone can recommend an insurance company, especially if they offer accidental damage cover.

For transferring large sums, you might be better to try a currency transfer company like Cornhill or HiFax. They don't charge commission or fees. Check them out on the same day and ask what that day's exchange rate is. I won't keep more than the minumum in a French bank as I don't trust them and customer service is totally lacking. I work out what we need to pay each month for direct debits. Our pensions go into Nationwide and now they are charging to withdraw cash, I build up some cash and send it to my French bank by a currency transfer company.

Haven't been to N Wales in a while. Yes, Humph is sadly missed.

It isn't a second home and the agent did not say we have the wrong cover, just that accidental damage insurance wasn't available in France. I was thinking of changing anyway - must remember to give 2 months' notice! It's handy to have a local agent and this one is less than a minute away (but only on 2 afternoons a week). Can anyone recommend their insurer?

When the laptop was ruined by accident I went to my insurance agent. As I suspected, computers are not covered for accidental damage. I was surprised to be told nothing is! Apparently we are only insured if we can blame someone - e.g. theft, if reported to the police. Any other loss or damage is not covered. And if we should accidentally leave the house unlocked, we are not insured for theft. As OH says, we aren't insured for much. I haven't tried to compare with UK premiums but French ones should be way cheaper as they won't get many fraudulent claims,.

Using child's address means bank cards are sent there. I found Paypal and Vodaphone couldn't cope with a French address and a UK bank so swapped Smile to UK address and keep a few £ in that.

Several Joanne Harris books are set in France and are a pleasant read. Carol Drinkwater has written several books about her farmhouse in Provence. Dirk Bogarde also had a property in Provence and wrote about his life there.

Thanks Sweet! I did wonder... It reminds me of when I had a letter from the Mairie complaining about our little ruin along the road. The complaint was rubbish (and I later heard the person was a serial complainer). But the Mairie had got the wrong street, so I just replied saying we do not own a property on that street and we heard nothing. That was 5 years ago. We used to go to WSM when I was a child. We called it Weston Super Mud. But I liked the donkeys.

I don't understand why people can't invest in a UK account and still move money over when they think the exhange rate it better. Also, I've a feeling that the offshore accounts don't have the protection that UK banks have in case they go under?

Not actually French finance but finance in France: Nationwide have sent an 'Overseas Information Form' relating to 'Reporting of saving income information regulations (2003)' as I have a French address. The form wants lots of info. and enclosed 'certified copies' of docs, signed by lawyer or attorney. Sounds expensive and they must have already seen my passport when I started an ISA. Have other people received this?

I have used Parcels Please and was very happy with the speed. One thing was broken (nothing precious) and there was a dent in another. I shouldn't have let my husband pack the parcel! Several friends have used them and been impressed. One person's parcel was damaged, but again, her son probably didn't pack it well. They were compensated for lost items, but then the items were delivered to the UK address.