Mrs Trellis

When I heard about this, my first thought was 'where will the dogs pee and poo?' Especially on the Santander route. We currently use the tunnel because our dog barks non-stop when left in the car on her own. So a pet friendly ferry would be good.

Thanks all, lots to think about. We wouldn't want a huge van as we like to go down minor roads. But 'tidy and organised' - not! Hadn't thought of bike racks but wouldn't take bikes and dogs. I looked on EBay UK and campers seemed cheaper than our friend quoted, but she asked the company who converted it and vehicles are generally dearer in France. If we shared, we'd have to sort insurance and maintenance costs but it's a possibility.

Thanks Cendrillon, that is very helpful. I tried a reply to your PM but it didn't work.

Thanks for helpful replies. We don't expect luxury when hiring a gite, just somewhere clean and with the basics for cooking and sleeping) and in a nice situation/area. Our village is attractive and has bakeries, reaturants, bars etc. . We'd have to kit out the kitchen and get new bedding and a double bed. The one thing that did occur is that if you sell after renting, you pay a huge Capital Gains Tax, so could lose more than the gain in rent. We would expect to make some profit after 11 years and a fair bit of improvement to the house. The local estate agent closed - not a good sign! But she really didn't make much effort.

Have been thinking about a camper van (not a big motor home) since a friend mentioned she was selling hers. I have no experience of them and wonder if anyone has any advice on what to look for/avoid, what features are important and what makes are recommended? The van in question is too expensive for us. It prompted us to look on EBayUK, where there are lots that sound good, but then we'd have the hassle of getting it registered in France. And a great deal of hassle if there were problem with it. The friend floated the possibility of sharing her van, which would be cheaper for both of us but tricky to agree on the details.

We have not sold our old house, will put it on the market when we have time to redecorate. A friend knew someone who wanted to rent it and is taunting us with how much money we have lost but I'm wondering if a holiday let would be less hassle than a 3 year contract. It's a 2 bed village house so wouldn't be expensive. I suspect these days renters require all mod cons and a high standard of furniture, and electrical item. (Better than we were happily living with for 5 years!). Any thoughts on whether it would be worth the effort? Just thinking we might cover the cost of taxes, water and electricity bills but keep it free to sell (can always hope!)

After many weeks of staying put, he did it again! We went to the old house and he kept his distance. Next day he'd gone in through the cat flap and slept on the bed so we were able to pick him up and bring him home.. The cats and dogs are our little family and I feel it's up to us to keep them safe and happy. I hate to think of Bromley killed on the road or lying injured somewhere with no-one to help him. A couple of years ago he was poisoned but we were lucky to spot him on a roof and able to fetch him down and get him to the vet. Our other cat disappeared at the same time and never returned. He was, a great character - found in a bin, the only surviving kitten, and bottle fed. I still miss him and hate to think he crawled away to die alone.

Update! All over and home before Christmas. The care and staff were excellent, which is the important thing. The food unspeakable: 5 days of unpleasant mush + horrendously salty liquid (soupe). Day 5 and 'What would you like for breakfast?' 'What have you got?' A fresh roll, glass of orange juice and chocolat au lait (machine) tasted wonderful. I did get a private room, only needed for 3 and a half days after IC. Great to be home with OH, my cats and dogs and back to comfy bed, cups of tea, TV and edible food (tho not up to eating much yet).

Thanks all, that is (generally) helpful! Popping in is not really an option as the hospital is about an hour and a half's drive from here and the parking horrendous.  For the last appointment we drove round and round looking for a space and found one 10 minutes walk away. In the pouring rain.  I've seen the anaesthetist and had an X-Ray and cardiograph.  I checked with insurers and the hospital is 'accredited' and a single room would be paid for, but not my husband's lodging on the campus.  When he was in hospital we had a different insurer and I was surprised to find they paid towards my stay.  However, although I tell him he will get very bored, my husband wants to stay nearby and we don't mind paying to save the long drive.  Just need to get the pets sorted and will probably put the dogs in kennels and kind friends will feed the cats. All being well I will only be there a week or so and out just in time for Christmas.  

I am due for an operation and my insurance includes a private room.  Do I have to tell the hospital in advance?  I will be in intensive care first for a few days.  I know a private room isn't always available - a French friend had to make a big fuss to get one even though it was included in her insurance.  My other half was told a single room was not available but in fact the other bed was empty. I wasn't bothered till a friend shared a room with a really vile old person who insisted on using the commode in the room, instead of the bathroom, every time my friend's meal was brought!  Another friend was fed up with the person in the next bed having a constant stream of noisy visitors. The hospital brochure mentions they need a letter from my GP - is that usual?  I hesitate to bother him as he's always so busy. I don't eat meat so that will be interesting.  Probably won't feel like eating anyway.  

Why is this posted under 'The lighter side'?  It's not very amusing! 

Yes he's been neutered. I fully support the rescue organisations here and have never kept an un-neutered cat.  I agree Bromley thinks he's an alpha male.  I don't think the two old moggies nearby are much of a threat - one has no teeth!  I think there are more challenging cats around the old house.  Last time we fetched him back he was having a set-to with one and seems a bit scared. I think we'll have to carry on keeping him in at night (assuming we can get him in before he wanders) and letting him out in the morning.  He is currently relaxing on the bottom of our bed (it's a horrible rainy day)- with the rescued Siamese curled up on a pillow and Lola the rescued poodle has sneaked on the bed too! 

Oh dear Betty! Our Bromley is nowhere near as bad as that.  We try to let him out in the morning and keep him in at night. If we let him on the bed and shut the others out, he settles very contentedly.  The trouble is sometimes the others then rattle at the door!  In the daytime he sometimes can be found sleeping on our bed with another cat, (not too close). I do worry about the road, the rats (he had a nasty abscess once from a rat bite), birds and squirrels and I don't want him beating up the elderly strays our neighbour feeds.

I didn't say it was a bad idea!  Just daft in the sense of impossible to enforce for the moment because anyone could claim their cat was born before the date that identification was required. Re identifying feral cats that have been neutered, charities sometimes clip the ear to show it has been done and also microchip with the charity name.

Well, he's been a bit stroppy for 5 years even when he went out whenever he wanted.  He's a bit jealous of the others and since he was poisoned a couple of years ago seems more difficult than ever. There is a slightly demented look in his eyes sometimes. Think like him?  'Food, go out, kill rats, warm bed when I feel like it and get rid of the dogs and the other cats'! Another reason I prefer him not to roam is that we like to feed the birds (squirrels also appear) and I don't want him to kill them. Strangely enough, at the cattery he is apparently fine, content, and the owner loves him.

Having lost two wonderful cats, when we moved house OH promised we would have a cat pen to keep our 4 cats safe.  It's accessed via a catflap in the bathroom! One cat is particularly stroppy and escaped so we let him out in the daytime but after a while he vanished for a couple of days. One day we found him near the old house, about 1 kilometre away and brought him home.  This happened 3 more times so we kept him in full time but he is so angry and aggressive towards the other cats it becomes stressful for us all.  We are kept awake by yowling and hissing and the other cats aren't happy. He was kept in for weeks when we first moved and later spent 2 weeks in a cattery while we went away, so I don't know why he's suddenly decided to moved back.  I worry that he will get run over as there's no way he can get there without crossing roads. Any thoughts? 

If it doesn't apply to older cats - what a daft law!  Without a tattoo or chip, how can you prove the age of the cat?  Some will obviously be elderly but otherwise...  I can't see many French people bothering to spend the money on identity for their cats somehow.

As someone once said 'Don't be smutty' !  Maybe Margo in The Good Life. Back to walnuts, they were picked up from the grass, but we had had quite a bit of rain and wind so maybe that's why they are black.  I hope they are OK inside.

Why wash them? Because they are black and look unpleasant and stain our hands. Chancer - why do you assume a dishwasher is a woman's property?  It belongs to us both equally, like the house!  

We have a barrowload of walnuts.  I assume we need to wash them and OH wants to do that in the dishwasher - on cold water  cycle.   Is this feasible or loony?  Any suggestions of best way to wash walnuts?

Didn't book prices used to be protected in the UK?  Then supermarkets started selling the most popular titles and many towns lost their independent bookshops, leaving only the giants like Waterstones.

To be clear Mrs T - you can only have ONE 'principal' residence anywhere in the world " I am quite aware of that!  You may have read my post differently from how I meant it.  We lived in 1 French house for 5 years, full time.  We then bought a 2nd one and have moved in.  House number one is now empty. I was under the impression that if it was sold within a certain time (2 yrs?) CGT would not apply - but if it was rented out at all, it no longer qualified as a maison principale and therefore CGT would apply. I was just responding to a post that seemed to say that CGT was payable on any house sale whilst I though it was not if it was your only or main house.  In the UK we just moved up the ladder 4 times, selling 1 house and buying another at the same time, as most people do, and I don't remember paying CGT.

Thanks, The Jotul website just directs to the country you live in so you can find dealers. There doesn't seem to be any contact info. The stove has 1 door.  The manual doesn't mention replacing the glass.

Thanks folk. Most of the work was done by OH but the electrics by a local entreprise. I thought CGT did not apply to one's main or only property in either country.  I'm pretty sure we didn't pay it on any of the 4 UK houses we lived in and sold (one after the other, obviously!)

Funny!