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Miki

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Everything posted by Miki

  1. Rita, We know of a couple, both French who have recieved grants from G de Fr. It is a sometimes, long and ardous route. You will be tied in for up to 10 years and will have to adhere strictly to their regulations. All the work will have to be done by bone fide artisans, whose final work will be studied by G de Fr. You will have to pay for a percentage of the works, our friends put up 35% and 50% respectively. A lot these days will depend on where you are and the demand for gites in that area. You will also need to furnish and decorate to a high standard if you want to gain 3 epis, vital to get the maximum rental from the gite. Having said all that, one is still with them, the other sold for various reasons. You will have, more or less a total French market and this will mean lower prices than a UK advertised market. You are worried about your French, well you will get calls from the French, can you handle that? You will need to write or email correspondence in French, none of these are insurmountable but it will need lots of effort on your part to come up to scratch to survive in a French market. Good luck but I will say that I have never recommened anyone to have credit (mortgage) with gites or B&B business in France. Miki
  2. In my opinion he is simply planning on giving you some pathetic excuse at the end of the holiday for a reason as to "knock" you. As Gill said, dump him if he won't pay in full immediately. Part of the problem now lies with the way the UK has become litigious society, with claims for just about everything being common nature for many. I only know this through my sister who has been a legal secrtetary for over 35 years and who tells me that claims awaiting a ruling are now stored very high in her office!. Another thing we can thank the USA for (sorry to all the defenders of the States on here but true all the same) Miki
  3. LAST EDITED ON 14-Jun-04 AT 01:17 PM (BST) Not sure about that. I have known people fill their pools from wells, rivers and lakes. If you chlorinate well (chlorine shock the pool if need be) and run the filtration for a while, I cannot see any harm but what, if any regulations are in place, I am not sure about. Don't forget to regulate the Ph levels as normal either. Miki
  4. HI SB, So it could have been a night out in Londres then, nice show all the same kind of people wandering around, some asking nicely if they can lighten your pockets by transferring some of your weighty coins in to their pockets. Others seem to be earning pin money by walking dogs for people? ...........and then the M25 home, where people always find the time to stop and talk on the motorway. Most driving 4x4, just in case they ever invent off track muddy "tarmac", in the school run lanes. Were you homesick just for a while? Ah oui, 'arry Potter, the kids thought it "cool" whatever that is! Miki Miki
  5. LAST EDITED ON 28-May-04 AT 08:53 PM (BST) With an analogue set up, you can pick up the Telecom 2B satellite and receive all 5 standard French stations. Look through the archives, I think it's there somewhere or just ask your local satellite man where to point the dish for Telecom 2B. Miki
  6. Jake, Finally tracked down the person you need to telephone, so for their privacy I have sent it to your inbox. Miki
  7. Cheers Val, that's made my day !! Wer have been told to put daughter on our insurance for now, it does mean a bigger franchise in an accident and if her fault we would lose our no claims, which then increases our insurance. So what you have said completes the circle, it ain't gonna be cheap whichever way you look at it !! Miki
  8. LAST EDITED ON 25-May-04 AT 10:32 PM (BST) Chris, We are on ADSL and so is TU, in fact she beat us to it !! I checked it it was available and finally it came up "Yes" in less than 2 weeks we had all the gear sent through and an hour later........ bosh all working !! No problems, there were a couple of early glitches, quick call to Tiscali and it ended up that it was the fault of our Zone Alarm and too high a risk being "checked" Tiscali ADSL is 24/7 and no catches except that you have to pay 99 euros on your normal phone bill to F.T for cancellation of your old line and then being out on the new line. Still at 5 euros a month saving, you get yer money back in under 2 years! still, think of the speed !! The other good thing is the fax machine and spare phone are now freed up as they were on the old analogue line and it tied up the line (we have another commercial line as well)when the computer was online, with ADSL you can stay online and any phone or fax on that line will be OK. Tiscali supply filters to be able to use another phone on the same the line which annul all the "noises", NO don't ask me, ask Tiscali !! We were offered 2048 kbs but when we asked Tiscali, the chap said, "not yet old chap"! Mind you, as we don't download an awful lot the 512 is ample for us. Give Wanadoo a months notice or look in your agreement to ensure you didn't have a 2 year deal. Miki
  9. LAST EDITED ON 25-May-04 AT 08:56 PM (BST) We have our machine from mid March until mid November (after Armistice) The initial set up cost every year is 23.96 then each month on a designated date we pay 17.34. We with BPO for commerce. We hire now days, as we had paid around 450 in 1998 for a new machine and two years later, bosh..........out of date and no p/ex. Anyway, the charge is 0.5% plus 0.14 centimes per transaction. We aim to have it around 8 monrths each year. Now here's a tip Coco, we have used it ourselves in the winter time when we have not had the machine. When someone books ask for their credit card number and expiry date plus full name of card holder. They do not know you have not got a card machine. Tell them as soon as they arrive that the machine is en panne ! and could they please pay you by cheque or cash, simple and not illegal. Any non arrivals whilst we have the machine, the head office of bank in Rennes gets sent a No Show slip, similar to the old machine where you manually rolled the machine over a plate that then stamped the cards details on to a form. Non arrivals are pretty rare, but how happy you are to know, that you will get paid anyway ! The main reason for non arrivals we find, is that some people think that they can travel huge distances in France, then find they have to stop. Now they will either ring you to say they won't be able to make your place and hope you won't charge, well if it can be refilled we don't but if not, then sorry they do pay. Others simply will not tell you and then complain they have had to pay ! We inform all our guests that we have their card details and that guarantees them their room but if they do not arrive we wil debit their card. Giving us credit card details is security for BOTH parties. And no, we have not had anyone stay here for visiting Saint Malo lately !! Miki
  10. Ring round the local auto casse yards (Motor scrap yards)the odds are that place one will have a pair for you and at less than a quarter of that new price. Miki
  11. LAST EDITED ON 21-May-04 AT 12:40 PM (BST) Our son had to do it on a couple of occasions but he rang ahead to the port and asked BF if it was acceptable and they agreed it would be OK. Only problem was on the first occasion, BF staff denied he had rung, typical, but in the end he argued his point about the French being allowed to travel to the UK on their ID cards and they allowed him on the ferry. He did have his expired passport with him. He has since got a new passport at some expense from the Embassy in Paris!! A few friends have found it a lot cheaper to give an address in the UK and apply from there and why not, you are the same person and not trying to fiddle or get out of any more, than paying the stupid price of applying from a Consulate/Embassy abroad. Miki
  12. Jean, Having previously had a pool for some years (now thankfully without!)what happens to the health of the pool in the 30 days between checks? If you take the PH and Chlorine tests every morning and night and keep the pool pump turning for the correct amount of time, it ought to be healthy but, as all pool owners know, sunlight, storms and suncreams and other things, can play havoc with the pool and then you really need to clean and dose the pool well. Our friends with a 25m X 10m commercial pool do get surprise inspections and the equipment used to test the pool is far more exact than the little "box" that one normally uses. It could well be that gite pools etc are being brought in to line maybe? If so, it will rather be like the commercial pools having to be ready for an inspection at any time and you forking out. I guess it will make owners keep their pools in better shape than some I see !! Miki
  13. I think you will have to say whether you mean, you are a micro enterprise or you have declared to be taxed as micro bic, if the latter, then you cannot set any bills against your tax as you are given a pre-set percentage to offset expense against. Perhaps someone on Micro enterprise can answer the other part. Miki
  14. LAST EDITED ON 17-May-04 AT 05:39 PM (BST) We live in Brittany but the first question really has to be; How much are you going to pay one of the LF members or their friends, to make them look like dummies ? Miki
  15. As no one has replied, I will offer a longshot. Chatea des Ormes has Satellite TV for their hundreds of British guests. It is on the road from Dol de Bretagne to Combourg. A fair way from you but not too far. We finished 2nd and with just a few billion left to spend, might struggle again ! Sorry........... Good luck in the play offs Miki
  16. LAST EDITED ON 13-May-04 AT 07:34 PM (BST) Jake, Les Pullen upped sticks (wickets!) and moved to Eymet with his parents a while ago. The Brits still play cricket at Des Ormes, our guests have just come back from a days golf at the said Des Ormes and our son worked there for a summer 2 years ago. 97% of holiday makers at the enormous complex are Brits!! I digress, if you want I will get you the contact number from some dear friends of ours who used to do the teas and sandwiches at the home games, until recently deciding to pack it in. The cricket team are always looking for helpers Jake. The good thing about being a member of the social side, is that you are allowed to use the Des Ormes facilities for you and the family, good deal indeed. Miki
  17. Well as you know TU, I am a chap, I have been stopped on a few occasion not counting the driving infringents (speeding). I wish I still had my penalty "sheet" it might just have had a wrong time on it as well. As your friend found out, many Gendarmes cannot tell the time, well that would mean having some intelligence wouldn't it! Miki
  18. First where do you live? There are many people on here who will know a translator or someone who speaks fluent French who can be employed for the very reason you need someone right now. Here in Brittany I know of a few who can be employed to help people for this kind of thing, all registered, so no panic there. But what about someone you may have befriended and might speak French on your behalf? OK you can't expect to keep being hleped for free, so that is why I have suggested you employ some one to sort out your problem at CPAM. On another note, this should be a warning to many people who think that sitting around supping and enjoying the "French" life style is all you need to concentrate on doing. Ill health can befall anyone at any time and if your ability to speak French is zilch or close to it, you can find yourself deep in the mire. I have seen at first hand the sheer panic that comes over a family when they realise they cannot even speak enough simple French to summon an ambulance or emergency Doctor. Good luck but get it sorted fast, Oh and it is my belief that you ought to use your partners social security number and receive your own card. Miki
  19. Helen, I am totally surprised that you, as a resident were fined on the spot. Have the rules changed, or have I been lucky, or? I cannot remember any French friends or Brit residents that have paid that way. I know guests and other "tourists" that have had to pay on the spot. From a personal point, the 3 (head bowed, and yes, 3)but well spread out speeding fines, have all meant getting an avis (or whatever you want to call the penalty sheet) and a trip to the local tabac to pay the fine in stamps etc, stick 'em on the thingy and send it all off within so many days to avoid a further penalty. Don't forget to check the back of the penalty sheet you received, it will tell you how many points you will be losing. Whoops, just read it again, you had a British licence, so that is why you paid on the spot and will possibly not have any points taken from your licence as you do not possess a French licence. If you are concerned just go to your nearest sous prefecture or prefecture and ask them if you have been registered as losing points. Miki
  20. LAST EDITED ON 12-May-04 AT 04:54 PM (BST) Hi, You will need some very serious advice. I do not want to demean anyone, sauf hotel owners but anyone buying a hotel needs official legal advice and this forum, although brilliant for the most part, cannot gaurantee what they are saying is legally binding for your hotel needs. Take note that the world and their Auntie will need to inspect your hotel before you can even start work on your plans, then an inspection by one and all before opening and all of this is very stringent. That is all part of the reason why hotels can be picked up fairly cheaply on the French market, you must ask the question, why is it beong sold and how up is the hotel on up to date regulations? I watched a friend go through nearly 5 years of hell and beaurocracy. All this, even though the family spoke fluent French. It went on for what seemed an age before they finally got the authorities off their backs and could run the business without interference from jumped up sad officials. They saw more courts than Perry Mason in the end. One small reason for large problems was them using Belgian carpets instead of French and the French were importing them as French hotel standard carpet and given the infamous NF stamp of approval !! Story (ies) too long to tell. Just be wary and go through it all word by word. Miki
  21. No, but I bet it was a French politician !! Miki
  22. Hi, Sorry to hear of all your problems. Am I right in suspecting that you may have let this get too far and allowed the bulder do all the work and then tell him, sorry not good enough? If not and you are very much the aggrieved party, you have to make a porte plant to the police, if that doesn't work and it appears the police are not interested for some reason, then you will simply have to give some stick back. Yes, the police here are a little macho and feel that gays will not have anything valid to qualify for investigation. Awful as that sounds, it is quite true. You have to fight back and don't even think about telling me because you are gay you can't do that. I have witnessed some classic "crunch" matches when a couple of pratts have picked on Gays and come seriously unstuck, so get back at him. If your story is straight(scuse the poor pun)then hit back and frighten the offender, he ain't so tough, surely two of you, the right moment, well I am sure you don't need it all spelt out. Just make sure you are in the right and the story you have posted is genuine. I know the French police can be iffy but with violence and damage, they can often come down pretty hard on the offenders, if they see it as so. Just that being what you are, the police seem to be backing off. Good luck Miki
  23. We must be seen as a little strange then ! We used to drive to Bordeaux from Perigueux to buy lots of Hovis cut loaves and some cut white ones as well from M&S ! This might be shared amongst friends who would do the same another time! I do think it comes down to having to much of good thing when you arrive here, the boulangerie offers you bread that you would die for back in the UK, then time moves on and you get a little blas over it all(well I'm sure we did to an extent!)and hunger for certain basic things, as simple as sliced bread and as TU said, not that awful Pain Anglais or Harry's stuff (though we do buy similar for our morning toast) So it would culminate in a trip to BDX !! Miki
  24. Will it not apply, as usual, to private schools though Mistral? Miki
  25. Jake, The Mairies on the routes you want to know about, will have bus timetables, or at least should have, providing of course there is indeed a bus that passes! Miki
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