Miki

I am sure that if you go to search and put in Caravan, there was someone there who kindly offered help in sorting out the problems of a British caravan and getting the certificate from DRIRE to allow it to be used legally with your French car. Miki

Phil Firstly, we have never supplied tumble driers. We do supply washing machine, dishwasher, microwave and several other electrical items. We have 24 Kw supply on 3 phase which has been well balanced out. All Chauffeaus are set to come on at cheap rate. The W/M and D/W have timers on their dials to allow them to come on also in cheap rate time. The BBQ is gas, the cooker is gas. Of course, if you find that your gites are forever "tripping out" then you will either have to "up" your kw power, cut down on "machinery" or you will have to train your gitists to juggle the appliances or be prepared to be cut off every so often ! Miki

Bonnie If the van is of British origin, you will not be able to insure the caravan for going on to the road. To be able to do that you must get the caravan through a controle technique. When you have the CT, you simply take it to your insurers and they will take note that you have a caravan with a CT and "upgrade" your insurance to be able to tow your van. It is free, well it is with our insurers, Aviva. You will need to talk to your insurers for cover soley for the van though (theft, damage etc) Go to search and type in Caravan for more info. Not sure if it is worth insuring for leaving on your property unless it is of value, if it is, then as I said, you will have to ask your insurers for help I think. Miki

Hi Val. We did it all through the internet for our daughters applications to the Rennes Uni's : http://www.ac-rennes.fr/ as well as getting help form her Lyce, on the best ones for her needs. The assistance for bourse/logement is based on the parents and students salary (if any) for 2003 or perhaps 2002? not sure and it can be found on http://dse.ac-rennes.fr Hope that will help others. Miki

If you are in the 35 then you have St Bartholomews church in Rue Faber, Dinard. 11am Sundays and 6 p.m (5p.m winter) It is in FPN every month and the Tel number is 02 99 46 77 00 Miki

LAST EDITED ON 29-Apr-04 AT 12:05 PM (BST) Someone else may say something different to give you hope BUT I have to tell you that getting a mortgage on something in the tourist business as fickle as a gite complex, would in my view, be a recipe for disaster. If I had just a few euros for everyone I know who has had terrible problems or had to go back to the UK through credit problems I could have a real nice meal in a top restaurant. Those that do best, are the ones who have thrown off the shackle of debt and have bought something outright. Now that is not to say it is impossible to succeed with a small amount of credit, it is relative to the gross income. That is without taking in to account the problems your husband will find getting work here in France. Does he speak French? Is he a qualified tradesman ? If he can answer yes to both, he has a good chance of getting work. Otherwise you will be relying heavily on luck. Sorry but what I have said I have found to be quite true. Miki

I'll have a stab. Where we used to live in the SW France, it used to be in one of the butchers and if the Mrs remembers well, it was a kind of pate and that sounds as if it was semi cured? Miki

Especially if he works in a Quincaillerie in Royan or Rouen ! Would be nice if we had a voicemail "type of thing" to hear how we would all pronounce it, I'd probably cheat and get the farmer in from next door to speak! Miki

Penny, Camping Car and sometimes "vehicules de loisirs" Miki

Golly gumdrops, gooliegumdrop, That honestly is a a most generous offer, I would think a lot of newcomers (and maybe some not so new?) will be very happy to know you are there for them. By the way, you don't speak Italian do you ? If so, could you write to Mr Ranieri and tell him to maybe not tinker quite as much in the future, thanks. Miki

'err hum, yes I do. We are near Saint Malo and if that is the area that suits your purpose OK, I will let you have details in your inbox. Miki

LAST EDITED ON 24-Apr-04 AT 06:08 PM (BST) Hi, As someone who has had to suffer some of the ups and downs of FC Rennes, you can take my place for a while !! Son still goes with his mates, it has a good atmosphere. We mostly buy tickets at ticket agencies attached to a hyper/supermarket, such as Carrefour in Saint Malo. Go to this site and "surf" about, the shop is on there (boutique) http://www.staderennais.com You should find at the start of every season, all the kit and supporters "stuff" will be on promotion at the big supermarkets and surrounding sports shops. Take a tip and park in the Leclerc supermarket next to the stade and that will put you straight on the road to Saint Malo etc, mind you, you might want to go home the other way, in which case ignore that tip !! Miki

Scene from 2005 perhaps................... Hi, We have a lovely place, well the cat thinks so anyway. Can't offer you the URL, can't offer you the name, can't offer you where it is, can't really help then BUT if you meet me outside the bar in Saint Malo, you know, the one with the Kanterbrau advert outside, I can slip you and the family in the car undercover and take you to our B&B called ***** ****** but please don't post to this forum and say how nice it was or even that you stayed here or I will be in the merde! Well................. miki

Hi, I am looking for a B&B near St Malo Jack

For the old bonce or the floor? Miki (Sorry couldn't resist)

Today our daughter has just brought home a bag full of stuff to sell for her ACC course in her Bac Generale. She has tea towels, socks (cartoon style!) wipe cloths, smelly thin bamboo sticks, tee shirts and a few other bits and pieces. The reson, she has to show she is able to sell them and will need to talk about it all later on. This is the fifth stage of that part of her Bac. She has a Bon de Commande booklet and is expected to go around to all and sundry and get orders for the items. There is even a national diploma for those that sell well, as well a winning student. Last year apparently, the winner, from Nantes, I believe sold over 3000 euros worth !! Looking at the stuff, I suspect it might have been at gunpoint !! No that is unfair, the quality is OK. Some one is getting a nice few bob (I hope it's a kids charity or something) from this or have I missed something ? Oh yes the kids get a commission ranging from 10% at 250 euros and increasing with sales. The talk comes immediately before the kids put in their sales figures and I am told the talk is more important than the sales figures. I hope so, because this smells more of "On the Knocker" (anyone remember that?) from my old days in London than pre-Uni activity !! Anyone else heard of this, at their kids Lycee? Miki

Apart from the 19th hole and the remedies etc that can be found there, go to your Doctor and explain, she/he will issue you with a certicate. To be a member of the French golf Federation you also need an annual health certificate Our Daughter has to have one for school every year to be able to do sports. Miki

LAST EDITED ON 18-Apr-04 AT 10:26 PM (GMT) Oh dear, nobody wants us, we have been unceremoniously slung out of Western France now we are being asked to go it alone, what have we done to upset you all !!!! Miki

LAST EDITED ON 18-Apr-04 AT 03:12 PM (GMT) Jenny, Next time you are in France pop in to a local DIY warehouse, such as Leroy Merlin, Castorama, BricoDepot etc and purchase a box with a dish, LNB and receiver (Analogue)all inside and which states on the box that it is compatible with Telecom 2B satellite and you can pick up the 5 main stations from the UK, no problems. The price...............just 30 and seen for less. Many ex pats are probably sitting on an old Sky analogue receiver and I know they go for just a few pounds on e-bay. So if you can't get to France for a while, get a dish and a head, then bid for an old analogue box and away you go, French TV on tap, so to speak. The only problem I can see and hopefully a satellite expert will know this, I am not sure how far in to the UK the signal can be received. Miki

Ellen, Your E111 will not cover you forever with a problem such as diabetes. A "normal" E106 would only have given you 2 years cover anyway. You really do need to be more responsible as you say. I hate to tell you this but we have recently lost a dear friend who simply refused to register himself in France, both with residency and healthwise, preferring instead to go back to the UK every so often and be monitored with his diabetes treatment in the UK. Silly man also treated his car to an MOT at the same time. Please get yourself registered here in France, it will save you all the problems of having to go back to get yourself diabetic care. Go down to the CPAM office and start the registration ASAP. This is not being said from a "get yerself legal" angle but from seeing just how stupid our friend was and, who many of us feel would still be alive today, had he been treated here and had not kept saying "I will wait until I get back to the UK in a few months etc" One time he never got back............... Start tomorrow. Miki

LAST EDITED ON 18-Apr-04 AT 02:52 PM (GMT) Dennis If you go to search and type in caravans you will get plenty of help. For the moment though, I think it is a case that your car will not be insured to tow that caravan. Most cars in France are insured to tow trailers up to 500kg's, after that weight, you will need to see your insureres. Cars , unlike in the UK, are not automatically insured to tow caravans. Caravans also need to have a CT and your friend's would not have one. I know of a couple of "posing innocents" who prefer to think they know better and do tow like that, even having put their French cars registration number plate on the back of the van. Having had one friend get a tug in the Dordogne for doing the same thing, I wouldn't risk it for touring around. As I say, take a search through the postings on caravans. Good luck Miki

Hi, Can you let me have its full URL as I am unsure of what gites direct you talk of. Miki

LAST EDITED ON 14-Apr-04 AT 06:18 PM (GMT) Are they saying sit down perhaps? Just cutting down on asseyez-vous? or perhaps "assez" with the meaning "enough"? Any reason that they might say "that is"? ca est (doubtful but...) When we were in Provence I dread to think just how many words were cut down and had no real sense in French vocabulary. Miki

LAST EDITED ON 13-Apr-04 AT 09:53 AM (GMT) We have heard that UK cards with pin numbers will not work, I was told this and found it to be correct BUT this morning we took 2 credit cards from English and Irish guests and both were of the new type with security style pin number required and not the signature. I said I would try them but did not think they would work as the technology was said to be different in UK and French similar cards. Well, when prompted to put the card in for the Englsih client, the machine(in French of course) asked for the card to be "placed" in the slot (and not to be swiped and signature to be given which is normal for the machine to state) the first one worked and pin number offered and voila! it went through. With the Irish guest, the card acted in exactly the same way, except that at the end she never had her pin number and on looking at the machine screen, it stated that a signature was required!! but the card had not been swiped but placed in the machine in the "French way" very strange ! She was from Dublin who are in the Euro and are using the new technolgy cards I believe? Whether or not some cards will now work in the petrol stations I don't know but if my machime is anything to go by, well? The card was a Barclay card Visa. Miki

Hi Gastines, Sorry to hear about your loss, hopefully it was kids who took it and it will be found quickly once they have had their bit of "fun". Gastines, you never brought us up to pace on your ventures with the "establishment" as far as registering at the tax office and the Chambre de commerce, what happened? Whereabouts exactly are you in the Saint Malo area? Miki