Meek Megan

Actually there are many countries where the police that you see every day are part of the armed forces, including the Gendarmerie in France! Armed forces police from all branches in the UK receive excellent training and participate daily in police work, albeit on military bases or with military personnel. I am sure that they would do a reasonable job on the streets to assist or temporarily replace the civil police if it ever became necessary. I suspect that the same applies to the French armed forces.

Yes, get vaccinated asap and encourage everyone else to do so. Millions of people have now had the various vaccinations without any bad effects of any significance. Most are over the age of 50. The recent nonsense was simply political and shows the real motives and uselessness of Macron and some of the other idiots who are meant to be in charge. I believe that France is the most visited tourist destination in the World. In the absence of mass vaccination France will become isolated with no visitors coming in and no way for French residents to travel outside France. The ridiculous restrictions on daily life will continue without end.

What a miserable situation! I have to say that I am surprised because, based on personal experience, the French heath service is generally far better than the British NHS. I am assuming that they have messed up the vaccinations due to centralisation, ie central government trying to run it and failing ( as usual). if they can secure enough vaccine and get it out to the pharmacies and local hospitals then hopefully things will improve rapidly.

You should have a reglement de copropriété that stipulates the division of the property and your rights and responsibilities. Usually the sharing of repair costs would only apply to communal areas. Presumably the surplus water is rain and the building is designed so that it runs off the terraces. In other words it is doing what it is designed to do but the problem is caused by your faulty terrace floor. Given that it is rain and not a leak from a flat above you can hardly expect your neighbours to contribute. I doubt that you would feel the same way if the problem was caused by a neighbour's faulty floor. I expect that you have insurance to cover it.

Yes you can freeze it but you can also preserve it in sealed jars. Grate the root and put in jar then add vinegar and salt. It should keep for ages. I am sure that you will find various recipes for this on the internet.

We have survived as a species for thousands of years without electronic devices so why should it be so difficult to go without them for a few weeks? Leave them all at home and you will soon forget about them and benefit enormously from their absence.

Do you really think that the government are simply going to give up their new powers and allow you all to return to normal? I think it will take a few riots and a lot of civil disobedience before they do , both in UK and France. It sounds like a nice plan, anyway.

One point that has not been made is that the relationship between rural French people and their dogs is very different to that in the UK. French dogs are working dogs, including hounds. As long as they are good hunters the owners will be happy with them and unlikely to spend any money on any other kind of training. Rural French people are thrifty any way and I doubt that you could compete with the locals when it comes to training them for the hunt (or that is the way that they will see it). It seems to me that the only potential clients might come from within the expat population or the small number of French dog owners who treat their dogs as family members. Most of the latter are likely to live in more urban areas. Personally I like to see the hunts in progress and my experience is that the hunters are usually well organised and have safety marshals out to prevent accidents.

"Pity about the cheap shot at Boris" The man is inept and dishonest and has always been so. When we have someone in charge who is worthy of respect I am sure he or she will get it.

As a former Police Officer I am absolutely livid at the way that some forces have been throwing their weight around. The Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall was reported as saying that he is considering road blocks on the main roads to stop and interrogate all motorists passing through. I can tell him that most people out there are working or shopping or going to and from work or going out into the country for a walk or visiting their horse or whatever. In the last few days they have softened somewhat as a national policy has been adopted. Even so they are still dictating what is ok or not ok as regards reasons for journeys etc. Their interpretation of the regulations is incorrect so I am sure that some people are being accused of offending when in fact their journey is legitimate. The police at an individual and organisational level need to remember that they may need the support of the public more than ever in the near future when the riots start. It is clear that we are and always have been teetering on the edge of a totalitarian State, both in UK and France. There are plenty of people within the Armed Forces and the Police who would support the Government in taking over any last semblance of democratic liberty, not to mention bizarre support from a compliant section of the public. Strangely enough I suspect that our main hope in the UK lies within the ranks of Conservative back-benchers, who are the most likely to adequately challenge this rabble of idiots who are apparently in charge.

"As many folks are dying in old folks homes as in the hospitals" That appears to be a statement of the obvious, regardless of the current crisis. Of course old people die in old folks homes. As regards Belgium the numbers include deaths that are considered "linked" to the coronavirus even if it has not been proven by tests. So the deceased may not have died of coronavirus and may not even have had the virus. As I have said elsewhere the only figures that matter in the end are the figures comparing deaths this month/ quarter or year with previous periods. The main thing is not to allow the government(s) and the media to frighten you. They will undoubtedly find a way to justify their inept and totalitarian response. The situation in France has put me off living there and the UK, under a so-called conservative party, has embraced communism.

You cannot and should not believe the mainstream media and the figures being quoted by governments are misleading because no one knows how many cases there are. The only way to find out would be to test the entire population and that is simply not going to happen. Even death from Coronavirus figures are unreliable as most of the unfortunates had underlying health problems and not all have actually been tested. The comparison figures of deaths compared to previous years are probably the most helpful at the moment. In the UK the ONS publishes weekly figures of excess winter deaths. They use the average figure from the previous five years for comparison rather than just looking at last year. To put it in perspective - in 2014/2015 there were an EXTRA 44,000 winter deaths in the UK due to a nasty flu virus. I do not recall it being mentioned at the time.

PaulT Nice one! And how could they be sure of their identity? Am I alone in thinking that it is an unsatisfactory state of affairs when the man in charge goes sick in the middle of a crisis ( and failed to carry out the simple task of nominating a deputy)?

WHO and Public Health England do not recommend the use of gloves or masks other than in a clinical setting. They do not help. Good hygiene and keeping your distance helps (and long may it continue). I see people driving along in their car wearing a mask. Why? It is all part of the mad panic that has infected the World alongside a virus. Remember Bugarach in 2012? That was more about Armageddon and spaceships but actually the same mentality was in play.

"elderly people out and about" Good for them. They are stoics and the World needs more stoics. There is nothing inherently risky about being outdoors as long as they take sensible precautions.

I doubt that any of them are from Immigrant families so you can all calm down.

It's only one small rural village in Finland which has a population of 732 people, They have been trying to encourage babies since 2003 and pay the 10,000 over 10 years. Presumably it will take another 10 years or so to see what difference it makes. More people but less jobs is not a good result. If all the young people move away to work it seems to defeat the object, which was to boost the population.

Edward V111 ? That's a lot of Edwards! or Davids

The agents are self-employed and work from home.Most are British expats.Some are excellent and others are useless and unhelpful. They arrange the viewings in their local area. The Leggett head office works alongside the agents and I believe they keep records of all contacts - so there should be someone available to talk to by phone or email if the agent is unavailable. Be aware that they tend to start off by overpricing the properties but then discount the price as they go along. I know of one house in Centre that started at about 120,000 euros then sold three years later for less than 40,000 euros.

"leadership abilities etc.." I admire your sense of humour. Brilliant. But the Hong Kong situation is not connected in any way to the current situation in Europe.

Where is that statement recorded? From the transcript of joint press conference at 2.25 pm EDT : "Jeff Mason from Reuters. Mr. President, I’d like to ask you about your use of the word “treason.” You used it repeatedly in the last few days. Do you consider anyone who opposes you treasonous? PRESIDENT TRUMP: No. No. I consider when they lie; when they stand before our great body in our great chamber, and they make up a story that’s fiction, like Schiff did. He took that perfect conversation I had with the Ukrainian President, and he made it into a total lie. It was a total fabrication. And you do admit that. It was a total fabrication."

Why should the EU look east? What is the connection between the EU and the riots in Hong Kong? (which are probably instigated by the CIA)

On the small amount of information that you give it is impossible to say whether or not a crime or a breach of trust has in fact been committed. What explanation did she give for taking the money out ? In the UK you would seek advice from a solicitor and/ or the police if you felt that something illegal had occurred. The same applies in France. If a Notaire is dealing with the estate then this is a matter to discuss with them before anything else. If you have full responsibility yourself then search google for "french inheritance disputes" to find English lawyers who can advise and assist you.

What exactly have they charged you for !? I have been searched numerous times (travelling in a camper van) and have always found them to be very courteous. Usually at least one of them speaks good English.

More detailed info is needed, both about the accident and the insurance cover. I suspect that you have not got the full story. Comprehensive Insurance will pay out for own damage regardless of fault. Third party insurance will not pay for own damage at all. The amount of damages paid can be reduced due to contributory negligence, ie the accident was partly the fault of the claimant. This could have happened if your friend was third party only (and her own insurer would not therefor be involved ) and the payment was made by the other side. In which case she would have received lots of correspondence regarding their proposals and decisions.