Tony F Dordogne

I can access the site but it's very slow to do so - on broadband so that shouldn't be a problem.

We live very close to the Dordogne River, close to St Cyprien in a very small commune which does have broadband. However, the other side of the river doesn't have it and apparently, isn't going to have it for some months.

Sounds like an unhealthy case of Spanish machismo to me or, if you'll excuse the pun, sour grapes. Jenny doesn't care what people think about her opening bottles and taking the wine around at soirees and if people feel relaxed enough at our place to help themselves, fine - we usually tell them to do so which probably accounts for the number of empty bottles we've taken off for recycling recently.  The 18 people we had here for supper on Xmas Eve certainly didn't care whether a man or woman served them, obviously do the host thing first but after an hour of so, just told people to help themselves.

Apart from the July 7 events, my memory will be this is the year that we moved to France, with everything that has gone with it.  We've been flooded, ended up in a legal dispute with the previous owners, not been able to decorate etc etc. and have lived with the most awful kitchen and bathroom. But, we've also met some nice people - Di and John Iceni among them - had some great times, cooked some great food, new wines and stuff, seen all sorts of those places you never really get to see as a tourist. Our garden is wonderful, just needs lots of work on it, business is absolutely crazy, more work that we know what to do with so I've realised that this retirement lark is a con.  And we're now negotiating to buy two additional peices of land, not to build on though, one next to ours and the other in the village. Best memory, apart from wonderful evenings with friends and family on the terrace in the summer was my Xmas card from Jenny - 'Thank you for making my dream come true', now that's made everything worthwhile.

Obviously not working our side of the Lot/Dordogne border Di. We have a UK born, French living and properly registered electrician booked for the 2nd January.  Had a letter from him today, postmarked Orleans, saying he was on his way back to the UK for the New Year and wouldn't be back until 7th January, starting with us on the 9th. Shouldn't have been surprised though - he was contracted to start work for a neighbour on 6th December, major rewiring job, 30% upfront with signed devis, 30% on first day, the rest on completion.  They are also Brits and from what he said it was going to be done in one hit - so far, two half days work completed, no mobile to contact him, turns up when he is able to fit it into his busy schedule - doesn't auger too well for our job. Means we have to change all our working arrangements now!

Not sure whether this one has been dealt with before but here goes ........ My OH is past statutory retirement age and I'm 58.  We both have E121s, hers on age and mine on disability. We have a UK business and we're happy with that, though I'm thinking that we may be better off transferring to a French company so we can advertise here in specialist magazines without any problems. Neither of us need to pay cotizations because we're already past the point of no return and neither will get any benefit from the French Government if we did so.  So, if we start a business in France, can we do so without paying the cotizations as our contributions would not make any difference to our pensions, benefits etc? Alternatively, is there any mileage in having two companies - ok, I understand the financial and taxation implications of doing so and that the admin could be a nightmare - one in the UK and one in France?

Thought it was just me - somebody who only joined the Forum on 24 December has been browsing through it for the past few weeks?????? A string of apparently Asian owned corner shops across France catering to the Brits .............. If this is a wind-up, just think the person doing it needs to get a life rather than playing silly games on here.

Hi Guys And the same from Jenny and me, Merry Xmas to one and all

It's our first winter here so nothing to compare it with.  But it's freezing in our part of 24, mist/freezing fog didn't lift at all yesterday.  And we're both pleased we had central heating installed. We had a landscape gardener here a few days ago who'se lived here for 15 years and he says it's a bad winter, started early and much colder than usual.

Sarlat in the summer is best avoided as you know  Miki - well at least on a Saturday which is market day in July or August, we went there with my son and d-i-l this summer, in July, nightmare. So we found an appropriate restaurant facing the Cathedral (Le Bistrot, which is ALWAYS excellent and reasonably priced by the way) and spent a long leasurely lunch people watching. In the afternoon, many fewer people and the market stays open all day.

We were working in Rouen last week and that seemed full of the Xmas spirit.  Lots of Xmas things going on, Marche de Noel around the wonderfully illuminated Cathedral, masses of people.  We also visited a couple of other much smaller towns and there was hardly anything there, especially Bolbec which was like visiting Stockton on Tees on a miserable winter's night. And back in 24, LeClerc at Perigueux was busy on Monday morning as was Jardiland but the town itself seemed very quiet. Pleased to be back in the Dordogne though, after a week in Rouen the number of people, noise etc just seemed too much.

Hi Will Sorry Will, that's not the point at all and to try to duck the issue with a question to me questioning my motives is not the article is it?   It's not that I NEED to know, I'm just curious about the way that the rules are applied here that's all.  I'm just trying to understand the criteria for being slung out and why some people get away with being rude, aggressive and the like. Obviously if somebody is banned, comes back and then lets everybody know, directly or indirectly, that they're the banned person, like other users here I would have expected the Mods to deal with that person.  And as the Forum Admin person seems to have confirmed Mr O is indeed le bouffon, as other people have suggested that he is in the past, I thought that the Mods would do something about it but apparently not.  Apparently the banned person now has to commit another breach of the rules to get banned. What I don't understand is why people that have been banned feel the need to come back here at all - like being banned from a pub, why go back when all you're going to get is grief unless you just want to wind people up or continue to be obnoxious which is why most people seem to get banned in the first place.  

Hi Admin and Mods Seems like my question of 17th is going to go unanswered?

You don't have to admit anything le bouffon, according to Admin it seems like the technology dobbed you in and confirmed people's suspicions.

Hi Agenais Many thanks for your reply.  I did go to the CPAM office to discuss this and they seemed as non-plussed as me, hey-ho. My consultant has filled in all the appropriate forms and I've received the attestation from CPAM saying I'm on 100% for ten years. Next time I go to the GP for medication - every 3 months - I'll make sure I get the long-term prescription and will get different prescriptions for my monthly blood tests, scans and the like. One good thing about being in France, I've had more tests in 10 months that I had in the UK in 5 years plus I get all these neat pics to look at showing my bits are all working properly. Anybody want a spleen by the way? Have one almost 4 times the usual size that I'm looking to recycle, the great thing about being here is that rather than being palpated - posh way of saying the doc is having a rummage round and a good guess at its size - I've got the pics to show how it grows by the two month time lapse!

I've been away for a few days and missed some of the thread.  According to James (Forum Admin) it seems that being banned makes no difference so long as you come back using a different name even when the person concerned admits to being the person previously banned. Admin and Mods, is that right?

Hi Interesting about the invalidity category blue.  My CPAM statement now appears with a blue stripe down the side since I was put on 100% cover for my illnesses - my problem is that I don't seem to be getting any of the medication  I need 100%, I'm still on 60/70% and using my Mutuelle for top up, my blood condition and the three other linked conditions all 'qualify' for 100%. I did hear that you have to get a prescription on a different form than the usual one - anybody else have experience of the system can clarify this for me.  CPAM gave me a 'don't worry, everything's ok but we can't access your medical records, they're secret' response when I asked them.  

Hi Guys Nobody on here can give legal advice unless they are legally qualified, all we could do is share our experiences with you or point you in the right direction.  Surely a lawyer would be a better place to ask advice? 

Was it Oscar Wilde that described hunting as the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable? Sounds about right.

If you decide NOT to do it yourself and want a good professional service to do it for you, speak to Di Chapman (aka Iceni) who is building mine. In France, speaks very good English and just great to work with especially if, like me, you know nothing about building web sites.

I had a dreadful reaction after my vasectomy - 30years ago now - incredible pain, infection, weeks off work and the like. Interesting, it came back to haunt me last week - had another scan for my ongoing condition  after an infection and the doc decided I should have my bobbly bits looked at.  Told me that I had a 'kyste' on my tubes, which he described in some detail and showed me diagrams etc. When I explained that I had been vasectomised, he told me not to worry about the cyst, it was probably scar tissue. The fact that he didn't send me off for more tests sort of put my mind at rest.

People on here, though well intentioned, cannot give you chapter and verse on legal matters - none of us are qualified to do so unless we're legally trained. Get a French lawyer to give you advice and the Mairie.  If it's illegal for you, surelky it's illegal for your neighbours also.

And is this another wind-up? Seem to recall this is another of Ty Korrigan's pet subjects. TK disappears, coprolite appears and he even knows Nick Trollope - not bad after so little time here and just a few posts!

Hi TU Maybe it's this one: First they came for the Jews but I did not speak out because I was not a Jew Then they came for the Communists but I did not speak out because I was not a Communist They they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for me ........... and there was nobody left to speak out. Pastor Deitrich Bonhoffer, Protestante Pastor in Germany, when they came for him they made sure he didn't speak out, he was executed in 1944 for leading passive resistance to the Nazis.

I know the feeling too well. My CV had to go back to be updated to 100% and suddenly it was like not having my driving licence or credit card - and all those bits of paper to work out!