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gburrows

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  1. Interesting story, but what has it to do with "Frequently Asked Questions"? I thought this part of the forum was established to provide useful practical information, not memoires.
  2. I'm sure this problem is driving you mad, but how does it relate to Frequently Asked Questions about Health matters? There is a more appropriate section for this question elsewhere in this forum.
  3. The solution lies within your grasp. Point your mouse at the red banner at the top of the forum where it says "Date/Time" and ... click. Then see what happens.
  4. >I have bought a house recently >in Vernet les Bains and >am now about to rewire, >replumb, and do a >few other refurbishments. I >had considered paying for this >work from my savings in >uk. However, when I >opened an account with the >BP in Vernet, the manager >asked me if I might >need a loan, they are >charging 5% interest.I said no >at the time but given >that my hard earned savings >in uk are suffering at >present with the bear market, >after some thought, it seemed >perhaps an idea to borrow >from BP. Has anyone >taken out a loan with >them and what does it >involve. I don't have >any problem with credit checks >being made, etc. I >just wondered how long it >might take to get a >loan and does it make >sense? I have not taken out a loan in France and so cannot give the benefit of my experience. However, if you wish to be prudent then your best move would be to take out a loan in the country of your income. If your income is from the UK then remember that that sterling is not fixed to the euro and that potential instability may cost much more than the interest savings (you do not say whether 5% is flat rate or APR) and if the exchange rate becomes very unfavourable you may have difficulty servicing the loan. If your income comes from France, then you have to decided whether the interest rate is competitive.
  5. Another thing for you to consider is what happens at the end of secondary education. The French university experience is very different from the UK experience. There is very little student support, student unions are unknown and development of understanding is sacrificed for rote learning. There is a growing trend for people in France (and especially Germany) to send their children to British universities because - in spite of the problems created by the enforced expansion of the system over the last decade - it is still more humane than the home system.
  6. You seem to be counting chickens before they hatch. What would you do if they stayed in England and left all their money to the local dog and cat home?
  7. LAST EDITED ON 29-Jun-02 AT 01:34 PM (GMT) Is it likely that you clicked onto the red banner at the top of one of the discussion pages? It says DISCUSSION TOPIC - if you do this it organises the contents in alphabetical order. A click on one discussion heading will reorder the whole forum. Click on DATE/TIME and the messages will be re-organised by date. Grenville
  8. When our village was connected about 18 months ago the following happened: 1 A representative from SAUR (the water company) visited every household and explained what was to happen, provided information etc and got us to sign appropriate contracts. 2 He identified the points on the perimeter of our property where access points to the sewers would be made. 3 The mains sewerage system was then dug (a long laborious and noisy business because the village is situated on a hard limestone ridge). 4 On completion we were then given 2 years to connect ourselves to the system. There was a connection charge of 3,000F for the first connection point plus 1,000F for any additional points. Since we had foul water going into a fosse septique and grey water discharges into the gutter on one side of the property, and a similar grey water outlet on the other side, this cost us 4,000F. With the help of a jobbing builder (English) we made the appropriate connections using standard pvc pipes. Our efforts would probably not be acceptable in England, but the maire was only concerned that surface water was not captured. The fosse is now disconnected and we are leaving it until it has dried out and we shall be filling it with garden/building rubbish in due course. A necessary task has been the fitting of effective u-traps inside the house since there has been some seepage of foul gas past the rather shallow grey water traps. There has been an increase in the price of water to pay for treatment. Grenville
  9. When our village was connected about 18 months ago the following happened: 1 A representative from SAUR (the water company) visited every household and explained what was to happen, provided information etc and got us to sign appropriate contracts. 2 He identified the points on the perimeter of our property where access points to the sewers would be made. 3 The mains sewerage system was then dug (a long laborious and noisy business because the village is situated on a hard limestone ridge). 4 On completion we were then given 2 years to connect ourselves to the system. There was a connection charge of 3,000F for the first connection point plus 1,000F for any additional points. Since we had foul water going into a fosse septique and grey water discharges into the gutter on one side of the property, and a similar grey water outlet on the other side, this cost us 4,000F. With the help of a jobbing builder (English) we made the appropriate connections using standard pvc pipes. Our efforts would probably not be acceptable in England, but the maire was only concerned that surface water was not captured. The fosse is now disconnected and we are leaving it until it has dried out and we shall be filling it with garden/building rubbish in due course. A necessary task has been the fitting of effective u-traps inside the house since there has been some seepage of foul gas past the rather shallow grey water traps. There has been an increase in the price of water to pay for treatment. Grenville
  10. Compose your reply off-line using a word processor. Then re-establish your connection and copy and paste your contribution. You can always keep the browser open while you are off-line so that you can cunsult the message you are replying to, and, as Russethouse says, check your spelling and grammar. Of course logging off and on is time consuming, but if you don't feel pressured into a rapid reply, this is probably the best approach to take. Grenville
  11. The following letter appeared in the Independent last Friday. It may provide food for thought. Sir As an NHS-trained nurse who has worked in the French health service (mainly in intensive care in a large public hospital) for the past nine years, I find it ironic that the favourable British press coverage of the French system coincides with a week of industrial action by health care workers here in France. Health service workers are badly paid and have a near-unmanageable workload. Levels of stress and exhaustion are high - the introduction of the 35-hour working week was supposed to help unemployment, but is being used to compress the workload and create many hours of unpaid overtime. We work with staffing levels that would cause bed closures in the UK - one nurse for three patients in the intensive care unit (as opposed to 1:1 in the UK) and lack of nursing staff is never a reason to refuse a patient. Nursing is a largely non-graduate profession in France with fairly low expectations and an almost non-existent career structure. At a recent National Critical Care conference in France I presented a paper, and as I talked of the career structure, staffing levels and pay scales of British nurses, the gasps from the audience were audible. So, if you want to learn from the French healthcare system - take the best (excellence in terms of choice and waiting times) but look critically at the rest - for the sake of the health workers.
  12. Just buy a tv from a French retailer. They'll get you. As in the UK, your address and name will be noted and sent to the appropriate agency. Grenville
  13. I do not have experience of Saniflow in France, but I do have one in England, which I bought from Wickes (own brand). After eight years of sterling work it packed in and I replaced it with another (which cost me 10 more than the original price). Since, as far as I can gather, they are all (whatever the brand) made by the same French company, I feel able to consider their use in France. The product operates and performs as is described, and is relatively easy to install. It requires an electricity supply which can be taken from any nearby socket (with appropriate safety precautions). To the owner of any fosse septique, it offers no additional problems (just use the same rules - no Tampax, nappies, cotton wool etc). I have seen displays in Castorama and other diy places, so they are easy to obtain. I would not hesitate to use one where it could be useful. Grenville
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