Judith-aka-Judith

Thank you Ctalpa, as you say, widely reported in the UK, also an area I have an interest in ..

Mint, been like that almost all the way through my career, also in a profession dominated by women, took ages to get a woman at the head of the professional association, and even now there are more men than women who get there .. yes, I begin to think we should fine them if companies have a very large gender imbalance, though I have not until now been in favour of positive discrimination, it is also evident that during Covid it is once again women who have lost most rather than men.

When I popped into one on my way back from Toulouse last week, for the loo, as Sue said, takeaway food available .. I even saw a bigger selection of salads and sandwiches thatn usual, and the coffee machines are working .. so no sit down meals, but no need to starve either.

Rather nice, if only OH would eat that, but found someone local who will do a more typical English menu for the day itself, instead of cooking ...

Mint and Catalpa, thanks for the additional comments since I was last on here .. I don't know of the help available in Chessie's region, it's too long since I was there, but we do have an association here which helps, a friend's husband had Alzheimers, she found it very helpful .. and my own doctor is aware of the difficulties, and would organise something to find out, but it would need his acceptance, and as with Chessie, that is the first stumbling block.  I'm nowhere near the same difficulty as Chessie ... for me I need to find a way to not trigger these outbursts, at least for the mo, but I am not a submissive person, and would find that too difficult .. for now, it's Chessie who needs our help .. And I can always spend a few nights in a hotel if it gets too difficult, he's quit happy when I do that on my travels, which I have much missed this year, of course, as it helps to get away ..from time to time.

Dear Chessie, Been without internet since yesterday, now restored, so I am finally able to reply.  As we have all said RANT AWAY!  I may be joining you soon, I see some of what you are describing in OH too, and getting worse, though I have friends here who allow me to let off steam, and my sister and BIL know what he is like .. not other relatives so close, we are the "top" generation now, though they have not seen him for soem time now .. I can see a slow progression to more aggression, not wanting to understand etc (I am being treated for melanoma, this not to gain sympathy, but he refuses to accept that the outcome long term may not be as planned).  So I do feel very much for you .. it is so hard to feel so alone.  OK as far as the wood goes, yes, I am null too at doing the fire .. but maybe as far as carrying wood is concerned, do you have any neighbours to help .. and also to find shelter with if you do ever get to need it?? Other have had more useful suggestions ... but you know you are not alone .. it has helped me .. though I am often now found in my study having a rant too!

And spellcheckers, word often spelt correctly, but wrong word!!

Seen it before, but the old ones are always the best!

 I can see that the EU has problems, but I voted to stay in all those years ago, and still do not agree with leaving it .. the leaving process has been a shambles, on all sides, from the day the referendum was anounced ..  as for the French, they never know which way to think and are so pessimistic they'd say anything contra to the current idea just for the sake of an argument.

Indeed, and a way to check car condition, licences, insurance also.  As for drugs, I don't think two old ladies (even if we don't feel we are!), and britannique at that!, were going to present too much challenge to them. I certainly saw plenty of single young men, who are probably their main (unexpressed) target.

Been travelling and moving around more than normal, medical appointments all over .. only one control ever - and they were in a well known town bottleneck, stopping everybody, just after Macron talked last week ... weren't interested in my attestation (I was the passenger) but checked the papers of my driver, but really in this country area, rarely seen. They disappear entirely when it is raining, of course!

And check coverage if using mobiles etc etc.  We know several people who have had problems with SFR round here .. sometimes offers are cheap because they cut in other areas .. you gets what you pays for!

Hi Idun, People were asking where you were, only a few days ago .. good to have you back. Your post didn't entirely surprise me, there several places in France which are nothing like as healthy as they are purported to be, never mind people's behavour as well. So sorry that you have lost another friend ... sad as it always is, no matter the reason. But looking forward to you raising our discussion levels again .. it's been a little quiet around here ...

Had them, each, separately, but arriving in the same post.  We both have S1s.

Have to say, Mint, that I concur with this, so far my experience, unlike with Norman, where a journey to so called decent shops is a minimum of 30 minutes if you are lucky (and we are nearer than you I know), and then if it doesn't fit etc etc, there is the trouble to go back again .. I like the fact that Amazon delivers direct to post box, or via La Poste, they know us, so it gets delivered OK, even if signed for, and is often speedier than anyone else. I accept hat some of their practices are not so good, but this is the world we live in now .. and their customer service is excellent, which is more than can be said for almost all businesses other than very, very small ones, here in France.  For example, we asked for a glazier to come measure for a piece of broken glass, obtain a replacement and fit it, he's measured it, gone off to order it, and that was long before lock down started. We are still waiting for his return, he said he would contact us ...

Not expecting our new ones yet .. far too many to process I would imagine .. and never of the speediest!

Great find, Norman, and great read!  Nothing new, but shows what comes around ... until the next time ...

Chessie, I once did have the name of an English dentish operating in that area (Duras - NE towards Bergerac memory tells me), but I cannot find it now.  Think I got ot off this forum, but it was at least 1-15 yrs agao at a guess.  As for sedation, hubby has the same problem, but we have yet to find anyone doing that around here, even in Montpellier, though you might find some more advancement by now.  However, given the region you are in, there is likely to be a dentist who has some English around that area.  Sorry, I don't have recent links to that area .. durng lockdown you might have less choice .. sorry this is probably not what you wanted to hear. 

Our taxe d'hab is due to paid by DD next week, they seem to be paid about a month apart (taxe fonc was paid out last month.

Mint, did you create an account?  And try to use that to sign on? I only use my account when I have set up a zoom meeting.  Otherwise, you should receive a link from the "organiser" and if you click on that, it should take you automatically to the zoom, though you will need to check you have your video on, and that you are using computer audio (and turn the computer up!). I'm on a MAC so it is relatively easy to turn on the camera and the microphone, but without those you would not be seen or heard, but them not on would not stop you connecting. I only use or sign into my actual account when I want to alter my settings.  Even when creating a meeting, I use the zoom app which is downloaded onto my desktop. I had to replace my MAC recently, the old one just "died" one day!  I'd signed onto zoom OK with it, then that weekend during both of my zoom meetings I kept freezing like never before ... so I checked I was using the most up to date zoom ... and since I have downloaded an update, I have not since had that problem. It might have been weather related than update related .. but it might also be worth trying that.

I have a memory that she said she was taking a step back for a while, as you say, Mint, it would be about then.

Quite Lori, Sense seems to have departed a great proportion of the population.  As a friend said, they don't have the war spirit that we learnt early on .. do without now, the sooner this will all be over.

Don'ty do Christmas shopping anymore, only for food at least - if we are here. As for the departmental map, still does not give the whole picture, rural areas are relatively free of the Covid and being sensible, whereas do not ghet me startedon the big cities, making life difficult for all.

I applied to change mine yesterday .. and also for hubby.  Mine went through OK, saying accepted, no problem.  I already have an EHIC which is not yet out of date.  Hubby's came back, as accepted application but will investigate, which might mean he has never had a EHIC ( it's possible, he doesn't travel much). But the application itself was simple, name, address, email, and did you already have a S1, where do you live, are you a British citizen, all the things you would expect.

Did it the first week it went live.  For both of us.  Two separate applications as expected (we have 2 different names, but one per person is required) so expected that anyway, but used my email add both times, no problen. Amazingly simple.  Some initial "where do I put this" problems, but if you'd done it wrong it would say field not filled etc .. and eventually I got two seperate acknowledgements, as expected.  I did a trial run before doing it poroperly, and could come out and go back on the same link and start again, no problem. Only had to send scan of current Cds (had prepared before hand) and details but no scan of passports (again prepared beforehand), but since we have 10yr cards I did not expect any othe information to be needed.  You do get a choice of which prefec or sous-prefec to deal with, so watch out for that as the prefec will be given first, but I chose the sous-prefec nearest to us, (dear Beziers!!!).  Not heard anything further, but I did not really expect to do so yet.