Ariegoisie

Don't be too disturbed pool guy. I have been checking around the web about pool ionisers, health legislation regarding their use and a great deal since your post on the health issues of heavy metals as water purifiers. Jury seems to be out on what levels are safe but the levels discussed are substantially above that necessary for pool purification. Tried to keep this impartial, ignoring the ioniser manufacturers and those in the business of flogging chemicals (who are obviously going to be biased). The ion levels can be monitored and the ioniser use geared to maintaining a constant level. I have found nowhere that suggests these levels are anywhere near harmful. If you're aware of some authoritative report that I should be aware of then I'd appreciate the URL. For the moment I feel happier with the information I have discovered about ionisation than the alternative cocktail of acknowledged poisons and irritants. I would of course advise everyone to do their own research rather than take my advice. As I said I use a reduced level of chlorine to oxidise out suncreams and other gunk. As far as bacteria and the like, for a non-public pool the ioniser should be fine - silver-copper ionisation is used to purify drinking water in hospitals and by bottled water suppliers. G.

I think you're right. If you're non-resident in the UK it is difficult to open a UK bank account. There are however some banks that offer specilised accounts for this purpose. Generally there are account charges and conditions applying, such as the minimum balance that must be maintained, etc. Strangely enough all our banks were quite happy with a simple change of address notification when we moved to France though none would have let us open an account if we had moved there first ! G. 

It does get confusing doesn't it, however, the E106 I was issued with has enabled me to get cover for my family and myself in France. It is renewable. This is the form I was advised to get by the Centre for Non Residents in Newcastle having clearly stated our situation and I assume that they know what they are talking about. Quotes from the IR web site - "E106: This is a certificate of entitlement to sickness/maternity benefits in kind for persons going to live in another Member State. When the E106 is registered the person and registered dependants can receive medical treatment on the same basis as an insured person of the Member State of residence. " "E109: Form E109 is a certificate of registration for the dependants only of an employed/self-employed person who resides in a Member State. It entitles the holder to sickness/maternity benefits. Form E109 is issued for a limited period, i.e. 12 months." The 'E' forms cover all EEA countries and are not peculiar to UK citizens. The E111 should be used to obtain cover for short term trips to an EEA country other than the competent country. The E106 is a certificate of entitlement to health benefits in kind for persons residing in a country other than the competent country. The E109 is a certificate for the registration of members of the employed person's family and dependants whilst they live in a country other than the competent country. I believe that the actual worker is automatically covered in the country that they pay their contributions but not in the other EEA country they have opted to live. Obviously there are many different circumstances that may apply to different people. I would recommend that any Brit who needs to sort out their health cover in France but still pays some or all tax/NI in the UK, contacts the Centre for Non Residents (0845 915 4811 or from abroad 0044 191 225 4811) explains their specific situation and gets the correct solution from the horses mouth. Hope this helps to clarify. Cheers, G.

Hi. I transfer largish (>£5000) amount as required using HIFX who seem very efficient. For one currency deal their minimum trade is for £5000. They also offer a regular payments service where you can transfer more frequent or smaller amounts, which might suit your purpose. As pointed out you would get a much better exchange rate than your bank and save enormously on transfer charges. G.

Where we are (Ariege) there is not a great deal of quality new furniture (But, Comforama, Fly all do furniture but it's not cheap, not great quality and of a certain style (!) ). Ikea's stuff is generally well made and good value but you might not want to kit out your french rustic home with modern swedish gear. The brocantes and depot vente are hideously overpriced for most of the better pieces although you can often find the occasional bargain. Emmaeus depots are very cheap but mostly junk, again it is possible to find some gems. Yet to visit a french auction. In the UK I found that to be the best way to find quality pieces at resonable price. WRT transporting furniture from the UK to France. There are a lot of haulage companies that will deliver part loads to france on a scheduled trip basis. You generally pay by the cubic metre and it's not that expensive. If you're buying a couple of wardrobes you can fill them full of other items and not pay any more in some cases. For bulk material, as somebody mentioned earlier, there are a lot of material shops around here because the Ariege is (or was) a major producer in the french textile industry. G.

Access is much better in France than in the UK as the law is biased towards the common man rather than the riparian land owners (reult of the revolution I suppose). As long as you don't trespass on private land to access rivers and lakes then you should be OK. Obviously when paddling try not to disturb anglers, wildlife, livestock and leave no mess, that way no one can really object. There are a huge variety of canoes and kayaks to choose from. It really depends what you want to do. For serious whitewater, rodeo or small rivers/streams you need a specialist kayak or stubby 'playboat'. For descending rivers you can get by with a more traditional kayak. If you want to do a lot of sea paddling then you should really look at a proper sea-kayak. I prefer canoes myself as I'm more interested in touring and river descents rather than whitewater playboating and you can get several people and gear in them. That said, with skill, you can still descend some serious rapids in an open canoe, even up to grade V if you fit spraydecks. For general family use I would recommend an aluminium canoe like a Grumman/Marathon. These are tough as nails, will take lots of punishment from rocks and grounding and can live outside when not in use without going brittle in the sun or needing varnishing, etc. I have a 17' Marathon and have had 3 adults and 3 kids in it at one time. It has been down some big rivers and also cruises well on open water. I have also made a sailing rig for it which works very well (faster than most dinghies downwind) and am working on a bolt-on outrigger with trampoline deck so that it is more stable when close to the wind (and the kids fancy lying in the sun on the deck). Before you start it is worth taking the time to learn the basic techniques for paddling and safety. For canoes I recommend 'The Path of the Paddle' by Bill Mason, the god of wilderness canoeing. For an idea of the range of boats on offer look at www.getoutcanoeing.co.uk who do loads of canoes, kayaks, paddles, lifejackets, throw-ropes,etc. I don't think they will deliver boats to France but when you have decided wht you want you should be able to contact the manufacturer to find your nearest distributor. G.

I use a pool ioniser which is solar powered. This has kept the water crystal clear since April when the pool was opened after the winter. I use no algaecide and very low chlorine. The pool is fresh water with a sand filter. Filtration runs for about 10 hours a day. Looking at standard recommended levels for chlorine and chemical dosage for algae control I estimate that I will have saved around 250 EUR in costs this summer. This seems a good thing as I don't like tipping things that say 'poisonous, don't get in contact with skin, eyes, seek urgent medical attention, etc' into a pool and then jumping in with it. (good for the planet too I expect) We've used the pool all summer and there has been no incidence of sickness, ear infections, etc. The water doesn't hurt your eyes, dry out your skin or turn blonde hair green ! Not had a pool before so don't know if this is unusual. I believe ionisers work in salt water pools as well. G.

I would say that it is much better to have LHD in France. If you don't want the hassle of re-registering a UK car in France then why not part-ex this for a french registered LHD here in the UK and drive that down. These are often real bargains as they are not in demand here (for the same reason as it's hard to sell RHD in France). If you search the web there are a number of LHD specialists in th UK, several of which can even source you a car in France whilst taking your old RHD in part-ex in the UK. Phone around and ask what they can do for you. G.

If you've budgeted for a certain rate and can currently get better then buy forward to tie the better rate in. If the rate gets better then you miss out but if it falls you're protected. If you want to get a bit more sophisticated and can identify a range in which you would be happy to buy but don't want to fix at a specific point in that range now then you can set up reverse future trades which effectively limit your upside and downside to this range. I use HIFX for my currency trades and have always found them very efficient.

I am in the same situation. All my income is earnt and tax/NI paid in UK, though resident in France. Not hard to get the forms. I got a form E106 (not an E109) which covers myself and family for basic healthcare in France. As Val says you then need to top up your health cover with an insurance plan. This is normal and not just something foreigners need to do. The form is valid for a stated period of time depending on your application. Mine gives cover for two years and then I need to renew it. If you want to talk to someone about this then call the Centre For Non Residents on 0044 191 225 4811. They were very helpful. I simply faxed them copies of the docs they wanted and they posted the certificate out to me. You then take the form to your local 'Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie' with an RIB and some utility bills to prove your residence. They process this and post the authenticated certificate to you. G.