Helen888

If anyone knows of a nice kind English speaking opthamologist anywhere on The Riviera I would be really really grateful if you could email me details. I speak some French but my eye problems are difficult enough to describe in English!   In hope!    

I'm used to reading F1, F2, F3 etc or 1P, 2P etc as number of rooms in addition to kitchen and bathroom. I would be grateful if anyone knows what T1, 2 and 3 are as I've seen a place to rent thats T3...i think the F and P refer to house and apartment so what could T be? Thanks  

My friend has been lucky enough to get a position of employment here in France. He has a certain sort of contract that basically puts him on one months trial, then this is extended following appraisal for the first six months of employment before job becomes 'permanent'..i think these contracts are quite common. I think the employer deducts the healthcare contributions at source (job is employed position not self employed) but is there anything else he has to do now CDS is not required. previously i think you had to take your work contract down to CPAM...is this still the case or will everything be automated ? Thanks

I've heard of people (living in France) setting up UK Ltd companies and employing themselves through them so taxes etc. in France are just declared as an employee. I just wondered if anyone knew what benefits there were to this. I don't need any particular qualifications to conduct my trade in France due to work record so setting up as profession liberale would be fairly easy...i just wondered if having a UK company eases the financial burdon in any way?

I'm hoping anyone who's ever had a  Mother-in-law (or relatives visit for a 'holiday' mid renovation) will emphathize with me and take pity on us. I am hoping to find a last minute bargain break for two 60 somethings close as possible to Limoges for a week or so in May...will need to be a studio or similar as we really are working to a budget.  We are in a bit of a pickle ( a sweet and sour one really!). We're lucky enough to have been offered a proper job with a French employer (anyone without fluent French and working in a sector where jobs seldom arise will know what a stroke of long over due luck this is) however the job is in another region. This isn't a problem for us as we're fond of the other region and the priority was remaining in France. The potential start date of the job is almost immediately and it clashes with some relatives arriving. The problem is we promised my partners Mother a holiday with us this year ..shortly after she informed us she's like to bring her new gentlemen friend (not a problem). We're on our second home in France and for the last few months have been sleeping, eating and living in a workshop in the back of one of the barns...but have a nice caravan that 'Mum' was going to occupy.  When we told her about the job my partners Mum suggested she and her friend stay in our place while we're not there as flights are booked and they were looking forward to a break i think. However I dont think she can picture just how basic it is ...is it just me or would anyone else feel funny about a Mother in law type person staying in their room under camping conditions when they weren't there? its not like it's a proper house so all our bits and bobs are everywhere (no need for mind to boggle ! I just mean the personal junk everyone has which is a normal house you'd file away)...i haven't met her friend and i feel odd about them staying in this room we've been ' camping ' in...anyone who's renovated while living on site and had to use cardboard boxes as sock draws will hopefully know what i mean...maybe even anyone with a Mother-in-law . The alternative is we change their flight and they accompany us to the new town but it will be the first week of new job and we'll probably be living in a hotel room while we search for an apartment...its not ideal. They didn't seem keen either . We can probably find an apartment after the first week and then they can get a hire car and travel to join us for the 2nd week of their holiday. So...does anyone have any budget accomodation (perhaps due to a cancellation) available for one week from 10th May within close driving distance of Limoges airport.  If anyone can help pls could you contact me via the message box i might be unable to reply until Wednesday as to top it all we have problems with our phone line but trust me, if you can help we'll get back to you!      

hello, i don't suppose anyone has any accomodation to rent within 30 minutes drive of La Bocca nr Cannes? We have our own house in South West France so would be away frequently at weekends etc but need to be based in the South for work during the week (professional couple working in technology field). Job offer  has come up unexpectly and start is asap.  Even short term rental of a month would help while we find our feet (we'd probably prefer this). Both highly considerate, not noisy, 30's with no children (but i confess, one house cat!). We have excellant refs. Looking for an appartment or part of villa - One of us will be based at home for much of the time and perfectly happy to help with garden etc in the case of the latter (not necessarily in exchange for rent reduction). If anyone can help pls could you email me via the link above.   Many Thanks Helen

Has anyone any tips regarding the motivational letter that accompanies the c.v. for job applications? I guess it probably varies depending on the type of job applied for but i wondered if, in general, it should just be a couple of paragraphs outlining skills and experience (i.e.quite formal) or whether it was usual to make it more 'salesy' ... would what be considered proactive in the US or UK (little things like 'look forward to meeting you soon') be considered presumptuous or even rude over here?   Best Regards Helen ps. It's not for me before anyone points out the first thing is to check the spelling is correct!  

I wondered if anyone knew the going rate for reclaimed slate roof tiles (the silvery blue sort with the little nail hole in) as i have no idea about prices and don't want to get ripped off.   Many thanks in advance!

Thanks Val.

Vehicle (French registered bike) will be off the road and in secure locked area. Does anyone know if its possible to insure on this basis (ie for reduced amount) or whether we have to pay the full whack as if the bike was being used? In addition, If anyone knows an insurer who will insure in the former circumstances please could you let me know.   Lots of Thanks in advance

Perhaps this post would be better placed in 'pets' but i know several self sufficient and small holding owners post here. I have not kept chickens before but i would like to start...just with two or three birds. At the end of my lane there is a chap who has a douzen or so birds (feathered type!) and they are always by the road-side or running in the road itself (they do rush out of the way when they see cars coming). They haven't escaped they, are just allowed to roam where they wish. I would like to let my chickens out to roam free during the day (we have a chicken shed we can use at night) our own land isnt close to the road but it isn't  fenced either and is bordered by fields. Do chickens tend to keep fairly close to home (or source of food) or given half the chance will they dash over the fields and far away? I must admit that my wish to let the chickens run riot in the garden is partly motivated by the fact i know they are no friend of snakes (enogh said!) Secondly, and my other half wont answer this question as he seems to find it funny....Asian bird flu...is there any risk here?I'm sure the chicks sold in the local market are of local decent but do i need to check this?

I know its legal for plants to be posted throughout the EU as i sometimes order from the UK, but i wondered if any special requirements need to be considered. My Mum always raids my garden here when she visits and i would like to send her a plant from  my garden in a cardboard tube through the post. Does anyone know if its ok for an individual (ie not a large registered garden centre) to do this.   Thanks!

Due to budget i think this is the route we'll have to take. In our commune we have to pay for the technician to come out and do the soil tests etc before the application is made so I am not worried about installing the thing in the wrong place however i wondered how easy actual installation is and whether anyone else has put their own fossee in.

i have tried all the usual on-line french plant suppliers but i can't find one that provides young hedging (whips?) along the lines of what i could get in the Uk (eg hawthorn for about 40p per plant) and the local companies are costly too, Does anyone know of a mail order company in French that can supply young plants as its getting close to end of planting time for them.   helen

I know they are innocent creatures and i wouldnt dream of hurting one (too scared to get close enough for a start:crazy but i wondered if anyone had come across any products for keeping snakes at bay...other than the sprays or granuals which work out impossibly expensive. Perhaps (and will probably get laughed at) one of those ultra sound devices used for discouraging moles might work (the sort you bury).  I don't reasonably expect to rid my land of them, especially as we are bordered by orchards, fields and woodlands and our land is unkempt to say the least (riddled with hundreds of hiding places for them) but i would like to lessen the risk of them taking me by surprise ; they are supposed to be timid and stay away from humans if possible but they don't seem to understand this round here! if someone could invent a plug in device to ward of snakes i'm sure it would be a huge worldwide seller..i suppose a minor fact to overcome is that they are deaf and from being told  to stomp particularly heavily in long grass i guess they feel low vibrations rather than high pitched tones more keenly (obviously why screaming doesnt work). I am trying to cut back long grass and weeds in preparation for snakey season but if anyone else has any ideas i would be grateful.   best Regads helen     

Thank you for the above info...hmm, i suspected they could be a bit 'naughty' but i suspect that's why you secretly love them!    

Hi John I don't know for sure what will happen to the little Brive airport but i remember someone telling me ages ago it was unsuitable for developing further (i guess for international flights) due to it being sited so close to the couple of large gas tanks on the other side of the road just at the end of the flight path!! I think some naughty estate agents are definately trying to give the impression that the airport will offer passenger flights without knowing for sure. The airport is supposed to open next year...it seems strange so little is known 'for sure'. Helen    

[quote]I understand that the old way of insulating a roof was to use lamb/sheep wool straight off the animal.Around my area they burn the wool because they can't sell it (cheap imports).So in May I'm going r...[/quote] Hi This sounds a great solution. Does the wool go directly under the tiles and where is the brown paper in the 'sandwich'? We have wool a plenty round here so this could be the ideal solution for me. Thank you.      

brilliant!   Thanks everyone

Hi Dave   no. I'm British...i though the term was a bit misleading too but i got it straight from The Readers Digest complete DIY manual!Apparently its two sheets of really thick brown paper type material held together by a central layer of bituminised fibre mesh. Apparenly it comes in rolls 3 foot by 30 and gets tacked under tiles before your insulation to prevent driven wind, rain snow etc (im not technical but i suppose it works more by creating a smooth surface so wind flows over roof). Its sounded like a solution for lazy me being too bone idle to reomve tiles and felt roof. Mentioned it to my dad and he knew what i meant so maybe its an old fashioned way of insulating the roof    

Thanks Hoddy. Using the search engines very little emerges for Cressensac Airport but a lot more for 'Cressensac Aerodrome' which reinforces what we were always told by the locals...freight planes and some small craft for weekend pleasure flying etc. I wonder if some Estate Agents are trying to bump up interest in property by suggesting this improved link might be more substantial than it really will be (my question was originally posted as i had heard of a number of them were touting it as a plus factor, they never seem to expand on which operators will be flying in and sort of mubble when asked about passenger flights) maybe they are in the dark too, hope we are not stuck with the little buzzy buzzy type planes only as this link would be really great for us it we could actually travel on it.

i would like to get a couple of goats but as yet know nothing about how to care for them. I can probably find out enough to put me  off the potential new pets online (!) however one thing i wondered was whether a licence is required here for keep just a small number of goats? The other thing I was wondering was whether any goatkeepers out there have any tips for making goats cheese....is just for my brave consumption, obviously not selling it or anything!    

This is apparently still set to ahead in 2006 (close Brive in 19 and Souillac in 46) but i know no more than this. Does anyone have any additional info? We have always been told it will be just a smallish airport, mostly for freight. It would be handy for us to have a passenger airport there although Limoges is also close by road.    

I wondered if this is even available in France and if so what name it goes by? I can't seem to find it anywhere, so thought it might not be something French builders use. Many Thanks

Is such a thing available? I was just wondering; as our house is a renovation project needing it's first fosse we have to arrange for a technician (the commune have details of who to use on the fosse application form) to come and do all the usual checks and it's really expensive. 250 euros for first visit, 250 to check installation after the work has been done and 50 euros for each consecutive visit if we don't get it right first time . I know rules between different departments vary hugely but, in the commune we have moved from (same department) there is no cost at all for the technician to visit at present time - some people are even allowed to carry out vatious tests themselves (eg digging holes and monitoring drainage rates over a set period of hours). So, the cost of the new fosse is ever increasing...i wondered how people of low incomes (or even a reasonable income!) foot the bill for their fosse's considering the 2005 regs. Lots of our French friends still have a natural French soakaway system (ie no fosse at all). I wondered if there is any help available ... ?