JohnM

Thought you were going for the other old joke.... A. Ken Dodd came to town last night. B. Did he? A. No, Doddy!

[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"] The driver has let it be known that he is angry that he has lost his good name in his local area in the UK.  I make no comment!  [/quote] Oh dear... In comparing British Justice to French, I have mentioned this story on a Somerset web site, that is the last thing he would have wanted..... Oh deary deary me, I feel so ashamed...... never mind, I'll soon get over it... in fact, you know, I think I already have.

Not if he has sold all his French house and moved his assets to the UK so that they are untouchable by teh French Courts. I don't know if he has done this but I think I read something similar somewhere.

"I don't think that those he visited should in anyway feel guilty (very easy to say I know but its true), at the end of the day he decided to drive and nobody forced him to do so. My thoughts go out to all those involved in this tragedy." Especially as a Somerset Newspaper site tells me that Tony was trying to get the group to take his torches and walk the short distance. Even so, Tony comes across as a caring person and I expect he does wish that he had done more to stop Bridges from driving. I realise that it is sometimes wrong to make assumptions based on appearance, but, Keith Bridges does not look like the sort of man that I would take on in an argument / fight, so I don't expect there was anything Tony could have done. My sympathies go out to "most" of the people affected by this tragedy - infact, to everyone bar Bridges.

Sorry if somebody else has already said this, but this is my first look at this thread and my "need" to respond is too strong to wait to the end. WW2 most certainly is a Key Stage 2 subject (most of my income comes from visiting Schools to talk about it). EDIT. This was in response to "This year there were 5 poppies for 6 English families, not bad, and a start, but what can you do when the history of the world wars is not part of the syllabus now?" but is has occurred to me that that may be refering to France and I was thinking of England..... so I might now look very stupid! :-) Ton Pis.

[quote user="suein56"][quote user="woolybanana"]It is perhaps difficult to understand the mindset and brain washing   [/quote]Is it lack of education, over-zealous religious commitment/enthusiasm or what? I am appalled, and, yet again, feel helpless and so very sad. Sue[/quote] I don't think it has anything to do with over-zealous religious commitment. I think it is more to do with (misguided and or evil) people who have realised that if they play the religious card they can convince / manipulate others. Core religion is usually a force for good, it is man (male and female) who adapts / distorts he core values to achieve political aims. If you belive in a God and powerful, manipulative person says "God has told me to do this" it's difficult to object.

I have to disagree with your signature tag Maricopa. Virtually everything that any of us do is based on assumption. We go to work on the asumption that we will get paid. We eat food on the assumption that it will not poison us. We watch sport on the assumption that we will enjoy it. Our assumptions are right far more often than they are wrong. The bloke (male or female) who first said that popular (but inaccurate) saying, must have been very out of touch with reality.

I don't mind the children dressing up. I don't mind them going door to door. I don't mind them enjoying the night. I really really hate it when they use those three words "Trick or Treat" - I do not like it when people try to demand with menaces (bully) even if they are only 5 years old. Children that I know are welcome to come to my door (on the proper night) and say "Happy Halloween".

I find the current way so many people interpret "racism" very difficult. I've always thought it to be a serious issue where some (rather stupid) members of a race treat members of another race (or, all other races) badly just because they are a different race. However, the media seem to think that anything which is said or done which uses a racial stereotype is evil and so so so wrong. So, I can call somebody a bignosed idiot (as long as big noses are not a racial trait) even if I know that the intended victim will be deeply hurt by the comment. However, I can't use a "so called" racist term, even if there is no malice behind it. A foriegn friend posted the following comment soon after Anton du Beck's stupid comment was posted. "Never attribute to malice, that which can be adequately explained by stupidity". I think we would be better if we all lived by that maxim.

My place has a 3 phase supply and, although there are "ordinary" sockets in the rooms, 2 rooms are from one phase another two from the second phase and the rest from the third phase. However, I have the sockets you describe in positions where the old storage heaters used to be. The idea is to try to "balance" the usage so that each phase has roughly the same amount of current drawn from it. The trouble is in a domestic set up like this is, you may only want a couple of things on, say a heater and a hair dryer, which may not exceed your main trip, but if they are in the same room, that phase may be exceeded. I plan to get mine single phase when I can afford it.

Just in case you are interested. I asked the Danes what they thought about access / changes to the garden (because they speak english and have had experience of planning law). They in turn asked the opinion of the (nice)French neighbours. In turn, they spoke to a friend who is a notaire (no change). The response is that I have to engender access, turning and harmony. But parking and badminton were not mentioned, So, I think I'll extablish a small point of access into the Parisians field coz I have to, create a parking space for the Danes coz I want to and discuss garden plans with the nice french!

Sorry to be a pedant, but Gunner Graham was in "It Aint Half Hot Mum".

[quote user="opas"] What the hell has car insurance to do with working:[/quote] On this one point I may be able to offer insight. If the car was insured for social and domestic use, then the insurance is not valid if it is used for any work purpose. That work purpose can be a little as taking an alternative route home to drop a work letter in at the post box. By the way, some insurers do not cover commuting either.

It's a while since I did any legal training, but I thought you had to be told what you wee being arrested for? Sounds like a cover up to me.

No problems with the thread deviating, from my original questions, it's all interesting.

There is an anglo francais club in Swindon, they meet once a month but I don't think my french is good enough to go along. It is a mix of French and English people. I know of a very nice ladywith 2 daughters that live in Bath (she tried to teach me in Swindon)

No, no no, I'm sure it's a small plant , I saw one in a pot at the garden centre. Mind you, I saw a small cherry tree there and mine is enormous.... I guess there are differnt types (Oh the joy of being ignorant of gardening issues, "mistakes" are so easy to make). What's more, I think it is an urban myth that it has nasty sharp scratchy prickles....

Ermmm.... Pyrocantha has such a pretty flower....

Hah! I need to look at Volume 4656 number 13 at the Chambery land registry Le nouveau propriétaire supportera la servitude de passage constitué au profit de la parcelle B 684 sur bien suivant: parcelle B 683, ainsi que cela résulte d'un acte reçu par Maître RENOUD Notaire à LA CHAMBRE le 6 Octobre 1962, publié au l'bureau des hypothèques de CHAMBERYle 8 Novembre 1962, Volume 4656 numéro 13, et il en respectera toutes conditions d'exercise.

I've found some more legal in the Expédition which says: Une parcelle de terrain à usage de cour figurant au cadastre de cette commune de la manière suivante: No 683, Contenance 05A 25CA, Tel que ce bien existe avec ses aisances, parties attenantes et dépendances, et les droits de toute nature qui y sont attachés, sans exception ni réserve. This is because the parisiennes toilet is in the garage (top left corner( so they obviously have the right to access that via 683, but I wonder if they should be accessing the rest of 922 via the garage instead of taking the fence down and putting stepping stones in my flower bed. Now that I've found it, I'll continue to delve into the expedition. (Edited because I was looking at a photocopy of the cadastre and the garage is an X on that, so that's what I typed)

One day I'll find out what the neighbours are called but I've only been there 8 years... Gerard & Isabelle have owned plots 715 677 676 688 and perhaps 689 690 and 691 for about 30 years. Ole and Hanne from Denmark own 682, 679 and probably 678. Christine and Laurent from Paris own 681, which is a 2 room appartment on half of the first floor of Ole and Hanne's. They own 922 and 686. My paperworks says.... Les sol et cour cadastrés section B No 716 et B No 683, précision étant faite que la parcelle 683 est grevée d'une servitude de passage au profit des propriétés voisins. I think I understand servitude as access, but does profit mean that then can "use" it to their advantage. Sorry, can't post the pic. No matter what I do, the html delimiters are being turned into ascii so that they post as typed, instead of denoting instructions, yet the plan shows up properly in the preview screen. I'm stumped.

[quote user="sid"] but have read on this forum... 4 it is illegal for a French resident to drive a UK-registered car here in France (apparently there are some relaxations of the ruling for close family). .  Sid [/quote] I hadn't read that but I guess there must be some other dispensations... french garages have certainly had to take my cars for test drives on the roads. (It's wrong wrong wrong for a car to need work while you are on holiday!)

Thanks for that. Very interesting, but sadly it doesn't indicate where the gate should be.

The quote dropped off when I did the first edit. This was in response to the OP deciding not to cash the cheque. In that case, email them and tell them that due to their unfortunate circumstances, you will not cash the cheque. If they have already stopped it they may (depending on the sort of person they are) feel morally inferior to you. If the haven't they will think you are fantastic people and may recommend you to their more affluent friends. In either case, you are in charge of the outcome and that will be good for you. (Edited due to me being stupid and deleting too much.)

And the bit I forgot... Thanks for your help.