[Alternative (PC) Web Browser]

you can avoid displaying banner adverts with a simple css script in your browser personal settings folder - works brilliantly on OS X but I haven't tried it on Windoze yet!

[moving plants to France]

I'm getting the feeling that having a greenhouse is perhaps an English thing to do, however the french must have their way of seeing plants through the winter and bringing on plants in the spring. Maybe it's just a question of altering my viewpoint and attempting the french way of doing things!

As it has often been said in my family (for completely the wrong reasons, you really don't want to know!) "en fait ce qu'en peut avec ce qu'en as"!!

(sp? my speech is better than my writing!!)

[orthodontist]

oh dear, looks like we'll have to budget some!

Still, kids are more important so if she needs it we'll have to manage!

Thanks for the quick replies, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear! Forewarned is forearmed as they say...

[orthodontist]

I know it's not strictly education, but my 13 yr-old has just started orthodontal treatment here in the UK. Yes, I know - it wasn't my idea to become homeless at this stage in her life!

We've both been working fulltime here so should have no problem with the E106 even though we won't have jobs to go to immediately. However, is orthodontal teatment covered, and what is the service like in France?

[moving plants to France]

many thanks for the replies - looks like I will be busy potting up this week-end!

I just hope it doesn't get too cold here as I've just sold the greenhouse

Talking of greenhouses, the only ones I've seen in france were in the graveyard...I hope that I will be able to get another one over there at some point or I will have to get a polytunnel

[checklist before moving?]

good point - somehow the obvious quite frequently gets overlooked

post, electricity, phone, bank, new bank in France, insurance brokers, and all the other people one needs to tell when one moves address in the same country all need to be told!

There's so much to think about that sometimes I feel we will forget a lot - like taking photos of where we all are now, so we can look back, and making sure we get in contact with people we only associate with on 'the xmas card list' so they know where we are going.

Doh!, I'm not going to get depressed about it - roll on the move I say!! can't wait

[moving plants to France]

there are a lot of plants in the garden I would like to take with us when we move to Fance:-

the bay tree that Dad gave me as a cutting, now 6'+;

the rosemary I was given when he died;

the handkerchief tree I bought with my middle daughter a couple of years ago;

the hellebores my aunt gave me as cuttings before she died;

cuttings of all the fuschias and chrysanths that came from my father before he died;

seeds from a lot of plants that have meaning (I don't think seeds are prohibited by customs anyway)

What is the best way to transport this sort of thing to France?

Will I be able to keep plants going in the barn or elsewhere before planting them out in France?

I apreciate that a lot will depend on the area (we're moving to Limousin, probably in January) but are there any tips that others can pass on having moved large plants over? Were customs at all interested?

I've just sold my greenhouse over here on ebay - with misgivings, as the only ones I've seen in France have been in the graveyard, but we can't take everything, can we?!!

Any hints / tips appreciated,

Mary

[Alternative (PC) Web Browser]

firefox is fast becoming THE alternative browser. I find it a lot faster than mozilla and netscape, and of course it's free - unlike Opera. IE has so many security holes we are actively discouraged from using it at work (a software house)

It's not just for PC though - I use it on my Mac as well, sometimes even in preference to Camino.

Mary

[checklist before moving?]

I've found a few posts, but apparently a lot were lost in a forum refactor

I agree with one of the posters that this should be a FAQ - however much research you do you always feel like there's something you missed!

So far - for this end of the move, I have(in no particular order):

tax (P85?)

DHSS (E106)

Child benefit office

proof of no claims on car insurance

inform banks, solicitors, savings accounts.

redirect post (PO)

obviously there's a lot more (like resigning at work and informing schools, etc) but I really wanted to know the legal necessities!

There was a very comprehensive post from 2heads about what you have to do when you get there:

Carte de Sejour (birth certificate, passport, proof of income, proof of address etc.)

Livret de Famille (birth certificate, passport, proof of income, proof of address, wedding certificate, etc.)

Assedic

ANPE

Social security

Mutualite

Register with tax man

Property lease or buyProperty insurance

Wills

Buy car

Register car

Driving license

Car insurance

Telephone

Water

Gas

V license

Electricity

Satellite TV

Internet connection

Mary

[checklist before moving?]

is there such a thing as a checklist available of things we need to do before moving to France?

Things like child benefit transfer, tax forms, etc.

We're sure to forget something that would've been easier from this side of the channel...

[all signed up and raring to go!]

well we signed the compromis de vente and paid the deposit, so now we wait for the papers!

Opening a french bank account was easier than we were led to believe - all we needed were our passports. The English speaking person at the bank was on holiday so we ended up seeing the big boss lady, but luckily my french held out - and apparently two her colleagues live near our house so she knew which one it was!

Can't thank Karen & John enough for letting us use their beautiful gite and making us so welcome, and 'hello' (or should that be 'bonjour'!) to all the people we met through them!

[B&B recommendations - next week!]

Many thanks for all the replies, especially to Karen & John who we will be seeing next week!

[B&B recommendations - next week!]

we're coming to Limousin next week to look for a property, and need somewhere to stay...

Can anyone recommend a B&B (or gite, but not expensive!) for 2 adults & a 12 yr old for the 25 - 29th preferably in central Creuse, as we're intending seeing immobliers in Gueret (amongst others).

Thought I'd booked online but it turns out they're closed for Octobre