Evianers

Could someone please give a ball-park monthly figure to be paid to the Mutuelle for a married couple late 50s who hope to immigrate to France but who have no track record in Europe. This is their stumbling block and they want to know whether they can afford to come and live in France or not. TIA everyone.

Or there is always eBay of course. Best recycling unit ever invented.

Our house is a chalet: ergo, where the roof line comes down to less than 1.8 meters, this is also not included in the total space. This means that we have loads of loft space available for storage.

Extremely wise advice! Oh yes............ did we have problems!!!!! Thank goodness our present tenants seem to be clean-living and looking after the house and garden........... but then, they are French, from the immediate neighbourhood.

Although we would love to help you, our property is already rented out. Howeer I should point out that for us as owners, 'long term' means the statutory three years under French law. What you are describing is definitely 'short term'. Good luck anyway.

Not just to you Beryl, and not only in France. Our local supermarkets here in Belgium have many special offers - naturally - but one has to be very, vey careful to check the receipts and then have the courage to complain when the mistakes noted: how curious that they are invariably in favour of the supermarket.  

Has anyone read this book by Stephen Clarke? What did you think of it?

It's not been a very good week........wont go into details. So am not in the very best of humours. Just been looking at another Forum [you know the one I mean] and who should raise her pretty head again? Marie. Yes, the famous Marie.......... the place you write to if you want to know anything at all about the community where you live and what is/not permitted. Are there only a few of us out there who know it is spelled MAIRIE????? How many poor French mayors are constantly addressed by the recently-arrived as Marie - must be quite embarrassing if you're a fella.

Yes I have noticed this misspelling on numerous occasions. She must be almost as famous as Marianne.

Just read that Swiss citizens working/living in EU countries have are covered for medical treatment. Does anyone happen to know whether for EU citizens spending lengthy periods in CH the same would apply? Probably not considering how expensive medical care is there, but there might just be something....... TIA for all information

Still cheaper in France than here in Belgium. Sent two rather heavy Immobilier's brochures from Baume les Dames to New Jersey non-priority: cost was €4,50 but they arrived in the US in 4 days which is far better than the Belgian post can manage.

Does anyone know for certain please when the new registration system for cars in France will no longer carry the Departement number? We have heard tell that the new numbering system will not carry the - in our case 74 - area number at the end of the registration figures.

Oh no! Just come back from a week in LBF and couldn't believe how irritated I was to hear the French language spoken all round us. This came as a terrible shock as we are due to move there finally in six months time. OH was appalled at this revelation [I do most of the talking as my French is more fluent than his]. Hope I was just having a bad hair week and this is not a permanent problem. Anyone else suffered the same sort of thing [hope not]. Please, all answers good or bad, positive or negative - never know, it might help. Let's hope it was a passing phase.

Wow! Super folks, thank you to all those who have taken the trouble to reply so speedily. Now we know. Only other question is, can these hobs be fitted anywhere in France. May sound silly, but some Telecom offers only extend as far as our neighbouring town and haven't quite reached us yet....

Just met up with some friends who moved to Italy. They are now cooking with the induction system. Is there anyone out there in LBF who is also cooking with this magnetised induction system and if so, could they please give us their experiences, good or bad. Looked at Darty website yesterday and found several cooktops - they are very expensive, but if the saving is worthwhile and it cuts down drastically on the electricity bill......... TIA for all postings.

Wow! That's so long ago you must have forgotten what you were running away from   29% inflation during that year was [for us] one of the many reasons

For those who can access the website, and are interested, a very intersting article in the Financial Times yesterday about UK emigration/immigration. As this is a potentially explosive topic, suffice to say that it is not just the third-age retirees who are upping and leaving [apparently statistics - what statistics? show that there are now more than 4.5 million Brits living outside the UK having emigrated], but one third of young people would leave if they could. Perhaps having left in 1975, we could already see the writing on the wall then? Just our personal experience.

Notaires are certainly not infallible. We paid too much tax - very complicated and involved. It took 2.5 years to get the money back [without interest of course]. Only because OH is very much on the ball where finances are concerned was the mistake picked up a while after all transfer fees had been paid. Our advice, check, recheck and check again.

Friends who would very much like to come and live in France [they have applied for their Italian citizenship to be reinstated which would mean fewer problems when moving from the New Jersey area] are now beginning to think rather more carefully about the long term implications of health insurance/cover, fluctuating payment cheques in American dollars etc. and have asked us to give  information about any US citizens who actually live 8 months of the year in the US and 4 in France. Is this possible or just a pipe-dream? E.g. the possibility of renting on a short-term basis would be horrendously expensive in the Haute Savoie area where they wish to be based. Unfurnished would not really be an option as what would they do with the furniture at the end of their 4 month stay? Is this an impossible dream for them - hopefully not, so if anyone has any practical experience or really sensible suggestions, fire away folks and many thanks in advance.

It's 20.25 now and OH has just taken off for Toulouse - hope those nasty thunder storms are not abounding tonight as well! Otherwise who knows where they might be diverted to? And it's only for a one day meeting - back tomorrow. Oh to finally get out of the rat-race and move to Evian! About 297 days remaining at the last count

We are aiming to do this from next year = not to London, but back to Antwerp on a regular basis. Best thing we can think of is to have OH drive you and drop you there = much cheaper than long term parking in the Geneva area... but if you find an alternative solution, do let us know! TIA

We have had the same managing agents for 12 years. Family run business. They used to be excellent: husband and wife team with his mother helping out. Efficient, helpful, responsive, reliable. Mother now retired. Husband decided to start affair with colleague at the local bank. Upshot, wife found out, threw him out, children will no longer speak to their father. Business efficiency has gone from good to bad to worse and where previously wife did all the administration for letting and managing, now two women do her job - badly. There is, of course, nothing we can do about this problem as we are contracted to these agents, but it is frustrating to say the least that the good service throughout many years is simply no longer there. Thankfully, it is only another 10 months and this will all be over. Pity it had to happen right at the end of our business connection with them...........

We often think [feel] that the punishment no longer fits the crime. Look at the recent 5 years and 108 days for the rapist of a three year old child - it beggars belief - simply because he pleaded guilty.

Seen and copied from yesterday's Motley Fool bulletin board: "A new EEC ruling has stated and should be ratified by France during 2006 that ex-pats taking up French residency will not be subject to French Wealth Tax for 5 years after becoming resident". If true... good news for those of us finally moving next year eh?

Did we read somewhere recently that the French are becoming more amenable to trusts? Maybe we just dreamed it.