Suninfrance

Thanks Cendrillon He needs to get to Calais, but I think he may have sorted something now. I had a look at Bla Bla Car and it looks like a great site. We've been looking at all options this afternoon, and as he won't fly, needed an alternative. Thanks for your help though. Jan xx

Is anybody driving back to the UK in the next few days (from tomorrow to 28th August) as my husband needs a lift back fairly urgently. Pick up would be at either Lubersac or Junction 43 or 44 on A20. Happy to pay some costs and maybe share driving. Please let me know asap. Many thanks. Jan

Thanks Clair Will pass it on to person asking. Jan xxx

Is there an organisation in France that deals with child cruelty?  Someone has asked the question and am trying to help out. Jan xxx

Thank you - will  send link to friend. xxx

I've never seen it in France, so being able to buy it everywhere doesn't make sense.  Can you buy it in the supermarkets and if so, where would it be because it's not with the fizzy drinks or the cordials and syrops.  The only other place I can think of is Go Sport or Decathlon but having looked at their websites, am not seeing it.   I was just asking if it was available in France as I have a friend in hospital with cancer who is currently craving lucozade and if it hits the spot for them, then I would like to try and get some asap. Jan xxx

Does anyone know if you can buy Lucozade in France and if you can, where? Jan xxx

Heard them flying over tonight.  Always such a pleasing sound.  Wish they would change their route timings to daytime so we could see them.

Thanks everyone, that's really useful info.  With the dongle option - would you be able to use SKYPE though?

Asking on behalf of a friend who would like internet access while in France at their "renovation project".  Is it possible to get an internet package that is like Pay As You Go, with no monthly fees, here in France.  Friends only come over maybe 3 or 4 times a year for a maximum stay of a fortnight and would like to be connected and pay for only what they use while they are here. Any suggestions? Jan xx

It's been fine all day today and then this evening, about half an hour ago, it dropped out again.  We have been having problems with the internet phone dropping out, but it comes back on when you turn the livebox off and then back on again.  Same with the internet, turn off livebox wait 10 seconds turn it back on, and it eventually boots up.   I didn't bother ringing Orange today as I thought the problem had been fixed.  Tomorrow, I expect everything will be closed, but will try later on. Happy New Year to everyone. Jan xxx

Thanks Quillan - will do that.  I'll have to try the English speaking helpdesk phone number as I don't think my French is up to explaining the problem.  The box is only 18 months old, but maybe it has developed a fault.

Has anyone else been having problems with internet connection through Orange livebox.  For the last three days, the internet connection has been lost and only sometimes comes back on when I switch the Livebox off and back on again.  Can't see any maintenance messages on the website, but it's getting a bit annoying now. Jan

Further info re dogs being stolen in the Charente "Not just from gardens, some were taken on walks. Be vigilant for vans parked near homes or known dog routes. Not the white chasse vans, ones with side openings."

I am just passing this message on, which appeared on my FB page from Phoenix Association, to make sure that everyone is aware: Phoenix Association - FranceHello Everyone, Very sadly, we have been advised of a recent, very active spate of dogs being stolen in the Charente, directly from people's gardens. It is thought that they might be being used as bait for dog fighting. Please keep your eyes on your dogs at ALL times and report any suspicious behaviour to the gendarmes. Please share this notice if you can. May all the dogs who have been stolen in the last few days be returned to their loving owners.

All helpful advice.  I have also looked through the documents we received from the Notaires from our two previous houses and our signatures do not appear on the original stamped document sent by the notaire. For this house. the copy of the document we signed at the Notaires differs from the one sent to us with the notaires stamp and signature, in that there is an extra page outlining the difference in the servitude.   Whereas page 4 on the copy we signed states that the servitude gives us access "for all time", the stamped document has another page 4 which says that we only have this access as long as we live in our house and do not sell, and the owner of the land with the servitude does not sell.  Page 5 of this new document however, states the same as the original page 4 on the copy we signed. When we signed the Compromis it was at an office in our local town, and we had an interpreter.  When we came to the final signing, two days before the signing, we were told by the seller that this would take place in a different office in a different town as the Notaire there "spoke English" and therefore we would not need to pay an interpreter.  I thought this was a bit odd at the time, but it appears that the new Notaire used to work at the first office and was still attached to, but in a different location.  Anyway - she did speak some English and I think things did get a bit lost in translation when it was announced at the final signing about this change to the servitude, but were led to believe that it would be sorted out and so we signed.  We did not think to look at the document after it was returned from the Notaire with her official stamp, because we believed it had been dealt with, but it is clear that the document we signed and the document we received are most definately different and as we did not agree to the change, feel we have been duped by the notaire, the previous owners of the house and the person who changed the nature of the servitude (who, by the way was English).  I think to try and sort this out will be very long and very costly, time and money we don't have. 

When we brought our current house, we signed the paperwork for the Compromis de Vente and nothing was amiss.  When we came to sign the Acte de Vente (at a different Notaires) there was an issue with a servitude which we had not been told about and thought this issue had been resolved.  Our copy of the Acte de Vente is signed and the servitude is "pour tout les temps". However, on the Notaire stamped copy we received after the sale, our signatures are not on any copies of any of the pages and there is an extra page stating that the servitude is only availalble to us and basically not "tout les temps".  We did not check this as 1) our french is not that good, and 2) we trusted the notaire to make sure everything was legally correct. Is this legal to add an extra page with a change to conditions after the document has been signed and and money exchanged. Look forward to your views on this one. We are trying to sell the house and this clause is causing us all sorts of problems.  Are there any legal eagles out there

My OH has just come back from our doc's and she asked how I had got on with the rheumatologist, so he told her and she was horrified and said that I wasn't her first patient to have had a bad experience with this woman.  I shall still give my doc my letter, and maybe in future, she will refer her patients elsewhere. Jan xxx

Hi NormanH That's a very interesting list and I shall save it to my favourites for future use.  She did also fall well short of the code of conduct you mentioned. Merci Jan

Lots of useful advice here, so thank you all. My French is pretty poor, but my ability to detect "attitude" is very good and this lady had seriously bad attitude to the point that we felt she was very anti-English. I have an appointment with my own doctor on Monday and have prepared a letter for her telling her what happened. We have just changed doctors at my local surgery because our original one had  very little in the way of people skills and on a recent conversation some of our friends had with him when they met him at a dinner included the fact that he definately did not have time to deal with people who were under the influence or alcohol and that they should be left to die in the street.  Need I say more. Our new doctor is the complete opposite, she is gentle and kind and will speak slowly when we ask it of her. Back to the witch who calls herself a rheumatologist.  I was referred by my own doctor and while we were in the salle d'attente I saw the Tarif notice on the wall for her clinic and it said with CV the fee was €23.  She had trouble getting my card to work and took one of those brown forms out of her desk, but she did not give it to me.  She never actually said whether she got my card to work either, so I'm wondering if this is why I was charged so much. As to whether I will continue with a formal complaint, I will speak to my own doctor first after she has had a chance to read my letter. Thanks for all your responses and tips. Jan

Thanks Norman Just so angry and upset when I came out of there.  Her attitude was "superior", hardly gave me a proper examination, and basically implied I was wasting her time, when my OH asked her if she could talk a little more slowly, she said NO, and when we left she became quite loud and aggressive in front of everyone in the waiting room when she told us to see her secretary to pay. Horrible, horrible woman.

Can anyone tell me how I should go about making a complaint about a doctor. Just had the most awful and upsetting experience with a rheumatologist in Brive and I want to make a complaint about the way I was treated, and her positively rude attitude towards both me, as the patient and my husband who came with me. Also the fact that the Tarif advertised on the waiting room wall for appointments was for €23 and she charged us €40 which is a hell of a lot of money to pay to be abused by someone who is supposed to be in the "caring" profession. Jan [:@]

It is not a case of not wanting a Mutuelle, but one of not being able to afford it.   I fully understand the implications of not having one, which is why I am enquiring about the free one.   I do know that you are  trying to help, and your comments on the consequences are quite scary, but if you just don't have the money to pay out monthly then you are kinda stuck with it.  

Thanks Norman H - I shall look at that link and it will be interesting to see if we are both charged when I go to see the Rheumatologist on Wednesday, and OH the Cardiologist on Friday. Yes, I do pay, but get a % back. Jan

I would also like to ask a question on this subject too. We came to France 9 years ago and we got our Carte Vitales fairly quickly.  When my 2 years was up on the English system, my CV became invalid so we filled out the forms and I became a dependent on my husband's CV as he  came on an E121.  However, like the OP, his Incapacity Benefit has now been stopped and although his prescriptions in France declare that his condition is Longue Duree, I don't know where this leaves my health cover as I don't have any longue duree conditions. Although we have the CVs will mine no longer be valid? Neither of us have a Mutuel as the cost prohibits us, but I do know that if you are on a low or no income then you can obtain a free mutuel and up until we moved house I did have the forms to fill in.  I can't find the forms and now I can't remember where I downloaded them from, so if anyone knows where I can find them, can you send me the link please. I don't know if this is the way forward, but it is good to know that my husband will still be covered for his ongoing heart condition.  I do however, have to have an annual IRM (MRI scan) on my head because I suffered a brain haemorrhage before we came here and I need to have it checked regularly.  This is not on the list, but needs to be done and as we are a low income household, not sure how we are going to pay for these things if I lose my CV. Would love to hear your views on this and help us find a way forward. Many thanks. Jan