Jo Taylor

It's all of mainland France - excluding DOMs and TOMs. The article is situated in Paris, the seller sells to mainland France BUT 'remise en main propre' means you have to arrange collection. HTH Jo

Thank you for the replies. Tim: Can you clear your web browser's cache, delete any temporary files (if unsure use the Windows disk clean up wizard), run a full anti virus scan, and then try browsing the site again? I do all that regularly, and no, it didn't happen again after the first two, but I blocked pop-ups after the alerts. Not ever having used EZ a/v I can't comment on its detection rates or quality. However I would suggest scanning your system using a different virus scanner as if something has slipped through the net then EZ may not be detecting it. EZ is excellent (not a freebie) - have been using it for ages on several different systems, update daily and nothing's ever got past it. EZ picked up this 'dropper' as soon as it plopped in. It didn't run and was instantly deleted. If you are running Windows XP, please ensure you have updated to Service Pack 2 and that you are either running the integrated firewall or have a good 3rd party firewall installed Yes, all up to date, and I use ZoneAlarm rather than the ineffectual one-way integrated firewall. Autismuk: I can't see how the accessing the forum could cause you to contract a virus. This type of trojan (AKA a 'dropper') is normally carried on ad banners. Autismuk: It is theoretically possible, albeit very unlikely, that the cached HTML produced for the website has the same signature as a virus. No, it wasn't that. If you look at the log from my AV posted above, you'll see that an executable (asdf.exe) was dropped in the root directory.   Just a heads-up for anyone with less than adequate protection, and I thought admin should know just in case there was a problem. Cheers and happy new year! Jo

Thanks for the reply. Absolutely NOT "an issue with this user's computer or Anti Virus software" - I'm well informed & protected, system is new, very few sites visited since set-up, no other windows open at incidence of dropper infection, AV up-to-date and operating real-time. EZ is excellent AV software. It may be a glitch with Java attempting to execute via adservers; not necessarily malware. Try investigating the adserver banners. Jo

(The time is correct, I'm on French time and the forum time is UK.) Jo

Thanks for your reply. I have eTrust EZ Antivirus. It didn't happen this time, but neither did the Java wotsit. A little research reveals that it might be an infected adserver; presumably the ad banners rotate and the infected one hasn't reared its head this time I logged on. Here's the report from last time: 2006/01/02 18:47:19.906 File infection: C:\asdf.exe is Win32.Tactslay.U trojan. Deleted   Cheers, Jo

...And it just happened again when I refreshed the main page.

I just entered the new version of the forum, Java popped up then my AV program reported a trojan - Win32.Tactslay. No other windows open. My AV prog deleted immediately. Please, admin, check this! Jo

Just a few clarifications: ALL BMD certificates (birth, marriage and death) are a "certified copy of an entry...". They also bear big words at the bottom: "WARNING: A CERTIFICATE IS NOT EVIDENCE OF IDENTITY". The GRO [General Register Office] is at the ONS [Office of National Statistics] in Southport. The Registrar General holds the quarterly copies made of entries in the locally held original BMD registers. The local Register Office (not "Registry"!)  holds the original registers of BMDs, other than church chapel or synagogue marriage registers currently in use. Certificates made by these offices are usually handwritten, are sometimes typewritten, and a few offices have the facility make facsimiles of the original entry in the register. Local authorities vary in their willingness and efficiency when asked to provide certificates - they're there primarily to deal with the living and recently dead rather than historic enquiries. Some will go overboard to help, others will not issue older certificates at all. (The GRO reference number is of no use to local offices.) "Tay" is incorrect in saying that a "real birth certificate" is destroyed. This just cannot be done - there's no huge repository of certificates, just big books containing the entries. No entries can ever be corrected or destroyed. "Clarkkent", you'd not get any joy from St Catherine's House, the registers were moved from there in about 1997, to the Family Records Centre (FRC) in Myddelton Street (Islington), which is run jointly by the GRO and the Public Record Office (PRO). The material held at the FRC includes indexes of births marriages and deaths in England and Wales since 1837; indexes of legal adoptions in England and Wales since 1927; and the PRO's most widely consulted documents - population census returns for England and Wales from 1841 to 1891. The GRO indexes are also in larger libraries in the UK and online at www.1837online.com (you have to pay but it's a small charge). (For family history purposes there is an ongoing transcription project available at www.freebmd.org.uk , free, but you won't find much past 1910 yet.) Once you have the GRO reference from the index you can order the cert online from ONS. It will cost 7 UK pounds if you know the GRO reference, 11 UKP if you don't. HTH Jo

For many years the concept of a gite was a property under the auspices of Gites de France; to many French people that's still what it means, and GdF's contracts stipulate the 25% + balance on arrival. They're simply used to doing it that way... The owner, if they've taken the deposit on these terms can't really say 'ok, if its empty when you arrive'  because they've entered into a contract. If the property is unavailable on arrival, the situation then depends on what type of deposit was paid (which is why it should be specified in the contract - if it's not, it's assumed to be an arrhes). If the client pays an arrhes he loses it if he cancels. If the owner cancels he must pay the client twice the amount of the deposit. If the client pays an acompte the contract is binding, and if he cancels he must pay the whole amount due. If the owner cancels, he can simply return the deposit, but the client may claim damages. Fun, innit? Jo

The relevant point here is that the deposit is being taken by an agent. If the property being let is in France, French law applies. French law states that an agent may not take more than 25% deposit, and it must be stated whether it is arrhes or acompte. If you let property that belongs to you, and take the deposit yourself with no intermediary, you can take any percentage you choose; it is entirely legal to take full payment upfront if that's what you prefer to do. HTH Jo Taylor

Oops, sorry - didn't realise my post had escaped before I'd finished it!

The knicker elastic ones are the dreaded aoutats (the harvest mites), which seem to have ceased here now (Calvados). I put Germolene on them (contains mild local anaesthetic) and take ibuprofen (Nurofen) which lessens the waking up raking one's skin in the middle of the night. Piriton is available here on prescription - an excellent anti-histamine but also an excellent sleepy-pill, great if you want to sleep for 16 hours a day (especially if you've had a glass of wine or three...)! Telfast is an anti-histamine (prescription only, available here too) which doesn't cause "drowsiness". Jo

The knicker elastic ones are the dreaded aoutats (the harvest mites), which seem to have ceased here now (Calvados). I put Germolene on them (contains mild local anaesthetic) and take ibuprofen (Nurofen) which lessens the waking up raking one's skin in the middle of the night. Piriton is an excellent anti-histamine but also an excellent sleepy-pill, great if you want to sleep for 16 hours a day (especially if you've had a glass of wine or three...)! Telfast is an anti-histamine (prescription only, available here too) which doesn't cause "drowsiness". Jo

The tariffs are fairly well hidden! Up to 2 kg you can send 'courrier' (letter) to most countries (3 kg in Europe & Africa). Over 2 kg it's 'colis' and is not too bad for Europe, Africa, USA, Canada etc. but a big jump for Japan, Australia, NZ. http://www.laposte.fr/produits/courrier/tarif.htm for courrier. Top link leads to a form to work out an individual item. 'Télécharger' leads to a page to download  PDFs of the leaflets for colis & courrier (the top link in each list), same as you can get at La Poste. The bottom link gives you a tariff table and explains which countries are in which zone. 'Colis' is up to 30kg to most countries. All parcel services.: http://www.laposte.fr/produits/colis/offre_colis/vue_ensemble.htm Chronopost is an express service, here's the Chronopost page in English: http://www.fr.chronopost.com/en/ HTH Jo

Just look in the local papers - Ouest France, Voix du Bocage, Renaissance, Liberté to name but four! They all have lists, but you'll find fewer events in October. HTH Jo

Hello Tim, I won't put the code in here as it'll probably do strange things, just google for "right click disable script" - should bring up several sources. HTH Jo

Just a thought - most posters are talking about UK copyright, but isn't there an oddity in French law which requires the owner's permission for their property (or themselves) to be photographed? Might there not be a similar oddity regarding the ownership of such images? A couple more tricks - Disable right click on images on websites (can still be pinched by using "print screen" but the quality will be impaired) Overlay a transparent .gif, what happens then is that the person trying to copy the image will carefully save a blank image. Again can be circumvented by "print screen" but it makes it all a little more bother!Jo

I find them really nice to eat when fresh - but don't eat too many fresh ones in one sitting. I sat eating them steadily throughout one evening and couldn't venture far from the lavatory the next day Next year, pick some before the end of June and pickle them - delicious (especially with some strong Cheddar...)! This absolutely has to be done when they are soft, when a needle can easily be passed through, they're disgusting if left too late. Having done them for years, I've finally worked out a recipe that isn't too sour, which is what puts many people off. Can second the use of the potato bags, have some waiting for this year's crop, huge tree, laden this year. Jo

Colin Sell - pianist on "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue". In the gite one year, B&B the next, passed through from the south the following year and took us out to dinner. V. nice chap. No, we didn't play Mornington Crescent... Jo

[quote]JoTaylor, you had better check with them before you apply. This is the link I looked at and these fees are from 1st July 2005 and the prices are on page 2, the only ones I could see at around 89 eur...[/quote] Thanks - it must have been just before that that I downloaded the forms! Can't go to the UK to renew for obvious reasons - we need passports... Jo

It could also have something to do with les enfants being on hols - I always find it sluggish from about 5pm to 8pm... The recent slowness made us go over our 120 hour package! Jo

[quote]I've just got hold of a copy of "Making A Living In France" by Joe Laredo (is that his real name?). Just skimmed through it so far and although there are already a couple of glaring innaccuracies (he...[/quote] Yes, it's his real name. Suggest you email Survival Books to notify any error - I don't have this particular book but their website address & email should be in the back. Jo

"I had to look, and from what I could see, £42 in the UK and 107 euros at the consulate. We have three that fall at the same time, so it feels like a lot of money to us." That was the price on the downloaded form, unless it's changed in the last few weeks: "3. The fee for a new 32 page passport is € 88.00 and for a 48 page passport € 105.00 payable by personal cheque in Euros drawn on a French bank account or by mandat-cash to the "BRITISH EMBASSY PARIS" for postal applications, and by cheque, cash or by most credit cards for personal applications" I think I saw the 105€ cost first time of looking (!) but can't see us filling up more than 32 pages... managed just one stamp on the last one! Jo

I've found Wanadoo unusually slow for the past three or four weeks, as has a friend who is about 10km from me - his got so bad he rang them and they did say they were having "perturbations" at present. We've been with them for about six years, generally OK but there are the odd periods when the connection is slow. We also have Libertysurf (now Tiscali) as a backup but it's generally a bit slower than Wanadoo, so I seldom use it, only when we run out of Wanadoo time or when Wanadoo is "perturbed"! (I don't have the packages installed, I set both up manually, and I don't use the homepages.) Jo

Thanks TU. I'll make a phone call and find out. 88€ from the embassy, UK visitors said it's still about £30 within the UK. Not quite as horrendously different as I thought but worth finding out! Jo (don't know why my posts appear grey sometimes?!)