urko

The DfE in the UK asks schools to collect data on Primary School pupils each year. This year (in a pre-referendum decision) they decided to ask schools to ask parents the Country where each child was born. This made me wonder - does the French system ask this?

[quote user="Fleur"]I missed this thread too. I can't really help with your query but greetings to the IOM which looked pretty as a picture last week when we went 'home' for a few days. Anyone got any tales to tell of their experiences going over the bridge?  http://artofdesign.wordpress.com/2006/11/01/the-millau/  We're going that way next month. Should I be nervous? http://artofdesign.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/millau_fosterweb2.jpg [/quote] It is a fabulous bridge - we did see this guy on the approach on our first visit - to this day I don't know what he thought he was doing or why his car was facing the wrong way!

I've only ever been on the end of direct anti-British (or English) comments in Cornwall, Wales, and California. I'd rather spend time in rural France than any of these places, altough I live in a lovely part of England (I won't sat where or everyone will find it - but it's not in the South :-)

Sorry - we wondered a bit off topic to TV (and for that matter radio) journalists who make up the news by interviewing each other and asking the same inane and (this is where it relates to the thread topic) unimaginative phrases.

Do program makers not have any imagination???!!!  No. Neither do journalists "how do you feel?" "what's the mood tonight?"

[quote user="sweet 17"]For the first time in the 5 months since I have lived in France, I feel a sense of exile.  What has brought this about?  Is it missing family, friends, Tesco, ............. [/quote] I live in England and never go near Tesco.  I don't miss it.

Last time I moved I telephoned the solicitors on the day of completion to check the money had been transferred.  They confirmed it had - I asked how much the figure was and they told me.  I said that seemed much higher than I had expected but they assured me it was correct. I was moving as a result of divorce and so we were splitting the proceeds according to a formula that had been supplied to the Solicitors, in writing, twice. Next news ex-wife on the phone in high dugeon (sp?) asking where her share is and what I'm playing at. The Solicitors had done this simple thing wrong. My experience of both divorce and conveyancing is that they promise to keep one updated but never do. If any of them ever read the terms of engagement they send out, they'd realise they don't do anything they promise. I agreed with my divorce lawyer that she'd bill me monthly, which she did at first, but this then became random and erratic for no apparent reason. Finally, the whole of the law (in England and Wales certainly) is run by lawyers, for lawyers, not you. For example, if you get divorced, your spouse can “shop around” to find the area where the divorce settlements commonly handed down suit them best – then force you to get divorced there. This means if you have already engaged a lawyer close to home they won't be familiar with that court (they all make up the rules as they go along and judges are feted as though gods) and you'll have to consider firing your lawyer and getting one local to the court or paying your lawyer to travel (I don't know any other occupation that manages to charge customers for travelling time). If you then find your spouse's choice of Court was so popular that they have a massive case backlog there is no-one to complain to and no-one who is interested in hurrying things along. The lawyer who was named as an executor by my late Father in his will, in his (my Father's) attempt to help the process, slowed it down and hindered it, and cost us extra time and expense. When I complained I was treated with contempt until I was able to prove conclusively what a poor job had been done, at which point I received a grudging apology. I don't get involved with lawyers unless I absolutely have to.

Hi Dick - I've been "researching" this  (sounds  a bit pompous even for me).  It seems that the software developers. telligent have been made aware of some Safari issues by various users of their forum software, but there is no sign of them taking any action from what I can see on their site. http://communityserver.org/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=safari&o=Relevance I suspect that the workaround is to use BB code for most things that the rich text editor offers, although I unfortunately only have Linux and Windows, not a Mac to try (actually not strictly true - I have a Mac running OS9, but not Safari).  Another suggestion mooted over at telligent is to use Firefox.

Many thanks for the answers folks.

Thanks for this.

This week I've noticed two different sets of Sapeurs in each case driving large Renualt Master vans, all blue lights flashing, but travelling very slowly - when I saw the first lot I assumed it was a particular set of circmustances, but having seen two lots doing the same, I'm wondering if it's a policy of some kind?

I have seen quite a few cars with number plates where the background is red - the numbers are 92 which is the Department Hauts de Seine - does anyone know why these are red?

I am 44, have lived in the Uk all my life and never considered leaving until recently.  I don't know if I have become more sensitive to it, but the casual abuse and rowdyness (mainly drink related) is starting to get me down.  Last night after an enjoyable meal with friends I was walking home.  A kid hanging out of a passing car called me a ****.  A bloke stopped to ask me where the pizza hut was, but he was so drunk he couldn't seem to understand the answer or even stand up properly. When I rounded the corner to my (usually quiet) street, I heard shouting.  A gang of lads, some wearing traffic cones on their heads were shouting and chanting.  One had gone off into the courtyard of one the houses to throw up, but hadn't finished the job and was just continuing to do so as he staggered along. I know all countries have their problems, but I also know from people who have left, that quite a lot of other countries don't have this type of behaviour.  In spite of being 6' 5" I feel intimidated by this stuff.

I used to work in Insurance (I wish the court to take several other offences into consideration).  I suspect the answer would depend upon the type of accident.  Insurers (at least under UK law) are entitled to know about anything that (broadly speaking) that might affect their attitude to the risk they are taking on - the 90% in France would probably fall into this category.  That said, if the accident invloved death or injury to others, the insurer would probably pay that part of any claim to avoid adverse publicity and possible pressure from government(s).  I think there would be very little chance of getting any of his/her own damage paid for. Would I ride in the car? Depends.  Being a passenger in car driven by someone else doesn't miraculously entitle one to automatic compensation from an insurance company if the car crashes in most cases so I wouldn't really be losing anything unless I knew the driver was especially prone to recklessness or negligence (in which case.....I feel a catch 22 moment coming on) .  The question of whether I'd travel with someone I knew was cutting these kinds of corners is different - depends how badly I needed a lift I suppose.

I think you need to try each car out.  I'm 6'5" and have no (touch wood) major back problems.  My worst ever car for back comfort was a VW Passat - the seats were soft in all the wrong places and hard in all the other wrong places as well as lacking thigh support for me.  The best was a Saab.  I currently drive a Subaru Impreza which is OK but not a patch on the Saab.  My wife had a GTV and I found that the seats, whilst as beautiful as the rest of the car, lacked lower back support, however, height alone isn't the only factor of course.  I know people (slightly) shorter than me who struggle to get comfortable because proportionally more of their height is in their legs or body. The only car that really gave me bother getting in and out of was a Lotus Elise, although once in it it was comfortable. I'm currently toying with a Berlingo or maybe a C8 (need more space) - I have sat in the Berlingo and ridden numerous times in them in front and back and find them comfortable - they are a bit van like, but my first car was a van and I don't mind vans - they certainly ride fine.