absolut

Can anyone please tell me what sort of  %  interest rate I could expect when depositing a fairly large  amount  of euros in a French bank for short term only, whilst awaiting house completion. It would have to be accessible quickly. I,m probably looking at an ordinary deposit account, but would the rates vary considerably with different banks.   Thank you

Thank you all for the replies. I don't know what I'd do without you!   Best Wishes

Can anyone please confirm what the conversion rate for pounds to euros is for this years Tax Declaration. Last year it was  1.459214942, which was printed in 'Connection' or 'French News' Many Thanks  

I am resident in France with a French bank account , but have retained my UK bank account as well, which I control on line. I am seeking to change my UK bank to another UK one but finding it difficult as I have no UK address.  Does anyone know a UK bank who would accept me (Nationwide certainly won't)   Thank you

Thanks again Cooperlola.  Everything now working fine.

Thank you very much. That's very interesting. I will check the set- up and wiring.

As you are obviously an expert on Sky boxes, can you please help me with this problem. I have a TV , a sky box and DVD recorder. All work fine BUT  the DVD will not record , when set for some future time, without leaving the TV on. Is there any way around this please?   Thank you  

Thank you Cathy in Le Lot   At my age I need all the help I can get !!

Thank you for the reply. Have just read all the correspondence on the subject. Pleased to note that I was not the only one confused. Have to admit that I'm not too familiar with the workings of this machine and website. What should I have done to find  if the subject had already been dealt with please? Thank you  

I would be very pleased to receive an  explanation of the Contributions Sociales demand which I have just received. It appears to be a tax on the interest received on any savings and amounts to about 11%. The strange thing is that I received a similar demand in 2003 but NOT in 2004 (This I am absolutely definite about) although a similar amount was in the account at that time! Also, is the tax still applicable to the over 65's? Thank you.    

We are still having a problem with Cream after living here for 5 years. As you all know , we cannot buy Double Cream and wonder if anyone knows any magical ways to thicken the readily available products.   Many Thanks (The guests are arriving in 6 hours)

Thanks Cassis for the info. Will get on the case.

My varifocals cost me £350 in the uk. I chose the best lenses they could offer, as I think that being able to see well is quite important. Someone then recommended a cheap place where you could buy 'straight from the factory' at half the price. I did, they produced lenses to the same prescription but the "comfort" of the lenses is so bad that I cannot wear them. £150 down the drain. Beware buying cheap varifocals, each model of lens is so different. Don't know about simple lenses.

We have several large and quite old Rhododendrons in our garden. We have been here in Burgundy for over 4 years and they have been fine. A few weeks ago the leaves started to turn yellow and are now rapidly dropping off. Can anyone help please?

I have a French driving licence which you can have if you really want one, providing you let me have your English one! I regret having changed mine when it was not necessary. I was awarded 3 points and a 90€ fine for no safety belt in our village. (OK my fault) The Gendarme who stopped me spoke excellent English and said that if I had retained my UK licence, he would not have even booked me! Also, I have noticed that although there appears to be no expiry date for the driving of certain class vehicles (cars and small things) I can only tow a caravan until 2007. What happens after that, I have no idea. Can anyone out there help please? Is it an age thing?  

Reading all of these comments on the Forum is fascinating, but I note that nobody seems to reside in Burgundy. Do you all know something that I don't. We chose this location as it is so easy to travel through France from here to find where we really want to live. 4 Years later, still here. Very cold in Winter, but shortlived and reasonably dry. Still searching for the 'Perfect Place' but don't think it really exists. Can't believe I'm going to London by Eurostar this week for only 80€ RETURN, now that is a good reason to live here. (if you like London!)

Just another point of interest. The inspector who checked my caravan at home, actually condemned it as unsafe, because, the  (I think there are 5)  gas pipes, under the sink, were not labelled, and it would be impossible to know which one to isolate should the need arise.  He wanted me to rectify the matter and for him to make anothe visit at 180€. He eventually agreed that we do the job, photograph it, and personally deliver the photos to him. This I did, another 65miles round trip. He was of course correct, but it does amaze me that a UK manufacturer can get away with marketing a caravan which the French would condemn as unsafe.

I am very confused about the Nationwide card. So many of you seem to have one, but I was told that you have to be a UK resident to qualify. Is this true please?

My experience will answer your question. I left the UK in 2002 with my 'Top of the Range' English caravan. D.R.I.R.E  (French vehicle inspectorate) would not accept it and after lots of  form filling, I had to:- Provide full details of relevant European Specifications (from the manufacturer) Arrange a visit to my French Home by the French equivalent of British Standards to examine the caravan and check that all equipment was safe and conformed to their requirements. Had to take it to a Coach Builders, who prepared a technical drawing of the chassis, complete with all required dimensions and  stress calculations. Had to take it to a Weighbridge so that I could provide Gross weights and Noseweights. Had to return to DRIRE for them to re-inspect, re-measure and verify that the info I had provided was correct. All this took about 3 months and cost a lot of money. I would advise you not to try it!