Hagar

[quote user="Philmco"] In Dick's absence,someone has to nit-pick. Going all the way back to Hagar's post that ZYZYGY was the only 6-letter word in the English language without a vowel, what about RHYTHM????? [/quote] Your quite right Phil - I got that wrong - what I should have said is that ZYZYGY is the only word in the english language with 3 syllables but no vowels. rgds Hagar  

D, Here is a link to get you started http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/notaires.nsf/V_TC_PUB/SMSD-5WFEXZ You should also click on the "Current News - The new rights of the surviving spouse" . Note also that the law is changing with regards to parents - i.e they will no longer be protected heirs from 1st Jan 2007. see http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15052 Another Notaire web site that seems up to date http://www.onb-france.com/familia/index.php3?langue=en&id_gmenu=3505&code_menu=liberalite&id_art=15112 Some other threads that might be of interest http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/701694/ShowPost.aspx http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/686848/ShowPost.aspx and http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15260 Although one or two of those go a bit off topic. Hope that helps Hagar            

[quote user="pads"]  stamp spit Huh ........!!!!!!!! im not playing any more[:P][/quote] Pads - surely that should have been " et puis ZUT a la fin!!!! j'abandonne !" rgds Hagar  

[quote user="Patmobile"][quote user="pads"] I think i may have the last word here.............................its Zut Its the last word in my french dictionary do I win?[blink] [/quote] To be fair to other EU member states I have consulted my German dictionary and it's "Zypresse". [/quote] A good english dictionary should list ZYZYGY - its an astronomical term. Only 6 letter word in the english language without a vowel. Not much use in Scrabble though. rgds Hagar  

It seems that you can avoid it if you wish  - see http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/notaires.nsf/V_TT_PUB/GBQRE?opendocument&Count=1000 rgds hagar

[quote user="Cassis"] EDIT:  Hagar - just seen your post - what was the bank exchange rate quoted compared to the spot rate on the day?  I'm willing to throw in the towel on this if it was less than 1 point under the spot! [/quote] Keep hold of your towel Cassis. It was 4 years ago so I can't remember the exact rates. What I do remember is that taking all charges/commisions into account all three quotes for a 30 k euros  transfer were covered by a £150 spread. One of the brokers (HiFix I think) was about £100 better than the bank but given the speed/traceability/simplicity of doing it through the bank I went for that option. That was for the deposit. For the forward contract to pay the balance both FX brokers needed a 10% deposit. The bank didn't. Since that was almost another 30k euros, it was a no-brainer going with the bank. rgds Hagar p.s I didn't accept the first rate quoted by the bank. Showed them the HiFix quote and told them they needed to sharpen their pencils if they wanted the business.

[quote user="Cassis"]Banks - fine for small sums.  But you're throwing money away if you use them for changing large amounts of currency like a house purchase, which is what we're supposed to be talking about here. [/quote] Simply not my experience Cassis. When we bought four years ago the bank offered better rates/service than the two currency exchange specialists  that I contacted could offer - particularly on a forward contract. rgds Hagar   

[quote user="Benjamin"] Whenever I've mentioned to any bank about making transfers abroad via the internet  they seem to want to run a mile. I look forward to the OH's return. [/quote] HSBC offer internet transfers from/to UK accounts in sterling to French account in Euros. If you are a premiere customer then there are no charges for any amount of transfer. It is quick as well - although they stipulate within 3 days  every time I have used them the funds appear in France within 24 hours - normally same day. The actual exchange rates are pretty good too - perhaps not quite as good as the 3rd party exhange companies but given the speed and security I much prefer the bank. rgds Hagar p.s - no money laundering issues either.

The web site you want is here - https://www.telepaiement.cp.finances.gouv.fr/satelit/web.forte?ServiceName=satelit&TemplateName=AccueilCharpente.htm&contexteinitial=2 Assuming you have a french bank account you might find it better to elect for payment on-line rather than direct debit. It gives you a bit more control and some extra days to pay. It is a two stage process - first you download an “adhesion au telereglement” which needs to be completed and forwarded to your bank in France along with a RIB. You only have to do this once. Therafter when you have received the bill just logon to the above site with your "Numero Fiscal" and authorise the payment. rgds Hagar  

Unfortuanately I don't think any of those you list have flights direct to Edinburgh. Apart from Paris I don't know of any French airports that have flights direct to Scotland. If you have a specific destination in mind (e.g. Edinburgh) then the best way to find out who flies there from where is to look at the arrivals page on line. For Edinburgh you can find it here - http://www.edinburghairport.com/portal/controller/dispatcher.jsp?Ch=Live+Flight+Arrivals&ChID=1c4e9a9e58532010VgnVCM100000147e120a____&ChPath=EDI%5EAirport+Information%5EFlying+into+Edinburgh%5ELive+Flight+Arrivals&ChIDPath=1c0697dc2eb12010VgnVCM100000147e120a____%5E7b8697dc2eb12010VgnVCM100000147e120a____%5E6b85578be5532010VgnVCM100000147e120a____%5E1c4e9a9e58532010VgnVCM100000147e120a____ Given that not all airlines have daily services it is worth checking a few times in a week. Sometimes you can get a surprise. hope that helps Hagar  

Hi Espresso, I hope you don't think that comment was directed at you, or indeed any other individual. It was more reinforcing Will's point that a lot of articles which purport to deal with succession are really all about death duties and inheritance tax. There are also a huge number of articles in the UK press all about inheritance tax. The ones that get up my nose are these 'case studies' on wealthy individuals where the newspaper always asks "what would change about the current tax system?" - 9 times out 10 they answer " abolish inheritance tax! - why should the state get all my hard earned money?". Incidentally - there is more modernisation of the french succession laws on the way. On 14th June the french Parliament adopted some changes that will make it much easier for couples in second marriages to ensure the surviving spouse gets lifetime rights to the estate. They also have removed the rights of ascendants (parents) to the estate. There are also significant changes to PACS - again giving more rights to the surviving partner. Is PACS something you looked at ? rgds Hagar Thanks to Pomhorn on TF who put me on to this news.        

Pault - you could always phone these people and ask them - http://www.ot-nimes.fr/english_nimes/pratique_nimes/nimes_transports.html rgds hagar  

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]Breakdown assistance paid for a taxi from the garage at Niort to our house = 91km.  About 20kms from home, I noticed the meter was showing 200 euros.... [/quote] Yet another variable - who is actually paying for it !. I regularly used to do  the trip from the airport into Marseille - If the company was paying for it it was more than twice the price than when I paid cash. Our local taxi firm does Toulouse airport (120km) for 130 euros. rgds Hagar

[quote user="Will "] There are so many variables, and the articles often try to deal with both succession law and inheritance tax issues, which although closely-bound - inseparable even - are actually two quite different subjects. [/quote] I quite agree Will. Many of the articles I have read tend to skimp a bit on who actually has rights to your estate but delve very deeply into how much tax they will pay on inheriting those assets. Often they  list all the possible combinations of heirs  which I think can give a misleading impression that the world and his wive have some rights to your estate. rgds Hagar p.s - I sometimes think that many people in the UK (as evidenced by the numerous articles in the Financial Press) have an unhealthy obsession with inheritance tax and avoidance thereof. 

Many variables - time of day - booked in advance or off the street/station - budget somewhere around 100 euros. rgds Hagar

[quote user="Espresso"]It's difficult to know how closely one's assets - inherited from one's parents - might be scrutinized. A chunk of both our assets is (or will be) inherited money.[/quote] Just another thought on this - How would the notaire dealing with your estate know what if any assets you had inherited from parents overseas?. Our notaire certainly has no idea if we have any such assets (as it happens we don't other than a few personal items). If the notaire is not aware of any family assets in your estate why would they search out any siblings? Indeed I don't know how the notaire would even find our siblings - they are scattered around the globe somewhat. rgds Hagar  

[quote user="Espresso"]It's difficult to know how closely one's assets - inherited from one's parents - might be scrutinized. A chunk of both our assets is (or will be) inherited money.[/quote] Agree its difficult to know for certain. However if the assets/money were inherited from parents under English law then they are yours and your siblings have no abiding claim on those assets. Therefore  I don't see how French inheritance law can be applied to those assets. Even under French law it must be diificult to apply this exception to cash money. What happens if you have spent it? rgds Hagar 

[quote user="Espresso"] I didn't like this: "If the deceased has neither children nor grandchildren nor living parents, the surviving spouse inherits the entire estate, except for any assets that the deceased may have received as a gift or inheritance from his or her parents."[/quote] I read that also but take the view that this would be very much an exception unless you were living in the family home that one or other of you inherited from parents. Even then it would only be a small proportion of the asset given that it would have initially been divided amongst siblings on the death of the parents Others have commented that it is very different for unmarried couples.  rgds hagar

There has been a lot of discussion  on the "Why we are NOT buying in France" thread where the rights of siblings were mentioned a number of times. For example    Phil the Francophile wrote: Don't forget too that this is not just about children. There is a pecking order in French inheritance, and someone somewhere will be given the power to decide your future. Parents, siblings, neices and nephews, uncles and aunts, cousins, and so the net spreads wider. If all else fails, the state takes over for your own good. Nice!    Espresso wrote: In our case, there are no kids, but a notaire assured us that where there are no kids and parents, the authorities will look for the nearest blood relative (in this case, a sister on one side and a brother on the other... followed by their kids etc), in order to force seccession.   Both the above posters had taken professional advice on this and this view is endorsed by a number of other website sources – such as   http://www.frenchpropertyservice.com/frenchpropertyOwnershipandinheritancelawFAQ.html   However it has always been my understanding that on first death where there are no direct descendants (children/grandchildren) or ascendants (parents) then the surviving spouse will inherit the entire estate.   He/she is the sole heir taking precedence over grandparents, brothers and sisters or more distant relatives.   Both the following sources state this quite clearly   http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/notaires.nsf/V_TC_PUB/SMSD-5WFEXZ   http://www.onb-france.com/familia/index.php3?langue=en&id_gmenu=3505&code_menu=liberalite&id_art=15112   Am I wrong or is it just the case that some professionals are a little out of date with the changes to French succession laws ?   Rgds   Hagar   p.s - Apologies for the weird formatting

[quote user="Fay"]Thanks Hagar I'm sure that explains a lot. I'll give it another try in that case.[/quote] If you can  - try Sunday lunchtime - normally an eclectic gathering of locals, ex-pats and some tourists - can be a lot of fun. rgds Hagar

[quote user="Jc"]I never said Alibert;it was elsewhere.Off his TV programme.[/quote] My apologies In my defence , and indeed defence of Hotel D'Alibert, the ONLY previous references to Rick Stein (RS?) in this thread are in the context of Hotel D'Alibert . Since you were referring to another establishment entirely, don't you think it would have been better to make that clear in your original post? rgds Hagar

Fay & Jc - sorry to hear that you had bad experiences at Hotel d'Alibert - we have eaten there many times and always enjoyed it - particularly the service and the welcome from the host/proprietor. Its a family run establishment where the owner runs the hotel and does all  front of house in the restaurant. I do know that his father died of lukeamia in early May and the period running up to that (and immediately after)  was very difficult indeed for the family -  his mother was rushed into hospital with a suspected stroke just after the funeral.  The hotel was shut for around a week in mid  May - was that when you visited Jc?.  Also he does shut from Sunday Lunch to Tuesday Evening (35 hour week for the Chef) and every afternoon between about 15:00 and 17:30 . If he doesn't lock the place up when he is not there then tourists just wander in to take photographs of the courtyard. I have spoken to the owner a few times in the last couple of weeks and things seem mostly back to normal now. rgds Hagar  

[quote user="pads"] Hello We are coming to stay near carcassonne in august to finalise the bying of our house, in the same week it will also be my husbands birthday. I would love to take him for a special meal, He likes good fish/ seafood meals and loves chateau villerambert moureau (minervois) wine. he likes to sit outside to eat and is even happier if there is a view of water to look at, can anyone sugest a good place between carcassonne and mazamet or surrounding area that i could take him to, maybe on the canal du midi? He likes quite places (no loud music) and a place which has friendly staff who will putup with our alwful french. somewhere special for my special man please..................  [/quote] Pads - not getting much luck with you replies today are you ? - Try looking at this thread for restaurants in Carcassone  itself- http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/675875/ShowPost.aspx  I don't think any of them fit the bill exactly although Comte Roger has a beautiful shady terrace where you can eat and watch the world go by (no water though). Also I don't think any of them have Villerambert Moureau on the wine list.  Nearest fit I can think of is in Homps (30 mins drive for you I guess) - Relais D'arbousier - lovely setting right on the edge of the canal where you can dine outside under the shade of some huge plane trees. Good food - a little lighter than most of the local fayre - does a lovely Perch/Pike poached in a parcel. very good wine list - if they don't have a Moureau try the Piccinnini or La feline from borie de Maurel. If you can drop the canal setting , and the warm welcome and wine are more important then you should try Hotel D'alibert in Caunes Minervois. You eat in the 16th Century courtyard which is listed as a national monument in France. Perfect Host (perfect english) and probably the best wine list for Minervois wines anywhere. Menu is very traditional (was featured in Rick Stein's french odyssey) does not have a lot of fish but the Rouille Camarguaise is very good. A very special place. I don't know if you know but you actually have one of the regions best restaurants very near to you in Lastours. Le Puits du Tresor - http://www.lepuitsdutresor.com/ . unfortunately I have not been but is highly recommeded. Make sure you book the restaurant and not the cafe of the same name. Did try that and it was a bit dissapointing. Hope that helps rgds Hagar p.s did you know that Villerambert Moureau was featured in Kate Mosse's book "the Labyrinth"? Its on her website too. Personally I think it is much better value than their more famous neighbour - but both are good.       

[quote user="pads"]can anyone advise me of the best and cheapest place to buy a washing machine, a petrol lawn mower, plus other garden equipment, pillows and duvets, dishes/knifes, forks, ect.[/quote] There are plenty of options in  and around Carcassone - good place to start would be over by Salvaza - There is a new brico and jardiniere superstore - TRIDOME just of the roundabout for the A61 access which has mostly all the garden equipment you would need. Not far away is also a large OBI's which itself is just a few hundred yards from GEANT where you can get almost anything - look out for the promos. Right across the road from GEANT is a much more upmarket shop selling lighting/tableware/kitchenware/occasional furntiure -  SOLEA (use to be called Lumi 11) good quality stuff with prices to match.   [quote user="pads"] also where is the best place to food shop, while we have been out there in the past we have tried (excuse spellings) le'clerk, geant, and another one on the round about out side of carcassone which i forget the name of, which was very good,... [/quote] If you mean the Intermarche at Pont Rouge then IMO you have already found the best of the out of town supemarkets for food shopping. It is smaller than the others (which we prefer) but stocks a lot of good local produce. The fish/seafood counter can be very good and they often have live crabs/lobsters as well as some nice fillets. Meat counter is also good but beware the grumpy butcher - (some days he just cannot be bothered!).  [quote user="pads"] we like to food shop, as we are very fond of our food, so advise on the best places to get fresh fish and vegtables/salad/fruit and CHOCOLATE would be good to.[/quote]. Carcassone is the place for you then e.g - La Ferme - Rue de verdun (one block back from Place Carnot) - upmarket deli - excellent cheese, hams, wine - very popular with the locals - supply cheese to a number of top restaurants. Rue de Verdun - just  100 yards down from La ferme - marvelous Green Grocers ( somebody said on another thread they had never seen a Greengrocers in France - how weird is that!). good local and spanish produce plus exotic imports - had the best mangoes I ever tasted outside of SE Asia. Mexico - 100 yards up from La Ferme turn left into little square with parking - despite the name Mexico is a poutry specialist - almost anything with wings on sold in all various forms.  Have at least 10 different typs of chicken. Choice of spit roasted chickens and ducklings - some pork also. Les Halles - covered market directly opposite Mexicowith a  number of stalls - at least 2 fishmongers , 3 charcuteries and a wonderful butcher rigtht in the centre - watch out for the queues though. If you want a really good steak ask for the stuff behind the counter not the display cuts. lamb is excellent. Also a cheese stall that was one of the best in France - owner sold out last year but the young lads who took over are trying to make a go of it - worth a try as an alternative to La Ferme. CHOCOLAT - nice little chocolatier in the South East corner of the Place Carnot. The pralines are to ..... [quote user="pads"] Also is the market on saturdays in carcassonne open all year?  [/quote] Yes - it can be reaaly good fun round XMAs/new year. Hope that helps rgds Hagar  

Bastet - could you post the make of the range you bought and/or a link to the supplier. It sounds something like what we are looking for. many thanks Hagar