Keni

Try the local Eco-marche or supermarket, we have spotted many adverts being pinned to boards both inside & out. Also look out for any local free newspapers - or ask the local Immobilier if you can leave cards there. New house, maybe new curtains?

The OH has been on the railway (as it were) for 34 years and has been in the pension scheme (both of them) from the beginning. A while back, the government decided as the railway was not a public sector employer anymore, they could help themselves, so we were advised a 12.5 million hole had appeared and guess what, the OH and co. would have to shore it up. Then they said it was the end of a final salary to new members, so no new blood helping pay through the years - more a case of last one in gets what left I suppose. Then they closed one arm of the scheme and have said extra cash would not be put in by the employer to match payments. So I want to know if it is legal to 'steal' from a pension fund under the guise of it being for the government? Or would that be another one of the Brownisms'? 

The amount of money he receives - paid for by the average person should make him realise the position of privilege he is in. To insult those who have more talent than he ever will have shows just how much of a self-centred idiot he is. And as for that other so-called comedian...... don't get me started.

Or how about some soon to be empty buildings in the city of London - Convert them to apartments and rent them to housing charities on the understanding that no investment bankers are allowed to rent them.

Thanks cooperlola - have just managed to phone my brother on mobile. The phone lines are down and he lost around 14 trees. He can't get out of his house as two big trees are blocking the drive. Apparently the Mayor has just been to see him to see what they can do - one of the trees is resting on their small 'cabin', that they rent out but apparently does not seem to have damaged it. They have just had the electricity back on, although it is imtermittent - this means they have had no water as the underground pump was unable to function. He said he went out during the storm and was walking at an angle of 45degrees. The airport is now open and apparently it is 16 degrees and sunshine today.They are thankful they are ok though.

I'm the same - this time we have the tumble dryer (after five years of trying to dry the clothes in winter I have given up, we don't use it in the UK). Then there are all the sheets and towels we bought back to wash - see drying above. Then we will have the contents of the shed, as when we sell and move into a flat where will it go? I have ready made numerous tip visits but we still seem to have half the world in the car each time we visit!

I have just e-mailed my brother having read what you are all saying - he is outside Perpignan at Espira d'Agly, past the airport. Anyone in that area know how bad it was around there? I have to contact my neighbours to see how bad it was in the Haute Vienne - the house needs a new roof, I hope this will not have damaged it too much!

Oh heck, another thing to stop me working - 113 so far!  

Thanks everyone, all that information is great - we already have the house, it will just need renovating! Punch - we never thought about the fuses issue, we have just been using adaptors for  the past few years, never thinking that if a fuse goes we would not be able to change it! Thanks cooperlola - your health stuff is just what we need - hope you are feeling better, don't forget the yoga! I never realised there also might be a problem regarding the car insurance - will have to look that one up! We tried to ask about car insurance a couple of years ago and it was a catch 22 situation - what car - around say 1.5, buy it and then we can tell you how much, how much then for our existing car?  Bring it into the country and we'll tell you how much. So I gathered that getting information out of our insurer will be a blood from a stone situation. Anymore information would be really helpful - especially as it is now all in one place - (Ed. please note - maybe an article is in the offing).

The first we had was a Tiger Cub - cost £7.10s.0d. 1958 Then there was an BSA A10, and a Norton Dominator. Then the Enfield 350. Having gone Japanese after that theYamaha XT250 and Suzuki DT400 were great for green-laning down around Dorking. For town driving there was the Honda CB110R. Whilst working with London Boroough of Merton as a Motor Cycle Instructor, finally I had the Kawasaki GPZ550 - but then I got pregnant and the OH wrote it off, and for the last 20 years I have been dutifully driving the daughter around, but once we get to France me and the OH will get back to biking (sensibly), we hope. I keep telling the daughter that she should remember we are just 21 in wrinkly skins!

I am sure this has been covered on other parts of the Forum and I apologise for asking these stupid questions in advance. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would be grateful. As we might be actually getting nearer to making the move! I am trying to put together everything that will need to be done and registered, once we get over to France. I know that Sunday Driver has the earlier piece relating to registering, but as it was writting in 2007, is it still totally relevant? Also with the E106, who do we take it to and with what? With the car, what must we do to register it in France? Again, there must be many things throughout the forum, but is there anywhere a compact list that I can just photocopy and tick off? Who do we notify from the UK, and does anyone have the addresses - such as for health to get the E106 etc? I have followed all the information for many years but it seems often to counteract itself at times, so any help would be gratefully received. Many thanks

So glad you are getting on Cooperlola - have been following story like so many others. Glad you got home to give the felines love and cuddles, they do miss us  i should know, next doors is asleep on our bed  - when they kick him out he just knocks on our door! If you can get to do any basic yoga it really will help stretch your joints the type you need is the gentle hatha yoga, I really have found that it helps me with my back and legs - if I stop  (as I have for the Christmas hols) I know abut it!! You can find gentle stretching exercises on the net that you should be able to do - even for the hands to stop arthritis! Good luck and have a good new year (or better than last)!  

Been to Vegas - did the fly-drive thingy from Vegas up through the old Route 66 down to Williams - via the Canyon, the Native reservations - Sedona and so on. The ancient history bit was what we loved, visiting all the old native settlements - I was amazed that the children in Tuba City were actually taken down to McDonalds for their school lunch! But there is a part of the reservation with history about the WW2 Windtalkers as that is where a lot of the Navahos' were based. There are some great dinosaur remains - even a nest with eggs in - that's on the route up fromTuba. All around that area the history of the pre-modern American is apparent with old villages from the ancients and much more.On the modern scale there is the Hoover Dam. However night-time in Vegas has to be seen to be believed - just wandering around with the hotels and their offerings to the punters, it's actually incredible. Stan Franks Disco on the Western Seaboard is the next place we hope to visit. Just go and enjoy.

Merry Christmas to you Krusty, thanks for all the info during the year, and to you all - still waiting to find someone to buy our little home here in worcestershire, but will be with friends for Christmas and new year, which is the important thing! To you all Merry Christmas and let's see what the b () ankers will do to us all next year! xx

The best so far is 319 and the worst 18!

Yeh, but at least it looks like Sarko is actively working with the industries in France - the UK government seem to be putting more money into the bankers who got us in to this mess - it would have been better to give every family in the Uk £100k - then we wouldn't need them and it might be a lot cheaper for the government!

Mac, We have been waiting until the right moment - the only problem is, as I have mentioned before, we put the house up for sale in September - great, we managed to try and sell the house in the worst possible time in the whole of history. Ok, so we have had no takers, but we are still up for it. We work on the premise that the little twinkle we can see in the distance is our future, and as said earlier, we are now actively working towards it. Don't get disheartened, the difference between a dream and the future is only one step forward. Good luck and to you and yours, have a good Christmas and Happy New Year.

Now that is a good one Woolybanana - do tell, was it really recent and where did you find the skeleton?

Apparently Tesco are interested as well - wanting to get back into the High Street.... Comes around, goes around.

Hi, we were told to find out from the deeds held the names of previous notaires mentioned on the house sale. Eg the previous sellers' notaire will be mentioned, so get in touch with them and they will have documentation up to that sale, which in turn will mean his documents will mention the notaire prior to that, and so on. Hope that helps..

I certainly agree that winter fuel allowances should only be paid to those who really need it - low incomes etc. I also think that those who have paid into the pension pot as it were should be receiving the yearly increases - something being discussed  at present - eg when a person leaves their country for another are they entitled to get annual increases. This I believe (I am sure I will be corrected if wrong) is ok for EU cits but not for Thailand etc. (eg non-EU). I mentioned to NormanH about the problem about not being able to stay in the Uk as we are - many people do not realise that when we took our mortgages out some 20-25 years ago it was all endowment stuff. We were promised that the insurance would more than repay the loan off - but remember the endowment fall last time around the recession hit? So many like us are coming to the end of our mortgages with only half our endowments materializing, so we sell up for the most we can get now and pay off the mortgage plus have a little over. Many pensioners here already own their own homes, hence why they are forced to sell to cover home care, like my mum. So even though house prices are falling (mainly due to the glut of repossessions we are told).The alternative is to stay until the end of the mortgage, pay off what comes from the endowment, take on a loan to cover the remaining amount and keep working.....

In our (now pedestrianised) High Street Woolies is the department store - remember us in the sticks still rely on that place! Rosebys has now gone - so only one store left in town selling curtains/fabrics, but to most shoppers who come into my shop it is 100 yards too far away. For nearly 20 years, I have stocked all forms (where possible) of haberdashery etc., and if i have one more so-called local come in and say - so how long have you been here then? I can not afford to be placed next to Woollies as the business rates and rents are astonomical for our small town - they are higher than Cheltenhams! All we need to do is support our local stores - where ever we live. Local is knowledge and service - if bad tell them, we take it when people are not happy - usually because we have taken a year to try and track down a part for a 50 year old sewing machine - try going into a Ford dealer with an Anglia and asking for a part in stock.... Use it or lose it! Our Woollies was taking around 250k a week in good weeks - everyone used it.  

Congrats, ours in beginning of January - 20 years and chinaware according to your list, so it looks like more plates to throw then? He always said you only get 15 years for murder....

As a train driver, my OH contributes to his pension fund. The difference was that originally he was part of the government pension fund (BR), upon privatisation, his pension went into the big world to be administered unto by fund accountants. We calculated that if we retired in the UK, on his pension, paid into for 34 years + top up where possible, we could not afford to stay in the UK - our council tax for a small 2-bed terrace is over 1K, upon reaching 65 Chris's pension will be around 2.5K, because it is designed to decrease, year on year. Because he has paid into the BR fund all these years, he is considered as 'contracted out'. So, no bonuses etc, all he has is what he has paid. So, stock market fall = pension fall. Admitted there is the lump sum, but that will be needed for living on, house repairs etc. Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that when the Government split from BR and privatised the railway, they took a lump sum from the pension fund, leaving a 12mill hole - which the workers have had to plug! So, we want to move to France to be able to maintain a stable level of income - a smaller home with a smaller council tax, a bit of land to be able to grow our own veg.... Oh yes, we have paid our pension in, so why not be entitled to benefits - as you are within all EU countries?

We are in the same quandry. We have spent nearly a year trying to find a wood burner - in France they are big or seem to be inserts and they do seem to be quite expensive. The C Low woodburner - 4/5kw (new flat top model) is now available at Countrywide Farmers for £419.00. Made by Villager/Hamlet (now same company). Also we have found the Chelsea Duo 4/5kw for around £499 at same place is a good deal. We have tried Brico, local quincallerie and many more including  Machine Mart, but it does seem there are a shortage in Uk at present - Aarrow are quoting 20 weeks for delivery on Stoves r Us, as are Stoves on Line. If, like us you need one for Christmas, then it is better to track down what is in stock locally now or what can be delivered. Often you can get a goos deal for an in-store model. Although one on-line store does do a good discount and free metre of pipe, you will have this long wait. We also went to a guy in the Limousin and the same stoves in the UK are around £200 cheaper, but again his were too big for our fireplace. It is really just down to what you need and how quickly.