Keni

Perhaps to use someone to take the tests more qualified than a nurse and to make sure the 'points' system works for the type of person you are checking - eg if someone has a problem with their legs then often they can put their arms in the air! They could also go to the toilet unaided. It's the questions asked to me weren't relevant! So one question paper suits all should be re-examined.

A friend of mine has been ill for many years - used to be a nursing sister in A&E. She has oesteo-arthritis, and is is a wheel chair and takes liquid morpine. She was to have a check to see if she could go for some type of work, same one I had I suppose - less than 15 points and you can work, questions asked included 'can you walk unadied', 'can you put your arms in the air' can you touch your feet. I scored 9, so could work. Anyway my mate has now just had to have her leg amputated - they were still trying to see if she could attend for the test! Stupid or what - and the bloke who did my test was a nurse of about 12 years of age, who was told my problems were internal - so of course I could put my arms in the air! So beware if you are 'asked' to attend these tests to check your benefit requirement!

As you say, once the French gets better you can hang on in there - my remark in the past has been ' Madam, je suis Anglaise, pas stupide!' That has usually got the whole queue sniggering at the mealy-mouthed cashier, who did not want to assist![;-)]

Yep, my Kindle came with a nice fetching white 3 pin plug/charger stamped with Amazon on it(!) and matching white lead with USB on one end. Plug one end into Kindle, USB into plug and plug into socket for charging - simples Sergei! x [:D]  

Happy Birthday from us as well Debs. Keni & Chris - I gather from Wooly that Claire is still not forgiven![:D]

Mary, I still have my old Uk e-mail address, which is what the Kindle is registered to. Once registered to an e-mail address, it it quite hard to change the e-mail adress it's attached to. You literally have to unregister the Kindle and then re-register it. I bought mine online, using a uk address and a uk address registered card, but had it delivered to an on-line shopping company in the Uk, who delivered it here for me (2 euros). I have no problems getting into the Uk Amazon site and getting books. The difference is that the Uk site has a lot of non-copyright books on it - A Christmas Carol etc. Basically books I'd always wanted to read. I can also access all the latest books from the Kindle in English, if I so desire. However, I can still get books from Amazon.fr if desired. The UK Kindle comes with a UK charger (3 pin) as well.  

AnOther, Pierre reckons if you lose your motorcycle permit etc., on a French licence, you can retain it on an Europena licence, or something like that!

Earlier this year Chris picked up a speeding fine (45 euros) and we think a points deduction. Having got a Titre (carte) de Sejour, his came with a form to exchange his licence, due to the points, we think, and he had one year to do it. On speaking with our neighbour however, he says do not exchange it for a French licence, exchange it for a European Licence, which apparently you can do.

All this taken on board, many thanks to all - Apremont - never tried that, also won't be able to try the salmon one as allergic to fish! But will have a go at the others xxx [:D]

So, as we have never seen or tried this, has anyone a basic Tartiflette recipe we can scrounge?  

Hi, AnOther, Regarding this AME card, believe me I was quite happy to duck down, and will continue to try do so, just returning the form they require is our first step, and we will take it from there. It's our neighbour who is concerned for us. We did not take a flyer as you say, I have been trying to see the route in which one enters the system - having worked all my life, and after the health problems I have had, serious enough, but not life threatening, I wanted space to breathe. If the worst comes to the worst I am happy to enter the workplace again, however, as to moving goalposts, perhaps someone would mention this to Uk governments, whereby we are having ours moved -  from 60 to 64-65 now for me 66. I do not mind coming in line with the men of the country, but would have appreciated time from the government to be able to sus out how to work out my pension in such a short space. I was not given the luxury of time, the government moved my goalpost without much thought for what I must do! PS Not whinging or complaining in any form, merely curious. x[blink]

Just heard the news on the BBc, so sad, a great voice.

So Norman, as you say, we have the AME, we had the Carte Vitale, which ran out 31/12/11. So is this something that counts against us? We have again received this form to fill in, which we have filled in the same as before. We still have our top up insurance, which we pay monthly and we have enough income to live on. We have spoken with our neighbour tonight and he thinks someone somewhere has got things wrong, so he's going to phone for us on Monday to see what is what. He's never even seen this card!

Funnily enough, today we have received a letter, (suprise) with the exact form from them that we filled in a month ago. Also asking us not to use our Carte Vitales (strange, they took them off us). The letter contradicts itself all the way through, so we fill in the form (again), send it with a letter explaining (again) or failing that, get our French neighbour (and union representative) to come with us to CPAM and really let them have both barrels! He is always up for sorting out the French Government.[:)] Also in the letter they refer to the Nov. 2007 declaration, only when we went to their offices, we had the update from last year and they knew nothing about that!, Which is why they took all our bank information, as well as Impots, etc., and they read the bit about under circumstances etc., etc., - we have a Titre de Sejour and we have had more than 3 months health care and continual residence here in the past year. So the games' a foot (sorry a' trente centimetres!)

Okkkkayyy - So, as Coops knows, for us it goes like this. He 53 me 57. One year S1, so Carte Vitale expired 31/12/11. We turm up at the CPAM offices with letter from Newcastle, our Titre de Sejour cards,, copies of everything we could think of, includng bank accounts for the previous year and we get given a form to fill in. We then had to go to Limoges, where our Carte Vitales were taken and replaced with Aide Medical d'Etat cards, for which we paid 30 euros (Timbre Fiscal). This gives us Prise en Charge, 100% medical health cover until the end of the year. We did not ask for this, we were given them upon them looking through our bank accounts. So, if the Carte Medical d'Etat is for illegal aliens (?),not for EU members(!), why were we given them. The website says: 'L'aide médicale de l'État (AME) est un dispositif permettant aux étrangers en situation irrégulière de bénéficier d'un accès aux soins, sous réserve de remplir certaines conditions. (Google translate)The state medical assistance (AME) is a device that allows illegal aliens to benefit from access to care, subject to certain conditions. It then says: Vous pouvez bénéficier de l'AME si vous êtes dans une des situations suivantes :personne étrangère en situation irrégulière au regard de la réglementation relative au séjour en France (absence de titre de séjour ou de récépissé de demande),personne ayant droit du bénéficiaire de l'AME ( enfant, personne à charge),   personne étrangère placée en rétention administrative,personne (française ou étrangère) gardée à vue.À savoir : les ressortissants communautaires ne disposant pas d'un droit au séjour au-delà de 3 mois de résidence en France relèvent de l'AME. (Google translate) You can take advantage of the AME if you are in any of the following: illegal foreign person under the regulations governing the stay in France (no residence permit or receipt of application) Person of the recipient of the soul (child dependent) foreign person placed in administrative detention,person (French or foreign) in custody.Namely: EU nationals do not have a right to stay beyond three months of residence in France within the MEA. So now...? It goes on to state:- Vous pouvez bénéficier de l'AME si vous résidez en France :de manière ininterrompue depuis plus de 3 mois, et de manière stable. La résidence stable signifie : soit avoir en France son foyer, c'est à dire sa résidence habituelle, qui doit avoir un caractère permanent, soit avoir en France le lieu de son séjour principal, c'est à dire y séjourner pendant plus de 6 mois par an.Si vous demandez à bénéficier de l'AME et que vous ne remplissez pas la condition de 3 mois de résidence en France, vos éventuels enfants mineurs sont inscrits sans délai au dispositif de l'AME pour la prise en charge de leurs soins pendant les 3 premiers mois de leur présence en France. (Google translate) You can take advantage of the AME if you live in France: uninterrupted for more than three months, and stably. Stable residence means: or have his home in France, that is, habitual residence, which must be permanent, in France or have his place of principal residence, that is to stay for more than six months per year. If you ask to benefit from the MEA and that you do not meet the requirement of three months of residence in France, your potential minor children are enrolled without delay disposition of the soul for the management of their care during the 3 first months of their presence in France. So if you live here for more than 3 months, stably and permanent you are ok, on the other hand if you are an Eu member you can't be in it for more than 3 months - so why is our card set to expire 31.12.12? To us it seems great, we have health care and yes, we are on low income, but with our Titre de Sejour, we can't be illegal aliens (Can we?) x Answers on  a postcard to.......[:-))] .

Love the story Pads. We 'rescued' two kittens earlier this year, a brother and sister. Now they are two indepent people, we know now their father is also their brother! He has a lazy eye that 'sticks' every now and then, causing him to squint badly and he doesn't seem to see very well - put food under his nose and he has to sniff to find it - even if it's a lump of the stuff. She is very skittish, but don't know why, we are a calm family but I know from when they were very young they had a bit of a tough time. At the present they don't go out except with us, as we have a lot of trucks suddenly using the small road in front of us - think it's to do with sat nav's (Mairie investigating). Having had loads of cats in the past, their behaviour is strange - they don't like cuddles, he shrinks sometimes rather than have a fuss made. Othertimes he wraps himself around your legs for attention. She will come for attention but will not sit on your lap - just for acknowledgement. They both have attached themselves to a throw on the sofa, she just nuzzles it and purrs, he literally holds it in his mouth pulling at it. Obviously both with 'mother' needs, but won't come to us. Still, time will tell, they know we are there, we feed them ,sort out the litter tray and generally pander to their needs - they have us well trained already! Would love the occasional cuddle though, but I know we have to wait for them.

We enjoyed 'Call the Midwife' read the books years ago.

Whilst lamenting the demise of your yeast and jam cooker, glad to know the new kid on the block is making itself at home. Will try the brioche - thank you eClair

The oldest are the best. So fer-menting this thread, our thoughts are with the family.[:(] Our breadmaker, £13.99 at Cu++ys. Makes jam, and even bread when asked (not tried brioche).  

Here in our village, we have a neighbour who often has packages delivered for her work. She often tells us that they are not delivered/returned to sender. She thinks that if the courier has no-one else to deliver to in our village, or in the area, they just don't bother and either leave it for someone else to deliver another day or return it as 'not known' etc.

Hi Coops, Glad all is progressing well. Lovely weather here as well - blue sky, sun, no wind and no cloud, but very cold. Keep up the good work - did you get the pm regarding the health care info - it might help others. Looking forward to hearing you're back home. Love from us both. xxx[:D]

Ours is in weekly rubbish collection, as would be a baby's nappy I suppose?!  

Good Luck Coops, glad to know all ok so far - keep on with the good news. We're with you. xxx

Cheers Deb - had thought about that , I have some cochineal used in baking. It def. appears it is storm water flowing front to back under the house in a drain, with our downspout joining. We have purchased today a 'gros deboucheur' and the neighbours are coming over tomorrow to help - swimming pool in back yard getting bigger![blink]

Thank you Val_2, The old owner came over with his daughter and he said in the 30+ years they had the house, as far as he knew there was no fosse, just the drainage! (To where one wonders?). The outside drain is filling, faster than the submersible pump will empty it, but it is still cleanish water. I have worked out the drain from the sink in the sous-sol is taken away by a storm drain and worked out the direction of the water flow, which is front to back of the house, and I feel joins somewhere with the outside drain that keeps refilling. Using the submersible pump, eventually it sarts to empty to drain, and slightly lowers the water sitting in the gulley under the sous-sol sink, so that sorted out the theory. Have tried digging up back garden but found no traps. Tomorrow will purchase a drain rod system and start with that. Thank you for your help. x[:)]