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LisaJ

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Posts posted by LisaJ

    COTISATIONS - MICRO ENTERPRISE

    in Earning a Living

    Posted

    We are in exactly the same position as you, Catrina. When we got the bill for this year's (second year) cotisations, it was for more than we had earned last year or were likely to earn this year. We went to RSI with last year's spreadsheet of income and they re-calculated our cotisations for this year based on last year's income. Despite what people have said, they can re-calculate based on real income under micro-entreprise, but you have to go and see them.

    Good luck,

    Lisa

    Les Marseillaise

    in The Complete France Post Bag

    Posted

    The CE1 children in one of the schools I taught in last year were learning the Marseillaise off by heart. They asked me to teach them the British anthem, but when I did a rough translation for her the teacher wasn't sure if we could mention the G word in a French school!

    regards

    L

    tu

    in French Language

    Posted

    It does all seem very complicated - I asked the people in our village walking group and they said things like - "I say vous to X, but tu to her sister - I don't know why, I always have". I am sure it is a generational thing as well.

    I am never sure what I should say to fellow members of the municipal council, there seems to be a real mixture, although the Mayor says vous to everyone. I might try and be brave and say tu to my fellow ex-teachers, now I have heard the rule about members of the same profession saying tu.

    regards

    L

    tu

    in French Language

    Posted

    I had trouble explaining to one of my neighbours that the use of "you" in English doesn't mean that we are being terribly formal all the time. I guess thee and thou is still around in some places in the UK though - I remember when we lived in Yorkshire someone going for an interview and being asked "Art th'often badly?"

    regards

    L

    UK Photocard Driving Licences start expiring in 2008

    in Driving in France

    Posted

    Just as a postscript SD (and to thank you for bothering...) your post sent me to look at the date on my UK licence. To my horror I found it was missing. With advice from the forum, I rang Swansea (who were very helpful and efficient), paid £5 and got the necessary form in the post three days later. A week later I have my French licence, issued at the Prefecture (after 30 minutes processing of all the documents) and free of charge.

    regards

    Lisa

    gravy powder

    in Shopping

    Posted

    How about using a really good home-made stock? We make stock from bones (chicken or veal or beef usually), carrots, celery, onion and herbs etc. We then strain it and reduce it right down and freeze it in ice-cube trays. Yes, it takes a bit of time, but the flavour is wonderful and it is very easy to get a cube out of the freezer when you need it.

    regards

    Lisa

    gravy powder

    in Shopping

    Posted

    I always put an onion, cut in quarters, under roast meat. This gives a good dark gravy. For sausages, I would start with long, slow, fried onion, add a little bit of flour and then red wine. I never have and never will use gravy granules / powder etc.

    regards

    Lisa

    Bread flour - or bread mixes

    in French Food and Wine

    Posted

    We buy all our bread flour in the organic supermarkets. The higher the "Type" number, the browner the bread. We use Type 55 / 65  for white and Type 110 for wholemeal. We never use bread mixes or a bread machine; OH (who makes all our bread) sets it off the night before, leaves it to rise until the following afternoon and the bread is wonderful.

    We will soon be getting our new wood-fired bread oven working and we can't wait to try the results from that.

    regards

    Lisa

    Cleaning puzzle

    in Gite Owners Forum

    Posted

    I always leave all cleaning materials, plus hoover and mop. It used to drive me mad when we rented gites and you had to go out and buy cleaning materials as soon as you arrived. Everyone has left our gite very clean thus far, but we do a deep clean and make up the beds. In our gite details, we ask people to leave the place clean, empty rubbish and leave used linen and towels in a heap. (I added this after I found towels that had been folded up and put back even though they weren't clean.)

    regards

    L

    Forum Member cooperlola

    in Other Topics

    Posted

    Please give her my love and tell her that I am sure that all the other FHI members send their best wishes too and will be very shocked to hear the news. Without Deb's energy and leadership the health cover affair might have had a very different ending for many of us.

    Will be thinking about her, please keep us up to date with her progress.

    Lisa

    Driving to Spain

    in Travelling to/from France

    Posted

    Off on our annual trek from Normandy to the south of Spain next week. Has anyone tried the route from St Jean de Luz to Burgos via Vitoria Gasteiz rather than via Bilbao? I am struggling to see from the map (and from the on-line routes) how much of this road is now dual carriageway; it certainly looks shorter.

    regards

    Lisa

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