Tony the Turner

The Festival of Illuminated villages is the main happening in the Orne at this time of the year.  This is real competitive stuff as only the French can do it! What started as a display in the small village of Beauchene near Flers has become a month long battle between villages with allegations of serious skull-duggery! Villages are divided into categories depending upon population and the winning communes are allocated a "Sapin" rating along the lines of the flowery villages. The concours runs from 15 December to 15 January and trips are organised from as far away as Paris to tour the lights. Beauchene now does the organising but their own display is still one of the best. The Domfront Tourist Office site mentions the event but there is no route map. See also : www.guideinnormandy.com/accueil.php3?rep=visites&page=illumines

I doubt if the effect of the decision will be as far-reaching as some commentators have suggested.  As always, the devil tends to be in the detail.  M&S were able to get the decision in their favour because they closed down completely their French, German and Belgian stores, had no pre-existing profits in those countries and so were not able to off-set losses there. Moreover, M&S had their HQ in the UK. The European Court made it plain that the tax payer must exhaust all remedies nationally before being able to look elsewhere.  The reason the French Government supported the UK Government was that it could see the boot being on the other foot, e.g. with UK based subsidiaries of a French business seeking to offset UK losses (PSA?) I can't see it having much impact on your average LF reader!

Not sure what you mean about Firefox users. I have never had any problem with the Forum despite using Firefox exclusively. IE users dice with Death by virus daily!

Just received an e:mail from Speedferries to say that they are introducing a fuel surcharge - as from 15 September! E:mail received today. Charge is £4 per car each way.

All these various theories and solutions don't seem to answer the real question - why has it suddenly gone wrong. As we all seem to be have been affected, it is unlikely to be a mass tinkering with systems unless LF readers have developed some form of telepathy. More likely something has been done at the LF end - and needs undoing!!

Try La Fine Fourchette on the main street opposite the public park. Menus start at about 14 euros and the food and service are excellent

Checked out the website. They only seem to do single vision lenses and advise you to go to a regular optician if you have any out of the ordinary issues. Maybe ok for reading/driving glasses but that's about all.

I am in the same position, ie needing regular tests to enable my coagulant therapist to stabilise my warfarin dosage. I found a Laboratoire d'Analyse in Flers which opens 7am to 7pm! Ok it shuts for 2 hours at lunchtime. I just went in, showed my INR book and asked for an INR test. Within 3 minutes I was registered and sitting in the nurse's chair. The results were ready before the end of the day and the bill was 10,94 euros. When In went back for a second test two weeks later, the receptionist recognised me and this time I only had to wait 2 minutes!

We have paid T d'H ever since we bought our maison secondaire 12 years ago - except for the first year when our vendor had paid it in advance. Your income is irrelevant unless you are a French resident for income tax purposes - and with French tax rates I don't want to be! The TV licence will go on from this year. If you don't have a TV (and we don't) you have to persuade the authorities that you have not got one. They seem even more reluctant than the UK licensing crowd to believe that there are people who can survive without their daily dose of pap. Each year we get a form asking us to declare that we do not have a TV and each year we have to go to the time and modest expense of telling them no. Still it keeps some fonctionaire in employment and no doubt accounts for a portion of the hig taxes!

Two years ago, we had our septic tank inspected by the local SPANC (sound like some dodgy establishment in the Rue St Denis in Paris – but is a respectable outfit, Syndicate Publics d’Assainissement Non Collectifs). Although it was found not to comply with the current norms, we were told that it was functioning and did not need changing, although if we did, we could have an 80% grant. Being tight-fisted Northerners (Ukwise) and not wanting the disruption to the garden, we decided to stay as we were. However, according to the Ouest France 9 May, from next January all non-confirming households will have to pay a new tax which is intended to finance the SPANCs (which had so far been government financed). It is said that the Maire will determine who is charged – ours is on a fosse septique so hopefully the village will get a low impot, some hopes. Anyone else heard of this?

I would agree with the comment that you should tell the Mairie. If it is anything like our village (61) the Maire will find out anyway. Much better that he/she finds out from you than a curtain twitching neighbour. Mind you, when I asked the Maire (or rather his secretary) if I needed either a DdeT or PdeC to change a door into a window, the answer was "Neither just go ahead and do it" !

The price differential which is found at IKEA is not uncommon. Castorama and B&Q are part of the same group but common items vary in price. The advantage of the 'net is that you can compare prices and decide whether to make a purchase in the UK or France if you have the option. Don't knock the variations. If the stores cotton on they may standardise prices - guess which way!

Although I understand the "non-competition" point, the magazines don't seem to have a true small ad section, where, for example, I could advertise the ever mounting pile of back issues of "Living France" and "France". I don't want to send them to the re-cycling skip at Tesco but the cost of a paid ad would probably exceed what I could ask for them - to say nowt of postage!

On checking Societe Generale's website, it seems that they do make various charges, although not a standing charge. Having costed the various charges with their tarif, it would seems that CCF costs us about what SG would cost. Still , thanks for the info.

Can't see Sea France going under unless the French Government is even more insolvent than it appears to be!

Have been with CCF for over 11 years. We use the Caen branch which seems to be the only one in Lower Normandy. As our maison secondaire is in the Suisse Normande, it is quit a trek but the staff are very charming and actually remember us between fairly infrequent visits. We joined them in 1993 because at the time they had a "relationship" with RBS in the UK. This gave us virtually instant electronic money transfers through the IBOS system at modest cost. However, since the HBSC got its hands on CCF this service has been withdrawn. We have probably stayed with them through the inertia factor. We thought about a move when they introduced a €6 quarterly charge until we found out that all French banks seem to do this - what about competition policy Mr Europe?. However, having download a 36 page mini-guide!! from the Federation Bancaire Francaise, I am not sure that I could stand the strain. Has anyone any thoughts on hassle-free bank swapping?

It may be a lot cheaper that Brittany's usual arm and a leg but does not compare with Speedferries, even if an overnight hotel is needed. We gave up on BF ages ago and use the savings each trip on an eating out "extravaganza" and still were in pocket!