Georgina

Yes, I think the Wednesday morning woman had taken a day off so that was my best bet.  Will try on line but thought it was easier in person, silly me.  Thanks Clair. Georgina

Bulgarian, not because I think they are foreigners but because when you are talking about large sums you need to know that you are understood and that they understand you.  Like I could work in the bank here, but I would have a massive queue of people wondering why they could not have someone that understood them better and when you are paying 25p per minute on the phone, it is rather less expensive to speak to someone who does understand you (but maybe that's the idea, they will obviously get a great deal more in the cut from the calls.  When I spoke to them before I always found them to be very efficient.  The deal apparently is whether the Swift number is correct.  Now they confirmed the IBAN number is correct but the Swift number takes it to the individual branch.  So I am told by my bank that it will have gone to the bank head office in Paris and they would not be able to allocate it because the Swift number has an 1 instead of a I???? Yeah great!![:@]

Well I went to Geant to ask if I could get the bottle of champagne on promotion,  she pointed to a sign which said I could only exchange points on Wednesday or Friday mornings [:'(] doh!!!.  So Wednesday morning, the sign disappeared and so did she.  A young man told me I could get the cadeax (voucher) if I sent off for for the voucher by post !!!![:@]  So Clair, are they having me on?? what a palava.   Georgina

Guess what, my bank changed their bank details (which I changed with Moneybookers, and the money from Moneybookers has gone missing becuase of this.  Apparently when I rang Moneybookers (three times) to try to get someone who could understand me because all the staff are from Bulgaria and they told me there was no manager, - I could not understand them and they could not understand me. Their e mail system is on a go slow/stop.  Anyone else suffering this problem with them?[:@] 

[quote user="Clair"]A young French student friend has just done a 6 weeks spell at a small Leclerc in St Céré (46) and she could not wait to finish... From her description, there seems to be no  positive incentive or motivation to encourage the employees to do more than the strict minimum. They get paid the basic wages, there is no shop discount of any kind, no staff room where they can have a break, in other words, there is no value put on their efficiency, amiability or helpfulness. They're treated like disposable goods and act accordingly. One day, she started work at 2pm and finished at 8:30, having not had a single break. Her break as such was the ½ hour between 8:30 and the official closing time of 9:00pm. Her 35 hours were distributed every week over 6 days of the week, including Sundays. As she's a student, she was quite happy to take the work, but I can well imagine that it would be quite demoralising to hold such a job as your only prospect of a wage. I am not making apologies for anyone, but the incentive has to come from the top. Once the managers realise that customers are valuable and should be treated accordingly, the positive attitude will trickle down to the floor. [/quote]    I just can't bear shopping at Leclerc because the staff are so miserable and the queues are always so long.  I found other supermarkets much better.  Now I know why. [:(] Georgina

Just to go into that story - the child was 5 years old and the same night they put an alert on French tv.  He was found some six- nine hours later.  What a fantastic feeling it was to hear that news the next day after the heartbreak of waiting for news on poor Madeline.  The taxi driver who took him and the boy somewhere recognised the report on the tv. You have got to give it to the powers that be to have responded so quickly in getting the alert out on the tv within hours. Fantastic.  But looking at the photo, he really did look like a monster and with his past history should never have been let out of prison. Georgina

And yet again, dropped off, I think I will drop off for good soon zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................

In France, ignorance apparently is not a defence.  You have to search out the information.  You have to ask for a tax form.  You have to ask how much to pay, nobody tells you, nobody searches you out to tell you, until you try to sell up perhaps. Then you have all sorts to prove. I always wondered how these poor little old ladies cope with all these forms to fill in.  I do feel sorry for them.

Been logged out twice and now it is getting annoying.

Thanks everyone, I shall try the weedkiller on it then.  The weedkiller I have is specifically for that, but it says fruit trees and the like so I assume hedges will be okay. Georgina

I have a very long laurel hedge which appears to be covered with what I think is bindweed.  They are very stringy and heart shaped leaves.  I have some weedkiller for this but I don't know if it will damage my hedge as it does not say anything about hedges as it could be just for grass.  Any ideas?  Could this kill my hedge (the bindweed) I mean.

Our dog does not go two days, but will literally pick out the  bits of her dinner she is not keen on and put them outside her dish.  Whatever we eat however is much more interesting to her. I think she is just waiting for something better to come along.[:)] Georgina

Hi Jackie, I have twin boys started school here at 6.  No problem whatsoever.  Before I came, I introduced them to French in England with some French private lessons and some at school.  I took them to the school when I came on holiday as some of the holidays did not coincide.   The school did not have any other British children and after about six months, they went away skiing for one week, which was good for their French (their only problem was me being too worried). It is actually easier having twins because of the obvious fact that they have someone else and will not feel alone.  My two are totally unalike in every way but I invited lots of other children to come to our house for goute (play and biscuits) after school.  They started in the class a year under their English equivalent and they are totally fluent now and have been after about six months of permanent schooling (they are 9 now). Now they are the eldest in the class but only by about four months.  I did not want to push them and they have felt no pressure.  Don't worry it won't be a problem at all. Wish you were nearer, it would be nice to meet you and the twins. Georgina

[quote user="chocccie"] Hi Georgina What's the brand name of the tubes of colour please? I was about to send of for some, expensive, colour pigment powders, but they might be just the ticket. Thanks [/quote]   Sorry just went to have a look......   E4 a tube and they are called Colorant Universal.  They are the only ones in Brico Depot. Georgina

Having been driving in England and France regularly for the past few years, as soon as I reach the motorways in England, I find drivers deliberately taking risks to get in front of you.  Whereas the worst drivers here don't appear to be trying to get one over on you, they are just in a hurry or not as the case may be.  I find many drivers in England going ridiculously fast on the motorways and menacingly tailgating you if you are not doing 100mph + like them in their flash cars in the outside lane.  Many being equiped with the technology for speed traps and they know when to slow down. You see them in your mirror winding from inside to outside lanes, never indicating, like they were on some video game.  I am sure many do not know the difference. . Georgina PS I am not a slow driver either

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]Do you have any problems with getting an even mix without streaking or the corners not mixed in?  I only ask as my local Brico will do this for you in a big machine which adds a carefully measured amount of the selected colour to white paint then stirs/shakes the tin violently.  I'm always intrigued to see what would happen if the top came off. [/quote]   No. but I make sure I mix right from the bottom. Georgina

My son picked 50 of the horrible things just from the rhubarb plant. Disgusting creatures they are.  I have a complete plague of them.  Do you think any french restaurants would be interested if I advertised free snails.[:)]  I have used pellets but do not want to harm birds.

I suppose it depends on how many colours you use.  I always start with white for instance, add a blob of yellow and I have cream, more and I get different yellows.  Easy to match these.  Or white blob of red for pinks, you add more and more until you achieve the shade you like.  Matching is better if you just add one colour to white, but I was surprised to find how many shades you can achieve just by adding one colour to white. The tubes are only E4 so you can experiment with pots before hand and it's very cheap and you can use your tube again. Georgina[:D]

Here's a tip for all those who cannot find the right colour.  Get yourself down to Brico Depot, buy yourself the cheapest white paint, called Murs et Plafonds and some tubes of paint colour that they also sell. Buy three colours or so, and try mixing in little pots, be careful to try a little at a time so you can find the exact colour.  The paint mixes wonderfully and the best thing is, it is really cheap.  The bog standard murs et plafonds paint was only about E8 for 2.5 litres.    So get going.  No more trips to England for the right colours!  Turn yourself into Linda Barker, it's so easy.[:)] Happy painting! Georgina   PS when you find the right colour, make sure you mix enough as if you run out it is hard to get the colour again to match.

Yes, I owe thousands, better get going before they catch up with me.....   [:D]

[quote user="Russethouse"]Georgina, Please tell me you really ARE Cherie Blair - boy, have I got something to say to her..........[6][6][/quote] Actually RH better say it now 'cos, tomorrow I am going to be someone else!!![:D][:D][:D]

Yes, still having loading problems today. Georgina

[quote user="ErnieY"] [quote user="Georgina"]Why is it some people on here have a desire for status here by publishing their professions???  I do find that a bit suspect.  Also I do not see the need to have a go at the OP as he created an interesting discussion[/quote] I do not see stating one's qualification to offer advice on a specific point as status seeking, more especially so when it is brought into question. I'm sure nobody here will accuse you of such intent Georgina if you care to reveal to us your expert qualifications on the subject but if you choose not to then I'm afraid your very own phrase "don't come on here making out you are an expert" will begin to sound somewhat hypocritical. Attacking such knowledgeable and respected contributors as SD & LL will win you very few friends here. [/quote] Sorry, I thought we were having a discussion with a moral dilemma, not making friends.......(although I am not here to wind people up).  Don't you see, I could be Cherie Blair for all you know, for gawd's sake!!!  I do not see many people publishing personal details about themselves.  That would be foolish. And SD I have no doubt your advice is well intentioned and I did not mean to offend you but actually I thought you tone was off too so touche[:)]   David said: "Technically this not THEFT but a Debt. If, however, the Credit Card/s were obtained Fraudulently and then the Goods were obtained using that/those Cards, then that would Constitute Theft under the Fraud Act, not under the Theft Act. Just by clearing off to another Country does not mean that the Debt will be absolved. Most Countries have cross border agreements whereby Debtors can and will be pursued. A few countries do not but unless you want to live in North Korea or similar you will/can be arrested and dealt with accordingly. Basically, it is just not worth it. Better approach the Banks concerned, own up to your problems and it can be sorted. Otherwise you  will NEVER be able to obtain Credit/Morgage etc. in the future.""QUOTE   Exactly if it was, then we would have tons of police chasing debtors. A debt is a civil matter not a criminal one, if you walk away from a debt it is not a criminal matter. If you obtain credit by saying that you live in England or have more wages than you actually have, then that is a criminal matter of fraud.  I do not argue that morally it is theft and incidentally, I hasten to add,  I have never done this. Georgina            

I am having problems with this site loading,  I assume others are too, so I'm off bye bye till they fix it.

[quote user="Sunday Driver"] LL's point about theft is perfectly valid - and relevent to the question raised in this thread. There is an offence of dishonestly inducing a creditor to wait for payment or to forgo payment with the intention of permanently defaulting on all or part of an existing liability (Theft Act 1978, section 2 (1) (b) - now replaced by the Fraud Act 2006).  During my banking days, I used this legislation for pursuing fraudsters and, on occasions, recidevist debtors...   [/quote] No it is not, LL used the Theft Act in the context of someone being given the wrong change.  This is not applicable as it is not theft, ie without using the latin, it is not necessarily the intention and definitely not the deed.  But like I said it was the wrong analogy.  We are talking about something different. If you chose to disagree with me then so be it, but don't come on here making out you are an expert..  Anyone who comes on here and takes advice without checking, would be crazy, so nobody is an expert.  Why is it some people on here have a desire for status here by publishing their professions???  I do find that a bit suspect.  Also I do not see the need to have a go at the OP as he created an interesting discussion.   Sorry again LL IMOH you used the wrong analogy, someone being given the wrong change is not theft., you will be sending lots of us on guilt trips, when this happens often.  [:)] Georgina