Mike1958

Likewise Martin, many thanks. I assume CH5 isnt available yet?

We have recently had our GDF inspection and been awarded the 3 epis that we were looking for. We followed this with paying our inscription at our tourist office where they will add us to their appropriate material and website. Our only question that we forgot to ask (though we will see GdF next week) is are there choices for the type of plaque that you can have (sizes, material etc) and if so does anyone know roughly what the costs are. Many thanks: PS: By the way our inspection was by Sylvie Lacave from Toulouse with two other GdF CdH owners from our region. I must say they were very professional and friendly and certainly made us feel very welcome.

I have a Livebox and for the last couple of years have just used it using an Ethernet connection. During this time I have had to change PC's and didn't need the Wanadoo software to reconnect so I haven't installed it. My question is, is there an easy way of turning of the "wireless" connectivity without having to reinstall the software again. I would like to do this to give visitors with laptops access. Many thanks

I have rescanned using my digibox and have picked up E4, E4+1, More 4 and More 4+1 but no Channel 4. Does this channel sometimes show as something else?

I have received a letter from SACEM who are saying that if we play music, or have the TV available to our guests that we have to pay a fee. Can anyone please advise whether this is correct? Many thanks in anticipation.

It is me again, can anyone tell me what bicarbonate of soda is called, again i cannot find it in the supermarkets. Thanks Skigirl

Thank you to everyone who replied, it has been a great help to me. skigirl 

I think 3 hours sleep is enough of an excuse to account for spelling mistakes. Strangely enough my French colleagues and friends are far more sympathetic and more importantly supportive. Well done to those that took the plunge and have offerred their service. Good luck  

After 3 hours sleep and a moderately sore head I can openly admit that the French way of celebrating their parties win is an experience I will not forget. My first meeting of the day started at 7.30 am and after policing the voting process all day and monitoring the count all evening I can honestly say that when the result was finally announced at almost 1am I was in need of a drink. In Bagneres de Luchon we delivered a landslide, ousting the existing mayor with a massive swing in the vote from the previous election. What came as a surprise to me (though not to others) was the turnout which must have been around 80%. Our entire list was elected with an average of 1320 votes each, (the outgoing mayor only received 860) which is a strong mandate from which to deliver our programme for the next 6 years. What really blew me away was after the result was announced in front of the hundreds of people inside the Marie, I left the Marie with my wife only to find at least two hundred more followers at the foot of the steps who amazingly started clapping and cheering in unison, and as ever the singing continued long into the night. Luchon is a big town, but one with a big heart and it is a place that I am proud to say is "home".

Thanks for the replies, but not sure about the powder milk, I do not think that can be correct and yes the other is condenced milk which I use. If anyone else can help that would be great. skigirl

Can anyone tell me if you can buy evaporated milk in France or does it have another name. Thanks in advance Skigirl

[quote user="FCMoux"] Hello,   I like you have decided to do the same. I am in dept 34 in one of the villages close to Montpellier. I have also been asked for the same thing. I have spoken to Consul in Montpellier and Marseille, both very helpful but couldn't really give me a clear answer. Like you any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in Advance FC Moux [/quote] Hi FCMoux, Good news for me following the meeting with the Prefecture. The letter from the UK was fine, and all that I need to provide along with it is my own attestation stating the same. I am glad this has been cleared up because I am due to hold a municipal meeting the day before the election with the theme of "Luchon in Europe", which will not be my only contribution as I have input into Tourism and Commerce as well. Good luck

Many thanks Jura, I have done a trawl through my old posts and don't think I have posted on this before - that being said the mind is not as good as it used to be. As a back up short term I have set up a PAYPAL business account with PAYPAL.FR but will be seeing the bank again in the next week or so to discuss further. Regards,

Still now news at the moment, I managed to find the contact number via the councils own website.

FC Moux, I had the same sort of help (or lack of it) from both the Embassy in Paris and the consulate. I have now contacted the Electoral Services department of the council in the UK where we last lived, they have provided a letter stating the date that I last voted and that I am no longer on the electoral role for that address/constituency. This may or may not be of help, however our prospective Mayor is having a meeting with the senior Prefecture for the Midi Pyrenees today to find out exactly what is needed, so one I know I will update the thread accordingly. Regards, Mike

Good morning one and all, We are currently setting up a SARL and have been looking at the pro's and cons of having either an E-Commerce solution for taking credit card payments, or taking one of the credit card machines from Credit Agricole. The charges are not that different, though with the e-commerce solutions there is a set up fee. I have two questions that hopefully you may be able to help with: 1. Has anyone had to make the same decision and if so what was the deciding factor 2. With the credit card machines from the bank are they able to use debit cards like the old UK Switch (now Maestro) A fair portion of our business will be sold to clients in the UK paying in pounds. Many thanks, Mike  

All sorted - it wasnt ventillation but the flue was blocked by fallen cement - pipes removed and cleaned - problem sorted. Now when will the next one turn up - they usually do

[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"] Zeltus, this afternoon I'm off to see my Maire about a titre de sejour and as I'm in the same Departement, I'll let you know how I get on. I want mine because I think I should have one if I'm going on the local council, sort of to prove to people that I'm committed here.  And when I've asked - in passing - about this in the past, I've just sort of been waved away with the 'pas necessaire'. [/quote] Hi Tony, I am going through the same process as I am an official candidate in the March elections municipal. I have been asked to provide (the other way around to you) proof that I am no longer eligible to vote or be elected in the UK. A kind person from our ex registrar of electors is sending me a letter but I am not sure whether this will do. We are permanent, and are in the process of creating a SARL for our business but nothing we have declares us as full time residents, nor have we been asked to provide anything that states that we are. Good luck with your election. Mike

Thanks Gluestick. I have already turned the boiler off and a friend is bringing a carbon monoxide detector in the morning. The plumber who installed the boiler is coming back tomorrow afternoon with any luck.

Any advice appreciated............ Last year we had an expensive Viessmann boiler fitter which from day one didn't work correctly. The first problem was that it would not reach temperature in its Automatic setting resulting in us having to use the manual over ride to maintain temperature during last winter. The installer called out a Viessmann technician who replaced a part and lo and behold the boiler worked fine until the 1st week of December when the same problem occurred again. Our installer again called out a Viessmann technician who started to go on about the boiler room being too hot (spoke to Viessman UK who said this was bxlls). Took parts off and drilled a few holes to insert probes but did not fix the problem. Further calls to the director of Viessmann (Toulouse) resulted in the technician returning again and swapping the main boiler control which seemed to have sorted the problem. However we now have a significant amount of condensation which literally soaks the walls when the boiler is running. I have called Viessmann UK to outline the problem who said that it sound like combustion gasses leaking into the room and that it could be very dangerous. My installer is now being evasive, and I am unsure as to how safe the situation is. There is good ventilation into the boiler room but I don't know if that helps. At the moment I am at a loss - therefore any advice (other than turn the thing off - as I need it on to hopefully show the installer should he turn up) will be appreciated. Many thanks, Mike

I have already registered to vote, the requirement is for being a candidate though I guess until the voting papers are posted I wont know whether I have been accepted to vote either.  

For my sins I am a member of the contending "liste" for the Elections Municipal in March. All members of the list must register by the 1st of February and to do so I have been asked to provide proof of eligibility that I am no longer eligible to vote in the UK. We are resident here in the Pyrenees, we completed our P85 when we left etc. Has anyone had to do this before - and if so how did you provide the necessary documentation?   Many regards, Mike

Does anyone know of a car park in Toulouse centre that will take a high vehicle (approx 2.2m). Any help is appreciated Mike

Looking at a number of the posts people are always referring to either the E106 or the E121 as being a requirement to join the French Health System. In our case we have left the UK and have spent the best part of the last year finishing putting our new business together. We have employed a French accountant who is setting us up as a SARL which will also I believe include notifying the CdC and any other bodies necessary and gaining all of the relevant certifications. As a business we will pay our taxes and cotisations however I am unsure about whether we need any of the forms above as we did not apply for them before leaving the UK. Any advice would be appreciated

We cant be far away from you as we are also close to 65 but in 31 (right in the mountains). We have recently had a 80cm dish fitted and our reception is fine. We did pay for the installation and we are picking up Astra 2B with no interference unless we have really bad weather like the other night.