Poppy

Dave, you mention venting the cavity. We are busy putting up rails and were going to place the insulation in the rails but have found a French DIY book which shows the insulation going behind the rail straight onto the stone wall. All advice greatfully received have been chewing the pros and cons for a few weeks and no further forward. [8-)]

I'm still here [blink] Lost about 500g this week, same problem as Joy I can't lay off the apero. It must be this cold weather. Definitely going to try much harder this week,Christmas is coming and will be sooo disappointed when I look like the Christmas pudding. Think I will hang the little black dress up somewhere easily visible as a reminder to keep trying. Come to think of it 500g was quite easy to lose and that would mean half a stone lost in 7 weeks and that would be great but going to aim for more. The Other Jan Still slimming and smiling [:D]

Unfortunately the same thing is happening around us in France. CUs are being given for huge areas of land which was once the equivalent of Green Belt and villages are joining up. Permis are being allowed for all sorts of buildings, wooden chalets, prefabs, mobile homes. Have noticed if a larger reasonable looking house appears then it seems to be occupied by either more than one family or several generations. OOps musn't say more but would love to tell the French they are going down the wrong road. Excuse the pun [:D] Strange thing is that not even the 'shoot' seem to be able to stop this urbanisation;

Thanks Will, I understand that CSG & CRDS are not directly related to health but what proportion of the national debt is the health service. Perhaps a long shot but one for the European Court. Am I correct in thinking that these charges aren't payable if you have an E121 if so shouldn't the same criteria apply if you have private health insurance [I]

 Just wondered [blink] under the new rules if someone is denied access to French Health System based on only receiving unearned income then can the authorities legally deduct CSG & CRDS from that income?

Find the longest bit is between 5 and 7 when I should be having an apero [blink] or two. Have started doing my exercises during that time and it is helping;

Sorry GG was writing as you posted. So sorry to hear about your grandson it must have been devastating. Can fully understand that weight seemed a trivial thing. Stay with us and you will get back to that size 10. All the Best The Other Jan PS Are you a Geordie Girl

Hello everyone and a big Hello Hinny, Geordie Girl. Know what you mean about the sunshine Lynda it made me feel so much better, even meant I didn't have any alcohol yesterday. Weighed in and happy that I have lost a pound since Sunday, can't believe what a difference the exercises make. Need to lose 10 kilos and would love to lose it by Christmas but will try ever sooo hard and be happy with any loss. I am now 6 kilos under the last plateau and the difference in how I look and feel is absolutely amazing, I would never have believed it. The frumpy look has gone [:D] I keep thinking all the time that a kilo is the size of a bag of sugar and to lose that amount is fantastic. I know we will all be big losers. Have a successful week. The Other Jan Stiill slimming and smiling [:D]  

The area around Bergerac and Bordeaux will give you very hot summers and cold frosty winter mornings. Both airports have low cost carriers but you will have the backup of  Air France etc from Bordeaux if cheap airlines pull out. Also Rodez and Toulouse areas, similar climate to Bergerac and same senario with flights, Toulouse a backup if low cost carriers stop. Enjoy your search. 

Hello again Lynda great to hear from you . I'm definitely up for losing half a stone for Christmas. Same as Joy I'm about 4 lbs lighter than in January but I put an additional half a stone on and lost it, which means I could have been nearly a stone lighter. Hope you understand the maths, not sure I do [8-)] Upset with myself for losing for the first time in years and allowing myself to put it back on. It did feel soooo good to look reasonable in shorts and sleeveless tops again. Have started the exercises again, giving up the alcohol tomorrow, and back on the low fat regime. The Other Jan Still slimming and smiling [:D]

[quote user="WJT"] We are in a similar situation that we only learned about this past weekend. We were told prior to buying our property three years ago that the area around us was non constructible. This weekend they started clearing ground to start construction on a new house. I went into the Maries office today and the secretary showed me the plans and sure enough not only that bit of land but others around the entire area is now constructible that wasn't before. She says that the areas designated non constructible are only that way for five years. The plans change every five years and everything can change and nothing is guaranteed. [/quote] Exactly the same thing happened to us, first we knew of change of use were the AV signs. Even more frustrating we were refused planning permission a few years ago for an extension. We can't sell off parts of our land as our plot is deemed Zone Naturalle. We live in the hills 10 K from any village and AV signs are appearing on land everywhere in the area. I did think only areas with elec/water close would be affected but roads have been dug up and utilities laid for several Ks. Travelling around France noticed this appears to be happening in many regions, groups of new houses sprouting overnight. Did think about objecting on grounds that the narrow roads can't cope but that will probably end up in our house being knocked down to widen roads [:'(] Guardian - very interested to hear why your Lawyer thought usage could not be changed

If you turn up at a UK benefits office and still have your house in France you will get ZERO

Cooperlola   We used a UK company, in 1990 everything was primitive in rural France. One reason for UK policy was it covered us for emergency treatment in UK. Thinking of travel insurance if one is not affiliated to the French health system then presumably no E111 so necessary to purchase travel insurance or ensure it is included in private policy.

In the old days when we had to have private health insurance in France the French government did not lay down any min or max requirements. However admission to hospital was fun, numerous calls to insurers 'no its not an existing condition etc etc etc.' Once hospital were happy they would get paid you were admitted if they weren't getting paid you were shown the door.

Still think rates are soooo unfair, hence the abuse, but what is the answer?  If someone decides to spend their cash on house improvements instead of expensive holidays/cars etc. why should they be penalised [:D]

[quote user="Gardian"] We are currently in dispute over an adjoining piece of land which was designated non-constructible some 30 years ago.  Unfortunately, nobody bothered to tell the Mairie or the DDE (or in their case, they have no record of it), so a PdC was granted. The documents exist, so in our case, our avocat is confident of torpedoeing the proposed development, but he did say that once a PdC has been granted, it's hard to stop it.  Best of luck.  [/quote] Gardian I thought the Mairie and DDE could change land usage at any time. I know of at least two times in the last 10 years when Mairies have been asked by the DDE to release land for building and submit new village plans. I know it is very upsetting when they start building next to you, we are in exactly the same position but apart from buy the land there is absolutely nothing we can do about. We can't afford to buy ii now but have tried for several years. The owner was just sticking it out until change of usage, I think wherever there is electric/water there is a possibility it will be built on.

Bannon, your local DDE should have the answer and also be able to advise you on any 'strange' local restrictions.

No Jan we didnt leave the country. The situation seemed so unreal and unfair that we were determined to battle it out. Stick with it and just keep insisting every 5 minutes that you submit tax returns here. Tell them it is illegal for you not to pay tax here.  Bon courage

Jan, we had the same problem for the same reasons then suddenly we were summoned to take all our worldly papers. We were interrogated for 4 hours, it honestly was a nightmare. National Savings who we had an Income Bond at the time had kindly informed UK Inland  Revenue that the interest for the year was £750,000.00  very clever investment as maximum capital allowed was £250,000.00 The nice tax lady only informed us of this at the end of the interrogation and I  burst out laughing saying but we live in a caravan. Her response was 'how did you pay for the caravan?' We were told to return within 7 days with the answers to lots of questions she raised. We had to contact our french bank for some of the answers and our bank manager said he would accompany us on the next visit disguised as our neighbour/interpretor. He was absolutely disgusted at the way we were treated  and when tax lady said we had 7 days to prove we had not received the interest he contacted the banks lawyers. Their advice to us was to pack up and leave the country before we got put in jail!!!!!!! In the meantime the French bank account was seized by the French tax . Obviously I had been in touch with everybody and his gran but the response from National Savings was 'we never make a mistake' to which I responded in that case I'll have a cheque for £750,000.00 today please. I was then told not to be silly, I then exploded and rang every 5 mins demanding my cheque. Obviously it was resolved,but we end up paying interest on tax and social charges as late payment for the years we had tried to pay.  Sorry to go on a bit but just trying to reassure you that in the end common sense will win. Perhaps you could ask to see the manager at the Tax Office and ask your bank manager if he can confirm you have been resident since 2004. Our Tax lady was called Madam A.Sole honestly [:D]

Well done everyone [:D] Afraid I haven't lost anything but definitely feel and look thinner. Think it said in the diet book that this can happen. Still want to lose another stone so will keep on trying. Might have tried too hard and eaten too little and gone into starvation mode.Keep thinking of the wedding outfit Fiona (so sorry to hear about the death it must be so upsetting for the family) I wore the outfit last saturday and had to hold my stomach in all day  sooo wished I had lost a few more pounds. Cerise hope the foot is not as painful as it sounds. The Other Jan Still slimming & smiling [:D]  

[quote user="allanb"][quote user="Ron Avery"]A woman has to be receiving a state pension to get an E121 at age 60 and you only get that if you paid full A rate stamp, you get a pension at age 65 if you paid B rate stamp, don't care what Spain says the above is fact.[/quote](my italics) Ron: you keep saying this, but isn't it true that the pension that allows a woman to get an E121 at age 60 does not need to result from her contributions?  It can be her pension as a spouse.   I think my wife's case illustrates this: as I said before, she received an E121 and a spouse's pension from age 60.  She paid NI contributions for a couple of years more than 40 years ago, and that's all.  I may be wrong, but it seems unlikely that this would have earned her a pension.  [/quote] allanb this has got me really puzzled [8-)] Are you 65?

Post edited     Answered in Ron's second posting above [:D]

 Logan,over the years since our move to France I have been very lucky in obtaining information from Newcastle. Sounds unbelievable but once when I rang I managed to find out that if I paid one penny within 3 months I would receive x amount of pension,if I didn't pay then zilch.Perhaps it's because I've got a newcastle accent and have got a degree in civil service jargon. [:D] I have to telephone them tomorrow so will do my best re E121 and no qualifying contributions. Been thinking about private health plans. We were forced by the French government to stop private health (it was illegal) and join the state system now we might be forced to get private insurance again. I  assume the rejoining costs will be a lot higher than if we had been able to continue with private health [:(]

Ooooh dear that would imply the reintroduction of a CS as being discussed on another thread.

[quote user="Logan"] Gardian.- If the E121 has been issued to your wife then you will be included and your medical costs covered. (65% -70%) Once you reach 65 you will be covered in your own right. Can anyone answer the question of does a woman who reaches the retirement age of 60 without any pension at all still qualify for an E121? I believe she does but I'm not sure. The class B NI contributions were just that. To cover medical care, not pension. So presumably that continues when living in another EU country but now exempt from contributions because of age.   [/quote] Logan have you tried telephoning Newcastle for the answer? I have to contact them this week so I will ask the question and hopefully let you know . I don't think many people were aware that the Class B covered medical, not pension. I had private health cover in the UK, how much worse can it get [geek] On reflection I'm sure the majority of women had no idea what their contributions covered.