bixy

To answer your questions Theiere, I'm pretty sure the shutters are hardwood. They're quite old with no signs of rot. It is just three pairs of window shutters that we are concerned with. I think we would prefer to paint rather than varnish - the OH prefers pretty colours! Any tips about removing the old paint - deacapant, blow torch? Thanks for the replies so far. Patrick

Every few years we paint our shutters and before very long the paint starts to blister and crack and fall off. They are south-facing so you can see the cause of the problem. We would like to make the job last a bit longer this time so would appreciate any advice on a) removing the old paint, b) any treatment needed for the wood before painting c) if there is a special kind of paint that is resistant to extreme exposure to the sun. Many thanks Patrick

You're not the only one confused, Alan. What I would like to know is, if the €uro is so weak why is the pound/€uro exchange rate so poor? Or could it be that the pound is even weaker? Answers please. Patrick

It is not only non-resident home owners who are going to be upset by this new law, should it come about. There are a large number of people who live in France, thus being fiscally resident, who have never filed a tax return. They usually have an accommodation address in the UK - a friend's or relative's - which they use to handle their affairs, receive pensions, benefits etc. I personally know five couples. As far as the French authorities are concerned then, they are second home owners, and will get an unpleasant surprise when the tax demand arrives. I will not be shedding any tears for them since in my view they are cheats.

Thanks for those replies. Decouverte would seem to fill our needs and is a bit cheaper than our present contract. Patrick

I wonder if we might be paying too much for phone line rental and internet service from fr/orange. The phone line rental is €32 every two months and the internet €26.46 per month. I've looked for cheaper packages to combine the two, but there doesn't seem to be one. We don't need or want TV, just the line rental (we make very few phone calls on the landline, preferring to use voip) and internet. We would prefer to stay with Orange as we have heard such horror stories from friends who switched to other providers. Any ideas? Patrick

If you have a parent who was born anywhere in the island of Ireland (north or south) you are entitled to an Irish passport. From memory the cost is something like €65, and it is dealt with at the Irish embassy in Paris. If you are over 65 the passport is free. A certain amount of paperwork is required but nothing too arduous. I now exclusively use my Irish passport when travelling - never had any problem. I will not be renewing my UK passport when that comes up for renewal. In fact, my wife and my children are also entitled to Irish passports but for them it is a more complex process. Possibly this may be of some use to people of Irish descent living in France who want to save themselves a pile of money. Patrick

Don't be put off by all this negative twaddle - need to get a degree etc. Rubbish. I left school with five 'o' levels and ended up as director of a CELTA course in a further education college. I still haven't got a first degree. Having said that, CELTA is normally a degree entry course, but we accepted a number of people who were less well qualified. The point about the CELTA is that it is a very practical course, rather than being academic, and anyone with a reasonable level of intelligence and a feel for language will do fine. In my experience, and I have observed hundreds of EFL teachers, the best teachers are seldom those who are the most academically gifted. My own career started by doing the CELTA course [ then called the RSA Prep Cert] and then spending a year in Italy working at an International House[IH] school. If you do your CELTA course at IH in London they will give you help and advice about finding a job. I'm pretty certain that you will find plenty of work teaching English in the major French cities. Not speaking much French is not a problem since all your teaching should be done in English. My advice - go for it - don't be put off by the merchants of doom. E.mail me for further advice, info. Best of luck. Patrick

Sprogster, you are right. Of all the British couples we know here it is almost always the man who is happier to be in France, despite the fact that it is almost always the woman who speaks the better French! As for us, we are together 24/7 and it is never a problem. We  have both interests that we share and those we pursue separately. We have made many more friends of several nationalities than we ever made in the UK. I hope I never to have to go back to the UK. Patrick

Whatever the arguments what it comes down to is this: we are once again meddling in the internal affairs of another country, and, just like Iraq, we have no idea how this will all end. If we are really concerned about human suffering, there have been plenty of occasions in the recent past when we could have taken action to save lives, but have done nothing. No, the intervention in Iraq is nothing but hypocrisy and dirty politics - as usual. Patrick

"for them to fight it out between themselves". What, like Ruanda? That's alright then. Patrick

The other point is this: if Qadaffi goes, what do you get next? The people of Iran got rid of the Shah and ended up with a fundamentalist Islamic regime. I don't think too many were chuffed with that result. The asumption that getting rid of a dictator assures a smooth transition to a functioning democratic regime is naive in the extreme. Dare I mention Iraq? Patrick

The people of Scotland want independence. They are rebelling. They have seized arms and aircraft and are advancing south. [They tend to do this every few hundred years or so.] The British government are attacking the rebel forces. Presumably we would welcome the Libyan air force to come and bomb London, the UK air defence system, and the British troops trying to suppress the rebellion. Patrick

Helpful once again. Many thanks. Patrick

That's very helpful. A supplementary question if I may. Where a house is owned en tontine, what happens to the rights of the surviving spouse when that house is sold? Is he/she able to do what he/she wishes with the proceeds of the sale? Patrick

I hope someone can answer something that's been puzzling me for sometime. As I understand it on the death of a person the major part of his/her estate is divided between his/her children. But if this person is part of a couple, how do you decide what constitutes his/her estate, when everything is shared between the couple - house, money, property etc.? Patrick

My original thoughts on this subject were provoked by a comparison of health systems. As one gets older one is more likely to need medical attention for the various bits that drop off/ stop working etc. I cannot speak highly enough of the treatment I have received here. Not just the medical procedures themselves, but also the kindness, courtesy and patience of the health professionals with whom I have had dealings. When you hear about the forthcoming [yet again] reorganisation of the NHS and the "efficiency savings" expected [what we people on planet Earth call 'cuts'] you can't help but worry about the future. Already I am hearing reports from relatives of sloppiness and disorganisation in the NHS, which is a shame because things had definitely improved under Labour. A better health service alone is perhaps not sufficient reason to stay or go, but for older people it is a mighty important one. For myself I have to say that I love living in France for many reasons, and the quality of the health service here just reinforces my desire  never to have to return to the UK. Patrick

I thought I would post this in case anyone has a similar problem. With our first tax return in 2008 we sent in the forms France Individual for us both. These never arrived in the UK and in consequence we have been paying far too much UK tax. I spoke to a very nice man at HMRC who advised trying to get our local tax office in France to sign and stamp another copy of the forms and then send them direct to Nottingham instead of putting them through the French system. We filled in the forms and toddled off to the tax office where we were received by the rudest, most unhelpful person I have met in France. However, after much persuasion, he did the necessary and we sent the forms off to Nottingham. In the post today we received a tax refund, the first part [hopefully] of what we are due. This has only taken about six weeks - I had predicted six months. Anyway, it seems that this method does work, so if you are in a similar position you might want to try it. Patrick

Now that we have had a chance to see the flavour of the present UK government, I wondered if it would be more or less likely that you would return to live in the UK, or would it make no difference? If you still live there would it make it more or less likely that you would move to France? Patrick

Well, the Dutch may be careful with money, but they are also very enterprising and hardworking. They manage to turn round old, ruined buildings in no time at all and set up gite and camping businesses that actually make enough money to live on, unlike so many of the Brits, who completely miscalculate and are forced to scuttle off back to the UK. I also find them warm and friendly and entirely non-cliquey, unlike so many of the Brits round here. It's just a pity they don't understand about tax! Patrick

No Chancer, I wasn't lecturing or questioning these Dutch people. In each case it was a person who had recently settled or was about to settle in france and we were talking about what needed to be done. In any case people will believe what they want to believe. A friend has lived in France for close on 20 years happily believing that he did not need to trouble the tax authorities with the small matter of a declaration. "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." You'd better believe it! Patrick

I have just been told for the third time by a Dutch person that if you are Dutch you can choose whether you are taxed in the Netherlands or France, even if you are permanently resident in France. I have said each time that that is not the case, based largely on what I have read on this forum, and that you must make a declaration of your world-wide income in France. I have now been told  this story so often and with such conviction that I am starting to have doubts about what I have previously believed to be the case. Has anyone else heard this and is there any truth in what these Dutch people are saying? Patrick

Well, been in several supermarkets today, with only two days to go, looking for a Xmas tree. Plenty available, but rather expensive. A walk in the woods called for... Still no evident panic, no long queues, plenty of everything,  including a whole rayon of foie gras! Patrick

Answer - the lack of pre-Christmas panic buying here in France. Our daughter went to her local ASDA last Saturday to find the shelves stripped bare. I went to our local Leclerc and it seemed no busier than normal - plenty of everything available. What happens in the UK? The shops are barely closed for a day and yet people shop as though for a six month siege. I'm sure the French eat and drink no less over Christmas than the Brits, but seem to manage perfectly well without all this madness. I well remember being in Sainsbury's car park more than a week before Christmas and not even being able to get hold of a trolley! I miss very little about the UK, and one of the things I really don't miss is Christmas. Patrick

Thanks Tim, I'll have another fiddle - see what happens. Patrick