bixy

Thanks for the reply. Nothing has changed in the room in question. I have tried a phone extension cable and an RJ45 - same result. The modem has been working successfully in the same room with the same set up for more than a year. Could it just be giving up the ghost? Patrick

I wonder if anyone can help with this. My modem seems to have developed an aversion to the computer. Lost the internet connection, thought it was a cable problem so changed that, no difference. Moved the modem to another room - worked perfectly - [in fact this is being sent via that modem from a different machine]. Moved the modem back to the room with the computer - wouldn't work. Moved it further from the computer and eventually it worked, somewhat reluctantly. Plugged in the ethernet cable and lost the connection. Removed it and was able to connect again. Back in, lost it again. I get the feeling that my modem is trying to tell me something but I've no idea what. Any ideas? Patrick

Thanks for the recipe ideas - will give it a go. Patrick

I didn't really want the seedlings - no room for them. In fact, I wasn't at all sure what a potiron was. I stuck a couple in the ground between some goosegogs. Didn't feed them; when they started to grow over the lawn I mowed them. At first they just produced flowers but later two fruits appeared on each. Seems they thrive on abuse. Thanks for the recipe ideas. Patrick

Just a follow up to this. I tried your first suggestion  - still no joy. I then, with some trepidation, tried a factory reset followed by a blind search and got absolutely everything I needed, so thanks. Patrick

Yes please spg, I would like to see the recipe. Patrick

A friend gave us some pumpkin seedlings. We now have a number of large pumpkins and absolutely no idea what to do with them, never having grown them before. Any ideas? Patrick

Thanks for the that. I'll do as you suggest. Yes, Radio 4 did disappear a long while ago but I was able to listen to the cricket commentary on Five Live Extra, so not too bothered. Patrick

I keep losing channels. First Radio 4 disappeared, then BBC News 24 and now Channel 4 and Film 4. I've done a new scan but it seems only to find the channels old sites. What am I doing wrong? Patrick

What's your point? Patrick

Albert, couldn't agree more. To respond to allanb's points. First, what level can students reach being only taught in the target language? Well, many of the students I taught [using only English] passed the highest level Cambridge exams: the Advanced and the Proficiency and by that time they were pretty well fluent. Your other question: is that the limit of my ambition? - absolutely not - it is sometimes the limit of my tired old mental faculties! To answer cowoman's question - yes, that is the machine in question  - I notice that it is  now a lot cheaper. Your OH won't be disappointed. Patrick

To answer the point made by allanb. The purpose of speaking a language is communication, not precision. Students are not stupid and neither are the people listening to then. If someone says to me:" tomorrow I go England" I understand perfectly what he is trying to communicate. I once met an Italian  chap on a train who spoke to me in English without ever using a verb. We had a perfectly intelligible conversation. I dare say a good few of us using this forum speak in sentences like the one above, and yet our French listeners understand us, and, curiously, never laugh. Patrick

I spent sixteen years teaching English as a foreign language, including a year in Italy. I never used the students' own languages and I taught students from complete beginner to advanced. How is it done? - take a TEFL training course and you will find out! As a matter of fact I am currently teaching a student in France and I do use French but I find more often than not it gets in the way. The point being that often there are no direct translations and what one is trying to do is to create an English environment where students think how to express themselves in English rather than form sentences in French and then convert them into English. To answer the OP's original question, what you need is the Franklin Larousse electronic dictionary. This is a superb little machine that provides not only translations but also sentence examples. It will also provide you with all the verb conjugations and has a number of other features. Although I have a large Collins Robert I seldom need to use it as this little machine nearly always give me what I want. About five years ago it cost me about 60 pounds and has been worth every penny. Have a search on the internet. Good luck with your teaching. Patrick

The more people I speak to and the more I look at this forum, the more I realise that there are a lot of people in this situation. Talking to a Dutch couple the other day, permanently settled in France, they assured me that you can 'choose' where you are taxed and they have 'chosen' to be taxed in Holland. I tried to explain to them, without making the news too devastating, that this was not the case. Oh no, they told me, the French tax people had told them that this was so. Another couple, British, he on a very considerable income, told me categorically that since his income originates from the UK, then that's where he is taxed. I didn't bother arguing with him. Clair - thanks for the impots posting dates. Patrick

I tend to agree with the thrust of the posts. They should file a tax return next May for 2008. I think they are unlikely to sell before then. I don't think they are cheats - their income is taxed in the UK - I think they are just fazed by the French tax system. Having done my first tax return this year I know how they feel. Incidentally, I wonder if anyone can answer this: when should we receive our avis d'impots, and should we worry if it's late? Patrick

Thanks for those replies. Oddly they are part of the French health system and they have immatriculated their cars [unlike several other Brits I know] but, no, never got involved with the tax system. I think they have had their house for about five years - what consequence does that have in terms of capital gains tax? Patrick

Friends, who have been living here for some years, have foolishly failed to register for tax. They are now trying to sell their house and I suspect there will be a comeuppance of some kind, but exactly what I am not sure. Is the sale of the house likely to attract the attention of the taxman? Patrick

Many thanks. Patrick

WJT please explain. What model, where was it, what did it get rid of. Thanks Patrick

Not sure if this the right section for this post but here goes. Has anyone had experience of using those sonic anti pest machines - supposed to emit a high frequency sound to make rats, mice, loirs go elsewhere. I would sooner do that than use poison because of its effect on other wildlife. My question is: are they any good, do they actually work? Patrick

We've been told that we ned to use oil based emulsion on our internal walls. Does this exist in France? If so what is it called? Thanks in advance. Patrick

So I cannot name these people - but their title might imply bon marche. Our friends should have booked direct with Gites de France, as we recommended they did. It's amazing, isn't it - there's no little fiddle or con that people won't get up to. Patrick

Has anyone come across an organisation Bxxxxxxgites, which makes gite bookings, has a blue background to its website.  I was horrified to find that friends had booked a gite with this organisation and were paying over 100 pounds more than if they had booked with Gites de France [for one week]. This organisation is just ripping off the info and photos from the GdeF site and then charging people a massive mark up, for doing essentially nothing. Can anything be done? Do GdeF know? Patrick

I've just been reading the dontmovetofrance site for the first time. Clearly much of it written by someone who has been existing on a diet of lemons for some time. The important thing about moving to France is to be realistic. In my view France is not all that different from the UK. There are friendly helpful people and there are miserable xenophobic swine but the majority are just like you and I - ordinary people just getting on with their lives and only very marginally interested in the expats who have moved into the village. Your original question was about your budget. Our income is almost exactly the same as your projected income and we manage fine, though we have to dip into our savings to get major works done. I once read the following advice so far as budgeting is cocerned: work out your budget, then halve your income and double your expenditure and you will have it about right. There is always something cropping up that you hadn't budgeted for. As for work, your French will be a great advantage for English teaching. If you are prepared to scratch around you will probably find work. I have been twice approached to give English lessons despite not particularly wanting to work. I know English people, with good French, who do very well teaching English part-time. There is one thing about living in France that is very different from living in the UK and that is the oft quoted quality of life. Living in the country, which you intend to do, the pace of life is much slower, it's quiet and peaceful, the roads are empty, people are courteous and polite and children are a lot better behaved. I wouldn't go back to the UK for a big clock [as we say]. I wish you good luck. Patrick

We need to face the fact that oil is going to get scarcer and more expensive and eventually it's sale will be restricted to essential users, whoever they are. Driving in either France or the UK will then be wonderful as you speed along empty roads, if you are an essential user of course. The rest of us, restricted to horses and bicycles, will be left regretting the insane transport policies of the past. Even as I write this SNCF are closing rural lines, due to lack of investment in the infrastructure [ie. the track and bridges are falling apart]. And this despite SNCF supposedly making a billion euros "profit". Patrick