Cadeby

Having spent hours searching through all the inheritance-related posts on this forum, and the French Notaires website I cannot find an answer to the following scenario ( my own ) - so apologies if this has already been covered ! : Property bought in joint names, now worth 300,000 euros. Husband has 2 children from previous marriage. No children from our current marriage. If my husband were to pre-decease me, would I only be entitled to the ownership of 1/4 of all the property ( ie. 75,000 euros ) , or all of my half plus 1/4 of his half ( ie. 225,000 euros ) ? In other words, can my husbands children only inherit from his half-share, given that the property was purchased in joint-names?   Thanks in anticipation Helen.   

We couldn't resist and have opened one - we chose the hardest one which looked as if it had already dried out too much - the majority of the remainder are still leathery. Inside was a transluscent embryo about 1cm long with a  large head, 2 obvious eyes on the top of the head and a slim tapering body. There were no apparent legs ( ie. it resembled a snake ) but it could be that the legs just haven't begun to develop yet. The eggs that were buried deeper are moister and still leathery so we are hoping for baby ....."somethings".......   ( I'm a marine biologist so this terrestrial stuff is beyond me !!!! )   Helen.

Today, whilst mixing chaux, we discovered 16 small white eggs, oval shaped, about 2cm long,  buried 3 inches below the surface in a large pile of sand. Initially I assumed they must be snake eggs, and since I know that the viper is a live-bearer, I wondered if they could be grass snakes eggs ? However, they are not leathery - they have a hardish shell, approaching that of a normal birds egg ?  We've re-buried them and will keep an eye out to see if anything emerges. Surely a pile of manure / compost would be a better incubation spot than sand ?  

My father-in-law passed away very peacefully on Tuesday. Many thanks for your advice and good wishes. Since we have now gone through the procedure relating to a death in hospital, I thought it might be useful to list the procedures involved as we have found them.  It may assist any future forum members who encounter this situation : Shortly after dying, the medecin who had been caring for my FIL issued a "CERTIFICAT DE DECES." The cause of death is listed by the Doctor and the certificate acts as a release of the body from the jurisdiction of the hospital to an Undertaker, once the family have appointed the latter. A Post-Mortem was not necessary as the death had occurred in a hospital from a known cause ( the French medical staff had previously contacted the Oncology Unit in the UK for precise details of my FIL's illness ) The body was then taken to the  Hospital's  "Service Funeraire" ( basically a morgue, allbeit a nice one! ) together with the Certificat de Deces. We spoke to the Director of the Service Funeraire and were asked to provide a copy of my FIL's Birth Certificate, Passport, & Address details. We were then given a list of private Undertakers from which we chose a firm closest to our home address in France. The following day, the Certificat de Deces was sent by the hospital's own courier service to the Hotel de Ville in the town where the death occurred ( in this case Angers ). This document is confidential and sealed and the next-of-kin do NOT  receive a copy. Only the staff at the Mairie are allowed to open it. We then went in person to the Hotel de Ville and applied for an ACTE DE DECES - the equivalent of a UK Death Certificate. We asked for several copies and were given 15 - all free of charge. All of the details were quite understandibly in French, so we also asked for copies "plurielingue", ie. multilingual - and received a further 15 copies this time with an english translation ( plus Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, etc, etc....) We then went in person to the local  Undertaker and he telephoned through to the Crematorium to book a date and time for the cremation.However, because my mother-in-law has flown back to the UK and cannot return to France within the 6 day period normally allowed for a funeral, the Undertaker has to contact the Prefecture to ask for a special dispensation - in this case to hold the funeral 10 days after the date of death. The Undertaker will also inform the crematorium staff that we wish to take the ashes to England by plane. The Crematorium should then provide us with the ashes in a sealed canister, plus the necessary paperwork to clear the ashes through customs, if challenged. We have chosen not to have any form of service - but an anglican minister could have been appointed if we had so wished. We are also allowed to play music on the CD player at the crematorium if we wish. Throughout the whole process, all of the officials we have encountered have been extremely helpful. I can speak reasonable French, which obviously assists, but the British Consulate in Paris can guide you through the process and will offer to talk to the hospital / undertakers / Mairie if you need help.  

Many thanks for your helpful comments. My father-in-law has not yet died, but since death is going to be inevitable we will probably go along the lines of a French Undertaker arranging a French cremation, then inter the ashes on our French farm which he loved. Helen. 

This is a sensitive, serious question, so please respond if you can be of any assistance. My father-in-law who is suffering from bowel/liver cancer is staying with us for a weeks holiday.  This morning he lapsed into a coma and was taken into hospital at Angers. He is not expected to recover and therefore we are expecting to have to deal with his death in the next couple of days. We have no idea what the procedures are for this in France. Presumably the hospital will issue a death certificate? Is the body then kept at the hospital morgue until we appoint an Undertaker? How easy is it to arrange cremation in France - many friends seem to think this is difficult as the French prefer burial. Presumably repatriation of a body to the UK is phenomally expensive ? I would imagine lead-lined coffins are called for and a mountain of paperwork? Does anyone know of any companies that provide this service ? Thanks in anticipation...  

1 magpie ( black & white ) 2 lavender & white. Aged 9 months. Tame and friendly. We're too soft to eat them! FREE to anyone who wants to collect. Dept.49 Maine et Loire, near Le Lude.

I live in Maine et Loire ( 49). There is a commercial free-range duck farm 5 kms from my farm and their ducks have all been out for a week.

Chris you are spot on - it was the Alpine Newt, Triturus alpestris. Having trawled the web I now realise it was a female in the TERRESTRIAL stage. What a change they go through when they become water-based. The change in colour and development of the crest in the male is just incredible. I've been searching all morning for another one - unsurprisingly to no avail ! Edited to say, there is a pond about 200 metres away, so this one is a bit of an athlete!

Today we were shifting conifer stumps with our tractor when we unearthed some sort of small reptile. Unfortunately it fell out of the tractor bucket into a pile of loose earth and we couldn't find it again, so this description is pretty dire, based on about 10 seconds of observation. Any suggestions, anybody ???  Approx 12-15cm long, body predominantly dark brown with some indistinct speckling along the back. Not dorso-ventrally flattened, but no dorsal ridge. Pale orange belly. Distinctive orange, globular toes rather like a gecko's?  High head carriage when moving and a surprised expression - I guess we disturbed it's hibernation !

I have (probably foolishly) decided to learn to play the violin and am loooking for a teacher ( English or French ) in Maine et Loire (49) or Sarthe (72) willing to take on an adult beginner. My only previous musical experience being the descant and treble recorder at Primary School!

We have two rescue greyhounds (ex-racers from Ireland)  and  can confirm that they make the most fantastic pets. Ours are fun-loving, loyal and cheeky, content to laze around all day but always up for a walk or game. They have adapted really well to life in France, and contrary to one of the previous posters, ours are tough as old boots! One of our girls has endured over 200 stitches in her lifetime - through running into barbed wire fences whilst being used by the "itinerant community" for illegal hare-coursing. She has never lost her faith in human-beings or her joy for life despite this treatment. The other has a rare congenital heart condition (which could affect any breed of dog) . The UK Veterinary Cardiologist said that no dog would survive this condition past the age of 4. My greyhound  is now 11, so I think that proves her stamina ! With over 70% of the dogs in UK rescues being either greyhounds or greyhound crosses, the more people that become aware of their plight and lobby against it, the better. So thanks to Christine for raising this issue. If you are looking for a new dog / puppy - please consider a rescue greyhound first. We would never have any other breed.   

Sorry to hear about your dog - we are getting to this point with one of our old greyhounds so we have researched this subject as we also prefer cremation.  We spoke to our vet, who says that cremation is not a common practice for pet dogs in France and is therefore expensive. he says between 100 - 200 euros, depending on breed. All vets should have a list of places providing "incinération pour animaux".    

Thanx for the info Valerie - a great help!   Helen.

Alpine Ibex ( Capra ibex ) ?? Red-brown in Summer. Mature males have curved horns. Lives throughout the Alps. or : Mouflon ( Ovis orientalis ) ?? Red year-round, though darker in Winter. Male has extremely spiralled horns. Corsica and all mountainous regions of Europe.    

Does anyone know the range for the European Fire Salamander? My chickens have recently come across two on my farm, which I find surprising as we are in Maine et Loire ( Dept. 49 ) north of the Loire River. Plus any recommendations for good herpetology guide books?

I find the Collins Guide to Birds of Britain & Europe really good - particularly as it has diagrams of juvenile plumage and birds on the wing.

Thanks for the responses - Ian I have passed your breeders list on to my neighbours.   Helen.

My French neighbours have recently lost their elderly English Setter and would like to get a new puppy. The breeder they brought their dog from has died and they do not know of any other English Setter breeders in France. Anyone any ideas? They are willing to travel throughout France. Thanks.    

I have travelled the western route ( Caen - Portsmouth ) with my dogs on several occasions using Brittany Ferries and have never been asked for anything other than the new PETS passport. However, I did have to instruct my French vet as to which pages he needed to complete in the passport, and he also issued the normal Rabies Declaration form as he believes this is still required under French law. I agree, if in doubt, take the lot!!!    

Sorry - don't live anywhere near you so I can't recommend a Vet, but would it be worthwhile telephoning your former English vet and describing the symptoms and treatment so far???

We came to France in July with 2 dogs, 2 budgies and 19 ducks and geese. The dogs travelled with the standard Pet Passports. The ducks were exported using forms 5016EHC available from your local Animal Health Office - part of DEFRA. Ducks are always classed as "poultry" so even if they are non-commercial, ie. just pets, you still have to export them under the official guidelines. Make sure you ask the AHO for the paperwork to export in "Lots less than 20 birds". Each duck has to be salmonella tested by your vet, and a negative result received in the month prior to export. They are then re-examined on the day of export and you will be issued with a yellow Health Certificate 2084EHC enabling the birds to travel. The budgies were examined by a Vet within 24 hours of export (he stared at them through the bars of the cage) and issued with a Health Certificate. It all sounds really complex but it's relatively straight-forward once you work out all the timings. I think the duck export papers had to be applied for no earlier than 28 days prior to export, and the budgies export papers 10 days prior to export. You nominate the vet that you wish to use for the checks and DEFRA send the forms direct to them. If you ring DEFRA they will clarify the whole process for you. I found them very helpful. Don't believe all the stories about never being stopped at the ports - every time we have travelled with animals our paperwork has been checked. I think we're probably just unlucky but it's not worth the risk to chance it! All of our birds travelled really well - we used the Channel Tunnel and kept stopping to feed and water them and give them some fresh air. We travelled them in wooden-sided crates with wire tops. This allowed the Customs Officers to clearly see them, without having to open the cages and risk an escape. The only downside was the smell in the car for 14 hours!!!

You could try closing-off the extra paddock area that you have given the donkeys, and see if the lack of new grass tempts them back into the sheter. Feed all of their hay, treats etc.. inside the shelter and leave them alone without any human company whilst they are eating to see if they'll settle again. Our two donkey geldings frequently choose to stay out of their shelter in wind, rain and snow - they have even been known to have frost on the tips of their ears after a night "al-fresco", but they have never come to any harm, so try not to worry too much!

Given that your previous dog was a lurcher, would you consider giving a home to a rescued galgo or greyhound? I have 2 of the latter ( both obtained from UK rescue centres ) and they make the most fantastic, loving pets. Check out www.levriers.org for more info of long-dogs awaiting their forever homes in France. Helen.

Thanks for all the advice. We have decided to opt for the modern adhesive method in the room with the smoothest floor, and see how we get on. We may resort back to the lime and sand "traditional" method in the room with rougher concrete, especially if we mess up!!!