Benjamin

We were in Calais last Friday (26th). The place has a dreadful feel about it. Had lunch in the Bleriot at the Auchan centre and then went back to our camper just as a young man rolled out from under the camper next door.I shouted at him but he just looked dead eyed at me. When you don't have anything (except for a smart 'phone that is) then you have nothing to lose. Went down to the new Lidl (Rue Mollier?) for some cheap Spanish wine but as the area (very close to the Gendarmerie Nationale) was teeming with them. Needles to say we didn't stop. Speaking with a Belgian lady further South (yes wooly there are some!) she said that the closing of all the lorry parks to the North of Calais is causing the problem to back-up into Belgium. Speaking with the owners of the Fort Lapin campsite they, predictably, blame  the English!!!!!

Strewth Sweets, if that's non-confrontational I hope I never get a real tongue lashing from you. I have a problem with the whole of this episode. For example why take a very sick young boy on a six hour journey and then round it off by driving over 1.900 kms.? Why take the whole of the family? Why not drive to the Czech Republic? Rh It's difficult to keep up with who said what and when but I interpret what I hear on UK terrestial television and, as far as I can see, they only statements have come from the King family and until there is corroboration from "the authorities" I'm not making a call on that. What the family have done, by their actions', is to make a huge media impact. They could not have wished for any more publicity than they have received. If this gets them the treatment that they feel their son deserves, then 100% good luck to them and I wish them well. NickP I always find it difficult when people on forums think they understand others who they've never met or had any dialogue with before the posting that you made. I now know what the P stands for.

Mass media hysteria. I'm suprised that the normal intelligent people here have fallen for it. Who is to blame for the current situation? The hospital in Southampton? Hampshire police? The CPS? Spanish Guardia? Spanish Hospital? I'll tell you who has created this situation. The parents! If they had discussed what they intended doing and not lied to snatch their son this situation wouldn't be where it is now. Selling a Spanish property to fund the proton beam treatment does not need the entire family, except the eldest who was probably left behind to keep the parents fully informed of any action being taken to find them. It's a quick 'phone call to a local estate agent to get it on the market. Simples. And as many on here have already said what a mess it is.

I believe he has a serious brain tumour and his parents took him from hospital against specialist medical advice. Without treatment he is expected to die.

TBE in, for example, a car advert stands for very good condition (state) so the first two letters represent "tres bon(ne). As for the EG I have no idea.  [:D]

Having decided some time ago to get another Badge I contacted ALIS and asked for the "Seniors" contract. I actually returned the Mandat Sepa on 7 July and waited for my badge to arrive. Yesterday I sent an email to ALIS asking where my badge was. Received a quick reply today basically saying that in the terms and conditions (three very closely typed and small lettered A4 sheets) I should have returned the Mandat within 15 days and since I hadn't they had cancelled my request. No wonder France is in recession!!!!!!! Just sent an email asking for anothe Mandat to be sent which I will complete with exactly the same info I sent on 7 July. AGGGGGGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got a text saying: "Congratulations you have won either £1000 cash or tickets to see Elvis Presley. Press 1 for the money, 2 for the show....... A man walks into a crowded bar with a loaded gun and shouts "who's been making love to my wife?" - voice in the back shouts " You don't have enough bullets"..... My wife is suffering from depression. She phoned me the other day and said "I feel like jumping in front of a bus and you're not doing anything to help". So I sent her a timetable.   I cannot stand people who think they're worse off than everybody else. My mate Don is brilliant. He had a bad accident where he lost his voice and both legs.    Does he make a song and dance about it? Does he hell!

Then I thought of what I'd read earlier on about those people in Iraq who are dying through lack of food and water and are too frightened to stay in their own homes in the certainty that they would all be killed anyway by the extremists in ISIS. Sorry to highlight this bit of your posting SW17 but there aren't a group of extremists in ISIS; they're all extremists. Would I run with my wife, kids and grandkids? As sure as hell I would.

[quote user="aileenanddave"]Hello, we've just joined and we are looking for a small house to rent around Montauban, is this the right section please[/quote] A warm welcome to the forum aileenanddave. Search for agents around Montauban or Greater Toulouse and find out what's for rent in the area. No doubt if anyone on the forum has a rental property available in that area they will contact you by private message or email. Best of luck.

[quote user="woolybanana"]Anyway, perhaps other countries might like to look at his dealings and see if they can either reduce the national debt or get the little runt into prison.[/quote] It appears you may yet get your wish wooly. According to the BBC the German bank BayernLB has turned down an offer of €25 million to drop their action alledging that B E collected commissions and undervalued their stake in F1 when they sold in 2005. Watch this space (in several years time no doubt).

Just remind me, what was the alledged offence? Oh...... I remember now, it was bribery. So how can he get out of this one? Offer them a shedload of money!!!!!! Of course, that's not bribery 'cos it's the law in Germany. Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One statistic that I find very difficult to get my head around is that two thirds of the population of Gaza is under the age of 16. It wasn't until I heard it twice on the BBC that it dawned on me.

Also don't forget that a young animal abandonned by it's mother and then reared by hand is referred to as cade. The term is normally used for lambs but can equally be used for calves.

[quote user="Gardian"] Just one other thing to mention - as you're assessable for tax in France, then your UK State pension can be registered as NT (no tax). [/quote] I'm sure you didn't intend to mislead but you give the impression that a UK State pension can have a tax code attached to it. DWP have no mechanism to collect tax so it is always paid as a gross amount and then it is up to the individual ( as Spyder already mentions he has done in the next posting down) to sort it out with HMRC.

Similar story here. Mrs Benjamin had a fall whilst we were on holiday. Left the shin skinning injury for 24 hours then decided to call a nurse to have a look. Industrial size prescription for dressings (anyone want to buy some tubigauze? [6]) Prescription cost around €90! Spoke to Newcastle when we got home and 90 days later we were re-imbursed for the prescrition cost and three nurse visits in full.

After Nigeria was eliminated from the world cup the Nigerian captain personally offered to refund all the expenses of fans that travelled to Brazil.   He said he just needs their bank details and pin numbers to complete the transaction.

If you're not a cat person you'll never " get it ". We have a friend who took in one stray when they lived in a flat at San Pedro (Marbella). They now live in the country near Coin above Malaga. She now has several cats, including two semi-feral ones, as well as about four stray dogs. She is so commited that she cannot go anywhere for more than half a day.We wont visit any more because of this menagerie. Oh, and she's just joined an animal charity that re-homes stray dogs to Scandinavia. Don't ask me!!!!!!

andyh4 is, of course, correct. However unless you have fairly strong proof/evidence(i e you know the name and address of the person involved, you have video or 'phone camera evidence or you have witnesses) I wouldn't think your average Gendarme is going to a great deal of trouble to follow up your report.

It makes me laugh when people say that you may be asked to show plane or ferry tickets to prove when you arrived. O K, that takes care of the Brits. What about all the other Northern Europeans who simply drive across borders?

[quote user="idun"]Idun is a she not a he! The number to call about this is 00 44 191 218 1999 [/quote] My Mom would have done that for me if she was still alive.[:P][:D]

If this three month rule or law does have any basis in fact then there will be many thousands of Northern Europeans over-Winering in Southern Europe who wont be covered using the EHIC.

ALIS gives a great service. Gave ours up when we left France four years ago but this thread has pushed me into ordering another doofer for our trips into and through France with the camper car. Under the SEPA agreement which came into force earlier this year you can now have an ALIS doofer without having a French bank account. There are no monthly or annual charges but if you don't make a minimum of 15 journeys in the first year on the ALIS network (that's us!) then you will be charged €20 for the doofer on the first anniversary of signing up. Thereafter there are no further annual charges. It's a no-brainer really. However you should be aware of another advantage to having a doofer. There is no value that you can put on the smug smile on your face as you sail through the toll booth. Priceless!

Yeah yeah yeah yeah. We can all quote reasons why we can't plan ahead but these are exceptions not every day occurrences. I saw an historical news clip on BBC 1 yesterday concerning a strike/walkout by Passport Office staff with a very prominent banner from Unison. As far as I can see these are the people who are aiming to form/greatly influence the next UK government. That is truly scary but at least passport renewals will be dealt with speedily as all the brothers benefit from no unemployment. Now which other European country has already tried that?

Betty wonders why all fuss about ID cards. They're the same people who object to CCT cameras. If the dunderheads who are waiting for passports can't be bothered to renew up to six months before expiry that's their bad luck.

We've had a letter from Natiowide (spit) telling us that our credit cards will be cancelled if we don't use them within the next month. Haven't used them in ages so good riddance. No question regarding the address. So as Sue says probably a cull.