Benjamin

I take your point andyh4 but BBC World is exactly that: a BBC service for the World whereas BBC1 is for domestic consumption. Presumably the report you saw, when you saw it, did not give fairly accurate percentages of which groups had cast  votes for which party? C4 came up with all of these and even Reublican commentators and strategists were, somewhat reluctantly, agreeing that they needed to look again at which groups they needed to focus on. Believe me my knowledge of American ploitics is at a very low level but I saw sufficient in the figures C4 quoted to be confident to make my earlier comment about the Hispanic/Latino group. I think the parting comment to the report was along the lines of the Republican Party had become a party of older whites, mainly masculine, almost exclusively of Evangelical persuasion.

Back to the BBC. I watch the early evening news on both BBC1 and C4(yes, I know it's sad). Yesterday the Beeb did it's normal geographic roundup, and little more. What a revelation when C 4 news came with a complete breakdown of where the votes for each side had come from. I can't believe that this information couldn't have been found/dug out by the army of BBC reporters. As it happens, if the Republicans can't find a way of connecting with the Hispanics, then there're probably dead in the water for many years to come.

we had often thought of lending it to our sons,but his put us off. Bettyboop Make yourself a nice cup of tea, draw the curtains and sit quietly. Someone with transport will be around shortly to collect you.  [:-))]

Quote from retread. Bottom line. It  is therefore not allowed in France to use the system Towtal (ie A Frame) to tow a car even if it is legal in several countries in Europe Towtal itself is not a "system" but the name of a company in Stoke on Trent who supply and fit A frames as well as many other parts and adaptations for motorhomes. If you purchase an A frame from them the owner will supply you with a copy of what appears to be an official document certifying it's legal use in France and Spain. Whether or not a Gendarme/Trafico will accept it is another matter. I have never towed with an A frame. I saw a French motorhome towing one of the Renault "bug" vehicles on an A frame in August so presumably the French(?) supplier is leaving himself a bit open to a kicking from the authorities? Another has already given a lot of information on this subject either earlier here or in another thread and if I remember correctly the outcome was that this situation has never been legally tested as it is such a grey area.

A man was washed up on a beach after a shipwreck. Only a sheep and a sheepdog were washed up with him. After looking around, he realized that they were stranded on a deserted island. After being there awhile, he got into the habit of taking his two animal companions to the beach every evening to watch the sunset. One particular evening, the sky was a fiery red with beautiful cirrus clouds, the breeze was warm and gentle - a perfect night for romance.. As they sat there, the sheep started looking better and better to the lonely man. Soon, he leaned over to the sheep and put his arm around it.. But the sheepdog, ever protective of the sheep, growled fiercely until the man took his arm from around the sheep. After that, the three of them continued to enjoy the sunsets together, but there was no more cuddling. A few weeks passed by and, lo and behold, there was another shipwreck. The only survivor was Angela  Merkel. That evening, the man brought Angela to the evening beach ritual. It was another beautiful evening - red sky, cirrus clouds, a warm and gentle breeze - perfect for a night of romance. Pretty soon, the man started to get those feelings again. He fought the urges as long as he could but he finally gave in and leaned over to Angela and told her he hadn't had sex for months. Angela batted her eyelashes and asked if there was anything she could do for him. He said, 'could you take the dog for a walk?' __,_._,___

I may be missing your point but the last time I looked neither Disability Living Allowance, Mobility Allowance or Carer's Allowance were means tested.

A few years back in Spain I had starting problems. I took it to Pepe at the local garage and pantomimed the problem. Got on well with him but neither of us spoke very much of one another's language. Two hours he indicated. I returned and he showed me two injectors he had changed. I thought at the time he must have had all four out to examine them but promptly forgot the incident. Back in France and the first cold snap produced the same starting problems. The other two injectors were changed. Moral is: always change all four (or six if you're rich).

NickP I'm glad that your wife is recovered and you were pleased with the level of treatment and care that you received. This treatment was performed as an emergency whereby the hospital may or may not ask if you have insurance cover. If the answer to their question is in the negative then the foreign patient is treated free of all charges. If you had needed  further treatment, not at the original hospital (GP, nurse, dressings etc.) then the cost would have been down to you and if you had EHIC's then you would have received a refund equal to that which a French national would receive. The €100 that you were charged would have been for "bed and board" at the hospital. Likewise, if a non-emergency crops up, you would follow the procedure outlined above and be left with approximately 30-35% of the cost to either pay yourself or be refunded by an insurer. The point about being a second home owner is that French residents, unlike those in the UK, are used to knowing the cost of their healthcare and, believe me, this can be pretty scary. If you feel my explanation in any way denigrates you then just take a look at my profile. I no longer own any property in France. The point for other non-residents is to be aware that, emergency treatment apart, the French system does not pick up all of the tab.

Thanks for the input. To get the right balance of cost and cover we'll probably go with the Caravan Club, membership of which I cancelled three weeks ago. We can always rejoin! However there's a bizarre pricing structure; 120 days medical cover for the two of us costs just over £500. 120 days medical cover plus European breakdown cover ( very comprehensive) costs...................wait for it.................£260. Don't ask me but i've got the quote in an email. I already have UK and European cover as part of my specialist motor home insurance policy so, if I need assistance whilst abroad , I can choose which policy to use. NickP I'm struggling to find the point of your post. If you're saying that you personally are prepared to pick up the costs of any treatment which are not covered in France then good luck. I note you're a second home owner. Unless you've lived in France and received a financial statement from a body such as CPAM in can be a little difficult to imagine how costs pile up. In the UK we're never shown the cost of the treatments we receive. In my mind the whole reason for taking out insurance is to know what my costs are before I set off.

I know this has been discussed before but we (UK resident)are struggling to find an insurer for durations of up to 120 days in any single trip. Ages 67 and 64. We will also, reluctantly, look at single trip insurance. Any help much appreciated.

On a trip in August we saw a French plated camping car towing one of those new Renault micro-cars.

Begs the question really - why travel across Kent to travel to Boulogne? As Speedferries found out, the existing carriers can make life very difficult for a newcomer to Dover.

Try writing to the Prefecture? I always find that if someone has to commit a reply in writing they tend to make sure that what they are saying is correct. Saying no to someone is very easy since there's no record of what was actually said.

Chancer I'm not going to pick an argument with you or Dave but please do not classify all receipients of CAF, disability benefit or whatever in the same category as the ones Dave came across this season. We all have a pretty good idea of the members on here in receipt of some disability benefits but those benefitting from CAF may feel deeply offended by your comments but too embarrassed to reply.

Let me relate what happened to us in mid-2010. The Notaire said that we should pay the Fonciere for the whole year when it became due (Octoberish). Based upon the previous years Fonciere she then apportioned the annual amount and we were given a cheque by the buyer for their share. O K we lost a few €uros on the deal. We didn't pay T d H so I can't help there. We told the various French tax authorities a UK address so the Fonciere bill turned up there and in May of 2011 the Income Tax forms turned up. Filled in, half a year so no tax to pay, and we never heard from them again after the nil calculation arrived.

[quote user="sweet 17"]Er......what about spilled stew or soup or curry on the back seat?[:-))] [/quote] Stand it in a washing up bowl and put it on the floor. We often do this in the camper car where, when stationary, our leisure battery is kept topped up by our solar panel. Resourceful people, us slow cooker users.  [:P]

It seems unrealistic for someone who left the UK many years ago to maintain a UK bank account.

My understanding is the same as D D's but what bothers me greatly, and should bother anyone who has dealings with HMRC, is that two "technical experts" don't appear to know the rules. Are you absolutely certain that you weren't speaking to a call centre because you would have to be passed on to a "technical expert" if the call centre operative didn't know or was unsure of the answer?

stan The most time consuming task that we had was opening accounts with exchange companies and satisfying their money laundering questions (e g Mrs Benjamin provided her CPAM statements as proof of address: said company wouldn't accept it.) We got about four companies to open an account for us so that we could chose, when we knew the exact date, which company to go with. I told  that company which date they could expect the funds to arrive, a pre-agreed exchange rate and the UK bank account details for the onward transfer. I spoke to the Notaire before the sale and agrred the transfer would be made directly from her account to the exchange company's UK account. I stayed with her after the sale whilst she spoke to her bank(?) and the transfer was made there and then. Two days later the funds were in our UK bank account in sterling. Just takes a bit of forward planning.  [:D] [:D]

Judith On our Bosch four ring induction hob in our former French house there were 19 setting for each ring. Our current Philips has 10 on each ring, Mrs Benjamin says it's not as controlable! Some of the small single rings have been made, and sold, as cheaply as possible.

Thanks for the feedback Frederick. Our Garmin, bought last year, has just got us safely on a tour around France. Because we only received one of those "quick start" manuals we are constantly finding new features. Our problem is much the same as Théière's in that we can pay aroung £47 for a map update or we can buy the £54 sat nav.We're off to Portugal in January so we'll need current mapping as I believe they've started charging on a lot of the autoroutes. I think we'll probably buy the new one but keep hold of the Garmin.

A cup of tea and a chat with Mrs Benjamin during typing my reply meant that Quillan got in first with his explanation.

It stands for Payment  Protection Insurance Norman and was massively oversold by UK banks as a way of convincing customers that if they were unable to repay a loan (or in Quillan's case a credit card balance) there was insurance in place to make the repayment. In the UK there has grown an "industry" of quasi legal companies who offer to get you back past premiums if you were sold PPI where your circumstances meant that you were not covered and, ipso facto, you had bought insurance that would never pay out. An article I read recently in the Sunday Times reported that something like 30% of the claims that Lloyds Bank had received were from people who had never had an account with them. The UK financial services industry never misses an opportunity to rip the public off. The problem for those of us in the UK who do not make spurrious claims is that we end up paying for those people who do make claims which cannot be justified. Car insurance is one of these major areas. I don't know if the offer that Quillan has received reflects the premiums he was overcharged or if there is also an element of "compensation" involved.

Looking back on this thread, your posting on 28 April mentioned a meeting on 10 May. Did that ever happen?

The Freddie tribute and Brian May made it for me.   [:D][:D] [quote user="woolybanana"]The Splice Gels gave the impression of wearing inadequate undergarments. Can you confirm?[/quote] Just how close do you sit to the telly screen?