zeb

Hi Helen and welcome! If you were working and paying full NI in the UK before moving to France you may be entitled to an E106 form which you take to your nearest CPAM and which give you recipricol health treatment for around 2 years. Phone Pensions Dept at Newcastle and ask them if you are entitled to an E106 - if not get them to send you a letter stating that you are not entitled and take that to CPAM. May help you get a carte vitale quicker (huh, but nothing is quick in France!). Also, your husband, if he is working, MUST register! Either with the Chambre de Metiers (if he is an artisan) or with the Chambre de Commerce. It's an offence not to be registered in France and his cotisations (SS payments) will give health cover up to a certain percentage. Don't know if pregnancy gets full cover. Anyway, top-up insurance probably won't cover an existing preganacy. In the meantime you will have to pay for any treatment, even visits to the Doctor (around 20 euros per visit). One way or the other you must get it sorted quickly. Good luck..........helen PS Sorry can't find telephone number at present......someone else may be able to help.  

LOL. No, not nuns, but I have been tailgated by a combine!!! Really scarey! I had all these really gory visions flashing before me, when it swerved down a farm track and disappeared. Bit like that film......er.....er.......damn! Senile moment! helen

The past few weeks have been a bit difficult for a variety of reasons - emergency op and long convalescence, very expensive engine failure on works van, changing and re-registering micro activity, huge cotisations, dealing with beaurocracy with abysmal French, lack of money due to some of the above, renovations taking forever due to illhealth, lack of time and money etc - and we have had several discussions regarding our future. Like SB we want to see other places and do so many other things. We feel at the moment that we have come to a standstill but, hey, this was always going to be a long project so nothing's changed. We are warm and comfortable and much better off in so many ways than many, many people. Maybe when the house is finished (can't rent it out till then) we'll go off and do VSO in some far flung place. In the meantime we are happy here and would prefer to stay rather than return to our old lives commuting, working, sleeping!! Although, I can understand people returning to the UK after their couple of years in France, I don't think we will be going back, just maybe moving on one day. Later - you had better upsticks and come see for yourself. As Teejay said, the spaces are huge compared to Britain. Yet we are no more than 20 minutes away from cinema, supermarkets, nightlife, libraries. The countryside is gorgeous - forever changing and, although it seems to rain here for the whole of November and February, the climate generally is great (no cold wind in the Charente). Now if someone could send me some draft IPA Flowers, all would be well with my world. regards.........helen

Why don't you buy a French one. There are loads around at the moment in the bricos. We have a 10kw Supra and it's excellent! I know others have had great success with them but we had a Villager in the UK and couldn't keep it in over night, not even from midnight to 6am.  Brrrrrr! Previous house had a Jotel - now that was really, really good but difficult to get hold of in France. regards...........helen  

Yep, used Speedferries last week and it was great. I was a bit daunted by the journey to Boulogne (we are in the Charente) but the motorways and even the peripherique, were a doddle. Even with the extra tolls and diesel, it was still much cheaper than flying and hiring a car. And - we could come back with loads of goodies! Haven't used P and O or BF for years - just need to get across the channel by the cheapest route and there is no way I'll pay all that money to cross (even with slap-up meals and a cinema)! Fight the Pirates, I say! Fur us, SF was our most favourable PTE!! regards......helen PS What's an S&S, Dick? Is it something to do with S&M - is that why so many people still use Brittany Ferries??

.........an addict M regards.....h (sometimes I wish I was in a far flung place!)  

Hello Mick - where are you? We need a man with a digger!! Can't help much with the well except to say, don't use those silly rubber builders' buckets 'cos the handles undo and you lose the whole lot!! And surely it will take a long time to fill up your neighbours pool - get a pump!   regards......helen PS Dick .....that photo is really, really scarey!

Sorry Later but you have to declare your global income to les impots even if you have paid tax on income or investments in another country.

Interesting SB. Our little local weekly newsheet prints the following weeks menus for schools in the Confolens (16) area. I've always remarked to all and sundry how delicious they sound - but maybe it doesn't to those who have to eat it! helen (who will never forget the veggies boiled to extinction and the slaps for refusing them - anything has to be better, even chicken nuggets!)

Hi Judybos and welcome! You are lucky - you definitley won't starve. Champagne Mouton has a small supermarket where you can buy all the basics, it also has a very good butchery department. It's closed on Mondays though and also for the usual two hour lunch. You will also find excellent supermarkets at Civray and Ruffec (open all day) - not too far away surely? Then for big (or at least more interesting) shopping there is Geant or Auchan at Angouleme. We live near Champagne Mouton and once I'd got used to the hours (no 24 hour shopping here), found it just as easy to shop in France as in a UK village. If you have major problems with weekly shopping - the Coop in Champagne Mouton delivers!! Modern or what! best wishes............sure you will get used to it all! helen

They were very interested in my little business when I got stopped for minor offence (90euros) and they spotted my gardening equipment in the Van! I had to take my registration papers into local gendarmerie and they took details. None of them have phoned me yet to ask for their grass to be mowed!!   regards.......helen

Horrific I should think if they are anything like those needed for opening a restaurant (or any sort of small business)! Mind you.....you could ask one of the pizza van guys who are operating in the Charente. But where would you find customers? Lots of tourists during the summer but Confolens is very, very quiet during the winter. There is a fish and chip shop in the area (for sale I believe) and another British owned restaurant at Fontefie does fish and chips on Friday nights (also for sale).  Now, an ice-cream van would be good helen  

[quote]The most irritating posters I find are the ones with no sense of humour![/quote] LOL - remember this is LF not TF! regards....helen

We bought three years ago as an unmarried couple (both with adult children from previous relationships). Discussed situation with our excellent notaire and he said (at that time) the best way to go was to have the "en tontine" clause added to the compromise which give remaining partner some rights. We have since married but don't really know if/how this changes things. regards.....helen

Merci beaucoup Angie!!

We  bought small battery operated Grundig radio with LW from Connextions in Angouleme (tried it in the shop and got R4). This was after being in the Charente for a year and discovering that R4 could be received!! I use it without mains whilst I'm working at chez client and with mains on Sunday mornings for listening to the Archers whilst ironing. Sad or what!! I listen to French radio and TV the rest of the time...honest! Any radio with LW will do, just means you have to fiddle about a bit to find signal. R4 on FM would be better though - no cricket  grr!! helen

Where do we get an E111 in France for travel to Sweden? Is it La Poste as in the UK? Also, could anyone recommend French travel insurance for a short visit abroad? thanks.........helen  

Details please bex! From where to where and how big is the parcel? intrigued.......helenx 

My French neighbour (elderly widow) doesn't have a bank account. She collects pension and pays all her bills at la poste. regards.......helen

ditto kent My major bugbear is really negative posts to newbies from folks who have been in France for years and sound like they don't want anymore Anglais here! Okay, so it's not all a bed of roses but a little constructive encouragement wouldn't go amiss. regards.....helen (have been here over three years though in various guises)

[quote]Plus Tours (Indre et Loire) planned for early 2006. Soon we will all wonder why we bothered to move ![/quote] Hooray! Can't cope with the bridge at Bordeaux....don't ask! Popped into Ikea at Lakeside last week on flying visit. Nice lunch! regards.....helen

  I'm writing an article and maybe you can help? Has anyone actually finished renovating? Have you divorced due to renovating? Has anyone been declared bankrupt due to renovating? Has anyone suffered near fatal (or fatal) injuries due to renovating? Has anyone given up and bought a little pink pavillion? regards......helen

Hi Rita - if you are living in a caravan for a while, get a laptop (obviously take up less space). regards....helen (been there, done that and got the Tshirt)   PS Has anyone got a Mac for Dummies they don't want?

Oops! Still can't get the bit of quote needed! I was referring to the Maires! helen

[quote]Yes, there has been discussion on this forum - I suspect the threads have been lost in the Great Archive Disappearance. I find it fascinating and constantly refer to it. Don't forget that it reflec...[/quote] .......but a great system of social control! Loved the bit about the trick and treating manifestation in Honfleur. helen