SC
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Posts
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Posts posted by SC
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I agree about the dazzling 'bouncing' effect of modern (HID) headlights. They can only be fitted to cars with self levelling headlights and the mechanisms clearly don't react quickly enough. It seems to me they'd be safer on cars with properly adjusted fixed headlights.There was a piece in Ouest France a few weeks ago about the increasing problem of headlight dazzle, but they erroneously attributed the cause to people fitting illegal 100W bulbs in their cars. Steve
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When you have the problem try closing your browser, right click the wireless network icon on your toolbar and select/click Repair. Wait until the network is re-established and open Internet Explorer and go to a mainstream site like Google. I'm not sure that a recurrent connection problem is likely to be the fault of a mainstream ISP and may well be more local and re-occur with other providers.Hope this helps,Steve
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On the offchance that this may help, we had a similarly aged Singer speed control go up in smoke. Examination showed that it was a resistor? capacitor? that had burnt. Googling a replacement part revealed that it was there to prevent radio interference and most people cut it out and threw it away. That's what I did and the speed control works perfectly and there's no more smoke. (Tele's a bit grainy though [:)] )Steve
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Send this letter with a photocopy of the magazine wrapper details:
Monsieur le Directeur
Dossier Familial
BP40211
41103 Vendôme Cedex
date
Your name and address here
Je vous prie de bien vouloir prendre acte de la résiliation de mon contrat d'abonnement à la revue Dossier Familial sans délai.
Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués.your name here
Steve
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http://www.leboncoin.fr/ is a good website that seems to me to have more realistic prices than some car only sites. I think Clair posted to this effect some years ago.
Beware many scams based on delivery charges - without going into detail an attractive but not unrealistic price and no phone number on advert is a clue.
Most good low mileage older cars that I enquired about or looked at recently were sold quickly at or near their asking prices which was about twice what they would fetch in the UK.
Beware upcoming obvious major bills- bear in mind that most (all?) airbags should be replaced at ten years old, and check that the timing belt if fitted has been fairly recently renewed.
To register a car in your name you will require proof of identity and address, completed form n°13750*01 (available on line), and the following provided by the seller: a Certificate de Cession, receipt with all particulars of the car, if over 4yrs old a Controle Technique less than six months old and the carte grise marked "vendu le .....".
If buying privately obtain a Certificate de Non-Gage for your own peace of mind. (Free online- a bit like a HPI check but state organised)If buying from a dealer don't accept an "attestation de transfert de carte grise" instead of the carte grise. It isn't worth the paper it's written on and usually means that the dealer hasn't registered his purchase of the car with his prefecture or worse. Withhold the majority of the price until he gives you the carte.
Hope this helps.
Steve -
Thanks very much for that, sometimes one can't see the answer although it is staring you in the face!
Appointment made for Monday with the sports department physiotherapist we're happy to say.
She damaged her knee playing for the university basketball team and perhaps our failure to think of the university helping was because the support at the time by the (Americam) team coach was almost non existant.
Thanks again,
Steve
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Our daughter has had a cruciate ligament repair in
As a student she has no problem accessing NHS services but we are unable to arrange NHS physiotherapy without a delay, possibly of a month which will considerably reduce her chances of a good outcome.
We can of course and will if necessary pay for private physio in the
We have heard from an NHS physiotherapist that entitled people coming from abroad requiring ongoing care have a 'form', but he was unable to tell us any more. Brits must often come home from skiing holiday accidents and have ongoing needs following treatment in French etc hospitals. I'm not sure if this 'form' will enable her NHS physio to start without delay, but has anyone heard of or got experience of it or been in a similar situation?
Thanks,
Steve
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On the sign at the station that was pointed out to me the oval sign was much more vertical than the old logo and overlapped the smaller yellow backboard. It's shape is in the blue graphic at the top of the site www.stationelf.fr
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Main front page headline in Ouest France yesterday: 'La France attire moins les Anglais' (France attracts fewer English) over a photo of a British family who looked pretty happy to be returning to the UK after 18 months. Half page article inside covered Brits who were going to sit out the exchange rate problem as well.
Steve
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Most of us fill up the car tank at a supermarket where we're confident that the price is competitive, but that's not always convenient when driving a distance.
A tip given to me by a French trucker a few years ago was to look out for Elf stations with a blue angled oval sign as these stations always match the local lowest price.
There's one on a dual carriageway near us and the fuel is always considerably cheaper than at the Shell station on the opposite carriageway.
Steve -
The door radar is Swiss, policemen have them in their watches there so its no big deal, but their eyes is going a bit far! [:)]
Steve
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[IMG]http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp354/relaxcheznous/sillydriver.jpg[/IMG]
It's a poor photo from my phone but if you look closely you can make it out.........
I'd just picked up a new car in the Vendée last year and on the way home called into the Brico Depot at Cholet; it was just after lunch and though the car park was empty needless to say I parked me new pride and joy in a far corner.
When I came out the scene was difficult to believe. In the virtually empty car park a huge six wheel drive ex-army munitions carrier or recovery tractor driven by an elderly French Benny Hill lookalike with beret and thick round glasses had turned into a parking aisle way too soon and nearside wheel number two had gone right over the wing of the only car parked anywhere nearby. Bizarre because the truck had plenty of space to make the turn! It had all the makings of a candid camera stunt. I got the impression that he had reversed back over the car afterwards, anyway the whole offside front corner of the car was almost flat! When I got there and took the photo they were calmly filling in the constat.....
Steve
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[quote user="Ian"]Thank you for these pieces of advice. Tomorrow, I'll reset it to factory settings, check whether updates are available to download (doubt it), then start again.
IF this proves unsuccessful, and I decide it needs replaced, has anybody any suggestions for a better quality digi-box? All it'll have to do is pick up UK channels from satellite - an EPG would be nice, but sophistications like HD are unnecessary. Maybe one of the new Freeview (right name?) boxes from the UK? (We'll be back there for a few days in September).
Cheers
[/quote]While considering a Freeview box myself I found that the Humax Foxsat Freeview box has a well documented lipsync problem in HD broadcasts. See http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/index.php/lip-sync-on-humax-freesat-box or do a search.
Steve
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[quote user="Frenchie"]
No one mentioned the bac ES, which is also one of the Bac généraux. ( Economique et Social).
[/quote]
Formerly the BAC B as gained by Nicolas Sarkozy at the oral de rattrapage I believe.
Our daughter who we're very pleased and proud to say has just passed her BAC ES (without l'oral de rattrapage [:)]) popped that in her UK university application to spice it up. 93% of géneraux candidates from her excellent lycee that has a reputation for working their students beyond the requirements, also passed.
Steve
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You can see a simulation of how results in each subject affect the final mark in the Bacs Généraux at this page http://sujetdebac.free.fr/calculer-note.php (marks out of 20)
Steve
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On the same note as the original post, there's also a move to stop drivers who have drink/drug driving convictions from driving cars not fitted with a starter-inhibiting breath tester. School buses are to be fitted with these from la rentrée 2009 - read into that what you will.
Steve
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Lollie-
For the 2008/9 UK academic year there are non-repayable means tested grants and bursaries of nearly £4000 available to qualifying students who have applied for loans. If he qualifies for them - they are means tested, he could save this to pay back his loan at the end of his course (or may have his loan reduced by the grant anyway), or reduce the amount that you will need to find to support him.
As you probably know the student loan interest rate is set from the RPI each March and is now 4.8%. The previous year it was 2.4%, but with all such decisions I think your son should only borrow (longterm) in the country where he is likely to earn his living.Steve
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It will be interesting to see if you get the 50 Cents charge per medicine prescribed back in the same way. I understand that it's to be accounted for at the issuing of the prescription.
Steve
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[quote user="groslard"]
And not much in the way of charges for Health care in France for retired British people either thanks to the same English generosity (E121)
[/quote]Yes but the NHS doesn't have to look after them in the UK does it.
France doesn't have to contribute anything for French retirees resident in the UK.
Don't forget that the current crop of E121 holders paid for your education and a lot more besides, laddie [:)].
Steve
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I'm impressed by the ability of French drivers that I have observed to drive accurately into what are quite small spaces in our supermarket car parks at the first attempt. I only have a vague idea of how long the front of our car is. Also their ability to reverse into spaces in the street.
Maybe its because they are over confident of their abilities when driving (as in following too close) and I don't see the occasional mistakes. When cars pass me on narrow roads I am usually the one in the ditch, and I often wonder whether we would have collided if I'd also hogged the road.
I did once see a huge UK registered American pick-up parked across four disabled spaces next to the doors in the Nantes Ikea car park that was certainly attracting a lot of attention from the passers-by, which was probably the owner's intention. Of course the driver could have been disabled, but there wasn't a badge or anything.
Steve
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Thanks Anton, not lazy, just not being very bright. I've had a look now but your reply sums it up perfectly.
Steve
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I've been helping someone get quotes for completion of a new build. A JCB driver has told me that there should be two green gaines for the phone as well as the red for electricity (from house to connection point). I see from a nearby new build site that he is right. What is the second green gaine for?
Thanks in advance,
Steve
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There is a petrol station on the right just before the Champion supermarket on the road from the port to Caen. If this is closed, at 4KM from the port take the Benouville exit (not the ZA - just afterwards) and follow the signs to the Stak supermarket that has (French) card operated 24HR pumps. If you have a satnav it will take you back onto the main road from there without having to backtrack. If you don't have a French card I should fill up in the UK.
Steve
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Although succession tax between spouses has been removed and other allowances increased, succession law regarding forced heirs remains the same and you will still need to change your regime if you wish only the survivng spouse to inherit the estate.
Steve
We have snow!
in The Complete France Post Bag
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