Gastines

Interesting point from "Buelligan" regarding moving into a village rather than the isolation of the countryside. The appeal of France to many must be have been the chance of a home with land at a reasonable price;compared with UK prices anyway. Having bought our first house in Bretagne in a small village but 15 kms from services/shops/restaurants etc we decided to move nearer to a larger town. after 3 moves,all second homes, we realised the advantage of being within a short distance of all services for several reasons. Age I will say is one of them and the advantage of being within easy reach of Docs/Dentists/Clinics/Hospital Garageetc along with a choice of bun shops /hypermarkets all within a few minutes has proved to be a bonus. Cheaper fuel costs and less worry about getting anything, even the Impo/CPAM etc are only 5 minutes away but we can still look out over the countryside and The Rance and many beaches are just around the corner. A consideration as well now that Ryanair seems to be closing several of their routes is the proximity of a choice of Ferry services and flights from Dinard Airport should a quick return to U.K. be required. We have ventured down south on several occasions,thinking of a move but once we passed Toulouse things changed and not only the weather.

Reading the historical notes posted ,it appears that Politicians don't study history or cultures but try to add their name to the history books for their own angrandisement. I was thinking of another posting ,"The U.K. what is the answer" but with Christmas just around the corner I think we have all had enough of reading the ever increasing problems. The only business that seems to be expanding in the U.K. at the moment seems to be "Charity" but mainly to bail out what the taxpayer has already paid for.

He must tell a very good story as he seems to be earning millions from it? The amazing thing is now he has been totally discredited ,we are still paying for his protection etc.etc. The joke of it all is he is the Peace Envoy for the Middle East. It is also amazing how all and sundry are now proclaiming they knew about all the lies and spin beforehand,pity they didn't have the guts to ssay so at the time. Unfortunately everyone seems to pay more attention to holding onto their position and pension rights and are too frightened to rock the boat. I wonder how the Iraqi's feel about the destruction wreaked on their homeland when a few smart bombs or a couple of S.A.S. could have done the job. Having worked there for a short while I think they might have picked the wrong country,like Afghanistan we don't understand the culture and should let them sort out their own problems as they have done for centuries.

One of many I believe. I'm waiting for the result from Dr.Kelly's Inquiry,I may have a long wait.

One of the pleasures of a visit to family in Bournemouth is the obligatory visit to "Ches Fred" in Westbourne. Definately a treat,lovely big chips, the best cuts of a variety of fish,home made salmon fish cakes .mushy peas and tartar sauce a must. As 2 family members are involved I might be a little biased but from the amount of Celebrities/Politicians and return trade ,I can't be the only one who thinks they are the best. Only one problem, as a friendly group who go there, we take it in turns to pay,my turn next!!! Have tried many times to get them to open up in St.Malo,even offered to peel the spuds but no progress so far. Regards. Regards.

Interesting to read the response.It seems the majority are of the opinion that it is basically serving no purpose to the Afghans or the rest of the world.Regarding the last British campaign,I suppose the main difference being that virtually every male occupant didn't carry an A.K or a rocket launcher. The Arms dealers of the world still keep churning the stuff out. When I worked in Iraq at the time when they were at War with Iran,it was common knowledge that the Israeli's were supplying both sides as while the Arabs fought each other , they weren't fighting the Jews. I suppose all these wars,occupations etc are all about oil/minerals and money and in the case of Mr. Blair, Mr Bush,a note in history now shown up for their own personal fame.

Perhaps I should have put what is the question as it seems few are really sure of the reasons behind this conflict.Listening to the many politicians and forces top brass telling us what a good job is being done, I have yet to hear anyone mention the local source of income which appears to be the drug trade from the poppy crop. Perhaps the local tribal chiefs are just trying to protect their income and use the religious banner for a rallying point? Whilst it seems that if the crop was destroyed another country would soon fill the void, would an answer be to purchase the crop so avoiding it entering the illegal market and use it to supply the need in medical use. An alternative cash crop being offered with a guaranteed market also being on offer. I'm sure these days of G.M. crops there are plenty of alternatives available that would grow in the terrain. At the moment Billions must be being spent with the seemingly end result of more terrorism and destruction mostly inflicted indiscriminately on the general populace locally and abroad.

I suppose after reading this "Joke" that at least you knew where you were with Saddam but Gordon and Tony?

The simple answer is surely, as you will have to have a Notaire to deal with the sale.he/,she will advise you of any tax payment and costs if asked?

Happened twice to us in 7 years. cost 240euros but house insurance covered it . Mirroitiers d'Ouest hold it in stock. Brico was 94euros dearer. Receipt sent to insurers,repaid first time in full.second time minus 60 euros. Payment in bank in 5 days. Bonne Chance.

Reading this morning that "Twitter"is the most used word in the English language,I thought about some of the other new editions. Drug Baron,Gang-master.etc. I could think of a few more relating to U.K. politicians ,bureaucrats and the P.C. lobby but my words may be deleted. What a sad state the U.K. is getting into but even worse is how they are going to dig themselves out. I expect we will hear the Labour slogan" Lessons will be learnt".

Just returned from Bournemouth and saw more rubbish in 100mtrs than we see on the 189km drive St.Malo to Cherbourg.

Yes, the Geometre's bill but He had to contact 2 adjacent neighbours as on our cadastre plan the land from the scale plan was actually 2metres X 66 metres out. This extra 132 sq metres obviously made a difference to the amount of land buildable. The neighbours had to sign to agree the new boundary with the Geometre and us in attendance. He had to re-measure and fix Bornes as the new drive access was made by chopping 4 metres off the side of our front plot. We asked him to get everything in the correct format for access,C.D.U. and building line. As I said although this cost us I believe it made the plot more saleable and saved us problems. The main reason for the delay was one buyer changed his mind after SEVEN months,but lost his deposit,the second buyer waited 3 months before getting his mortgage application in and getting it refused. The Geometre,like your Notaire,will give you an estimate of costs. Regards.

Just been down this route and completed after 22months. The best route is to pay for a Geometre to measure the plot and apply to the D.D.E. for right of access and for the C.D.U. [permission to build] this can save you delays later on,this cost us about E1800. Even after a buyer has paid a deposit they can ask for anything from the basic 3 months up to 9 months before completing and can put several get-outs if they don'y get what they want,including a mortgage. On completion you are liable for a tax of 10% if you haven't owned the land for 18 years. The Impot supposedly credit you with the original cost of the agricultural area before they calculate the tax due. The Notaire doesn't take this tax,you sign a paper stating that you will declare the sum received on your tax return. Correct in our case but you can always ask your Notaire as he will have to draw the papers up anyway. Regards. Bonne Chance.

Reminds me of when we moved into this house. The previous owners had stripped all the lights,fittings,interior doors etc to start a refurb,then on one wall in the lounge/salon had painted multi-coloured strips to try and decide on a colour scheme.That was as far as they got.Some of the colours were so vivid I had to undercoat the wall with 2 coats before I could apply any emulsion or wallpaper.

Ame, easy isn't it. Thanks to all for teaching me what my juniors know all about. I'm still typing with one finger and that is nearly the limit of my skills unless a hammer and nails are involved. Thankyou. Regards.

For the last few days when putting up any site the edges of the picture./words are now off screen. How can I reduce this by approx 1cm? Any advice as it will save me the having to ask my granddaughter on her next trip. Regards.

To Russethouse's point I would think the survival rate is so low because of the conditions into which they are born and live in. Would the pictures regularly shown on the T.V. have as much impact on the west if there were fewer ? That is part of the vicious circle that wants breaking. I don't suppose the Kalashnikofs all the men seem to have fire BLANKS?

Another reason why we don't understand other countries culture. The nations/areas that are most suffering from floods,droughts andchronic food shortages seem to have an abundance of small children and babies all born into the same cycle. When we see the pictures from Darfur for example there are thousands of starving children but it seems that the men and women of the area are so reliant on aid that the idea must be to keep the need.Perhaps if certain arms suppliers sent condoms and contraceptives for a change,it might redress the situation. Fairly obvious that the present system is just an ongoing one.

If you are ,or intend to transfer largish sums either way it can make quite a difference. I did so last week and quite a lot of change occured between the weekend and Friday, making a difference of a few hundred pounds. As usual not to my benefit. The ups and downs are of interest and often a cause of worry to many,I would agree that there is B.all we can do about it. I was hoping Soros might join the Forum and give us a bit of info!!

Not a good idea to give advice but-- Send a letter by recorded post,or via an Advocate,offering an amount you think fair for the work completed,to standard.in full and final settlement of his account.Sometimes you can lodge this cheque/bankers draft with the advocate. If he accepts,good,if he refuses let him take you to court.At least he will have some outlay and a long wait for ANY cash.Providing of course that you feel you have just cause for not paying the amount requested.!!! Bonne Chance and let him lose some sleep over it.

If you ever watch Sarah Beany's show on TV,you will notice virtually every time the client changes this and alters that and then wonder why the cost has gone from ten bob to twenty. To a builder any changes to plan are a blessing as well as an inconvenience. That's where you might as well give them an open cheque. Any alterations to the original plan ,whether building wise or different fittings should be priced ,signed sealed and settled before any work is started.

Even if you do go to an agent without giving him/her "Exclusive rights",you can put your own board up with details and phone number on.Then the buyer has only Notaire's fees to pay. It is a big help if the land has been "Borned" by a Geometre if there are any changes to the Cadastre plan.

From what I am reading in various papers,the assessments are now done by private agencies who receive a bonus for each person found not to be unable to work.Therefore the obvious arises,it is of no benefit to these private agencies to pass all as unable to work. Whilst I'm sure we all know of several who duck and dive in various ways and don't condone it but at the same time don't report them,I liken it to the Councils approach to the Household Rubbish problem. They would sooner build another pyramid of Council Inspectors with offices/transport/health cover/pension schemes etc, than spend the money providing a decent disposal service. Basically it saves the Government upsetting the major stores, read major party fund contributors,by charging them at source for all the un-needed wrapping. Why all of a sudden do people have to drink out of cardboard cups when going to work?

The Depot- Vente we used charges a commission of 30%. They agree a selling price with you,then each month if it doesn't sell will reduce the price by 20%. You can remove the item at no charge after one month. Basically after 5 months if the item hasn't sold or been reclaimed it becomes theirs. I believe the charges are fixed by law.