Bones

Well I've never poted a photo before but if this works: prepare to be astounded! A veritable BEAST! [IMG]http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h92/bonesey123/IMGP0496.jpg[/IMG]

Okay, I don't even know what a belfry is... However, I do have one in my bedroom! It's been going on for a few months now, unfortunately my partner thought I was suffering from hypnogogic hallucinations (half awake half asleep) so we haven't investigated the problem properly. Either way, the bat comes and then goes so who cares? This time it's different, the bat was flying around the room last night, then it settled on the skylight (hard to see because it's quite high up) then it came back; even pausing on the wall just above our bed at one point (arrggh!). It did this two or three times and I slept on the sofa. My dog (pictured) helped by repeatedly throwing a pair of underpants into the air and attacking me. I managed to get a photo and tonight it's back again. I've opened the window and am going to turn off the lights now. Any other advice? Does France have a bat squad? Steve, Carcassonne. (As I type it's come back and is reeling around my head! Urrrgh! I'm off!).

Beziers has an airport?? http://www.europcar.fr/agences/voiture_aeroport_beziers.html This link suggests that they do but I couldn't find anything on the airport website about car hire. You'd better give them a ring to confirm.

I thought the voltage was different too?? Either way, we have friends who've been using their entire UK kitchen appliance collection for three years and haven't had a prob! Clothes from the supermarkets are fine, especially for kids. Kiabi, la halle, Gemo, monoprix and all that are great too. They even have C+A over here! Have you got all your forms? E106, E301 etc etc. There have been some changes I believe, so get up to date: numbers are on the forum faq's. Birth certs etc too.

Pads, do a search in this section, there was a link to an aptitude test and it was great! Just pop in test or something and see if you can narrow the parameters down to the language forum section....

Interesting stuff; must remember to keep my eye out for cheap fruit and veg from the back of a van then? Or perhaps not... [+o(] Next time you're passing through you should pop in the bar, the missus co runs it and you can tell them that Steve promised you a free drink (which of course I will later deny all knowledge of!).

I've lived in France for three years now and would love to do an a level (probably need to start at o level actually!). I can muddle by speaking French but my writing would be atrocious! Carcassonne isn't too bad though Pads: there's more English speakers than French anyhow. [:D]

I personally went for FT and the Orange Livebox. I think it was Will who said that FT/Livebox is a little bit more but they are all same company and therefore anything goes wrong with phone or Internet then they cant blame a third party. ------------------ I wish! They just pretend not to have anything to do with each other, give contradictory advice... The good thing is that you can go to your FT boutique and pick up your replacement gear by hand. I like that part. As for speeds etc, the closer you are to the exchange the faster your speed, or so I'm told.

[quote user="allanb"][quote user="cruddler"]Indeed, when is a car no longer worth the cost of its repairs? I bet there is a formula out there somewhere...[/quote]There is.  Sell the car just before the next major thing goes wrong.  Simple. [/quote] At which point I usually step in. [8-)]

Find a broker, if he speaks English/is aware of the English system then perhaps more the better.

I've recently posted a thing on the CV rating regarding a Japanese car. The Subaru Impreza (now there's a boring Japanese car....) is rated 9cv before 1999 and 15cv after that - for almost exactly the same car! 200+bhp. Insurance premium, however, isn't affected.

Famous last words. Where exactly are you thinking of storing it? [Www] Also, with it being German, don't you leave Germany with export plates (they keep the original)? And won't those export plates expire?

"I apologise if I have breached any of the forum rules, it was careless of me but unintentional." That is so sweet! You have done absolutely nothing wrong. I only wish I had half your humility!! I'd be tearing into just about everyone at this point. [:D]

I went to an auction house in Toulouse and there seemed very little difference between it and the English equivalent. You need a chequebook to pay for the vehicle. There will definitely be more choice of German cars in Germany! Here's a link. (think they have sales at Toulouse and Bordeaux). http://www.encheres-vo.com/vehicules-v2/results.aspx?vt=E6BA0653AA7FF487C125728900543DE6

Lizfjr (can I call you Liz?), The only helpful knowledge I can impart is that the French bonus scheme doesn't penalise you for claiming where you weren't actually at fault (theft, 50/50 accidents etc). Come to think of it, I believe that it helps if you can be the 40 in a 60/40 claim rather than 50/50; in fact I was  negotiating a claim just before arriving in France and accepted 40:60 culpability in a claim where the other driver was (cheekily) asking for 50:50 - my insurer thought I was daft! My French broker said that that claim wouldn't go against me, translated the letter from my insurance company and arranged insurance for me. Full ncb in France is granted after something like 13 years... Somebody with more knowledge will no doubt fill you in more accurately. Try a search too.

[quote user="darren"] Darren I think that by going to France and seeing it like it is makes you appreciate England far more. We lived in France for several years and met some very nice people but we now appreciate how easy it is to get things done and prefer the cut and thrust of living in the UK.  You can even get a job if you want one. [/quote] Lol![:D]

[quote user="Deby"]I know we have two opionions of moving school-aged children to France. It is good to get a balance.  I lived in France for 6 years, arrived when daughter was 1 and had my son in France.  We returned to the UK on account of poor education system in rural France as well as my belief that France's education system is antiquated - more akin to the 1950's. It depends what you want for your children. [/quote] I think the French education system knocks spots of its English equivalent. We live in a small village and the local primary school is run by a great teacher who really pushes the kids. They arrive more than prepared for secondary school. The previous school our lad attended suffered from a high turnover of teachers, which - granted - is probably endemic in 'rural' France, however even there I felt reassured that he wasn't eating crack, pimping sixth formers and gun running (which was the norm back in Manchester [:P]). In all seriousness though, if the teaching of grammar coupled with the absence of David Beckham Studies makes French education appear antiquated then so be it: many would say that it's all the better for it. My partner is French and she has a better grounding in most core subjects than I have: in fact she studied toward her degree in England, there's no way I'd manage that in France! She lived ten years in the UK and is surprised when I relay grisly anecdotes from my school days, she just can't relate to it. If yob culture is starting to rear its ugly head in France then it is still a way behind the UK. I really can't see how a kid leaving school with a sound knowledge of grammar who isn't running the risk of being shot or stabbed in London or Liverpool can be a bad thing. Let's not forget either that England have been looking at introducing a bac style system. Anyway, those are my thoughts.

The golf course thing is being led by a local 'character', some unkind locals believe that he's never going to get it off the ground. Castle style theme park?? There already is one: the Cité! Somebody told me that the so called 'mega poubelle' is going to be a huge hole in the ground containing hermetically sealed containers of toxic waste that will be covered over anyway: so not much of a health hazard after all. The fact that there are many around here that fight against the erecting of diabolic windmills and that nobody seems to have solar heating - despite all the sun - makes the whole green argument look a bit suspect! I suppose the already existent green cesspool of arsenic doesn't help though. Plus it looks like a bit of a flood plane to me (Between Conques and Lastours). All in all, one to avoid methinks! I dunno. My friend has a house right near the proposed golf course site, near a stables and a restaurant. I hope she makes a few quid when she comes to sell it: you'd think she would. Technically speaking, the golf course will be classed as Villardonnel, I think. There are quite a few houses for sale there: I can't really slag the place off because I live there.  [:P]

If you've already fitted a hard drive then you can easily fit the DVD drive. However, you don't have the requisite free bay: so that's the end of that then! I suppose you could have purchased an external drive. I wouldn't worry about it, I fitted a dvd burner and kept my original cd writer but never use the thing. The dvd burner can do everything the CD burner can do and faster too. From memory, you just rip out the cd burner, delete its existence from my computer, replace it with the dvd burner. I think your hard drive will be your primary ide device and the dvd burner a secondary device but to be honest I can barely remember: it will no doubt be in your instruction pack! http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/fp;2;fpid;10005;o;0;id;612699979 That's a video guide free on the net. [:D]

I used to live in Salsigne - hardly Beverly Hills! Mazamet is a fair lick from Carcassonne, and a town centre in itself. In between Mazamet and Carcassonne you can find bargains because it's absolutely freezing in winter! What I have noticed though, is that you can buy a large property in the Minervois for cheaper than you can around, say, Salsigne, Aragon etc. Dunno why... Forgot to add: The arsenic thing is in Conques sur Orbiel. They made a bit of a blooper and the arsenic infested mini resevoir thing is still there from what I can see! They are also battling against a big tip, for which the Conques area is one of the  proposed sites. From the little I know they are going to make the tip an underground fortress and enviromental issues have been somewhat overblown, but there will be a lot of extra trugs ferrying the waste to the site. There is already an aggregate company nearby and they have a fair bit of traffic from their trucks.

Agreed Anton, however if your car is worth nothing at the end of the year and my car is worth a grand at the end of the year, shouldn't you factor that into the cost per mile? I suppose everyone is right. I'm confused. I suppose if you can't sell the Passat in France now, never mind after a years use, and you only have to pay 400 euros to keep it on the road then it's probably worth it. Only other solution is to buy a cheap LHD Passatt that needs work and use your car as a donor??

The gap thing was something a PC builder taught me: I can't see it being all that crucial either, but it can't do any harm: especially if you have overheating issues in summer (as I do). Changing the jumpers is a doddle and I was trying to simplify things for the original poster, otherwise they might employ someone to come and do it for them. You're quite right about disk quality, having said that I wouldn't burn an avi to any disk at x16, best to buy good Japanese disks and burn as slowly as possible. Most people will buy their disks from Leclerc and not find a Taiyo Yuden disk.  I go down to Andorra and buy 100 Sony dvd-r for about 20 odd euros.  [;-)] Actually, I've recently bought a divx player with a usb key in it for 30 euros and so far so good!

We have been renting for the last three years in the Montaigne Noire (Villardonnel, Cuxac etc) about 25k north of Carcassonne. Whilst the house prices aren't exactly sky high where I live, some of the better properties can be pretty expensive when compared to places like Durban Corbières (30 mins from the med) and places in the Minervois that are no further from Carcassone than we are. Is it because there are less Brits/Germans etc? Or have I got it all wrong? [8-)]

I know they didn't introduce the Liverpool route until around 2005. The frequency of those flights have always dropped 'off season', which seems to make sense. It wouldn't be the end of the world if it did fold; you can fly budget from Perpignan or Tolouse anyhow. [:)]

My missus is French and she's pretty influential. Only this week she has influenced a back ache, neck ache, heart ache: I'll stop there. [kiss]