[Hi and a few questions....]

EuroTr@sh wrote the following post at 08 Oct 2020 18:09:

Chancer set up an aparthotel for workers though, didn't he, not quite the same business model as rural gites. And if I recall, he was ahead of the trend when aparthotels were a new thing..

OH and I .. with son (not young?) .. stayed in aparthotels throughout our visits in France during 2001 and 2002 .. so much cheaper, more spacious .. so more relaxing than paying for 2 separate hotel rooms during our holiday.

I believe it took Chancer a good few years to get his ex-hotel purchase repaired, rebuilt etc up and running rooms from his original purchase date around 2005ish.

[Fed up of modern techno -PayPal probs]

chessie wrote the following post at 07 Oct 2020 21:15:

I had some sort of problem with my Windows Live Mail and Firefox - won't go into details but suddenly developed horrendous problems.

Took 3 days for me to realise that at same time I down-loaded eM somehow, or another, and I don't remember it - I had down-loaded a new browser. Already use Avast as virus/security set-up.

Removed the Avast browser - yippeee - everything works.

You didn't download the Avast Browser .. it invited itself and installed itself without your knowledge.

It took me a little while to sort out why the mum of one of my friends couldn't access her bridge games online as usual .. bloomin' Avast had installed its browser and made it the default. It was awful as it hardly functioned at all and the poor lady was tearing her hair out in frustration.

All sorted by uninstalling the dreadful entity.

You had a lucky escape Chessie.

Sorry about your other problems .. wet wood is a pain too .. just of a different sort.

Chin up .. the sun will shine tomorrow and all will seem brighter ?

[Emily in Paris]

Thank you Norman .. I don't think it's for me ?

.. though I did like some of the tweets quoted in the article ..

Several women complained about the impossibly good looks of Emily’s downstairs neighbour, Gabriel. “I’ve lived in Paris for nearly 10 years and I’ve never had a neighbour as handsome as that” ..

and ..

“I’m Polish and I’ve lived in Paris for 14 years,” said another. “I can tell you: this is exactly how the French are.”

Excellent ?

[Equivalent, but different sayings.]

What a mess .. what chaos = une chatte n'y retrouverait pas ses petits

What is this thing with cats ?

I love cats but honestly this is taking matters a bit far ?

[Taxes foncieres and taxe ordures menageres]

Alan Zoff wrote the following post at 26 Sep 2020 17:49:

I don't even have a refuse bin for collection and I take all our rubbish myself to the village collection point or to the nearest dechetterie.

I think that is pretty general in France .. I have never known a place which had an actual rubbish collection from home as in the UK .. so I should be interested to know it if this exists anywhere in France ?

Edit : Our Fonc bill has always included the rubbish bill too ..

[Electric blanket]

My OH bought one from Lidl about 2 or 3 winters ago .. it's very robust and washable but doesn't cover all our double bed (suits me as I hate them) so it would heat only 2/3 to 3/4 of a standard double i.e. 140 cm wide.

You might need 2 if you have a wider bed.

Good value for money though .. and it genuinely washes ok. My OH is extremely allergic to many things so all bedding etc gets washed hot and often.

[R.I.P. Juliette Greco]

NormanH wrote the following post at 27 Sep 2020 21:21:

That is one of the ones in the selection from the INA in my earlier post ..

Absolutely .. there are many of her songs that I adore .. though 'Déshabillez-moi' and 'Jolie môme' are constant favourites of mine.

Some of her songs remain partially incomprehensible to me .. my French is just not good enough to catch all her words .. so then I have to resort to looking for the lyrics .. which can be a revelation as some lyrical interpretations are far from the mark ?

[R.I.P. Juliette Greco]

Yes .. I hadn't known about her early family life before the war so that was an eye-opener.

To hear her talking about her life herself was revealing .. as was her honesty.

Though I could have thumped the interviewer .. he had this ridiculous grin on his face 99% of the time .. he looked idiotic - obviously he was one of her greatest fans/admirers.

[R.I.P. Juliette Greco]

Hoddy wrote the following post at 26 Sep 2020 11:48:

Am I her only fan ?

Not at all .. I thought she was great .. so effortlessly chic, so casually elegant .. for a young teenager like me in the early 60s she was someone mysteriously French with an allure which to me appeared seemingly unattainable.

Sigh ?

[Neosporin/Polysporin]

Lori wrote the following post at 24 Sep 2020 20:19:

Hard to believe that something so basic is impossible to find here.

I think the problem is more to do with how the US views antibiotics/pharma against how Europe views antibiotics usage.

Here's a quote about your choice of pommade ..

Neosporin in the most popular OTC topical antibacterial medication in America. It is very popular, and very profitable for Johnson & Johnson, but they don't tell you that people who use it repeatedly can develop a contact dermatitis (like poison ivy reaction) from its use.

Edit :

Neosporin and Polysporin

Two of its main ingredients, bacitracin zinc and gramicidin, are highly allergenic... Skin is very sensitive, and people can develop an allergy to bacitracin zinc and gramicidin slowly, over time, and they might not even notice.

[sq meters into acres]

Jonzjob wrote the following post at 18 Sep 2020 18:45:

Still going well thank you Wooly. But a bit slow now that all of the craft fairs have had to shut, but as you lot say "say-laaa-flamin-veee-mate"

(Note - Still got the lingo init)

.. there's even room for me now I slimmed down to 4 stone an a bit.

Gosh .. chapeau ? .. you have lost 4 stone ? Well done.

[Baking bread ....]

ericd wrote the following post at 18 Sep 2020 11:34:

We have followed this recipe since beginning of Covid. Not one loaf wasted, all delicious, crusty (thin crust).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkpEueQA4iQ

My goodness that was fascinating .. thank goodness for the subtitles as her Québécois accent was very strong .. nevertheless I am inspired to have a go .. and I am useless at bread-making.

As I only have a small size cocotte do you think it will work with1/2 size the amounts ? And a small adjustment in the timing ?

[Completing Renter's Form Before Viewing Apartment/House]

Lori wrote the following post at 17 Sep 2020 11:19:

This would normally require you to deposit the equivalent of the first year's lease into this "special guarantee account" at your bank. And there are fees for this too. We had started this process with our bank, but ended up finding a landlord who didn't need this.

As we had no French paperwork at all we thought we might have to resort to this but, in the end, found a proprietor who, more or less, took us at our word.

This can happen .. but it is extremely rare.

We stayed there for 6 years ..

[Completing Renter's Form Before Viewing Apartment/House]

Completing Renter's Form Before Viewing Apartment/House

Am I required to fill in a rental form with all the particulars, income, age, etc., just to view an apartment? The owner has written: "Please send us your complete file before scheduling a visit." Is this normal just to view the property? Thanks.

Yes, it is normal .. scary, but as others have said you won't get anywhere without it.

[Choosing a Mutuelle]

Lori wrote the following post at 15 Sep 2020 10:14:

Interesting and thank you for that. I was told in writing there would be no délai de carence.

I was told the policy would become effective the day after Groupama receives the signed devis and Attestation de Droits a L'Assurance Maladie.

We believe this is true of Groupama throughout France ..

When we first arrived in France at the age of 55 we took out minimum Hospital cover .. IIRC very little per month.

When OH started having heart problems we quickly swapped to comprehensive cover. And, very stupidly, we ignored the advice of our agent (who advised 100% cover) and so we took out 200% cover .. which cost us a lot more than it should have .. when we really didn't need that much cover at that time.

The level of cover you need is complicated .. it very much depends on your individual health needs .. plus your geographical location.

If you are both healthy at present then perhaps consider basic hospital cover .. there would be no reimbursement for Drs appointments .. just cover for inpatient ie overnight hospital cover so no outpatient costs covered either ..

OR .. put the equivalent cost of such a cover in a savings account (ouch, low % at present) each year until you genuinely need such cover ?

[Choosing a Mutuelle]

nomoss wrote the following post at 14 Sep 2020 20:35:

The quote from Groupama was one to approximate the cover I was offered by Sofica's, so probably other plans they have are more generous.

I apologise but I don't understand your post.

As we live in Brittany we don't have need of expensive 200%/300%/400% cover for anything .. so our Groupama cover is the basic 100% for everything.

[Choosing a Mutuelle]

nomoss wrote the following post at 14 Sep 2020 9:35:

The only thing that put me off the quote we had from Groupama, (who have all our other insurance) compared with the one we eventually accepted (from Sofica's) was that they did not reimburse co-payments for prescription items which are covered at less than 65% by l'Assurance Maladie.

In November last year I was prescribed creams reimbursed at 30% by CPAM where the rest was reimbursed by Groupama .. I did not pay towards their cost.

Edit: mint makes a very good point ref choosing a mutuelle this year and changing next year if they don't come up to the mark. Providing your give the correct legal notice you should have no problem.

[carte vitale and ALD]

This is your first visit to a Dr who doesn't know you or your history. He didn't sign your current ALD.

So .. whilst your carte vitale should have your ALD details in its chip .. as this is a new-to-you doctor .. also take your ALD attestation with you.

Also, as Wooly says take a cheque .. just in case.

You will be taking your mask, your carte vitale and your ALD so pop in a cheque as well.

[Choosing a Mutuelle]

Lori wrote the following post at 12 Sep 2020 15:29:

Re Groupama ..

I am now looking at their site. I thought they would be one of the most expensive, but at first glance the senior plan looks pretty good. I did note that they mention several times this term: "les professionnels de santé Sévéane" Is this some sort of network of doctors? Do you know?

It's a network of practitioner partnerships .. for example Optic 2000 work with them in our small town to offer huge discounts on good quality glasses, lenses and hearing aids .. some dentists work with them too (though ours doesn't).

Some chiropractors work with them too.

But not Doctors as in 'médecin traitant' per se.

[Choosing a Mutuelle]

Lori wrote the following post at 12 Sep 2020 10:25:

Also looked at MMA but their coverages were also less (percentage wise, payout wise and overall coverage wise) than April for more money.

So, at this point April is looking pretty good.

We have been with Groupama for a number of years and are very pleased with our cover and their premium.

The other benefit I found helpful, especially in the early days, was them having an agency in our closest small town .. so 10 mins away max. I still find it helpful to speak face to face in some circumstances .. though most stuff can be done on the phone or online.

[Recommendations, please, for a portable computer]

mint wrote the following post at 10 Sep 2020 17:59:

Went to Leclerc and bought an Acer Aspire 3 notebook. Lovely little machine, very quick, has great sound and a feature which my Dell does not have; it has a non reflective screen.

Good for you, well done .. Acer is usually a sound buy. They are not pretty pretty but solid machines which usually work well for years and years.

A workhorse .. (smiley face)

[So how many of us are still out there]

EuroTr@sh wrote the following post at 09 Sep 2020 15:38:

I did it. I'm back in Normandy. Not sure what next, but at least I know the house is OK.

Excellent news .. I can uncross my fingers now (smiley face) as I have been experiencing a bit of cramp due to them having been crossed for so long.

[Archant bust?]

EuroTr@sh wrote the following post at 05 Sep 2020 15:41:

Before I switched to a French keyboard I used to swear by Lexibar. I don't know if that even still exists?

EDIT Yes apparently you can still download it

https://www.lexicool.com/lexibar_french_special_keyboard_characters.asp?IL=1

Thanks ET .. I have downloaded your tip .. even tho I have an FR keyboard .. it seems a nifty idea and makes writing emails and such in French easier than before .. so far so good (smiley face here)

[Linkymeter]

napoleon wrote the following post at 05 Sep 2020 23:20:

If I want to see my consumption I press the + sign button and immediately the reading that appears on the display is the total units used, just like a traditional meter. Further presses run through several other parameters including the present rate of consumption. I do need to write down the reading each time to monitor the increase in usage.

Exactly the same on our monophase Linky.

[Debs, 8 years ago]

woolybanana wrote the following post at 05 Sep 2020 22:15:

Debs left us 8 years ago today. Fond memories and much respect for a tenacious and lovely person. RIP Debs.

She was dynamic, thoughtful, knowledgeable, considerate, honest, sincere, fun, intelligent and much more besides .. it was a pleasure to have shared forum time with her. Regretfully I did not meet her in real life.

A huge hole still exists where she was.