timc17

Crep, The french version of the RWC site has plenty of tickets for Scotland v Portugal in St Etienne on 9th September with prices starting as low as 15 euros.

A further batch of tickets has now gone on sale on the RWC site including one of Scotland's games.

The prices are cheaper than the Premiership but only a few clubs get big gates - PSG , Lyon , Lens and Marseille. The atmosphere is less hostile with few away supporters due to the distance between clubs and the time of games - Sat nights. Where were you thinking of moving to?   Tim.

Hi Crep, I bought tickets for the games being played in Bordeaux in May 2006 when they first went on sale to the general public. Having recently checked the official RWC site it would appear that pretty much all the tickets for every game have been sold. The only chance you've got is to keep looking at the RWC site for any returns or to risk buying on E-Bay. If i find any further info i'll let you know.   Tim.

JJ, I was also there last night but didn't notice the Union Jack on the flags. I have to admit that i wouldn't fancy their journey home. We passed a couple of coaches near Saintes at about 10.00pm and i reckon they would have had a further 8 hours to travel. It was my first time last night (a birthday treat for my son) but i'll be going again.

Andy, Can't speak for Brittany itself but the youth football setup here is generally excellent. Most small towns will have under 11's and under 13's teams and will play in local leagues. Type morbihan football in google and you'll find the official football site for that area.   Tim.

How about 'Are There Too Many Poles In Britain' or 'Too Many French In London'. In a free-movement Europe does it matter who lives where?

We have four children and their ages when we moved here were 9 , 11 , 12 and 14. All four have settled in well at school and all are achieving good moyennes. The eldest will be taking the Brevet this school year and has decided on the Lycee she'll be going to in September. She had excellent french before we got here which has been a huge help to her in adjusting to the differences between the UK and French teaching methods. Please think long and hard before you make the final decision on your eldest son's future education. IMHO he will need at least a year to get up to speed with the language let alone studying for the Bac. Why not move now and suggest your son drops down a year which will give him a bit of time to adjust and learn the language?  

Val, That was really my point! The guys i know HAVE to receive some payment in cash in order to offset the high charges. Yet obviously some 'holer than thou' posters on here see this as the same as working on the black.

'Working on the black' has been mentioned once again with the usual comments regarding legality and morality. Is there a difference between 'working on the black' and local artisans being paid partly in cash and the rest by cheque? I ask this as all the artisans i know have to do this to survive or pay for things like holidays.

My daughter's boyfriend has guitar lessons in the music shop on the outskirts of Saintes. Music Ouest , 10 Rue Cote De Beaute , ZA Ormeau De Pied , 17100 Saintes - tel no.0546 97 26 82 I'm pretty certain it's opposite the Formule 1 hotel.   Tim

2006 will be our first income declaration. I have been told by our local tax office that the relevant forms won't be available until the 20th of May which if i understand things correctly will give us just a few days (until the 31st) to complete and return. Does this sound correct or have i misunderstood?

Can anyone recommend an accountant near Saintes or St Jean D'Angely please. Thanks in advance.   Tim

[quote user="Blanche Neige"] Perhaps someone would like to start a separate thread about whether or not it is better to be near the Gite you are letting ? RH   Well I don't think it would achieve much as Tresco, Cassis and others have already said. IMHO a bit of a waste of time. "No need to get excited - I thought Tresco was pointing out the futility of a 'poll' on whether gite owners should be near their property and suggesting that it might be better to stick to the hints and tips." [/quote] As a prospective newcomer to gite owning i'd be very interested in starting a separate thread as this is the exactly what my wife and i are considering - having a couple of gites on site. Before we take the plunge we'd like to hear what other people thought.   Tim

Thanks for the responses so far. We are looking to buy near to St Jean D'Angely in the Charente Maritime which is where we currently live. I've been doing exactly what andyh4 has suggested - checking availability of existing gites on websites such as holiday rentals. The picture is somewhat mixed , some gites are pretty full between June and August while others are still available. This leads me onto another question. It's now the end of Feb so are the gites that currently show availability in the peak months likely to stay empty or do people really leave it very late to book their accomodation?

My wife and i are thinking of buying a large house with two/three attached gites as a way of earning a living. We would need to borrow approx 125k (euros) to fund the purchase. Obvious question - would the income from the gites be enough to cover the borrowings and likely running costs? We already have an income from the UK which is enough to live on but nothing more. All comments positive and otherwise welcome.   Tim

Quil, I bought them from the official World Cup site and was not asked for the names of the other people included in my order. I accept that the games i'm going to see aren't the best but the atmosphere with the Irish and Aussie fans should be good. Also my sons are 11 and 14 and are not really bothered who they see or where they sit (our tickets are behind the goalposts). We all went to Germany last June and saw five games involving the lesser teams which was a great experience and something that they'll always remember. So i'm sure they'll have a great time come September.   Tim.

Quillan, I bought three city packages for Bordeaux - total cost £125. Four games at £31.25 each for myself and two sons is pretty good value compared to the recent WC'06 in Germany.   Tim.

Slightly off-topic. Anyone got tickets to the Rugby World Cup this autumn?

They'll be using Croke Park - a Gaelic football ground which has a far larger capacity than Landsowne Road.   Tim.

We have four children at school here ( three at college and the youngest at primaire)  and so far have been very pleased with the way they have been accepted and helped by both schools. The only thing that really concerns us is the lack of cover for absent teachers whether it's due to sickness , school trips or strikes. This can only hinder the kids chances of passing the brevet but seems to be taken for granted by most parents (the kids themselves obviously don't complain either!).

Anyone else from the wilds of Norfolk?

[quote user="wen"] Josephine, if you move to an English 'ghetto', i.e. Dordogne, Normandy, Brittany, Limousin, or,  anywhere north of Dept 66, then fully expect your children to be accepted, assisted and welcomed into ANY school in that area. Regardless of how crap they, or you,  speak french. However, come down to Dept 66 where the Brits, Dutch, Germans, etc, are only JUST moving in and you will find a completely different attitude. Here, we have found, that the general consensus is..."We didin't invite you to move here, so don't expect us to help you!". I have just spoken to an Immobilier Agent (British) who covers the Ceret area and he told us that the locals just absolutely despise the British coming here, and quite a few (Brits) are buying in that area. In all, it depends where you move here as to how well your kids will settle.   [/quote] As you're enjoying it so much you'll be moving soon then!

I take it you won't be joining us then Rushes?

Wen, I think you've got it totally wrong as far as the UK's concerned. As from the start of the last school year the compulsory learning of a foreign language to GCSE level was scrapped which resulted in hundreds of language teachers losing their jobs.