timc17

Our four have just finished their first year in French schools and we are very pleased with how things have gone. All four will move up to the next class in September and have received good end of term reports. Had this not been the case though we would have probably  gone down the home-schooling route as my wife taught in the UK . My own personal view is that going to a local school is the best way for children to integrate , learn the language and make new friends. It also helps if the school is willing to provide assistance with regards learning French. We were fortunate in that the school where three of ours go gave extra french lessons to the youngest three ( the eldest did'nt require extra lessons ) from day one and this has been a great help. Why not give the local schools a try first before trying to teach the children at home.     Tim.

[quote user="chief"] ali@ards wrote: It's funny - there were no insults until someone popped up & said something along of lines of  "I speed & I don't care" Cannot recall ever saying 'I don't care' or anyone else saying it, but hey, i guess if you run out of 'Facts' you have to demonise somebody somehow. Last post from me folks on this subject, as i think things are becoming personal, and to be honest i don't want to get drawn in.  See you all on some other threads.....good luck and be well. chief [/quote] Would you agree that speeding at 220 kmh on a public road is bloody dangerous and illegal.  It's a simple 'yes or no' question - no government stats required!

Fact - Speed kills and wrecks lives. The driver should be jailed , the car confiscated , sold and the proceeds used for road safety measures. I've just spent a week in Germany where there are pretty much no speeds limts on the motorways - i did not feel safe and couldn't wait to back on french roads. Driving at 220 kmh should be confined to race circuits.  

No Frogs it's the 4th and 5th of August!

Have your kids had a BSG (the old TB jab) vaccination yet? If not you might be asked to get one done.

We send the kids to school regardless. If it turns out their teachers are on strike the school lets them call us so we can collect them.  

Hi, We're going back to the UK in April for a couple of weeks and desperately need someone to look after our three year-old male Springer Spaniel. Can anyone help or recommend a good kennels? We live near Saintes (dept 17).   Thanks in advance.   tim  

Ron, I know it's early in the morning but do you really mean what you've posted re UK pensions? UK pensioners receive a personal allowance like anyone else and any income they get above this is taxed at 22% or 40% - this includes state and any private pension. It's not the pensioners fault but the lunacy of the UK tax system.   tim

Hi, We went through the same thing about nine months ago ( my wife has four children from her previous marriage ) . Please pm me if you need any info regarding procedure etc. We live 15km north of  Saintes which maybe too far away from you but will gladly offer any comments on the schools attitudes etc to english children.     tim  

Surely the point is that fraud is fraud in whatever part of Europe it appears. The original post was about an article detailing the fraudulent claiming of health benefit by a number of  'non-french' residents in the Dordogne the vast majority of whom were british. This should be deplored no matter what your views are on the EU and recipricol healthcare. This is another lively topic but please don't spoil it by getting personal.     tim 

Hi, Could anyone recommend an orthodontist in the Saintes area of Dept 17?   Thanks in advance.   tim

I bought a NRJ SIM card from Carrefour on Monday for 30 euros . They are also available from Darty.   tim

Has anyone re-registered a Ford Galaxy in France and experienced any problems changing the headlights?   timc17

We must live near Sharon. I was going to say the same thing about our Intermarche in St Savinien (dept 17). The only odd thing is that it closes at 11.45 am not at 12.00.   tim

Having read all the postings on this thread i now know the whole world has gone mad. To whinge about a pulled posting when hundreds of people have just been killed or injured by an appalling act of mis-guided and selfish stupidity just about sums up what pathetic creatures we have become.     tim   

Hi, Anyone recommend a pet insurer in France? We'll be living in Dept 17.   Thanks in advance     tim

We have french friends in our village who actually buy their 15 year old daughter cigarettes on the premise that she will not take drugs but were quite surprised we let our children have small quantities of alcohol on special occasions. The father chain-smokes but is only ever allowed three glasses of whisky a night by madame much to our amusement. Getting drunk seems to be more of a taboo here than smoking which is the opposite to the UK.   tim

Sorry, He is based in the Herault and has advertised on the AngloINFO website and in The Connexion newspaper.     tim

Has any forum member used Insurance in France run by Richard Sitters for their car insurance?

Hi Kimberley, Can you not take them to your local dump? I'm sure i've seen asbestos sheets piled-up in our dechetterie at St Savinien. I've got a small bit to get rid of and that's where i'm taking it. They seem to accept virtually anything - such a difference from the UK , and they'll help unload your car.     tim

My wife and i agonised over this months ago before we made the decision to move. We have four children aged 9,11,12 and 14 and only the 14 year old has raised any real objection to going. Because of the frequency of our visits to our house in france all four have made friends in the village with children of the same age and who go to the same school where ours will go. This has been a big help in settling their nerves. We have also visited the school a couple of times and having met the head are more comfortable with the decision we've made. It has also helped that there are already several english children in the school.     tim

Hi, We are about to move and have just been through the same thing. Ask your GP/Surgery for a printout of your child's vaccination record. We've also got the red books but the printout from our GP is much easier to understand. Also we had to have all the children (ages 9 to 14) vaccinated against TB which is a legal requirement for the French schools. This took several weeks to organise but i guess you should be able to get this done when in France.   tim    

As a relative newcomer to the forum and soon to be french resident i would prefer posters to 'tell it like it is' rather than wax lyrical about lazy days sitting by the pool sipping a chardonnay. My only gripe is when the threads get personal and i think that's why the forum is a bit quiet now. Members like myself view this forum as an information goldmine as until we experience the problems/delights for ourselves the advice etc offered by the 'golden oldies' is all we've got to go on.   tim 

Thanks Val. We only intend to keep the vehicle until early next year and will sell it in the UK when the MOT and Tax are due. I will still need to go back to the broker to confirm that the cover is with a UK insurer and not French as this has not been made clear. The broker i used is Insurance in France near Montpellier -anyone used them?     tim

We are about to move to the Charente Maritime in a few weeks and will be bringing our UK registered car with us having arranged insurance in France. The english broker we used stated categorically that we did not need to re-register the car after being resident for six months which goes against what i think has been said before on this and other forums. Is he right?   timc17