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Hi it may be worth hanging on a little while. The Citroen C5 will be facelifted Model Year 2005 (i.e. from around October 2004). Should be French & English bargains on the last of the old model ? Peter

Hi Read this carefully. I received it today. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- We recently reviewed your account, and suspect that your Suntrust Internet Banking account may have been accessed by an unauthorized third party.  Protecting the security of your account and of the Suntrust network is our primary concern. Therefore, as a preventative measure, we have temporarily limited access to sensitive account features. To restore your account access, please take the following steps to ensure that your account has not been compromised: 1. Login to your Suntrust Internet Banking account. In case you are not enrolled for Internet Banking, you will have to use your Social Security Number as both your Personal ID and Password and fill in all the required information, including your name and your account number. 2. Review your recent account history for any unauthorized  withdrawals or deposits, and check your account profile to make sure not changes have been made. If any unauthorized activity has taken place on your account, report this to Suntrust Bank staff immediately. To get started, please click the link below: http://internetbanking.suntrust.com/default.asp We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your assistance in helping us maintain the integrity of the entire Suntrust system. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.  Sincerely, The Suntrust Bank Team Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. For assistance, log in to your Suntrust account and choose the "Help" link in the header of any page. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've never heard of Suntrust ........... and I've certainly not clicked anything ! Peter

Hi There may be benefits from registering here as a profession liberale. As a French resident working from France, I guess one day the French tax man could take an interest ? He would automatically be in the French health system. Invoices to a VAT registered company in UK would not attract VAT. However local costs including VAT could be reclaimed. Taxable profit and social costs are based on income after allowable deductions. Peter

Hi I've got some notes about Languedoc weather here : http://tlp.netfirms.com/languedocweather.htm http://tlp.netfirms.com/meteo2.htm http://tlp.netfirms.com/meteo.htm http://tlp.netfirms.com/expat/link15.htm There does seem to be improved weather South of the Loire, but it improves even more South of the Massif Central ! Peter

Hi I think that the choice of vehicle is important. Citroen is a major player in France, whereas the UK importer of Citroen has chosen to adopt a low price policy to increase volumes. Big Citroens have always been relatively unpopular in UK, and suffered heavy depreciation. I don't think you would find such a big discrepancy if you looked at smaller players in France : Ford, Opel, Volvo or the Japanese. Peter

Hi email me on [email protected] to talk directly about how we sorted this bit out ! Peter

Hi email me on [email protected] to talk directly about how we sorted this bit out ! Peter

Hi email me on [email protected] to talk directly about how we sorted this bit out ! Peter

Hi we also got married abroad to avoid the bureaucracy in France. Then we spent 8 months validating the overseas marriage to get a livret de famille in France. They'll get you one way or the other ? Peter

Hi just a thought ................. When we were house hunting we looked at mobile homes. We found a site open year round with mobile homes to rent. (Languedoc not Brittany !) We didn't take it because they had bookings for odd weeks throughout the winter, so couldn't provide us with the Oct / Nov / Dec period we wanted. We then discovered that a beachside furnished appartment was actually cheaper as a winter let. Also more convenient in terms of washing machine, dishwasher, bathroom, etc. Could that be the same in Brittany ? Peter

Hi I'm not sure the French play by the same rules. I originally got NCB through a letter from a Swedish company car manager ( in English !). When I added a second car to the policy, it received the same NCB as the original one. I think in UK you would have to build up two lots of NCB ? Peter

Hi this may not be what you want to hear : 1)That 1m strip is crucial if you want to cross it 2)If any of the potential 40 parties predeceased another you'll have to wait until the predeccessor's (does that exist ?) ancestors die. And some live for a long time ! 3)If there is a question of predeccession don't expect the potential donnees to agree on anything If you email me direct I can give more information. Our experience was that ownership took 34 years to finalise ! Peter

Hi it is worth asking at the Mairie. We have a local scheme where you can get a plastic composteur for 8 Euro. Peter

Hi I'm afraid the answer to your question is "there is no correct answer" !. I've tried to research the same question for clients. Any official information is either old or incomplete : and I would say both. You can get French local information for resident foreigners. However it does not always extract Brits. In any event, it probably only includes those with a Carte de Sejour, which is by no means all Brits resident in France. You can trace how many Brits are registered with the local British consul. Again it is very few. I have never registered in the 15 yrs I've lived abroad. You can trace Brits who own houses, but many are holiday homes. And how do you treat Brits who visit for 3,6,9 months per year ? The French census results are available online here : http://www.recensement.insee.fr and they are from 1999 ! Bonne chance Peter

Hi I was in Montpellier yesterday with visitors : a 79 yr old couple. The wife was victim of a pretty professional pickpocket. No one suspected anything until she realised her handbag felt lighter - and it was ! And of course the pickpocket had vanished. It is worth describing the incident as a warning. Place : Le Comedie tram stop Time : 12.30 How ? : An apparent beggar approached us as we got off the tram. She was unfolding a cardboard sign that had indecipherable writing. After being told NO, Go Away, etc, she moved in towards the wife holding up the sign and saying "Pour le bebe". She then came very close and appeared to stumble. Her other hand (must have been under the sign), opened the handbag and grabbed items. She then disappeared. There was no sign of her 30 seconds later when the wife realised what had happened. Result : Could have been much worse. The front section held a purse, some postcards, and a few photos. The important stuff was at the back. Losses were a couple of credit cards (reported stolen immediately using the mobile phone she missed) and about Euro 100. A couple of hours with disinterested gendarmes completed the pain ! Description : The woman looked East European, short brown hair, slim, dark eyes, dark red top, back trousers aged about 40: in fact looked just like other "beggars". Curiously as she arrived she had what appeared to be a tram ticket in her hand. Escape clue, or disguise I don't know. I was stood about 2m away and didn't notice a thing. Take care Peter

Hi I've made some notes about pools here : http://tlp.netfirms.com/pool.htm Peter

Hi My experience is that CA is a local savings bank : it is not a national bank. I have a CA account, but don't use it. I've had it 20+ years. It may well have changed, but I've had these experiences : 1)Tried to pay in a cheque in Calais, but not accepted because my account was in Central France 2)Had a special savings account guaranteeing a low rate mortgage (started 1980). Tried to use the mortgage with CA (in Belgium) around 1991 and told : Not possible - that is CA France. 3)Needed to transfer money into CA to buy a house in France. Told each transfer would cost FF500 (Euro 75). I needed 4 transfers - so stopped using them. Read the small print before using CA ? Peter

Hi There is a good description of set up procedure here : http://www.satelliteforcaravans.co.uk/ Peter

Hi What is scary is that I've seen 2 Hummers recently. One in Nimes and one on the A9. Both French registered. You can read more about them here : http://www.aimoo.com/forum/postview.cfm?id=409079&CategoryID=358130&startcat=1&ThreadID=1649455 Peter

Hi We're too far away to consider buying in UK. However I've been amazed how low prices are in the sales at major outlets. I have a set route - Auchan, Leclerc, MDA, Carrefour, Boulanger, Geant. My local Gitem doesn't stock any cheap stuff .......... they tell me it's all crap ! But if you are buying in quantity, then it makes sense to hunt around. I've bought at Auchan, Geant, Leclerc but only during the sales period. I buy in advance of requirements. Of course I couldn't get a car in my garage. If you spend more than ??? Euro, they will normally deliver free and that is important to me. Have you ever tried to carry a washing m/c up 3 floors of a circular medieval staircase with the help of a 48kg wife ? I recently bought an "encastrable" oven for an appartment. Amazingly it was Euro 120 at Geant. Euro 299 gets you super high temp self cleaning, but my experience is tenants don't clean ovens anyway ! Other sales prices : Washing machines Euro 129, 4 X electric hobs Euro 108, small fridges Euro 129, extractors Euro 35. Many of these items are Haier, made in china. Worth a look ? Peter

Hi I'm sure you've checked this out, but : Are you sure the problem is with the door & not the buttons ? The batteries in the buttons (usually 12V and difficult to find) often seem to die overnight ! Peter

Hi it depends where you are. Not only does the cover keep leaves out, it acts as an insulation against freezing. Here (Languedoc) it is a mixed reply. A few people leave the pool open, and clean it throughout the winter. The majority cover it and run the filter for 1 hr overnight to circulate the water as a defense against freezing. No one empties the pool. I've got some notes on pools here : http://tlp.netfirms.com/pool.htm Peter

Hi it is difficult to find in France. And apparently it is of great help to sufferers of cystitis. You can buy it here ; www.bestofbritish.fr They tell me it is one of their best sellers ! Peter

Hi They are also found in Provence & Languedoc. There is a local seasonal truffle market in Uzes. Peter

Hi eventually we received the bound copies of the contract, but no deeds. I queried it, and apparently the deeds (as we know them) do not exist in France. Can anyone else confirm this ? Peter