Agenais

Yes, it is the same, highly refined and hence not cheap for the ones that are sans odour.  In a small space they do build up moisture, fortunately our house is very old, quite large, with very high ceilings and a miriad of weeny gaps for air to get in,  so it dissipates quite well.  Have been noseying at the gas ones too. 

Hi Alison I cannot see any reason why your ICB cannot continue to be paid to you while you are resident in France.  The money can be paid either to a UK bank or to a French bank.  Unless things have changed completely.  They will require you to see your Doctor here on a regaular basis, for them to complete, health assessment forms, long term sick notes and occasionally ask for you to see a specified Dr to re-assess your case.  If you have a degenerative illness, as you state, then, after discussion with a French GP they will assess if this is covered 100% by the French CPAM.   IF you are medically retired, due to ill health, then you will receive an E121 from Newcastle, this will act as your long term reciprocal health care here in France.  I have this and am classed as invalided due to ill health early retirement.  There are benefits that can be applied for, once you are in the French health system and can prove residency status.  Hope that helps a little.   

Tried all sorts of diets over the years and decided now to just eat healty and exercise a little. However I would miss wine to much so I give myself a glass with dinner or more if its a special occasion. Life is to short to stop things I like just cut down. (A day without wine is like a day without sunshine.) Same here, managed to loose 8 stone in the end, not by fad diet, just eating sensibly and excercise, took just over a year, was well pleased, sadly put some back now, but heh, like you say, life is too short.  Wish I had done it through weight watchers, I would be well rich.  Varies now, one month 10 kilos on, next 10 off, with no change in diet.  I think state of mind has a lot to do with it as well.  One glass of red wine a day and cook everything in goose fat or rapeseed oil my Dr said, she didn't say anything about chocolate so obviously I can eat that [6]

We are the Tetley Folks, cannot think how many we sup each day, Family send large supplies over to fuel our  addiction (the itty bitty boxes of Tetley are SO expensive here).  Word soon gets out that there is Tetley in that thar house, lots of folks popping in for a cuppa, French and English, could be something to do with the Yellow label wishy washy T.  Thought about quiting smoking, then quit thinking about it.

3131 says we missed a call last August, talk about Billy no mates.[:'(]  The free answerphone service from F telecom works ok, as does the caller display.  The phone lights up like a Christmas tree to tell you you have a message or missed a call.

It would be ok for the boy,  but I was told by our vets that the female needs to have one season before being spayed, that was some years back.  Most breeders recommended that too. 

ROFL  Welcome, a la mode indeedy sweeties.  Bonne Annee aussi.  Cheers[D]  A & B

Hi, not veggies either, but after buying meat or chicken that was "off" (yet still in date) living in a ruin for a while, eating tinned beef casserole day in day out[+o(], we have become increasingly vegetarian over the last 3 years +.  We had friends who were veggie and lived here, I think their local Intermarche stocked soya mince from time time.  If not, there is a v good expat shopping site, run by the Co-Op, with reasonable delivery prices to France, so you should be able to stock up easily once you are here.  We have noticed that there is a small increase in veggie alternatives in the supermarkets ie lasagnes, pies..........bonne appetite http://www.expatshopping.coop/index.php  

Many thanks for all the replies, they are very helpful and contact will be made to the insurance company to check the current policies and make any ammendements.  It is just for one room, but rather be safe than sorry.  Je vous remercie encore A  

Having read through many threads on liability insurance, the onus seems to be on the guest, for them to have adequate travel insurance, including third party liability just in case they decide to raise the place to the ground, God forbid.  The public liability threads seem to concentrate on Gites and I can find no reference to B&B's requiring additional assurance.  So, if a guest, staying in your house, comes tottering down the stairs and goes base over apex, I presume that it is the guests travel insurance that covers such potential incidents, assuming that all reasonable steps are made by the owner to minimise accidents or incidents. But, given the nature of humans, accidents do happen.      

I have found xterminator excellent at getting rid of junk mail before it reaches your in box.  Well worth a try, would recommend to one and all.  http://www.artplus.hr/adapps/eng/xterminator.htm

The locals around here in 47 say that nearly two weeks of freezing fog is very unusual, singing carols round the towns Christmas tree was like being in Lapland and we were frozen to the spot.  Pretty on the trees admittedly and great for the diy shops, as we are in there so often buying paraffin, we are on next years Christmas card list.  Three years ago it went to -15, had to have the car thawed out in the local car paint shop ovens !  Must say that meteo has been spot on for two weeks.

From a nosey round, you can buy the disque de stationement online, in loads of designs and logo's, even to personalising them.  I think we all need one :)  Having tried to obtain the dissability disque I was told you have to be 80%+ disabled in order to get one. ( Barely able to get in a car and drive I would think.)  Obviously at 60% I am way too perky[:P]

Absolutely.  People choose to use an agent, they will tell you their fees for a house purchase.  If you don't like that idea, then you can knock on a door of a house that is for sale and discuss it with the owner themselves, then pop to their Notaires to confirm your offer.  It is not difficult to buy or sell without the intervention of an agent.  Our buyer bought privately and it was done and dusted in two months.  If there was a conspiracy against British buyers, half the agents would go broke, bums on seats is what they want, as with any business.  I heard that 600,000 UK people bought a house here last year and that 800,000 are expected to do the same in the coming year.   

Then, before you realise it, you have spent 100 euros on paraffin fuel in a week.......especially when it is below freezing day after day.......a bit like swings and roundabouts........can't have heat without considerable outlay, no matter what form it is in.  C'est la vie.

LOL, you know it was her Royal Highness Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaam

Best wishes to one and all, gotta go, Queen is on, difficult to type standing up [<:o)]

Hi Sabina Might be worth looking on ebay.  Have had some great deals.  Here is a link to towel bales for sale at present.  Bonne fete http://search.ebay.co.uk/towel-bale_W0QQcatrefZC6QQfltZ9QQfromZR10QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQfstypeZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQga10244Z10425QQsacatZQ2d1QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQssPageNameZWLRS

Great minds think alike eh Suze [:)]

Hi Kate Electricity is  not a cheap form of heating, with convector heaters.  The heaters are cheap to buy, but running them isn't  We have recently moved to quite a large town house, high ceilings etc.  We succumbed yesterday and bought two new paraffin heaters for the downstairs, 69 euros each.  Plus the odourless fuel to run them,  They are great, we have used them for years now.  The meter was spinning off its axis with the electric fires all on, clocking up 100's of kw hours.  Chauffe Eau's are pretty efficient and only top up as you use hot water, plus they are usually linked to the cheap rate tarrif signal.  You can get fancy paraffin heaters, with timers and bells and whistles, but not a real need if you in most of the time.  Our edf bill was 250 for the same period.........(They do get it wrong sometimes, the last teeny house final reading was for 2500 Euros for the summer period)!!!  It was their mistake I hasten to add.  At least if you had a couple of portable heaters, you can take them with you, wherever you may roam and you can turn off some electric fires, like we have.  Always seems better to pay for the fuel as you go along and hopefully not have a 'shock' from the EDF in January.  

Not sure, Try a nosey round this ex-pat shopping site, tis v good..........bonne fete http://www.expatshopping.coop/index.php

Why thank you kind Sir Tis Mrs O - Sharon Osborne.

Interesting thread that this turned into :)  As another, apparently,  genetically defective couple,[Z] [Z] we are happy to be living in 47, been here for over three years and we aren't the only genetically modified people in the village.[:D]   [D][D]    

Hi Levington If you log-in, go to your main account page,  click profile (under auction tools), then in account information, 1/2 way down the list, there is the opportunity to choose you language preferences. [:)]

As an extra to the above list, there are two further categories that are newly added to the list, namely Alzheimers and other forms of Dementia and severe mental illness.