La Vette

My local girl seems to look upon me as an old lady (I'm in my 50's) and cuts to suit.  I want my hair short and funky and that is how I now have it.  I go to a salon called Dilloys (not sure of spelling as cant find their card) and as it is a chain they might be in your area.  Find a picture of how you want it on lots of internet sites, print it out and take it with you.  Learn a few hairdressing words like en dégradé (layered) méches (highlights) etc etc and try again, if it is not what you want it will grow out and you can try somewhere else.  I fear finding a new hairdresser as much as a new doctor or dentist.

Harry did go on to say ' what with it being so cold at this time of the year' so maybe it was just the weather he doesnt like.

That is why they are called Trance Telecom (was that your pun), they send you to sleep.  Seriously, never had a problem when I have called them so must have been lucky too.

I had mine done in the consultants surgery.  He put little sticky tabs on my arm - one near the elbow other near my fingers and connected the other end to his computer.  It sends a short buzzy little shock (just a twitch really) and does not hurt.  At the end of the test he put two very fine acupuncture type needles into the flesh between thumb and first finger but very little pain. Just a twinge.  So lots of twinges and twiches but no pain.  I had the results printed out within minutes (beginnings of carpel tunnel), cost 143 euros and given an ordnance for a wrist splint to wear in bed - very sexy. Hope that eases your worries. 

Assuming it is the same as my doctor calls a er em jay (EMG) then I had one done a few weeks ago.  Before I bore you with my experience can you confirm we are talking about the same thing.  Mine was a test to check the nerve endings in my fingers as I am diabetic.  Also test for carpel tunnel syndrome.  It can be for other parts of the body.  Come back Frenchie and let me know or you can pm me if it gets personal.  By the way, it doesnt hurt.

For my birthday last week hubbie sent me a lovely card he found in the draw.  He didnt realise it was one I bought for my friend whilst I was stocking up in the UK at Xmas.  If it is the thought that counts he probably thought ' phew that's lucky, thought I might have to go out and buy one'!!!!

The day I decided to give up the fags was when I was lighting my ciggie with the in car lighter and the lit end of the cig stuck to the end of the lighter, fell into my lap and I all but crashed the car whilst trying to put out the lit end.

You could head towards Poitier.  There is the town, check out places to visit on the internet and if the weather is bad there is Futuroscope.  Not sure a 3 year old would enjoy much of anything, my grandson usually falls asleep where ever we go.

With E'Leclerc you have to use the money by 31st December, I just say, je voudrais payee avec cet carte.  The points can accumulate for as long as you want but you can also trade them in for cash or money off vouchers.  Look at the front of the cataglogue e.g. 10€ for 400 points, 15€ for 480, it gets better the more you save eg 25€ for 550 but if you wait until you have 600 points you get an extra 5€.  If you ask for the cash to be put on your card they have to be used by 31st Dec but the 'Bon D'Achat' vouchers have to be used within 2 months of receiving them.  There is a list of conditions in the catalogue.  As previously mentioned, each store has its own points accrual so if you shop in Leclerc in X you do not add on the points spentin Leclerc Y.

We have one, love it, love it, love it, couldnt live without it.  I like to swim every (most) day(s) for the exercise and manage from early april to late october without any heating here in region 24.  When I get in I have to pinch myself to believe it.

Thanks Russet, I dont know why it does that.  Maybe I am so boring the keyboard got fed up and tried to shut me up!!

I dont know how to do the 'quotes' thingie but Londoneye sounds as though you have got into my head.  My best friend and I used to go shopping at lunchtime, just for chops, birthday cards etc.  We teased the young man in the butchers, bought cards that we called Happy Unbirthday cards to send to anyone we could think of to let them know we cared and danced in front of the security cameras in the building society, and come back to work singing 'Bring me Sunshine' with all the actions.  No-one would believe we were sober, they would have if they'd seen us out on the town at night, so much like Edina and Pasty in Ab Fab.  I remember lying in the flower bed showing my knickers while the taxi driver tried to lift me up and my friend couldnt help for laughing.  Ok, a bit mad, but now I am so boring.  My social calendar reads like my mothers used to.  Monday - Dr, Wednesday - hospital, pick up tablets Friday boring boring boring.  Unfortunately, we have married, divorced, got older, got sick.  She came to visit earlier this year and it was like it was 20 years ago, getting drunk and laughing so much we were wetting our knicks (is that because we are incontinent now!!). I want to dance and sing and act stupid but you can't do it on your own or you just get locked up so I dont get excited about things as I used to, but Londoneye you cannot be manic depressive or you would feel well excited a lot of the time (it's one of the symptoms). Someone said this thread made them laugh but it made me really sad, what is missing, being 25, 30 or 35 and not looking forward to being 55 or 60 and not being able to get that zing back.

Also on the subject of the shouting product - now you only need one product, 1 for the kitchen, 1 for the bathroom, 1 for the toilet, 1 to clean your pound coins.  How many is that???

If you read the instructions carefully the section asking for the carte de séjour etc is for people from outside the EU.  For French and those within the EU it asks for carte de séjour or passport.  Don't forget to take in your revenue fiscale de reference, that proves you are a tax resident and tells them how much you are earning for their calculations.

Just as an afterthought, we take a file with all our bills since we moved here, shows we have been here for several years.

It is what they always ask for.  Take in proof of your address such as EDF bill, that should do it.  We take in everything, every time, including a copy of your passport.  If you are posting send photocopies.

Also known as the trumpet vine

Found it, it is a Campsis.

Someone will know it as it is very common here (and in the UK) but I cant remember the name.

looks like semprevivium - it is an alpine.

Not had personal experience, but all these services are available in France.  However, most talking therapies usually do the talking in the language of the country so it can be difficult to get the help needed if you are english speaking.  That is not to say that health care professions here cannot speak English.  There is an English speaking counselling service covering the whole of France advertised in the Connexions newspaper.  As a researching journalist I am sure you will be able to find them.  That should give you a lead.

You could also try moonpig.com.  We buy blank cards for your own message but with scenes of our local area from a local art shop.  Very nice to send to people in the UK.  As someone who used to get English cards from friends in France, must say I was very disappointed, it was a pleasure to receive cards in French.

Fussy, I think the legal limits mentioned are about putting the hedge well within your own property, not on the boundary.  There are different regulations - for example (and dont quote me on the exact measurements) a hedge must be planted half a metre in on your land, but if you are going to allow it to grow to more than 2 metres high then it must be at least one metre in etc etc.  As I said I dont know the exact regs but this is the gist - ask at your mairie.  We planted ours 1 metre in and although we didnt have to as we will not let it get over 2 metres it allows us to get our mower between the hedge and our neighbour and allows us plenty of room for trimming on the neighbours side without having to go onto their property or for the hedge to encroach their property.  Phew!!  Hope that helps. Also we were told to plant 80 cm apart as the hedge with thicked and merge in although it looks like a big gap at first.

Calvados is apple brandy made in Calvados in northern France.  Just like ordinary brandy or whiskies it comes in various qualities such as XO and can cost quite a bit more than 10 euros.  If that is all it cost then it is probably best for bottling fruit.  Why dont you taste it?

Although the books and articles are useful they are very often out of date before they have even been printed.  Forums such as these are of more use but the books will help you to know what it is you need to know.  It all seems very complicated because, in the UK, you are born into the system, you get various documents at different times of your life and you dont have to deal with everything at once.  Imagine if you were and new immigrant in the UK you would have to register for this that and the other, sort out tax, medical cards, etc etc and it would seem overwhelming.  Same here. Write yourself a list of everything you think you might need to know and start asking questions.  Try to search the forum for an answer first (look at the stickies at the beginning of each subject page) as these questions have all been asked before.  Take your time to work through things, you dont have to do everything as soon as you arrive but there are things you must do either before you leave England (tax and health) and some things you need to do pretty quickly when you move here.  If you are going to ask questions on a forum try to be specific and not ask a whole load of things at once.  Good luck, it is worth the effort.