Rob G

I've been reading with interest the other post on problems with water quality in a large paddling pool. We have a similar issue, although not exactly the same, hence the new post. Our paddling pool is not quite as large - it's circular, 3m across by 76cm high. We were recently away for the best part of a month so when we got back and took the cover off, the bottom was covered in a layer of green algae. I've tried to get rid of this by stirring it up and putting the filter pump on, but after about 30 mins or less the filter is so clogged up that I have to clean it out and start again. Even after a few sessions of doing this, there's still a fair bit of gunk in the bottom and the water is decidedly green. When we got the pool and went to the shop to buy chemicals for it, we got a starter kit that included "active oxygen" instead of chlorine. I've followed the instructions for a "shock treatment" which is supposed to clear cloudy water (two large doses two days apart), but this doesn't seem to have made much difference. I've also tried two good doses of "anti-algues", but again to little noticeable effect. Should I follow the same advice given to Dotty in her post, or does the fact that I've used active oxygen rather than chlorine change things? I should also add that we're in a very hard water area (if that makes any difference). Any advice gratefully received - as you can tell I'm a total novice! Rob

Hi! We moved to Normandy from the UK nearly eight months ago. Our kids have been in primary school since January, and until recently no-one had said anything to us about needing to get their vaccinations up to the required French standards. My son is starting collège in September, so we had to tell the collège that over the summer we'll make sure he gets any outstanding vaccinations that he needs. We thought we might as well get this done for my daughter, too, even though she'll still be at primary. Now, what I want to work out is, what's the cheapest and most efficient way of doing this? I've been told that GPs can give all the required vaccinations, but that for some of them you have to actually by the vaccine from a pharmacie first. But I'm not sure which ones we may need to buy. I'd rather avoid going to the doctor's once to find out what we need to buy, and a second time to get them administered, as presumably that would mean we'd have to pay for two doctor's appointments (or maybe even four - two for each child?). Any ideas as to the easiest way to proceed? Thanks, Rob

Thanks again for all the comments. To address a few specific points which have been raised: - Finding work and then moving to where it is, is not really an option, for reasons I won't go into here. - ANPE: yes, I have monthly interviews with them but these aren't a great deal of help. - Contacting UK recruitment agencies could be a good idea - thanks. - Haven't been to see my local bank manager, although I have contacted all the banks direct, both with "candidatures spontanées" and to apply for specific advertsied jobs. Must keep smiling! Rob

Thanks, all, for your responses so far. You asked about my line of work. I worked in the UK banking sector for 11 years, of which four were spent in the branch network, and seven in a variety of senior marketing roles at head office. I've banged my head against a brick wall applying for branch banking jobs here - there seem to be quite a lot of them advertised, but they don't want me - as far as I can ascertain this is due to a number of factors: my branch experience is not recent enough, all my knowledge and qualifications are based on the UK market, and at 35 I'm too old (they want "jeunes diplômés" fresh out of university). As for marketing roles, which would be my preference, there's a shortage of them in Haute-Normandie (it's mainly an area for heavy industry and agriculture); those that do come up are often in the retail sector and require specific experience that I don't have. I've already registered as a freelance translator and picked up one or two scraps of work, but nothing substantial. I've started drafting a business plan for a web design and development business which I think could be viable, but this would, I think, have to be a medium-term rather than a short-term project. Pagur, you're not the first person to tell me that networking is of the essence in france. I've been giving my CV and stating my case to all and sundry. Unfortunately, I don't know many young professionals who move in the kind fo world that might be interested in someone like me. As for contacting prospective employers directly, the key problem is finding which ones to contact: the majority of employers of any size in the area are industrial, and are unlikely to require the services of a marketeer. I don't want to sound defeatist, but seem to be running out of options....

We moved to Normandy from the UK nearly eight months ago. I am a fluent French speaker with a successful career in the UK, so was hoping to have found suitable work here by now. I haven't. (My French is very good - I am often mistaken for a native French speaker - I say this not to blow my own trumpet but to show that I don't think it's a language issue that's stopping me finding work.) Don't get me wrong, we didn't come here with unrealistic expectations of how easy it would be. What I'm finding difficult is not so much the fact that I haven't yet found a job, it's not knowing really what else to do to try to unearth one. I scour the major job sites on the Internet, several of which send me automated e-mails each day with any potential job vacancies. I have sent on spec applications to all the "cabinets de recrutement" in the area, and to some in Paris who may have a national reach. I have registered with every "agence d'intérim" I can find in the area, personally visiting them on a regular basis. And I've not been fussy - I've told them I'll take pretty much anything in the short term. (The recurring problem I come across is that they consider me over-qualified.) I'm registered with, and make regular visits to, the ANPE. And yes, I have sent off umpteen applications over the last eight months and longer (I began my search before we moved here). Things work very differently here from the UK. When I was in the market for a job in the UK, I registered with a couple of recruitment firms, had interviews etc. with them, then they went to work trying to find suitable prospective employers from within their network of contacts. Recruitment firms just don't seem to work that way here - they seem to work much more for the employers, seeking out that one ideal candidate for a specific role, rather than for the candidate who wants to get exposure to as many potential employers as possible. All of which leads to my question: is there anything obvious I'm not doing? Is there some key area I'm neglecting here? Any constructive advice on other approaches I should be taking would be gratefully received. Thanks, Rob

Thank you, Will - a very informative reply and article. I also found this article, which contains a further useful description of the differences between the police nationale and the gendarmerie, as well as some comments (near the top, under "Other Agencies") about the "police municipale": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_France. As for illogicalities and inefficiencies, as you said, there are so many that you come to accept it. If there's a simple and a complicated way of doing something, you can be sure which one the French will choose! Rob

We've been living here a few months now, but still haven't fathomed this one...Can anyone tell us what are the respective respoonsibilities and areas of jurisdiction of the police nationale, the police nationale, and the gendarmes? Thanks, Rob

Thanks Nick - very useful. Will come back if this raises further questions. I assume for tax implications that he will need to inform his local "trésor public" of the changes? Rob

Hi all, I have a friend in the UK who owns a chalet in the French Alps, and who wishes to undertake some alterations. They've asked me about what regulations apply and whether they need official approval; not being the slightest bit au fait with such matters (in France or the UK!), I said I would post their query on LF for them. So here goes: I have a ski chalet in La Tania. The property was designed as two separate properties with a connecting door that can be left open to make one property. Each side of the property is identical in lay out. At ground level there is an open plan kitchen, dining and lounge area with a double bedroom off of the lounge. There is a set of stairs leading down to the basement and a set of stairs leading up to three bedrooms, a shower room and a bathroom. I would like to remove one of the sets of stairs to upstairs and open up the landing so that the bedrooms on both sides of the property are accessed via the one set of stairs. I would like to know if there is any planning or building regulations that I need to comply with in order to remove the one set of stairs. I would appreciate it if any one can give me information as to which department to apply to regarding any alterations I would like to make to my property to comply with any building regulations. Thanks in anticipation, Rob

Just to confirm that I rang the tax office, told them we we've been here since end Nov and they said no need to fill in a declaration until next year. Something about if you spend less than a certain portion of the year in France then you're not counted as a tax resident anyway. So don't need to worry about this particular bureaucratic nightmare until next year! Rob

Thanks, all, for the info. I don't think I need any dual taxation forms. Our savings (and thus any interest received on them) are in France, and I don't anticipate having any UK income. (I did fill in and send off a form R85 before leaving the UK.) I think I'm just going to have to phone the impôts people and ask them what to do for this year. Rob

As far as I can make out, a "stère" is one cubic metre of cut wood. Bizarrely, the weight of wood you get will vary depending on what length of logs it is cut into - the shorter the logs, the less wood you'll get - I think it's because with smaller logs you can fit less wood into a one cubic metre space because of the amount of space taken up by the "gaps" in between the logs. Rob

Hi Ron, Thanks again for your comments. Yes, there will have been a small amount of interest for the month of December. What's a "double taxation indemnity", why do I need one, and how do I get it in place? Thanks again, Rob

Hello Ron, Yes, you do have the right person. And no, we aren't surviving on thin air. We're simply living off savings at the moment, and have had no income - neither from any kind of salary, nor from gifts, nor from investments. Just our savings, which we already had before we left the UK. As such I'm reasonably sure we won't have any tax to pay, just not sure whether we'll need to fill in any forms. Rob

Thanks for help.....car booked in for CT this Friday and all squared off with vendor. Rob

Hi, Resident in France since end Nov 2005, no income whatsoever (France or UK) since then (other than allocation familiale). Do we need to fill in a tax return, and if so what forms do we need and how do I get them? Thanks, Rob

[quote user="Chezstevens"]We have found the easiest way to get around the problem is to set up a direct debit.  Our bank, Credit Agricole, transfers the demanded amount, some 80 euros pcm for both D'habitation and fonciere, without any grief for 10 months.[/quote] We bought our house in France at the end of Nov 2005, so in theory no taxe foncière or taxe d'habitation to pay until October this year. However, rather than be hit by a whopping bill in October, is there a way we can start to pay it by monthly prélèvement now? This is the first time I've heard anyone mention payment by direct debit, so thought I'd ask... Rob

Thanks, Ron and SD. Fortunately the vendor is a good friend and I think he has simply overlooked the fact that it's more than 6 months since the last CT. I'll be seeing him this weekend so will hopefully get things straightened out then. Before coming to France a few months back I was a company car driver in the UK for the last 6 years, so I'm out of the habit of having to worry about things like MOTs and maintenance bills! Rob

Thanks, Will. Rob

Bonjour, I've just bought a second-hand car and so need to get the carte grise changed to my name. I've discovered that you have to present a Contrôle Technique certificate dated no more than 6 months old; unfortunately, the last CT was in June last year so falls outside this period. Just wanted to check - does this mean I have to get a new CT before I can get a new carte grise? Thanks, Rob

I agree, Maggi. I bought a French keyboard and was surprised by how quickly I got used to it. The problem now comes the odd time that I need to use my wife's laptop, which has a good old QWERTY keyboard. I find it hard to use now, and keep on hitting Q instead of A etc! Rob

I know there is some level of national strike action tomorrow, as our kids are off school. In a week's time we have some visitors arriving from the UK via the LD Lines service from Portsmouth to Le Havre. I'm just wondering, if there are calls for renewed strike action, what's the likelihood of the LD service being affected? Thanks, Rob

[quote user="bixy"]It is their nationhood that they feel is under threat. It shows a lack of confidence in themselves. When people have nothing else to cling to, they cling to their language. Look at the Poles. As a nation they did not exist for hundreds of years yet their language never died. I think Chirac [no matter what my opinion of him] represented a more widespread feeling - a fear that France really doesn't matter any more in world affairs. And of course that fear is correct.[/quote] I think you're right to large extent, although this point of view doesn't entirely explain things. The French state has been practising linguistic protectionism from the time of the Revolution, when their nationhood was not particularly under threat (albeit their identity was going through massive changes). The French should wake up and smell the coffee - there is very little chance of their existence and identity being under real threat - French is still one of the world's dominant languages, and France remains the most visited country in the world, and makes a lot of money from that status. What is happening is that in clinging onto this paranoia and defensiveness, France as a nation (unforunately it's not just a few politicians) is accelerating its own relegation to the backwaters of world influence. Rob

I understand to an extent the concerns shared by some French people about the continuing erosion of their language in the face of the never-ending growth and expansion of English. However, surely any sensible and well-thought out individual ought to recognise that there are ways of effectively making a point, and that what Chirac did ain't one of them! What an utterly churlish, childish and ill-mannered way to behave. I don't think many people will have been impressed by his little tantrum. Of course, I speak as an Englishman, albeit one who loves France and the French language in particular. Would be very interested to know how this event is/was seen by le Français moyen. Rob

Just wondered whether anyone had read or heard about Chirac's latest ridiculous attempt to stand firm against the raging onslaught of English? You can read the story here. I am passionate about the French language, and can even understand up to a point why the French might be nervous about its continued erosion by the dominance of English. But I cannot see how someone in Chirac's position can possibly think this kind of churlish behaviour is in any way helpful. Rob