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chessie

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Posts posted by chessie

  1. The previous posts on benefit scam etc has become rather long and I've

    become confused as so much has been written. Can we start again - but

    on a slightly diferent tack - please ?

    Let's turn the situation around a bit and look at it this way.

    A UK citizen works throughout his life and pays all the NI

    contributions and taxes. Hardly any use is made of the NHS, no regular

    drugs, nothing...it is a little bit galling to find on moving to France

    that 'top up' medical cover is needed. Even more annoying is the fact

    that a lot of private pensions are taxed in the UK before they are

    received - and there is no way round that - GBrown wants his share. The

    same with any interest, any rent from property, any share dividends -

    they are ALL taxed in the UK before being received here. So GBrown is

    still insisting that we are tied in some way to the UK for tax purposes.

    It is a shame that it isn't possible for any UK citizen to be able to

    take with them their entitlement to free medical treatment in

    recognition of all the contributions made over the years in the UK.

    Reverse the situation for a French citizen who comes to live and work

    in the UK. Whilst in the UK full contributions are made via NI and

    taxes to free medical care etc and towards a pension. How would same

    French citizen feel, on returning to France, to being told by the UK

    government that he is NOT entitled to receive in full the pension to

    which he has contributed - but that the UK government is going to

    deduct 30% of his pension - for whatever convoluted civil service

    jargonese they could conjure up. Don't you think said French citizen

    would feel a little bit 'miffed' by such treatment?

    Well, that is exactly what happens to UK citizens. Yes, we have chosen

    to come and live in France. Yes, we accept that we have to join the

    system and pay our way again. But having paid ALL our dues in the UK,

    it does seem unfair that we now have to pay additional health insurance.

    It does feel 'unfair', 'not quite right' - and that is possibly at the

    root of the accusations being made (rightly or wrongly) at the moment

    ...Brits who come to France do lose out financially in quite a few -

    unmentioned or overlooked - ways.

    It is a shame that it isn't possible for any UK citizen to be able to

    take with them their entitlement to free medical treatment in

    recognition of the fact that we have contributed all our lives to pay

    towards the health service, education, etc etc...In a fair world we

    would be able to live in France without GBrown touching any of our

    money; we would be able to bring with us our entitlement to free

    healthcare which we have already paid for and using, say a voucher

    system, if we needed healthcare out here then for the UK government to

    refund in full to the French health service for any care that a retired

    UK citizen might need.

    After all, the UK is a major contributor to the EU - but we are 27th

    out of 27 EU countries in receiving monies back from the EU; the health

    voucher system might go a littl way to restoring the balance...

    I've just thought of something else - I think I might have discovered a

    'black hole' of taxation - I could be wrong on this and someone can

    correct me. A typical situation; retired couple move from UK to France;

    some of their tax liabilities HAVE to be paid in UK; when assessing tax

    due in France allowances are made for taxes already paid in UK, so

    total tax bill is XX minus Z already paid - and the French authorities

    take their X. But what happens next? Does France say to UK - person RR

    owes us XX in total in taxes - we can only collect X because you've

    already taxed them - can we have our share? Then does GBrown turn round

    to France and say 'sorry, I need and have taken first bit of their

    taxes'. Overall, does this mean that the French in effect 'lose' the

    taxes that - if GBrown hadn't already 'nicked' - would, rightly, have

    gone into the French coffers...In which case then that is grossly

    unfair to France. But also to any UK citizens; we are being taxed in

    the UK - but we have to pay aditional medical insurance and France

    loses the taxes that we should be paying out here. Now that does seem

    rather illogical and unfair. Does anyone know/understand how all this

    works and can explain it...or have I got this completely a..about...e

    So sorry to have made this such a long post - but I'm in the mood for writing !!!!

    Chessie (No 'smileys' - Firefox won't permit...!!!!!)

  2. Well done - excellent.

    I have felt for some time that the geographical area covered under

    'south west France' by Living France is quite large - but then so is

    France !!

    However, the information on 'south west France' is really excellent

    over a very wide range of subjects and I have found the site to be

    immensely helpful; particularly so when the birds are migrating

    north/south - early warning signs from other 'birders' is much

    appreciated and shows how useful a site covering such a large area can

    be.

    But - having recently moved from the UK I am missing -

    Car Boot Sales

    Auctions - of any type

    Flea Markets

    Yes - I'll admit it - I'm a magpie !!! Having 'down-sized' and 'cleared

    everything out' - I'm starting again - much to poor other half's great

    dismay....

    I have found that, unless one is close to a fairly large town it is

    very, very easy to miss any 'special' event that might be taking place.

    I'm sorry 'Living France' - this isn't a criticism - but this other

    site has put up a list of markets, not all of which we knew about, and

    details of flower festivals and flea markets - yippee, yippee,

    yippee......!!!!!!!!

  3. I'm probably wrong on this - but are you really sure you would want to

    be handing over your bank a/c details to a stranger? Or am I just a bit

    too cautious ? If it's a french buyer then surely asking for a french

    cheque is going to be OK - and then wait for the money to appear in

    your a/c. I've bought e-bay items on UK site - and although I'm living

    in France I pay with a UK £sterling cheque, and am always happy to wait

    for the seller to know they they're money before posting the item on...

  4. Hello Andy - I don't understand this busines about the logs and wood

    for the fire. When we first arrived we were advised to order our wood

    during the early part of the summer from the commune's own wood

    supplier. We were told that most definitely it would be ready for

    burning during the coming winter.

    Now here's where I'm going to scratch my head (better not have another

    glass of wine or I might not be able to type clearly enough to make

    sense - even though I'm already giving myself a headache).  Now

    look - how does this go? We arrive in France - we don't have any wood

    packed in the removal lorry. We have to order wood (because you can be

    absolutely certain the previous owners haven't left any!!). So - our

    first winter - do we have to order 2 lots of wood - 1 for the coming

    winter and 1 to be stored? Then in the second year do we have to order

    another double lot - 1 lot to be used and 1 lot to be stored; then in

    the third winter do we have to order another double lot - 1 lot to be

    burned and 1 to be stored; then bingo - 4th year - we have wood from

    the first lot that is now four years old that we can use. But we would

    still have to buy another lot of wood so that it could be stored for

    another four years; and then the year after that we would still have to

    order another lot of wood to be stored for another four years. (It's

    beginning to sound like laying down a wine cellar - except that it's

    become a wood cellar) - and where are you going to store all this wood

    ? And what happens if you decide to move in the meantime !!!!

    Andy - I'm baffled - where do you get wood that's at least 2 years old. I thought the local commune bod was the best person ???

    Andy - I hope I've now baffled you  !!! but I do welcome your

    comments and advice - tell me where we've gone wrong ? Anyway, cheers -

    I think I'm now going to finish this wine - my head's aching...!!!!!

    Enjoy your Christmas !!  (Still can't get the smileys to 'cling

    on' to my postings - hey ho....

  5. Hello Teamed-up - thanks for taking time to reply to my very first

    post. I've been unhappy about this 'box' for a little while; I just

    thought that ALL new builds were like this one - it would seem not. And

    it's nice to know that someone else doesn't like her modern 'granite

    looking' sink - I find it a damn nuisance because with all the specks

    it just doesn't ever look nice and clean and fresh and it beats me why

    anyone would choose such an item as a first choice - but on purely

    practical grounds I find it horrible. Now look - you've set me off

    again - I think I'll go and find another bottle of wine ...!!!

    We do have a little lever on the side of our stove and there are 3

    raised dots - differing sides marked on the side of the stove. I

    thought these different marks - where the lever can be stopped - were

    for no draught, gentle draugght, or 'roar away up the chimney and burn

    the wood in 10 minutes' draught. Is it a sneaky thing to do the stove,

    when it's not looking, just open the lever to the highest setting

    (assuming it's not already at that setting) - and at that point put in

    the extra log or two ? Hadn't thought of  'outwitting' it like

    that - good thinking !!!

    As for buying from a rubbishy builder - yes I do think we've been a bit

    unlucky. The previous owners were only here for a short time and they

    had to return to UK suddenly on health grounds. It seems they did have

    a bit of a dispute with the builder while the place was being built.

    And yes - they were cheapskates - we've been told by their 'friends' of

    certain incidents that occured while the 'box' was being built - things

    we wished we had known before we bought - but the sort of things you

    only find out afterwards - when it's too late. We know the guttering is

    straight - yes - straight - meaning that parts of it don't drain away

    properly, and heavy rain means the gutters fill up and then we get

    large amounts of water just cascading anywhere along the gutter line.

    There's no gentle fall on half the guttering - it's just completely

    straight. And hearing about the previous owners' falling-out with the

    builder I'm slightly uneasy now about what other secret, little

    time-bombs might be waiting down the line for us !!!

    Of course if you have dogs you won't really want carpets. I like

    carpets because I find them comfortable to lie on, the cats like to lie

    on them too, and they do act as a bit of sound-proofing (which is why I

    was thinking an English version of the Bayeaux Tapestry might work as a

    sound-deadening wall hanging !!) But I'm not even talking fitted

    carpets - just very large squares that can be dragged outside and be

    washed when the sun is shining, and it's nice and warm - and yes it's

    pleasant to have cool tiles underfoot. Oh for the days of summer....

    Never mind - I think I'll have another glass of wine, try to forget it for now, and look forward to Christmas.

    Thank you for your help Teamed-up - and I hoe you have a lovely Christmas 

    PS - I want to put 'smileys' on my posts - but haven't worked out how just yet...

  6. Hello Lizzie - thanks so much for your reply - and it's nice to know

    that there could be a solution to the problem of swinging windows. I'm

    a bit upset by these windows because last summer one of them blew back

    quite violently during a 'heavy breeze' - and the window edge hit the

    glass light fitting at the side of the mirror in the bathroom and

    smashed it to pieces.. The windows have also been known to 'blow back'

    when the cats are sitting on a dressing table next to the bedroom

    window and has hit one of the cats before now. So it is a nuisance -

    and I am very, very grateful for your practical advice. We had looked

    in our nearest little DIY place - and had asked - but we hadn't found

    anything that would seem to work. To know that there is definitely

    something that we could track down in Mr Bricolage is useful - the only

    problem is that our nearest large Mr Brico is an hour's drive away -

    but we'll get there...one day...!!! Thanks for taking the trouble to

    reply - that was kind of you - and I do hope you have a lovely

    Christmas.

  7. Thanks Val - my point is that the new build was already built. We had

    NO say in it's construction, decor etc, etc, - and no it darned well

    wasn't cheap !!! I'm just trying to warn others who might be thinking

    of new build to be aware of the problems - of course if you're in

    charge right from the word go - and you're aware of the potential

    problems - fine - it can be sorted. But if you buy an existing new

    build - these are problems we've encountered.

  8. Thanks for comments -

     Lizzie - I've looked for catches to hold windows - I'd be very

    interested for more details because I haven't yet found anything that

    will work - we've got the white-pvc-doubled glazed units. I didn't

    think you were supposed to drill holes in these units to fix anything

    to 'em - am I wrong. If there is anything that will hold the windows on

    some kind of fastening I'd love to have more details.

    As for 'specifying to builder' - yes this is exactly what I am warning

    people about. This 'box' had already been built and was just over 2

    years old. We had no idea that - because the partition walls are so

    thin there's no privacy and that it would act like an echo chamber. I'm

    just trying to warn anyone lucky enough to be in the position to 'talk

    to their architect/builder' what to look out for. And to those who

    might be contemplating buying an already existing new build that this

    is a problem they are likely to encounter. And yeah - after X number of

    years married to OH - that probably might be part of the problem

    !!!!!!!!!!

    Ron - thanks - but our wood IS dry. Obtained from local commune

    woodcutter - left to dry through the summer - I must admit I hadn't

    thought of just 'sneaking up' on the woodstove and taking it by

    surprise - I'll try that.

    Concrete floors - oh come on - most houses - houses mind you - in the

    UK - the majority do have wooden floors on the ground floor and wooden

    floors on the second floor. The newer houses will have concrete ground

    floors but upstairs they are wood. I find all one-level concrete with

    tiles over to be hard, noisy, cold in winter and very tiring on the

    feet and ankles if you do a lot of walking around,. There's no give in

    the concrete at all.

    As for drinking out of the bottle - well yes, it would help stop me

    from breaking the odd glass - but the problem is a full botle is always

    heavy and I'd be more likely to drop a full bottle than a glass - and

    then by the time I've drunk half the botle there's no way I'd be able

    to hold the botle properly. So besides breaking the bottle on the floor

    I'd have to cope with half the wine being spilt on the sofa, me, the

    cats, the carpet....what a waste of good 'falling down

    water'..........I think plastic cups might be the answer.

    Cheers...hic. hic, hic, hic,

  9. Words of advice for anyone thinking of building/buying new build - DONT.

    We live in a new 'villa' (glorified bog-standard b---y bungalow). I

    didn't want a new build - other half said he wasn't doing any more DIY,

    wouldn't think of buying anything older than 3 years - and I wanted a

    lovely old restored stone. We live in a modern box - it's big - but a

    box. Lots of windows - but a box.

    Sound insulation - in French new build - Doesn't Exist. The walls are

    thin plaster; the floors are concrete - with tiles. The floors are hard

    and unforgiving if you fall down (I know - too much 'falling down

    water' does have that effect !). Drop something and it breaks - and

    it's always the nicest glass (yeah the 'falling down water holder' ) -

    or the special bit of china.

    Everything echoes - drop something - a knife or a fork - on the floor

    in the kitchen and it reverberates right round the box. Stand in the

    kitchen and listen to every 'splish splash' at toilet time in the

    bathroom at the other end of the box - might just as well be in the

    next room.

    Any guests staying over - you can hear every, every single word or whisper - there ain't nothing that's private.

    The guest toilet is just right off the hall - again every single sound

    echoes around the fully tiled spare bathroom - and then right round the

    box. Privacy - forget it.

    Even with carpets (not fitted just large room size squares) and

    curtains - it's still an echo box. If I was clever I'd sew my own

    version of the Bayeaux Tapestry - showing the mass invasion of the

    Brits !!

    The windows all open inwards - why? You can't have a nice windowshelf

    to hold pictures, or vases, or anything. You need to leave at least 2

    feet (sorry don't do metric - give me good old British Imperial -

    understandable human sized measurements) either side of the window

    opening otherwise when the windows are open and you get a nice breeze -

    which then blows the windows back so they will hit the inside of the

    walls. Why can't we have windows that open outwards.

    Do not have a modern granite-type sink. For some reason the French

    water system turns everything brown and stains the sink. It never, ever

    looks clean - ugggh. I think this is why French loos are so horrible as

    well. They seem to get stained very quickly so I'm using those bleach

    blocks every few days just so we can keep the toilets looking clean.

    Get gas central heating if possible. Wood burning stoves - yeah sure -

    all very romantic; except that every time you open the door to put more

    wood on the fire - there'll be large puffs of smoke out of the stove

    which marks  the ceiling - and needs to be painted  every

    couple  of years.

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