Suze01

Have a look on eBay.fr  they have a section on french coins and notes and you would get an idea at least of the current market value http://monnaies.listings.ebay.fr/Pieces-France_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ17375QQsocmdZListingItemList

[quote user="Teamedup"]Isn't PAJ means tested though Suze?[/quote] As far as I can see from the website you either need to be living on your own or as a couple with an income of at least 4243.08€ You can check the requirements/limits on this website: http://www.caf.fr  (look under 'Toutes les Prestations' then 'Allocations Jeune Enfants' and also  'Les Limits, Les Montants' )

Hi, I am a registered Assistante Maternelle so I can give you a few facts. The current tarif set by the Relais Assistant Maternelles (for the Dordogne - this may vary by region) is a minimum hourly rate of 2,26€ brut (2.25 x SMIC/8 [SMIC = 8,03€ brut] ) and a maximum hourly rate of 5,02€ brut (5 x SMIC/8). Yes, these are the correct rates, compared to the UK they're a bargain for the employer.  Having given you the tarifs above, in fact the 'tarifs des Assistantes Maternelles sont libres' that is to say it is up to the employer and the employee to agree on an hourly rate and there are no limits for this, you could pay your NouNou €25 per hour if you wanted to.  The tarif limits mentioned above should be adhered to if the employee is to claim back their childcare expenses through URSSAF/CAF. As you have one child you are not entitled to child benefit. But, until her third birthday you are entiteld to receive PAJ (paiement a jeune enfant).  My employers have my wages refunded each trimestre instead of receiving this monthly payment. You need to contact URSSAF and CAF. You can find more info on URSSAF's website http://www.pajemploi.urssaf.fr/pajeweb/amat.jsp

I need to post this to keep me going... I'm doing well so far.  I've walked my daughter to school (uphill all the way back - about half an hour). I've not drunk any alcohol since NYD except for one TEASPOON of Cointreau! I did 15 minutes on my Cross-Trainer last night, and I can feel it this morning [Y] . I've been having one bowl of cereals for breakfasts instead of three pieces of toast liberally spread with butter, very little bread, plenty of fruit and veg and I've drunk loads of water.... If I haven't lost any weight when I get on the scales on Saturday then I'll be amazed and very disappointed.

Yes, it's worrying isn't it?  The river in our village is still very low for this time of year for the second winter running.

OK, here goes, I'm declaring my starting weight: 86.8 kilos or 191.5 lb and for the first time in about 5 years I set the scales to stones and pounds and to my absolute horror it equates to 13st 9.5 lb !!  [:$] [:(] [:'(] No wonder I have two herniated discs and am being treated for high blood pressure.  I have never been particularly slim but in my early twenties (20 yrs ago - I had my 40th on New Year's Day) I was about 10.5 - 11 stone (I'm 5'7" tall) and would love to get back to that, so I have a long way to go.

[quote user="Suninfrance"]So only a couple more days to go until the new "regime" starts, everyone still up for it? [/quote] I'm still up for it.  Are we going to declare our starting weights [:$] or just our weight loss and are we going to have a weekly weigh in or otherwise?

Thanks Simon, I'm setting off soon so shall bear that one in mind, Happy New Year.

Hi All, I'm going over to Bordeaux Friday morning to pick up some friends coming over for the NYE party.  They're treating me to lunch so I thought about stopping off in St Emillion as they have not been there before. I know there are loads of restaurants there in the summer, but can anyone more local tell me if there are likely to be any open this Friday the 30th at lunchtime?

[quote user="cabman"]Plenty of snow at Besse Super Besse at the moment. Hopefully should hang around for a while. Webcam confirms claim of 80-100cms. http://www.skiinfo.fr/destinations/detail.jsp?product.skiinfo.DESTID=EFRBESSESUPE [/quote] Must be really snowy there - the webcam is all white [;)]

[quote user="Teamedup"] That is cold Iceni -15 at night. Have you had such a cold winter in your previous winter's in France? [/quote] Three years ago we had temperatures of minus 15 for a week.  The year after just minus 8 and last year two nights of minus 12, so it is quite normal to get this cold.  The last 10 days or so it has been very cold down to minus 8 most nights, clear blue skies during the day, fantastic haw frosts  (pics on  http://tinyurl.com/bhaja), so we had a snowless 'white' Christmas! But it does seem set to change at the weekend to milder weather for the New Year  [<:o)][D][:D]

Bizarre! The check box should be just above where all the smilies are. Alternatively, at the top of the thread there is a box 'Notify' with a bell on it - if you click on it a tick appears over the bell, you are then 'subscribed' to this thread, click again to un-tick it. I have to say that  the new forum is not as user friendly as the old one.

For now I would recommend buying a 'Poele a Petrole' for heating up the house.  I bought one from Auchan for €69,99 + @ 20€ for the fuel.  I have mine on quite a lot especially first thing in the morning, it's really quick at heating up the room and gives off very little smell (just on starting up and turning off.

You seem to get automatically added to this service unless you uncheck the box 'email me replies to this post' just underneath the text box on the page where you are making your post.

If it's from Luton then it could be Easyjet.

My two penneth.... I would never again have a sprung mattress (I have a chronic multi disc back problem).  Latex or Bultex matresses are fabulous.

I flunked chemistry at school so I may be wrong.... Salt is a natural product, albeit not found in freshwater  rivers, but chlorine is a manmade compound AFAIK not found naturally.  If 'they' are worried about salt being discharged into the environment then what about all the chemicals from traditionally chlorinated pools? Surely they've got it the wrong way around or am I having one of those blonde moments [*-)]

[quote user="Miki"]Luv 'em, luv 'em just luv 'em. I seriously do too................. It is what sets December apart from the other months [:D] [/quote] It's not just december...in our village one house hadn't taken their's down from last year [:O] Our Mairie, which is on the whole lit up quite nicely, has three dangling Santas from the balcony railings plus another two Santas in the foyer. There are many houses around and about that have massive Christmas light displays, some tasteful and some tacky, but it's Christmas and the kids love it (big ones and little ones).

Hi, we had our very old pool renewed this Spring with a saltwater pool covered by an abri bas. [:D] I love our abri - I was still swimming until the second week of November when I (sadly) decided to close the pool until 1st March(ish).  The abri has meant that we can extend our swimming season to 9 months of the year [ip] instead of the previous 3.5-4 months (mid-May to mid-September max) which is ridiculously short for such a high value item. It is lovely to swim under - not at all claustrophobic (which I am), and to be sheltered from cool air/winds outside of the high season is so much nicer to swim in. We also have a pompe-a-chaleur for the times of the year when the sun is just not hot enough to keep the water at a comfortable temperature even with the abri. It also has the benefit of keeping out leaves and debri - though the odd little lizard still manages to find its way in.  One downside - if you want to jump/dive in then you do have to lift/slide (depending on the model) part of the abri.

test: [*-)] edit: I was just testing that if I clicked on 'reply' in the first post in this thread what position it would come up in (like the old old system - date staggered - or the old system in time of posting order!) - it's time order.

[quote user="Russethouse"]MMM I think there are some change coming in at the La Poste on Jan 1st, if I remember correctly they will effect some parcel services so keep your eyes open ! (sorry I haven't got any details, but a friend was complaining about these changes recently as she is an internet trader, I think it will put prices up,of course, and minimise options) [/quote] You can keep up to date and check on-line what their postage rates are on their website : [url=http://www.laposte.fr/index.php]La Poste[/url]

I think he's just passing on a useful piece of information and a warning to those who are not law-abiding [;)]

Now, I said I would join in with the last thread and didn't. But; I am going to be 40 on New Years Day and really don't want to be 'fat and forty' - well not for very long anyway.  So, if I could get my birthday (and party) over with then I will join in this time!

In Auchan they stock it near to the sugars and flours