Cassis

Mixed advice because everyone writes from their own experience and it's not one size fits all, unfortunately.  Unless you can find someone here who knows the tax system inside out you may be better off asking your local tax office - they are usually very helpful and not intimidating once you talk to them!  Alternatively there are numerous services out here to help you fill in tax forms and advise on the system - you could try Vincent Grey at Club95 who offers a French tax return and advice service for about a hundred pounds/150 euros.  But you may strike lucky and find someone who can give sound advice for nothing. Phil

Pumpkins grow best in warm conditions (18-21 degrees) and need a long growing season, which is why you were right to start them off indoors.  The first two leaves are the seed leaves.  You can plant out once they have 3-4 true leaves (appear above the seed leaves) at the end of spring/early summer depending where you are.  Plant them up to the depth of the seed leaves - it encourages more roots.  Water well.  Ready to harvest in autumn when they have coloured up and sound hollow if you rap them with your knuckle.  They store well - allow the skins to harden in the sun. Phil

We once tried to restrain a phyllostachys with a plastic pot and it burst through it. Phil

Thanks all - put my mind at rest.  No picture on my licence - 1976 vintage! Phil

Just struck me - we've been here 2 years and our UK driving licences still show our old UK address.  Should we do something about this? [:-))][:-))] Phil

[quote user="Malcpreston"]The best on the market currently is FREE,   [/quote] I've just signed with FREE after a disastrous period with Club Internet - ANYBODY but Club Internet! I was impressed by the Free helpline where they were able to offer assistance in English if necessary.  30 euros a month unlimited broadband and landline calls within France and most of Europe (incl UK). But you do have to check availability in your area - I fancied Alice but couldn't have her. Phil

Just out of interest, is there anyone at all who lives in the Sarthe? [Www][Www][Www] Phil

Sounds unlikely - what is it growing among that you want to keep?  If it just needs keeping in bounds then sinking paving stones or similar around the limits works.  It is not very deep rooting - you should be able to dig it out from the areas where you don't want it (though you may uproot other things in the process and have to replant them).  Or do you want rid of it altogether? Phil

VAT is the standard 19.6% on building materials for DIY-ers in France, same as most other goods.  If you employ a professional, registered plumber, mason, carpenter, electrician etc. for work on certain types of projects there is a reduction to 5.5%  VAT on goods and services.  E.g. the building has to be an existing habitation (so barn conversions don't qualify) and over a certain number of years old (I can't remember but I'm sure someone here knows).  Most grants require goods to be provided and fitted by a professional - your local mairie usually has information on this.  Sorry![:(] Phil

We're very happy with the Philips Zenia 300 - LOADED with features, standard 2 handsets with more if you want, very long recording time (essential for a business if you're not always there) and works up to 60 metres outside the house (I've tried it).  Phil

[quote user="Cathy"]Mmmmm - I wonder.  Will people pay for this?  Can't they get this sort of advice for free on English speaking forums (fora?) like this one? [/quote] I don't think you get things like filling in paperwork, translating, writing letters, making phone calls on the forum.  Occasionally, perhaps, but not as a guaranteed service.  Phil Edit: PS You say fora, I say forums .... [:)]

[quote user="Nathalie"]My aim is to provide help and support however often it is needed for a small yearly fee rather than pay-by-service, as this would prove costly to the customer.  [/quote] I think what you are proposing would certainly find a market - but at what price?  You could find yourself working full-time for a couple of nuisance clients - this could prove costly to you!  I would think very carefully about how open-ended you leave the deal, otherwise people will abuse your service if you don't charge according to work done. Phil

Depends on your exact employment status - if you are salaried or retired you can probably take it to the CPAM.  If you are self-employed it gets more complicated.  Try the website for the St Lo CPAM - it has information in English http://www.saint-lo.ameli.fr/ and an English telephone helpline 0 820 904 212.  They don't seem to mind dealing with simple enquiries from outside their area but the website may have the answer for you anyway. Phil

My maincrops are about 6 inches up and around now - is it to late to put straw around them, i.e. are they supposed to grow through the straw, or do you just chuck it on top when they first appear, or do you place it carefully around them?  I've got a load of straw bales to get rid of - how deep do you put it? Phil

It's in the Western France section as well - I don't actually want the replies - it's for Sophia - though I'd be pleased to hear from anyone else who is contacting her. Phil

Surely that's spelt Dahn Sarf? Phil PS Anyway, please don't forget what the initial post was!

Do you know, it's that Tommy Cooper-ish thing that struck me about Dino.  Do you think the French have heard of Tommy Cooper?

I agree - Vistaprint are very good, they have always delivered on time, and never a mistake (except the once when I made a spelling mistake in our email address - oops!!).  Even their freebie business cards aren't bad. Phil

Does anyone else like Shirley & Dino?  And has anyone seen Cabaret Paradiso? Phil

The proscribed plants list can vary according to whether the French authorities think there are any nasty plant lurgies in the UK that they want ot keep out of France.  Hence the oak/rhodo thing a few years ago.  There are none listed on the Douanier site at the minute, but maybe there never are.  Your average douanier wouldn't know a cotoneaster from an easter bunny.  The DEFRA site used to have the details of dodgy plants.  I posted the URL somewhere once but can't remember where. Phil

It seems odd that the centre d'impots has not been in touch to check whether you have completed work on schedule with the original planning permission terms - work is supposed to be begun and completed within  a certain length of time of the original granting of permission.  I would contact the Mairie (where you submitted the original request) to check the situation.  If you've got electicity and water then the work is regarded as complete (I think - somebody tell me I'm wrong). Phil

Well, wood sealers are 'bouche-pores' so I guess it would be 'une bouche-pores de cellulose' or something of the sort.  It should at least get you to the right section of shelves! Phil

As long as they are for your own use and not for resale, pretty much not.  Only restrictions when we came over 2 years ago were on oaks, rhododendrons and azaleas because of sudden oak death in the UK.  We had a LWB high roof Transit full of plants which we drove over with and the douaniers had a quick shuftie at the port then waved us through.  Here's the French Douane view on the subject: http://www.douane.gouv.fr/finc.asp?page=langues/fiche3gb.htm&cusnum=989 Skip everything else and go right to the bottom of the page. Phil

We recently had problems with Club Internet broadband and telephone services; specifically, I could not access our FTP server (so could not update our website, such as it is) and the telephone did not work unless we plugged it directly into the FT wall socket.  It was established early on that the problem lay with Club Internet rather than our phone line, our PC or its settings.  After 2 months of waiting for this to be resolved, without success, we asked Club Internet to cancel the contract as they were not providing the services we were paying for; we thought we would chance our arm and also ask for a refund for at least the telephony charges for the past 2 months.  Their reply was that unless one of their technicians wrote to us to say that the problem was beyond their competence (which it certainly seemed to be, to us at least!) then we would have to pay a penalty charge to cancel the contract (we were still in the first year contract period) and we would not get any refund for the two months when they had failed to provide a telephone service or FTP server access.  As we obviously had no such letter, they said the only way out of the contract was if we moved house to a non-adsl area or both died.   These seemed rather extreme options so we just  decided to cut our losses, pay the penalty for cancellation and change provider. Lesson - just because your ISP doesn't provide the service you're paying for doesn't mean they will let you out of the contract. Phil PS With our new ISP the FTP and telephone problems disappeared immediately.

Or alternatively, switch to one of the many ISPs who now provide free international calls - I just switched to  Free for that reason.  It's 30 euros a month for broadband and unlimited landline phone calls within France and much of Europe incl. the UK.  May be more expensive than broadband and SKYPE?  But good for us technophobes! Phil