hastobe

In what capacity has he offered his services?  The notaires fees (for 'conveyancing') are approximately 8% of the property price and are predominantly taxes.  The reference to cash sale is, presumably, because an additional fee is charged by the notaire if there is a mortgage (usually 1% of the borrowed funds). However, a notaire doesn't usually charge a fixed fee - and neither does an immobilier agent (I can't see any reference to agents fees in the above).  Is this a 'handholding service' because if so a) he is duplicating many of the services you will already be paying your notaire / agent to perform and b) he is charging a very high fee for the privelege (IMHO) Kathie

Have a look at the websites of But (http://www.but.fr/), Fly (http://www.fly.fr/) and Conforama (http://www.conforama.fr/) - which are the three major department stores in France.  You will also need to consider how much it is costing you to transport the stuff to France - which, even with your own van, may not be cheap (taking into account fuel / ferry costs etc).  We decided it was just easier to buy in France - which also means it is more straightforward if there's a problem and you need to return any items. Kathie

[quote user="Nearly Retired"]Now add in the french factor - how much? Guess 1.5 times for the usual higher taxes etc. call it €19,000 then. [/quote] Is that to allow for cotisations or for the fact you have to use 3 coats of French paint for every coat of English paint [;-)].    Our local decorator quoted a similar, ridiculous, figure - and also wanted us to do all the preparatory work!!  Sheesh - if we've stripped and cleaned off all the old paint - repainting is the easy bit and we'll do it ourselves thanks - and with decent paint!  Painting isn't that difficult and it can be quite therapeutic, why don't you just paint it yourself? Kathie

LOL - too right - twenty years work and retire early on a fat pension - wish I'd picked it [:D].  Relative of ours retired from his job as desk sergeant aged 38 after 20 years service on an excellent pension.  He used his pension to finance property development (when he wasn't fishing or down the pub).  He's now just 55 and worth well over a million.  Not bad for someone who started out as a farm labourer after leaving school with no qualifications... Kathie

[quote user="RumziGal"]Well, if you want the police to be answerable to the general population (as British people seem to want), then they have to behave in a certain way. [/quote] I take it that you mean answerable in a political sense and not, heaven forbid, actually managing to respond to a call out...... Kathie

I have just returned from taking our dog to the vets to be shaved (under general anaesthetic) because his allergy has become so bad he has weeping open sores.  We have tried so many different things.  Digby's problem is that he is allergic to grass.  Mostly we are successful in keeping him away from the stuff (harder than you imagine when you are surrounded by fields - and 'respite care' while we are in France is at my brother's farm!) - but occassionally he makes a break for freedom and it's back to the old (and expensive!) problem again. Kathie

[quote user="5-element"]Only a week or so ago on the news, one more French schoolboy was found dead in his bedroom by his mother. The "jeu du foulard" seems to be very popular still, and his mother said he had become addicted to it and "played" it several times a day, him and his mates. I gather most people know about it: you semi-choke yourself up to just on the edge of unconsciousness. Up till then, I thought it was a sex game - but the fact that it was talked about openly on the news made me wonder if perhaps the boys might practice it sometimes without the sexual aspect? I don't want to get too graphic, although I imagine everyone knows what I am talking about.[/quote] It's played in UK schools too Kathie

People have different techniques.  If it is an area of mixed colours then I tend to leave the threads attached (breaking and rejoining makes the work messy) and keep changing threads as I go.  Don't let the thread loop any longer than about 4 stitches and always work left to right otherwise you'll end up with it looking uneven and messy. Kathie Ps our local (male) plumber, who is 6'5" with hands like pit shovels, produces some fabulous tapestries and the best example of exhibition blackwork I have seen was done by a bloke.

Daily snow / ski reports here: http://www.skifrance.fr/index.cfm?fuseaction=bn.detail2&langue=a&IDS=740014 Kathie

I don't think there is a 'rosy, pretty pink secret' to a long marraige.  For me its pretty straightforward - discovering (quite quickly!) that your partner can be a complete pain in the ass at times and accepting it - and realising that the grass is rarely greener on the other side.  If you constantly look for idyllic bliss then you'll just end up disappointed - or changing one pain in the butt for another. We've been married for 23 years this year, occassionally its been dreamy, but mostly it's just life as usual - and longevity in a relationship comes from accepting that and not looking for some magical romance.. Kathie

We are really pleased with ours for most driving (Garmin Nuvii with bluetooth).  Blue tooth with mobile phone is great (it allows you to dial friends or even POI (restaurants etc) via the GPS - the mobile itself can be locked away in the boot of the car!).  The only problems we have found with it is finding some rural locations.  We were looking for a B&B in Normandy over Christmas and it sent us in completely the wrong direction.  I would add that it hadn't found a 'match' for the addres so we were going by the post code.  (OH was in one of those stubburn moods where, even though I pointed out that the GPS must be wrong (I was following our progress on the map) he was adament we carried on - which made him very popular as we had four very irritable teens and a seven year old in the car with us and had  just driven for seven hours....) In cities / major routes it is fantastic and  (as has been already mentioned) great at finding an alternative route if you want to a avoid congestion.  Ours was a present from me to hubby (along with a peage doofer) - driving a left hand drive car it was always my job to navigate / pay at the peage.  Now I can just go to sleep...and OH hasn't clicked the ulterior motive - he thinks I'm a lovely, thoughtful wife who bought him two new toys...[Www] Kathie

In the UK the standard of treatment you get depends on where you live.  For example, I recently telephoned to ask for an appointment to see my GP.  I telephoned on Monday of this week and was told the first available appointment with him was two weeks the following Wednesday.  If I was prepared to see any doctor, then I could see a locum the following week.  The following day my son needed to see his GP (a different practice just a mile up the road) .  He was offered a choice of three appointments (all with his own GP) within 24 hours. Kathie

I like the idea of using the wallpaper paste Chris - definitely thinking laterally there!  The other alternative is to crush the leaves / stems before applying systemic weedkiller (aka glyphosate) Kathie  

Some of the finest double-entendres on British TV & Radio.  Pat Glenn, weightlifting commentator - "And this is Gregoriava from Bulgaria .  I saw her snatch this morning and it was amazing! New Zealand Rugby Commentator - "Andrew Mehrtens loves it when Daryl Gibson comes inside of him." Ted Walsh - Horse Racing Commentator - "This is really a lovely horse. I once rode her mother." Harry Carpenter at the Oxford-Cambridge boat race 1977 - " Ah, isn't that nice. The wife of the Cambridge President is kissing the Cox of the Oxford crew." US PGA Commentator - "One of the reasons Arnie (Arnold Palmer) is playing so well is that, before each tee shot, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them ..... Oh my god!!!!! What have I just said?!!!!" Carenza Lewis about finding food in the Middle Ages on Time Team Live said: "You'd eat beaver if you could get it." A female news anchor who, the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn't, turned to the weatherman and asked, "So Bob, where's that eight inches you promised me last night?" Not only did HE have to leave the set, but half the crew did too, because they were laughing so hard! Steve Ryder covering the US Masters: "Ballesteros felt much better today after a 69." Clair Frisby talking about a jumbo hot dog on Look North said: "There's nothing like a big hot sausage inside you on a cold night like this."  Mike Hallett discussing missed snooker shots on Sky Sports: "Stephen Hendry jumps on Steve Davis's misses every chance he gets."   Michael Buerk on watching Phillipa Forrester cuddle up to a male astronomer for warmth during BBC1's UK eclipse coverage remarked: They seem cold out there, they're rubbing each other and he's only come in his shorts." Ken Brown commentating on golfer Nick Faldo and his caddie Fanny Sunneson lining-up shots at the Scottish Open: "Some weeks Nick likes to use Fanny,other weeks he prefers to do it by himself."

We could have a cell party - bring your own booze... Kathie

[quote user="Pads"]I totally agree with you John I wouldnt want a dishwasher or a micro wave what a waste of water and electricity(come on guys washing a few dishes is hardly a hard job) (plus it cleans gardeners nails[+o(]) [:P]  [/quote] Depends how many you're washing up for!  There are five of us but we usually travel with my brother's family which takes us up to nine.  Add to that the fact that when we visit we often have the neighbours (and their (extended) family - mum, father-in-law etc) over for dinner we can often have 14 sitting down to eat!  I cooked for 14 at least twice over the Christmas week - and will be cooking for similar numbers at Easter.  Its bad enough feeding an army but I draw the line at washing up after them! Kathie

Nope you're not going mad - or if you are then so am I!  Btw how's the stripping / renovating going? Kathie

Hi Traci I'm guessing you want fabric to make your own rather than buy ready made? In which case it may be better to use the phrase 'tissus au mètre' or 'tissus pour rideaux'.  I had a quick look on www.pagesjaunes.fr in the Bordeaux area and Sélection Daniel Alexandre Alex Tissus Distributeur 235 bd Alfred Daney 33300 Bordeaux seemed to have a pretty comprehensive selection of fabrics.  If you put the emboldened name in 'qui' / 'nom'  and add Bordeaux to the box labelled 'Localité' it will appear as the first result.  There is a link to a video clip which gives a walk around the store. Not sure what the prices are like in France - we're second home owners and are lucky enough to have two very large discount warehouses near our home in the UK so (I'm afraid) we 'import' ours [Www] Kathie

Hi Charallais Not sure if this link helps: http://www.bbc.co.uk/relationships/domestic_violence/optionshh_index12.shtml I also want to wish your daughter all the best.  My sister went through a similar nightmare with her ex  - he was physically abusing both her and their daughter, he sold the furniture and even the childrens clothes while she was out.  In those days she wasn't even allowed to know how much money he was picking up in benefits (as a 'married father of two') - nevermind have any access to the money! Social services answer was to tell my sister take the children to a social services day care centre 5 miles away (she had no car and no money and had to walk both ways!) rather than move him from the house!  She eventually left (with the help of my parents) because she couldn't take anymore (his previous wife had had a complete breakdown and attempted suicide - my sister, at least, avoided that fate).  So he ended up with a lovely three bedroom house with brand new appliances throughout (he told social services she had taken everything so they provided him with a new cooker, washer, fridge etc).  My sister, on the other hand, had nothing.  The children are grown up now but he never paid a single penny towards them. Kathie

I find it quite amusing that so many retired people, who have never paid into the French system during their working (aka healthy) life, but are now happily using the French healthcare system for their retirement (read ill health) years - can be so disparaging when it comes to Traci / Coral's daughter's situation.  Sorry, in my experience a lot of men can be complete a*s*s when it comes to maintenance.  Personally, I think any man who wants his name on a birth certificate should only be entitled to same when he can provide his NI number - for future attachment to earnings order..  And yes EU immigrants in the UK do get a hell of a lot, but probably no more than Brits in France can claim.  We are part of the EEC which allows freedom of movement - so like it or lump it this is now the way of the world.  Kathie

Definitely a different attitude 'en France'.  Our plumber was around last week (giving us a quote for the dreaded new boiler).  I asked if he would like a drink, he looked at his watch determined it was after six and announced that an aperitif would be nice (being English I was actually thinking more along the lines of tea or coffee!).  He proceeded to pour himself a substantial pastis, downed it in one and got into his car and drove off! Kathie

[quote user="Brilec"]And try to get the police interested if you suffer a burglary in the UK, then compare the response to that when you inadvertantly stray 3mph over a 30 limit in your local high street at 3.00am. (Also SD, try riding a bike in North Wales at any time of the day). [/quote] I agree with Brilec on this one.  My daughter is currently a witness in a trial which should see two of the defendents sent to prison (one of these is a known drug dealer and has a long history of violence including previous convictions for arson).  As a consequence of her evidence, we have been the subject of prolonged and aggressive witness intimidation over the last 12 months ranging from having 10 double glazed units smashed with rocks and house bricks at 2.00am in the morning (then a further 3 similar attacks first to our own property and then, after we had CCTV installed, to our neighbours homes), black edged calling cards telling us that our home will be torched, phone calls telling us that our two (younger) boys will have their throats cut.  Saturday alone we had eight threatening calls between the hours of midnight and 4 am (and, yes, we have changed the number - several times, and, no, the witness protection scheme is a joke).  The police response to this - they took 45 minutes to respond to a 999 call, told us we are too far off the main route to have a regular police patrol, we have had officers sit on our sofa and tell us that it is not the responsibility of the police to protect the public (whatever happened to the promise they make 'to serve and protect').  On one occassion it took three weeks and four cancelled appointments to take a simple statement.  They won't trace calls because, I quote, it's too expensive - so we have had to do that ourselves.  Having said all of that, the fault is predominantly lack of funding - many times over the last year 'control' haven't been able to get anyone out to us because there have been only a couple of officers on duty and there have been (for example) several pub brawls, an RTA and a burglary all happening simultaneously. Wait until you *really* need the police and then see how much assistance you get.... France is heaven for us - absolute heaven Kathie

Just out of interest Sam - have you taken French nationality? Kathie

Whilst we had a structural survey done we wouldn't have dreamed of appointing an English solicitor.  I'm not sure what they could have added - other than cost- to what the notaire (who is an independant government official) provided.  From what I can see, Peter, your main issue is you don't speak French and so, tbh, the answer to that would be learn the language before you move / use a translator. It is my understanding that the notaire has an obligation to inform the purchaser whether the fosse complies - or doesn't before the contracts are signed.  Ours certainly did. Kathie

[quote user="oglefakes"] 3) We are and always will be a guest in THIS country too. Nope, don't see that one [:)] Having grown up in Australia, a country made of newcomers, I would disagree. Your sense of belonging to a place comes from within and you will be part of the furniture depending on how much you desire and (most) other will treat you accordingly. There are people in this forum who are part of their local council, pressumably with the support of at least some French people who see them as adopted French?. In Oz, there are members of both the upper and lower houses, including Brits, Canadians, French, German,  Irish, Cambodian, Chinese, Russian, Loation, African... None of them would consider themselves "Guests" I think sometimes it is hard for people to say the word immigrant, especially if they have read the Daily Mail too often and associate that word with swarthy and property prices. My brother's (Aust. born) girlfriend in Oz, has parents and grandparents from Italy. Neither of the 'Nonas' speak a word of English, even after living there for over 35 years! To me they are on a par with the tattooed (I have a tat, for the record)  shaven headed, football strip wearing bods in the 'Del Sol' who never have any intention of learning Spanish, integrating in any manner. So they are all "guests", because they don't desire to belong. I have yet to move to France, but once I have been there a while, made friends, paid taxes, become involved in community activities; i.e.  become integrated in general, I would consider myself an immigrant, but no longer a 'Guest', much the same attitude I had in my ten years of living in the UK, i.e. taking citizenship, volunteering for community activities, taking an interest in UK politics, listening to Radio4 [:)] etc and not one flag singed. Cheers [/quote] I think the 'guest' issue is more to do with the perception of others around you.  We have an elderly English gentlemen living in the next commune - he has lived here for 30 years - but is still referred to a 'the English'.  Similarly a Polish gentlemen living in our village in the UK  is still often referred to by his neighbours as the  'the Polish gentlemen' - and he has lived in the UK for 40 years!!   However much you may feel you are 'adopted French' I think it is usually the second generation immigrants who actually achieve that goal.  As an aside (and going back to the original topic) - it seems only a small proportion of those living in France have taken French nationality.  If you don't take that step - how can you ever be anything other than a 'guest'? Kathie