Beryl

Dick, I would have thought that you had been married long enough to know that women always volunteer to do that extra job for somebody else and then delegate it to their husbands. We get the kudos and the men get put out ![:D]

Bakker stock them and I have never had anything delivered from them that has failed to grow. http://www.bakker.fr/index.aspx?N=900358&start=1

edited [:D]

That was the question I skipped ! I had trouble with the transport drawings too. I figured out the train, bus, taxi, plane . Was the other one an underground ?[8-)]

My husband told me he saw a program recently in the UK comparing the school run in London and Paris. Londoners tended to drive and Parisiens walked. The interviewer speaking a to Parisien lady who walked her children some distance to their school, asked increduously ' What do you do if it is raining ?', ' I take an umbrella' she retorted disdainfully.

[quote user="Charallais"]   Were you also aware that in their wisdom the child benefit in England would normally be paid to the person who pays NI? that means if he had offered to pay a reasonable rate of maintenance he would receive the child benefit to pass on to my daughter! She was horrified about that and so was I. Surely it should be paid straight to the person who has custody, I have learnt a lot this week. If anyone has any sensible answers rather than passing judgement then I would apprecciate hearing from them.     [/quote] It was this part raised by Charallais that I was querying as I was always under the impression that child benefit was paid to the parent / guardian of the child. If the couple are living together and married either parent can claim it.  I have never read that in cases where the couple are separated or divorced that the other parent could continue to claim it and pass it onto the parent who has day to day care of the children.  The benefit should go directly (either by payment book or direct into the bank ) to the parent with care, so this is something she needs to double check with the Benefits Agency. If not only to get the benefit whilst she is in the UK , to prevent her husband getting it fraudulently when she has left the UK.  

I had a go and was pleased with my result because I skipped one question [:$] And I know my French is bad so I don't mind sharing [:)] Evaluation et orientation Scores Score total 89 point(s) sur 132     Score à l'écrit 51 point(s) sur 84 Score à l'oral 38 point(s) sur 48   Bilan de compétences Vous semblez avoir acquis un niveau élémentaire 2. Orientation Nous vous conseillons d'aborder un cours de niveau intermédiaire 1.  

I am sorry if I have missed this, but at the present time is the OPs daughter's name on the Child Benefit book . It used to be that the one parent was the named person and the other parent could, if nominated, collect the Child Benefit on their behalf. It is also possible to have the allowance paid directly into a bank account.  If the OP's daughter opens a bank account in her sole name and then contacts them and asks for the money to paid direct to her. I cannot see how the husband could get round this as she already has a letter from him stating that she is the main carer ( the letter that he has written agreeing that the children can leave the country ).    Have a look on the website and contact them.  I wouldn't mention moving to France at this stage, as she is in the UK concentrate on getting that money into her hands and cross the moving to France bridge when you need to.

34. Getting long-term Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, widow's benefits, bereavement benefits or State Pension when you are living in another EEA country You may be able to get one of the above benefits from the UK when living in another EEA country. If so, you may also get healthcare cover from the UK for yourself and for any members of your family who depend on you and who live with you. Note – Any medical treatment you need will be given by the health services in the country where you live. Write to The Pension Service, Tyneview Park, to ask for form E121 as soon as possible before you go. You may need a separate E121 form for yourself and each member of your family. When you get them, give them to the authorities who run the sickness insurance scheme in the country where you live. If you can prove to the UK that your daughter is a dependent, then you may be able to get health cover for her according to the above. I appreciate that you are in the French system but as you are on Incapacity Benefit, the UK is continuing to pay for it, so it is really up to the UK as to whether they will accept your daughter as an 'add on'. That's my interpretation of it anyway. I would bother the Pension Service again.  

Cerise, these stages are the only ones worth watching [:P]

Yes that is what I mean  [:$], I just checked my telly pages.

 Last night a girl sang an Alanis Morrisette song but she clearly hadn't got a clue what the real words were or what they meant ' I gor wun han in my pock an nuvver wan dois wy fife'.  Really, it was that bad but the judges thought it was great.  Yet I notice that the ones that sing really well in French are more likely to be rejected. [8-)] I am not knocking the French for singing (badly) in English ( I still sing " key the noodles, spear the lawn" to Mathew Chedid's 'Qui de nous deux' [:$]) but it just strikes me as odd how English sung badly is favoured over French sung well .

33. Living (but not working) in another EEA country If you are going to live, but not work, in another EEA country, you may get healthcare cover from the UK for yourself, and for any members of your family who depend on you and who go with you, under the state scheme of the other country. But this cover will only be for a limited time. How long it lasts will depend on whether you could still get UK short-term Incapacity Benefit if you claimed it. When this period ends, the UK cannot give you any more healthcare cover unless anything in sections 34-37 applies to you. Before you move abroad, ring The Pension Service, Tyne View Park and ask for a claim pack to be sent to you. When you get forms E106, register the forms by giving them to the authorities who run the sickness insurance scheme in the country where you live. If you have family members who cannot be issued with form E106 in their own right, they may be covered as members of your family on your own form E106, but this is a matter for the authorities in the country where you reside. Ask them if they can include your family members when your form E106 is registered. As the UK will continue to pay for your health care because you are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, I can't see why your CPAM office would refuse to add your daughter and her children, it would be no skin off their noses. She would just need a top up then. Prior to visiting any other EEA country you will need to get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from the UK for your medical cover. When form E106 is issued to you, you will also be sent an EHIC Application Pack . Send the completed form to the PPA in the envelope provided. If you start work in the country where you live you should become insured for health care under that country’s sickness insurance scheme. The forms E106 and the EHIC issued by the UK will then no longer to apply to you. If you do not meet the rules for form E106 yourself, and cannot be covered as a member of the family of someone who you depend on and live with, you may be able to pay voluntary contributions to the state sickness insurance scheme of the country you move to. This depends on the law of that country. If not, you will have to take out private medical insurance. In most other EEA countries, you must prove that you have adequate healthcare cover before you will get a right of residence.    

I wouldn't have thought that as an independent rather than dependant adult (even though she is your child), that your daughter would be able to tag onto your health cover. Adding my unsolicited two pence worth.[:D] I can understand why your daughter wants a fresh start, but as has been said so often on this forum 'running away' may not solve all her problems. Realistically, how far away is she from having sufficient skills to get a job ? Ex Husband, why is he so keen for her to leave the UK ? Does he think that he won't have to pay any maintenance for his children, because he will. Will he give his permission for her to leave the UK with his childen when the time comes? Maybe she needs to get stock of her life in the UK and make these life changing decisions further down the line ? Just some thoughts.[:D]

Never seen or tried alcohol free wine. I had an alcohol free beer by accident last year, not that I minded, and it was nice . Much better than awful stuff that ex football manager used to advertise many many years ago [+o(]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]When I was but a lad the two books I reread most were Coral Island and The Family from One End Street. I can still remember my empathy for Lily Rose when she ironed the artificial silk petticoat too hot and it shrank - and her mother made her take it to the posh lady to apologise - but the lady was nice to her! Mrs Ruggles not being able to afford a replacement really hit home to me, as we were in much the same situation ourselves. Funny how trivial things can be so important... [/quote]   I loved that book as a girl and bought it in paperback last year as a bit of nostalgia. It seemed a 'thinner' book than I remembered but still good. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was another one that I read the print off, I had the others in the series but could never get into them at all. I re read Cider with Rosie, have only read one Terry Pratchett and I just don't get him at all. The Lord of the Rings.... never got past the first chapter.

Kids and no money in France or kids and no money ( but chance to go back after maternity leave) in the US. I know what I would choose. I think Val's advice was the best. I have less money that I had in the UK and I can cope with that. I can't cope with having no money and that would be your reality as it stands at the moment.

On that kind of money Deb, I would work flat out for a couple of years and take early retirement.[:D] Without any assets, it will be very hard for you in France ( even though you sound like a go getter!) . How is your French ? Is there any way that you could get a job for a US company in France and try it out like that ?  

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It had some good reviews apparently but I found it to be over long as everything seemed to be described in the most tedious detail and it was very predictable.  I skipped a huge,huge chunk and read the last 10 pages just to save time and to confirm what I thought. No surprise twist.[:(]

A quick google found this http://www.salfordadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/213/213709_by_george_how_very_unpatriotic.html For health and safety reasons was the official line...but there is some mention of being sensitive to how "residents of other nationalities would react to England flags being displayed."  It is that sort of over zealous 'sensitivity' that I suspect creates problems where none would be.

Yes, that is a good point Christine. I won't put his chip number on it.

[quote user="Blanche Neige"] Choosing where you would like to live is personal and the only way it can be done is by visiting the area and seeing / trying it for yourself.  [/quote] I agree. I looked at the results of the survey Simon had run  and most Brits wanted to live in the country, but then there is countryside and countryside. I lived in the country in the UK but now I couldn't bear to be away from the sea. You need to decide what you want and then go looking for it, I am sure it's there [:D] 

That sounds ideal. Where can I get one from please ? Did you put their microchip numbers on ?

The only tag that was on my dog's collar was one that came with his microchip. He has lost it now and I am going to get a proper dog tag engraved. Is there any info that I have to have on it by law ? ( better late than never [:$]) Otherwise I am just going to have his name, our phone number and the name of the Vets that he is registered with, engraved on the tag.

Thanks for the advice. I have decided to get a step by step book in English that had a good review from Amazon and take it from there.