Judith

Mint, indeed, likewise, always good to "look around", as insurances do change, new people come into the market.  And hope that the better weather coming will help with the tiredness, it is so difficult to make yourself do the things you know need doing at this time of year ... good luck, not been an easy time for you either. I know.

I think all assurances come and go, with the flow as it were.  Agree totally with NormanH, that much depends on the person ... in fact I stayed with my insurer after my car accident last year, not because the were good (they weren't particularly  but as I was judged at fault (though as you now 6 of one etc) I decided better the devil you know, at least for a couple of years, until I got back to the no claims level I had, only 1 year away I think from them not being able to change it ... As for mutuelle, likewise, they changed hands, and seriously thought about trying to get a package more in line with my real requirements (which after research I don't think exists) and since I had finally, after 2 years, got the system working so that it was done automatically, I decided to stay with them. Sometimes better the devil you know ...

Agree, Mogs, everything is more expensive. I used to get away with about 50-60 euros in the supermarket per week, now roughly 80-100 euros without trying hard to buy expensive things ...

Does it not depend on whether you have to post them or go in person.  We went in person, and they were dealt with at the meeting .. stuck on the relevant pieces of paper as we handed them over..

Memory tells me from a previous signing that one of the staff in the notaire's office was used to sign on one of our behalfs, but can't quite remember the full details now.  Certainly proxies (as you say NormanH, procuration) can certainly be used, but it has to be someone on the ground in France, so you could use a friend if there was someone there .. having signed a procuration form for them to do so.  But it is quite usual to have the notaire sign on a client's behalf.

Cheap as chips is not always worth it  Come to the conclusion that it is very rarely the best option to go cheap.  You get what you pay for.  Better to pay a bit more but get a service that works, at least most of the time.  Whilst Orange still leaves much to be desired, especially with problem solving, there is a reason why most are with it - and that's not to do with their years of having no competition.  Certainly, giving them some competition seems to have improved their customer service, though it is still not perfect, they do have the benefit of long duration and a somewhat protected market.  We've never been tempted by the offers of others, but do know friends who've had problems with SFR. 

Indeed, Minnie, background has to be light, and if you are pale skinned with no hair, it can be difficult!   As for the photos, I think they did used to ask for counter signatures each time, but these days, as you say, unless you have changed greatly there seems to be no need.   Hope it all goes smoothly from now on!

Idun, that is all most useful and interesting, though I must admit, I too use the breadmaker for the kneeding but not the cooking ... I do think howe ver, that is it the yeast I use which is wrong .. I am encouraged to try your 1,2,3 method, I like that ... simple!!

Quite, Minnie, and yes, the cost is irrelevant for the benefits it gives.  I last did it before it was all online, but when it is due (2022 I think) I am sure it will all have been smoothed out .. interestingly my first passport was a British Visitor passport when I was 17 and came to France on a school exchange .. I have all my past full passports, I think,  and it is quite interesting to compare the photos, you can see it is basically still me, but ageing gently!! 

Any travel outside the Schengen zone would require a passport, so anywhere else would need a passport, and sometimes a visa ... I would certainly not like my lack of passport to limit where I might want to go in the world, surely one of the perks of being retired and being able to make those decisions, if you so wish. Since I have no desire to take French nationality, even though I am sure I would be eligible, but do want to have the freedom to go where I would like to go outside the Schengen area, I know what I shall do when it comes up for renewal. And that is even though I have a CdS, which does NOT give me the same freedoms as the ownership of a passport does.

Totally agree, Patf, I have basically given up making bread because of that.  Likewise cakes, which I do rarely, so I have yet to acquire either the science of putting the ingredients together correctly, or indeed to bake it for the required time ... heat, ... etc .. now that IS BOTH an art and a science. And I did science ... including chemistry, most of which I have forgotten ... so for me, cooking is an art, using basic chemistry, but which is much improved by practice, hence it is an art.

More difficult when you are not on site, definitely, Loire.  I presume the house is not in my neck of the woods ... keep your pecker up, we despaired too, sometimes, but some of it was price, and also finding the right buyer .. if the two match, that's when it works.  It's finding the match which is difficult. Yes, Flaneur, estate agents do their best to avoid the time wasters ... though not always, but it seems to be that stimulating them to work for you is the problem.  If they do a good job no-one minds paying them, it's when they do nothing that its so annoying.

Took us 6 years to sell our first house.  On lots of internet property sites, one agent who tried for about 6 months then we heard no more, though it was on their books all that time, several others, including Leggatts who all lost interest once they'd had it about 6 months, and then I gave it to a Rotary colleague, also an estate agent (he wasn't in the business when we started), who was also good at marketing, and wanted to sell it and not only because we are friends. Can't remember just how long he had it for, less than a year, I think, but we had more viewings via him, and yes, he sold it. So find someone who not only can do the job but wants to sell, it, and proves it too (in other words, they get viewers, and they keep in contact too. 

Did read somewhere that one of the eastern european carriers had not had it's licence renewed by the EU, but cannot remember which. Maybe it was this one?

I had to laugh, Betty, when I met this one .. I would often miss out one of the negatives, but with me it was always the pas and not the ne ... now I do it more like a really frenchie.

Blodwyn, I suspect this is to do with prelevement at source.  They take some out, automatically, and then when you do your tax return, it will likely come back.  They have also a system where, if you claim refunds for donations to good sources, as I do, we get a token payment to account for it, and then it will come out in the wash when it comes to final adjustment in the autumn.  Bit hard when you never paid tax, but I think that is the reason.  We always paid when the bills came before, but this year they have taken a tranche, already, plus given us back the donation bit.  Totally confusing. Some-one wiser and more knowledgeable may be along later, but that's my supposition.

Late as ever - it's Sunday, busy at church and then Sunday lunch ... "With respect Judith, putting a foreign text into English that accurately reflects the technicalities is the essence of the translator's job." I never said it wasn't, only how easy it is for someone with adequate language not to be able to come up with a good translation - and one of my best friends is a translator (and no, it's not Betty!). As for information, correct, believable, and dated - don't start me.  I spent the better part of my professional life, when I wasn't organising  information, finding it .. in-built in me to look at source, date, reliability, duplication, etc - so very much on FB and other social media sources, including our favourite much quoted "non"-sources of the Connexion and the Local, are but pieces of information copied from one to the other ... without any verification.  And with respect, NormanH, the French text is what it says, but interpreting it, never mind since we still don't even know if it WILL come into force, seems to be another ball park altogether.

Back to a comment made earlier - reading and understanding is one thing, putting it into English another - but whether that English will accurately reflect the technicalities  of the text is another matter entirely. I can read most texts, if I so desire, and make adequate sense of most, but even for simple things I do not always get the actual sense ... so often I have said, I know what the words mean, but I do not know the sense in this context. There's the rub!

I liked his Tom Jones too, especially since it was our A level book, loved how he played the part, got it just right. 

Re someone's post earlier up - Betty -? - yes, you do find that  twins often have a dominant one even when identical.  With us, 3, the "leadership" changed often, but one was the more dominant, but not excessively so.  The nature / nurture argument is interesting, as we were brought up very much together and what was given to one was also given to the others (with one or two exceptions as talents emerged, eg musical sister got a clarinet, we two others did not)  but we were all encouraged to do what we did best, regardless.  But three distinct if very similar characters emerged. As for language - well that was me, the more academic of the three ... but that is a much to do with schooling and application, as well as interest, IMHO.

Betty, and Mint, I totally agree for both.  IN fact, I know I am not good at self-taught - I need the stimulation and push of an organised class.  Same with dancing - another good "brain food" activity, when learning a routine, or indeed, singing in a choir and learning a new piece.  Also the socialising in these cases helps.  As for the twin aspect, I suspect our learning styles ARE similar, but too long since we studied together to know.

Not sure that the marriage regime trumps the tontine.  But one thing I forgot, is that with a tontine, any children of the first to die are thus disenfranchised ... hence why some notaires don't approve.  If there are no children of previous marriages) and I think OP said not, then the tontine would be fine in their case.  Kids get it after second one to die.

My memory is that buying in tontine is like joint ownership in the UK, ie the children don' get a look in until no 2 dies ... but check. 

Saw bits of the first programme, but not watched since .. found it all a bit too slow for me.  being a multiple, though not, we think, identical, I thought it might be interesting, but didn't find it  particularly so.  As for language learning, I'm more of the approach that we all learn differently, even twins etc, (the etc being multiples), and it's finding the approach that suits you is better than applying "twin" rules. I do remember that at one time one of my sisters and I got the same score in an exam (the in-built ones rather than the statutory ones).  The class all laughed, and jeered, until the teacher said, yes, but they did not get it it in the same way ...  so pure luck we got the same points.  I think it was in English rather than French though.

OH has a Barclaycard still, as yet.  I cancelled mine years ago, before I came to France as they did a funny, and I said, get lost. French address only, not a huge usage, so will see what transpires.