Gardian

Now, before I describe this, I’m very well aware that I may well be starting to sound like like ALBF. However, I believe that counselling and help is readily available, so ...... What is it with the current ‘fashion’ for people wearing their specs on their forehead? When I need my glasses, I get them out of their case. It’s not just people on the TV, you see it all the time. My (our) daughter-in-law does it too, but I’ve never asked her why. Shame on me ! It’s just a fashion thing isn’t it ? Having said that, I understand that there are some who need to do it (vision loss etc), but not everybody ! I think that counselling for me may well be required, so easily contactable.

If I may, I’ll return to the self service checkouts. A pain in the backside for some ? Maybe. For me? If I’ve got half a dozen or so items and want to get in & out quickly? Ideal. I’ll say no more.

For me, its 120. That’s using a SKY digibox.

Thanks for your thoughts about Mrs G’s MS, but she was diagnosed nearly 20 years ago and is pretty accustomed to it ! The Neurology Prof reckons that the condition (for her) is essentially benign, although there are tens of thousands of others for whom this isn’t the case with MS or other health problems. Accordingly, she feels pretty ‘lucky’. The biggest problem has been her loss of independence (driving is out of the question) and so the ability to get round a big supermarket, stopping and starting where she chooses to, rather than where I push her, will be a big deal ! Its strange how such seemingly trivial things can assume major importance ?

I’ve been pondering whether to post this for a few days, but decided in the end that somebody might be interested. Mrs G has MS and has to use a manual wheelchair when we’re ‘out & about’. It’s not a big problem, but quite difficult for me, because propelling a wheelchair and a ‘chariot’ around a supermarket is well nigh impossible! We’d been thinking about an electric wheelchair for a while and floated the idea when Mrs G had her annual prescription renewal with the Neurology Prof a month or two back. We were accepting that we’d probably have to fund at least E1k of the cost. Anyway, to cut a long story short, 3 people turned up here (by appointment) last week with a couple of electric wheelchairs to demonstrate. After a ‘flying lesson’, we settled on one of them and the process now ‘kicks in’. The lady from the Neurology Prof’s team said that it’s entirely justified and the whole process will take just 4-6 wks until delivery. Zero cost to us. The reason for posting this is twofold. First, to say how pleased we are over the whole business. Second, to say that if anybody out there feels the need for an electric wheelchair ......... it’s actually quite an easy process. Well, it was down here, anyway! Just ask for more info if you need it.

Thanks for that DL, but my original question was not so much about ‘What are the best banking arrangements?’. It was just to get confirmation of my long-held belief that there’s no extra work involved in processing a transaction from France to the UK or just about anywhere in the world.

As I said above, some banks don’t make this charge and in this case I was able to use Banque Populaire. And yes, you do get told by the ATM and can continue or abandon the transaction.

Sorry. Simply a cash withdrawal from an ATM over here, using a UK high street bank debit card.

I’m definitely getting grumpier, the older I get !!! We bank in the UK with a high street bank and with Credit Agricole here in France. We buy our Euro needs monthly through a broker and that works fine. Every now and then though, you have an expensive month and need a cash top-up. Some time back, CA introduced a €6 charge for withdrawals from a ‘foreign’ bank. I normally refuse to incur this extra charge and deal with it in some other way since some banks don’t make this charge. What I’d really like to know, perhaps from somebody who works or previously worked in banking, is whether this is a legitimate charge. What I mean is that I have always thought that a transaction is a transaction and the worldwide banking system doesn’t really recognise country borders, particularly within Europe. The charge goes against the debiting account wherever it is - it’s not as though there’s somebody sitting there allocating the debit. I just think that it’s a ‘fast-one’ to boost profits for no additional work. Am I wrong?

I don’t know what the weather has been like in your neck of the woods, but down here it’s been rotten. Obviously, you don’t expect glorious weather at this time of the year, but it has rained steadily and more or less continuously for 3 days and we’re getting completely fed up with it. Localised flooding, although happily not as bad as when the local tragedy occurred a couple of weeks ago. Easter events have been cancelled, sometimes on the insistence of the Prefecture. For traders and restaurateurs, this would / should have been a good earning long weekend. Not now. How has it been where you are?

Two offerings: burgle-ry Wemberly

I think that I was (around about) a 2005 joiner, having moved to France in late 2004. Over the years I have gained countless amounts of advice & information. On the odd occasion, I may have been able to reciprocate. I hear some concern over the level of contribution these days. Frankly, I don’t share that concern. Those of us who go back that far can remember some of the acerbic attacks and pointless bickering that went on, almost always from the same culprits. It wasn’t very nice, to say the least. Nowadays, people can (hopefully) ask a question and get some informed and unbiased advice. Even daft boogers like ALBF lighten proceedings .......... and he never seems to take offence ! In summary - quality & civility are better than vitriol, IMO

Oh ALBF !!! Typically & deliberately outrageous (and generally) wrong. The sad thing is that some viewing these threads might (just might) see you as an all-seeing, accurate commentator. Which you’re not. Just typical of the ‘if I don’t like it, I’ll slag it off’ brigade. But actually, you’re just being (what you see as) mischievous. The trouble is that it takes nonsense like that to stir me in to posting. I’m as sad as ALBF is.

No, generally just two of them. R4 in the early morning for the Today programme and Mrs G usually switches to R2 for the rest of the day until there’s some TV that she might want. So DL, that presumably means that there’s no solution to the problem? It’s strange though, because it almost never works now first thing, but after a while it’ll be OK. As you say, today seems like a ‘good day’ for some reason - R2 was accessible from mid morning. Thanks very much anyway.

Yes