Kitty
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Posts posted by Kitty
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Thank you all for your prompt and helpful replies. She is already registered with the Maison des Personnes Handicappes (MDPH) so I shall pop along there to ask what her number is and ask about ACS. I did go to CPAM but they said that because she is handicappe, she has to remain with my provider, RSI. Two of my other children who are coming of age have had to move over to CPAM. Complicated or what?Based on your replies, I reckon that I shall get a mutuelle for peace of mind.
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I have a daughter, who has severe learning difficulties (brain damage since birth). She is registered as handicappe in France and has 100% health cover (Affection Longe Duree) until 2016. Up to now, she has been included in our family's mutuelle but she is just about to be 20 years old and so needs her own paperwork.Does she need a mutuelle? She has been in and out of hospital but this is covered by ALD because her illnesses are associated with her brain damage. What would not be covered by ALD?I would be most grateful of someone could enlighten me because I am in fog about this. I am not sure where to find out other than this Forum. I did telephone an insurance agent but they could not tell me.
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Be careful. Friends of mine here in France bought a washing machine online last year because it looked to be a good price. It turned out to be a spoof site and they lost all their money.
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[quote user="Louise"] Thanks Kitty - where did you get yours from ? or do you have a link to a picture of one. That would be great if you have.[/quote]I went for an independent retailer because I needed good quality. I saw some in Dreams (in the UK), for instance, but discounted them as not being strong enough. They are more expensive in France but if you buy in the UK, you have to think about van hire to get them there.
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[quote user="Louise"]I like the idea of those... do you think they will be classed as "acceptable" if you were wanting to register for etoiles etc ? Are they the ones that go side by side when they are up - or those that are totally separate ?
Do you get many enquiries for people wanting more than a double room ? I heard (and apologise it wasnt me) that french guests will all stay in the same room....and will fit as many as they can it. If this is true - do they have more than one child in a bed ?
I was thinking of having a travel cot too that cold be used in any of the rooms - is that an idea or should it be a proper cot ?[/quote]
The beds (with a single underneath) are perfectly acceptable - my holiday house has four stars. They are very sturdy but you do need to choose good quality ones.
I offer a proper cot and a good quality high chair and get lots of family bookings.
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I have recently been researching this and asked more-or-less the same question on the Lay My Hat Forum.Most replies were that bunk beds are a no-no because they are not popular with guests. Instead, it was suggested that I bought "two in one" beds - single beds that have an additional single underneath that pulls out. These beds can be very robust if you buy good quality ones. By buying this sort of bed, I have created two triple (family) rooms that can be twin rooms when the house is booked by fewer guests.One problem is that the bed that pulls out cannot have a headboard. Your website should point out what sort of beds that you are providing and the absence of headboards etc.
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Tesco do not accept credit cards with a French address (unless things have changed). Recently, I went through the palava of an order and then, at the last hurdle of the check out procedure, their credit card section would only accept a UK postcode. I emailed them about it but had no response. Very frustrating.
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Powerdesal - did you ask any money for it or was it free?I have an old caravan (at the bottom of the garden) that I need to dispose of.. I am not sure how anyone can tow it away as the tyres are gone. It did have paperwork but it has got lost (the person who sold it to me died before he sorted the papers out and the widow can't find them).I was thinking of putting it on Le Bon Coin but was unsure whether to say gratuit or 5 euros or whatever...
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I second everything that you say, Norman. My breast cancer was picked up because it was detected early(ish) from a mammogram. I thank all those people who campaigned for global testing of certain cancers.Cancer does not have to be a death sentnce.AND I am so very pleased that you have seen off your latest scare.
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Two of my children were stranded in Bordeaux due to the lightning train strike last week. A bus was eventually put on but they took 4 exhausted hours to get home on a journey that would usually take an hour. I felt sympathy because they had been told that they had been a stabbing on a train. I naturally assumed that the stabbing was in Bordeaux and that the train had been stopped as it was a crime scene.Then I found out that the stabbing was hundreds of miles away in Strasbourg/Lyons. I was not pleased (an understatement).As my young son pointed out, if an electrician in one part of France gets electrocuted, does that mean that all electricians down tools? Did the trains in Germany go on strike? After all, Strasbourg is nearer to Germany than Bordeaux.Yes, I know, that c'est la France but it just isn't good enough.
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My husband is taking a more-or-less empty car back to the UK on 6th October. If anyone wants anything taken or wants to join him, PM or email me.
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Mmm. Useful information. Thank you one and all.My son doesn't need it for continual use but just when the weekly school trips are too long to walk. A lightweight one does make it easier for the school to load it onto the school coach and carry it up stairs etc. My son's school is on lots of different levels. I think that I had better ask both my son and his housemaster whether he should be pushed or self-propelled (or both) - I hadn't thought about that so thank you.I am going to the doctors on Monday and so will ask about a prescription, which I didn't fully realise covered wheel chairs. However, I don't want to keep using state facilities when the costs of buying one privately are affordable. It is also for potentially a very long time.Further feedback from anyone is most welcome.
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What is the discount on single trips?
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Does anyone have any experience of using a lightweight travel wheel chair?My son is going to need a wheel chair for at least a year (in France). He can't walk long distances because his bones are growing quicker thn his tendons. His French boarding school have suggested a wheel chair for their weekly outings (they go to museums etc on Wednesday afternoons).I see from this Forum that renting one from the local pharmacy in France (presumably with a prescription?) is about 15 euros per week but these are more robust. Halfords in the UK are offering lightweight travel wheel chairs for £60, which makes better financial sense. Are they any good?
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I home schooled some of my children. The best book to read is: "Free Range Education - how Home Education Works".http://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Range-Education-Home-Works/dp/1903458072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316618297&sr=1-1It is worth buying. However, it doesn't deal with home schooling in France.Home education is worth while. Don't let anyone tell you that it means that chldren will not socialise; if you are an open family with lots of contact and activities (scouts, orchestra etc), they get plenty of socialising skills without the anti-socialising of schools (bullying etc). The thing that worries home educators is the breadth of education that you can provide. But there are ways to deal with this, such as buying in help.The main benefit that my chidlren received was a realisation at a very early age what their strengths were. This did mean that we could direct their education and qualifications towards their skills, which has helped them gain jobs. For example, one of them is now a chef and so she took her first food hygiene certificate aged 14. Another works with children and so did first aid from an early age.Home education is what brought us to France. I wanted the children to develop language skills and where better than in a host country.For me, home schooling was an evolution and not a revolution. I didn't wake up one morning with a "Eureka moment". It was a slow realisation that it could work well for some of my children. Some of them stayed in the school system (and are still there) as it is not for every child.PM or email me, if you want to know more.
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If you have three minutes to spare, take a look at this one:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UjI3P_7_HI
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I have always wanted to know why there were no basins in loos here; this thread is very enlightening.Back in the 70s, a cousin of mine installed a bidet in her home in the UK - a novel thing in those days. My grandmother paid a visit to the bathroom and exclaimed that she was surprised that my cousin had a ladies' loo as well as a gentleman's loo. [8-)] That is why in the UK, it is compulsory for bidets to be plumbed into the soil pipes.
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Does the book cover how to transfer a shot gun (licenced and looked after properly in a gun cabinet etc) from the UK to France?
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Teleconnect have changed. They have emerged from that terrible patch. I would recommend them again now. They even answer their customer service line now and are very helpful. They are more like they used to be.To the OP, Teleconnect are an English speaking service. They had a ghastly blip, when they let down many customers very badly, including me. But I stuck with them and I am pleased that I did.
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We can only write from personal experience. Some of us have had bad experiences in the UK and in France, some of us good. But it is good to share them so that others can make informed decisions about their own children.From my part, I have educated a number of children initially in the UK, in France and at home, depending on what suited them best or where we were living. All my children are now bilingual and some of them are starting to emerge into the world of work. All are finding employment because they are bilingual.As for the original posted wanting to know about bring an older child to France. Two of my children were adolescents upon arrival and have done well. You have to remember that many children have a deep desire to speak another language and that desire sees them through the tough times. My advice is to take as much time as you are able to and do a sabbatical, rent a house (rents in the winter/spring are surprisingly low in France) and place your child into a French school for one or two terms. That's how I started out and how our family could then make the more permanent step of living in France.
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I have been a member of the BF Property Owners Club for a few years. Even though we are travelling back to the UK fewer and fewer times, we still gain more from the membership discount than the annual fee. There is no problem about being resident in France. You can telephone their UK landline (you can ask them for an 01 number rather than the 08 number) to book or you can do it online.One of the perks is that you get a free breakfast in the restaurant, which is a great way to start the day before setting off south from St Malo.Over the years, I have always booked single journeys because I rarely know when I am coming back. I book at the last minute (except in high season), sometimes on day of the crossing. Unlike the airlines, they do not jack up the prices for late bookings. That is why I have kept my membership - because they are a great company to deal with.
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Visiting Mont St Michel on a Sunday could be taxing. When it's very busy, it's difficult to move around. If your short break includes a Monday, it would be better to go on a weekday.There is Chateua Bourbansais between St Malo and Rennes. It is a hands-on zoo, set in lovely gardens with guided tours around the chateau. Displays of hunting dogs and falcons. A little train to take you around the grounds. http://www.labourbansais.com/
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Welcome back, Dave, after a hard working season. I love your posts. They are so fluent and read so well. You should approach a literary agent.
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I jumped out of a Cessna aeroplane three times (with a parachute). Does that count?
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in The Complete France Post Bag
Posted
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land; When you can go no more hold me by the hand, Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. Remember me when no more day by day You tell me of our future that you planned: Only remember me; you understand It will be late to counsel then or pray. Yet if you should forget me for a while And afterwards remember, do not grieve: For if the darkness and corruption leave A vestige of the thoughts that once I had, Better by far you should forget and smile Than that you should remember and be sad.Christina Rossetti