cooperlola
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Posts posted by cooperlola
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[quote user="powerdesal"]Auchan ......'A' 'ocean'[:D]
[/quote]A friend of mine went to Calais for the day and asked a frenchman for the directions to Auchan, using this method of pronouncing it. She was helpfully sent to the sea-side! -
What I should have said of course was, Sunday Driver will know.
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0,12 euros a minute, Benjamin
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Cassis/Geordie
Yes. If you read my reply to somebody's query on here earlier today about house insurance, you will see that I got lumbered with a very inefficient insurance agent for the same reason! However, I have encountered said young lady behind the counter at Mortagne a couple of times and she is very helpful. My neighbours who also used FI are still with the Mortagne branch and do find her good.
It was a question then, as it probably was for you, of still holding down a job in the UK while setting everything up and it seemed quicker and easier to let him handle this stuff. Now I have more time on my hands, I've learnt a little more and do these things myself. But then I don't have the language problem so I guess it's easier for me than for some.
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39, rue des 15 fusilles du Maquis, 61400, Mortagne au Perche 08 20 82 00 01
But BNP are not cheap! My estate agent fixed me up with this branch when I moved but it has proved too far from me to be of much use so havn't dealt with them a lot and have gone back to Britline. However, as I say, one of the young women behind the counter speaks good English so it's a good place to start.
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We have a concrete pond in our garden - home to 9 goldfish when we arrived, currently around 50 or so (two years later)!
Last year, the concrete began to crack so we put a plastic liner in it, which has solved the leak problem. However, in spite of my surrounding it with some nice rocks, the top of the inside of said pond looks pretty ugly. I would like some suggestions as to plants I could grow around the perimeter of the pond which would evetually grow over the side and into the water. It is a partially shaded and sheltered spot.
Any ideas?
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I'm not on a 106. I live here and am just about to begin to pay into the French system. (she, by the way)
By the way, the link works fine now, thanks.
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There's a woman at BNP Paribas in Mortagne au Perche who speaks English!
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"spent hours" is a bit of a giveaway. I think it's very difficult to learn a language on your own but my advice would be to do it little and often. You will certainly get your head in a spin if you go at it for too long. I speak reasonable French but my husband doesn't. Trying to get him to sit down for ages gets us nowhere. Ten minutes here and there works better.
Try putting post-it notes on, say, a dozen objects around the house with the french translation on them so you slowly increase your vocabulary. Tune into a French language radio station and have it on in the background as much as possible - you'll be surprised how you absorb the feel of the language even if you're not actually listening! Watch a DVD movie you are familiar with, with the French soundtrack. Buy a couple of childrens' books in French (again, start with ones where you know what's happening - ie a familiar story) with lots of illustrations and sit down together and just try to figure out what they say. Make it fun. Spend five minutes a day when the two of you speak nothing but French.
Don't despair. It does take a long time and different approaches work for different people - you'll get there.
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I think that Microsoft Works has an Outlook type programme ( it certainly says in their website that it handles e-mails). As I have Micosoft Office pro I have a couple of works discs which I've got with our laptops so if you want one I will send it to you foc. PM me if you're interested.
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I use http://www.sfpn.com/ . In spite of the web site they speak English. Although not based in the Orne, I deal with them from here (Sarthe) by phone, e-mail and post and have had no problems at all.
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[quote user="Benjamin"]Watch out!
You're just about to be sold car hire in Canada[8-)]
Benjamin
[/quote]Pretty much what occured to me! Think I'll just say I can't drive if this comes up. -
Your link above isn't working, don't know what the problem is?
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I've had a quick search for previous postings on this subject and didn't immediately find anything but apologies if it's covered here.
In the UK now, I know you get a little pink card as a resident so you can claim mutually agreed EU health benefits when travelling. When I make trips to the UK, do I need something similar from here and how do I get it? I have travel insurance but normally, I think these policies tend only to cover amounts over and above what is paid by member states.
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I am going to Canada next week. Suddenly the travel agent said to me "bring your driving licence" (don't know why as I'm not hiring a car).
In common with many people on this forum I have retained my UK driving licence although I have moved over here and on the advice of the DVLA when I moved, have just written my new address in the "change of address" section (old-style paper licence).
Questions : Has anybody been to Canada recently and been asked to show their licence and for what reason? Anybody had any problems with this?
An obscure one I know but somebody may have encountered it before.
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Before I left the UK my own vet there had changed from recommending Frontline as a matter of course, to Advantix. He was adamant (and he was a mate so I don't think this was a push from the pharmacutical company) that it was better. Have used it ever since and the flee problem has improved.
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I had exactly the same thing happen to me. A company in Caen (not Britline) used to insure my property for me and kept sending all the letters to my address in England in spite of the fact that we had moved only 6 weeks after completing the purchase on our house here in France. This June,(two years later) I had had no renewal notice so I wrote to them and e-mailed them saying that I had received no communications from them in spite of my having notified them of my change of address about 6 times in the past year. Meanwhile, I, like you, fixed up the renewal with a new company.
They then miraculously "discovered" my "new" address and a renewal and demand for money appeared here in France, 3 weeks after the renewal date. Basically, I then wrote them a very rude letter and in words of not many sylables, told them to "go away". A week later, I received a form from them, formally ending my insurance agreement with that company. Be tough and don't pay up unless they threaten you. The French rules as such, I do not know in detail but the company seemed prepared to back down anyway so it was well worth a go - no doubt somebody else on this forum will tell you the legal ins and outs but meantime, take a look at the notaires website which can be helpful.
Persist, I think they will realise you have the moral highground here anyway.
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I also find this odd. Two weeks ago we sent off a passport renewal to the consulate and included a personal cheque. Stupid me, I forgot the centimes when I filled in the figures bit on my cheque. A couple of days later the cheque was returned but we were only asked to rewrite it so the figures matched (quite reasonable, my fault) and post it back. No question of their asking for a mandat cash. Do you think we'll get the cheque back again when they realise?
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Got my tax rebate yesterday. Others may be on the way.
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I asked for e-mail notifications but want to cancel them. I have done this both in my profile and in the specific topics but still I continue to receive them after 48 hours plus. I'm going away for 3 weeks and don't want to come back to hundreds of notifications please! Can anybody there please fix this?
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My husband and I have just received a letter from the Revenue as we both pay volunary contributions. Basically it says that if you've paid into the fund for more than 30 years "you should seriously consider whether you should delay further Class 2/3 contributions until it is clear whether the rules will change. If you decide that you want to continue to pay, you might not be able to get a refund if it turns out that you need not have paid them." Interesting, what? In the circs, we have cancelled my husband's as he had paid for 38 years but have left mine running for now as I haven't paid a full "stamp" for so long. No doubt most people will be getting this letter but if not, maybe it's worthwhile enquiring?
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Right first time, shouldn't have asked...
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[quote user="Ecossais"]
AB’s question was about his O2 UK SIM - One of the key differences between how
All that you need to do is make sure that the number / SIM remains active on the network.
It varies by network, but so long as a quick chargeable outgoing call is made at least once every 3 months, the number will not be disconnected and the credit will remain intact.
If a number is disconnected through lack of use, the credit is lost.
As
Orange SIMs need to be activated via their website or by calling a
[/quote]I'm pretty sure that a text would work equally well to keep your contract "alive" wouldn't it? -
What can Phil's get-togethers be like? Or perhaps I shouldn't ask!
learning the language
in French Language
Posted
Whenever I read smug threads on this website about they can't understand why us second-home owners aren't totally fluent, it makes by blood boil!
[/quote]And so it should. I was just lucky enough to have spent my holidays with a French family when I was little so I got a head start. But language learning doen't come naturally to everybody so more power to your elbow if you're having a go and are sticking with it. My experience with regard to my husband is that the French don't care about this too much - they are just delighted he has a go and egg him on when he tries. More than a few have commented on his "sexy English accent" (sic). Brits seem to be much more "up themselves" on this subject than the locals!