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Traci

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Everything posted by Traci

  1. Having positioned myself safely in the drivers seat today and putting  a pen in my right hand i can confirm that my current very unsafe car in france at the moment has a stearing wheel on the right hand side!.......................now i want a stearing wheel on the other side of a new car!..........brain currently engaged as well, can anyone tell me if my original question which was right to start with is complete nonsense.  Also does anyone know if there is a car supermarket near bordeaux?  
  2. yes, you're right..........i do mean a rhd!.................its been a bad day!
  3. i'm not sure if i'm going completely mad but am currently looking at buying a new car for driving in france.  However, as i'm only looking at buying possibly citroen, renault or ford, i have looked at garages locally and also in the uk for a LH drive.  I have looked at websites in the UK who sell import cars (LH drive) and they seem cheaper to put on the road over there than over here. Is this right or i am just completely confused.  Also if i was to buy in the UK, by the time its registered over here would it push the price up by thousands or just a few hundred. Thanks...........and hope some of this makes some sense!
  4. The Ops daughter has a very similar situation to my own, I came to France a year ago with every intention of working and i would like to add that when married in the UK to succesful man also worked myself at this company.  My ex also told me that maintanance payments to my daughter and myself would continue, and they did to start until I left the main residence, then they stopped.  Since then life has been made harder, and I have been working here although its sporadic and cannot be relied upon.  My french friends told me that I may be able to get some help through the welfare system which does apparently cover some medical costs etc and make life slightly easier for us.  The Ops grandchild has a problem and they are concerned about this, this was another suggestion to try and help them.  The Ops daughter will also be a single parent in France.  Having currently recieved zero money so far from the french goverment, I do not have the knowledge to be able to tell them if she will be eligible for this or not.  The welfare system here hasn't told me yes or no yet, so I don't know.  My first reply was to basically ask people who may have experiance of this, was it a possibility or not.  The child benefit will stop when she leaves the UK, well mine did.  The Ops daughters husband will not leave the property, thus making life difficult for her.  They already feel fairly certain that when she leaves the UK he will not pay the maintanance, and court order or not (and I am very knowledgeable about this) when the ex's don't want to pay, they don't. When trying to claim entitlement in the UK, you have to show the court orders or arrangements you have with your husband to get some of these benefits.  After seeing these they then decide if you are entitled to anything or not, and it makes no differance if the spouse is paying or not.  The fact is the court order rules and the benefits system in the UK works around this regardless of non paying spouses.  Hence i couldn't claim.  The CSA (child support agency) is swamped under and running at least 18 months behind on new claims, they have introduced new measures to tackle non paying spouses but these will not be introduced for another year or so.  So at least they are aware of this husbands past antics and aren't expecting anything for their daughter or her children.  Unless these people have a money tree in their garden, they will be interested to know about any possibility that may help their daughter. The work i'm doing here is varied, painting - interior & exterior, curtain making and soft furnishings, garden designing, upholstery, decking, I already said earlier its sporadic and I use most of these funds in taking my ex back to court for his non- payments, and just trying to survive here.  I currently don't have any medical provision for either of us, so i just pay the amount due and hope that nothing serious happens to either of us, and want to get this aspect sorted out as well.........................and as for being tarred with my brush!.........well you should try eating bread for 3 weeks and telling a child there's nothing else as mummy can't afford it.  I'm doing the best i can for now and remaining positive.    
  5. Traci

    ESP

    thanks Will, spot on, thats what i need it for, will have to wait for it then until next month.
  6. Hi, im in area 33 near Bordeaux, thanks
  7. I spent a huge amount of money getting divorced, but hey...........solicitors are professionals at this field and know the system.  I know i never qualifed for legal aid either so i was stuck with a massive bill to pay.  However your daughter as she is in council accommadation may have this facility available to her, but i do know that if the divorce goes to a final hearing, the legal aid may stop beforehand and she would have to represent herself. As i can't afford a solicitor anymore in the UK to fight my battles for me, and finding information out about complex family law problems free of charge is extremely difficult.  The internet seemed too vague to ever apply to my situation, the CAB would make suggestions, but more often proved useless, and there is another organisation that do offer free advice on legal matters but don't offer advice on family law.  As i had to represent myself in court for problems after the final hearing  i found a company of lawyers in the UK, who were really fab.  They won't represent you but they will give you all the information you need and write letters and legalise everything for you and warn you of the repercussions if you're going down the wrong route.  I paid £85 for my most recent battle, represented myself, and although i was shaking and my voice quivering, I came out smiling.  I had defended myself against my ex and his barrister, and apart from the judge sorting out Decembers problems, he had also been stuffed with their own costs, which was another thing they were trying to get from me.  For a divorce they would obviously charge alot more but its another option worth considering although it would only add to her current stress levels and whether or not she has any fight left in her to cope with this.  Another thing is the credit card debts, are they in the husbands name?
  8. Can anyone tell me some website addresses in France where i can purchase taped headings, curtain weights etc and all the other stuff required when making handmade curtains.  I've looked locally and even finding a decent fabric shop is proving difficult............so i dread to think how far i would need to travel to find all my other stuff.  Thanks
  9. Traci

    ESP

    i used to buy this product in B & Q, is there an equilavent here or something similar.  Thanks
  10. looks similar to the mini lop, but as this is a french bunny.........oh la la..............i wondered if this was a breed in its own right, or the french translation of something else..........perhaps pregnant! anyway i've inherited one and just wanted to know some more info about them or if the fat tummy perhaps is a result of eating too much cheese!
  11. Does anyone know if a bellier nairn, or something like this is a dwarf rabbit or will it be a regular size when fully grown?
  12. The whole point was the fact that when my daughter and I needed financial help in the UK, it was not there to help us, not at all.  My ex ignored all court rulings and basically done nothing, apart from making the odd payment when a penal notice was issued, which is what i have needed to do.  We got nothing in the way of benefits so teamedup you will be relieved to know that your hard earned cash wasn't helping us.  I paid into the system for over 20 years as well and at the higher rate of tax, but could have easily ended up homeless if it wasn't for the help of my family.  My home in france is not a holiday home but a main residence, and we came for peace of mind and to escape the constant abuse that we were subjected to.  My privaliged lifestyle (joke) had a price, and I paid highly whilst in the UK.  Regardless however, I had never tried claiming for anything before in my life, things change, and you sometimes have to do things you wouldn't have ordinarily done, and whilst not comfortable with my current situation, I can at least try and find out, afterall i've been filling in paperwork for 4 months now and haven't received anything so far!............but i have been told its possible?!.....and why shouldn't young mum try? I've never needed to scrounge before, am doing all sorts of strange and varied things to try and earn some money, but the child benefit  equivalent would make things an awful lot easier. Also i'm still fairly new to this forum, but i do manage to find lots of helpful stuff out, which i thought was the whole point of people asking questions on here, and before I go, one of my friends in the UK sent me the welfare state thing, it made me laugh and at least my sense of humour is still intact, even though my bank account isn't. Good Wishes Traci (not so young mum)!  
  13. TIRED OF YOUR JOB? Sick of working 40 hours or more each week just to Feed your family? Would you like to relax all day and still have all the Benefits of a full time job? If you answered yes to any of these questions then You should consider moving to     ENGLAND The Welfare Country FREE HOUSING FREE UTILITIES FREE FOOD FREE MEDICAL SERVICES FREE TRANSPORTATION FREE LEGAL SERVICES This programme is not limited to 3 or 6 months Like other countries. In England you can collect for life Some of our families have received benefits for 2 or 3 Generations. So if you would like to receive all of this Without working for a living contact - THE BENEFITS AGENCY England, the country where only suckers work!!!! Well I did work, very hard, got married, got divorced and should have financially been very comfortable, I have my own house here in France and am much happier with my daughter than I have been in years.  Except for the fact that every few months I have to keep re-visiting the UK, and going back to court to face my ex husband all over again for his non payments.  He is a very succesful man and made our lives a living nightmare during the divorce.  As every woman will appreciate when you are looking after children there is only so much trauma you can cope with.  I had never intended seeking french benefit for my child but there comes a time when you need help.  When i was in the UK, the benefits agency laughed at me, several properties, child in private school, good maintanance payments on paper, the fact that my husband didn't pay me, didn't pay the school fee's, didn't pay the mortgages etc was irrelavant.  They gave me absolutely nothing!................no differant to my ex!....................You get to a point and you just think there has to be another way for the moment to get on with living without issuing penal notices every 2 months, spending more on legal fee's and then end up back where you started.    France doesn't owe me anything, but England does, and when I needed help most it couldn't help me, but I believe the EU has a responsiblity for all children, english included.  Tell your daughter to come here, its not easy by any means, but she has to have a life worth living with her children, and will need plenty of support.
  14. Hi, I think your daughter is taking a massive step but one for the better.  I done exactly the same thing last year and came to France as a single parent with my young daughter, although all my family are still in the UK.  What i have learned and am still muddling my way through the system that single parent families are allowed to claim off the goverment here (similar to child benefit) only they are allowed more money, I think its about 700 euro's per month and with this you get the majority of medical expenses covered.  However as I am still submitting paperwork and my french is completely useless, somebody else more informed may be able to tell you more precise information, but this is what I have been led to believe so far.  However i wish her the very best of luck................best wishes Traci
  15. HI, My daughter started in September last year and  now quotes "I didn't come to France to become a maths Genius!"........................I had seen the class teacher 3 times about her frustrations and was only told that its difficult when there are 26 kids in the class of all abilities and also an english girl to teach.  When the teacher found out about my appointment with the head, she tried to humilate my daughter infront of the class saying that her mother had no business in seeing the headmistress, and that I should only be speaking with her.  My daughter at this point knew nothing of my intended visit and begged me not to go into the school again, she didn't want a repeat of the teaching huffing round and using words she wouldn't be able to understand and having the entire class stare at her. A few week earlier the teacher was awarding prizes for the most well behaved table, my daughters table won the prize.  The other 3 children were given 4 sweets whilst my daughter was only given 3.  The teacher told her she didn't deserve 4 as she talked too much!!!!!!!!!..................and in french of course!! I'm just hoping that my daughter knows enough french to move into CM2 in September and will not have to repeat another year in this class!
  16. poop, i'm in trouble then! hadn't wanted to bother with all that registering stuff as its going back in a few months and also heard that i'ld need to then register in the UK to sell it there..................but I can't keep it off the road either as its the only one i have at the moment.  Isn't there an easier solution?
  17. Hi, I have a UK registered car with current UK insurance, however just relised that it only covers me for being one month abroad.  I don't want to register my car here as I want to sell it in the UK later this year, but I do need insurance.  So what i would like to know is, which companies are easy to deal with, and without being ripped off and what do i need in the way of documents etc.  I am in area 33 . Thanks
  18. Yes its certainly possible, as i was seeing the headmistress as my 10 year old is extremely bored and frustrated within her class.  However as my french is somewhat terrible, i had taken a french friend with me to translate everything i didn't understand, so was very surprised to be told this.  My daughter has a floating teacher to help her with the language  visit the school twice a week but the rest of the time her class teacher either gives her maths to do or is just told to get on with something!..........The something my daughter normally picks is art and design based and then told off for being a disruption within the classroom as the other children find her work obviously more interesting.  She understands the language well now but is by no means fluent, and i was also told by the head that she is also challenging the teacher.  Its difficult to believe that she can do this, but unable according to the teacher participate in other lessons. Thanks for all the help so far.
  19. Hi, My daughter who was 10 in January is in CM1 which I had thought was the correct year for her.  However after seeing the headmistress recently I seemed to think that my daughter should be in CM2. Thanks
  20. Hi, i'm moving to Bordeaux next month, and am currently trying to sort a phone line and internet package out ready for the new house before i go.  In the UK i have a tiscali package which is reasonably priced and looking for something similar in France.  Does anyone have any suggestions who i can try, who is helpful, who speaks english etc and also a good reliable package?
  21. Hi Cathy, thanks for your reply, we will be in Hourtin.  Are you living anywhere near there with your family and if so, can you recommend any schools?..........Thanks for your help.
  22. Hi, i am currently using a legal firm in Birmingham who advertise all aspects of french law covered etc.   However don't use them!!!!!!!.......i'm really yet to discover what their role is after i'ld paid the money up front.  In the end what I needed to resort to was seeing the notaire in France with a translator present and sorting my contract out that way, it was easy!........ ....I'm still having dealings with the Birmingham firm and really still unconvinced by their professional services offered!..................I won't be holding my breath!
  23. Hi, i'm moving to the Gironde at some point within the next 2 - 3 months with my daughter aged 9.  I am going through a divorce and its financially cheaper to move to our home there.  However i need urgent help, the french house is in joint names and the final payment is being made in 4 weeks, it was  a new build.  I have been told that to have my ex's  name taken off the deeds, the notaire will do this for 6% approx of half the value of the property, and cannot be done until we have made the final payment.  Is there a cheaper way to do this or is this the only way. My solicitor is asking me what the cost of living will be, well as you can imagine having never lived there i have no idea!  So can i please have some idea on what to expect to be paying out initially, average bills, usual costs, shopping etc, rates, everything will help and the sooner the better and any surprises that i wouldn't be expecting.  Is anything cheaper and whats more expensive...........................hurry with replies as i'm pulling my hair out! Thanks for any help offered..........Traci  
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