mint

Yes, I have read that Amazon and other big firms have made the arrangements.  The handling charges, however, is another matter. Many small suppliers have talked about the cost to them of doing the paperwork and other additional stuff for which they are unable to absorb the cost.

Thanks for the answers.  I shall go with Sue 's suggestion; so warm water and a damp cloth it is. Thank you again.

Lehaut, I remember so well all the "NON" signs propped up on hay bales at the time of the proposed new airport north of Nantes.  Now, of course, the proposal has been kicked into the long grass. You should see all the NON to éolians signs sprayed onto roads near where I live.  And, like the airport, they have been doing a feasibility study for years now.

[quote user="NormanH"]Stirring things up without saying anything useful or helpful is  common in these Fora, but we have recently been infested with these pests that try to sting, but  only manage to stink. [/quote] The irrepressible poet coming out in you, Norman?[:)]  Pretty good as rhymes go......[:D]

Do you mind telling me what you use? I used to wipe it over with those damp paper tissues that I cleaned my spectacles with.  But it really doesn't do the job properly. Was wondering whether I could use a glass cleanser (stuff you use for windows) and soft cloth. Sue, what do you suggest?  Anyone has any suggestions SVP?

Nor me, ET.  Don't know why this person seems to know me SO well[:D]  Asking me to take a Ricard, when I don't drink any alcohol[:P]

I have ordered some mask liners from Amazon.  5 layers and apparently can prevent microscopic particles, etc; can't remember what all the layers were for.  Only thing is, it takes about 3 weeks to arrive....probably from China, I imagine, and they should know about masks by now, don't you think?[:-))]

What a nice surprise that the cost is affordable[:D] We don't have the throw-away ones because we are trying to cut down on our rubbish.  We do have washable ones with a pocket into which I insert a thick piece of kitchen roll.  Don't know if it works but it does feel different, not actually harder to breathe but you have to wear it for about 15-20 minutes before you get used to it. With no vaccination in sight for us, I am following closely all the coronavirus news.  So thank you to all those posting about this as and when new info arrives.

Everything like that has become good news even if it is only "for the future". Meanwhile, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (Janssen in French!) should be approved by the EMA about mid March.  That is a single dose one and keeps at -5 in a fridge.  Should be more manageable even for the tardy French?[:P]

But, Lehaut, have the locals been consulted?[:D]

Judith, I am sending you a PM

[url]https://www.sudouest.fr/france/covid-19-en-france-toujours-pas-d-explosion-toujours-pas-de-certitude-1341686.php[/url] Well, even if the experts and politicians do not know what the coronavirus is going to do next, that in itself is some sort of certainty? And no, I didn't know what that first phrase in the article meant until I googled it![:)]

Well you have all had personal experience and can speak about that. As for me, give me the side effects, the headaches, the aches, etc.  I'd pay to have those but I don't think I'll be experiencing this nocebo effect for a long time yet[:D]

And there are still people who believe that the earth is flat?[:D]

[quote user="Ken"]First, I said that daily deaths in France exceed that of the U.K. That isn't fake news. 2nd, voting and having an interest in politics are two different things. 3rd most of your rant concerns yourself and Brits. I was talking about how I have found French people to general be. Stop being hysterical and you will see that what I have written is accurate, at least as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps you think Le Pen will be President! Or perhaps what induced your diatribe was that I criticised the E.U. I too follow politics quite closely, French, American and British but I don't usually brag about it![/quote] Ranting, hysterical?  What utter rubbish you talk.  Well, perhaps I shouldn't use the word "rubbish".....I avoided it in my first post and tried not to be "personal".  I was disagreeing with your statement, certainly not bragging about myself or anything like that. And I do disagree profoundly that "voting and having an interest in politics are two different things"!  How do you draw that conclusion?  Do we not vote because we have ideas, concepts maybe even ideals and want to change or at least shake things up a bit?  Why do people take sides, argue, go to the polls?  If none of that constitute an interest in politics, what is it about then? As for whoever it was that asked if I knew French people who could name a politician besides the president, the answer is, of course, I do.  My neighbours, the cantonnièr, our gardener who came yesterday, all the French friends I walk with weekly, the French friends I go on holidays with....I can assure you that the notion that "French people aren't interested in politics" is as ridiculous as it is insulting. I am not in the habit of discussing things with people who can make such an incorrect statement as to say I think le Pen will become president.  I certainly think no such thing, at least not at the present time, this far away still from next year's election.  And anyway, I'd thank you not to impute intentions and thoughts to me that I do NOT have.

Thank you for that, Norman.  I was thinking of asking for the vaccine, in fact, making out a case at least for OH to get his on account of his age and our total inability to book a RV even tens of kilometres from home.  In fact, we have tried 4 of the 6 centres in the Dordogne, the other 2 being completely impossible to go to under our own steam. Now, I am going to wait until the situation becomes clearer.

This has really caught my interest, not least because Périgueux is our administrative centre and I use the hospitals there[:-))] [url]https://www.sudouest.fr/sante/coronavirus/nouvelle-aquitaine/des-agents-de-l-hopital-de-perigueux-denoncent-les-effets-du-vaccin-astrazeneca-1335072.php[/url] And yet, the UK has vaccinated millions with this vaccine and I have not heard any stories like the one above?

Well, that's a bit of a turnaround, isn't it, ALBF? I thought you'd said in the past that you didn't think the CDS served any purpose, that you didn't have one and didn't intend to apply for one? Also, weren't you seriously considering moving yourself and your family to the UK?  In which case you wouldn't need a French CDS?

[quote user="Ken"]Marine Le Pen will never be President. speak to French people and you will hear this time and time again. Macron will win be default! As regards the virus: Deaths in France now exceed those of the U.K. Whatever the reason, herd immunity or vaccinations, that the rates of disease and deaths has plummeted is great news for the U.K. If, and I don't think it likely, the French people are actually well aware of the cock-up made by the E.U. then it wouldn't bode well for Macron. Unfortunately I don't think the average French person is too interested in politics; or at least beyond what they see on the t.V.!![/quote] I really cannot let a sweeping statement like that pass without contesting it.  Where on earth did you get an idea like that? I live in a village of less than 500 and for both local and national elections, the turn-out is between 95 and 98%!  That hardly points to a lack of interest does it? As I myself am intensely interested in politics, I often speak or write about this subject to French friends that I have made in the 2 départements in France where I have lived.  They are not by any means all parochial or rural folk, in case anyone assume that. In reality, what I find is a distinct lack of interest in British people that I know.  When we first came to live in our village, there were at least 2 British couples who have lived here in excess of 20 years and who had NEVER voted in municipal or Euro elections.  They'd be hard pushed to name a French politician apart from the president.  And these people are not untypical. As for covid death figures, it doesn't matter whether you count them daily, weekly or monthly or since the start of the pandemic and we start counting, the French figures are simply BETTER.  OTOH, you can't compare British and French numbers of vaccinated.  The UK has vaccinated between 6 and 7 times more than the French. It would be good if people back up what they say or at least check up on their facts before posting "fake news".  Maybe, they have read up too much on American politics and not enough of the politics of the country in which they live[:D][:P]

nomoss, I haven't had an answer to my question yet and any thinking or commenting around the subject might indeed elicit an answer from someone. Apology not necessary[:)]

Nomoss, I wasn't talking about banks.  Don't need smartphone for Nationwide, Banque Postale or even Currency Fair. I was asking specifically about the subject topic[:)]

[quote user="sid"]Mint, I had to look this up because I thought it was only for ANTS but I see now that it provides access to a lot of official sites. Did you get your postman to validate yours initially [/quote] To answer your question, Sid, yes.  The facteur came and looked at my passport and he inputed some data into that electronic gadget they all now carry around.  And the l'identité numérique has worked a treat when I have had to use it. It's part of the "Connect France" system so if you have the bureau de la poste way of identifying yourself all sites which accept CF should allow you to access their site.

Many moons ago, when the first large public surveys of whether the French would agree to be vaccinated, a very large proportion said "non".  BUT, there was a sizeable group who said they'd wait for and will accept  the French Sanofi vaccine. What will these people do now?  Continue to refuse the vaccination or just be glad to get any vaccine at all, especially now when the biggest lottery win in France is getting vaccinated? [url]https://www.sudouest.fr/sante/coronavirus/vaccin/coronavirus-l-un-des-vaccins-de-sanofi-ne-sera-pas-pret-en-2021-1314570.php[/url]

Written by a GP in the wild frozen land in the north of Scotland but it is heart-warming and sincere and possibly should be a must-read for anti-vaxxers. It's a long article so take your time and settle down with a warming drink by your side.  I think you will find it will be worth the effort. [url]https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/11/pure-liquid-hope-what-coronavirus-covid-vaccine-means-to-a-gp-doctor?utm_term=1ce77bfc049dbc7dc5f68519948db182&utm_campaign=TheLongRead&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=longread_email[/url]

Yes, UK has certainly been impressive with their vaccinations. The thing that seems really odd to me is that nobody in the French government seems particularly worried.  Véran makes Hancock look a model of efficiency. As for Macron, apart from making predictable noises, he hasn't actually been much in evidence. And Castex, what can I say?  You were right from the very beginning calling him M Casse Tête. I no longer worry about our vaccinations, no point and getting really stressed about it.  We have led very cautious lives right from the beginning.  Even in the summer when restrictions were briefly relaxed, we didn't go to restaurants or see anybody indoors and only 2 or 3 times outdoors and only 1 or 2 other people.  Shopping only when absolutely necessary and I have cooked everything for ourselves from scratch so as not to eat foods such as bread that might be contaminated. I have to admit to you, id, that I sometimes find everything extremely depressing.