Nearly Retired (I am now)

We rent our tank from TotalGaz and I think it's a 1000kg one - it's as you say, about 3m long and 1+ m high and hidden by a hedge. If I recall correctly, red wine permitting, the minimum top up is 200kg. We've had 2 fills since buying the house - 250kg and 400kg. They turn up within a week of booking. We've had one inspection periodique - in our case I think it's once every 3 years. The technician checked the tank and pipe, made noises about how close it was to the boundary and stuck a new sticker on it. Maybe the Total website gives you more details, but a pretty colour brochure we got when we signed the contract gives lots of info about tank types, positions (underground if you want), moving etc.

Yes, because I took up the £25 per crossing offer before it became the £21 per crossing offer. Hence..."I'm still working my way through a batch of Speedferries £25 each way tickets." When I've used all those I'll be on the £21 ones.

"Good deal" ...er......IMHO.....no! I'm still working my way through a batch of Speedferries £25 each way tickets. I can travel anytime during the day - especially when they have a sailing!

Here's another slant on this one. We have aUK TV working in France just fine with Sky. I fancy watching some French TV on a portable sized set (in the kitchen) but am dismayed at the cost of decent small sets in France. Can I buy a Philips portable in England, take it to France and tune in to Secam broadcasts there?  I am expecting "Yes", but who knows?

That's really interesting. They don't tell you that. I had always assumed it was just tough luck, so - cheap ticket, cancelled crossing  =  a refund after a couple of month's wait at best.  

Thanks for the quick response. As I said, the website doesn't answer the question and I didn't ever want to be put in the position of queuing for ages at the tunnel and then deciding the fare was too much! Can you turn around at the check-in?  If so, a night in Boulogne with a good meal followed by the next day's Speedferries sailing could work out OK too. Anyway, depending on pressures to get back to UK, although £127 is a lot, it isn't the end of the world as we have saved that many times over as Speedferries regulars.

The recent rough weather in the channel has got me thinking. If say Speedferries were unable to sail and I wanted to just turn up and go by car at the Tunnel what would the fare be? The website proudly tells me how low they can go, but it gives no idea of how high - does anybody know? Ideally it would be good to know the cost each way, but I suppose I'm more interested in Calais - Folkestone. Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it would help pay off a proportion of their debt. 

Gaz,   If your friend still has the tower available please post here. (My email has just changed from the registered one so I won't be able to get it.) I'm near St Jean D'Angely from mid February. 

It could be what's known as "roof-spread". Does the house roof span onto the affected wall in such a direction that if you flattened the roof down, it would make the walls bow out ?. If so, then a few tie bars across could be your answer or perhaps tying the horizontal roof beams properly to the top of the walls might sort it out? 

We opened our current account with Credit Agricole in Charente-Maritime / Deux-Sevres last year. We get a cheque book and a simple cash machine card. It costs us 3.55 euros a month with fantastic "personal banker" service. Faxed instructions (The first payment to EDF when we had no cheque book, standing orders, one-off payments, direct transfers to other accounts etc.) are confirmed back to us in England by phone, nothing seems too big a problem for them - brilliant!! The cash machine card is limited for use only in Charente-Maritime and Deux Sevres If only we could get a similar service here in UK. PS We declined a better bank card that we could use in shops and petrol stations too as it would cost another couple of euros a month and we didn't think we'd need it.      

I am not so sure this "Pool regulation farce...." will generate more tax for the government. I was very close to installing a new pool for (private use only) and was a little dismayed at the total cost. The safety fence issue, as I understand it so far, seems cloudy and EXPENSIVE. So, we have delayed the pool installation for a while until things get clearer (and I earn a bit more!). That's 30000 euros we haven't spent this year.

The new A28 Alencon to Rouen autoroute is definitely open. The 27th must have been the first "proper" day because the locals were peering down from the bridges and suited people (architects, planners - who knows?) taking pictures of the loos at one of the stops !!!. We drove north up it yesterday coming onto the motorway system at Saumur. It cost us 11.40 euros more than the usual cost (previously as far as Alencon only). I reckon it saved nearly an hour on the old N138. There are only a couple of "aires" open so far, but I saw one petrol station being built. There's no fuel to buy for a long way, so make sure you've enough. I also spotted a speed trap radar tripod catching southbound traffic - so soon, amazing! The new road has got two sections where it narrows down to a single lane each way with a 50kph limit on viaducts across valleys. It seemed to me that the planners have only allowed for narrow bridges at this stage and may upgrade them when traffic flow demands and finances permit. This may cause a few hold-ups in summer peaks - but who cares, it's still a massive improvement on the old road.

I take on board (ho, ho) others' comments about Speedferries not being suitable for everyone. However, the observations do not change the "exorbitant" prices charged by some of the others. Of course it may well be very cost effective to use another operator at a higher price if it suits you - but it doesn't change the actual price charged though! With a bit of luck all fares will come down to sensible levels if Speedferries aren't put out of business by the predators. Last summer I paid £170 on the other Seacat operator (Dover - Calais) and thought I had a really good deal at the time. I suspect I was being ripped off big time. Speedferries fares now prove it. Rant over.

Are the moaners talking about the same Speedferries service I use. Seven return trips this year so far - every one on time and 3 of the 07.45 Dover departures left 10 minutes early. Bargain price and it's done wonders for the prices of the other operators. Tunnel - who uses the Tunnel at those silly prices ? - even the so called cheap ones.   

Yes, I've now had two estimates for a 10 x 5 pool with about a 2m wide terrasse on 3 sides and 1m wide on the other. Both quotes were from reputable firms. Trouble is, I need 15m of 2m high masonry wall and a fence to add to all this and so am looking at €30,000 for the pool + €10,000 for the enclosure. Plus covers and the like. I'm not proceeding with the pool plan at the moment. The kidney shaped ones with the water pumped through the steps legs really do look a lot cheaper. I will look into it one day. But, for the moment €40,000 is a bit much for the odd dip between April and September.   

Do you know, we have got the exact same problem in our house. The WC pan was put in by the previous owner in 1986. We have changed the (wooden) seat but the smell still pervades. We then took a chance with the possible effect on the fosse and used all manner of chemicals to clean the ceramic pan. The smell is much reduced - but still there, especially if you put your head right in it. I guess that the glaze on the ceramic pan has worn and the china itself is impregnated with the pong. We will soon be getting a new pan too. P S I don't think we killed the fosse!  

Well thanks guys - this proves the worth of such a forum. My question has been answered. We still don't appear to be any the wiser about "WHY?", but it certainly seems that discounts are hard to find outside special promotions and it's probably not worth wasting one's time looking for them. My time on here has been well spent - Thanks.

[quote]No I don't ask for a discount for everything. If an estimate seems reasonable I accept it. I don't haggle in Sainsbury's so why should I haggle at the garage or with builders? I can refuse any estimat...[/quote] Mr Esteemed Guru surely it is not your place to get personal and be  put out when some interloper upsets your fiefdom. Kindly read my initial post and tell me where I'm being mean - looking for good value I call it. If you pay full price for any big-ticket item you're either shy or have too much money. Now, you tell me - did you pay full price for your car? In my experience every quote from a business for a costly item is open to negotation - it now just seems to me not to be the way in France for building. Maybe it's the devi culture - as it's a contract document and written down then maybe it's just too much to change it again.  

What a boring lot you are. My comments were deliberately controversial ( I said so) so as to get a bit of a chat going. It seems I managed to upset one or two. Why be so defensive about the country you've chosen to escape to - it not all perfect, not everybody is fair and reasonable and it does have its faults you know!  I'll ask again I wonder why I find it more difficult to get say 10% off here rather than in UK. Does everybody pay full price for everything e.g house, cars etc.  

Thanks for the advice. I sort of expected peak rate to run until 7.00pm on weekdays. What about the numerous public holidays? They're no longer cheap rate in England. 

Thanks for the views. Mine, for what it's worth, is that the average frenchman lives in the "comfort zone". A bit controversial I know but that's how I see it. Maybe it's a little bit like the UK 30 years ago (And maybe that's why we are here now.) I don't accept the better quality bit - I've very good idea about building pricing, I do it for a living. I just guess the attitude is that "the day starts at 9 stops 12 until 2 and ends around 6. I can only get so much done in that time, and expect a good day's pay for it." Back to the fence: it's to be 3m long & 2m high with already fixed posts at each end. The chippy wanted to do it in tongue and groove floorboards rather than panels - I thought it might look quite good when he proposed it but not 1000 euros. 2 panels and an afternoon's work with my neighbour will sort it. I'm even minded to bring the panels from UK!!!!

We don't use our phone much but it would be useful to know what exactly peak and off peak means here. In UK I understand peak to be 08.00am to 18.00pm Mon-Fri and the rest is off-peak.

Er, I meant £15000.

If it helps the two of us with a smaller house, less land, no horses, no kids may retire here in a year or three. We've done the numbers several times and I think 15000 euros a year income before tax would be very tight indeed.

I'm not talking in the supermarket or the marche for that matter, but I do like to get the best price I can for the "big items". Not had much success though. 1) A carpenter gave my (french) neighbour and I a devis for a bit of fence work on the shared boundary. At 1000 euros it was way over a fair price. My neighbour suggested only 800 euros and the carpenter replied (in french!) " take it or leave it". We left it. 2) A swimming pool firm gave me a devis of around 35000 euros for a 10 x 5 pool with 2m wide terrace all around. I told them it was a bit much and they reduced it by 800 euros and would budge no further. I've had offers of unknown specification through this site for 20000 -ish so I reckon there must be some scope for movement in the 35k price. I will now have no fence and no pool by next summer. Is it just me, or do others find the artisans hard to beat down.