5-element
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Posts posted by 5-element
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TU, do you mean the snazzy multi-function Swiss army knives??? So that's what all those gadgets are for!
I always fancied that if I was attacked, the best bit to use to defend myself would be the saw - lethal!!!
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http://www.linternaute.com/expression/langue-francaise/496/avoir-un-ticket/
Not too detailed, but still...
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Great research, Cassis - but it should be OK, I'll have enough with what RH will be bringing me, I don't need much[:D]
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Russet House, when you come you will have to stay in the gite nearby since we don't have any space in the house[:)].
But since you are coming anyway, can you bring the items on your list, but can you make it M & S Gold tea (or Yorkshire tea but definitely not Twinings), and some Cussons Ivory Soap, and some mango powder, asafoetida, interdens toothpicks, and Boots wax earplugs please?
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No idea. Thinking about it, yes, it could mean that he gave me a ticket to book me for a dance with him, so "I have a ticket with him"???
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Kathie (Hastobe) - It is you who"have a ticket with him" (meaning he fancies you).
(Avoir un ticket avec quelqu'un) that's the expression. You would say "J'ai un ticket avec le boucher".
I love it when expressions get mixed-up[:D]
Somebody I know thought that a "porte-parole" (spokesperson) is the receptionist at the door.[:D]
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[quote user="Leslauriers"]
SOMMES A NE PAS DECLARER
- la retraite mutualiste du combattant ;
- les pensions militaires d'invalidité et de victime de guerre ;
On DLASOMMES A DECLARER CASES AS à ES
- les sommes perçues au titre des retraites publiques ou privées ;
- les rentes et pensions d'invalidité imposables, servies par les organismes de sécurité sociale ;
[/quote]and/but... also in Sommes a ne pas declarer:
* l'allocation aux Adultes Handicapes
so I presume that some advisers, in Centres des Impots, put Long-Term Incapacity Benefit in Sommes a declarer, and others put it in Sommes a ne pas Declarer.
Strictly speaking, you are right, LTIC is taxable in the UK and not means-tested (or is it now, I thought it had changed in the past few years?) - therefore, theoretically, it should be taxable here.
But, if the official tax advisor decides that it is exactly the same as the French AAH... which they definitely do in my local, then....
In our case I believe it would not make a difference to the final outcome - but that is neither here nor there, it would be good to have the definitive version, as we say in French, "ils devraient accorder leurs violons!"
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[quote user="Benjamin"][quote user="5-element"]Grecian - Incapacity benefits (are you talking about long-term Incapacity Benefit from the UK?)are not to be entered in your Tax return, it does not count as income anywhere, and you should not have to pay any tax on it whatsoever. At least this is our experience.[/quote]
According to the information that we were given last year by the Impôts (our first year of declaring in France), UK long term incapacity benefit is taxable in France even if it is not taxable in the UK.
Of course, as has already been mentioned on this thread, this may have been incorrect information from the Impôts. [:)]
[/quote]Wow! Curiouser and curiouser!
We were definitely told in our local Hotel des Impots, not to enter OH's Incapacity Benefit from the UK anywhere on our tax declaration.... since this is the same tax office who insist that we do have to pay Contributions Sociales on a UK State Pension (wrong), it seems to me that perhaps regional variations and (mis)interpretations are considerable?!
But wait a minute: Incapacity Benefit is the equivalent of the French AAH (Allocation Adulte Handicape). Doesn't it say clearly in the small print at the back of the Tax declaration that AAH is not taxable? Is this another discrepancy?
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Possum Girl - I have sent you a pm.
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It was love at first read for me with Michael Connelly too, and I think I have read all his books. Then you might also like Robert Crais, Jonathan Kellerman, Robert Parker, James Lee Burke, Harlan Coben - all have very good anti-heroes.
I would hardly put Michael Connelly in the category of French author, though[:D]
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Osteoporosis medication (mainly the bi-phosphonates, but also raloxifene) available in France is the same as in the UK. Up until July 2006, bone density scans (used to detect the degree of osteoporosis), were not reimbursed by the Secu, everyone knew that to be ridiculous. This meant that if you or your GP wanted a bone scan, you had to pay about 45 euros for one. Since July 2006, it is completely reimbursed for certain categories of people - if your wife has osteoporosis or osteopenia, she would be in that category. Then it is up to the "medecin traitant" (the GP your wife would be registered with) to prescribe medication. If your wife is on medication in the UK, she would almost certainly be prescribed the same one here.
Officially, before 2006, anti-osteoporosis medication was only reimbursed if the patient had already had a fracture due to osteoporosis. Many GPs disagreed with this absurd regulation - imagine being given medication for your heart only after having a heart attack... especially absurd since osteoporosis medication acts preventively. So my GP, and I understand many others, would prescribe the medication regardless, and that was reimbursed. It is another case of a stupid regulatioin that is widely ignored, but which takes a long time to change.
If your wife wanted to see a specialist, then the GP would refer her to a rhumatologist, which is very easy and usually there are very short waiting lists in most areas. To my knowledge, there are very few, if any, specialist osteoporosis clinics here in France.
What I have also found (although this might be less interesting to you), is that all the osteoporosis research sponsored by drug companies. Merck for instance manufactures Fosamax, one of the most widely used bi-phosphonates. As a result they market their products very well, so that the medics have no knowledge and no interest in more alternative anti-osteoporosis treatment. So it looks like everyone with ostoeporosis has a narrow range of choice for treatment: Fosamax, Didronel, Actonel, etc... are the main bi-phosphonates prescribed as far as I know. You have to look into the research done in the US for slightly different perspectives on osteoporosis and long-term medication.
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Cerise - I do empathise, what you are expected to provide is really OTT!!!!
That is exactly why my French friend - who was unemployed at the time, in spite of being 39 and with many skills and at the end of her tether with trying to find a job - and I decided to turn this into a business - she was being called upon to do much hand-holding herself, being sympatico with "les Anglais"...we were finding ourselves.impoverished as we both were, doing volunteer work for people who could well afford to pay, it was just ridiculous... I think that when it bacame known that we were trying to set up a business for practical help, translation and advice and hand-holding, then people began to think twice.
I would imagine that people would not expect to come to your gite free of charge, if they know that this is what you are doing for income. Hand-holding is the same, but of course, much harder to define. The boundaries are more blurred, how do you draw the line between "rendre service", or doing something out of friendship, and doing something that warrants some form of remuneration?
Of course, if you were a brain surgeon, nobody would ask you to do a spot of brain surgery in your "spare" time.
Cerise, I hope you get it sorted out, it does sound as if you have to draw clear boundaries, you are entitled to a life and can't hold hands with the whole world!
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Goodness TU, no wonder you prefer not to have to accompany anyone for anything medical except a sore throat[:D]
I am used to things medical as I was working in that field. And usually, I also like helping people. Having said that, I have been in and out many hospitals and various doctors' surgeries for Mr 5-E, both in the UK and here in France. In spite of his fairly good French, it is true that I feel I must be with him whenever there is an important appointment, as it is too easy to misunderstand a sentence or to be misunderstood by a very busy medic... The worst was when he had unexpected major surgery and I was not allowed to go and see him before, and not after for a day or so. It was a very upsetting time for him, especially since he was being pumped full of morphine and other heavy medication, and on top of that he had to cope with the unfamiliarity of the language - and with the nurses and doctors who'd assured me that they could "speak English" but in fact, did not, except for "My tailor is rich" and other useful expressions... frankly, that was not worth much to my OH at the time, as he was drifting in and out of consciousness....
So at times like these, of course I would always do what I can to help others.
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I will ONLY do the medical thing, i.e. accompany someone to the doctor, make telephone calls, and give out any information when there are unforeseen medical emergencies... but it also strikes me as odd that a couple in their 70's can, for instance, buy a house here, live in it, and then have no idea of what to do for medical emergencies - have no idea about how to get a doctor, where is the nearest hospital, etc...that somehow they thought that if/when the need arose, they would go back to the UK...
Any other translation/hand-holding services I would do but for a fee (or rather, a donation- which could be in kind [:)] ), especially since those needing that service are usually, infinitely better off than I am. There has been no problem with this, since I was, at some point, going to start a hand-holding business with a French friend - we were discouraged by all the difficulties with setting up, and so the business never materialised, but we had done the research... having noticed how great the need is in the "communaute anglophone"!
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If only I could, RG - it would be on the black, to top up my RMIste pension.[:D]
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Hey, I am a French-speaking French teacher, and I live in France now, does that count?
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Thank you Mel, this is useful extra info... I will persevere with coriander, great to get expert advice. The soil here is very hard (vine-growing area), full of stones, and also heavy clay-ish... maybe I should add sand to it, as well as (horse) manure and/orour own compost?
I am not a great gardener and always lose seedlings, have trouble in keeping them moist enough without drowning them, they always get quite leggy. Same with tomato plantlets....
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Fair enough, Cassis. I just love to see people's bookshelves and try to see how many book titles I recognise...makes me feel like a fly on the wall... I could just make out Nigel Slater and then the 2 lower shelves looked like well, maybe not dieting, but healthy eating/nouvelle cuisine and all that.
Giving up chocolate, that's really impressive, even just for 40 days. I would probably give up everything but... and just stick to the dark 70% stuff[:D]
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Cassis, is that cookery books on the top shelves, and dieting books on the lower shelves?[:P]
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I am so sorry! Grovelling apologies. I only realised after posting that this could spoil the viewing for some, tried to delete my post immediately, nothing doing....
Really, really sorry. -
Goodness!!![:'(] Ireland trashing England!!
I can't wait for Wales to do the same with France!
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Dick, two hours later, I finally GOT IT!!!!!
I know I should be ashamed of myself for being so slow (I put it down to a big lunch with Languedocgal2[:D]) but I'd forgotten how many people keep calling the town hall, the "Marie". I keep wanting to correct it every time but I would hate to appear pedantic and obsessed with le mot juste.[8-|]
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[quote user="Dick Smith"]
Do they get lots of English people coming in to ask about getting a permis de construire, or to give them a bottle of Scotch?
[/quote]They probably do, Dick, they probably do.[:)]
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Just had a dilemna to try and resolve:
Walked to our bakery "Marie" (new in town) where they bake some really good old-style baguettes, i.e. with lots of holes, grey-looking, not the industrial plastic muck that now passes for baguettes in too many places!
Since it is a newly-opened bakery, they have their special baguettes Marie "en promotion":
4 for the price of 3.
On the way back, what was I to do?
What would you have done about the 4, no 8, possible quignons?
Making pizzas
in French Food and Wine
Posted
[quote user="verviale"]
One thing I cannot stand is an egg in the middle, quite common in France.[/quote]
One egg in the middle of a pizza? Never seen that anywhere in France, it must be a Limousin specialty[:D]