RumziGal

OSS 117 is good, especially the dancing bit, and the bit where he plays the music. And you should watch Les Guignols after the evening news, they're usually worth a see.

But there are real doormats on sale everywhere.   Who buys them?

La Face Karchée de ??????????, but without pictures!  [:)] An odious specimen, but with a huge amount of energy and ambition.   I want to shake Mme Royal and tell her to get her act together and look like she means business!

I only use the website. I find the magazine a bit glossy and twee for my liking. Am I allowed to say that?  

[quote user="Ford Anglia"] OK, so YOU don't believe any of my anecdotes, and YES they are second hand. AFAIK, they aren't lies though. I DID see the Afghani on BTV, as did my wife, but then, I suppose the Daily Mail set that up too? [/quote] Of course there are going to be a few "bad" immigrants, I don't think anyone's denying that.  Just as there are also native English scroungers, and native French scroungers. Rather than waste energy on a frenzy of moral indignation about these few, why not propose some measures to deal with the problem?            

I bet the French commerçants aren't complaining!  [:)]    

[quote user="opas"] Crikey thats some posh asparagus you had there , 1 euro a bunch at the market today(though to be honest I didn't weith it) and 1 euro 80 per kilo at the Arab grocers yesterday. [/quote] I went to a different market today.  Asked how much the asparagus was, and she said "the price has come down, it's only 4 euros a kilo".  I didn't buy any because there was still a load of white stuff on it that ends up in the bin. She was quite emphatic that it's just pas possible that asperges could be any cheaper.   The season is SO short, and it's SO difficult to ramasser, it's a product that never drops its price, and blah blah blah blah blah. It was 1.90 euros in the supermarket for 500g, so same price as her, but greener and less waste.  And y'all wonder why I'm not impressed with French markets!  [:)]   It's no wonder people pile into the big supermarkets.    

[quote user="Sunday Driver"] It's unlikely that the seller will agree to a clause that the purchase is conditional upon your UK house being sold.  That means if you fail to sell it by the cutoff date (and you are unable to secure a bridging loan), then you will be in breach of the terms of the contract and you will be liable to forfeit your deposit.[/quote] Yes, but if the clause suspensive only mentions not being able to get the money, you'll be covered.   The reasons for not getting the money will be irrelevant. 

[quote user="opas"] Crikey thats some posh asparagus you had there , 1 euro a bunch at the market today(though to be honest I didn't weith it) and 1 euro 80 per kilo at the Arab grocers yesterday. [/quote] Les Halles at Lunel, market stalls outside.   They were all that price, and plenty people were buying.   Glad I didn't buy a kilo, cos it was just for 2 of us.

[quote user="Ron Avery"]  You might like to think again about living in France, there are immigrants here too, most of them white[:P].[/quote] Ron, everyone knows the immigrants to France are North African brown, they only come over here to claim benefits, they all have big houses back home, and they go to Restos du Coeur for free meals and drive off in their 4x4s, and they build mosques on every free bit of land, and they live in ghettos and don't integrate and some of them even speak Arabic in public.   I heard someone speaking Arabic here once, you know, so it's true.   And have you seen the obscene amounts of coriander they sell for a euro?   Putting French coriander sellers out of business, they are.  As for taking places in the national football team...... [:D] Someone should do something.   Like shut up.  

[quote user="Meg and Mog and dog"]Sounds nice Dick...............I just ate my dinner outside (still in shorts and Tshirt) because it is so hot and still light........[6] [/quote] You are very lucky.   Down by the Med here it went all cool and cloudy in the late afternoon, so we had our tea indoors.   Not much of the 5.50-euros-a-kilo asparagus left either after I cut off the tough bits.   Sigh.    

Work.  Folk music.  Spontaneity.  Customer service.  Opportunities.   Beer.  Variety.

[quote user="godwinsj"] Indeed, bullying produce bullies. [/quote] Of course - it gets handed on to the next generation.

[quote user="marc62"] I would adopt to the French way of life as that is why we like it so much anyway. [/quote] What do you see as "the French way of life"?    Will you start taking anti-depressants, for example?   They're very popular.   [:)]    

I've been living in France for 7 years.

To give you a chance to snigger at Silly Bong, of course!   [:)]

[quote user="Mel "] As for me being smug, taking hand-outs from anyone and wealthy enough to have a house in France, it is difficult to respond when I know nothing about my accuser... [/quote] I'm female, 5'7", and I have dark hair.   Why do you want to know?

[quote user="Mel "]  What expectations of help did any of us have when buying property in France? None, I would suggest. [/quote] "when buying property in France".   There you go, you're affluent enough to go swanning off to a country of your choice and buy up property there.   And if something goes wrong in France, you would of course refuse any State assistance, yes?  Of course, nothing will go wrong, because you're so obviously completely in control of every aspect of your life.   Must be nice.  [:)]  

Mel, here's an article from today's BBC site about this very thing http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6593321.stm I think the problem is that they are being treated SO badly.   That's inexcusable whoever they are or wherever they come from. "After three weeks, he received £97 for 20 hours' work in his first week, although £50 was deducted for accommodation costs. He also had money deducted for accommodation without it being shown on his payslip, which is illegal, and was forced to live in overcrowded accommodation." Good for you being financially comfortable and smug about your situation.  You live in a country that has allowed you to achieve that.   It's not all down to your personal cleverness. What was someone just saying about this forum being right wing?       

[quote user="marina"] I agree with Tresco too. I merely likened it to the sort of stuff you read in the Daily Mail. I hate the Mail and strongly disagree with its politics. But plenty of people read it, so presumably they like it and agree with it. [/quote] I don't think they do necessarily agree with it, Marina.   They just read it.   I know quite a few people who read the Daily Mail but couldn't even identify it as being right wing.   It's just the Daily Mail! Made me laugh though, your comment about the forum being right wing.  I'm surprised no-one's commented on it before!  

[quote user="Mel "] But my dream of migrating to France is delayed because the accomodation I am providing for my wife and I, is not ready yet and we need to know our finances are set up in such a way that we will be self-sufficient. [/quote] Some people don't have that luxury though.    You would still (I assume) have a reasonable standard of living if you stayed in the UK, and have no real need to move to France.   When I see how hard some of those immigrants work, I can only assume that life must be pretty dire back where they came from. Sure, maybe they shouldn't complain, but that's just people for you, innit?  [:)]

ABIGAIL??????  [:'(]  [:D]

I reckon I could easily manage 4 in one sitting, they are sooooo scrumptious.   Bit of Marmite on, some mature Cheddar, and it sure seems like heaven to me. 

I can see some crumpets from here, Tresco my sweet.  Look, just there on the kitchen worktop, there are 4 left in that packet.  Mother's Pride they are, brought them over from Waitrose in Romsey at the weekend.   Just imagine them toasty hot, with butter melting in...... mmmmmmmmmmmm.

[quote user="TreizeVents"][quote user="RumziGal"] There are three basic options to dealing with large numbers of incomers: 1. Accept them as they are and make the most of it.  Every culture has its potential dark side.  You see drunkenness in Brits, Viscount de Villiers is more worried about the perceived threat of Islamisation from North Africans, Dieudonné sees goodness-knows-what danger from Jews.   2. Send them back where they came from. 3. Don't let them in in the first place. [/quote] Actually there are even more options than that.[/quote] Of course.  The word "basic" was an indication that I was generalising.   All that you say is lumped into a version of option 1.    If you're an intellectually lazy good-for-nothing like me, anyway.  [:)]  [quote user="TreizeVents"] Your option 2 and 3 are not possible, never happen.  [/quote] I know.  Which is why I think the business of "too many incomers" is kind of a non-starter, although we seem to have got a lot of mileage out of it nonetheless!  [:)] But some people do believe they are the way to go.  You mentioned a wall - as you know, the US is starting to build one in Iraq.   Le Pen would like to see repatriation.   Sharko has already shown his teeth to the sans-papiers.  Actually, I don't think this discussion is really about immigration in general, is it?   The title is clearly only about the English in France, so I guess I/we are off topic.