Sola

Just had another thought....to compare with the UK. Many UKshops/companies will accept euros now....so it can also work the other way around....but the exchange ratethey give generally leaves a lot to be desired!!....all part of being in Europe I suppose even though the UK does not  use euros as a first currency.......I suppose receiving payment in this way ensures a "sale" and also how many firms import from Europe and therefore need euros?

Each year the French government publish the "yearly" exchange rate from pounds/euros, this is what you use on your tax return.  So it is perfectly acceptable to use both currencies. We are often paid in sterling for work carried out which is paid directly to a sterling account in the Uk with the bamk accounts address being our french one....there was no problem getting the account set up in  person in the UK with all the relevant ID etc....we were honest to the UK bank and said that sometimes we get paid in sterling and sometimes in euros...by the way some French banks will let you have a sterling as well as a euro account.....but often without a card so you can only transfer it to your euro account..... We spoke with our accountant who said it was no problem as he would just use the governments currency exchange rate ..... I suppose the only factor is that your customers may be getting a better deal than you in the current market.....who knows what the government will decide for 2008..... Hope this reasures you that it is not "ilegal" to accept payment in sterling as long as it is declared properly.....

As always, check with each insurance agent......but... On a personal note our insurance agent (in France) has made it quite clear to us that any member of our family or friends...be they French / English or from wherever and have the relevent driving licence and of course our permission to use the car, would be insured to the same level of insurance we have paid including driving within Europe. For GB or Cyprus nationals they must sign their name on the green insurtance certificate in the space on the left hand side. As an example for a French resident , my husband (lives in France) was insured on his fathers policy (lives in Uk) to drive his fathers car within Europe. Hope this gives a couple of examples....

Left it on standby overnight and now everything has suddenly "appeared" so a big thank you to everyone who has been able to advise me. Happy viewing to you all!!

Yes it is in the right slot......and yes it has not been plugged in since May......will leave it on and see what happens over the next few days...thank's for that....I still have hope :o) even if I don't end up getting them I do have many more channels than before.....and not just the rubbish ones!! the next thing I need to do is sort out the favourites....BBC is right next to the adult channels and I have 2 children!!

Water price does vary from commune to commune...we very fortunately live in a commune that 60 or so years ago the mayor decided to buy up a couple of lakes...our commune now supplies water to other communes so we pay much less....the privillage of having a mayor years ago with his head screwed on!! Also the more we use the less we pay....but in reality it would only become less if you were a farmer having to provide it for your animals.....The mayor should have the current prices for water in your area.

All plugged in and working great.......but unfortunatley no channel 4 or 5......anything I can do? Thank's

thank's for your replies...yes the card does have the yellow house and yes I do have the remote......will plug it all in tomorrow and see what happens...

At the moment we have a digital box and recieve the free to view channels with the saltllite dish pointing to Astra 28. We have just "inherited" a sky box and card from a deceased member of the family. My understanding is that we should be able to plug in the sky box and hopefully not have to adjust the dish. I understand how to plug everything in at the back TV/video box etc. My question is that we have no operating instructions so I don't know how to set it up. Do I put the card in the slot before turning on? When it is turned on what else will I have to do? Thank's in advance for your help.

Just a quick word of advice when taking out the school insurance...or any top up insurance.....consider sticking with the same company for all your insurance needs. For example we use the same company for our health top up, home insurance, and scolaire insurance...that way should the unthinkable happen you will be covered....i.e. as it's the same company  if you need to make a claim you won't be passed around all the insurance companies with each one passing the buck. Insurance isn't exactly the same as in the Uk. As an example our house/contents cover even covers a "nanny" staying at your home for 3 days in the event of an accident of the parent  and a cattery/kennels for a week (for the animals not the children!!). We also used the scolaire insurance for an unexpected hospital stay before our paperwork was sorted for the health system.....(would have sost us 400 euros if not!!) Find a friendly agent who can explain to you how it works and what is covered. Good luck

Most of the big supermarkets will soon have camping stuff on their shelves so you may be able to pick up a bargain there.

Obviously as stated it is impossible to be exact...we found a local expert comptable who does all of our accounts, tax return, TVA etc. All we do is scan in all reciepts and invoices etc and send each month via their secure website....they do everything else....We thought it would cost a fortune as we had experience of accountants in the UK who charged a small fortune just to produce a yearly account on an official piece of paper with us having to do all the leg work....we were very plesently surprised when the bill came here in France...approx 1/3 the cost compared to what we paid in  the UK for far more work from them...and we don't have to worry about what to fill in on our tax return and we get good advice too....[:)] Why not go to see a few accountants and get a quote? they should be able to give you an idea of the costs and the services they can offer.. good luck[:)]

Have a look at these 2 sites, should give you some ideas http://www.ville-gueret.fr/ http://www.ot-gueret.fr/