KathyF
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Posts posted by KathyF
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In fact it's the reverse of dumbing-down, since you can't just trot out all the old automatic insults without thinking, but actually have to choose your words. Insults are like swearing in my book - the sign of an inadequate vocabulary.
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[quote user="woolybanana"]Labour's dumbing down?[/quote]
In France?????
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[quote user="Gluestick"]Sorry, JE: to myself and many other guys, women who sleep around as a sort of hobby, wreck marriages for their own, short-term gratification are socially, beyond the pale. [/quote]
Fine, provided that it's equally OK to say that to myself and many women, guys who sleep around as a sort of hobby and wreck marriages for their own short-term gratification are socially beyond the pale! Or are we back with the good old dual standard?
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Well said, Coops and Co. Not sure where the idea came from that the private lives of public figures is fair game, but I hate it. Criticise someone for not doing their job, but not for what their partner says or does.
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The problem is getting them to wear the alarm, Frederick. My 86-year-old mother-in-law has an excellent alarm system, connected to a social care agency 24/7, but will she wear the bracelet with the panic button? Not on your life! She says she doesn't like to wear it and her clothes have no pockets to carry it around with her, so she leaves it lying on the chest of drawers, completely negating the purpose of the system. At least her system has a an infra-red movement sensor which will trigger an alarm call if she doesn't pass it within a certain number of hours, but that wouldn' tbe much use if she were outside in the freezing cold all that time. A big problem for the family and friends of fiercely independent elderly people still living alone.
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Well, it was around 1.48 when we bought our house in 2003 and seems to have been gouing down ever since.....
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They certainly do get snow in the mountains in Cyprus. I have vivid memories (and photos to prove it) of standing in deep snow in the Troodos mountains in February, in bright sunshine and short sleeves. [:)]
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Thanks, Tina, I stand corrected and am glad for the OP's sake that this is now the case.
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As far as I know the simple answer to your question is No. Under French law you cannot disinherit a parent or a child, even if, as your case, the parent concerned is mentally incapable. In the unlikely event that you both predeceased your parent, s/he would inherit as your nearest relative and your house would be added to his/her estate.
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Nope, with you on this, Cendrillon. [:)]
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Sounds just like our house was when we bought it and it had been lived in like that for many years. No mod cons does not automatically mean uninhabitable in rural France. [:)] We were able to get it classed as uninhabited during the renovation work, but had to get an attestation from the mairie to that effect to get the tax refunded.
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Over 7 years ago we bought a house which was technically habitable but needed everything doing to it, and Axa insured it for us without hesitation. We asked our estate agent for advice and went along to the agent to take out the insurance while we were over for the final signing. Ours is empty for 9 months of the year, with no interim checks whatsoever, unless a friend has a look at the roof after a severe gale. So far, no problems at all.
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Reverting to the theme of poppies and remembrance, I'm just back from a wreath-laying ceremony at what must be the most wonderfully-situated war memorial imaginable, on a hillside overlooking the Kyle of Tongue and the Sutherland mountains in the far north of Scotland. The ceremony was far better attended this year than in recent years according to a long-term inhabitant, and at least a quarter of the people there were children and teenagers.
On the memorial were the names of 21 men who died in WW1, a large number given that this is by far the most sparsely-populated area in the UK. I felt that what we were doing was profoundly worth doing and I for one wore my poppy with pride and sadness, remembering that one of the countless victims of WW1 was my 21year-old great-uncle, who died on the Somme.
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[quote user="Braco"] So anyone who dares to think must be a crypto fascist? We should all tow the party line? That is exactly the thinking that allowed an Austrian Corporal to assume power and a modern day scum bag to persuade a nation to support our glorious troops in killing the Taliban or in ‘English’ Afghanistan citizens. You do not show your disgust of Nazis by copying their traits and actions.[/quote]
I doubt the Taliban hesitate much before killing their fellow Afghans, Braco. To liken our troops' actions to those of the Nazis is deeply offensive and historically just plain ignorant. It's lucky for you that you live in a society whcih allows you to express opinions with which most people would profoundly disagree.
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So did I. [:)] Got 79.5 and would have got a few more if I hadn't been in a hurry and so didn't check. At least two were marked wrong because I omitted accents on other words, though the grammatical answers were right. Like others, my tenses were my weakest area, particularly since I didn't recognise a couple of the French terms for tenses. Must try the seciond level when I have more time.
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[quote user="DerekJ"][quote user="AnOther"]Even for those who do qualify it only covers the first named account holder not spouses or dependants for whom additional premiums are payable.
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My understanding (after speaking with NW) is that with joint accounts both account holders are covered. Have you seen something to the contrary?
[/quote]That's what Nationwide has confirmed to us in writing, and also that the insurance is valid until we're each 75.
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[quote user="powerdesal"][quote user="KathyF"]. Once you've invited people, you can't really kick them out when you don't need them anymore.
[/quote] Oh but you can !!! Its called a work permit system and has been in practice for many years in other parts of the World. as an example,....I have been "invited" to work in the UAE, I accepted that invitation. When the work that I have been invited to do is complete I will have to leave.....simples.[/quote]
Agreed, but only if the work permit system is in force at the time you invite them. It wasn't back in the 1950s and 60s. Then the invitation was open-ended.
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Yes, I was, Gluestick, but a quick Google shows it really doesn't matter. [:)]
http://the-sun-lies.blogspot.com/2009/11/reward-for-puppy-facebook-and.html
Anyway, I was talking about immigration in the middle of the last century, predating the civil unrest of the 1980s. Neather was talking about much more recent governments, so is irrelevant in this context. Circumstances change and policies change with them.
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[quote user="ebaynut"][quote user="Gardener"][quote user="ebaynut"][quote user="Clair"]I watched images of the "protests" on the French news and couldn't help but be reminded of the poll tax and Moss Side riots back in the days...
[/quote] Moss side, Toxteth, Broadwater farm, all good reasons for the UK to have closed it boarders years ago IMHO. None of these can be blamed on the English.[/quote] It happened in England so whose fault was it?[/quote] The UK governments fault for allowing people from outside the UK to live in the country.....[/quote]The government didn't just allow immigrants to settle in the UK, ebaynut. Back in the 50s they actually invited them to do so, to fill the pressing need for more workers, especially workers willing to do the dirty, low-paid jobs the English (since you seem not to be talking about the British [;-)]) no longer wanted to do themselves. Once you've invited people, you can't really kick them out when you don't need them anymore.
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Rules will vary in different places, but in our local dechetterie in rural Manche, we have to show our card every time. Your mairie will tell you what applies in your case.
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Our 25 year old nephew lives there and loves it. When he was made redundant, he launched out and started his own business rather than having to leave and find work elsewhere. If you haven't visited it recently you'll get a shock when you next go - the centre has been transformed![:)]
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Do you need your glasses changed, Norman? [:)] There is punctuation in Pat's post. Perhaps not as much as you or I might use, but a lot more than many first-language English posters offer us....
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Between Brecey and Mortain at the bottom of Basse-Normandie, a few miles from Brittany. Summer visitors only and we chose it because MOH won't fly and we didn't want a long drive south or summers that are too hot for us. [:)] It suits us very well and we're off there again for the summer in less than a week. [:D]
Can You Contact Your Local Maire Online?
in Finding/Owning French Property
Posted
The mairie in most very small communes will only be open once or twice a week for a couple of hours each time, at least ours is. [:)] There should be a norice-board or something at the mairie, giving the opening hours and contact details.
PS The word is mairie - Marie is a woman's name. [:D]