KathyF

[quote user="jon"] ......which proves another point...that the poor do not need to stay poor forever.[/quote] So the fact that the majority of the world's population is poor is simply their own fault, is it, jon?  Give me strength! [:@]  You obviously live on a different planet from the rest of us.....

[quote user="jon"] A bank clerk will remain a bank clerk if that is in there path.Straight thoughts without any spirit of adventure! The poor do not have to stay poor......and the rich can loose their wealth....we follow a path carved out with our thoughts. ALL the things which I have done in my life are not related to the way my parents directed me.I took a walk towards my own garden. [/quote] Not sure you understood what was meant, jon.  In France a bank clerk will remain a bank clerk because the system has no provision for retraining and a bank clerk doesn't have suitable skills for self-employment. As for your generalisation about the poor and the rich - if only life were so simple. Millions of people in France work hard and yet remain poor because they are trapped in low-paid jobs which barely cover outgoings. [:(]

Back up around 1.14 at the moment.  Sorry to spoil your Schadenfreude, JMB.[:)]

[quote user="dave21478"]. Not being able to make a living here doesnt mean he has to return to UK in poverty, the only thing likely to be lost is his time. .....[/quote] Not too sure about that, Dave. If the OP had to live on his savings for any length of time without replenishing them by working, he would be going back with considerably less in the bank than when he arrived. With the volatility of the exchange rate and the housing market on both sides of the Channel, he could lose a lot more than his time.

[quote user="Dog"] Go for it Desperatedan - don't listen to all these sad old has-beens on gold-plated index-linked civil service/public sector pensions. [/quote] I wish.....[:(] Sure, DD can go for it - but if it all goes pearshaped because of lack of resources or planning, or unforeseen circumstances, it's not only DD who would suffer but his wife and young children. Far too many families have had to return to the UK minus all they've worked for and try to begin again and a recession isn't the best time to do that.

[quote user="desperatedan"] Oh well thanks very much for all your advice. Very negative most of it!  [/quote] Dan, I would rather say that it is realistic and very well-meant.  No-one is trying to be nasty, they just don't want you to make a very bad mistake because of lack of information and forward-planning. The cost of living in France is now at least as high as in the UK in many ways, especially given the weak pound which means that your savings will not go nearly as far as they would have done a couple of years ago. The days of cheap housing and cheap food which tempted many from the UK to move to France are well and truly over. As others have said, unemployment is considerably higher than in Britain and  it can be almost impossible to get a job in rural areas (which is where most Brits want to live) particularly if your French is not very good. That's probably why there are at least 400,000 younger French people living and working in Britain. In addition there are costs such as health insurance which we don't have in Britain and which can knock a big hole in the budget for a family of four. No-one is saying don't come, just if you do, come with your eyes open and with full awareness of the things that could go wrong and make life very difficult for you and your family.  Being poor isn't much fun in any country.

Gosh, if you greet your guests as nicely as that, Dave, I bet they're queuing to come again. [;-)] The ironwork looks good from where I'm sitting, Mr Postie. [:)]

Em, this is a very old thread (2006) you've just posted to, so perhaps the original poster is no longer in France or a member of this forum.

What abot Tim Berners-Lee, the Brit who started the revolution which made this forum possible? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee

Sweetpea, I don't live in France and have no personal experience of the system, but couldn't let your plea for help go completely unanswered.  Firstly, I'm so sorry about the situation you find yourselves in, especially that your husband is now ill because of all the stress. Secondly, does your husband belong to any trade or professional association which might be able to help or advise? I know that most trades unions in the UK have a well-developed social care and advice function for their members and wondered whether there is something equivalent in France. Lots of people seem to have looked at this topic, so hopefully someone will be along soon with more useful advice than mine. Hope things improve for you very quickly.

Sorted just like that! [:D] So simple. [:D][:D] Thanks so much, Clair. [:D][:D][:D][;-)]

Many thanks. I upgraded to IE8 recently, so that must be the reason. Thanks too for the link. I'll go through it when I have time and try to follow the instructions. Nothing like this has happened on any of the other forums I use, so CF's software is obviously very different.

I don't know what has happened, but I from the past few days I haven't been abkle to the smilies for my posts and I miss them :-( In the past there was always a drop-down menu from which I could choose, but that has disappeared and the posting box has shrunk and I'm a distinctly puzzled bunny. Has this happened to anyone else and can anyone help, please?

So glad to hear this, Coops. Enjoy!

Journey into space.... Part of my childhood :-)

It's most definitely not failure to change your mind for good and valid reasons, Panda. You came to France because you thought it was the best thing for you and yours at the time and you are returning to the UK for the same reason. I wish you and your son the very best of luck as you settle back into life in the UK. Kathy

It isn't officially a pandemic yet, though that's still a possibilty. Since it's barely a couple of weeks since the words 'swine flu' hit the public consciousness, it's a bit early to dismiss it out of hand, surely? Previous pandemics started with a wave of mild illness and then came back much more severely in second and third waves of infection in the autumn and winter.

At last! So glad for you, Debs.

Typical April weather here in Mid-Wales - sunshine and showers.  Having said that, the forecast for the next few days is [:(]

[quote user="Renaud"]I was reading a report about traffic lights being linked so that a car travelling at 30mph gets only green lights. Sounds a good idea, it has been thought of before (Slough in the 60s on the A4). But the idea was killed because the govenrment thought that if people were constantly having to slow down and start up again at traffic lights they would use more fuel and therefore contribute more to the government through petrol tax. S*d the carbon emissions then?[/quote] I read recently on the BBC news website that this idea is being looked at again and will probably be implemented.

That's very interesting and timely information for us, Toni. Many thanks. [:D] We're in the middle of an email correspondence with EDF at the moment (in French, as I didn't realise they have an English language email facility) about the possibility of getting an external meter installed.  We are never at our second home in May and November when the meter reader comes and we have been told it would cost 29.95 euros to have a special visit when we are there in the summer. EDF seem quite happy just to have us read the meter ourselves and send in the card.  In fact they have never actually read the meter since just after we bought the house in 2003, probably because our consumption is pretty low and we are on direct debit. So we will now probably sit tight and wait for EDF to make the first move next year....

I'm a bit confused about all this. [8-)]  From what I've just read on the BF website it seems like there is either a 15% guest discount with no mention of £10 vouchers for the member or a "recommend a friend" scheme which does generate a bonus for the member but without any mention of a discount for the person making the booking. Can these two be combined?

Very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, Deb.  My condolences. I'm wondering whether this is a matter of the generation gap. I don't know how old your friend's son is, but I'm betting that if he is under 40, he would consider an email a perfectly normal way of writing to someone and not as something casual or offhand. I can't remember when I last had a proper letter from my two adult children (40 and 37). They always commnunicate by email or phone, more often the former as they can always dash off an email, even when it isn't possible or convenient to phone. I feel sure that your friend's son didn't mean any disrespect to you and would be surprised and sorry to know how this has upset you.

Thanks, Clair. That and the associated links made interesting reading (and good French practice [:)])

[:D][:D][:D] Dave, when you've given up the gites and have time to yourself st last, you must write a book about the experience!