suej

  Like the five sad but beautifully tended graves in the parish churchyard at Barre des Monts...

   Following on from my last post above- wait for it Sweet..........  YIPEEEE! Saw on our bank statement on line that a sum had been credited from HMRC, as it's a joint account and as  the entry didn't specify to which one  of us this was being paid, I rang them up again and was told that it is repayment to me, my husband's will follow "shortly." I know the wheels don't always necessarily seem so well oiled and that sometimes the wait to speak to someone can be tedious, but really I can't fault them. Everyone I've spoken to for either myself or on behalf of my husband has been helpful and pleasant,patiently explained things to a rather obtuse me and, even more important, they have done what they said they'd do !  So Bon Courage to anyone else who is dealing with HMRC from a happy ex(uk)-tax payer, well partially-ex..

 Well when the actual rebate that they say is just about to be sent really does show up in our account you'll hear the whoops of delight  blasting into the stratosphere. We'll see..... Seriously, the lady who dealt with me was really helpful and was able to explain that things were firther along the line than I imagined. Good luck!   Oh poo- can't believe I spelt further like, must be screen fatigue.

Just an update on useful numbers.... Spent quite a while this afternoon trying to speak to a real person about NT tax code, tax rebates etc and  seemed to be going round the Wrekin as it were until somebody gave me this number for future use and then put me through direct( immediate contact, no awful music):                                                                                                  0161 930 8705     Spoke to someone very helpful with all our relevant info on screen- I was very impressed.. and relieved.

   Have a look at bbcgoodfood.com/recipes, then search for  Seven Hour Lamb. I've been using this for quite a while now, its great. Just make sure you  brown it as much as possible before. I cook it in the oven ,covered,in my le Creuset thing or in the slow cooker. I spike it with slices of garlic or sprigs of rosemary or both depending on my fancy, and I tend to use a dry rosé rather than a white wine. It really is easy-peasy and delicious. For me the joy of this recipe is that all the browning , preparation and fiddly bits are done hours before any one arrives on the scene and stress levels are low!  It's called SEVEN hour , mine is always ready after 5 hours at the most ,but that maybe my oven ... Works equally well with small or large legs, just watch the timing but sits around cooked for hours quite happily. I find it very hard to steel myself to cook a leg of lamb any other way now!      

 Only just seen this thread...  Maude I've pm'd  you...

   Just to say I think there is another banking scam thing around. We do not have an account with LloydsTSB but during yesterday and already this morning we have received 4 mails in our Hotmail box warning us that there is a security problem with our LloydsTSB account.  I've not opened them and am about to delete them  but they do make me jumpy..grrrr

 Hey thanks for that!  Have now "mondialised" my SFR la Carte account which will improve matters at least until I have time to look at alternative SIM things. What a mine of information this forum is!

[quote user="Quillan"]Get a PAYG SIM from LeClerc, it does not run out, we put 50 Euros on for a year and you can either buy a top up at LeClerc, dial a number and pay by (French) bank card or do it over the internet.[/quote]   Can you remember  which SIM card this was by any chance? Last time I looked / asked I got bogged down really because I didn't know what I was looking for. Am running very basic SFR la Carte on our 'french' mobile and am sick of running out of time  when I've still got credit on it. It wont work in UK either- grrrr. Thanks

[quote user="halfblind"]I am sure that we all have at sometime admired the French panache at roundabouts and the speed at which they have adopted these over the past few years, but there is one type that I havent seen before today. A square roundabout. Its in the Angouleme suburb of Soyaux - only in France LOL[/quote]   We 've got one of them in this little town too! Not surprising that several of the PL lorries haven't adjusted their steering and what used to be a square is beginning to develop rounded corners....

  I'm following the same route with Nationwide Sweet... I too specially made a cash withdarawal on Oct 31st and heigh- ho, the drop in ' available balance' immediately showed that 2x max daily withdrawal had gone through our account.  A  few days later there we are, detailed deduction dated Nov 4 AND 'interest' charges applied. I phoned them and asked why and said it must be a mistake etc etc . Lady who took my call was very pleasant, went off to ask a superviser and came back and said the charges will' in this special case' be recredited to the account but it would take 5-7 working days.  At least it's coming back.   Have emailed you Sweet- but do take a cuppa with you- I've rambled- sorry!

  Very best wishes Cathy- bon courage and lots and lots of positive thoughts winging your way.. Sue

   Thanks Gardian for all the info- I've had a very quick look at that site and it seems to be what we need . I'll go into it further later on in the week. 

 Thanks Sweet- just found it- lovely! At moment am chief gofer in chiminée repair situation and 'puter and I only in spasmodic contact but will reply shortly. So pleased for you!

 Gardian I'd be very interested to know more about this. .  Like lots of Nationwide customers I suspect, I am looking for a different way of transferring money over here to our CA account. When you say 'each month' do you mean that you have set up a standing order or do you do a separate transaction each month? Is that what is meant by 'electronic transfer'? We have Barclay , Santander and Nationwide accounts with debit cards but billing addresses for those are here in France- does this pose a problem ? Sorry for all these very basic questions but really that is where I am at!  Any advise would be most welcome. Sue

    Today is Nov 1st- public holiday in France as far as most things are concerned- try again tomorrow Tuesday and you may have better luck- hopefully!

  Wow, thank you all for your replies - such a help! I'm going to start off at the local office...Like you Judith, when I handed our forms in I did insist that someone went through them with me and checked all was ok. The man I saw  seemed on the ball and seemed to know about  Form French Indiv, said it would be sent off to Paris initially...I'm not convinced they are all as good there though- we've had a couple of other things that have had to be 're-looked' after we'd suspected something had gone amiss. So I'll start there,  then ring HMRC and keep my fingers crossed something triggers some action. I feel better knowing that others of you have had similar hiccups  and I've been given some clear advice. Thanks for sharing! Sue  

Oh 'eck! That sounds grim Chrissie.  I think I really will ring HMRC after the weekend then - it didn't really occur to me that the forms might not reach UK! Thanks for the wake-up call.  Think I'll call in at the Impots office here too and see what they say..  

  Thank you Patf.  A year - and I'm making a fuss after 4 or 5 months! All the same I'll make a note of those numbers and may well ring. While you were waiting for them to contact you I assume they continued to deduct UK tax? Did they eventually refund this to you automatically or did you have to send off a claim for a refund? If so any chance you remember which forms you had to get hold of? Sorry if I'm going on but I've spent the past hour  reading HMRC site and I'm fast becoming be-fuddled!   

     Right thanks Will, that has set my mind at rest.. At least it seems that I haven't dropped a big clanger anywhere. Perhaps it's just a case of expecting too much too soon on my part!

  Thanks for such a quick reply Will !  I have looked at that link but I find that the double taxation forms that are referred to there are the " Form France-Individual" that we filled in, English and French versions, and handed in at our local Impots office along with our declarations  so those have already gone. I think I've started to panic and to wonder if there is something else apart from these Form France-Individuals that I should have done.. Thanks all the same    

Would somebody advise/reassure please... We are resident in France, both 70+, husband receives company pension and State old age pension, I receive Government pension and State Pension. Earlier this year, after benefitting from all the advice etc on this forum, we submitted all the relevant tax forms including France Individual forms. We recently received our Avis d'Impots,( and, phew,rather less than we expected) and have duly payed that. So far so good , everything seems to be in order over here- I think .. We have, however heard nothing from HMRC - we both continue to pay tax PAYE in UK and have had no notice of changes to our tax codings or reimbursement of taxes paid.  Have I over-looked some massively important step?  What should I do next? Do I need to contact HMRC? If so, at one central office or at each separate tax office that deals with us? I really don't know what I should be doing at this stage and would appreciate a shove in the right direction. Thanks, Sue

     Couldn't agree more! A delicious read, all three. Feeds your imagination, evoques memories you wished you had  AND improves your french while doing so, what more could you want...        

[quote user="Roz"]I too would be interested in knowing the answer to this question... I've been trying to find the current interest rates on a Livret A with Credit Agricole.  The website explains all about them without saying what the rates actually are.  Can different banks offer different rates on Livrets or is it set in stone for all of them?  Could any kind soul volunteer a sensible phrase for me to use if I tried phoning?  How does this google translation sound? "Quel est le taux d'intérêt en cours sur un compte Livret A,  s.v.p.?"  [/quote]    Credit Agricole have an English speaking department for English speakers wanting to open savings accounts- I know because  just last  Friday I spoke to a very pleasant and informative young Englishman there!  Lots of info about various savings accounts and interest rates etc  and online stuff too and  he managed to explain the difference between Livret A and LEP accounts.. The telephone number for the Anjou-Maine  office is   02 41 79 53 13     I'm sure they would give you the appropriate number  for a diiferent region     Good luck, Sue           

      So glad you are feeling reassured and worrying less Rose. Loads of best wishes Sue