Charallais
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Posts posted by Charallais
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My doctor doesn't speak English but we manage O.K.
On one part of the site is recommended a Health Phrase Book for just 1.99 I bought it and it is good handy for the handbag or pocket. Go to http://www.whatshouldido.com and you can buy on line.
I also have Health Phrase books bought through Living France which are excellent and I have bought one for a friend, they are more expensive but the choice is always yours.
Charallais -
Our celebrations went well.
Was organised by the Sapeur Pompiers who provided the food, wine, fete, firework display and music.
At the fete all the women had to pull a ticket out of the hat in the tombolla and received a present from the Commune. This was totally organised and run by the mayor, Yvonne our next door neighbour. We all received lovely pieces of pottery, mine a beautiful dish.
The firework display on the highest part of the commune was beautiful and then we all trooped back down the hill to the salle de fete for the dancing. We left at 1am and left lots of people still dancing.
I wonder why the youngsters don't all speak perfect English as they all knew all the words to all the American and English pop songs.!
Great time had by all, they know how to party here.
Charallais -
In our commune of 190 people, there will be lots of food and wine (well this is the Cote D'Or Burgundy!)at lunch time. In the afternoon, no time we work on French time, a fete, with stalls, a skittles match (should be interesting after all the wine,)a raffle. Then a fire work display and a dance with - more wine and food.
Bonne fete!
Charallais -
Hi Lin
Well I have found out that Pride Mobility who make my mobility scooter have an outlet Pride France in Deux-Sevres.
Web site for Pride Mobility is www.Pridemobility.com click on to the International bar and choose France then you can get it in English.
Pride France
64 Rue de Pied Griffner
79180 Chauray
tel 05 49 33 61 59
mobile 06 85 01 24 10
contact Yves Poirier
No harm in finding out. Even our pharmacist has taken an interest in my scooter! There are various types and sizes. Mine might be a bit too heavy for you but there are really small one, I had one like that for my first scooter and have progressed to a larger type. It is good for getting round towns like Dijon where there are hills, saves the old amn from too much work and I can go shopping on my own! He hates thaat!!!!!!
Charallais -
I was thinking of something on-line. If there was enough interest I would set something up.
Charallais
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Would anyone be interested in a book club in English or French?
Suggest a book for everyone to read then we discuss it, give critiques etc?
e-mail me or post a message [email protected]
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Would anyone be interested in a book club in either English or French?
Choose a book for us to read and then discuss, give critiques etc?
Charallais -
Lin I have read your posting and wonder if in your situation a mobility scooter might be a better bet.
I say this because of some things you mention.
Your mum is not keen on a wheelchair, I can understand that I hated it when I first had mine, I was pretty reliant on other people even though I have a self propelling one, but you have to be pretty fit to wheel one for long!
You say it is hilly where you are, well think of yourself having to push a wheelchair up those inclines, my husband was shattered before long on a slope.
Independence is really important and since I got my mobility scooter there is no stopping me. It is fairly small and fits in the back of the car. So it is there whereever you go and just plug the battery in at night then off you go. There are various types and sizes available and there are stockists in France now of the smaller type. Mine has an outlet in the Charante and if you are interested e-mail me [email protected]
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We have a form to fill in for top up health insurance and there is a question which I presume means is the payment to be taken from salary or AMPI or Amexa. Does anyone know what AMPI is or Amexa? I assume it is something straightforward and I should know.
We went to register with CPAM and because we are both classed under invilidity we were surprised and pleased to find we are covered 100%, it is good to get these really positive surprises!
And for anyone out there going to set up anything, with France Telecom, CPAM anywhere infact you might have to set up a payment or like with CPAM get repayments DONT FORGET TO TAKE THE RIB!!! Great fun we forgot it and it was apparantly very important to have it that day. It is a 45 minute drive to Dijon on the N71, which although a busy road is very hilly and twisty and often you get stuck behind a traactor or whatever and we had to drive home to get a RIB, drive back to Dijon (and the joys of parking!)to take the RIB and the woman then says oh you could have sent it! Arghhhh! As we are with Credit Agricole Britline, based in Calvados, a local Credit Agricole cannot supply you with a RIB because, unless you are in Calvados, it is outside their juristrictive area.
For the uninitiated, RIB is Releve D'Identite Bancaire. Where in England you would just give bank details, France needs a RIB.
Just thought I would warn you.
Charallais -
Burgundy Friends, web site www.burgundyfriends.com, have said they would try and arrange classes for people who want to learn French if there were enough people wanting the service.
I have looked around where I live in the Montbardoise area of Cote D;Or (21) but have not found classes to suit us. We are going to have conversational meetings with an aquaintance who has a good command of the language but further to that we have drawn a blank.
Are there other people who would be interested, if so contact Burgundy Friends, who will try and help, via the website.
Charallais
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Just a little update on our fight with the English beaurocrats.
Our Incapacity Benefits are now being paid to Credit Agricole, hurrah! Still waiting for the E121 to arrive from Medical Benefits. Apparantly when I was told by IC in Newcastle that EVERYTHING would be waiting when we arrived in May that only applies to the Incapacity Benefit.
Medical Benefits who sort out the paperwork for CPAM use, a courier! They take the paperwork away. sort it and then it goes into the general post! So, anything from them will take at least 3 weeks I was told.
It has been a nightmare. I have spent so much time on the phone trying to get things done. Then to cap it all Incapacity Benefits sent us more forms to fill in, we need your bank details in France, they were on the original form and we need copies of your birth certificates. We had to photocopy them, take them to the Mairie and get the commune stamp put on them and the Mayor signed them for good measure. None of this was asked for in England. We ahve to send everything by recorded delivery from France. You need Fiche de Depot D'Un Envoi International and Avis de Reception/Avis de Paiement. Because apparantly people have not been receiving money or letters so it is better to send recorded delivery.
Charallais -
As I am at the certain age I too had terrrible hot flushes and night time was absolutely horrendous. I started taking some capsules from Holland and Barrett called flush fighters, I am not allowed the old HRT you see, and I started to feel better. Then when I spoke to the pharmacist in France he said you should use soya. Dragged hubby round the supermarket and bought soya milk, soya yoghurts, anything I could find. And it works, then I looked at the capsules from Holland and Barratt and they are 80% soya. I do get hot occasionally but we don't drive in the winter with me having to have the car window open or sleep with the windows open! I also take oil of evening primrose, calcium tablets for the bones you know.Hubby has cod liver oil, (huile de foie de morue.) A lot of pharmacies do complementary medicine especially in the larger towns.
Hope this helps someone.
Charallais -
I have been asked to help at an after school club, listening to the children read, help with simple sums etc.!!!
It is something I can do, I helped in a classroom in England. It would help my language skills, help me integrate into the community and help my memory, being with groups of people etc. as I had a stroke 3 years ago and I am still recovering.
My worry is I have not a clue about the French school system and how I could relate it to helping at the aide de devoir. It sounds a good idea, the French people there seem to think my French at a standard to cope so I am prepared to give it a try.
Can anyone help with with a short resume of the schooling of 5 11 year olds?
Thanks for any information. -
We have just moved to our French home and have received voting papers. What rights, if any, do we have about voting here in France? It is something I have not seen written about.
Charallais -
Two days after my mother came to stay with us she suffered a blackout and hit her head quiet badly neccessitating a visit to the local casualty department.
She is so impressed with her treatment. She was seen 5 mintes after she arrived and was done and dusted, including stiches and a scan, within an hour and a half. We returned the next day for a neurologidcal test and she was in the room after two minutes of her arrival and out within the hour. She has to return for the stiches to be removed before she goes home and she will have the test results to take home.
The whole experience was not traumatic for her, she is 79, and she keeps telling people how well she was treated. The hospital was clean and everyone very polite and caring. Not, she says like her experiences in England.
Charallais -
I need to have regular cholesterol tests and have my asthma checked every 6 months. How do I organise this and with whom? Has anyone else had to organise this sort of thing? How much would it cost?
Any advice would be greatly received.
Charallais
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This subject interests me very much as I am unable to use HRT as it gave me a stroke. Doctors in England are loath to give me HRT so I need something to help with the fot flushes. I have been using something called Flash Fighters bought from Holland and Barratt which have worked excellently. I spoke to my pharmacist in France about something to help the hot flushes and he immediately said soya. I realised later that the Flash fighters are 80% soya! So I think that anything soya based is the answer for me as no way am I going back on HRT. Thank you for all the views expressed on this subject they are all very helpful.
Charallais -
My French friends tell me that you can just go to any doctor you wish. The husband visited a doctor whilst working away on business and was diagnosed with Prostate cancer. He is still undergoing treatment but initially he preferred to go to a doctor away from his home town. It also seems that the French will visit any amount of doctors until they find one who gives them the answer they are looking for! My friends' expression not mine.
Our local pharmacist has looked at all my medication from inhalers to blood thining medication and he can provide all these over the counter with no problem but for insurance purposes I must visit the doctor every 3 to 6 months. I was initially surprised, if not shocked, I could buy all this medication over the counter but he was insistant that the doctor be visited regularly not only for insurance purposes but to check the medication is still appropriate.
Charallais -
Tele Loisir weekly and even try the games, it is the best tele paper for what is on BBC Prime and BBC World (apart from looking on line.)
Bien Public the local paper everyday except Sunday as we don't go into town Sundays to buy it.
Sometimes pick up a womans magazine Elle etc.
My dictionary just about everyday when I know I have made a fool of myself again in the shops or with a neighbour!
The junk mail just to see if I can read it.
The dictionary for electricity, building and plumbing work and The dictionary for health matters when needed.
Subtitles in French
But not a novel, yet, but who knows?
Charallais
Books, recycling and discussing
in French Culture
Posted
Also how would you feel about recycling your books amongst other readers. I know I have loads of books I just couldn't leave behind in England but they do take up a lot of room. If anyone else would like a read they are welcome.
For good measure, anyone got a book that they feel is a must read? It would be interesting to know, either in English or French.
Charallais