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I get my BP checked by the Dr. Cholesterol & Diabetes blood tests done by the 'infirmiere'. She comes to the house. Results back to me from the lab in 48 hrs. All absolutely free under the 'ALD' system.  French healthcare, I love you!

[quote user="Jonzjob"]Does anyone know when the hunting season finishes??? I think that it is this month, but don't know the date. Also are the dates different in different parts of France??[/quote] Have a look at the 'Chasseurs de France' website. Can't wait for next season!

Sunday is the day that the whole of rural France dedicates to 'La Chasse'. No shooting allowed on Wednesdays - no school for children, & that's the day they can wander in the country without being shot!   As for 'Les Voisins' - sounds fairly normal in rural France.

[quote user="Coco"]   What I find MUCH, MUCH more annoying is those on this forum that throw a french word into an english sentence, like "we're off to our maison secondaire for the summer" or "we're looking for some new cupboards for the cuisine".  Now either speak English or French, but don't ponce about and use the odd French word that you know and do the rest in English, it is just SOOOOOOO pretentious. [/quote] Do I get a sense of  deja-vu? We wouldn't after all wish to upset the entente cordiale! I could go on, but I'll leave it to others! Peter

[quote user="Mark"] Can one buy gooseberry bushes in France or don't us French people like them?  Haven't seen any in garden centres/marchés.   [/quote] I got some in the local Bricomarché last spring - both green and red. But they don't seem to have them in stock for very long. Peter

[quote user="Will"]   In some ways the buyer too has to bear some responsibility - the Acte de Vente is a legal document, and by signing it the buyer in effect accepts the condition of the house there and then. If the Acte and the various associated documents like the surveys are incorrect or incomplete then the buyer is not compelled to sign, and would be well advised not to. But a non-French buyer cannot of course be expected to know everything there is to know about the French house sale process (though ignorance is no defence in law). [/quote] Which brings me back neatly to my original argument - Don't do it without professional advice! Peter

Re Jonzjob's HF radar vasectomy - Is that fully reimbursable by the Secu? Pierre

Miss Babs, I've sent you a pm

Miss Babs As I understand it, you have 3 issues here: Conflict of interest because of a personal relationship between the immo and the vendor. I think I'd ignore that for the moment because that doesn't necessarily show negligence. You were told the property had main drainage and this was verified by an expert. Were you told that the fosse was redundant, and your drainage was directly connected to the mains system? The mains drainage system doesn't actually exist, according to information now received from the Mairie. On points 2&3 I think you need to consult a solicitor because even if the immo got it wrong [he could argue that he was merely passing on what he had been told by the vendor], clearly the 'expert' got it wrong. If there is no mains drainage system in existence he should have known this if he had local knowledge - a simple check with the mairie and/or  the 'assainissement' people was all that was needed [something my girl would have checked as part of the conveyancing]. I personally think that this has been aired enough on this forum, and if my summary of points 2&3 is correct, you need to start legal proceedings, probably against the expert, because he is the one who appears to have been negligent. The immo can quite rightly argue that he is not a surveyor, and he was merely acting on instructions and information received from his client. Even the vendor could claim to be innocent since being a vendor does not make one a drainage expert - the vendor could merely argue that as far as they understood they had been connected to an independent drainage system, and the old fosse was no longer relevant. Peter

Miss Babs - I'm not a lawyer, merely a simple Water Company land agent. However, in simple terms, if the vendor/immo has told you that the property is directly connected to mains drainage, and it isn't, then that is misrepresentation. However, if you were told that the drainage is ultimately connected to the main sewer [ie, all they have done is pipe the fosse to the main sewer], then I think I would have asked more questions. I know from experience that when I was involved with first time sewerage schemes we always connected the property directly to the sewer, and recommended that the septic tank was decommissioned and filled in. I suspect from what you have said that in your case all they have done is pipe the fosse outfall to the main drain [instead of into the ditch]. It's likely that the fosse itself didn't work as it should, so smells would be a problem. There was also the wonderful case [maybe the one you have mentioned] where the drainage outfall from the house merely went through the wall & discharged onto the garden! Peter

And further to that Iceni, perhaps 'Always know the answer before you ask the question!' Peter

Very succinct P-D. I agree wholeheartedly. Peter

I wouldn't instruct an English solicitor either! I instructed a French solicitor, specialising in conveyancing, who happens to be based in the UK. My French is excellent, but it doesn't stretch to legal terminology. I speak fluent English, but that does not mean thatI'd cut out the solicitor on a UK conveyance! Will is spot on - The Notaire is a State Official who's only job is to ensure that the conveyance complies with the French requirements. Peter

I'm afraid that you are missing the point. The object of the exercise is to engage a French solicitor, fully conversant with house purchase procedures in France, who knows what pitfalls await buyers, and knows what questions to ask and what searches to make. [In our case it was a very simple question - "You have stated that the house is connected to a fosse septique. Does all the house waste go into the fosse? Does it comply with current French legislation?"] Using a solicitor based in the UK and speaking English makes the whole purchase procedure easier for us Brits to deal with. There shouldn't be any nasty surprises - If all the right questions have been asked, and subsequently one finds that things are not what were stated, one has a comeback. It isn't a case of 'clever old me' - You wouldn't buy a house in the UK without instructing a solicitor and probably a surveyor, so why do so in France, when there is the added complication of the language barrier? And re the 'Caveat Emptor' I think Will made exactly the same point earlier! Peter

Once again the benefits of getting a professional involved become obvious.  Our French solicitor in UK checked everything out & found out that all the grey water went straight into the roadside ditch, and only the WC was connected to the fosse. Result - she got the price rediced by 6000 euros, half from the vendor & half from the immo. Caveat emptor Peter

Ali-cat has hit the nail on the head - "an agent who listened to us". Most French immos seem to show the Brits all the rubbish that the French wouldn't touch with a bargepole! Peter Moi - cynical? Jamais! 

bobh Re the accents on you keyboard - Look up on the internet the ASCII character codes, then print off for future reference - eg é is obtained by holding down ALT and typing 130 [you need the numbers lock ON] I'm sure that someone will quickly provide the appropriate link! Peter

[quote user="valmont"] Yesterday I booked a crossing with LD Lines Fri-Monday car+2 in Mid March £82.00. Then I stumbled on the pdf copy (pity I do not know how to post it on the forum)  of the ticket I had booked last year with them :   car+2  Friday-Monday in mid March : £  39.60.   HOW DO THEY EXPLAIN AN INCREASE OF 100% ????????   Has Mrs Gupta an opinion on this ? And WHY so much silence  about this disgraceful price increase on the forums ? It seems you have now become quite happy to pay higher prices than P&O used to charge! I am puzzled. Danglar   Well of course they had to establish themselves, but now they need to make a profit. However, sailing times not user friendly and no o/n cabns anyway, so I'll stick to BF thanks very much! [/quote]

Hi gang First problem is that my posts don't show a pm button at the bottom, so what have I done wrong? What's an 'avatar'? Thanks in anticipation, Peter

Welcome to the world of the French immos! See if you can find a friendly resident Anglais who can do some of the preliminary sifting for you, so that on your next visit you will have a short list of 4-6 inspections. It's worth paying someone on site to do this - cheaper than wasted journeys! Bonne courage, Peter

Try 'Sirtema' as an early. It's a nice floury potato. I put chitted seed in the poly tunnel in late January, and we are eating them by May. Nice big tubers as well, the later ones are big enough to bake in the oven [if you really want jacket potatoes in July!] For a maincrop, try Bintje. I have also tried Red Duke of York which do well. Lots of water needed for all these varieties! Peter

A few random thoughts: Will cheap flights always be cheap? Usually better to have a car. so ferries/tunnel more practical except for quick trips Brittany - Like Cornwall, including the weather? Normandie - nice, but again, weather like England. Head down into Sarthe - Le Mans & the weather improves Deep south, Provence, Midi etc. Hot in summer. Long drive. Mistral in winter Alsace and East - don't know Charente - flat and boring [howls of protest arriving shortly!] Dordogne - Full of Brits Auvergne, Aveyron - Cheap but remote. Probably fine in summer, but what about winter? Limousin: Cheap property. Limoges airport currently has routes to Southampton, Stansted & E Midlands. Good [free] motorway A20 Distance [Chateauxroux] c. 3hrs 40 from Caen + c. 1hr30 to Limoges. Centre; Generally speaking the weather changes at the Loire. Ryanair fly to Tours from Stansted. Tours is c. 3hrs from Caen, but new motorways from Alencon - Caen will knock this down to c. 2hrs30. Also A85 E-W due for completion this year.TGV at Tours for Eurotunnel. Property prices away from Tours not to bad. 37 not desparately cheap, but 36 very rural and bargains still available. Pretty countryside. With young children you must still have parents in the UK. You need to consider ease of access to/for them. 3 -4 hrs by car from Caen [6 from Dover] is bearable. 10-12 for the South isn't. But........ Once you live in France, it's easy to jump in the car & go somewhere else eg Centre - Provence 5ish hrs. Visitors coming by air are a pain - insist that they come with their car by ferry/tunnel, or if they must fly, hire a car for the duration at the airport. If we have visitors who fly to Limoges it's a 2 hr journey for them, but 4 hrs for us, there & back - and you have to do it twice! Don't forget - It's one thing having summer holidays, but living here is different. France has winter too! Hope this helps.See also my thread 'Professional help..........'   Bonne courage, Peter

"Finding/owning - Professional advice when buying French property".

Re car insurance: Saga include unlimited European cover, so there's no need to bust a gut to change over to the French registration/insurance. Peter

Oh boy! See my today's thread - 'Professional advice........' Peter