oakbri

I currently live in northern France, I was brought here by work and we made an impulse buy on our house. Hopefully we are moving next year and we are now doing loads of research on where to go. We are looking for somewhere with definite seasons. Here in picardie we have 8 months of bad weather followed by winter. My wife is Russian and can't get used to winters that are just grey and miserable and wants to move somewhere with snowy winters. We are both big into winter sports and take our children skiing each year. I am going to commute to my job, so that is not a consideration, although I want to be within an hour or so of an airport. Ideally we want somewhere with warm summers, cold winters and a bit of a social scene. Does a place like this exist, maybe in the Hautes-Pyrenees? I know this is the wrong forum to ask about the Haute Savoie but does anyone know if that would be a more suitable area to look? Luckily we are not big city folk, so a small town would be great. Any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

If the authorities are clamping down on people working without paying their taxes etc that is fair enough. I only hope they put the same amount of effort into catching up with the "artisans" who happily fleece people of thousands of euros without ever planning to complete (or even start) the work for which they are being paid. Mmmm. I think not. But if anyone has any stories to the contrary I would love to hear them.

Sweet17 Glad you have had some progress, even if it's not much. It seems the best way forward is via the shop you bought the stoves from. As another poster advised prepare a dossier listing all the problems, dates, monies paid and if possible including photos etc. I would then take it to the shop and get them to arrange a definite start date. As your French friend said, it's not because you are English, they are treated the same way. The term Artisan means very little and due to the protectionist laws in France surrounding their trade they have until now had little reason to improve. As the EU grows and competition increases, both legitimate and illegal I hope things will get better. I have never been able to get my head round the laws governing builders here. I, like many others, can ply my trade here using my UK qualifications quite legally, yet builders, plumbers and the like cannot. I do think things will change. For instance, I have seen a builders van many times in my village at various properties, all French owned. The van is signwritten in French, giving websites, mobile numbers etc but it is on POLISH number plates. The guy may well be registered here, but if he is why is his van not? Anyway best of luck and keep us informed.

Sweet 17 A similar thing happened to a friend of mine this year. He employed an "artisan" (and I use that word in the loosest possible terms) to lay some crazy paving and a sturdy security fence around his property. He paid something like 50% up front. The "artisan" showed up and laid about half the tiles. He then returned asking for more money to buy the fence. My friend was out but he showed my friends wife a receipt for the fence. He managed to extract a further 1600 euros from her for the fence, plus another 800 euros to be able to continue the paving. When my friend got home he looked at the receipt for the fence and found it to be no more than a devis, and no more paving had been laid. Needless to say the "artisan" never returned. The tiles he laid sank in the middle and collected rainwater. My friend eventually employed a British guy working on the black. The job was done in a couple of days, for far less than the artisan quoted and to the standard my friend required. All the tiles that had been laid had to be ripped up . Whilst I am not condoning using non registered workers it goes to show that the word artisan can sometimes mean nothing. I don't know how you chase these people as like in your experience the phone number he was given no longer got answered. I guess the answer is to pay as little up front as the law allows and pay not a penny more until the job is done to your satisfaction. Anytime I ever had work done in the UK it was always cash on completion, I think as a customer it gives you more protection. Obviously as a builder it leaves you open to non payment problems.

Returning to the issue of copyright. I understand if you download a movie currently in the cinema that is piracy. However as I said I often download old movies, which have been shown on TV zillions of times. When a movie airs on TV you can record it on your VCR/Hard Drive etc etc. So if it is not illegal to record a movie once it is in the public domain via TV, is it illegal to record it from someone elses computer? If so why, what is the difference? Once Sarkozys spies begin their snooping will they differentiate between piracy of new movies and downloading ancient ones?

Excuse me if this has been discussed already but I am a little worried abut the new law I have read that the President is about to implement regarding p2p file sharing. I read that a department is being set up to monitor everyones internet usage. Anyone caught downloading movies etc will receive 2 warnings then have their internet cut off permanently. I don't download pirate films or music, I have adequate TV and a good music collection. But I do download Russian TV programs and films (all very old) for my wife. I am not sure what copywrite a 1960's film has, given it has been aired thousands of times. and you are free to record it on your VCR etc. Does anyone have a better understanding of the new law, when it will come into force and exactly what will be illegal? Many thanks

Phil & Pat I did an airport driving course I remember the instructor saying "you must stop at all the stop signs for a count of three, the same as on normal roads" It's the only time I heard the rule stated until my friend was caught last week. The police were posted at several locations around Orly airport and were pulling over dozens upon dozens of cars for not stopping. At 90 euros a time its nice work if you can get it, which is why I suspect end of year budgets etc etc.

Sadly nowadays they are probably scared people will shoot back !!!

Phil & Pat What you say makes sense. The problem is that if you start slowing down too much before each traffic light you will only infuriate the driver behind you, and Paris drivers are not the most considerate drivers in the world. In the end you risk abuse or even worse the driver making dangerous overtakes to get past you. I don't think there is a right answer for this. The police can take your money with impunity, much like the speed cameras in the UK. I think that is the answer. Last week a friend of mine was fined 90 euros for not stopping long enough at a stop sign. The policeman admitted he did stop but not for 3 seconds. Which is pretty rediculous even if it is the rules. On the point of stop signs, they are springing up everywhere. It takes a lot of energy to bring a car to a complete standstill and then start moving again, multiply that by the number of cars and stop signs and you can see how much they are helping with greenhouse gases. It is a shame when a simple giveway would do. On the road out of my village 2 stop signs were put up this summer. The first gives priority to a gravel track leading up to a locked gate which goes to a rail line. The second gives priority to an ungated field. That one even has the locals scratching their heads. I am sure the farmer that exits that field once a week is happy to know he has the right of way over the hundreds of cars that must stop for him each day.

[quote user="Paul Bradford"] Hi OakBri, Sorry to correct you, but an amber traffic light means stop at the stop line. You may only go on if you have crossed the stop line when the light changes to amber. Red/amber also means stop. When I did my Driver Training I was taught: 'If the lights are green when you approach, assume they will change before you get there, that way you'll be prepared.' Regards Paul [/quote] Paul I agree with you. I do anticipate. It is also quite easy to do on long stretches of road with only 1 set of lights. If anyone has ever driven up the Champs Elysees you will know there are dozens of sets, spaced less than 100 metres apart, and they don't appear sequenced to each other. It makes anticipation "interesting". Saying you can go on amber only if it changes after you cross the line doesn't apply in most cases as the lights are often situated right on the line, which I think is why you often have the mini repeater lights at road level as when you pull up to the line on a red light you can no longer see the main lights. Reading the UK highway code makes me feel my own interpretation of UK rules is correct, i.e amber means stop at the line unless it would require an emergency stop to do so. Anyway, I have learnt my lesson and will adopt the French way from now on. I have noticed a huge increase in the amount of Police on the roads this last week. I guess the end of the year is approaching and they obviously work to a budget, so an end of year money grab helps them balance the books. Paul Just to add. I know Red/Amber means stop, but it also means pepare to move as I wrote in my original post. This is another thing I miss, I think it is good to have a system to tell you to be prepared as the lights are about to go green. As you know french lights go straight from red to green and if you have been foolish enough to put your car in neutral while waiting and spend more than about 2 microseconds putting it into gear after the lights go green you are often abused with a chorus of beeps from behind. Well in Paris anyway.

[quote user="Cathy"] How much was the fine? Was it painful?   [/quote] Cathy The fine wasn't too bad, could do without right before christmas though. As I said, the road was wet and at 3 feet I didn't feel it was safe to slam my brakes on. The knowledgeable officer thought otherwise. To be fair to the Policeman he was very polite. He only realised I was English when he saw my licence and immediately switched to speaking English (which was much better than my French). As he handed over my fine he asked me to sign in a box on his part of the form. Just as I was about to sign I read what it was for and it basically said I understood and agreed why I was beng punished, so I refused to sign. This caused him quite some hassle and he ended up calling all his colleagues. Eventually he admitted he couldn't make me sign and just gave me my fine. I hope I haven't opened a can of worms by not signing. I just didn't agree I had done anything wrong. I am not contesting it, the fine is already paid. I am still a bit grumpy about it though.

You are right Sunday Driver But I just assumed that as they have three colours they operate a three colour system, similar to the UK. No wonder every car in Paris is full of dents if they have to slam the brakes on at an amber light. I think I prefer our way !!! My mistake.

Can someone please clarify what amber means at traffic lights. I don't mean the flashing amber mode that some lights operate in at night, I mean amber in the normal mode of operation. A couple of years ago I was driving with a french friend. As I came abeam some green lighs they turned amber. As I was already abeam the lights I continued through as you would in the UK. My friend tutted and said I had better not let the police catch me. I must admit I didn't listen to him. Then, yesterday, I had to drive in Paris, something I do as rarely as possible. I was going up the Champs-Élysées and was about to enter the Place de l'Étoile. As I approached the final traffic light it turned to amber. I was no more than 3 feet in front of it and as the road was wet and a car was very close behind me I continued. A police car immediately flashed me and issued me a fine. I am a bit sad as it is my first ever driving offence - anywhere. I am not a chancer and don't jump lights, nor do I speed up on an amber to make it, anyone who has ever driven round the Place de l'Étoile would know if you drove like that there your life expectancy would be quite short. As I remember in the UK the lights meant as follows: Red = Stop, Red/Amber = Prepare to move, Green = Go, Amber = if you are approaching the lights begin to slow down and stop or if you are on top of the lights continue if it is safe to do so. Maybe I am wrong as there was no written test when I did my licence, but that system has seen me have 20 years of driving with a clean licence. So here in France do they operate a simple stop/go rule? If so why bother with amber at all. Is a three light system too complicated for them? I have done a search on this forum and found 1 other post where soemone was done for driving through an amber light, but that's all. Any information would be helpful.

The Embassy is normally the best way forward. I can't vouch for the Irish Embassy, but I used the services of the British Embassy in Rome when my daughter was born 2 years ago and they were excellent. She was born in northern Italy. I filled in the application form and mailed all the documents to the Embassy. Less than a week later I took a train down to Rome and collected my daughters British passport and even a British birth certificate. You mentioned a consulate, but normally only the Embassy can issue the passports and if you use a consulate all they do is forward everything on to the Embassy, which is potentially more time consuming, so they are better going direct to the Embassy themselves. Best of luck.

That's it all done!! I went to the prefecture at 9am this morning, handed the gentleman my documents. He typed it all in and pointed me to the cashier. I paid and she handed me the carte gris, she even gave me a smile, and coming from a French bureaucrat made me feel very special indeed. I was out by five past 9. My friends don't like going there as they always get sent away. In the years I have been here I have been 3 times. Apart from the first time when I got sent away for not having the CoC, which was my fault, the other times have been completely painless. Thanks for the help and thanks to Sunday Driver for the link to print off the Certificate de non gage, it was easy.

Many thanks Sunday Driver I pick up the vehicle tonight (by trailer). I will call to the Prefecture first thing tomorrow, I am pretty sure they are open Mondays. That way I will have the new reg number before I insure it. I read a lot of your replies to previous posts regarding this so I know what I need, I even have your link to the website where I can print off the Certificate de non gage. Once again thanks

Many thanks Nick Sorry about that, I was a bit bleary eyed by the time I finished trawling the search last night. I think I got confused as one old post lead me to believe that if the Prefecture computer didn't show the car as sold you couldn't get the CG. Also my insurance don't have an office, its all done by post and internet. But it's no longer a problem as I will go to the prefecture first thing, pick up my new number plate and then insure it after. Many thanks

Having spent the last hour trawling through previous posts and using the search I can't find a suitable answer for my question so I will ask. I think it is fairly straight forward but as my prefecture is a long drive, and according to my french friends saying "NON" to a carte gris is their favorite hobby, I want to reduce my trips there to no more than a handfull. So: I have just bought a french vehicle, which I will collect tomorrow night. I know to reregister it in my name I need: Demande de certificate d'immatriculation, the old carte gris marked "vendu", certificate vente and the certificate de situation administritive. It doesn't need a CT so I don't need that. Now as I understand the old owner has to inform his prefecture by post that the vehicle is sold, saying he posts it monday morning I guess there is no point going to my prefecture for at least a week. So to use the vehicule until then I must insure it on its old immatriculation (its from a different department) My questions are: 1. How long should I wait before driving to the prefecture to ensure their system is updated to show the vehicule is sold. 2. After I receive my carte gris and new number plates how do I alter my insurance. (I do most of it through the internet but I have not seen a web page to inform them of a change of registration to a vehicule you already have insured with them) Many thanks in advance

Sprogster Glad to hear things have improved on the travel front. I loved living in Jersey and found that to be the islands big failing. I was lucky as I worked for an airline so it cost me very little to get away by air. But I know air fares were high and the ferry at the time was a joke. I remember being quoted something like 300 pounds to take the car to St Malo and back. Which must have made it the most expensive ferry journey at cost per mile in the world. Is Emeraude still going?

Hi Gardian No leak. We did have one in the front garden when we arrived in 2002 but one of the first jobs I did was rip out all the old plumbing and ran a new pipe from the water meter up to my house. Just to make sure I just checked my meter again, and with no taps on all the indicators are stationary. I guess we need to start showering less! 

Hi Sprogster It is quite a while since I left Jersey, I lived there from 1999 to 2001. I agree about the lack of crime. I left my keys in my car ignition the whole time I was there, and while it may not be like that any more I agree it is MUCH safer than the UK. I loved living there and as I said the only downfall was to do anything you had to first get off the island, which was slightly time consuming and hugely expensive. Don't know if that has changed by now. How I miss going for a few pints in St Aubins on summer evenings.

[quote user="Jura"] To whoever it was that asked...Canada and The Channel Islands are on our list. I am happy, just not settled here that's all. Just don't lump the Channel Isles in with the UK...they dont like that (like the Welsh) as I have gauged from the many I have met. [/quote] Jura I can't comment on Canada (currently at looking moving there myself) but I have lived in Jersey. Although it is beautiful and has a great social life you may find it just as isolated as France. The main problem is the fact to do anything you have to get off the island. When I was there I found I had to get away every few weeks to keep me sane. Also, as I am sure you know, the housing laws in Jersey mean you can't buy a house, unless you are extemely well off or manage to get a "J cat" visa. There are a couple of other methods but the houses you can buy are way overpriced and a limited selection. Guernsey does have housing licenses, but I never lived there so I can't comment on how the system works. Good luck in whatever you decide!!

Hello Panda Just looking through my old bills. I get a bill at the end of June and one at the end of December each year. For the past 5 years I have been billed for an average of 305 metre cubed each time, so 610 meteres per year. The bill is quite long winded so not sure where to find the exact price per metre, but I have paid around 900 to 1000 euros per year since I have been here. And the worst thing is the water is absolute sewage. Unfiltered you cannot even see through it. I paid 3000 Euros for a filter from Culligan so its much better but I am surprised they can charge so much for such poor quality water. Whilst growing up in the UK we never needed a filter and paid virtually nothing for the water, not sure what it is like now though.

Soory bugbear, you are right. I am surprised at some of the posts. I agree with you, if you tried it and it didn't work, then leave. The people who post unpleasant replies to anyone who says they don' like it here may, as someone posted, be stuck here, as the happy people probably wouldn't bother to reply. To say to people that if you think France is the be all and end all need to broaden their horizons is unbelievably arrogant. If you came to France and it fulfilled all your desires why would you need to look anywhere else. Everbody has different boxes to tick when they look for a home. France hasn't ticked any of mine, but I am sure it meets many peoples requirements.

I live in Dept 60 and the price of water is horrendous. 900 Euros last year, and we don't have a pool or any leaks !! And we get 360 days rain per year, enough to supply the whole of France.