Chassaing

May be some will be interested in this..... http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.650649,-116.139221&spn=2.062781,3.99353&z=8

[quote user="Katieb"]I wonder if anybody could suggest a book or web site address relating to the above as we would like to try our hands at planting according to the lunar calendar this year. Thankyou, Kate [/quote] I use this one... http://www.the-gardeners-calendar.co.uk/Moon_Planting.asp

Hi Frederick, this is not an isolated case, and I believe it won't be the last.  People are finding that 'life' is getting tougher, especially in UK.  My father had allotments for over 40 years and I often wondered how the whole place did not get 'stripped'. I hope this is the last time for your friend, so that he feels it is worthwhile to keep at it...... All the best,

Hi Ian, May we wish Coops all the very best for a magical high speed recovery.  Hope it the quickest 'pit stop' on record...... Tim and Morag

[quote user="Polremy"]Do you mean "complement" or "compliment"? It was spelt one way in my mail box and the other way when I went to the forum. Actually, it makes quite a difference.[/quote]  Thank you, I agree.  But as you can't complement me that is a compliment!  :) 

[quote user="lebois"]Hi Everyone! I think this petition is destined to receive huge support............ Perhaps you'd like to visit too? http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/pensionpoverty/ The UKs Basic Pension is 17% of the National Average Wage. Most European pensioners receive a Basic Pension of at least 60% of their countries Average wage. Only Estonia (33%),Ireland (31%),Holland (30%)and the UK(17%) pays a Basic Pension of under 40% of its Average Wage. A Political consensus was reached by the EU Nations at the Laeken Summit 2001. that each Member State would attempt to attain a Basic Pension of 40% of its Average Wage by 2007 and then work towards 60%. The UK provides the worst Basic Pension by far. In fact , taking the Pension as a percentage of each countries Average Wage you will note that Pensioners in Greece, Luxembourg, Spain and Italy receive over 5 times our basic pension. Those in Portugal, Malta , Hungary and France receive over 4 times as much and those in Poland ,Czech Republic ,Latvia ,Finland and Sweden receive 3 times as much. Slovakia ,Cyprus ,Denmark, Germany ,Lithuania and Belgium receive over double ,whist finally Estonia Ireland and Holland have almost twice our basic pension. Regards.[/quote] I'm happy to be delusional.......  thanks for the compliment.

Hi Dave, Loved your post, read it 4 times to see if there was anything I could disagree with - I couldn't.  I laughed and smiled many times. For 3 years the trials of the veggie plot have challenged me and if it wasn't for the sweetcorn, courgettes and the tomatoes it would have cost us money too. We go through the fuss of collecting seeds for the following year, it is like stealing from the garden centres but very work intensive. Why do I do it?  Well.......  I have this mania, it makes me believe that the harder I work at growing our own food the better it tastes!  :)                 When we have guests we give them HGMS (pronounced 'Hugums')  Home Grown Home Made.                 The guests tell us the food tastes better therefore reinforcing my mania. So there you go, we are mad and we enjoy doing it.  :) Regards

[quote user="allanb"][quote user="lebois"]I think this petition is destined to receive huge support............ Perhaps you'd like to visit too?[/quote] Sounds like a worthy cause, except that it doesn't suggest how it might be achieved.  It would be more likely to be taken seriously if it said "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Raise the State Basic Pension to levels paid in every other EU country.  We propose that 40% of the amount needed should be funded by increases in everybody's income tax and 30% by increases in NI contributions, and the other 30% should just be added to the national debt so that we won't have to worry about it." Without something like that, it's pie in the sky. [/quote] Hi Allanb, You might be right, thank you for highlighting this point..... Regards.

Hi Everyone! I think this petition is destined to receive huge support............ Perhaps you'd like to visit too? http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/pensionpoverty/ The UKs Basic Pension is 17% of the National Average Wage. Most European pensioners receive a Basic Pension of at least 60% of their countries Average wage. Only Estonia (33%),Ireland (31%),Holland (30%)and the UK(17%) pays a Basic Pension of under 40% of its Average Wage. A Political consensus was reached by the EU Nations at the Laeken Summit 2001. that each Member State would attempt to attain a Basic Pension of 40% of its Average Wage by 2007 and then work towards 60%. The UK provides the worst Basic Pension by far. In fact , taking the Pension as a percentage of each countries Average Wage you will note that Pensioners in Greece, Luxembourg, Spain and Italy receive over 5 times our basic pension. Those in Portugal, Malta , Hungary and France receive over 4 times as much and those in Poland ,Czech Republic ,Latvia ,Finland and Sweden receive 3 times as much. Slovakia ,Cyprus ,Denmark, Germany ,Lithuania and Belgium receive over double ,whist finally Estonia Ireland and Holland have almost twice our basic pension. Regards.

Hi everyone, Before you read this article, may I suggest you prepare yourself a stiff drink! http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/70b4ef0a-1b91-11dd-9e58-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 I use this before topping up, every little helps! http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/ Goats do a good job of mowing the lawn.....   :)

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]Well,  my main problem is the cost of the customer service line;   in our case last year we had long and frequent outages,  I reported these twice (at a personal cost of €18 for two phone calls) and then gave up and lived with the problem.   It seems to me totally unsatisfactory that there is no way of reporting defficiencies except via a phone call that costs €0.34 per minute and entails calls that last over 25 minutes while they faff around getting one to perform tests on the box that have no effect whatsoever. They then (as a result of the merger)  announced that - even though I was past the one year engagement -  I was to be put on a new contract (which meant I would be tied to them for a minimum of another year) AND gave me the wrong (too high) price for this contract.    When I queried this (on the premium rate number) they said they couldn't possibly personalise the announcement (which came via email) to all their customers.    This just strikes me as lazy - they could have put an asterisk by the price and said that those who own their own boxes (as I do) would pay the current rather than the increased price. In other words they now want to tie me back in to an identical contract to that which I already have,   with no new incentives,   and still with the premium rate customer service number,  for another whole year. I'm going to Alice where although I will pay more (because of the fact I won't have purchased my box) I will at least be able to pester them if the ADSL doesn't work, without pushing my phone bill up.   I suppose it's dread of having to ring CI and the fact they want to take me prisoner again for no advantage to me that makes me determined to escape their clutches. And of course a company that doensn't even know what its own resiliation address is must be a bit dodgy! [/quote] Hi Martin, Almost the same story as yours here, we also put up with the poor service but now have decided to jumped ship. After we called the service line for a new ADSL modem as ours was not working. CI told us they couldn't help us because our computer 'windows' was set up in English.  After being instructed to got to a local factor and having it changed in to French, the service helper refused to send out a new modem without going through a check list at our expence.... We decided it was time to change. The new company ADSL modem works perfectly (same IP adress so our PC was fine).   Our contract was extended without our agreement aswell, so we are on the same trail as this thread, how to get out..... Regards

I guess it is a lot more fun when you are not getting shot at!  :)

[quote user="cooperlola"]The French Health Minister has agreed NOT TO APPLY THE LEGISLATION RETROSPECTIVELY!!! Any economically inactive EU citizens legally resident on or before 23/11/07 will be allowed to join CMU,whether on an E106, or paying in.   More news shortly, please see the website which will carry the details soon. In spite of what we may have been thinking, huge thanks are due to the Europe minister and especially, Sir Peter Westmacott and the Embassy staff in Paris who have been working their socks of on this, although it might not have been evident in the last fortnight, as they did not want the minister to change her mind by jumping the gun before she had agreed to the changes we were asking for and had signed up. Sorry everybody was kept in suspense for so long but it was worth it in the end![:D][:D][:D] [/quote] From Jim Murphy: http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/blogs/jim_murphy/archive/2008/1/24.aspx

Fantastic news! Enormous thanks to 'The Team' and special praise for the leadership Coops has displayed, and of course to Mary Honeyball et al who gave us hope very early on. History has shown once again, that so many owe so much to 'The Few'. Looking forward to getting that little green card back......

Thanks Makfai, brilliant work. The 'quota issue' is getting around the world, Africa and Asia are now reporting a similar view on Mr Sarkozy's policies. http://www.indiaenews.com/europe/20080124/93473.htm