Scooby

http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2248543/taxman-fined-500-h-vaughan As an aside, a colleague who started working for us in early June is still paying 40% tax with no personal allowances because they haven't processed the P45 from his old job - despite having received it nearly three moths ago.  They've told him it will be another 2-3 months before it will be processed and he can be put onto the correct tax code!!

With a police pension you can probably afford the cotisations...  As has already been said - you're in France now not the UK. By comparison my sister works in care doing a sixty hour week on minimum wage.  (That's £5.80 an hour.) Her patients are brain injured and can be violent - very violent.  She has been attacked twice in the last two years and was off work with her injuries for two months.  She is hourly paid and so received no sick pay.  She had to remortgage her (modest terraced) house to survive.  Her job is difficult and mauling, but despite having health issues she will have to work until she is 68 - at which point she will be entitled to the basic state pension.  So stop whinging and whining and consider yourself damn lucky.....

[quote user="Hibou"]Not really helpful Derf.   It wasn't the case 8 years ago when we bought the property.  The neighbour got divorced after we arrived.  He lives alone and doesn't seem to care. [/quote] That seems to be the pattern regardless of nationality.  The house 3 doors along the lane from us in the UK is the same.  They got divorced, he got the house and it has been slowly sliding into a scrapyard ever since...along with his sense of dress and hygiene.  OK maybe not so slowly.  Without a woman behind them...

[quote user="Will"]To say on the right side of the law, you should pay him using the cheque emploi system. There is a lot of information elsewhere on the forum if you do a search. [/quote] Only of benefit if you are resident and tax paying in France...

Unless you can re-let for the week they are visiting then why should you offer them another week FOC?  I'm assuming they would want their replacement week in peak season putting you back to square one.

When my son's two friends had it they were diagnosed by swab tests.  They were both very ill with very high temperatures and projectile vomiting. I think the problem is that, as the numbers affected have increased, there has become little point in tracking numbers developing the condition so the testing has stopped.  I know a number of people who have said they have had swine flu (untested) for whom the symptoms seem nowhere as near as severe as those whose illness was properly diagnosed (i.e. formal testing at the path lab).

[quote user="Bones"]We use Euro travellers cheques made out to Credit Agricole - we purchase the cheques from the Post Office (commission free) and post them (recorded) - there is no charge for depositing them so the only cost is the postage.[/quote] You probably pay more than you think as the exchange rates the post office offer are abysmal - that's why they can afford not to charge commission.

If they are flying into France then a number of the airports are doing spot checks for passengers that have a fever and are refusing them admission.  Tbh if they were stupid enough not to take out travel insurance that is their problem - why should you pick up the cost of their bad planning / cost cutting?  I certainly wouldn't put any of your other guests at risk - they could see you as responsible for their illness having had full knowledge of the illness but still allowing them to stay with you...

[quote user="JeanS"] We've got a glut of nectarines - anyone have ideas on how to preserve them other than jam.[/quote] You could bottle them (works well with plums and clementines (though peel the later first!)): In saucepan add 1 and 1/4 pints of water to 9oz caster sugar, 6 star anise, 8 cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks (broken into 2" lengths).  Cover and bring to the boil.  Stir to ensure sugar is dissolved then stir in 6 tablespoons of gin and set aside to cool.  Pack the fruit into large kilner jars (this recipe will do ~4lb of fruit).  Add the cooled syrup to the jars, distributing the spices evenly leaving about 1cm space at the top of each jar and seal. Place the sealed jars in a large saucepan and fill the pan with cold water to come to almost but not quite the full height of the jars.  Cover the saucepan and slowly bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 25mins.  Remove the jars from pan and allow to cool.  Recipe says jars can be stored for five months but we have kept them for over a  year without any problems.  Serve with a good vanilla ice cream. They taste wonderful (Also make a lovely Christmas present.)

[quote user="buelligan"]Is it possible that some in power might not wish an appeal to be heard?  That they consider it "better all round" if they please the Libyans, appear to be just and compassionate, maintain the illusion that "we got the right man" and that the real culprits did not get away with it...?  I do not wish to appear cynical but I do not have much faith in the integrity of the "Justice System" (in any state, at any period of human history). [/quote] I agree.  To RH - 8 years is probably nowhere near enough time for our legal system to hear an appeal - particularly one that wouldn't be wanted by a great number in high places.  Would leave a number of people with egg on their faces.  I join you buelligan - having seen the UK justice system up close I think I would get a fairer trial in Libya!

[quote user="woolybanana"]Nah you lot, whenever I have signed a devis, the date has been fixed to within a couple of weeks, allowing for frost if outside, and the work done on time, on spec and to everyone's satisfaction.[/quote] You mean you got one who would put a date in the devis....who, how, where..????

[quote user="Quillan"]If you were in the UK you would check that the builder you are employing is registered, has insurance etc. You would ask for more than one quote for the work, three probably. You would also ask around and visit some, or at least one, of his/her customers. What amazes me is that only too often I see Brits in France doing none of this and employing the first person who walks through the door. It seems to me that some leave the UK and forget to bring their common sense with them.[/quote] I think the difference between the UK and France is that in France even with one devis you'll probably wait months just for the work to  start...if you want three devis then heaven knows when you'd be finished!  Our electrician took a year to start the rewiring after giving us the devis...and he finally finished over two years later.

It's called the EU Norman.  It's why lunatic Spanish and Portugese drivers are allowed to be let loose on UK motorways causing pileups http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7878605.stm Ps - I have been driving on european roads as a 'visitor' for 26 years now without an accident..so we're not all so bad.

I think allanb summed up in (3) why the objectors have grounds to say PaD is flawed.... So not at all wasted Aly and it's flagged up a peculiar oddity that less frequent visitors to France may not have been aware of - so thank you.

I agree NormanH - for me a holiday is an escape from the laundry - I really wouldn't want the hassle of having to pack towels and sheets etc.  But maybe that's because we are English?

[quote user="teapot"]Where have all the worlds honey bees gone? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/07/eveningnews/main3919204.shtml[/quote] I think the primary culprits are thought to be parasitic mites or fungii.  Nevertheless we haven't seen any reduction of bees in our garden - but we have it planted with lots of 'bee friendly' plants.

45 is not young to be a grandmother!  E.g. married at 22 and has a child straight away, daughter married at 22 and does likewise.  I know several grandmothers in their thirties (all with legitimate children / grandchildren and most still married to their original partner!!)  My own mother is 69 and became a great grandmother for the first time 7 years ago.

I think the above posts are realistic and not smarmy.  From what he has said, the OP has no job opportunities in his current employment, no obviously transferable skills, cannot speak french and yet is considering uprooting his young family on what appears a whim because he is fed up with his job.  The salutary remarks above should, if nothing else, make the OP think again before he throws cautions (and a few other things) to the wind.

France is the perfect place...for retirees (i.e. those with an independent source of income).   

[quote user="jon"] I was reading somewhere...The French Property News!!!!! actually ...that France was best placed  to excit the finacial storm.3 PAGE article..... [/quote] A slight bias in your source n'est pas?

[quote user="Cendrillon"]http://uk.news.yahoo.com/blog/around_the_world/article/12818/ An interesting read,  sorry I still can't make this posting a link thing work [8-)] but I am sure someone else can. [/quote] I was amused at this line... -- The massive spread of swine flu in Britain can only have occurred through patterns of contact that are not the same as in France. as a reason for the higher incidence in the UK!!  Surely with all the kissing the french do it should be the other way around!!

[quote user="BJSLIV"]The arguments about people pulling out onto motorway like roads is pretty academic. In most such cases the right of entry is controlled by Stop and Give Way signs. [/quote] But not in the case cited where the road was dual carriageway and there were no signs to indicate PaD.

I'm not sure what integration has to do with the subject - it's either safe or it isn't.  In any case why would I want to 'integrate'?  I'm English and only visit France for my holidays..

I thought NH's estimate was a bit out - friends of ours make it and it's usually ready in months not years...a bit like sloe gin.

NormanH is clearly perfect...like his adopted country.  Ps NormanH - your back is always 'up' - In fact you seem to have such a permanent hump maybe moving to France was like coming home, Quasi??