Scooby

We had our inspection in June.  They just wandered around, established where the tank was and where it drained to, took a sample of the soil type and told us it didn't conform (which we already knew!).  We had to sign a form to confirm that we had been advised that it didn't conform and to agree to have it upgraded within two years of the date of the visit.  We are hoping to install a pool eventually but want to hold off on that as long as possible (running costs don't really justify the use we will have from it) but we will probably now have the pool done at the same time as the fosse.  Doesn't seem any point digging up the garden twice - may as well do it all in one hit...in about 1 year 10 months time! The frustrating thing is that our hamlet is going to mains drainage - but our house is just a few yards too far away from the other houses in the hamlet for them to take the drains as far as our house.  I think it will be quite some months before our main drainage is installed. The next village have already had their new drains installed - so things seem to be progressing at different speeds according to where you live.  I believe some of the cost of the drains has to be borne by the commune - and it is the level of these costs (and available funds in the commune) that seem to determine the decision as to who gets mains and who has to stay on a fosse (albeit upgraded).

I also use the www.moneysavingexpert.com site and I'm on the cheap / free flight alert.  Like Jacqui I also have a visa electron card (requested from my bank at no cost solely for booking Ryanair flights).  As others have said you need to be very clear about the charging structure to get the free flights.  We (sister, children and I) just came back from a week in Galway and flew Ryanair for the grand sum of 10p for all five of us.  We have done the free flight thing many times nowand  to many destinations. We are very adept at travelling light so take hand luggage only - hence no baggage charges.  We don't buy travel insurance from Ryanair as we have an annual travel insurance policy that is much much cheaper - and more comprehensive.  We check in online and don't go for priority boarding - seems little point when 60% of the passengers are priority boarding!  If you are careful, watch for the cheap / free flight alerts you can get some amazing bargain holidays. If you want luxury travel, spot on customer service, free in flight meals and drinks, smiling staff - then don't fly Ryanair.  We are happy to put up with the 'chicken' announcements etc - after all we are only on the plane for a short while.

ps JK - hope it goes brilliantly!

K****!! K**** And here's me thinking JK's name is Katie.... Scooby (aka Katie - the real Katie!!! [;-)])

We had a similar problem last year with our adjacent field.  It's owned by three (adult) siblings who don't get on (the typical french land ownership arrangements!)  They let the field out to a farmer for his sheep in the past and we have had no problem but then last summer the sheep disappeared and the goats arrived.  The goats were over the fence every few minutes and into our garden, munching at our roses, wisteria and anything else they could get at.  They were also getting onto the road and there were one or two near misses with passing cars.  We (my sister and I) tried in vain to keep them out of the garden.  In hindsight it was probably quite a funny spectacle with us trying to chase them out of the garden, scare them out by banging a metal colander with a spoon and getting more and more frustrated as each attempt failed.  Spectacle was probably even funnier as I was wearing a leg brace at the time - having done a serious number on my knee - and so my walking had a distinct 'Max Boyce' air. In the end, after several failed attempts at securing the fence (which lasted just about long enough for us to see the exhaust plumes of the owners car disappearing in the distance as the goats broke through again) we just asked the owner to move the goats - which he did...and then shared an apero afterwards.  We never got any compensation for the roses and wisteria but they seem to have survived the experience!  One of the joys of rural France I guess!

That would be my choice too Ernie - southern hemisphere somewhere.  I'm probably going to offend lots of people now but winter in the Costa del Sol eating fish and chips and playing bingo with lots of other oldies would be my idea of hell!!

[quote user="lostinfrance"] Sorry i must disagree with you.   We live in France and yes when the sun shines lovely, (le soleil brie), The winters long, But we go south then to south Spain or Portugal, it never gets below 7 degrees. So heating costs.   So why go back to U.K. and spend money?                                                                 Retirement good if you spend no money,so go to the places that cost less. [/quote] Sorry I wouldn't want to go to Spain - even if I was paid to do so!!  Likewise the Algarve and a few other parts of Portugal.  Plus, I love England and love sending time with my family there - so why would I not want to go home to be with them?

Personally I'm opting for a retirement spending the summer in France and winter in the UK (well maybe go elsewhere in the peak summer months when it gets hot and packed with tourists!)  We had a few weeks in France the first year we bought the house and it was pretty dire.  Freezing cold, nothing to do and the fuel bills for that period were horrendous - we could have heated our UK house for a year for the cost of heating the French house in January.  Although I love France - I also love to come home - and I would certainly prefer to spend Christmas with my extended family in the UK.  My three children wouldn't come to France for Christmas anyway - we tried last year and they refused point blank!! (Afraid the french health service has no appeal for me - bad, bad experiences there!)

On the subject of using cards to pay for flights (if you live in the UK) its worth asking your bank to issue you with an electron card as Ryanair don't levy booking fees if you pay by electron.

We also pay our neighbour to cut the grass for us.  The local guy who does the 'gardening' for the commune comes and cuts our hedges, prunes the grape vine etc and does the other heavier stuff or the things that require more 'gardening' knowledge - again for a fee. We tried to do it ourselves initially but the grass grew so quickly it wasn't sufficient - plus it was very frustrating to be spending most of our short time in France tied to the garden so this arrangement is much better.   We don't have a huge garden in France (having over an acre here in the UK taught us that acres of land are not necessarily a good thing!) but even with a moderate sized garden it takes a lot of time to keep on top of it all.

Sorry - resurrecting an old post here but we have one of these at the front of our house - very well established (trunk is a good 4-5" thick!) and it has been trained to fan out along the roof (though not on the roof).  While trying to find out more about the plant I discovered that it is extremely invasive - in fact considered to be something akin to Japanese Knotweed in the south eastern states of America - there it will grow through walls, up through concrete and is virtually impossible to eliminate.  It's possible that it may be far more restrained in France as the climate isn't so warm and humid - and it certainly seems popular over here.  Having read all this though (especially as it is growing in such proximity to my house - and its new roof!) I'm now panicking!  The article also pointed that it attracts insects (and humming birds - if you happen to live in the SE of the US).  We have certainly observed this as, when in flower, it's a magnet for bees and wasps (in fact we moved five wasp nests this spring when we opened up the house!).  It is also related to poison ivy (common name in the US is 'cow itch) - so gloves are recommended when pruning. So my question - are my fears about it invading our house justified or can I rest easy so long as we prune regularly and hard? [img]http://www.homeforexchange.com/newUploadedImages/bunch/16698_17103_large_200705131240494183.jpg[/img]

Yes everything in one bag - and just for info, tinned foie gras counts as 'liquids or pastes'.  I had five 125gm tins (the smallest size) in my hand baggage (for my kids who adore foie gras).  All were confiscated.  Was given the option of checking them in but at £15 it was cheaper to buy them again when I take the car down in July.  Not sure how they expected me to blow the plane up with foie gras - or even open the tin for that matter - anything that remotely resembles a tin opener is prohibited anyway.  Damn waste - half a kilo+ of foie gras destroyed....[:(]

[quote user="spg"] our bill for the last 12 months was 1289 euros; the year before it was less than 1100 euros as it was a milder winter. Sue [/quote] Not sure what your winter temperature was the year before last but ours dropped (for several weeks) to minus 10 deg and less!  I notice you are in Morbihan - which I think has much milder winters than we do.

We have black granite worktops in our kitchen in the UK (along with slabbed floors, oak units, range cooker etc - and yes I  definitely can cook [;-)] ) I also waited 15 years for my kitchen in the UK!  We (or should I say I!) will eventually hope to have a similar kitchen in my / our french home - when I can afford.  In the meantime the beech work tops are a (relatively) inexpensive make do. We had our UK granite work tops made be a monumental mason (the ones that make tombstones!) - waay cheaper than ordering from a kitchen fitter

[quote user="Ginger"] I speak fluent French but can't find a decent job - or any job in fact! [/quote] I've heard the same thing over and over again - from locals born and raised in France [quote user="Ginger"] .....many people told me before we moved that France is for retired people, not for people with families or who need to work and sadly I think they were right. [/quote] That is exactly our view!

I would echo the comments of fuel costs.  We are in France for only a few months of the year but our oil bills are scary - far higher than our UK oil bills for a similar sized house.  Our neighbour (who lives in a tiny one bedroom village house) was telling me her annual electric bill has doubled in the last year - from 550 euros to nearly 1100 - and they use a woodburning stove for all their heating.  French wine maybe cheap - but not much else is.

Archant is there to make money out of painting France as a rosy haven - a paradise land which Brits should aspire to moving to. It is in their interest to ensure that 'negative' or critical postings are removed.  I think that as long as you view the forum in that context you will be fine.

Ours flowered a few weeks ago.  You can leave the green leaves but cut off the flower heads so the plant doesn't waste energy making seeds.

If it has not been made clear already, if you are considered to be domiciled in the UK then all your assets (whereever they are situated in the world) will be subject to UK inheritance tax.

Domicile and situ of assets at the time of death are the relevant factors for UK IHT purposes.  Your domicile (of origin) for UK tax purposes will be the domicile of your father.   It used to be the case that a women took her husband's domicile on marraige but that has now changed.  It is possible to change your domicile (domicile of choice) but as has been stated above it is not as simple as expressing an intention to move or, indeed, actually moving permanently to a new country.  It is based on your circumstances - i.e. whether or not you can have been considered to have severed all ties with your domicile of origin.  There is no statutory definition of 'domicile' so HMRC / the courts will look at a variety of facts when deciding on your domicile.  If you retain any ties with the UK e.g.: have a residence in the UKkeep other assets in the UK e.g. cars, boat, plane etc hold UK bank accountsretain membership of UK clubs or societies have business ties with the UK have close / dependant family members in the UK retain UK citizenship / a UK passport / driving licence have a burial plot in the UK...or have expressed an intention to be buried in the UKhave a will that is written under UK law you cannot speak, fluently, the language of your country of chosen domicileor you have only lived in you country of domicile of choice for a short time,  then the UK tax authorities may consider you to continue to be domiciled in the UK even though you moved abroad before your death with the intention of living there permanently. The burden of proof rests with the individual and HMRC will contest your domicile of choice on the basis of the above - particularly if your estate is of sufficient size to merit their interest.   

We used Danish oil (lots of coats!) and are very happy with the result.  We tried linseed oil first and it was a waste of time.  We did have to buy it in the UK though as we couldn't find anywhere that stocked it in France.

[quote user="Sprogster"]The best way for you to find out would be to move to France for a year and rent a house, to see if the dream lives up to reality and experience what are the financial implications, which can be complicated if your husband continues to work and be resident in the UK. [/quote] Agree totally Sprogster

I'm not moaning - tbh I think I got much better treatment privately - and whilst I can still work, I intend to continue to do so.  I just get p**'d off with the whingers who have far less health problems than I do but are too bone idle to get off their backsides and work...and use their illness as an excuse to scrounge.  I also get p**'d off with those who are either hyperchondriacs or who see a visit to their weekly visit to their GP as a valid 'social outing'.  (FYI my OH is a doctor and my daughter and sister are nurses - so it is 'an informed comment').    I think if more people in the UK had to cough up 30 euros for a visit to their doctor it would cut down some of the abuse of the NHS in the UK. Oh and I spend about a quarter of the year in France - and have lots of friends there so, yes, I hear their views on the wealthy Brit expats.   

[quote user="Val_2"]If you are buying a property to renovate here then the one thing you should not skimp on by trying to save money and that is electrical work. Spend some money and get it done properly and safely by a qualified artisan and you will sleep better at night rather than wondering IF you have done it properly. My son is a fully qualified french electrician and sometimes sees properties where his Dad is working and has a fit at the DIY the owners have carried out. Remember if there is a fire or a death related to poor unqualified work,insurers will not pay a single centime. Please do not be another BF or P&O electrician.[/quote] Agreed - we have had a complete rewire including new fusebox (5 bed, 3 bathroom, 250 m2 house) for less that 4k euro by a french fully qualified and insured electrician.  Imho - not  worth the hassle / risk of trying to do it ourselves.  Plus we have a guarantee if (heaven forbid) there should be a problem.

[quote user="woolybananasbrother"]Early retired French pensioners continue to pay full social charges I think (am I right here?) ,whereas early retired expat pensioners paid a flat rate of 8%. I understand that the French government wanted them to pay the same as the French but it all fell apart so hence the new dispensations.[/quote] Exactly WB - not suprising the average french retiree is p****d off with the rich ex-pats!