Scooby

So where is everyone??

[quote user="Gyro"]Are you all gone soft??? Have you ever tried to make a complaint to Ryanair I think its £2 a minute and your on hold for 15min and then no satisfaction. The reason those claims can't proven is because,  you can't complain without it costing about £20 or of course you can fax but who has access to faxes on a daily basis hmm I suppose all those people who have electron Visas (minority of travelers). Why is it so popular? They have a monoply especially in Ireland, who else you going to use? My biggest issue is when we fly from Dublin to Pau via Stansted - If they cancel or change your arrival time - they offer a refund option but only for one leg only. Then theres visa card charges I booked a flight for some of my family to visit, I booked 3 people at once and got charged 3 times 10euro for using a visa card once. Then theres the staff talk about grumpy. So in conclusion Ryanair is Cattle Class Travel!!  They don't give a F*@k about you. But MOL should be given his live interview to have his say, but @ £500 a minute we'll see him sweat then.LOL [/quote] Simple answer Gyro - if you don't like then don't buy.  It means more seats for the rest of us.  Personally I love RA - we travelled to France last week for a tenner return, we are going back to France for half term - entire family of five for less than £150 return, then to Dublin late Nov for a long weekend at 2 euro return, and doing a trip to SE France in December for a tenner return.  I'm more than happy with their service thank you.  The ones that don't like RA are those that: Don't read the small print when they book (if you read the small print you probably wouldn't have the occasion to complain) Want to take the entire house plus kitchen sink with them when they travelCan't be bothered to invest in an electron cardWant 5* start waitress service and free meals etc on boardIf you want that, fly BA and pay their prices

[quote user="Renaud"]  So it surprises me that Russethouse and Quillan (usually shining beacons of good sense) are huffing and puffing about this small slip-up in the candyfloss of this preposterous programme [/quote] Agree completely - the world has gone PC mad!  Danni hardly 'outed' Danyl given he went public in the News of the World the week before.  In any case who gives a monkey's!

[quote user="Celine"]In a way, Stephen Gateley's increased popularity after he came out ten years ago only serves proves the point.[/quote] He died yesterday by the way - in his sleep.

Sorry a Brit here - and I hate Ikea.  We had a carpenter make our units from locally sourced oak - that way it looks good with our freestanding furniture and, if we decide to change our kitchen in the future, then no problem.

I'm regularly up at some God forsaken hour so I'll sign up too!

I can also recommend http://french.about.com/ as a good, free french learning resource.  I'm french history'd out - courtesy of several months helping my son prepare for his exams this summer.  But if anyone want to borrow his prescribed reading list.....

It's definitely cold and grey here in the UK so many thanks for the cheery picture Gary.

Thanks for the link Mr Cat.  I was diagnosed with FMS which is often secondary to diseases which result in chronic long term pain (in my case EDS) but I wasn't aware that FMS was the same as ME?  Maybe primary FMS is the same as ME? I am prescribed low dose amitriptyline which I have found to be hugely beneficial in managing the fatigue and pain.  I have found mixed sympathy and understanding with regard to my FMS (though there is a massive lack of awareness of EDS - so I'm on a hiding to nothing from the outset!).  I think things are getting better with the advent of chronic pain clinics but there is a long way to go yet.  Doctors seem to need something they can see, quantify and measure and flounder when this is not possible.

[quote user="P-D de Rouffignac"]In addition, matters such as subject to a satisfactory survey, in the case of a property needing extensive repair. [/quote] This can only be included with the consent of the seller and is less usual in France than the UK - so may well be refused.  As a consequence we made sure we had our survey done before we signed th CdV.

[quote user="Martin963"] Just relieved I have nothing to do with Sky any more.   The recession and trashed  £ saw to that. [/quote] Looking forward to joining you Martin!  We are embroiled in a row with Sky atm as they took £450 from our account without authorisation and are now refusing to refund.  The sooner we can sever all relationships with Mr Murdoch the better!

Totally with M O'L on this one.  Any honest discussion should include the right of response and an edited interview is not a 'right of response'.  Having worked with the BBC before (on several occassions) including being interviewed on TV and Radio I would never, ever agree to a prerecorded and edited piece unless we have final editorial sign off on what is published.  Our preference is live to camera where no editing can take place.

It's the same everywhere and this is why the Revenue authorities around the world are targeting legitimate tax planning by larger businesses, transfer pricing etc as they can make up the Treasury deficits more easily than trying to track down the millions of those illegally evading tax.  That's why I would no longer work in practice - I hated the day to day job of dealing with clients that I knew were only reporting part of their income and expecting their accountant to be complicit in their activities.  It's also why I think the term accountant should be more closely regulated.  The compliant taxpayers inevitably end up making up the shortfall for the non compliant.

The site and the photos are wonderful.  I particularly liked the story that went with the photo of Churchill - knowing what was happening at the precise moment the shutter clicked added a new dimension to the photo.

I have the same problem - but here in the UK.  I have been on the same dose for 16 years now but I can still only get 28 days worth of tablets at a time which can cause me real problems if we are going away / to France.  I think the prescribing period very much depends on the attitude of the GP.  The limited prescription period was introduced to stop stockpiling of unnecessary tablets - which doesn't really fit with those on a (stable dose) lifetime drug. Some GP's are sensible about this but others, like my UK GP, are pedants over rules...he even withheld my thyroxine prescription once until I could come into the surgery for an 'over 40's blood pressure test' - despite the fact that it was a) year end and I couldn't get the time off work and b) I have EDS so have consistently low BP!  Fortunately the doctor I see in France is very understanding and will prescribe if I run out.  (Re the cost - generic thyroxine is one of the cheapest prescription meds out there - costs pence to produce which is why it's so dern frustrating I can only get 28 days worth at a time.)

I think most of the above comments assume that the will has been made without coercion and influence.   We have seen a number of cases over the years where elderly people (with no direct descendants) have been 'befriended' by a neighbour / fellow church member (!) at a point where they are frail, elderly and sometimes confused.  When they pass away shortly afterwards the entire estate has been left to their new found 'friend' despite the existence of wider family and very longstanding friendships.  I even heard one woman brag that she had done this three times now and that this was how she financed her, rather lavish, home.  She considered the proceeds of the will her 'earnings' for visiting etc. If there are direct descendants then they can contest the will but more remote family and friends are unlikely to do so.

[quote user="woolybanana"]Scooby, you had the snip?[/quote] A very worried Scooby has just been to check and can happily confirm....No [:)]

[quote user="NickP"]Thank you Mr Scooby for your informed comments,  As for me being a pisshead no I am not. Fluent French speaker, no, but learning.  I do not work in France but have owned a house here for 5 years.  "Does not have grasp of French socioeconomics", well I am no economic expert but I understand my financial situation, and have a small understanding of European economics. [/quote] I don't think I need to say any more.... Btw it's Mrs Scooby [:)]

[quote user="NickP"]In reply to Norman,  No I don't live in a city, that was my choice. As where you live is your choice My wife, as I said is an expert on shopping and she the "expert" said, and I will say this slowly as you obviously had a problem reading what I said, "That somethings are dearer in France and somethings are cheaper". What has "Brits" who do not enjoy French TV, theatre or French Music, got to do with my admiration of French culture. I have no problems with hunting, as for bull fighting I am not to keen so I do not attend or support bullfights. I suppose you believe that there is no hunting in the UK , or you didn't see the reports of a huge increase in organised dog fighting in the UK Students queueing for rooms, what has that to do with my enjoyment of living in France? Crooked politicians; excuse me read the Torygraph about UK mp's and their expenses.And employing illegal immigrants on the cheap And the burning of cars and dustbins, the interracial riots, the frequent strikes and demonstrations, Not in my village cocker, once again that is why we love it. No knowledge of what is reported, that sir is your opinion , but I would suggest that you read correctly what other people write and reply to their opinions and observations and not your fantasies.  So Norman carry on paying your 1929Euro taxes and carry on complaining, I will carry on paying my 1000Euro and be very happy living where I do. After all we moved to France to experience a better life style than we had in the UK, not to save money, if we weren't experiencing that we would go back to the UK. To sum it all up, the "expert" and I do not think that it is getting any dearer to live in France than it is in the |UK. So Norman if you want peace and quiet and a slow pace of life, and lower taxes move to the Loir Et Cher [/quote] So MrP lives in a small rural village and so has a narrow blinkered view of France, does not have a grasp of French socioeconomics (viz has not integrated) and, as the only thing still cheaper in France than in the UK is wine, is clearly a pisshead. Ok, scrub the last comment - maybe he is integrating in some ways!! Just as a matter of interest MrP are you a fluent French speaker and how long, exactly, have you lived and worked in France??

Because Wooly clearly thinks he is loftily above such things...the Archangel Gabriel once removed.

Because that is the very analysis most of these 'Rosy Glow' posters are making - inner city UK with rural France.  If that's a valid comparison maybe we should start comparing Seine-Saint Denis with the Cotswolds??

[quote user="NickP"]I can't believe what I am reading on this forum about the cost of living in France. It beggars the question of why people move here? We live here because we love the way of life and culture, the calmness and tranquillity, we love the fact that people here have great civic pride in their towns and villages, We love the fact that we can go out of a night and not face the prospect of feral teenagers  terrorising the neighbourhood and  not having to avoid the drunks rolling around the town centres. If you came here to find a cheap cost of living then maybe France is not the greatest place in the world, I am not an expert on shopping, but my wife who is, says France is no dearer than the UK, somethings are more expensive but some things are cheaper, and she says if you are a materialistic person then anywhere is expensive. That makes sense to me. As for Norman who pays 1929Euro per annum for local taxes, I can't imagine where you live but it certainly 'aint in the Loir Et Cher mate.[/quote] Hmmm, NickP, NormanH lives in the 'real' France - you know the cities...where they have poverty, unemployment and violence, where there are large numbers of immigrants, high crime rates...bit like the UK city you clearly left behind.  From your posts I am guessing you live in rural France - which is just as buccolic, has the same 'community spirit' and lack of crime as...the Cotswolds, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District, Snowdonia... but where a leg of lamb is five times the price it is in the UK!!

Even if house prices were to drop by the forecast 17% it would still make sense to use the no deposit scheme if you were looking to by a home rather than an investment.  Monthly rental for a terraced house (i.e.one that would currently market at the £135k mark cited in the feature) would be about £500.  This represents a total cost over the 5 year interest free period in the plan of £30k.  This contrasts with a potential fall in value (at 17%) of ~£22k.  So, even in a 'worst case' scenario, the buyers would be better off by £8k.  Further you would be fixing your annual property cost for the next few years. The real problem borrowers were those buying for investment (buy to let) and using the 'equity' from the 'increase' in value on one property to finance further property purchases.  I heard of one individual who acquired 40 properties over a 24 month period from an initial single deposit.  The individual is now bankrupt and so will never repay the outstanding debt. Oddly, I can't recall seeing much blame being accorded to this group of greedy parasites nor to those borrowers who lied on their mortgage applications...

[quote user="Babbles"]Yesterday I was flabbergasted at the increase in a 10 ltr tine of Corona paint, in April 58E now 72E and it wasn't on promo in April. [/quote] The paint and varnish prices are crazy - we paid nearly 60 euros for a small (0.5 litre) tin of varnish - from B&Q £44 for 2.5 litres.  We paid 25 Euros for a 2.5 litre tin of crown emulsion in France - on promo.  In B&Q we paid £20 for 10 litres.

Meat prices are ridiculous - nearly 4 euro for two beef burgers and 39 euro for a leg of lamb.  In fact, we have stopped buying meat when we are in France.  We don't eat out any more either.  At over £3 for a small glass of beer and £14 for the plat du jour it's just not affordable. £14 is conservative - we are struggling now to find a decent meal at £14 - many are over £20 and aren't particularly good quality either; not when you compare it with what is available for much less in the UK.