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Gardengirl

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Everything posted by Gardengirl

  1. Hello to everyone. I hope that this makes it onto the forum - I mostly can’t seem to post in this new format. It’s good to read that some old friends on here are soon to have their second boosters; my husband and I had ours a couple of weeks ago, Pfizer, and had just the usual sore arms afterwards. So pleased that we’ve had our boosters - still free from Covid, although our family locally had it mildly before Christmas, with our 7 year old grandgirl having it again in February.
  2. As we were stuck in the UK because if Covid, my husband transferred his state pension back to the UK, so now, on our first visit for 22 months, we are using my Caxton card, which I hadn’t used for a few years. I transferred a good amount at a pleasing rate recently, covering both house taxes and most living costs for the several weeks we’ll be in France.
  3. More lovely photos, much appreciated. We stayed at Olargues many years ago before much restoration got going. We were very lucky to get a bargain at a Silence hotel, beautiful room sharing private swimming pool with one other room, but nobody was staying in that. I can’t swim, but it felt luxurious to have it - we were much younger then and impressionable! It was a lovely area and so peaceful.
  4. Yes, Woolly, but all this ‘press this then press that’ really shouldn’t be necessary! For whatever reason, the website changed and has left us with a really shoddy version of the forum. If it’s the best that Archant can do now, then heaven help us all and will put all-comers off anything they produce. i’ve tried sticking around and will do so for a little longer but this is so poor that it really doesn’t warrant spending much more time on it. Some of us have been with it for a very long time, many of you even longer than me, but what’s on offer now really is abysmal.
  5. Interesting about bassins and pools, Lori. I found out that a pelvis was also a bassin some years ago when a newly-arrived neighbour in our apartment building fell as she entered the building when moving in and broke her bassin. Very nasty and painful. I can’t see me ever getting used to this new format.
  6. Another old one here - has there been an earthquake in Complete France land or something?
  7. Yes, tv licence still has to be paid even if no taxe d’hab is required. I’ve no idea whether or not there’s a form, others will know, I’m sure but a call, email or visit to your local tax office should clear things up for you if not. They always seem to be so helpful and quickly and cheerfully sorted out a problem I had a few years ago. Good luck!
  8. Gardian, sorry to read about your friend, hope recovery will be swift. We haven’t used public transport or been anywhere crowded, have only been in our son’s house once, with windows and doors open and he and his family only live round the corner from us. I also despair about what is happening here in the UK - it sometimes feels as though the government is on Covid’s side against the people. We haven’t been to our place in France for 21 months now - we left in December 2019 intending to return about 3 weeks later as usual. A visit planned for later this month has had to be postponed due to medical problems. I’m also concerned that the UK will be shut out of France and wider Europe by the time we can travel.
  9. It’s kind of you to ensure that he has the information he needs, even if he doesn’t act on it. I can’t imagine an elderly person being removed from France by order of the government, but things could become difficult for him if he doesn’t get his legal status sorted. I remember reading about various organisations providing help to people in your friend’s position but can’t find details - I know that one was for ex-forces. Maybe someone else has more information about the helpful organisations. I hope that you enjoy your meal together.
  10. Nomoss, you mention that your friend may not keep up with current affairs. I’m assuming that as he’s very likely a long-term resident that he already has his residence permit, or has at least applied for it, as the final cut-off date is approaching fast. I understand that it’s possible to apply up to 30th September with an explanation of why the application is late.
  11. Chessie, it must have been dreadfully frightening for you - the people who perpetrate these crimes are just disgusting. I guessed as I read it that it was a nasty scam, but how very frightening to receive! My husband had a similar message to Gardian a couple or so years ago and was truly shocked; when he told me I immediately said that it had to be a scam. It was - I checked, it was rife. I hope that you’re feeling calm now - I think you could do with lots of TLC, maybe a lovely bath with candles might be a good idea. ?
  12. I love listening to his voice, often listen to this version - he made several recordings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OrKMaeQUx0
  13. Nice to be able to help for a change, Norman. I tend to go for a belt and braces approach, as technologies can fail - wouldn’t want my phone to let me down just as I was about to show my QR codes. So I have my vaccination proof on my NHS app, the TousAntiCovid app, and shortly before we return to France I’ll get a paper certificate - I’m leaving that for now as it’s possible that I might be offered a top-up dose before then.
  14. Norman, I’m sure that somebody could put it better than me, but I’ve put it as though they know nothing about it - which was me when I installed mine. So if they are good at such things, they can just ignore most of it. They will each need to have their vaccination proof on the NHS app on their phones, the app they can use for ordering prescriptions, looking up test results etc, not the Covid app that we’ve used on QR codes when entering shops, restaurants etc. After opening the app, they’ll see their NHS Covid pass, with a section for domestic use and one below it for travel, which they’ll need, of course. They’ll see their record and details of their Covid vaccinations. If they haven’t been in to look at them before, they’ll see an expiry date, which threw me at first, but it automatically refreshes whenever it’s opened - mine is now showing that it expires on 5th September, having just opened it up. Then they need to install the TousAntiCovid app - mine is through apple. Then they follow the instructions to load their NHS proof into the health pass/wallet - I loaded mine several weeks ago and can’t remember the instructions, but it was straightforward - and I’m not very technically-able at all. The TAC app will show their health pass and tap ‘open my wallet’ to show their and their vaccination details and on full screen it will show their enlarged QR code They can also send for a paper certificate if they wish. I hope that this is of help.
  15. I can confirm that having added my NHS info onto the TousAntiCovid app as soon as it was possible, the QR code is active from this evening - there’s a news message showing on my TAC app to say that ‘désormais’ and ‘ dorénavant’, it’s working. Earlier today the French tourism minister stated that it would be working in the next few days, but it seems to have been fixed extra-quickly.
  16. Yes, really tough tomorrow; one of our English neighbours has cycled up it once, he can’t imagine doing it twice though. Probably a wise choice to watch Thursday’s stage on tv, although we thoroughly enjoyed it last time it came through town, took chairs, bunting, Champagne and snacks just across the road. Several nationalities complete with their flags were next to one another in our little corner and had a great time through the hours of waiting. I’d been warned that we’d know when the riders were arriving imminently as the helicopter would appear - but it didn’t! ? The cyclists were suddenly upon us and I was all fingers and thumbs with our tiny Ixus, kept pressing to take rapid photos one after another. It later turned out that I’d managed to turn the video function on (hadn’t known there was one), so had very jerky video of them approaching very close to us, with Bradley Wiggins in the centre, by pure luck. That was the year he won the TdF. Happy days when we could visit France.
  17. I do it every month to Mr G, wouldn’t dream of missing a month.
  18. It’s something that’s done in some cafés and bars in our area, particularly well-known in our favourite café-restaurant. Known as a ficelle, you drink as much of the bottle as you want, just 1 glass if that’s what you want. You then pay for what you’ve had, or you can decide to take the bottle home and drink the rest later. Wines from the general local area are sold in the shop part of the café-restaurant and any can be ordered at table. It’s a good way of trying local wines and the young staff are very knowledgeable about them.
  19. No, albf, your understanding on this is weak; he is allowed his opinion just like everyone else on here. It’s the repetition of the refrain “ You lost, get over it!! ” that is part of the trolling; he loves rubbing noses in the result of the referendum. Antonia, I sympathise with what has happened there as a result of the referendum; I think that it’s very sensible to do as you’re planning. Trusting anything at all to this government would be utterly wrong; we’ve had bad governments in the past, but none that has demolished trust quite so badly.
  20. Yet more triumphalism from Ken. The term trolling can’t be applied to him as he’s become a regular contributor, but he’s as good (bad!) as a troll.
  21. In bed. We were stunned, just couldn’t believe it. We wondered how on earth the vote could have gone so wrong. We felt cheated that our normal life shared between the UK and France couldn’t continue, and that our children and grandchildren and generations to come wouldn’t have the choices we’d have in Europe. We hadn’t moved to live in France because our son and our grandchildren live just round the corner, and we spend a lot of time with them when we’re in the UK, wouldn’t want to move away from them. When we walked up to the market that morning the usual time spent exchanging 3 kisses on meeting our many French friends and neighbours, chatting, then kisses on parting was very much prolonged by their sadness for us, as they all knew how terrible we would feel, and their own sadness was palpable. Then stallholders we’d shopped with for so many years expressed their sorrow. Claude, our cheesemonger, stopping serving to declaim to everyone at his stall and nearby that he would go to court to swear that we were at least as French as any French customers and should be allowed into the country any time we wanted to be there. I still feel betrayed by those who voted to leave.
  22. What a lovely surprise - I’m delighted with your news and you sound delighted to be there! You really weren’t happy where you were. It sounds a lovely spot; all good wishes for your house search.
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