valB

Yes, Dog, I totally agree.We have a mesh overlapping door screen which is great when we make sure it is overlapping but my Labrador is in and out all the time. He has not learnt how to make sure they overlap and so we do get the dreaded things coming in. So that is when the plastic swat comes into it's own.

Gosh !!! I thought we had problems here in France. Monday it touched  40 but cooler today at  29. How on earth do you cope, I would not be able to function at all.  You deserve every penny,  euro  or whatever you get  for working in conditions like that....Bravo.

Thank you all for your replies and I do appologise if I offended some with my remarks. Yes, I agree that my anger may have come to the fore. I have spoken to my daughter-in-law this morning and passed on some of the advice given here. Once again, Thank you all.

Gosh, it is awful for us parents to know what these men get away with. What hurts us even more is that although we dearly love our step Grandchildren our son has a baby with his new wife and we are missing out on him as well.  As for the CSA, our daughter-in-law gave them proof that her ex has bought a house with the woman he left her for. She managed to get the information from Land Registry but he just said it was a business transaction. His new partner is now pregnant and they are getting married soon but he told the CSA that he cannot have any more children and they have taken his word on eveything. All emails to his children, which were printed out and presented to the CSA were dismissed regarding the arrival of a baby with a woman who is a " business partner " and the joint ownership of a house. He claims he cannot pay maintenance as he is renting a property and has no money left over. Both he and his partner are in full time employment but the CSA would rather accept his word than the printed evidence before them.  That is the type of person my son and his wife are dealing with regarding the passports so not much hope in pricking his concience is there ? It is costing us  a fortune visiting them just to see the children when they could be having a lovely time here with us.

Thank you for your replies. Yes, her ex did apply for the passports originally but she has offered to reimburse him for the cost. He totally refuses to accept her offer and the Passport office will not issue new passports unless he states they are lost which he refuses to do. So a " catch 22 " situation, I am afraid. She has spoken to the Passport Office but until they receive notification from her ex that they have been lost they can do nothing. I feel very bitter and feel no sympathy at this moment in time for the " Fathers for Justice " idiots who dress up in pathetic costumes for their rights to see their children. If this one Father is an example of how pathetic they can be then they deserve all they get as no Mother would deny their children the right to see their natural Father. I suppose I will have to wait a few years before m son, wife and their children can visit me all due to a Father who does not really care about his children at all.

I know I really need to talk to someone in the UK but I wondered if there were any legal bods out there who could give some advice.  My daughter-in-law has three children by her first tmarriage and she agreed several years ago that her ex could take the children abroad even though she has custody of the children. Her ex is now refusing to give her the passports claiming he has lost them which is untrue as he has been on a site showing the children the passports and has even been as cruel as to ask if they have been abroad lately. Our daughter-in-law has seen a solicitor who advised her that her ex must send a letter claiming  he has lost the said passports which he refuses to do. Apart from waiting for the passports to expire what can they do so that  our son, wife and children can come to visit us here in France. How cruel can one parent be to deprive their children of travelling abroad and the middle daughter could not go on a school trip to France  she did not have her passport.  The children do not want to see him as he is sometimes quite nasty to them but is using the passports as a form of blackmail.  Our daughter-in-law was quite happy for him to have access on school holidays but as the children got older they are now refusing to see him as he could be really a nasty person. The only alternative is for our son and daughter-in-law is to wait for the passports to expire but that is another few years. We would dearly love them all to visit us but it does not look as though that will be in the near future. I always thought that it was illegal to keep passports that belonged to someone else and the said passports are in the childrens names  Can anyone give some advice  ?

Thank you for replying and also with some info for us.

This question may have been asked before bit can anyone reccommend a good English speaking accountant in Dept 79 within a reasonable distance of Lezay. We need some advice on Tax issues.

 [:D][:D][:D]

We have three goat farms around us and also horses across the lane so we really do not stand a chance. We have tried almost everything on the market and have now thrown in the towel and just swat like crazy.  It is annoying, though, when we want to eat outside as we are really plagued with them and spend the time tying to keep them out of our food.  After three years we are becoming quite experts at it now.  [:D]  [:D]

I am off soon for a family visit in the Torbay area and also in Plymouth and I cannot wait. Although I live in France I would never slate England and I always look forward to my visits very much. We go several times a year and it is not just seeing family and all the new babies that have been born since we decided to live in France it is my UK fix that I need now and again. We love  living in France and have some really nice friends both English and French but England will always be my homeland, good or bad.

Brilliant pix, Dog. Are you in any of them ? Years ago my friends son was very much into Kite Flying and it subsequently led to Parachute Jumping and he travelled the world doing it. So who lnows, Dog, we could see you jumping from a plane  next.  [:)] 

What a great picture.  Lady and the Tramp springs to mind and little Paris looks as though he is saying "  I can do posh "   Bless him and  well done yet again, Christine, another happy dog.

Oh My Gosh, how awful. I am constantly amazed at the cruelty that humans inflict on defenceless animals, it just goes on and on.

Thank you Cooperlola and the answer to my question is a big NO. Never mind there are some really nice eating places in Niort for a  spot of lunch. Thank you once again.

We have been to Flunch on the outskirts of Poitiers but is there one at Niort as we have to go shopping there this week and thought "Lunch at Flunch " would be nice.

How dreadful for the talented young lady and she must be so brave to hide her true feelings. No words of compensation then but she lives in China not USA or England where claims are abundant.

My French neighbours have kittens born last week and they intend to keep one for themselves. If they cannot find homes for the others then they will have no hesitation in killing the. rest. Yes, it makes me feel quite sick to think about it but I have come to realise that this is happening on a daily basis  and as much as I want to do something to help, apart from the fact I will be away for a few weeks soon, I  Know there are just not enough homes for the volume of kittens produced due to the fact that spaying is not really in the French way. Maybe, that is due to cost or indifference I don't know but I feel so helpless and quite relieved  I will be away when they do the deed. I was asked if I wanted to see them and I declined as it would have mortified me to see them knowing possibly what their fate may be. I would urge anyone taking on a kitten to please help stop this by having the pet "done ". I am certainly not being judgmental and I am sure most English who end up with kittens would never harm them and endeavour to find homes for them  but I am amazed at the amount of kittens on all the  forums that I view and all the kind people who try to help find homes for them. It probably happens in England but I was never aware of so many. I did suggest putting cards in local shops and in the vets but they were just not interested as apparently is would cost to do it.

  [:D]  [:D]  [:D]

[:D][:D][:D]

A doctor on the radio this  morning has stated that it has not been proven yet that so called Swine Flu is any different to normal flu and normal flu kills thousands every year around the world. Also, bearing in mind that the area of Mexico where it started is a very poor area and if they have a Flu virus maybe correct medication was not always availabe so it could be the secondary ailments that would have contributed to the deaths. The people in England that have been diagnosed with it have a mild version of Flu, alledgedly. The doctor blamed media hype for the worry that people are feeling. We are off to Uk soon so maybe the French government may stop the English from enterting France as France appears to be clear of it so far. Oh dear, a nice long holiday in England could be on the cards   [:)]

I am happy  with that, Sweet17. I will do my best to keep up so lets have a competition...who throws up first.  [:D]

When we drove to Spain to visit friends we went into one of the big resorts and actually had an All Day English Breakfast. Yes, I know we are dreadful but  I thought that would cheer NormanH up a bit to know there are still some of us who let the side down. It was bl***y lovely though.

Angloinfo has a sell/wanted section also Total France has a classified  section.

Take them away from her before she eventually kills them She should be locked up for what she is doing to those poor children. She is nothing more than a lazy slob and her children will be as obese as she is with all  sorts of health problems. Disgraceful !!