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Power and water back to us this afternoon (from 10am Saturday) 47/24 border.   It really makes you appreciate having these things once more.   Seen a lot of devastation around with trees uprooted, roofs/tiles off, floods.     Worrying thing though, we changed to Leclerc pay-as-you-go mobile beginning of January and could not gain a signal no how, we had to revert to our English phone which searched out Orange France (who we were glad to dump beginning of January!),  that was the only way we could contact family/friends to tell them we were ok.     Can anyone explain why Leclerc mobile would not show a signal?

Thanks BJSLIV but it definately charged me 39 cents!  Its the only text/call I've made!

Hi Clair, thanks for coming back (I had done a search previously and not found the answer).  No, you can't send a text, I've tried sending a text to 950.. (whats the (3) part mean??) and it just states "Failed".   With Orange pay as you go, its just a case of doing #123# and the balance comes on your screen.     Doing the same procedure with Leclerc using 950, I got nothing. EDIT to say.... I've just tried putting a message of "credit?" and sent it via text to 950, 4 minutes after I've got the answer!!!  It can't be free, its cost me 39 cents!  

I know you can dial 950 for the balance but I cannot hear her mention any numbers.   Is there another way to get your balance, ie text (as with Orange #123# pay as you go) and the balance comes on your screen?

[quote user="Callie"]I'm not sure i really understand the problem. If you are in receipt of a UK government state pension, and you have the E121, why do you need any sort of top up for health cover in France ? As I understand it, once you reach French pensionable age, all health cover is free. Please somebody correct me if I have got this all wrong !!! I have to confess that I am not entirely up to date with the ins and outs of health entitlement for expats who are not working here, are on UK state pensions, or those who have taken early retirement but are not yet entitled to a state pension.[/quote] Callie, hopefully I can make you understand how it works.  When you come here with your E121 you are placed in the same position as a French pensioner, ie you have 70% cover, for the remaining 30% you must take out a top-up insurance (its known as a mutuelle).    We took this out knowing our cover would now be 100%.  From Jan 08 the rules changed and people now have to pay a "franchise", the ceiling per year is supposed to be 50 euros, but I know lots who have paid more than this amount to date (us included).    The rule of thumb now is if CPAM won't pay it then your mutuelle won't either!   It depends what your medication is for and they fall into categories.   Initially our pharmacist said "mainly not life-threatening, for example, a skin cream to aid a skin rash", however, throughout this year we've found that we've had to pay for medication which does not fall into that type of category!   Its all in the labelling, white and blue are covered, anything with a yellow label has to be paid for, we don't know we have them to pay for until we get them from the pharmacist!  However, if you need them - you need them!       People who come here with the E106 have up to 2 years cover from the UK but still require a top-up insurance,  and as per the new rulings of Nov 07 they have to take out full medical insurance once that E106 expires, until they reach pension age and can claim their E121.

Of course no-one forced us here, I gave our reasons for coming here in my post, and it was down to choices.  Of course we knew of the E121 and what it entailed, we still made our choices.    Our opinion STILL has'nt changed that the individual's NI payments should be taken into account and cover given accordingly.    However, as stated, we made our choices.   Its the posts being changed thats the stumbling block, of course we knew the euro could go down but we never foresaw it tumbling like it has.   We arranged top-up insurance immediately but the posts have been changed on that score too and we have to fork out fully for some medication.   We took it out believing we were covered up to 100%, we're not because the posts have been changed and keep changing.

Big Mac hits it bang on. I've always said the same. The UK Govt should be able to very easily determine what N.I. has been paid by any individual and give cover accordingly.  We moved to France because we wanted to and it was our right to, the whole of the world is on the move and constantly within the EEC.    We never expected nor wanted to take anything from the French system, we've paid nothing in to it, and came here to retire.    I still say its a pity the UK had'nt worked on the same kind of system as France and it would'nt be in the state its in.      Having said that we have to take the good with the bad but I expect 100% no person retiring here to live on their UK pension would have imagined such a drop in the exchange rate, we've almost lost 1/3rd of our pension and that can't be right.   Yes - some will say "you did'nt moan when it was good", well of course we did'nt, but the fact is life is becoming very difficult for lots of us through no fault of our own.    Lots of us did'nt come here for the cheap plonk and cheese (neither appeals whether cheap or expensive), we came here for a better quality and more peaceful life.....and no, we hav'nt got the massive conversion and 7 hectares either.   Its a travesty we have to assess for any top-up insurance and more worrying that from Jan 08 we've had certain medication to pay for fully.     I think all pensioners on a UK OAP should write to their MP in the strongest terms if they feel that they've paid their full dues and should receive the same benefits of healthcare as if living in the UK, we are still British after all.      Let some of the "expenses" be stopped and make some of them live on our OAP payable to us for 3 months, I guarantee they'd soon see where we were coming from!

Leclerc had turkeys 14 euros (not sure on size but I'd say the size of decent chicken!).  The rest you will get in Intermarche English section (but reckon shelves will be emptied early), so as previous poster states bring it with you if you really want it.

I hope you enjoy your holiday and the area, beauty spots are too numerous to mention, but do take in other bastides, Monpazier, Monflanquin for example, try and visit La Roque Gageac and Domme and Rocquefort and St. Emilion and Sarlat and ........well, thats a few anyway.  Enjoy.

HI S17, good to hear the scones are still going down well.   Quote from Gemini-man "I had intended to try and explain to you why I think that South of Bergerac is fine if you like the idea of living in a museum or a tourist hot-spot."    Opinions, opinions, everyone is entitled to one but just to confirm I neither live in a museum or a tourist hot-spot.    Remember that just 1 mile from a "tourist hot-spot" you may as well be a million miles away - you need never visit the hot-spot  if you don't like being amongst tourists.

"Actually, there was serious talk a few years ago of storing nuclear waste in that area. It has recently been revived I think" NOT the case.   Eymet is a pretty bastide and lots of Brits live there, the choice has to be an individual choice, some people like being near so many Brits, some people don't.       There was never talk (to my local knowledge) of "storing nuclear waste", it was for the building of an incineration plant and it was proposed for OUTSIDE of Eymet, it was knocked on the head, and (to my knowledge) will not be resurrected.

I can tell you that pensioner's do not get free state care.  At most 70% and you need a top-up insurance for the rest.

8 and 5 equate to their maximum which is 3years.     34 years I had but it still equated to 3 --- their max.

Another bump for this thread, 7th April - 28th June without anything being mentioned on here....so glad that pony came to my mind and I tracked the thread down to see what had happened.   Fingers crossed a miracle will have happened the next time I look.

Any updates yet on the pony????????