dragonrouge

Of course Robert Maxwell was a council tenant of Headington Hill Hall, Oxford.

We are avid supporters both of the Cancer Support Group both within France and particularly here in the Vendee. We have a Scots friend who is very doughty and she has had gone through the mill twice. She is now cleared and coming to lunch here on Friday. With a combination of your own approach and God's help you will get there. We send our very best wishes

Had our electrician in yesterday and he said that due to the withdrawal of some of the 'green' credits people had paid in advance to obtain the credits and so he had lots of money in the bank but was under pressure to 'do' the work. He did not think in all of the circumstances that he could commence our work until the end of the year. Seems like a can of worms to me for surely the credit only arises if the work has been completed prior to the credits being withdrawn?

Have you noticed how the next two strikes are destined for the end of the following two weeks and which of course are holiday weeks? In this respect and in an attempt to better understand things do the protesters and who are members of the syndacats have to pay 'dues' to the syndacats? Also do they lose 'pay' for the days they do not turn up for work. I wonder how employers legislate and control this by a system of clocking in or what?

May I please take this opportunity of making an open apology in and upon reflection extending this thread to the history of the mining community. It certainly was not my intention so to do simply to make the point that the State (and certainly during the strike) has a role to play but how it exercises that role is a totally different argument. That I did not succeed in doing. Thus sorry: Final point and I will return to 'France' later today is that if you were to go to the Miners Library at Hendrefoilan near Swansea there you will find chapter and verse of all the disputes over the years. Churchill troops did fire and kill miners. Fact. The photographs are there for all to see.

An offer of a cheque in full and final settlement means nothing more (at least in the UK) as an offer to pay something against an outstanding invoice or bill. It it an offer simply that and does not have to be accepted. Anton is spot on

I forgot Betty they also said to rip up blankets and towels and make do as nappies. Again it was Churchill who put the troops into South Wales in the General Strike and shot miners.

I will and without wishing to distract return to Betty's posting a bit later in that I am the son of a Welsh miner know something about Scargill was there during the miners strike of 84/85. Betty I am a lawyer and worked for the NUM during the strike. I do not and will not support Scargill. However think long and hard about this and as I say I will return to the French concept a bit later in the day having hopefully collected my thoughts. In the Rhondda we had someone who had a baby during the strike the Social Services were involved and they asked them for some emergency aid as in nappies and their response 'You should have thought about that before you had a baby' I soon had that particular Civil Servant on his back and not literally. When Russia supported the miners Baroness Thatcher reduced their payments based on what they thought was the value of the boxes of food and the like. I am not left or right I just believe in the difference between what I perceive as right and wrong. But miners have nothing to do with this posting. Of course Betty is was Mitterand who changed from 65 to 60 the age for retirement. No one else.

I give mine either to our Anglican church or to the Cancer Support Vendee. Equally I have started to collect two euro pieces as part of the 'spending money' for holidays next year. Stupid I know. However now have over 300 euros in 2 euro pieces! Our bank is in Normandie and our local bank as we are not a customer will not accept them. Any thoughts

I simply have to get back to the UK on the 25th of this month for a court case and am delaying the decision making until nearer the time. It is said that this week roads may be blocked by the Routiers? Also have to take my wife to CHU at Nantes on Wednesday have enough fueld but if the motorway is blocked then enough said. What to do is I suppose all the back roads but that would take hours and then fuel? The French certainly make themselves felt I wonder what they would do if faced with the Chancellors statement of Wednesday next another revolution like 1787?

Sunday Drive is just about correct on this but centres of Economic Interests have taxed even the most brilliant of legal brains but again take professional advice (in the UK). There was once a law case in the Court of Appeal where centre of economic interest was recognised when a guy resident in France came over for Royal Ascot and his wife resident in the UK served a writ on him for divorce. He squealed the CA found against him for he had always but always come over for the Derby and Ascot. So it is not simply a few rules but SD is as I say is on the button. You are more of a traveller but where do you think you centre of economic interest is - nowhere? That is not possible.

Also most of UK property is registered as against non-registered land it beats the French system hands down. Also Solicitors are in the main much better than those Notaires and to whom one is seemingly required to doff one's cap.

I come from the Rhondda Valley in South Wales and witnessed many aftermaths from rock falls and gas and then seeing six month later your friend's Fathers with bits and pieces of skin being attached here and there Then the siren going at the pit and days later miners in black clothes walking behind the hearses. I was also there in 1966 when we lost a generation at Aberfan and that too was an after effect of coal mining. My father died in the mine and they gave us £10 to bury him and then a week later reduced our coal. Again 84/85 strike and whatever the rights and wrongs all gone for ever and I do not mean pits I mean communities. There was nothing but mining in the Rhondda just after the war save for mining to earn money you had no choice but to go down. Nothing would convince me to go down and follow my Father and my two brothers. Wherever they are in the world miners are a tough breed. Enough said and Chile was such a wonderful all round effort and one cannot but be moved by the whole rescue effort. In South Wales in the fifties it was simply wooden pit props and budgies in cages to see if there was gas there.

many thanks will now try again. rdgs

This positing is of considerable interest. We have a another house opposite our home and which is in the middle of two other houses. The house to the right has no guttering and rainwater runs down from his roof to our house and which is at a lower level and rainwater gets into the house albeit it hot inhabited. I have written to them (they are UK people) who say never been a guttering I am not putting one up now. What should one do please. His only access to the area at risk is through our garden.