dragonrouge
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Posts posted by dragonrouge
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Pssible a mixture of Charentaise and Welsh?The combination of the two must be very appealing?
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I used to medical negligence cases in the UK but another story.Both here and in Normandie there were two specialist clinics and the waiting list was in days not weeks.However just come back from the UK with a new set of glasses from Specsavers and at the time I was armed with a prescription from France.They test my eyes and disagreed with the prescription here and which is as I understand it based upon a software approach and which differs totally from UK standards.However we have rehearsed this matter before.
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I have just returned from the UK and from whatever perspective someone somewhere is going to have to pay for the mess that the UK is currently in. If the Conservatives get in we may see an increase in Union activity but one thing is absolutely sure the first five years will be tough.So nothing will be sacred and the knife will be out. On the basis that it is generally bad law to go backwards and thus hit those who already have the benefit I wonder how this is all going to be applied. Again how can one benefit from the new regime if one resides in another country?Moreover what is the relevance of the magical age of 65?
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I just wonder whether if Cameron gets in that the Bank of England Governor will change his approach or indeed will the new Government bring the BoE back into house. I seem to remember that when Brown gave the BoE its independence to organise interest rates et al it was greeted as a master stroke.
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Dear BugbearI am not being anything else that hopefully adopting a common sense approach. Every morning when I walk across the road and buy a baguette or take a beer in the auberge in the evenings I am grossing the price up by at least 30% it is not funny even for my wife and I.Life just dealt us this hand and we worked hard like everyone else and we were not fortunate for what we have is what we worked for.I saw my late father die from a dust related disease in the pits of South Wales. One week they gave us £10 to bury him the following they took away our concessionary coal.So I do not need any lectures for my socialist background is safe what is not safe are those who suggest government wise they are socialist but another argument for another day.However I am with Quillan we all need dreams and if you jump into a void without a way out then it is likely to cause difficulties.The UK is the odd one out here and £ is problematical. It causes us too difficulties and we are taking a more serious approach to living.I do not wish to see anyone and I repeat anyone suffer.We may not have caused the present difficulties but we are all accountable for our actions. With rights come responsibility
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Dear Quillan I truly would not wish to disagree with you but sometimes dreams and sometimes rose coloured spectacles come into play. There are many people here in France who lived the dream and are finding it tough but you do hear them moaning.However my wife and I each worked for over 44 years and whilst not having inflation proof pensionstdo benefit from let us say we have 'good' pensions. But even being a member of a defined pension scheme brings problems UK wise. Ours is based upon the RPI so come December it will be negative and thus no increase in pension. Of course within France we are not seeing large cost of living increases? So we are being hit from both sides.We made the decision based upon our then knowledge of our costs in Normandie and equally so more recently on our costs here in the Vendee.In organising ourselves financially and literally about ten days ago we factored for 1.10 and then built in a 15% contingency so we can live with what is going on but others may find it more difficult and seriously the use of the phrase 'more fool you' might be absolutely spot on but is hardly helpful when as I say people may be struggling.We commuted some of our pensions when buying our first house in Normandie and the rate was 1.675 and I resisted the urge to xfer all of our cash from our housesale in the UK here to France. Instead we bought another house and which has been rented for the last five years to the same tenant. I wanted an exit route and that has been the same in both my careers in banking and the law.I am not saying any of this to discuss our asset position but simply to say that even with the best planning sometimes one comes unstuck. You can only do so much.However if we decide to return to the UK it will be our decision and no one else will exert any pressure upon us in the decision making process.
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In the UK you can serve today via the On-line facility via Northampton and within 28 days or so you can have your judgment and the cost is minimal. Ok I stand corrected as to 'small claims' but everyone knows that the French love forms and documents and unless one is prepared for a long hard fight with then a problematical outcome then perhaps it is better to leave go.One's money is always precious and the decision making process is simply whether to throw good money after bad.I still ask whether the English speaking person is French or English?
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Here I have no idea whatsoever how to get on line and indentify once and for all what is due or what is not due. Is there an idiots guide out there please
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I live in the Vendee and still nothing and that is despite chasing like hell. Paid by prelevements and my experte comptable says I owe x and have paid y so there is a refund due. Have had my social contributions document but not the impot. Am I worrying too much but I just want to get this over with.
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you say English speaking tradesman but is he French or English?I know it does not help but I am with Nick on this if you follow the rules then you have limited the risks. Would you give £ to someone you do not know in the UK without doing some fairly basic tests?The legal system here does not have the likes of Claims through the County Court. Their system (I speak as a lawyer) is long-winded expensive and gets you in relative terms nowhere for a very long time but by the time you may have run out of £ and the other party certainly will not have any £
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Dear JohnRoss here only our experience. My wife's auto immune system is let us say almost zero in that she takes an anti TNF injection for her Rheumatoid Arthritis and we obviously see a specialist for it. Ahead of the 'jab' being available the Dr gave my wife an injection againsts pneumonia for that it is one of the likely areas of concern for someone with a low immune system. Then this week we both had the seasonal injection against flu.I have to say that in our opinion France does a lot of preventative work medically wise.Some time ago my wife had to have her tetinus jab (lots of jabs) and they included polio and diptheria at the same time.One can only do such much?rdgs
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Some time ago I posed a similar question but not for mortgage purposes simply to fund the overheads on the house +day to day needs.Have been a Nat West customer for over 40 years and then followed what Bill has said and every month it just goes out without any problem. Good rate and the charge is £10.Yes I may be able to get better than £10 but also believe in relationships and NW look after other things for us so just tend to take an overall position in all of this.
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Thank for all of your advice. I had thought that the add on costs would be as high as the purchase cost and it just does not work.Perhaps 4000 euros might be money not well spent.We have well water at home plus mains but the thought of transporting water to the plot just does not make sense.So grateful to everyone
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seemingly garlic is planted on the shortest day and harvested on the longest day. Save of course when the moon intervenes and then no one knows.
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Thanks Quillan just a week ago I did the arithmetic and at a worse case scenario suggested 1.10 I also built in a contingency of 15% but never thought we would be working our way towards parity.My pension pot has been activated as has my wifes plus AVC's plus during my later working life buying extra 40th's 45th's and the like and then share option schemes with my then employer. When I used some of these shares to buy a new car they were £15 they are now £1.30.Still we are living in a wonderful country but it too has some problems so nowhere is perfect.My State Retirement Pension has now cut in and it is quite good after 44 years working and having contracted out for a substantial period.However my main pension is based upon RPI and the rate last December was .9% so we had pennies increase in our pension.However one can only do what you can and as it is outside our control I suppose the argument is like the weather you cannot do anything about it.So get on and enjoy lifeI have enjoyed the exchangesregards
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Dear Quillan when we bought our first house in Normandie in 2001 the rate was 1.675. Just about thinking about taking early retirement and it was a lovely August in Normandie and the world was wonderful.Like others my life now is in part is driven by financial considerations as to the relationship between the £ and the euro and however much it seems we have planned been prudent and done all the things one is told to do for one's old age we cannot do anything about it.Our income is £ driven and I just get so very frustrated that I cannot influence at all our future here in France at least from a financial standpoint.Last night I was moaning on this very point and my wife asked me the question financially where would we be better off?I really do wonder at times.Best wishes
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Dear Quillan back in the UK next week and will do what we agreed and I have to say that I have a relationship with your Charity! through a very dear friend no longer with us.It seems very fitting.
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Some days ago we based next years xfers here on 1.10 now it looks a mess and whilst ok we have income and a house here in France and an investment in the UK the thought of parity just does not bear any thought whatsoever.This is going to be a hard slog and please can I go to sleep and wake up in five years time.
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Dear Quillan of course I am good for the money and for you to question?Us lawyers as many of your think make lots and lots of money but bluntly for those of my colleagues who live on Legal Aid from HMG they are now carrying huge overdrafts for there are deliberate attempts to delay payments and the like.Quillan its going nowhere so please let me know where you want the donation sent and it will go immediatelyBest wishes
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Hi whilst we have a garden it is nothing less than a courtyard garden and whilst I have used others gardens on a friendly basis this summer I would now prefer to have my own!My neighbour has today offered me a plot next to his and it measures some 20m wide by 60m long. The soil is wonderful and the exposure equally so.However we have a get together this week end and when the price will come up. I have no idea whatsoever but believe to this we have to have a geometre fees plus the notaires so unless I am careful it would need gold plated potatoes to make this work.I have no doubt my neighbour knows exactly what he wants and my needs are not immediate so I can walk away.But does anyone please have any ideas as to what this plot is worth. Yes supply and demand but there must be a common factor someone here.Would truly appreciate viewpoints before this week end.
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Hi baypond I now understand so a forward fix is simply a arithmetical process as to the differential be it positive or negative x 90 days forward or whatever that may be.I think I have it (perhaps) but certainly you undoubtedly know what it is all about.regards and sincere thanks
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Hi Baypond so what you are saying is that if today its 1.10/£ and you book say £100000 for December that it general terms is also going to be 1.10?I ask that question in that for new windows and the like I have to transfer £ across and payment due say in December.I know nothing about such things but wondered if I could put in on my credit card and get a better rate?1.10 makes them very expensive windows but they have to be made to measure but then again Impot give me 20% towards my tax bill so I suppose if I put that into the equasion then the rate does not look too bad.However my experience of matters financial and returns and such like is limited and thus beyond me.Oh for my very old fashioned but totally reliable accountant now retired in the UK.rdgs
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The guy in our village charges 37 euros per hour especially when he really has difficulty in estimating cutting into walls and the like. For more normal issues he gives us a devis.
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It would be an interesting exercise given the current rate of exchange to see what fx guys are quoting for a December fix!
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