tuppence

Hi, Stan is right. I have all my insurances with AGF and with car, house and health have saved over 300€ over a year.   Plus I get more for less on health, and a really good deal on car insurance especially if the car is written off. Bonne chance tuppence

Thanks Sunday Driver, I am well aware what lane you can tootle in!!  I was actually sticking to the UK speed limit so not tootling in the sense of slow driving, perhaps tootle wasn't the right word to use. tuppence

Hi, An interesting post this one. I live in a village of 1,750 people of whom 36 are "non-French".I attend an anglo-francais conversational group each week set up by the Mairie. Absolutely fabulous! It is obvious from this group that we (the English) are actively encouraged to integrate.......and we do. We have been invited to schools and colleges to speak English to the students. The one comment I have to make is a reversal of the anti-British incidents. When, on the few occasions I return to the UK and am tootling along the M25 in a car with French plates, some (British I assume) driver comes within millimetres of my bumper and gives me a Churchillian salute[6] shouting abuse because he believes me to be French!! I know where I am welcomed!! tuppence

Hi, I did this 2 years ago. It was the easiest financial transaction I have ever done[:D]. Did it through a reputable broker who kept me informed by phone or e-mail each week so I was never kept out of the loop. And I was 60 years old when I took the mortgage. No problems at all, if you need more details I can send you the names of the company I dealt with via a private message. But it really was easy. tuppence

And orange have the nerve to send me a text when I have topped up by more than £15 (UK bank account), telling me that I have 3000 free evening and weekend texts. BUT only when in the UK, they don't apply in France[6]. Thank goodness I don't need to use it that often. When the French wake up to topping up and it not lasting more than 1month, 2 month etc I'll buy a French sim card. tuppence

Hi Clair, I think you are right in what you say about the need to connect my chauffe eau to 'catch' the signal from EDF. Unfortunately that signal should come from the meter (bottom of drive) to 'disjoncteur differential' in the corridor, not the tableau for all other electrics in my kitchen. So what Chancer has said, i.e. that it would probably be overly expensive, is probably true. By the way, my old chauffe-eau was on a timer (bought from the UK) timed to come on at 03.00 and go off at 07.00am. Since I had the new chauffe-eau fitted this is no longer the case. The (French) electrician said it wasn't necessary as the thermostat would cut off when the water reached the required temperature which he set for me. I can still try to get EDF to fit me a new box, but sadly it is then up to me to arrange connection from the compteur to the disjoncteur. Is nothing ever easy!!! tuppence

Sorry Clair I don't think I do. The tableau is in the kitchen and I am fairly sure there isn't one in that. The 'box' in the corridor is a 'disjoncteur differential' whatever that means. I am pretty sure that this Disjoncteur may have been the original box for electrics, but there has been an extension (not recent) on to the house and now the lights/sockets in the extension are run off this 'box' not the one in the kitchen which runs everything else in the house. tuppence

Hi. Last November I had EDF put me a new meter in so that I could have cheaper o/night electricity. However, 6 months ago I had to replace my chauffe-eau and the electrician who did the job said that I was not wired up for heures creuses. So for nearly 12 months, thinking I was on HC I now find out I am not[6]. I have a tableau in the kitchen with all the fuses in it for washer/cooker/chauffe-eau and all othr sockets and switches. I also have a "box" in the corridor which is a black box which , when I need to cut off the electric altogether, is the one I use. The electrician said that this black box needs to be replaced by EDF before I can get to use HC tariff. I believe that this is done free of charge because it is replacing an old for a new. But, it would be down to an electrician to wire it up to the compteur at the bottom of the drive which contains the heures creuse meter. Has anyone else had to have this done? I am concerned that this may be very expensive to have done??? tuppence

Oh dear A N Other, I am so glad that someone else has had the nerve/bottle to voice this probable scenario of a troublefree Teleconnect at last. I am with you and yours on this, no line dropping for a week or more. I thought it was because I had changed my browser from IE8 to Mozilla Firefox (damn good too). Long may it last with TC[:)] tuppence

P2. when I wanted to renew my frequent travellers tickets, and living in France, it was 550€ compared to £390 so I used my Mums address in the UK to save a lorra, lorra money!! I haven't bothered this year as I don't make so many journeys back to the motherland. My friends came over in June, were quoted almost £200 return on the shuttle, so they came over on LD Lines Norman Arrow return £60, big difference don't you think? tuppence

Interesting thread this one with differing items being discussed. I have a 2002 Rover 25 which I bought in the UK last December, registered it in France in March. It was a one owner, low mileage car costing £1795.00. With tax and MOT. Our local garage has a 1999 Rover 200 with 149,000km on clock and he wants 2,900€. Also for me to replace headlights would cost (from Germany on Ebay) over £400[6], almost 20% of the price of the car itself. tuppence

Hi, If I have read and translated correctly the details on my TF documentation, I can opt to pay monthly as long as I have registered before December 16th 2009. In fact I have already taken a RIB into the local tresorie but have still received a bill telling me it must be paid by October 15th. Is this normal practice i.e sending the bill  but keeping the RIB till the payments start in January?? thanks tuppence

Hi buelligan, As the original poster on this subject I was glad to read your posting today. Like you the frontline was not up to it this year[:(]. Most of my friends said that the hot summer hasn't helped at all with the flea population. However I did my cat a couple of weeks ago and she seems to be flea-free for the first time in weeks. I have combed her several times and she seems to be free. But I will take note of the Biocanispot chat 80 and get some in (we have a pharmacie in our village) for future use. Glad to hear that you and your cat are happy[:)] thanks tuppence

I'll drink to that too!!  I am in the great dilemma of should I go back to the UK and have a very boring time with a family I rarely see, or stay here and do what I want to do...........nothing. A no-brainer I think, saves loads of dosh as well. tuppence

Sorry to disappoint you Sweet, but  after my Mum goes home from my place in France, my sister picks her up from Rickmansworth to take her back to Staffordshire. I then only have a 100 mile journey back to the Tunnel, so I do my shopping at Tescos Rickmansworth. Still saves £'s . The nice thing is if I have forgotten something I call in at Tescos Junction 10 , M20. double the fun[8-|]. tuppence

Sweet you are not alone, came back via Eurotunnel yesterday after having filled the boot with special offers from Tesco at Rickmansworth. So many items at BOGOFF prices[:D] now all I have to do is to find room in the fridge/freezers for them all. I don't mind being common if it saves me £'s[8-|]. tuppence

Need a bucketful to understand all this stuff. Don't take them with a bottle of red cos then you will not understand anything at all[:(]. tuppence

Thanks for the replies but the Pont de Normandie just ain't my cup of tea, although the Tancarville may be a possibility. But I could amend the route to come into Rouen another way and avoid both of them. I am supposing that their river bridges are similar size and height as those in London over the Thames??? And , Michelle, they may not be scary to you but to most vertigo sufferers they are horrendous and to be avoided at all costs. tuppence

Hi, I want to drive from Pas-de-Calais to visit Honfleur but I am terrified of the large bridges[:'(] which seem to loom on the route (Pont de Normandie or Tancarville). If I detour round Rouen do I miss any scary bridges, which should leave me with an easy drive to Honfleur. tuppence

Hi, My avis came on Friday 14th August, reimbursement arrived by cheque Thursday 20th August, paying it into bank tomorrow 24th August. Inland revenue cheque arrived 22nd August, paying into UK bank Friday 28th August. And  birthday on Saturday 22nd August. Who says that good things come in three's.[:D] tuppence

Sadly AN Other, according to degrouptest I have only 2 choices, Orange or TC, where I live. So for now at least I am staying put. My friend has been waiting for his ADSL line from Orange to be sorted now for 4 weeks and is still waiting. 1st it was the end of July now it is the end of August. The service has been very poor, so much so that they are thinking of moving ISP's. tuppence

As another disgruntled TC user, my main problem is that I can here the modem click off (i.e. the VOIP line light goes out) I can then count to ten and it comes back on again. When using the phone I wait to see if their dialling tone is heard before I dial a number. If that doesn't happen I wait a few minutes before I try again. I, like may others, was going to change to Orange, but having one or two friends who have had mega problems with livebox, I think I will stick it out a while longer with TC and hope [8-)] that they will eventually return to their pre-March 2009 service which I as A.N Other agree was very good. As a non techie I can't understand all these terms that you guys use so I'll carry on regardless[:)]. tuppence 

The general idea was to cover it to kill the weeds as best I could, and I was advised that it may take 18 months to do that. Then to keep them at bay, plant up what I would like there and then cover the remaining garden with green bache (as my neighbour has done successfully). It would look at least tidy and green, as opposed to the 4ft high grass and weeds there at present[6]. Also there is a good side to the recent spate of good weather, what I thought was a barren fruit tree has turned out to be a victoria plum tree with the most amazing plums I've ever tasted. My neighbout has had about 25 kilos off me to make jam of which I am promised several jars when done[:)]. Other friends have had at least 2 kilos each and all are feeling very plumptious[;-)]. thanks to everyone for their ideas.........watch this space! tuppence    

Hi Has anyone any idea when the Avis for Income Tax are sent out for this years tax returns? tuppence

Hi, As someone with a very limited knowledge of technical things, is there a way that I can video a programme while watching another easily??????  I have a satellite dish (no French tv) and use Free-to-Air for all programmes. I can video programmes when not watching tv, but occasionally programmes clash timewise and it would be nice to be able to video one of them. Thanks                    tuppence