NormanH

So they don't lower the prices to ensure the most 'bottoms on seats' possible?

Isn't it the principle on which Ryanair works?

[quote user="ltf"][quote user="NormanH"]Surely the answer is to reduce prices 20% to allow for the low exchange rate. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/apr/10/currencies [/quote] Great idea Norman! For those of us whose main income is from gites and live in France, do you think that our overheads, shopping and fuel bills etc. have also gone down 20%? Do you really think that we pluck our prices out of the air when we are pricing? [:@] A bit of tweaking may be necessary, but I doubt there are many people who run gites as a business who could  maintain their level of service to customers with a 20% reduction in income. [/quote] But this is what is being asked of people on  a fixed income in sterling, such as Pensioners living in France. And surely there are very few overheads with Gites? The investment was in buying them, but the costs of staying in them is carried by the holidaymaker who has to buy their own food, pay the electricity etc. Isn't it better to accept a lower margin, but keep up the level of bookings?

and Midi Libre!

Surely the answer is to reduce prices 20% to allow for the low exchange rate. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/apr/10/currencies

yes there would be wouldn't there? [:)]

And obviously they want to persuade you to install a wood burner, so I'm not sure that they are very impartial!

wb"Those with a bit of guts might be though. Unless Gormless Gordon is trying to force UK into the euro at a cheap price. 80p to the € is my bet." Parity is my guess [6]

Thanks ErnieY for that explaination. It's not very encouraging, but I'll try what you say...

[quote user="cooperlola"]Whatever you do, have a proper rental agreement drawn up by a notaire - no need to use an agent as well unless you're looking for a tenant or they are servicing the house.  Most of the questions you ask are covered by standard contracts. Taxes are payable on all income - from whatever source - and - I think (somebody will confirm) that rental is classed as "unearned" and thus incurs social charges at the higher rate also. [/quote] I pay tax under the MicroBic system for rental income. I  also pay  have to pay CSG, a bill which comes separately around November

I am getting spam emails from MY OWN address! I hope they aren't also being sent to other people as if they came from me... How do I deal with this?

Exactly!

The nationality of everybody from the UK is "Britannique", and this should be used when filling in an official form. Of course in conversation one is free to say "Anglais" "Ecossais" etc...

3 years old It  is a bit bitter, but makes good juice, and will try jam..

I have taken one on Flybe and on easyjet, but have never used Ryanair. Can't see why not in principle

Sounds silly, but have you tried switching it off and on again?

[IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh80/bfb_album/P1050680.jpg[/IMG]

Cathy "Home educated children are protected" I think that is what worries me! A comparision would be to try to protect children from a flu virus, by keeping them away from other children. When they finally catch it they have no immunity from previous exposure. Isn't it better to let them have experience of the big bad world and pilot them through it with a close family support? The original poster's son is 14, and will come across the negatives soon enough.

typo now corrected

there is a certain arrogance among French speakers that assumes that French is more difficult than English, simply because they have an elementary grasp of a workaday English, and are unprepared to bother with the difference between for example "What means 'towel' ?" and "What does 'towel' mean?" One is understandable, but not current, and is based on a French question structure, so they continue to use it, rather than making progress. There is an ignorance of English vocabulary (try using 'fortnight' with the French) and of the subtilities of tense use (' tomorrow I will go to Scotland ' is given as preferable to 'I'm going to Scotland tomorrow' They also see that there are many more verb forms, and that the vocabulary has Latin roots, so there is a sort of snobbery that says that French is superior, allied to an ignorance of the much richer variety of ways of expressing something in English which comes from its mixed roots. So it comes from arrogance, ignorance, and snobbery[geek]

I think we agree: when I wrote 'social' I was using it with the idea of fitting into the society in which he lives, ( in this case France) , which implies that he communicates enough with other people of his age to share in their common culture and references. One of the problems of older people settling here is that they obviously haven't got that tissue of shared experience which bind a community, but it would be a pity to deny that to a young person who has the time to develop it. That is assuming that the move to France is intended to be permanent, and that the parents accept that the child will become more French than English in certain respects.

[quote user="deadbeat"]Hello,  this is my first message here. we want to teach him at home, partly for his educational needs and mostly for his cultural and social needs...  [/quote] I can appreciate that you might wish to educate him at home for academic reasons, but not for cultural or social ones. Interreaction with other children is essential for social development, and if he is to develop a fluent French also. You don't say which region you live in but it sounds a bit like Brittany.

I doubt that the "mortgage/credit revolution in France" will want to go the same way as in the UK/USA[:D]

I have found Lapeyre good quality, but not the cheapest. Well worth the extra though http://www.lapeyre.fr/Lapeyre/pub.accueil.PreHomeController.do?event=show click on catalogue... Interior ..portes

Different in my town! This is the end of my street: [IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh80/bfb_album/insalubrite.jpg[/IMG]