Lambkin

well i fought there woz ...

[quote user="NickP"]If you're going to be pedantic I think you will find that the French kill more of their own on the roads than drivers from other countries . Also theres only one r in harassment. [Www] [/quote] Also there's an apostrophe in theres. [Www]

What a sad little story. I can see both sides. As usual Russethouse has hit the nail on the head - you unfortunately bought in the wrong location for you. There are places in France where the locals don't want holidayhomers, and places where they don't mind them so much. In some villages the sense of community is still very important and the locals want to keep it that way and not let it get diluted, so everyone who chooses to live there is expected to buy into the community and do their bit. That's part of what gives the place a cared-for feel that adds to its charm - everywhere kept immaculate, flowers in all the gardens and communal areas, etc. Your neighbours may have felt that you were using 'their' well-kept village as a nice backcloth for your own holidays and to attract rentals, whilst refusing to have anything to do with local preoccupations or show any solidarity. Other towns have lost the community feel to varying degrees - probably as a result of having absorbed more incomers and second-homers - and in those places it is perfectly acceptable to simply pay your taxes and keep yourself to yourself. But looking at it objectively, if you don't want to be part of a community and you only spend around 6 weeks a year in France, I can't see much point in owning a house here. You can rent a gite and have none of the responsibilities that come from property ownership, no hassle from the neighbours, no taxes, no maintenance, just turn up and have a nice holiday and go home again.

"At least with an English MOT it is is every 12 months ,I feel happier knowing that my tyres are probably legal and everything else is . It is just a pain going back to England" I'm almost speechless. Are you really saying that you never look at your tyres from one years' end to the next, and if it wasn't for it needing an MOT you would never take your car in for a service???

Albert - just out of interest, if Repulse 'hides' the livebox, how would (s)he connect if (s)he wanted to connect with a new laptop or iphone?

Put it another way, a lot of people think "if I buy the one that costs 10k less, I'll have 10k left to spend on doing it up as I want it, rather than getting stuck with a kitchen/conservatory etc which whilst very nice are not exactly what I would have chosen." Some people like white upvc. Others don't.

Do you completely discharge them before you recharge them? I believe it's supposed to be better for them if you do? Most battery chargers have a function to do this.

Since you say your french is reasonable, rather than struggle on in the dark why not get free help and proper advice on how to go about buying an existing business from these guys: http://www.creer.fr/createurs-repreneurs/reussir-sa-reprise-d-entreprise-avec-creer-boutiques-de-gestion.html

[quote user="Chancer"][quote user="RicandJo"]Because when the discs develop their surface corrosion the pads can become firmly attached to the discs. Agreed but this can equally happen with the handbrake off and the bond can always be broken by driving off, not even a snatch is noticeable, tha advice does hold true for drum brakes though which under certain circumstances can seize preventing the vehicle from being driven, In 30 years  I have only encountered this twice on vehicles left abandoned outside for decades, on the other hand far more instances of stuck clutch friction plates. For a couple of months resting in a barn there really is no need to be concerned The force required to free them up when you drive off can warp the disc. Handbrake off, just leave her in gear. Yeah Right! [:D] [/quote] [/quote] Thanks for explaining that ricandjo, now could you please explain it to my car too, it obviously doesn't know how cars behave as when I left it for a few months recently, there is NO WAY its back wheels were ever going to turn under its own volition. I will also pass the info on to my mechanic, a long time friend who has been in the trade all his life but who seems to be under the impression that this is a common occurrence and he has been called out hundreds of times to do what he had to do for my car - jack it up, take the wheels off, strip the brakes, clean everything up and reassemble. Nice to know it won't happen, Yeah Right!

As Theiere said, if light gets into the barn, you could get a solar charger and stick it into the ciggie lighter, it doesnt need bright sunshine just daylight and it will put a trickle into the battery that hopefully will compensate for the trickle coming out. And leave your handbrake OFF!

Hi Maude, I have the same alicebox and on the Guide d'Installation it says the ALM light (I don't think ALM means alarm) should be LIT when you are on a call with your original operator ie FT, and UNLIT when you are on a call on your alice line. So it sounds as if the light is doing the right thing. Doesn't solve the problem I know but maybe it is something to do with your FT line not your box? I think the alm light should just go out when you end the FT call, you shouldn't have to reset it every time.

Hi, maybe one of you clever bilingual people could help me. I want to know if as a self-employed person I am eligible to join this particular Union. Question: Can travailleurs independants join? Answer: "Ce régime juridique est exclusif de tout autre." I guess that means No?

Thank-u Cooperlola. So in fact, if I moved here in October, and I don't get any interest credited between Oct and Dec (it's an ISA I have and interest is credited at the end of the tax year i.e. April) I don't have to declare any at all this year? Yippee!

I've just read your FAQs on tax etc, so that I will know what to do when the time comes. But, if I have understood right, for France you declare the interest paid on UK savings from Jan - Dec. But, UK banks send out their interest statements in April for the tax year April-March. Um, derrrr ..... http://www.completefrance.com/cs/images/emotions/confused.gif Very helpful FAQ sheet though, thanks for providing that.

Gluestick, my shower did EXACTLY the same thing while I was away over new year. Not being technical I rang a plumber, sorted in no time but I nearly fell through the floor when he gave me bill for over 200 euros (of which not much was labour, it was the cost of the new thingy). He said turning the shower 'on' after turning the water off will let the water drain and stop it happening again, do you think not? I would really like to not have to pay out 200 euros every time it turns cold when I'm not here.

partout, like you we bought a house that already had a line connected but which hadn't been used for some time. When we went to FT to see about getting it reconnected, in order to track it all down on their computer they needed to know the name that the line had been registered in, which in our case was the person we bought the house from. Of course we'd forgotten so we had to go away and find out and then go back. So it would be worth making sure you have this bit of information to hand when you contact FT.

I have no personal experience, but his number has been quoted elsewhere as the FT/Orange English speaking helpline: 0800 364775. Mon-Fri only apparently, and you are advised to ring 9am prompt as it is a very busy line. Might be worth a try. Good luck!