Polly

Your local baker or newsagent will have these lying around so you could save time by asking them for some (can't remember their name!). The tubes are fiddly, and they come in different sizes and codes and amounts in each for different coins but you can't go wrong, when they are full, they're full.

The 'franchise' is not paid out by the mutuelle, they repay you in full and then sneak it back by only paying some of your GP's fee back to you for example. You might also want to check if the policies you are looking at cover the costs of staying in hospital, ie the daily rate for accommodation & food, or even the cost of a TV in your room, aside from medical costs. Obviouly the more the policy covers, the higher the premiums. You choose!

[quote user="just john "]Thank you Pirate Polly , I nose, barrising innit, pirates aint wot they usetabe[:$][/quote] Like it! And your pirates' parrots weren't very chirpy whilst the canaries were on song.

Oh yes, Swissie, during la grande secheresse & canicule of 2003! There were serious restrictions in lots of French départements The décrets come from the Préfectures, like the ones about not washing cars or watering lawns, and are commune-specific, so someone in village 'A' might not be restricted whereas next door one can't fill a pool. In 2003, some of the ones re pools were badly worded and it wasn't clear whether the bans applied to FILLING and/or TOPPING UP of pools. They were subsequently re-worded. Local papers contain info., but the only sure way to know what the rules for your property are during a drought is to check at your Mairie.

Maison individuelle: http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/R1372.xhtml Download it, and it's got everything incl the list See also the 'fiche d'aide' for calculating your net & gross floor areas Pirates: you didn't break the world record on May 1st (or win the match!)

they be pirates in Bristle!

Thebiga, if the water company see anybody suddenly has vastly increased consumption they usually send a letter so the owner can check for hidden leaks, eg in the water meter 'hole' where one rarely goes. It's to help you, even though it brings them more income they don't want wasted water.

You'll need new forms too! The 'notice' containing all the info regarding permis de construire and declaration préalalable (formerly declaration de travaux) is cerfa 51190 01 For planning permission, go to http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/R17528.xhtml. Download the form, and you also get the list of necessary documents For déclaration préalable go to http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/R17501.xhtml Or just walk into any Mairie and ask for the forms and notices. Simple!

[quote user="klo"]Take a look at this site     http://www.wte-ltd.co.uk/septic_tanks_france.html      There is some very useful info on there. My husband is a builder here in the Charente-Maritime and has now installed 3 Condor sewage treatment plants for different clients.  (sourced from the UK) They do not need a filter bed.  The condor has the appropriate EN number.  The Syndicat des Eaux here said that they could not stop the client installing them but were unable to give the certificate of conformity (at the moment).  However, they did say that they would be fully approved here by the end of the year..........  We wait ..........   Hope this helps [/quote] Exactly. You  can install them, but they aren't yet 'approved'.

I don't read books for pleasure in French. I read the local daily rag for amusement and info.. French is my second language, I use it every day for work, club activities and general socialising.  For work and car club I have to deal with a lot of technical and legal French. It's not a problem for me, but when I fancy a relaxing read I always chose a book in English.

Dogs are not dumb animals, give them plenty of physical and mental exercise (just like humans) and they flourish. Leave them all alone, even in a posh house or garden, and they suffer and become destructive. Love them, give them plenty of physical and mental exercise and you have the best friends ever for life. How does an assistance dog or a police dog get to be so 'clever'? Answer: not only the breeding, but lots of attention, care, love & exercise.

pachapapa, from a  site meeting I had yesterday with a SPANC technician in dept 47: "we are all awaiting a determination due out in the summer, but as you probably know, nothing happens in France in July-August, then there is a big meeting in October so they won't say anything until after that, which is Christmas, so tell your clients to wait until  next year, at the earliest before spending any money". Without going into detail, the non-conforming installation concerned is at a second home on difficult terrain and the clients wanted to sort something out to 'normes' before they do some other work.

Kelly, how would you get to hear of legislative changes in the UK? The government (Fr or UK or any other) doesn't email everyone about everything, you just have to be aware of business legislation changes if you run a business. You belong to the chamber of commerce, read the papers, belong to a forum, pay an accountant or whatever suits you best. That's life. In many fields keeping up to date is called continuing professional development/education, and it's often compulsory if one wishes to retain membership of the relevant body (eg surveyors, lawyers)

Cassie I have pm'd you

A handshake agreement in this sort of case is worth... zero. Sorry, but that's life! Unless of course the Notaire wrote it all down, and had it witnessed, and gave you a copy of the document, in which case it wasn't just a handshake, was it?

In beams or in softwood floors? It could be a longhorn beetle Hylotrupes bajulus (in French capricorne des maisons), or a deathwatch (Xestobium rufovillosum) Best to bite the bullet and take a look - or get someone who know's what's what, it's impossible to advise without seeing the site.

You'll probably be spending some time looking around at houses with different agents, so ask them, and go into local bars and see who you meet. You are after someone reliable, experienced in this field, French speaking, resident all year round and registered to work in France. Most of our clients come to us through recommendations from our bank, estate agents, the tourist office and artisans. Local people who know caretaking is our business also often tell their new second-home neighbours about us.

Thanks!

Ok, but what's the PING mean?

[quote user="Etoile"]Certain people of little intelligence on this forum are rather missing the point here. The fact is that senior civil servants have offended a church leader who has been invited by our government to visit this country. As expected the government has done little about it - the offending person simply being relocated to another job. It has nothing to do with ones religious views or lack of them. The are as many non-believers appalled by this as there are christians. If the slur had been made against a leader from any other faith our politicians would now be lining up to grovel and apologise.[/quote] 'Our' government? 'This' country? You say you're in the Charente!

I agree with the last two posts, and would just emphasis that in simple terms installing a dispenser is an aid, not a substitute for regular pool management. Do not think that you can fill it up then go away for a week or two without having arranged for someone to check the pool. Those things only dole out chems.; they can go wrong, they don't fish out dead animals and they don't deal with problems arising from storms or agricultural pollution etc..

Thank you, I was thinking along the right lines then. It's interesting that visitors from the UK using my internet often comment how fast it is compared to theirs at home!

[quote user="cooperlola"] The differences in some of these figures is quite telling, isn't it? [/quote] Will one of you geeks please explain, in simple English (I'll accept spelling mistakes!) rather than geek-speak what any of these figures mean?

SAHM?? stay at home mother?

I have no idea what any of this means but the line works for me : [URL=http://www.speedtest.net][IMG]http://www.speedtest.net/result/792891082.png[/IMG][/URL] Is it good or not? Costs me 34€99 per month incl all standard landline calls to France and the worldwide destinations I use, and no FT abonnement to pay