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ScoobyInFrance

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  1. Which is to France's loss.  On another international forum I belong to, someone posed the question of 'which language to learn as a second language'?  The overwhelming response was 'Spanish'.  Everyone considered French to be a 'diminishing language'.  With attitudes like the one above, French is destined to stay that way.
  2. thepenofmyaunt - that was my reaction exactly.  Why would you go to university in France when you could have a much better university eduction in the UK. Most (British) people we know in France are doing the opposite and sending their kids back to the UK for Uni.  As POMA said - best of luck anyway...whatever your choice.
  3. But - as was clearly shown in the article you linked to - the WWOOFers volunteer their services and if the WWOOFer isn't happy they walk....  This isn't slavery.  In fact, to imply it is, belittles the real distress and trauma of those who experience true slavery.  IMHO it's nothing to do with protecting the volunteer and all about the French government getting their pound of flesh.  (Coupled with a little green eyed jealousy from the neighbours who report WWOOFers.)
  4. [quote user="Stan Streason"]A lot of the posts here talk about "substantial deposits" with Nationwide so we are not talking breadline in the majority of cases. A bit of active rate management and you should easily cover the extra costs of having a French bank account. [/quote] I think the issue is the flexibility that Nationwide offered.  We have sizeable deposits with NW (over the last year the balance has varied between £14k to £23k) but to get anything approaching the daily quoted interbank rate with an FX company we have to transfer a minimum of £5k.  With NW we could get just as good a rate (when compared to the prevailing interbank rates) on a small cash withdrawal at the ATM.   I have done as you have done and transferred £7k when the rate was at ~2.22 - but the rate we got was still less than the NW spot rate for an ATM withdrawal of £300 and we have had to tie up several thousand pounds for the next few months.
  5. This case was in the news recently - http://www.couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=626&post=5309786.  France are the only country in the world to have taken this action which has been roundly condemned by international cultural exchange / voluntary organisations.  Unfortunately, France frequently refuses to accept 'non French' organisations in the same way that it refuses to recognise 'non French' qualifications.  IMHO, it is France that loses out.
  6. I too remember the ice on the windows.  My family was very poor - we never had new clothes and I fought my siblings for the 'hand me downs'. Nevertheless I didn't wish to go to 'the promised land' as an economic migrant but rather worked my a*s off to improve my situation within  my own culture..without imposing on others.  I already have three nephews putting their lives on the line to restore democracy in Afghanistan (two doing their second tour of duty) .  If we can put the effort in to try to improve things in Afghanistan it's not much to expect the countries own inhabitants to do the same.  After all it's their country not ours.
  7. Sorry Dog - hate to fall out again but.....if we counted up the number of abuse cases perpetrated by heterosexuals against those by homosexuals I think it would lean (rather heavily) towards the heteros.  Yes you are being a homophobe - and, yes, these cases get disproportionate headlines because of the prejudices of others like you.
  8. Tegwini, Chessie, Nectarine, Ebaynut, Hoddy - well said.
  9. When SPANC came to inspect our fosse (and prononounced it was non compliant) they asked us to sign the inspection document there and then and told us we had two years from the date of signing to replace it.  I don't have our copy of the document with me (it's back in the UK) but I will check the exact wording when I get back.  However, it does seem strange that no-one else seems to have been given a two year time limit.
  10. This was the first quote and the devis didn't suggest anything complex...but maybe with so many fosses needing replacing because of the new regs, the installers can pick and choose?? If you're right about the 4 year period, Wooly, we won't stress too much yet.   If the time limit is actually June 2012 this would take us until after our retirement date so maybe this is project No. 1....to get up to our knees in sh1t!  Maybe we'll take a closer look at Dave & Olive's pics and hire a JCB [;-)] Kathie (who has decided la belle France is getting scarily expensive.....) PS If anyone can recommend a (reaonably priced) installer we would be eternally grateful!
  11. [quote user="JohnRoss"]Middle insomnia - waking during the middle of the night, difficulty maintaining sleep. Often associated with pain disorders or medical illness. The Wikipedia link I gave is worth looking at to make sure that there is no medical reason for your insomnia.  [/quote] If there is (often chronic pain related) it is worth asking if you can try a prescription of low dose amitriptyline.
  12. We were given only two years??!  We were inspected June 2008 and had to sign for an agreed completion date of June 2010.
  13. We have just been quoted for a new fosse - at nearly 11,000 euros it is way beyond our budget!!  Is this price reasonable...and, if so, what happens if we don't replace by the 30 June deadline agreed with SPANC.  Ps does anyone want to buy a lovely 5 bed house in 24 (lovely new roof, completely rewired but needing replacement fosse)?
  14. Given that you can be prosecuted in the UK for being in the vicinity of a crime without taking steps to prevent the crime happening (whether or not the perpetrators are armed!) I would follow the above advice to the letter.  We learned this the hard way!
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