I dont suppose you've noticed

[lindal1000]

The vaseline that you get from the pharmacy is sterile and sold to use as a wound dressing for places where ordinary plasters or dressings can't be used. In case you are wondering, OH was prescribed a tube to use on his head, when he cut it open and needed stitches.

I found a very good bottle of spray on basic antiseptic. non sting, no colour, 2.99 for 150 ml and it works very well for wounds, cuts, scratches etc.

I do buy paracetamol from the UK.. last time I bought some I noticed it had gone up a lot but still cheaper than France

[woolybanana]

Typical med appointment situation this week; phone up Monday, chose rdv late Tuesday. Early Tuesday get blood tests done, results in the pm, both to me and direct to the doc.

Can’t be bad.

[Patf]

Our MT in France had 2 morning sessions a week when you could go and be seen that morning. you needed to be there by 8.30 am otherwise you would be there all morning.

I don't think he does that now - they've all moved into a new Medical centre in the nearby biggest town. And are suffering from the 'rural desertification' of MTs. He has probably retired as he was over 60 when we left..

As for speaking english - I did my best to speak to him in french and he would keep it simple for me. Except for one occasion when I asked how long the effect of a cortisone injection would be. He replied "Wait and see!"

Another word of wisdom from him - "everyone over 50 has osteoarthritis."

He usually had young medics with him who were finishing their training and most of them could speak english.

Another time he was commenting on the increase of health complaints in the winter. I tried to translate the phrase from Shelley's Ode To the West Wind - "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" He seemed to appreciate that.The best GP we've ever had.

https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2017/09/27/2653500-medecin-de-famille-avec-ses-parents-et-son-grand-pere.html

[YCCMB]

@ Lindal. That's more or less exactly what I use it for. The stuff you buy outside pharmacies is, entre autres, destined for babies' delicate bits so I'm assuming it's appropriate and fit for purpose. Anyway, I slap on industrial quantities of the stuff, often onto very broken and damaged skin, and, sterile or not, the cheap stuff seems entirely adequate.

[Judith-aka-Judith]

Beginning to think that supply of doctors is a bit luck of the draw.  In our reasonably large village there were three, one retired, another now has, and they've had to import a doctor from Spain to fill the place.  My own doctor, is now a 10 min drive away, but worth it, as she not only speaks English but is English by birth (been here since she was 4 though!), I can manage in French, but so nice to be able to chat in your own language and be perfectly understood.

But on holiday in the hills recently, I fell, no first aid with us, of course, and no pharmacy in the village either.  But there was a doctor, who had turn up and wait surgery each morning, and by appointment in the evenings.  So guess where I went the next morning, usefully it was directly opposite where we were staying.  Most useful.  But really pot luck what you get where.

[Chancer]

Works for mine!!!

[Chancer]

Betty.

 

One visit to Action and you can see why they are sweeping through France and even installing in the smallest of towns like mine when only a year before they opened in a big town not even 15km away.

 

And if you look at an interactive map showing their route to dominating France they came in through the same forest in the Ardennes probably at 13.00 on a weekday [:D]

 

Its not Amazon that is a threat to French retailers it is Action, they are taking large chunks out of pretty much every shop that has been ripping customers off since year dot.

[richard51]

OK, I will bite. Its another (non-food) discount warehouse with a purchasing division and evolving distribution system (explains Chancers comment of 2 units close together).

Seems to have the occasional food item though.

The one in Trelissac (Perigreux) is in the same tin industrial unit as animalis.com.

Discount units have their usages but note that:

1. buying a discount shower gel may be less expensive per bottle but to get the same "foamy/smelly" effect may require the whole bottle. I don't think that Lush, for example, will go out of business - by competing on overall value for money terms rather than unit volume price.

2. We once bought a bottle of wine from JTF in the UK for £3.50p. OMG - sugar had crystallized out in the bottle!

3. The plastic toys are usually [email protected] - worse than cheap Christmas crackers.

So, may be useful for some everyday products. Possibly (rough) bog rolls but is it worth the extra petrol getting there.

Nb for JTF the £3.50p did not include the VAT.

[YCCMB]

Chancer wrote:

One visit to Action and you can see why they are sweeping through France and even installing in the smallest of towns like mine when only a year before they opened in a big town not even 15km away.

I was pleasantly surprised. Got a tube of (Colgate) toothpaste for 99 cents too. Quite refreshing to see a fair few branded products at the sort of prices I'd find them in the UK.

My friend who came with me was sick to see they had tins of chalk paint for €4.99 as she'd just paid closer to €20 for the same size tin of Liberon.

[richard51]

Haha -how much petrol did you use.

https://www.action.com/fr-fr/search/?q=+le+dentifrice

About a quid for the colgate flouride stuff in Morrisons.

Ask OH to bring some down.

Any colour as long as its white or light gray.

https://www.action.com/fr-fr/search/?q=+bo%C3%AEtes+de+peinture+%C3%A0+la+craie

[YCCMB]

1. It's directly opposite my nearest supermarket, so no extra distance than I travel for shopping.

2. It's a month till anyone from the UK comes out. I brush my teeth twice daily. Long time to wait unnecessarily if a product is available locally.

3. If you've bought white paint and you find white paint cheaper, you're disappointed.

[richard51]

Paint

Not if its contract paint!

Takes lots more coats.

Toothpaste

https://fd7-courses.leclercdrive.fr/magasin-082401-Trelissac/recherche.aspx?TexteRecherche=le%20dentifrice%20colgate

77 cents here.

[YCCMB]

Boring beyond belief though it must be for every other person reading this..

The Colgate toothpaste I bought for 99 cents for 100ml is actually €1.70 on your link for 75ml.

Do you know anything about chalk paint? If you did, then you would be aware that your comments don't really apply.

[mogs]

Hi mint.

Which online stores do you use please? My pharmacy bill is going up with all the supplements I usually take, like magnesium and glucosamine.

[Lehaut]

https://www.healthspan.co.uk/

Been using them for over 30 years for glucosamine etc supplements. Even put in orders for French friends. They deliver to France.

[mint]

[quote user="mogs"]Hi mint.

Which online stores do you use please? My pharmacy bill is going up with all the supplements I usually take, like magnesium and glucosamine.[/quote]

Mogs, I use newpharma.com.  Also, for supplements, I use Amazon and on their site, I usually look not just at price but at dosages.  If you are taking curcuma (turmeric), there is one on Amazon from a company called Vitamaze (German and excellent).  Vitamaze also have their own site, vitamaze.de.  Their curcuma has piperine and Vit C and is the highest dose I have been able to find; so 1 a day is all you need to take.

Whatever you do, don't stop the supplements![:)]

[pomme]

Richard 51 wrote:

2. We once bought a bottle of wine from JTF in the UK for £3.50p. OMG - sugar had crystallized out in the bottle!

Probably tartrate crystals rather than sugar https://www.jordanwinery.com/files/FlexibleFile/289/Wine_Tartrates_FAQ.pdf

[woolybanana]

The cheaper the wine the bigger the surprise.

[richard51]

1. Thank you pomme - your reference certainly seems to give the correct explanation. If I remember correctly it did also taste pretty naff.

2. I am still struggling to get my head around the expert comment that a cheap bulk-buy discount-store chalk-paint product can be just as good as an established/more expensive chalk-paint product. Hey-ho.

[Chancer]

Its not as good, its actually far far Superior to the overpriced stuff sold under the Sloaney Slapper branding, I have got through probably 10 tins of the stuff doing re-lookings of old furniture, my local one only stocks the grey and off white now but mint green etc is still available in the bigger town store, it was on 30% off promo recently.

My house in the UK is currently being redecorated with their "Creamy" wall paint and white ceiling paint, a preofessional decorator friend is doing it who has already realised just how good the German made Lidl/Aldi Baufix paint is and asked me to bring it over, Action had it 15% cheaper and it is identical, the cream tinted stuff which is like a peach magnolia is even cheaper still, like the ceiling paint one coat covers all.

[richard51]

As I've no experience of it I bow to your expertise.

Just being inquisitive but what do you think of Farrow and Ball wall paint compared to the cheap stuff.

[alittlebitfrench]

Don't fall for his tricks Richard. And certainly don't bow.

Stay clear of Lidl paint.

Yours ALBF, loving his UK holiday..

Forgotten how cool the place is.

[richard51]

Thank you ALBF.

However, as I have used both Farrow and Ball and so-called Lidl paint I think Chancers answer would have been quite informative regarding objectivity for this thread.

I do remember when every man and his dog knew how rubbish french paint was (thin requiring lots of coats) compared to even contract paint in the UK. Has it now changed?

Perhaps Action are using loss-leaders in France like JTF did. Go in there now and if you add on the VAT it is barely any cheaper.

There is always a "however". There will be bargains in there depending on how useful they are to yourself. Chancer obviously finds it useful for himself - I have no quarrel with him.

I'm sure I'm talking to the already aware though.

[YCCMB]

Richard, I'm curious to know: do you simply dismiss any opinion I offer as a matter of course, or do you consider yourself possessed of great expertise on the basis that you've used paint? Because if that is indeed your level of qualification, I'm equally curious. If you read my original post, I offered no opinion, expert or otherwise, regarding the quality of Action vs Liberon paint, but you seemed intent on "proving" that a product 3 times more expensive must be better.

Why does the fact that you've used paint make you more of an authority than me (Or indeed anyone else) who has used paint? How do you know a paint is bad because it's cheap, or good because it's expensive? I'm sure many would value your insight into how this is done.

[richard51]

By now its probably the former, but I'm always ready to admit if I'm wrong.

I do try to be at pains to say when I am not an expert and just giving an opinion.

In fact I'm probably not an expert in anything. My expertise was based on 5 yearly certifications and I've been retired for more than that now.

Now experience ............