idun

Who is being prejudiced here, just how could you call everyone who who voted leave, BNP types.  In the sense of the British National Party, of which I know nothing at all. You type those initials BNP, and I automatically imagine the french bank, been a customer since February 1981. And that coco, is a very long time. Frankly I am not exactly sure what racism is. On every part of the planet there is rivalry between different groups, clans, whatever you want to call them. Sometimes becoming horrific wars, ethnic cleansing etc, and frankly it is far from just 'whites' who do this........ it happens on most of the planet no matter the colour of skin or the morphology of the people's concerned. Then there are religious groupings who just make everything so much worse. You are so often on your soap box, as if only your views have validity and I find them one sided and discriminatory. nb and re the BNP, just what would you think if I said BP, the petrol company??? Blood pressure???? Boiling Point????  

I think that you should watch what you post, as I would love to know where I have made 'racist' comments??

Well I am a BNP type, had an account with them since 1981! Don't rate them really, but we still have an account. And re voters, well, since when do we bow to the losers in any election in our system. I am obviously horribly ignorant about this, because I really believed that first past the post won.... and took office or what ever the voters choice was.  And I am sick to death of, on the rare occasions I watch the news, to see people saying that Boris is acting like a child. All I can say is that how do they not think that they are even worse and I personally find them reprehensible and contradictory, 'trying on' the 'grown up' argument, I believe in democracy and ignoring democracy in action.

At my local bus shelter there is a big advert warning people that after the 31st of October people should take holiday insurance out. I think that people should bear this in mind, whether travelling to the UK or to the EU, depending on where they live. There is certainly quite a few posters in my local big hospital about non residents having to pay and never a mention of an EHIC or equivalent. I daresay A&E will remain free..... I would hope so!

  Please get some help, this is not how people behave as a community. The rest of us do not always agree, but the general rule is that we all rub along, accepting our differences. We may be the playground, but think on this, IF we are, then where would you be, alone in a corner, because no one in real life can put up with such behaviour. As adults it is the same in say a pub, people won't put up with it, unless they have known the person previously and know that they are not 'their usual self' and I would hope that friends and family would direct them to get some help. So playground folks, just get on with being well rounded human beings, having a bit of fun along the way, because life wouldn't be worth living without a smile and a bit of a laugh.

 Re the Windrush people.... these people were in the UK perfectly legally, that the government did not record them properly is shocking and shameful.

I know that the gendarmes have access to the finger print records...... but gendarmes, well, what can one say. My friend's son became a gendarme.... and she was delighted, and it was 'just right' for him. He was a big lazy lummox and I reckon he would have fitted in very well. Which is rather like most of the gendarmes I knew or had dealings with (not all, but the majority). Here is an example, my husband found a blown safe in the forest when walking our dog. He called them and some days later they turned up and he took them up to the safe. The safe was lockside up but at a jaunty angle sat against something. The pair of them scratched their heads and decided that it hadn't been opened, in spite of receipts blown all around the forest floor. So my husband got these dumbxxxxs to bend over and you could see where the back of the safe had a big hole in it and all raggedy metal stuck out. And they left it. It was there at least 10 days before it was removed, and who knows who removed it, maybe even the robbers. It could have had finger prints, and frankly I would have thought that the fact that explosives had been used, because these theives had not used an over sized old fashioned tin opener to open it, would have inspired them to do 'something'....... but no. One example, and if it were my tale to tell, I could tell you about a very serious crime that they simply ignored. ID cards and fingerprints........ bof....... waste of time in France.

Would that ID cards worked. The french, just the french,  have to give finger prints for their ID cards, and yet the gendarmes do what exactly when confronted with a crime?  I have quite a number of examples of their being able to check for finger prints and have not done so....... and yet the majority of the population's prints are in the system. The only thing that seems to have ever interested the gendarmes is 'doing' motorists, and if they have a choice, just lady drivers! I have no time for ID cards because of the way they don't work in France........ because at the end of the day, criminals could easily get forgeries and the rest of us, scrat around getting all our paperwork together to be told that we are missing the piece that IS NOT ON THE LIST, but we should have known that they would ask for it anyway!

 This is one of those things that help me remember words.... and makes me smile too.[:D] That xmas song, partridge in a pear tree....... Well my OH always sings, And a partridge is a perdrix! He sings lots of well known songs with alternative lyrics, often rude...... but I won't post them. But as a partridge is perdrix......... is there anything else, that fits this sort of bill????

Is this a can of worms I see before me???? I have just typed out half an A4 page, but the easiest thing I can say is that children from a different culture who are brought up with values that could well oppose those things dear to many of us....... would not be acceptable. Cannot see it being OK in any western european country, and my would it not be OK in the likes of Russia. Frankly I do not believe in multi culturalism. I did my best to integrate whilst in France, because I chose to live there and even between our western cultures so much is very different and it was hard....... so people's from another continent and other religion and basic values...... how can that work unless people adapt to that which they have adopted???? Everything evolves, I do not want many things that I count as progress to be lost. This is complicated, and yes the population needs reducing. Cruelty in the extreme to have any child these days without the means to support it or it to support itself in it's future, ie no future....

 Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's grandson was known as Eddy. And Edward V111 was known as David.[Www]

...... why on earth would anyone require my age on here????  Photos next is it????[blink]

 My idea of child abuse and yours are so far removed it beggar's belief. So this, I do not consider child abuse.

  LOL Words change, even their spellings change over the years, and meanings change. Do they not realise that IF their baby, when he becomes a full grown adult moves to another country, then the tilde probably will not be shown on any of the official paper work for that country if they do not use it. Wonder how much this little lot cost them, because I do hope that the french tax payer did not foot the bill. This is, as far as I am concerned, much ado about nothing.

Ah the complications of the french pension system. although I have to say that for the life of me I do not understand british pensions AT ALL apart from the state pension. I have just been talking to a friend who has recently received their pension, and what a fight! Long career, which should have meant that they could leave a little earlier. By the time,the sorry xxxxx's of fonctionnaires got round to dealing with it our friend found out they could have left a FULL YEAR EARLIER, which is actually disgraceful. Our friend is already in their 60's incidentally. Under the old rules they would have retired at worst at 60, but not now. And this friend is furious about the pampered people who can leave at 50 with great pensions and now they are striking to keep this privilege. The system has changed for many french people the majority. So why not these   xxx's. Train drivers for example, well, they hardly shovel coal and have physically hard and very dirty jobs any more, but apparently keeping a train on it's rails is so difficult and stressful that they have to leave early.  Basically I understand why they want to cling on to their entitlement, but the only people they make suffer are those without such unfair advantages. They are basically disgraceful, but that is the french way, nez pah!

  OK, I get that these things change the word. But in english, live and live mean two different things and it is on very rare occasions that we 'do' accents and not in this case. We just have to work it out and pronounce 'live' and 'live' differently. But Fanch, how would it be said with or without the tilde. Fanch sans tilde, would surely be 'fon tch' in french. So how would one say it with the tilde???? This is what is confusing me.

I would be asking to get a full test by a  hospital opthalmo. Best suggestion I can make.

No longer having a french key board, is this tilde easy to use on a french key board???? Also I am wondering how the tilde would affect the pronunciation, any ideas?

 I agree David that for France that probably seems quite quick, but the problem with anything for people with handicaps is that THEY NEED THEM NOW! ......not in months time, but immediately. And that I do know, I have had these things to deal with in my life. To anyone who has to  apply for anything to help in their daily life. And I do hope that they get these badges done as quickly as possible, it is simply not 'right' that they do not. And Cathar Tours, what are you comparing to, London and some UK cities to rural France???? There is a great deal of difference in France between la campagne and the cities on all sorts of levels, violence and muggings included. I accept cities for what they are. I lived in french city for a couple of years. Whilst we were there, we had friends shot at, my husband was and he was threatened with a knife.  Even when we moved to a village, we still had to go to the local cities for many things and both my kids have been attacked in the streets, including muggers armed with a knife coming after my youngest, who was 16 at the time, this  in Metz, which is supposed to be rather bourgeoise, they didn't mug him, he told them to go away or he would kill them, very calmly he said, he'd said it, and they ran away. I know of other things that are also very very serious,  including a serious crime that happened to friends in France, but that is their story and not mine to pass on. The gendarmes were not interested, and in the UK it would have been taken seriously and national news, I am not kidding. What can I say, these things happen. I will never imagine that nothing will happen in the UK, but we have had our fair share in France already.  Should I be afraid of going to France, last time we took the car it was hit THREE TIMES, but we were not 'attacked'[:D]

 I tried the number and it was definitely the right one, so bear that in mind if you have any problems and if you have speaker phone just leave it on until they reply. That is the trouble with HMRC, catching them, just getting that slacker period. It seems to be the problem with all tax offices etc, whether it be the french overseas tax people or french pension people too.[Www]

[quote user="Mr Wiggy"]This is my first time applying for a blue parking permit, I was actually able to download these forms. My doctor then filled in and signed the relevant forms.I then filled in my details then sent off the application form three months ago. Six weeks ago I receive the next step which was just to attach a passport photo and sign then send it off, so it's just a case of more waiting, not that I can see myself going out at this time of year as the cold makes a big difference to my breathing.. One of the big Supermarkets deliver all my groceries, my medicines are also delivered and even the ladies of La Post will always stop to see if I have any mail to be sent, you certainly wouldn't get service like this from the UK?[/quote] [quote user="idun"] Come on now, you have been able to get supermarket deliveries in the UK for a very long time, far longer than in France. AND pharmacies have delivered medicines for donkey's years too. Out in the sticks, I know of posties who check in on the odd person with 'difficulties'..... in towns, highly unlikely, but here it is likely that carers or cleaners would be calling in and they would deal with the post anyway. [/quote] Please read what I have said.As I didn't say anything  that you implied I said. It looked to me as if you implied that things would be worse for you in the UK. I don't know how long you have been in France but at least since 2004 in this area,  we have had food delivered  even into very rural areas. And pharmacies have been delivering for a very long time in the UK too. I'll add to that in France, until fairly recently even when supermarkets started delivering (and is this everywhere I wonder), one could order on line, but had to pick up at special pick up points. Also you made out your posties were great, but if I got to my french post box, my postie always took mail from me.  I know of a couple of posties who work in rural areas of England who keep an eye on those who may need it. AND for all the carer system has it faults, in general, it works. It looked to me as if you were saying that you found things 'better' in France. I have no reason to believe other than neither system is perfect and that in general both usually work fairly well. And that is all. That you are very unwell, well, what do you want me to say? I have friends and family members with very severe illnesses,   and as a friend and I discussed the other day..... it is just like that now, at our age.

 I didn't think that consultants needed to have a PhD, I may be wrong, but don't medical doctors have to be an MD and lots of other initials, but I cannot remember seeing PhD as one of them.  However, even if someone does not actually have a PhD, they may be equivalently qualified.

 It restarted about 4 weeks or so ago for me. And yes it is stupid and very very unreasonable.  I rather think that it is only bit of Complete France that has this problem and that they don't know how to cure it, or worse, don't care. Would be nice if they put an apology up though and made an effort to stop it.

Re cards and usage overseas. My french cards have not necessarily worked in the UK and my UK ones the same in France. Really has depended where. My son's recent holiday abroad was a nightmare to book as they would not accept his french card with the company he wanted to use.

Re outdated french banking, well it was not always so, well not for everything. I remember well when my youngest was very very young so, about 1985 and we were in a big ski resort with english friends. She was a computer systems designer, amongst other such related jobs. We were shopping and in a supermarket in Tignes, which is for a ski resort quite big, but actually is not very big at all, I paid using my card and pin number. 'How advanced' she said. I told her this was normal for me at that time. And in fact it was quite a number of years later, or so it seems now, this time distance  away, when I stopped having to sign for my transactions in the UK. There was only one place that I used on a fairly regular basis in France that held out with this and that was my local pharmacist, she simply did not want to pay for the new pin machines. Took her a long time to change over, but no one seemed to mind.