idun

NH it's strange what one can say, if one did say  it  on here, and it not be auto-censored. Incidentally does everyone understand what you said?

Having 'woke' up to social issues. My bad if it isn't[Www]

 My suspicion is that french people in the UK who needed to change their driving licences, kicked up a fuss in France about this. My husband never got any other paperwork when he passed his french licence,  isn't as if we could go sorting through our paperwork and find something else. Would have been a nightmare if he had had to apply to France for this extra paperwork. That could have taken months. He is 70 and I am pretty sure that he would not have been able to drive in the UK without having exchanged his french licence for a UK one.

Motorhead, we have just been through exactly this process. This is the series of events: All the paperwork went off in January along with the cheque, and all came back with  such a letter as you received. I wrote and complained bitterly about this, and someone called me about it. And then someone else did, because my letter had been very very firm. The first person had explained that the french had been uncooperative about the exchanges, and unfortunately this had to be done. About three days later, when we got the second call, they said that things had changed a couple of days before, and it was no longer necessary to have the certificate and to send everything off again with a letter explaining that we had been told that it was no longer necessary. About two weeks later the cheque was cashed and the licence arrived about four days later. Call them, I would, and tell them that you know of someone who had been through this hassle and was told that this rule had changed and that they now have their licence. I sent everything recorded and signed for to the DVLA Swansea, SA99 1BT.

Frankly with a young family I would be looking at New Zealand. And the move, well. I suppose with brexit it will be like our move to France. Every last item you would be taking with you would need to be listed and translated and valued. It is not a hard move, at least not any harder than when we moved to France. If you want to do it, you just get on and do it. Would it really be any harder than moving within France.  What I would do, if I was taking a lot of stuff back, and if it is still possible and that is get a UK removal company to collect your goods in France. Get lots of quotes. Half the price of the quotes we had from french removal companies.

I actually don't mind Boris. It was him or Jeremy Corbyn, and there was not any competition there. Perfect storm, leaving the EU and Covid at the same time, it will get resolved. And for other countries, they will have financial dire times too, because of Covid. It's covid, what can I say, it is a pandemic. So, when did she know Boris, when he was Mayor?

We all have our vices, and mine is food especially sweet things. I have never smoked, taken drugs, and have hardly drank alcohol throughout my life. Food however, is another thing. I love cooking too. I have yoyo'd with my weight for the last 45 years. And yes, I know what I am eating when I put weight on, but there again, those of you who drink are fully aware of what drink does to a system and it's calories, and cigarettes, well, the list is endless, and yet people do. Also, my views on life and death for specific reasons are often quite different to most peoples. If fatter people die more easily with Covid, well, that is how it is. Why the fuss about it?

When talking to friends we all want to know when a proper anti body test, that is rapid, will be out. Extra fast testing, well, ofcourse it will help, but getting everyone vaccinated will help more.

Where are you comfy in the UK, not London, too expensive, but elsewhere. Where do you holiday? I agree that the UK changes, so did France during our time there, and I would have been rather naive to believe that England was stuck in the early 80's, just as we had left it. I was not expecting that to have happened at all. And France has changed since we left, how could it not? Your wife will need to register and there will be family income checks, just like France when we moved there. Your children, have they got british passports now? If you are moving back, then it would perhaps be a good idea. I suppose we could have moved just about anywhere, and seriously considered Northumberland, but for all we love it, it is too 'remote' and I needed a town, not village life again. I love Newcastle, strangely we never thought about living near there or on the immediate coastal area there, ie Ericd lives in Whitley Bay. What I can say is that we do not regret moving back. And for school, I truly wish we had moved back, what, 25 years ago, it was a big mistake for our children not doing that. Remember you can check up on schools ratings in the UK. We get 'weather' here too, and some regions are very prone to flooding, and sometimes there are water restrictions because we can get hot summers too. So chose carefully. Ah yes, the language, well that evolves, but you must know from your children all the argot they will know and perhaps use. Languages evolve, and if you choose our neck of the woods, well, it is what it is and some expressions and words are very nordic.

Sadly I can go back a long way and it was a rude lesson to me when a wonderful journalistic program called Taxi on the old FR3 was pulled. Manifs were on the go in Paris, I think students and I was watching the program when it was stopped and never to be seen again. In fact I didn't see Philippe Alfonsi on the tv for quite a number of years. Taxi was on tv in the late 1980's.

 Yonner  I reckon most countries are currently in the mire at the moment. All sorts of figures flying around, chose one and it is like taking a lucky dip when I, at least, was a kid, in this case, one never knows exactly what is true. We will eventually all find out when we get the bill for it all. [blink] RE those that cross the channel, if they apply for asylum in France then France has responsibilities to  treat them with some care, as do all the other EU countries they have traversed before getting to the coast.  I think that what appals me the most is the babies and very young children............. just what is the 'game' getting women pregnant in such circumstances.

I do not get why they are crossing the channel? And I don't get why they have crossed all of the 'marvellous' EU to get to the coast. We are currently having enough problems helping those that live here, and anyone who arrives illegally is apparently expecting to be lodged wonderfully and have everything handed on a plate. Unless proved otherwise these people are law breakers. Why am I so upset about this, because, I regularly give to food banks and help a homeless man and help those I know who are struggling. We are not rich, at all, and need a huge job doing on our house, but this help seems rather more important at the moment. 

 And that ALBF is the most naive post I have ever seen you write, you know darned well why they don't have a go at him over this or anything. You know what french journalists are like where the state is concerned, journalists have a thick red line that they do not cross as if they do, it has not historically gone well. AND in the UK they are equally stupid, because they report and report and frankly as far as I am concerned do not report and hold the government to rights about some things that are pertinent and affect ordinary people. You just wait as soon as there is a whiff of this being over they are going to have a right go at the NHS about being behind with operations and appointments. I know people who work in frontline roles in the NHS, they are mentally and physically exhausted.  With this, no matter the care, the deaths involved are not only upsetting for the staff involved  but is wearing them down.

I said the following on here quite recently: that I was always told that the french are afraid of the germans, they  respect  the swiss and they mock the belgians. Like Ken, I never had a problem with being english. Although I think that both my kids had comments when they got to secondary school. I keep wondering if the age at which people move to France and what circumstances, define a lot of the points of views. We were in our twenties, married no kids and no french. Quite quickly that changed to having kids and speaking french.  Some very much appreciated  help initially, but then we were on our own, no internet, just had to get on with it.  I realise that some move with families, to work or start a business, but I often feel that the majority on here, have moved to rural France to retire , be it early or at pension age. My life and experiences are quite different to that of the latter group. And for all we lived en campagne, we had to be within striking distance of work. And ofcourse we had all the worries of job stability etc, and keep a close eye on the news, because a lot of things affected us........and then there were those strikes which made actually getting to work too often very difficult. At a personal level, the key I think,was school. How can I put this, so much choice of would-be friends and even enemies, although I only ended up with one of those. School gate chatting and all those meetings and assoc associated with school. And just going for it talking to folk with my awful french, which did get better, never brilliant, but a lot better. It isn't that we didn't make friends not related to school, but my closest wonderful friends had children at my  children's maternelle/primaire. Being the only brits in the village, well, many were curious and some quite fearful when I invited them to dinner, they were truly expecting la merde,  or a big dollop of jam on the plate[:D] They got neither. So yes, personal experiences especially how the locals take to us. 'We' can be exactly how we want to be, but if we don't act in a way that the french appreciate, then, life in France would be very limited, and why would people make the move if they don't want to mix?

It is strange what this board censors and doesn't censor. Quite surprised that this 's' word was not censored automatically.

 Yes, do as said by ALBF, as you could get a bill for 1000's. We had a water leak once and thankfully the water company was very good about it and only charged us slightly more than the previous year. At the time, it was a good job as it would have bankrupted us to pay the amount they were asking for[:(]

I love kneading bread, such a great way to get rid of any frustrations. During that first knead you can bash and stretch it until the cows come home. With white flour the knead stretches it to give a good crumb,  I read that once liquid goes into the flour, it curls it up. Reckon it works. Second knead and I am gentle with that one. And brioches and fruit breads cannot be given a good knead the first time either, but I don't make them so often.

Do you live in rural France ceejay? I just ask as farmers did VERY WELL out of the EEC and all it's incarnations. Maybe not so well soon, as the EU income has reduced....... I wonder why????? Who knows what sort of a movement may eventually start in France, I personally don't think that France is brave enough to leave in the foreseeable future. [:D]  I realise that  many on here think it was a folly, not my point of view.

Just remembered that when I started work, every single  night we put covers on all our machines. Wouldn't work if they were left on, butI cannot remember cleaning them, unless the cleaners did, but I don't think so. Funny how you remember things.

I am not against a bit of spit on some things. But haven't ever found the need to use it for general cleaning. ?

can you use fresh yeast in your breadmaker?

No idea what i am getting this week and don't really care, husband had Pfizer a couple of weeks ago.

Thus far we have not had colds this winter. Just goes to show that masks and keeping hands clean is helping. I wouldn't want the Russian vaccine. I truly do not trust the Russians. The vaccine testing may be brilliant, but, how can I put this, how easy would it to be to tamper with it? They have form for dirty deeds.

But I lived in the Alpes, so actually colder than 'up north' although in fairness the cold is different. Still we have not had -30 and our water pipes freeze here in England, and in France when that happened, even our septique tank pipes froze....... we did have fun that winter, from the 1st Jan 1985. My youngest was  a 6 month old baby.  I know that when I have looked it up, it says that it was not that cold where we lived, just something like -23, but I know what our outside thermometer said.

I don't do Mother's Day either. However, my MIL was a sensitive soul and so I would send her a card, thing was thatit is not the same date as in France, which she simply could not understand, but felt she had to make a point to everyone she knew that she got her card. It was  just at a different date, and they didn't understand either.  Durham pit villages used to be very strange places.