Lori

Thank you Mint. I wonder when I'll be brave enough to get a haircut.  I certainly need one.

Mint !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I could not have said it better.  You've touched on most everything I have, so I have LE..  I do hope it is treatable by sunshine. One thing I could add is, if you live in an apartment, you tend to get to know your neighbors habits more than you'd like to and certainly more than you ever did before confinement.  Since everyone is staying in 24/7 and especially now with the warm weather and open windows, you are forced to hear every neighbors, arguments, crying, screaming, loud music, singing, basic conversations, TV favorites, etc.  And, unless you are deaf, you are forced to learn every neighbors intimacy schedule (or lack thereof) and in some cases their porn addiction (don't ask).  I know this is just par for the course for most apartment buildings and under normal living conditions, you just get on with things and don't dwell on specifics.  Only in confinement, dwelling is all you can do. Looking forward to no one living above or below me.

I was wondering how that was going to work. I rarely ever try on a blouse, pull, bras, etc.  However, I always try on shoes (which I presume will follow the same rule), trousers, skirts and dresses.  I guess I'll just have to choose carefully prior to taking them home to try to avoid the return.

Hi, if you are willing to live in the 15eme, we are moving out of a one bedroom apartment in June.  It is a furnished apartment located on a street called villa juge, directly off of rue juge. It is a 3 minute walk to metro dupleix and a 5 minute walk to metro la motte picquet. I have no idea what your budget is, but if you private message me, I an answer any questions you might have and give you the coordinates of the owner.  There is no agency involved as it is directly rented from the owner.  So, there are no agency fees. We've been happy here for 4 years.

That is why I avoid, as much as possible, buying fresh fruits and veggies that are pre-packaged. 

Moon ????  What's that?

Gardian - when I was last out, back on 7 april (I think), there were signs around all of the fresh vegs and fruits.  Big signs, you touch it, you buy it.  I have no idea if anyone enforces that rule.  But, no one was touching then putting back when I was there.  That would have really angered me too.  But then, you have to 'assume' all the fresh foods have been handled.  We wash everything carefully.  What more can you do??

That really does sound so good Idun.  I will definitely make it.  Maybe for our anniversary in September.  By then, we should be back in shape...

That caramel dish sounds delicious.  Maybe if I can get these two kilos off, I'll give it a try. I've tried the confiture de lait here in France and I find it quite good, but I have never made it myself, so nothing to compare it to.

Oh so nice of you Mint.  I have to admit, I have tried a dozen or so different, non flour recipes and had no happiness.  I'll have a look though.  Maybe I'll see something different.

[quote user="woolybanana"]Well, Fatties, Mr. Wonderful has lost the best part of half a stone whilst on lockdown.![/quote] Smart A**. 

I don't know how anyone stuck in a tiny apartment for 2 months could not gain weight.  I am fairly careful, but I do love my wine in the evening.  Husband loves chocolate, so there is always some here.  I have never been a chocolate fan, but with nothing else sweet to eat, I have some.  So far, I have resisted putting my favorite bad snack in the house (potato chips).  When they're here, I will eat them all. Cakes?  No flour to make them or I would. I hover between 1 and 2 kilo gain, depending on the day.  I think that's pretty good considering.

Obviously, as Americans, we HAVE to have a Titre de Sejour to legally live here.  We also have our French tax returns for every year we've lived here and our tax fonciere (when owned a home) and always our tax d'hab for every year. We have the 10 year Titres, so we don't have to renew them too often, which is nice. I would think that it would be hard to state that France is your primary residence when you have no Titre de Sejour and no tax returns or other formal tax payments to back that up.  Plus, your car tags are not French.  The most basic of residency requirements.  

Well, I guess time will tell.  As said a utility bill most definitely does not prove your French house is your residence principale.  If you've made a French tax return, that should state if your French home is your residence principale or secondaire.  I can't imagine if the requirement is that you are returning to your residence principale and you don't have a titre de sejour, how in the world can you prove your destination is your residence principale?  What am I missing?  If it is TO BE your residence principale, it isn't yet as you don't have the documents to prove it. I would not attempt it, but I am not a risk taker.

Paris is a very big city with every type of human kind possible.  I don't come across extremely rude folks often.  A few times yes, of course.  I can't really think of any place I have spent any real time in that I never came across a rude person.  The world is over populated. When we lived in Provence (for 13 years), my French neighbors HATED with a real passion anyone that was from 'somewhere else.'  But, they held a special hatred for Parisiens.  I figured out why after a few years of living there.  Funny, living in Paris, I have never seen the snobby, mean attitude I often saw from Parisiens in Provence...  I think the hatred went vice versa. They didn't like the Dutch either (busy bodies).  They had the Germans down as cheap skates.  There was a lot of racial hate too.  I found it all very interesting. I'll never forget a comment made by some guests in our gite.  They were from the UK (where? I don't remember that part).  They said, they just "love France, if they could only get rid of the French, it would be perfect."   Try living in the U.S. these days.  You'll likely find a new definition of hatred and it keeps evolving.

I rather like it.  Don't know the artist, but looks like he's been around for a long time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HNoQY2wSyg P.S.  I see it is a remix.

That fall sounds pretty bad GG.  Sounds like a broken hip ! Isn't it amazing how much you use the various parts of your body without really thinking about it - until something falls into 'disrepair.'  You must have realized that with your hip.  I'm not sure a person can do anything without somehow using their hip(s).  I remember back when we sold our home in Bedoin and we were moving out.  I somehow injured my back - even though I had finished all the heavy lifting/moving many days before.  I have no idea what I actually did to set it off, but I could not even wash myself in the shower.  I had to have help getting into and out of the shower.  I could barely, and not without pain, get to the toilet...  We were actually staying at a gite in Avignon that had all kinds of steps inside the house.  Plus, we had sold our car, so walking was required for everything.  A kind pharmacist put together a cocktail of things for me to take and after only about 3 or 4 days I had improvement.  I've not forgotten that. Same with the shoulder, you don't realize how much you use your shoulder until you can't.  I could barely wash my hair, put deodorant on, no leg shaving, minimal food prep, etc. Happiness and good health make you the wealthiest person in the world.

I'm with GG on this one Sue.  I tend to keep to myself on various issues, but this is different.  Does this couple own the place or are they renting it from someone?  If renting it, who is the owner?  Who would rent to someone during lockdown?  I would think the regular habitants of your town would despise these types and make their visits as unwelcomed as they possibly could. The owner of the apartment we are currently living in has someone who is interested in buying it and she told me he would be contacting me to visit the apt.  I told her I presume he will do so after 11 May as I don't think it is considered essential during lockdown.  She is really nice, so of course she agreed. A LOT of Parisians left the city just before AND after the lockdown.  Several in my building left the 15th of March.  Luckily for us, one of the families who left is the loudest group in the building.  They make a constant noise like a herd of elephants every single day, so we are glad they left.  Now, we're glad WE will be leaving soon after the lockdown is lifted.  I presume the 'loud' family will have to return on 11 May to get their kids back in school.  I have no idea where they went or if it is less than 100 kms from Paris. 

Thanks GG.  Yes, we are looking forward to our move.  I hope we end up happy there as we sure are counting on it. There is the Parc de Sceaux just 3 minutes walk from the house.  It is such a beautiful parc, so we look forward to walking it each day. We spend a good bit of our time in confinement looking for things we'll need at the new house online.  Only issue there is whether the items will be in stock once the confinement is lifted and we get to the house.  Not sure how transportation of goods has been during the confinement. As to my shoulder.  Well, the problems started a long time ago when we were living in Provence.  We had about fairly sizeable garden and I was the only one to do all the mowing, strimming, weed pulling, planting, digging, lugging sacs of soil, etc. for about 10 years. Husband was working in Saudi. After year 10, we hired someone to do the work.  But, those 10 years really did a number on my shoulders.  It seems to have progressively gotten worse over the years, even though I no longer do yard work.  Age likely is an added contributor.  Still, this bursitis stuff is far worse than the annoying shoulder pain I normally had.  This is cry out scream pain.  Immobilizing. I'll have it looked at at some point, just to make sure my self diagnosis is accurate.

Kind of you to ask Mint.  Yes, the move is still scheduled for 15 June.  I guess the only thing that might change this would be if we are put on confinement again.  We've arranged a van to help us move the small bits we have (we're moving from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished house).  Our new telephone line has been connected at the new place.  The owner of our current apartment has put it up for sale.  Things progress. Sorry you weren't able to make your walk.  We miss our daily walks so much.  We hope to resume around 15 May.  We will see how things go. Yes, the pain was terrible.  The worst I have experienced and I have no idea what I did to get it started.  Thank you for asking and commiserating.

Yes, Idun, yesterday our local news was interviewing the manager of a Carrefour Hypermarche (happened to be the manager of the store closest to me in the 16eme).  He said that they were doing the same thing that you said.  They were having to take the big commercial flour bags and separate them into 1kg bags to sell.  There is a limit of 3 1kg bags per customer to try to allow more people to buy some.  He also said that they had to limit the number of boxes of dried pastas, rice, etc. as some clients were coming in and filling an ENTIRE shopping cart with boxes of pasta and cleaning out their entire supply.  They  now have signs in front of items with limits...  Good Lord, I don't even have the space to put a caddy full of pasta boxes away.  Shoulder is better.  I took Aleve for about 4 days and it did seem to help lower the inflammation.  I still have to be careful with how I use it.  But, thank goodness I can carefully wash my hair, etc.  Thanks for asking.

Still no flour or yeast round here.  Not on any of the online sites (for delivery in the 15eme) or in the local Franprix or Carrefour City shops closest to me.  I've not delved out to look in every single shop within 1km.  However there is a sign posted where the flour used to sit saying there is a rupture... 

We already knew where we live now would be red and where we will move to in June is red too.  I suspect if there could be a 'flaming red' these two locations would be that.

[quote user="Gardengirl "]Excellent that Pilates is having results, Mint. I was reading yesterday that Croatia and other EU countries with large tourist income are trying to organise green passports, so that EU tourists can travel within the EU and help keep money circulating and save jobs. The green passports are to prove that tourists don’t have COVID-19, so presumably after a blood test has been taken and a certificate given.[/quote] That's interesting, but how long are these green passports supposed to be good for?  I mean a green passport holder could test negative for the virus and then 3 days later acquire it.  Or is this supposed to be an antibody test to prove the tourist has already had the virus?

That is the way it 'normally works' in Paris every day of the year.  Not so much now.