mint

Yes, nomoss, a policy "as normal" but hospi as a supplementary benefit.  At little more cost, in our case, than a just for hospital policy.

Steve, did he give you a certificate to say he's done it?  Like many things in France, you need your piece of paper and, no, I don't mean loo paper!

Thank you, Sue.  It is reassuring and particularly nice to have your stamp of approval because you know such a lot about these things[:)]

 Nomoss, our policy specifically says hospi for ambulatoire procedures:  so VSL, anaesthetiste, room for the day, etc.  We also have hospi in the house:  I suppose when you for whatever reason need care at home; so carers, special equipment. Also, after you leave hospital and can't manage for a while, you could have someone in the house for a limited amount of time (can't remember how many days without checking up). Judith, I can understand why plans for seniors might be higher as most mutuelle premiums do go up considerably with age.  In fact, at OH's age, choice is limited as many companies do not accept people over 70 or 75.  I am particularly happy with our deal; the special offer was around 30% less and will always be 30% less than other policies with AXA not taken out during the special offer period. Plus, we have a dedicated person that we can contact by phone or mail and she knows our names and where we live and is happy to come and talk to us in our own home if we asked.  

Yes, we were with April for about 10 years.  Never any real problems.  However, when I tried to get a lower quote for me, they never replied despite many requests.  Like Wooly, I THOUGHT that I'd see what is involved with hospitalisation only and all I wanted was a devis, I wasn't even sure I wanted to change! I have heard that April was an expensive company, but your quotes seem to me to be not a bad deal at all. I don't envy you, shopping around for a mutuelle.  I found it a soul-destroying exercise[6]  But please don't be discouraged by my experience[:)]  We are DECADES older than you and Mr Lori! BTW, if you want to have a look at the sort of flexibility Norman has talked about, do look at SwissLife. Good luck, Lori!

As you live in an expensive area (above tariff) for health care, I think someone like Norman would be the best person to advise you. There has been some changes to glasses and teeth recently (to the patients' benefit) but they, as well as hearing aids, are costly.  I have changed our mutuelle 3 times but will probably stick with AXA as they were giving our commune special rates, which will be continued, as a special offer. Do have an initial quick look online, just to get an idea of costs.  Most sites give a quote.  It's dreary filling in details and be prepared for endless sales letters afterwards but you do get a very good idea of what you get for your dosh.  I hope Norman comes soon to explain to you how you can choose more cover for some aspects, for example hospital stay, and less for others.  In fact, try a search of the forum as he has explained it very well in several different threads.

[quote user="pip24"]Mint , one thing to consider is physical size and weight, not too large not too small. I know someone who bought a large laptop because the cost was the same as a smaller one but regretted buying it due to the weight of it when on his lap.[/quote] Pip, I was careful to pick it up after your remark. Went to Leclerc and bought an Acer Aspire 3 notebook.  Lovely little machine, very quick, has great sound and a feature which my Dell does not have; it has a non reflective screen. If anyone else is looking to buy something similar, it's 70 euros off on promo until Saturday[:D]

[quote user="Lori"]Ah Mint, I like the quote.  And, husband is a big fan of Stan. [/quote] I love to watch him play.  His serve and single-handed backstroke ......fabulous! Pity he's not in New York at the mo; he'd have a good chance of winning the tournament!  And with Djokovich disqualified.....

[quote user="Lori"]Ah Mint, I like the quote.  And, husband is a big fan of Stan. [/quote] I love to watch him play.  His serve and single-handed backstroke ......fabulous! Pity he's not in New York at the mo; he'd have a good chance of winning the tournament!  And with Djokovich disqualified.....

pomme, I am not sure whether Norman has a use for a jelly or any other type of comb which will depend largely on how much hair he has, won't it?[:D]

ET, apropos your earlier remark about making plans that don't work out, I just want to say please don't be too hard on yourself.  You had a plan and the courage to "go for it".....and that is perfectly admirable.  NOBODY could have foretold the fallout from covid and how it could cause devastation to many a well-laid plan. I am sure you know Beckett's remark (and even Wawrinka the tennis player, of whom I am a great fan) had it tattooed on his arm:  Ever tried.  Ever failed.  No matter.  Try again.  Fail again.  Fail better. All the best, ET;  you never know what pleasant opportunities might be just round the corner for you[:)] (encouraging smile!)

How nice, we're all here actually having a natter......ah....[:)] Catalpa, I hope you aren't going to disappear for years before coming here to post again!  I always thought of you as the "sensible one", Parsnips as the "tax man", Sunday Driver as the "car man", Claire as the "go-to" person and so on.  I always had a good idea of the person who'd give the best advice on whatever advice it was I needed[:)] ET, I did wonder why you didn't come "home" earlier from Caridigeon (have I spelt it right)?  I mean who wants to be "beside the sea" when it rains all the time?  Plus, did you make any friends whilst you were there?  I never did in 12 years, not REAL friends, only those you have a reason to get on with.  I did know masses of people, but only through my work or OH's.  I feel now that it was ridiculous to have stuck it for so long.  There were things that I liked, of course, but not enough to make up for all the downsides.  OTOH, I did learn a lot about living in France just by talking de la pluie et du beau temps with French people.

Thank you for all your (as usual) very helpful answers.  I will have a scout round the sites you have mentioned.

I think OH is now ready to upgrade to a proper laptop after learning to find his way round the tablet I bought him on recommendations from the forum[:)] He's right in finding the tablet's on-screen keyboard fiddly to use.  I find it both fiddly and not always responsive. So can you now please recommend a reliable portable that is easy to use (ie decent sized keys) and also the best place to buy it? Thank you.

[quote user="BritinBretagne"]At least that woolly one is predictable. It must be difficult having to pretend to be a remain supporter when being BJ and the Conservative’s greatest fan. He must obviously be reading different news updates to me if he really believes that the EU standing up to their basic principles and pointing out to an insignificant nation leaving one of the World’s largest trading blocks that it cannot be given a trading position with individual members of the EU than those members have with each other. The fact that they keep on harping on about wanting a Canadian style deal an£ don’t understand that they are not in the same position as Canada. Literally not in the same position, the 20 odd miles of water between a Kent and France is slightly less of a physical barrier than the thousands of miles of Atlantic Ocean between North America and the EU. I know who I would tell to( F*** Off.[/quote] BinB, I heard an excellent interview about this very subject and your point about the relative physical distance between Canada and the EU and Britain and the EU. The interviewee was the French Foreign Minister (can't think of his designation in French), Clément Beaune and he was lucid, soft-spoken, articulate (in English) and generally impressive with good understanding of the issues involved.  If only Boris or indeed one of his cabinet could be drummed up to answer questions like this man, calmly and with authority.  None of your huffing and puffing and waffle and half-finished sentences.  No need to even speak in a language not their own.  You'd be hard pushed to it to find anyone.

Wonderful singing this evening: [url]https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/098914-001-A/requiem-de-verdi-au-dome-de-milan/[/url]

Before my latest lessons from you, Sue, I was using Avisoft Accenttype 2, a very nifty little programme except that I often forget to download it before writing my letters and messages.  Cajal, I had a good laugh at the video.  The only thing is, I could never afford to duff up the computer like that man did!

All this about being a "vassal" state of Europe is just sheer nonsense.  You wonder sometimes whether the people spouting this sort of rubbish even understand what the word "vassal" means and whether they ever consult a good dictionary before opening their mouths[6]

Indeed, who could forget her? She'd hate being called "sweet-natured" but she was really that......generous to a fault with her time, her energy and her sheer "get things done" spirit. As for my one and only meeting with her, she was as likeable as I'd imagine.  And as brave, as humorous, as interesting as her virtual self on the forum.

ë ï ë ï ö ö ü ü........yeah, I've got it......SEE? But, it's actually very stress-inducing and I hope I don't have too many occasions for using it[:-))] Thank you, Sue.  I love you, Sue[:D]

[quote user="suein56"]Tony & Sue wrote the following post at 04 Sep 2020 14:39: Hi, for œ hold down your Alt key and type 0156 on the numeric pad. We had ro learn that one last year when we moved to Avenue Richard Cœur de Lion .......... Brilliant .. that works, even on a laptop .. so that now completes the solving of Mint's accent/orthographic problems. Yay ???[/quote] Il est temps de récolter le maÏs et cela réjouira le cœur des agriculteurs........oh, oh, try as I might, I can't get a small (lower case i) only a capital I..... Also tried it with an e as I have 2 friends called Joelle but also only got a capital E and not a small e! BTW the maize is not yet ready for harvesting and so I don't know whether the farmers' hearts are rejoicing or not.  Just wrote that to try out the accents[;-)] The œ works a treat, however. Any further suggestions, STP, Sue?

ET, I don't say that I have looked at the plan in detail, but just a list of all the things to be tackled shows me 1) that too many things have to be financed and 2) some of the plans especially those relating to the green ecology are going to need a massive initial investment. So, unemployment, public transport, infrastructure projects to make France "greener", education (especially higher education) plus the loss of revenue which will surely result from Brexit and the coronavirus, IMHO, would all add up to unimaginative sums[:-))]

No, saving that for tomorrow when I won't have come home after a long walk in 31° heat. Thanks again, Sue[:)]

oops, sorry, I meant Billions but I still think that's not enough.

My dog had dementia and started to go downhill from then on.  Sorry to tell you this, Wools. The veto gave her some pills to increase blood flow to her brain and they helped for a short time and then they no longer worked. She was also 14.  Do go and have a word at the vet's; they'll soon be able to tell you.