Discussions

Ever since I was a child Ihave always liked France and things French, I have always felt comfortable andhappy in France, so how I ended up living for decades in Germany is a mystery.Now that my son is grown up and northern German winters have taken their toll,I am ready and eager to move to theDordogne/Limousin something I have wanted todo for a long time. I am Self-employed by the way.I have done a lot of researchon line, but find that the experiences of expats in France are ofteninvaluable. I do have many questions that I would like to ask, but I will limitthem to a couple for the time being at least.I am the kind of person who doesnot like living somewhere if I cannot speak the language, so learning French isimperative for me. My French is not good at the moment, I try to learn Frenchat home, but end up forgetting most of it, as there is no one to practice withhere. I will be doing a 2-week intensive course this year, but this will onlyget me to a basic level. The only way to really improve my French though, is tomove to France. So my first questions are:How was your French when you firstmoved to France? How were you able to cope with things like visits to the localauthorities (to do all the paper work) and coordinating things like telephone,electric, TV  and tax returns?  Are there English speaking people in theDordogne/Limousin who can provide these services whilst I improve my French?Onefinal thing that interests me is this, home owners in Germany are subjected tomany petty rules, but by far the worst is that house owners have to pay acertain percentage of any work done to the road they live on. So if you live ona small residential road, the residents of the stretch being worked on will paybetween them (depending on size of their land), as far as I remember, about 60%of the total cost. In some cases people (often pensioners) have had bills of upto €20,000, many of these people have had to sell up. Is there any similarsetup in France? Thanks forthe help.

Good eveningMy family and I are relocating to France (Lauzun) on 11th October.  We are very excited about our new life in France, however........   We have rented a property in Lauzun and received a call a few days back from a lovely family we met up with in May to say that they have had bad reports from 2 separate families regarding the property.  Flea infestations, leaking roofs, unsafe play equipment for the children..YIKES!  I have spoken to the owner of the property regarding our concern and he has stated that, should we arrive and not be satisfied, he will refund our monies (3 months paid in advance) as long as we let him know within the first couple of days... This is obvously a huge concern to us, we now feel under pressure to vacate pretty damn quick should we feel it is not suitable!   I was wondering if anyone on the forum might know of a winter let, within close proximity to preferably Lauzun or Eymet, just in cass we need to leave the property in a hurry...  I wanted to view the propertypersonally  in May whilst we were in France, but the owner said it was not possible as did not wish to disturb the current tenants.....  We shall arrive on the 11th October with an open mind, but thought that maybe it might be useful to have a back up plan should we not wish to stay.... Thanks so much in advance for any advice, we have twin boys (age 5 ) and a small, pampered pooch.   I really want the move to be a pleasant experience for our children, they are so very excited.  Thank you.

Thought I would mention this matter of help with our fuel  [ 200 pounds ]...... It was stopped that quickly this December hardly caught my breath.....For a lot of ex-pats this money is very welcome,low pensions and high taxes,costs etc....The British government ceased to look after their own years ago...So much money is paid to dare I say it,toward the cost of immigrants just flocking into the U.K.... Now I so feel for all the children that are just being used as pawns, their parents who have no regard for their safety,piling into unsafe boats,and when they sink ,the poor children/babies drown... It is a dreadful thing that is constantly occuring,pushing babies in the faces of people.to get sympathy, would we have done that to our children I wonder????? Goverments not knowing  what to do to resolve the matter ..... And here I am going on about the speed on which  our Winter Fuel Payment abruptly stopped...        

Can anyone recommend a removal company running from Scotland to France?

Very "non-local", but for those who might have need for long term parking at CDG I can highly recommend Econopark. They have taken over the old employee car park at the Citroen plant and offer secure long term parking adjacent to the airport but at a  fraction of the price charged for the two long stay car parks on the airport itself. The shuttle bus from the parking location to the terminal is only 10 minutes and both drop off at the terminal and pick-up at the end of the trip were excellent. Great service.

I have been a member of AI Dordogne for several years as we have a second house there and have found the help and information supplied invaluable. My daughter and son in law find themselves in the position of possibly moving to Austria with a job relocation. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an AI in Austria although there is in Germany. Perhaps someone might know of a similar site that also gives information that might be of some help to them or even knows of someone that has moved to Austria in recent times. Any help would be greatly appreciated and come on AI, a network in Austria nest perhaps? Many thanks and seasons greetings.

I have read in an European newspaper today that it is going to be a for gone conclusion that labour with the Scottish party will form the next government. Anyone have any views on this ? Having lived 35 years in countrys where colition governments are the order of the day will this end in " tears ". John hale

A vote to leave the European Union could mean huge changes ahead for all of us living in France and for those planning to move here.  Does anyone have any information on what may happen? I have been here with my family for thirteen years and my children have grown up here.  We currently hold UK passports and have only been back to the UK twice since we left in 2002. My husband is considering French nationality, our children do not think of themselves as English or French, rather more as European and I would like to hold on to my British identity as I still feel that is who I am, but I would not like to have to go back to the UK.  It has changed so much and I no longer feel that I belong there. What are your thoughts regarding your future in France?

I would be interested to know if anyone else has reached the same conclusion concerning the MH7 disaster following recent announcements made by the Russian Press(?).  It seems the Russians were originally saying that a Ukrainian plane shot down the airliner and provided a photograph.  They are now saying, several months later, that the BUK missile which shot down the airliner (it seems they admit it was a BUK) was fired by the Ukrainian Government forces.  The Ukrainian Government say it could not have been them because the missile was fired from land controlled at the time by rebel forces. One has to be very careful because clearly the truth is a very rare commodity here but it does seem to point to the possibility that the rebels fired the BUK at the Ukrainian Government jet.... missed.... and hit the airliner.  Anyone reached the same or a different conclusion? I have an interest as my nephew recently married a Ukrainian national and although they live in the States she is clearly very worried about her family back home.

Hi all, I have booked a far-east holiday and am looking at insurance. I found a site on Anglo Info called 'Expat Travel Insurance' but I can't seem to find any reviews on them. Does anyone have any experience of them at all? Thanks.

We have hope in staying in the EU, but is it fair?

Cats are one of the top threats to US wildlife, killing billions of animals each year, a study suggests. The authors estimate they are responsible for the deaths of between 1.4 and 3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually. Writing in Nature Communications, the scientists said stray and feral cats were the worst offenders. However, they added that pet cats also played a role and that owners should do more to reduce their impact. The authors concluded that more animals are dying at the claws of cats in the United States than in road accidents, collisions with buildings or poisonings. The domestic cat's killer instinct has been well documented on many islands around the world. Felines accompanying their human companions have gone on to prey on the local wildlife, and they have been blamed for the global extinction of 33 species. But their impact on mainland areas has been harder to chart. To find out more, researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service carried out a review of studies that had previously looked at the predatory prowess of cats. "Our study suggests that they are the top threat to US wildlife” Dr Pete Marra SCBI Their analysis revealed that the cat killings were much higher than previous studies had suggested: they found that they had killed more than four times as many birds as has been previously estimated. Birds native to the US, such as the American Robin, were most at risk, and mice, shrews, voles, squirrels and rabbits were the mammals most likely to be killed. Dr Pete Marra from the SCBI said: "Our study suggests that they are the top threat to US wildlife." The team said that "un-owned" cats, which they classified as strays, feral cats and farm cats, were killing about three times as many animals as pet cats. However, they said pet cats were still killing significant numbers of animals, and that their owners should do more to limit the impact. Dr Marra said: "We hope that the large amount of wildlife mortality indicated by our research convinces some cat owners to keep their cats indoors and that it alerts policymakers, wildlife managers and scientists to the large magnitude of wildlife mortality caused by cat predation." A spokeswoman for the animal welfare charity the RSPCA said that a properly fitted collar and bell could reduce a cat's success when hunting by at least a third.

I would like to say thankyou for an amazing service, this is the first time I have used this company and I am extremely happy with their service. A big thankyou to all the team. katie

Am I alone in that I simply have no idea how to delete altogether (????) my previous ads offering items now sold or for other reasons no longer having to appear ....... Even going through the steps marking an ad "sold" by clicking on "edit" and then one of the 3 options offered which are:  sold, withdrawn or active,  need for you to click on "update" - an  "update"  w h e r e  ????????????/??

Taken from another forum, a posting (concerning Scottish Independence): "I do not concern myself with things that do not concern me ......... .....I do concern myself with matters that do concern me but I do not have the time or the energy to take on the burdens of the whole world, that is the job of God. Hence my inability to become concerned about many matters,but if others wish to become concerned they are welcome." This person has posted no less than 13 times on the single thread where they made this comment. Whatever our problems on here .......... be thankful we don't get that kind of thing. Is it me, or is it complete tosh?

A friend of mine has just passed this over to me!!!! A report on complicated action proposed but to be read between the lines before the Revolution!! Dans le figaro du 12 septembre 2013? http://votreargent.lexpress.fr/impots/impots-s-attaquer-a-la-manne-fiscale-de-la-residence-principale-n-est-plus-un-tabou_336977.html?xtor=EPR-55-%5bMVVA_Patrimoine%5d-20130913--16771017%40261073072-20130913102438?   le Figaro du 12 septembre 2013 ?http://www.lefigaro.fr/immobilier/2013/09/12/05002-20130912ARTFIG00542-les-proprietaires-occupants-pourraient-payer-une-taxe.php   Don't panic, Mr. Mannering!

Anyone know the procedure for Brits living in France but wishing to travel in Turkey where one needs a visa ?  Does one apply to the Turkish Embassy ...?  

Came across this by accident but it might be useful to keep an eye on the subject for EEC residents:- https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/migrants-and-overseas-visitors-use-of-the-nhs  

Anyone from Belfast? Would appreciate some information if possible.  Daughter has been offered a place to study for an MA at UCB but the accommodation offered is inadequate.  She has just completed her BSc at another Uni where she shared a 3 bed - 1 bathroom flat & most of the time had to use the toilets at a nearby supermarket!  As we would like this experiance to be a little less stressful we are now looking for somewhere for her to stay. Anyone got any ideas?  Please PM if you could help.  Many thanks, regards P.

This does not concern me but might interest others and, in any case, worth reading:- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/10242604/Britains-foreign-legion-of-missing-voters.html