Figs, Festivals and Formula 1

Figs, Festivals and Formula 1

Summer is great, I just pick fresh figs and passion fruit from the garden and put them in my bowl of Special K for breakfast. Today is July 14 so fireworks and celebrations tonight.

The law is changing relating to owning an offshore company if you are a French resident and we are trying to get clear and simple structures covering inheritance and gift taxes - I will write more about this as I learn.

Thanks again to all of you for your kind mails and good wishes - I am looking at the kilos I have to shed - it is equivalent to a sack of cement (25kg) or a 5 gallon can of petrol - the fresh figs will help.

We are not in a water restriction area and the well is still high so we are lucky, but half of France is officially a drought area and total bans seem to be on everything, so before you leave for a holiday villa that the pool is OK. To see on the water restriction in the area you will be visiting look at... http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/232 Water restrictions

When you sell a house in France it has to be certified as having no asbestos in it - I was curious as to what this increasing awareness is all about so I read up on the problems - it can make for heavy reading so I found some accurate and straightforward data on this and made a page at... http://www.francevoila.com/mesothelioma/ Asbestosis and Mesothelomia please go to the links there for more information and further reading.

A lot of my mail is about buying property in France and the best way to do this. We have a calulator and a lot of links to companies on our page at... http://francevoila.com/mortgagecalculator/ Information

My elder son helps buid the Renault F1 racing cars, he does a lot of the laminations and bodywork, every time they are first he gets a bonus so he is doing well this year - you can see all the news at... http://www.renaultf1.com Renault F1

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In this weeks newsletter

1. Applying for French Citizenship
2. Single Mothers Coming to Live in France
3. Exploring France for a Home
4. Buying an Apartment in Paris
5. Child seats in a Car
6. Rights to Health Care in France
7. More About Getting Health Care in France
8. More French than the French

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1. Applying for French Citizenship

Tony,

Is there a way to apply for French Citizenship online or through the mail?

Please advise.

To read the rest of this article, please go to

http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/243

Applying for French Citizenship

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2. Single Mothers Coming to Live in France

Tony

I was fascinated to read your newsletter. So pleased to hear that you are well.

I have one question: How was it possible for your mother to be treated in France? I ask this as I have often thought of moving myself and my two sons to France, with my mother, who is worried that she would not be covered for health car on France.

To read the rest of this article, please go to

http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/242

Single Mothers Coming to Live in France

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3. Exploring France for a Home

Hi Tony

Congratulations on your recovery.

My husband and I would like to rent a property in France with a view perhaps of buying a small property of our own at a later stage. Could you offer some advice. We are both retired. My husband is in a wheelchair and any prolonged trip would be difficult Since we live on the Isle of Man at present it is not so easy to travel across the channel as it might be if we were located in the UK, which is why I wanted to do some preliminary searching from home.

To read the rest of this article, please go to

http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/241

Exploring France for a Home

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4. Buying an Apartment in Paris

Tony, I have been a long time subscriber and very much enjoy your letter. I was a little distressed to hear of your illness...life is so short and we are all so vulnerable, (we just do not always realize it). Please keep
yourself healthy, and I share in your relief for your recovery.

I have considered buying an apartment in Paris for some time. Since the year 2000 in which I first thought of making a purchase I have watched the euro climb significantly against the US $ and have seen the price of apartments in Paris rise in their own right.

To read the rest of this article, please go to

http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/240

Buying an Apartment in Paris

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5. Child seats in a Car

Is a car seat for baby under 2 years old in the vehicle is compulsive in France?

To read the rest of this article, please go to

http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/239

Child seats in a Car

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6. Rights to Health Care in France

Tony,

It's scary to know you went through such an experience. Thank you for sharing it, and letting us know that you are well---thank heavens! Will you say more about the health care system, particularly, how does someone (your mother, for instance---and, well-wishes to her and her new lease on life) who has paid into the UK system become eligible for the France health coverage? Also, is it national health coverage in general, or simply the way it is run in the UK, that you do not care for? (We in the USA need a
better solution for health care than we have).

To read the rest of this article, please go to

http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/238

Rights to Health Care in France

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7. More About Getting Health Care in France

Tony

Great to hear your good news re heart attacks etc. Somewhat on the same subject, I have recently received copies of document E121 and they say send them to local health authority, which I take to be CPAM, in my case at Gueret since I am living in La Creuse. Is it as simple as that or would you recommend I take them in person, and is there anything else I should be doing? I am 65 years
old.

To read the rest of this article, please go to

http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/237

More About Getting Health Care in France

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8. More French than the French

I commented recently that workers in France do not seem to know much about hard work - there is a tendency to not turn up on time (or ever), to disappear and to work strange hours and times, often dictated by digestion and opening hours. It is not just the French local who has this characteristic, but often the ex-pat worker as well - this arrogant apathy seems to go with the territory and has a certain element of charm once you get used to it. A reader sent me this comment, this is my exchange with this (unsigned) mail - I did trace the mail back to a British person who has been in France 7 years and is working as a sub-agent for an estate agency...

To read the rest of this article, please go to

http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/236

More French than the French

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I really do try to reply to all mail, most are about property or living in France. I publish comments in this newsletter which I believe are of interest and may help find answers for others wanting to come to France. By linking the points I make to our weblog at http://www.fblog.com FBlog I hope readers will go to the adverts which help support our overheads.

Our business is our advertising sites for property and rentals at

http://rentalsfrance.com/

RentalsFrance

http://francevoila.com/

France voila

Please make use of these sites for rentals and property (and do visit the adverts).

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Still Alive and Kicking from the South of France So many readers wrote to me with encouraging and warm letters following my hospitalisation last month in France, that it is not possible for me to write an individual thank you to you all. Thank you all for writing and for your support, your mail was helpful, both for me personally and telling me a lot about what you wish to read and learn from these letters. I will write more about life in France as well as respond to the questions about living here, buying property here and renting accommodation. Interestingly there were a couple of letters about good service from the British NHS, but a great many more highly critical letters about tragedy, delay and expense in the NHS and other hospital services in the world. I will not say more except I believe I am lucky to be living in France. I publish one highly critical letter from a NHS "client relations" person - whatever that is - if this is representative of the management of the NHS in the UK, then no wonder they are in a mess. Now I must change my lifestyle, this opens new opportunities. - I am looking for partners in the UK (or the USA) who I can work with and develop our new products for Internet sites and businesses. Some discussions are advancing and look very productive, I am still open to ideas. I am also looking for someone to help me with some simple building and decorating work I need to finish in our property in France. I can offer free accommodation, support and some wages. If anyone wants from one to three months in the south of France on a paid vacation with lots of time off let me know. The Da Vinci tour plans are well advanced, I will be writing to all of you who have asked for details in a few days - the delay in hospital gave me time to read and research - I had already found some new aspects on medieval encryption and message transfers systems (Microsoft was not around then) but I have uncovered some completely new techniques which I believe were used for many centuries for secure information transfer (money, plans, maps and documents). These were refined in Languedoc in the 10th to 13th centuries and are, I believe, the basis for many of the legends and stories of treasure and mysteries. Our tours will be real discovery tours as each person can bring more thought and experience to this new research and we can explore this history from a new viewpoint. ======= In this weeks newsletter 1. Phishing update 2. Our life in France 3. Water Restrictions in France 4. Buying a Vineyard in France 5. Planning permission - Change of Use for a Barn 6. Safety and Quality Regulations for Rentals 7. Property Design and Management Service 8. Why the British NHS is in a Mess ======= 1. Phishing update Phishing (pronounce fishing) is used by crooks to get you to give them delicate information about your bank or credit card by pretending to be a website of you bank, PayPal or you credit agency. The simple rule is - To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/234 Phishing update ======= 2. Our life in France This week it is sixteen years since we moved to France full time to live, with a 6 month old baby and a three year old toddler. We moved because we believed then that education and health care was better in France than in the UK, family life had a better chance of survival and vague phrases like "the quality of life" and "values" were better in France than in Bracknell or Slough. Were we right...? To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/233 Our life in France ======= 3. Water Restrictions in France If you are hoping to have the use of a pool when you visit France this year - you may be disappointed - water restrictions are already in place in many places along the coast and it looks as if this summer will be hot and dry again so this is likely to escalate. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/232 Water Restrictions in France ======= 4. Buying a Vineyard in France Dear Tony, I was recommended to contact you about the availability of assistance in finding agricultural properties in the South of France. Your story as described on your France Voila website is quite inspiring to me and my companion David, who dream of owning a small vineyard (winery optional) in the South of France someday. We have found a wonderful-sounding property in the Corbieres region via the Internet. As we contemplate the reality of negotiating the French real estate market we realize the need for experienced local guidance undertaking the transaction. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/235 Buying a Vineyard in France ======= 5. Planning permission - Change of Use for a Barn Tony I have seen mention that from next year applications to convert a barn to habitable accommodation will not be granted. Do you know if this information is correct? To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/231 Planning permission - Change of Use for a Barn ======= 6. Safety and Quality Regulations for Rentals I wrote recently about the legal requirements for a rental property in France and suggested that an owner applied the very strict standards required in the UK as I could never find any equivalent French rules. If any reader can help me with information where to find more data in French or English I can pass this on. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/230 Safety and Quality Regulations for Rentals ======= 7. Property Design and Management Service Hi Tony, First of all I would to thank you for your very useful and informative newsletters. I am writing to you regarding small operation in Paris called DoMi Design. To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/229 Property Design and Management Service ======= 8. Why the British NHS is in a Mess After my comments about the health services in France and the UK I received a lot of mail, - the ratio was about 20 to 1 telling me I was right and I heard many horror stories about problems in the UK, often to do with incompetent and bad management decisions. Here is a short exchange from someone, I assume from their address, in the NHS propaganda department == Sir! I find this email exceptionally offensive - To read the rest of this article, please go to http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/228 Why the British NHS is in a Mess ======= I really do try to reply to all mail, most are questions about property or living in France. I publish comments in this newsletter which I believe are of interest and may help find answers to questions put by others wanting to come to France. By linking the points I make to our weblog at http://www.fblog.com Fblog I hope readers will click on the adverts which help support our overheads. Our business is our advertising sites for property and rentals at http://rentalsfrance.com/ RentalsFrance http://francevoila.com/ France voila Please make use of these sites for rentals and sales (and do click on the adverts).