Living abroad tips and hints for money savers

Merrywidow

Hi Folks...:j

Able to type again...:T Had a fall on my right arm between Xmas and New year and coupled with the arthritis I was in agony. All better now and I am catching up.

Yes SDW - they showed the DIY SOS again - several of my friends saw me this time. I kept quiet about it the first time. Poor Mike will have had to close his kitchen blinds again. First time round people were making the trip to see the house and peering into the kitchen. What a cheek! What is lovely is that all the girls formed a great friendship and we are all in contact still.

Hope your breakages are all well healed Droopsnout - who has been looking after your veggie patch?

Enjoy the sun DG - your new wall looks great.

MW:cool::D

droopsnout

Hi, MW!

Sorry to hear it was your turn for a contretemps! Hope all is healing fast and well.

Yes, my own pains are reducing, thanks. Every day a little bit stronger. Nothing doing at the veg patch this winter, but it is dug ready to get started again in February. And it is time I started sowing some seed for the early flowers, too.

Horrible experience with that accident near you in the strong winds. Hope that things are back to normal down those parts.

Hullo to everyone else here, too. Hope you've had a lovely festive season and are enjoying a very Happy New Year.

Merrywidow

Thanks DS

Yes I am moving the hand and arm again but its stiff, I'll live.

Yes our road was in shock. It was a mature beech tree. Poor man who died was 53. His funeral is this week. It was only 100 yards from me, road was closed till late in the evening (pure bliss!) Now its just a sawn off stump with flowers around it and messages pinned on it. So sad. Made all the national newspapers. Must admit I was scared for my own oak trees. Just one of them could flatten my house.

Time for bed.
Love to Mrs DS
MW:cool:

seven-day-weekend

We have had a telephone interview for the home/petsitting, it is looking very good, the guy says we will be called for a formal interview soon.

Oh to be doing something useful again, it is doing me the world of good! I am also doing some bookkeeping for a small business and am today starting my first stint as Steward at church. (and so is my husband).

There was nothing I could do in Spain that I wanted to do and although I enjoyed my time there, I was beginning to vegetate. I used to say it would be lovely to read all day, but now I've had to do it, I think it can wait until I am in my eighties.

As my friend always says, I need concrete around me.....scenery is to look at on holiday.

angelil

donny-gal wrote: »

Anyone from France update me on the breathalyser "law" being passed. When is it implemented, and are these readily available to purchase for 2€ish in France? The law is that you carry them I understand, not necessarily use them?? DG

I am currently in training for the French driving theory test. There is nothing about this in the test yet and I have also neither heard nor seen anything about it elsewhere: no posters, no press attention, no breathalysers for sale or being handed out for free...
I think, to be honest, we are a long way from needing to seriously worry about this (it is certainly not law yet). Just keep your eyes and ears open and I'll post on here if anything comes up about this.

hartcjhart

is this new/poss law thingy only for residents or tourists as well

donny-gal

After reading up as much as I could, it appears that Bars/Restaurants are going to be forced to have them for drivers to check themselves so they don't drive over the limit, and for everyone. DG

Savvy_Sue

hartcjhart wrote: »

is this new/poss law thingy only for residents or tourists as well

donny-gal wrote: »

After reading up as much as I could, it appears that Bars/Restaurants are going to be forced to have them for drivers to check themselves so they don't drive over the limit, and for everyone. DG

I agree with you DG, although I have no way of being sure, but I honestly can't see a country passing one law for residents and another for tourists. And there isn't generally any defence of "but I didn't know, I'm only a tourist" either! Nor should there be ...

droopsnout

donny-gal wrote: »

Anyone from France update me on the breathalyser "law" being passed. When is it implemented, and are these readily available to purchase for 2€ish in France? The law is that you carry them I understand, not necessarily use them?? DG

First of all, I'm so sorry for missing this post when you made it, D-G.

Here's the info as I am aware of it ... Nah. Here's an article from "The Connexion": http://www.connexionfrance.com/Breath-test-alcohol-driver-Sarkozy-death-toll-speed-camera-view-article.html

It appeared on 1 December.

Hope this is useful, too, for angelil and hartcjhart.

And Sue is correct, as always, with her points about the universal application of the law.

As you see, there is no new law YET. And let us not forget that on 22 April there will be Presidential elections in France. So it might never happen. But on the other hand, note the bit about having to blow into your car before it will even start ...

Savvy_Sue

droopsnout wrote: »

But on the other hand, note the bit about having to blow into your car before it will even start ...

I thought you were joking, but I see you're not!

But does anyone else think it could be fairly easy to bypass the blow-[STRIKE]job[/STRIKE]-start thingy? either with a balloon pump, or sneaky use of a passenger?