Ha, I’d probably be up before ‘human resources’ these days…Just don't go pulling any pony tails ... nowadays they're likely to be wigs or extensions and will come off in your hand!
Full time through winter in search of new life
- Thread starter dawsey
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Good luck
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No wonder the migrants don't want to stay in France, it's making sense now
Absolutely, I had no idea till reading this thread what is involved for a non EU citizen to move to France. We bought a 'Holiday Home' here whilst working overseas and when deciding whether to return to the UK or elsewhere to retire, we opted for France. Pre 'B' word it was the same as if we would have been returning to the UK after a twenty - years absence from the country.
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Each to their own I suppose. Personality I’ve always found the place amazing. It seems that most of the things that matter are better here than in the UK. You name it, from the health service, the pay, the working hours, the protection for a working man (no zero hours BS over here), they’ve had low cost high speed trains across most of the country for 40years, there’s a stronger tradition of family, no road tax, no potholes, public services (ie parks, facilities, litter picking… kids facilities etc) are light years ahead of UK, motorways are in fantastic condition and jam free and higher speed, and that you pay to use as you use them (much more fair I think), better scenery, better weather, earlier retirement, higher pensions, far cheaper wine, far cheaper houses both for rental and purchase, the list goes on and on and on.
The only negatives that I see are high taxes if you work, but income taxes are actually lower than UK if one is a high earner and one doesn’t work, or if a couple have kids. Also food is much more expensive here, they have problems with maintaining populations in villages in remote areas, attracting doctors etc, and they have some bloody ungrateful (for the opportunity to live in a developed country with such strong social care) immigrants, theirs are generally north african and they are typically more aggressive than those in the UK.
No. Maybe it would if we went legal, she got a human rights lawyer or some BS like that, as the immigrants to UK so often do. But what’s the point ? I came here to learn French, they want me to learn French. It’s no big deal. I just thought I didn’t need to be a burden on the state, but they insist that I have to be.
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- Dec 24, 2014
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Probably seen as less costly to provide French lessons and then use failure as a reason to refuse entry rather than the U.K's provision of a year's hotel accommodation before their application is even considered........and refused (or not).
dawsey you are definitely correct re better in France list. You have sadly confirmed that should I be left on my own, when Duncan dies, France isn’t somewhere I could reside in. It was a thought in the back of my mind. I shall have to find another backup plan.
Carol
Sorry to hear you think that way Carol.
Don’t be too disparaged. There might soon be arrangements for retirees, I guess healthcare would be the problem. Even if not, learning a lingo to the initial simple level isn’t that hard, if I can do it anyone can. I left (got kicked out) of school at 15 and what remains of my brain is as fried as can be.
- Aug 18, 2014
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Spain has a retirement visa since the B word.Income is the only thing required. I've met a couple of people now who have got them last one a couple of weeks back who has been here since 2021
I really cannot see how France ignores the EU directive that states non-eu spouses & family of citizens get automatic residency ?*
Neighbours son married a Ukrainian. auto residency. Another son married a Russian = automatic residency.
* It would appear by a little research I have answered my own question.The EU directive applies to 'settling in another eu state' whereby the EU citizen gets automatic registration & the Non-eu spouse receives the same. If settling in there own country ,national rules apply.
Perhaps that would be the way for you to do it? come to spain get auto residency on Bea's EU citizen ship then return to France?
Like so many of us dopey Brits, I try to play by the rules, Bea despite being French is the same. The rules aren’t so difficult, they are just in the way a bit, we haven’t been able to travel to see anything since early September, a waste of good time if you want to be looking at campsites out of season..
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Northernraider
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I wasn't comparing it to the UK... I just don't like France. I liked it the first time I visited in the early nineties but never took to it since. I also find the French quote hard to get on with in general with few exceptions
Ah, I see. I’ve been to all parts of this planet and generally find that…. people are the same wherever you go
there’s good and bad in everyone 
… 
Perhaps more than others, our garlic loving cousins are a proud bunch and they do like folk in their country to use their language, especially in cities. Rural folk as anywhere are more patient. How much sympathy do we think a non english speaking tourist gets in the UK…?
Northernraider
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Again nothing to do with the language I just find them very arrogant. In any country they're inAh, I see. I’ve been to all parts of this planet and generally find that…. people are the same wherever you go
Perhaps more than others, our garlic loving cousins are a proud bunch and they do like folk in their country to use their language, especially in cities. Rural folk as anywhere are more patient. How much sympathy do we think a non english speaking tourist gets in the UK…?
I don't think we find them arrogant as such but they are very nationalistic e.g. only having French cars. However, we do think they've got a good sense of humour and if you try to speak a bit of the lingo they warm up to you.
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It’s the accent Tam. They think you’re from Germany
! Wear your kilt and tell them about the Auld Alliance - that should make the differenceTam in a kilt!!! Oh yes please.
This is Steph btw. Haven't asked John'
This is Steph btw. Haven't asked John'
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What was the one at the lidl's checkout?
Old boy " Why visit France if you cannot speak the language?"
NR " I don't visit France I just travel through to get to nicer places"
Northernraider
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I've had one woman shake her duster at me and shoo me off when I said hello to her dog, another give me grief about not speaking French, then another woman in morroco get all territorial over a public footpath they'd set their chairs up on. 2 couples park right next to me at 11pm and decide to throw a party. Another that parked so close to my hab door I couldn't open it.
Honestly I just find their whole attitude sucks. I think they get upset because not as many folk speak French as they do English.
And the 3 doune guys that broke my step and ransacked my hymer didn't help.
Big French fries on shoulders
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Northernraider
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Aye he was a muppetWhat was the one at the lidl's checkout?
Old boy " Why visit France if you cannot speak the language?"
NR " I don't visit France I just travel through to get to nicer places"
You should try Brittany. The Bretons are celts, similar culturally (bagpipes etc) and fair skinned, red heads etc. The weather ain’t much to write home about, though it’s better in the south of the region. I find the Mrs’s Breton farming family totally non-arrogant and down to earth.
More of that old TV show….I wish my ‘school’ here in France was like that but all the women are in headscarves….
This is a ‘short’, you can swipe up or down for more clips. Ahh, shame they can’t make TV comedy like in the 70s anymore, it was all the best stuff… Alf Garnet, Porridge, Fawlty Towers, Steptoe, On the Buses, Dads Army, Benny Hill, M&W, 2 Ronnies etc etc. TV stuff mostly Stopped being funny in 80s after Only Fools finished,
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appydaze
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Dawsey, instead of electric bikes I would go for electric scooters as runabouts. Take up less room and cheaper. Really enjoyed your journey and wish you the very best of luck in the future x
Hmm. Is this in response to the hints for folk if they want some mobility in addition to the camper? I assume you are talking about those ‘stand on’ electric scooters, like the stuff you see kids buzzing around on? In my minds eye I think of a scooter as a vespa or a lambretta, or any of the more modern myriad copies, ie, something two people can sit on and travel on like a motorbike. An electric version of those will take up about the same space as a petrol powered one? The main issue for those (electric or petrol) is that you need license (unless a moped) insurance, etc. Hence the recommendation of electric bike. Also you’d be very unlucky to get ‘done’ on one of those if wobbling slowly back from the restaurant after you’d had a few
We use a motorbike cos I have a few bikes and a bike license, and you can travel a lot faster and further than with an electric bike. it’s a Yamaha XT225. In winter it tends to stay on the back of the van though….
Well, I’ve done a week of intensive French, a total of 30hrs and persuaded the school to let me take the A1 test on the 17th Nov. Can’t do it sooner cost the school is shut from 1st to 13th Nov as it is moving location. I have the final ‘culture’ day in Brest on the 14th. I will do 6 hr this monday just before the school closes for a relocation, then on the 15th and 16th another 6hr each day, it gets me to 48hr. I do the test on 17th 3hr so it all counts as my hours making 51hr, just pipping the absolute min of 50hrs you must do to be able to take the A1 test. If I pass it will be quite good, there are folks in the class who seem to have been going to class for months and done 200 or 300 hrs and they still not ready for the A1 test. It’s cos many of these guys can’t even read and some don’t seem self aware enough to understand how important it is for them, just listening to music in class, gambling (the africans) or in case of some of the Afghans, watching American baseball. Others among the Afghans are pretty studious though. Most of the arabic/muslim women seem to lack confidence for some reason.
I reckon all the clever folks on MHF, if applying themselves, would not have a problem. I’m quite enjoying formal, structured language lessons. Bea is hopeless at teaching me, she just gets annoyed that I can’t instantly grasp some super complex verbal conjugation.
Had an issue with the camper, lost all power and the belt started screaming, but concerned to make it to a safe place a couple of days ago. Must have stressed the electrical systems with all these early morning dark starts and 50A charging on B2B (no sun), plus lights, heating, wipers etc. It’s 100A draw, at idle when cold. I fitted a 180A alternator before this thing , but hey..
Got underneath today and the alternator reaction arm bolt has sheared off, it’s deep in engine and impossible to get out. No wonder we lost all power and cooling, nothing to keep the belt tensioned…. It was slipping like crazy, giving no output and screaming like a banshee. Thankfully I had sneakily constructed the electrical system design so the FIE, lights, engine, indicators etc could could run off the leisure batteries in event of total failure, it allowed us to get to Beas Dads garage.
Found this:
The circled bit is the cast lug that the alternator torque/adjustment arm bolts to, Also it is the electrical earth. Bolt has sheared clean off in the lug. Can’t get it out (had a go though, hence the scorching) No wonder some elec glitches had started happening. There was no earth! The bolt has snapped clean off. Nothing keeping the alternator/ water pump belt tensioned at all.
To fashion an in-the-field fix I used Beas dads welding gear to fabricate and weld up a clevis extension to the torque arm so it locates positively over the lug and can’t move. It thus again allows load reaction (tightening of the belt), so I banged on a new belt and made up a new earth strap linking alternator and block and all was good! It took a few hours, but no worries. It’s the sort of thing that a garage would tell some poor person is an engine out job for access and a helicoil and then suggest ‘€000’s and weeks.
All back together now and ready for test at 0730 Monday again, when it’s all lights on, heating and demisting on, fridge on 12V, and engine running, 50A from B2B…. It’s 100A draw starting from cold.
Will be fine
I reckon all the clever folks on MHF, if applying themselves, would not have a problem. I’m quite enjoying formal, structured language lessons. Bea is hopeless at teaching me, she just gets annoyed that I can’t instantly grasp some super complex verbal conjugation.
Had an issue with the camper, lost all power and the belt started screaming, but concerned to make it to a safe place a couple of days ago. Must have stressed the electrical systems with all these early morning dark starts and 50A charging on B2B (no sun), plus lights, heating, wipers etc. It’s 100A draw, at idle when cold. I fitted a 180A alternator before this thing , but hey..
Got underneath today and the alternator reaction arm bolt has sheared off, it’s deep in engine and impossible to get out. No wonder we lost all power and cooling, nothing to keep the belt tensioned…. It was slipping like crazy, giving no output and screaming like a banshee. Thankfully I had sneakily constructed the electrical system design so the FIE, lights, engine, indicators etc could could run off the leisure batteries in event of total failure, it allowed us to get to Beas Dads garage.
Found this:
The circled bit is the cast lug that the alternator torque/adjustment arm bolts to, Also it is the electrical earth. Bolt has sheared clean off in the lug. Can’t get it out (had a go though, hence the scorching) No wonder some elec glitches had started happening. There was no earth! The bolt has snapped clean off. Nothing keeping the alternator/ water pump belt tensioned at all.
To fashion an in-the-field fix I used Beas dads welding gear to fabricate and weld up a clevis extension to the torque arm so it locates positively over the lug and can’t move. It thus again allows load reaction (tightening of the belt), so I banged on a new belt and made up a new earth strap linking alternator and block and all was good! It took a few hours, but no worries. It’s the sort of thing that a garage would tell some poor person is an engine out job for access and a helicoil and then suggest ‘€000’s and weeks.
All back together now and ready for test at 0730 Monday again, when it’s all lights on, heating and demisting on, fridge on 12V, and engine running, 50A from B2B…. It’s 100A draw starting from cold.
Will be fine
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- Dec 24, 2014
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Good result getting the alternator sorted. Having the skills and the kit to do these jobs makes ownership a lot less stressful than being at the mercy of repairers of dubious ability an honesty.
I'm not being totally flippant by suggesting that perhaps they're happy to pass the time somewhere warm and dry whilst waiting for a dinghy ride.
Nah, the guys in class with me have a visa and are ‘in process’ in France/EU, so are happy. Then can get work (of a fashion) and will if they keep their noses clean get residence, full work and dole entitlement in all the EU etc. No reason to come to UK. The ones camped in Calais waiting for a ‘ride’ are the ones that will/could never get a visa in EU, usually a step or three down the social ladder. They are there cos they paid someone in their home country to get them there, and hope to sneak into UK and work in the huge and unique UK black labour market.Good result getting the alternator sorted. Having the skills and the kit to do these jobs makes ownership a lot less stressful than being at the mercy of repairers of dubious ability an honesty.
I'm not being totally flippant by suggesting that perhaps they're happy to pass the time somewhere warm and dry whilst waiting for a dinghy ride.
Ever wondered why you don’t see the Albanian ‘hand car washes’ anywhere else in Europe?
- Dec 24, 2014
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Thanks. That's a point. I hadn't appreciated they had visas.
However, I have wondered why we don't see lads at traffic lights with bucket and sponge offering to wash our windscreens but I suppose our Benefits system renders it too poorly paid.
I haven't really looked when abroad but now you mention it I can't recall seeing any.
However, I have wondered why we don't see lads at traffic lights with bucket and sponge offering to wash our windscreens but I suppose our Benefits system renders it too poorly paid.
Well that’s something that I think anyone buying your motorhome needs - a flipping good knowledge of how an engine works to start - meaning not like me - oil goes here water goes there keep tyres pumped up !!!Well, I’ve done a week of intensive French, a total of 30hrs and persuaded the school to let me take the A1 test on the 17th Nov. Can’t do it sooner cost the school is shut from 1st to 13th Nov as it is moving location. I have the final ‘culture’ day in Brest on the 14th. I will do 6 hr this monday just before the school closes for a relocation, then on the 15th and 16th another 6hr each day, it gets me to 48hr. I do the test on 17th 3hr so it all counts as my hours making 51hr, just pipping the absolute min of 50hrs you must do to be able to take the A1 test. If I pass it will be quite good, there are folks in the class who seem to have been going to class for months and done 200 or 300 hrs and they still not ready for the A1 test. It’s cos many of these guys can’t even read and some don’t seem self aware enough to understand how important it is for them, just listening to music in class, gambling (the africans) or in case of some of the Afghans, watching American baseball. Others among the Afghans are pretty studious though. Most of the arabic/muslim women seem to lack confidence for some reason.
I reckon all the clever folks on MHF, if applying themselves, would not have a problem. I’m quite enjoying formal, structured language lessons. Bea is hopeless at teaching me, she just gets annoyed that I can’t instantly grasp some super complex verbal conjugation.
Had an issue with the camper, lost all power and the belt started screaming, but concerned to make it to a safe place a couple of days ago. Must have stressed the electrical systems with all these early morning dark starts and 50A charging on B2B (no sun), plus lights, heating, wipers etc. It’s 100A draw, at idle when cold. I fitted a 180A alternator before this thing , but hey..
Got underneath today and the alternator reaction arm bolt has sheared off, it’s deep in engine and impossible to get out. No wonder we lost all power and cooling, nothing to keep the belt tensioned…. It was slipping like crazy, giving no output and screaming like a banshee. Thankfully I had sneakily constructed the electrical system design so the FIE, lights, engine, indicators etc could could run off the leisure batteries in event of total failure, it allowed us to get to Beas Dads garage.
Found this:
View attachment 828652
The circled bit is the cast lug that the alternator torque/adjustment arm bolts to, Also it is the electrical earth. Bolt has sheared clean off in the lug. Can’t get it out (had a go though, hence the scorching) No wonder some elec glitches had started happening. There was no earth! The bolt has snapped clean off. Nothing keeping the alternator/ water pump belt tensioned at all.
To fashion an in-the-field fix I used Beas dads welding gear to fabricate and weld up a clevis extension to the torque arm so it locates positively over the lug and can’t move. It thus again allows load reaction (tightening of the belt), so I banged on a new belt and made up a new earth strap linking alternator and block and all was good! It took a few hours, but no worries. It’s the sort of thing that a garage would tell some poor person is an engine out job for access and a helicoil and then suggest ‘€000’s and weeks.
View attachment 828657
All back together now and ready for test at 0730 Monday again, when it’s all lights on, heating and demisting on, fridge on 12V, and engine running, 50A from B2B…. It’s 100A draw starting from cold.
Will be fine
Carol
- Feb 14, 2021
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I see lots of large multi car/van washes - auto or self washing around France, Spain, Italy. We don't really do that.
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