It's cold outside, but warm in here

Ah yes it's cold outside. but I've got roast pork and roast potatoes in the oven, the fire is roaring and my wine glass is full....can it get better than that? Actually, yes it is cold, but it is now 6.30 pm, and I must add that although I awoke to Jack Frost's sprinkling, the sun came out, the temperature rose and it has been a beautiful day...more than I can say for some. There's something very cozy about cold Sunday nights and roast dinners, can't quite put my finger on it, but I reckon it's because as a child I always dreaded Sundays - "family days" - but the "family" bit always meant nan & grandad coming round, (or vice versa), and all the grown-ups falling asleep after lunch or dinner, and us kids having to tip-toe around trying not to make any noise! AND no shops were open......perish the thought!! Anyway, thanks to mum & dad,(god bless him, well maybe not god, he was an atheist!), I now realise just what they meant when they kept saying: "you will see when you've got children, you will learn to appreciate Sundays as a day of rest".....and , boy, were they right!! Now I just have to keep telling it to my kids!!!!!

Credits, loans, mortgages...what a financial state

Just a couple of ads, the sort of thing we are all familiar with these days, unfortunately. But I was wondering just how bad it is where you live. I know that financial crisis, job losses, credit cards, loans and mortgages are quite a serious problem at the moment in the UK. Everywhere you turn there are signs; "Free Quotes", "Interest Free Loans", "Buy now, Pay Later". And now the "Loan Sharks", who cunningly entice you into taking out a loan for that dream whatever it is you want, (or even to pay off another debt), are apparently sending in the "Heavy Mob" to sort you out if you don't pay up on time! I know that if you can't afford it you shouldn't take it, but people do, all the time, and with the current financial situation you'd think there were "less primitive" ways of doing things, after all this IS 2009. I think that they make it too easy to get credit and loans in the UK. Here in France the Credit Card has not long been introduced, and it's not easy to get a hold of one, unless you're rich, famous or related to Sarkozy. In the UK you can phone up a loan company and get an instant loan, when I say instant I mean in the few minutes you are on the phone. In France it's a little more complicated:

1. Meet the financial advisor.

2. Get together a dossier supporting your intentions and repayments.

3. Submit dossier to the bank.

4. Wait for about 2 weeks to be notified that your dossier is incomplete.

5. Re-submit dossier to the bank.

6. Wait for about another 2 weeks to be notified that the bank is going on holiday, and you will have your answer in about 2 weeks.

7. Finally get your answer, and even then depending on the amount you want to borrow, you may need a guarantor.

So, how does it all work in other countries? Any input??

PS. Thanks for checking in Delphine, and you have a good weekend too.

Jobs, crazy frogs and the National Health!

"MMMMNNN........LUNCH...."

"WONDER IF THIS THING IS WATERPROOF!"

It has been an interesting day so far. Due to an incompetent national health insurance stuff-up, I have been trying desperately to get my husband re-covered, (as he always was before), for the last 6 months, to no avail. So, today I decided to march right in to their office and demand something be done, as they had just sent me a HUMONGOUS bill. I plonked the bill on the desk, and just said, "I can't pay this!". They expect me to pay a National Health bill when he is not even getting National Health cover?? Turns out the lady couldn't understand it either, so after a bit of ear bashing and bartering, they finally accepted they were in the wrong...sorted. But it also turns out, to my extreme content, that they have miscalculated the bill and we should be paying half the total amount!!! What a result! When we got home the phone rang, and to my utter surprise it was a reply to the job application I made, (if you weren't aware check out post entitled "give us a job"). She gave me a tele-interview, (I just made that word up...it means an interview over the phone; take note OED!), and will, hopefully, call soon for a proper interview. So good news all round, and whats more it's the weekend tomorrow, YIPPEEEEEE!!!!

From a cowshed to a gite in the Vendee, France

FROM THIS TATTY COW SHED.................

TO THIS LOVELY HOLIDAY HOME

So we arrived in the Vendee region of western France, and decided to, with the help of my husbands parents, create a "Gite" for summer rental. The above pictures are what it looked like to start with.....not really very appealing to holidaymakers! My parents-in-law came over to stay for the creation, as it was my husband and his dad who were undertaking the works alone. And so in the January the hard work began, for them and for me, as I juggled looking after our 3 children and a full time job. As soon as planning permission arrived it was all hands on deck, as we wanted to have it finished for the summer season, and as you can imagine, with just 2 workers, and given the state of the barn, this was going to be a long job. We have loads of photos of the works in process, but I won't bore you with all the details. They worked very long hours, which was particularly difficult for my husband as I also worked from 9am to 4pm then from 6pm to midnight sometimes later, (that's Hotel/restaurant work for you, but that's also another story), so he was left to cook & look after the children in the evening. Anyway, to cut a 5 month story short, the gite was finally ready for occupation the day before it was occupied, and even on the very day we were still hanging pictures etc...We had put out our first advert on the Internet a couple of months before, (with our fingers crossed that it would be ready in time!), and the very next day we had 15 calls for bookings. Unfortunately, most of the people wanted the same week, but we did manage to fill up the whole summer. We are very pleased with the end result and have had so many lovely comments about the quality of work, not that we are in any way blowing our own trumpets!! Anyway if anyone is interested, check out more photos on the Owners Direct site.

Doodle 4 google

I hear that google announced a "Doodle 4 Google" competition in the USA, inviting school kids to come up with a logo. The cash prizes will go to the winners schools. A good idea, but will we ever get one in Europe?? I can doodle.........maybe I could enter......just a tad too old, I fear!!

London transport at a standstill

"skis"

"THE NEW MODE OF TRANSPORT IN LONDON"

Yes folks, it's official. The only way to get around London today is on a pair of skis! As I predicted yesterday, everything has shut down due to the snow, even, to my dismay, the underground??? How does snow affect the underground?? I can only presume that all the tube drivers couldn't get to work! Sports shops will be doing a bomb all over the capital, that's if they themselves managed to get to work. Why wasn't Britain prepared for this? Afterall, they've only been telling us that "the worst winter in 18 years" is coming for the last week, so why didn't they do something about it? The snow didn't get as far as our part of France, although they have said that there is a 50% chance of a few "flakes" tomorrow, so we'll see.

We used to live in the south of France, it didn't snow there too often, but when it did, boy did it snow. But even then, they were always prepared, the schools never closed, (much to the childrens disgust), the roads always gritted and cleared and transport ran as usual. I mean, how do people manage to survive in the Netherlands, Russia and Alaska? Maybe they all ski around too, or maybe they are just used to it...no, I suspect it's because they prepare themselves. It was nice in the south, but very barron and very hot. It was also such a long drive to visit the UK, so we decided to move up country to the Vendee. The climate here is nice, and the people are very friendly. We live in a quiet village, but it is so close to all you need; 30 mins from the beach, 10 mins from the town, 20 mins from the city. I guess we were quite brave to make the move at the time, especially with 3 small children in tow, (they were 6, and twins of one and a half years). Well, either quite brave or quite stupid, whichever way you look at it! At least the children are all bilingual, and me "biensur", and my husband is still trying, very trying!!

Siberian cold front and white Washington.

DON'T SKI INTO THE WIND!!!!

BAD HAIR DAY??????

Yes it has to be said, the freezing weather is not good for us, least of all our hair, or so the guys above tell me! I think everyone is being hit quite hard this winter. Siberia is moving to the UK, we hear, so they're on "red alert" for heavy snowfall and high winds that could actually blow the north of England clean away. So I guess the UK will come to a standstill come Monday or Tuesday, no trains, no school etc. I heard President Obama on the news this morning and it seems it's pretty much the same in Washington DC, He said that his childrens school had been closed this morning due to...(hesitates), "A bit of ice!!", his own words. Great fun for the children, not so great for the parents, not unless you're a teacher, that is! I got up this morning feeling lucky so I rushed to check my lotto ticket and sure enough my feeling was confirmed.....for the first time I HAD WON!!! Not a fortune, mind, in fact it was only 2 euros, but that's besides the point, I HAD WON. And 2 euros is my money back AND enough to buy another ticket next week, this could be the start of something big!! Er.... any feelings on what numbers I should play?.......Any tips anyone??....Hello, is there anybody there??