Skip to main content

The phantom unplugger

So who unplugged my freezers and fridge while I was away?  The mason says he never stepped foot inside the house.  My neighbour says the mason unplugged them to put his tools in.  Who to believe?  I am extremely disappointed in whoever did do it and doesn't have the moral fortitude to own up and it chips away at my faith in human nature and honesty.

For the last 18 months I have been asking the prefecture to give me a carte de sejour permanente, which is an identity card and gives me the right to live in France.  Their answer is always 'non'.  My prefecture is in Niort, a two hour drive away so I asked if I could go to the one in Angers, which is 45 minutes away, but they said I must go to the prefecture in my  department.  Angers have been willingly granting carte de sejour to all the Brits who applied.

I asked the Maire to intervene but they got the same answer 'non',  So I wrote to the Minister of the Interior and he replied with the legal document that I required to prove that I have the right to a carte de sejour permanente.  I contacted the prefecture with this evidence and the answer was 'non'.  I went to the Maire who tried again.  'Non'.  I asked how they can refuse when the Minister himself has said I should have one and the maire said that whatever the prefecture says must be right, even if the Minister says otherwise.

Unlike me I gave up but was telling a neighbour about this problem.  Ah, you are asking the wrong question, he said.  I phoned the Prefecture and asked again.  They said 'non'.  So I asked my neighbour's question.  Could you give me the reason for your refusal as I would like to tell the Minister of Interior?  12th July at 10.45am she said.  Voila!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Temper, Temper

I played tennis with Yvette today.  Yesterday I asked if we could play early before the day gets too hot.  She suggested 9.30am.  I was thinking of 8.00am but Yvette has been married 46 years and her husband still brings her breakfast in bed every morning so 9.30 is probably the crack of dawn. I thought I had got used to Yvette's little antics but this morning she behaved like John McEnroe.  I was 4-1 up in the first set when suddenly she announced that the score was 4-3.  I am used to these little tricks so I stood my ground.  She argued, she shouted.  I ignored her and took my position ready to receive serve but her shouting got louder, calling me a cheat and then using some choice words.  Her ploy worked.  I lost concentration and started to lose, eventually losing in a tie break.  I was not happy but said nothing. At the end of the set Yvette asked me if I was angry with her, using the expression 'tu me fais la tete?'  I sa...

What is normal?

The UK seems to be operating on the basis that there is no virus.  Masks are rarely seen, little is being reported in the papers,  it is not the main topic of conversation in the street and social distancing doesn't exist.  I did see a testing table set up in Chesham high street but it was for one day only and they didn't seem to be doing much business. I went to Brighton on Sunday with my son and sister.  The old 'Lanes' have been reduced to a few jewellery shops and lots of cafes and the town was packed.  Openly gay people walk hand in hand through the streets in great numbers while others stroll around in gold lurex dresses. As we were heading back to the station the police arrived and blocked the road for an approaching cycle rally.   Living in France I have seen many cycle races go past but not quite like this one.  Here were 200 totally naked cyclists pedalling by while people cheered them on enthusiastically.  Some of them had put on s...

The problem with language teaching

I volunteered in a French school yesterday.  The aim of the day was to engage French children in English conversation.  The children had questions written down which they had to ask in English.  They were aged between 12 and 16.  Faced with 2 pupils aged 15 I answered the first question clearly and simply but they didn't understand the answer.  A rapid conversation in French passed between them and they then asked me in French if I would write down the answer. 'If I write down the answer you won't learn anything,' I said in French.  They asked the teacher what to do. 'Of course you can write down the answers for them and they can study them  later'! Listening skills?  Speaking skills?  I give up