Stemar
Well-known member
Not half as much as they hate their own. Half of them seem to be convinced that Macron invented Covid just to annoy them
Separation Anxiety
- Thread starter BirvidikBob
- Start date
mjcoon
Well-known member
Surely it was Boris, so he could save us from it, just like from Europe?
BirvidikBob
Active member
'Mind dribble' - a perfect descriptor. Do you mind if I use it for publicity for the third book when it comes out?
I just wish I hadn't allowed SWMBO to talk me out of using an Amazon review quote as a cover bite for book number 2. It read: "His hipocrisy (sic) is nauseating"
Don't sugar - coat it like that. Give it to me straight.
Baggywrinkle
Well-known member
You can get all nostalgic about the new post-Brexit process for competing in motorsport on the continent then
... back to the good old days eh?Motorsport UK explains post-Brexit process for European transport
Frogmogman
Well-known member
Love the blog. Very good. I recognize some of my experiences with French bureaucracy in what you say, as well as a bizarre nostalgia for how it used to be even more arcane. I particularly treasured the “certificat de concubinage” I obtained for ‘er indoors before we were married, which gave us some of the administrative advantages of a married couple.
A big turning point for me as a resident of France was when I realized that the things that drove me nuts about the country had much the same effect on my French friends. It then stopped annoying me so much.
One of my happiest clashes with the local Mairie concerned registering the birth of my younger daughter.
We lived in an extremely rural village of some 200 souls in South West France, and being the knitted-lentil, sandal-wearing types we were at the time decided she should be born at home, in the barn we had converted into a house.
My wife’s obstetrician, being an enlightened sort of chap was totally on board with the idea; after the baby was successfully delivered, he called by the house every day to provide the after-sales service, but being as uninterested in paperwork as the rest of us, kept neglecting to bring the form I needed to register the birth (which has to be done within 48 hours).
I finally showed up at the mairie to get Junior onto the books 8 days after she had arrived. The mayor’s secretary was appalled; amidst all of her harrumphing,I pointed out that the reason for the 48 hour requirement was to avoid any disorder in her register, so I asked if she would be so kind as to inform me of the last time a birth had been registered in the commune.
22 years before, it turned out.
At this point the Mayor, who had been listening in through the open door of his office, came out wearing a huge smile, his Tricolor sash and bearing a bottle of Municipal champagne. He ordered his secretary to quit moaning, write up the register, and fetch some glasses so that we could wet the baby’s head.
The other point of this tale is that my daughter can get away with leaving doors open, as she is in the happy position of being able to reply, when asked if she was born in a barn, to reply in the affirmative.
A big turning point for me as a resident of France was when I realized that the things that drove me nuts about the country had much the same effect on my French friends. It then stopped annoying me so much.
One of my happiest clashes with the local Mairie concerned registering the birth of my younger daughter.
We lived in an extremely rural village of some 200 souls in South West France, and being the knitted-lentil, sandal-wearing types we were at the time decided she should be born at home, in the barn we had converted into a house.
My wife’s obstetrician, being an enlightened sort of chap was totally on board with the idea; after the baby was successfully delivered, he called by the house every day to provide the after-sales service, but being as uninterested in paperwork as the rest of us, kept neglecting to bring the form I needed to register the birth (which has to be done within 48 hours).
I finally showed up at the mairie to get Junior onto the books 8 days after she had arrived. The mayor’s secretary was appalled; amidst all of her harrumphing,I pointed out that the reason for the 48 hour requirement was to avoid any disorder in her register, so I asked if she would be so kind as to inform me of the last time a birth had been registered in the commune.
22 years before, it turned out.
At this point the Mayor, who had been listening in through the open door of his office, came out wearing a huge smile, his Tricolor sash and bearing a bottle of Municipal champagne. He ordered his secretary to quit moaning, write up the register, and fetch some glasses so that we could wet the baby’s head.
The other point of this tale is that my daughter can get away with leaving doors open, as she is in the happy position of being able to reply, when asked if she was born in a barn, to reply in the affirmative.
TheEcho
Member
You were unlucky. I booked a driving medical at the private hospital in Lagos, and it went as follows . “Is your eyesight OK?” “Actually I wear glasses for driving” “OK”.. tappity tap.. one blood pressure check later and medical completed with tickybox for needs eyesight correction.
My partner had a harder time. She went in wearing glasses and was asked to read the sign on the office wall.
I think he figured that if I owned a pair of glasses but was able to navigate the hospital without them and sit down on his chair without missing it, I wouldn’t be risking devaluing the local driving standards too much.
My partner had a harder time. She went in wearing glasses and was asked to read the sign on the office wall.
I think he figured that if I owned a pair of glasses but was able to navigate the hospital without them and sit down on his chair without missing it, I wouldn’t be risking devaluing the local driving standards too much.