Monthly Archives: January 2011

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Cancel your assurance d’habitation now!

By |2017-01-06T11:16:35+00:00January 17th, 2011|Life in France|

I hate the insurance industry with a passion, for insurance firms and agents are, without argument, in league with the devil. They profit from spreading fear and anxiety amongst us, presenting the worst case scenario for every aspect of our lives, in the hope that we will delve into our pockets for a little peace of mind.  Our health, our loved ones, our property and our safety are all targets of these pedlars of doom.  Even in death it seems - we should be worrying about whether we had been paying the correct premiums on the right death policy. "You know whenever you hear an ambulance siren - there's a person inside who doesn't want to be there?" - upbeat quote from mortgage broker at John Charcol. While I can accept that it is a necessary evil for certain aspects of life, those who actually benefit from it's existence are rarely those for whom it is supposed to protect. In all the years I have paid premiums for this that and the other, I have never once made a [...]

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Tout va pas bien

By |2017-01-06T11:16:35+00:00January 9th, 2011|Life in France, Strasbourg|

The town I grew up in, in the west of England, was blessed with but one miserable little theatre, and although it regularly hosted some very entertaining shows, it was on rare occasions that all 200 or so seats were filled. For I, like the majority of fellow town-folk, considered an evening out at the theatre as a somewhat eccentric activity, coming in way down on the list of possibilities: Discover the beers on tap at a new pub Appreciate the beers on tap at a favourite pub Stay in and watch TV Go to the town's one and only cinema Go to the town's one and only night-club Study and go to bed early Go to the town's one and only theatre Here in Strasbourg however, there are so many theatres that it is hard to justify doing much else when you find yourself free of an evening (unless of course you don't understand a word of French). Indeed, as bizarre as it may seem, the majority of my French friends are more likely to go and see [...]

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