Half Acre Farm Makeover

Claiming for your Journey, French Tax returns

On the back of the blue information sheet there is the formula for working out your claim, for example a car of 7cv, for a distance driven for the year over 5001km but less than 20,000 is d (distance) X 0.332 + 1278. On the Tax sheet, inside right, the top box (1) 3rd row down Frais Reels, put your figure there, if your claiming for a partner put there total in the second box,, put a piece of paper in with the form showing your workings out. Simple.
Puissance      -5 000 km       De 5 001 à 20 000 km         + de 20 000 km
3 CV            d x 0,405                   (d x 0,242) + 818                d x 0,283
4 CV            d x 0,487                   (d x 0,274) + 1063              d x 0,327
5 CV            d x 0,536                   (d x 0,3) + 1180                  d x 0,359
6 CV            d x 0,561                   (d x 0,316) + 1223              d x 0,377
7 CV            d x 0,587                   (d x 0,332) + 1278              d x 0,396
8 CV            d x 0,619                   (d x 0,352) + 1338              d x 0,419
9 CV            d x 0,635                   (d x 0,368) + 1338              d x 0,435
10 CV          d x 0,668                   (d x 0,391) + 1383              d x 0,46
11 CV          d x 0,681                   (d x 0,41) + 1358                d x 0,478
12 CV          d x 0,717                   (d x 0,426) + 1458              d x 0,499
13 CV+        d x 0,729                   (d x 0,444) + 1423              d x 0,515

Exemples :
- Pour 4 000 km parcourus à titre professionnel avec un véhicule de 6 CV, le contribuable peut faire état
d’un montant de frais réels égal à : 4 000 x 0,561 = 2 244 €
4000 km with a 6 hp vehicle, 4000 x 0.561 = € 2,244

- Pour 6 000 km parcourus à titre professionnel avec un véhicule de 5 CV, le contribuable peut faire état
d'un montant de frais réels égal à : (6 000 x 0,3) + 1 180 = 2 980 €
6000 km  with a vehicle of 5 HP, 6,000 x 0.3 + 1 180 =  € 2 980

- Pour 22 000 km parcourus à titre professionnel avec un véhicule de 7 CV, le contribuable peut faire état
d'un montant de frais réels égal à : 22 000 x 0,396 = 8 712 €
22 000 km with a 7 hp vehicle, : 22,000 x 0.396 = € 8,712

La Bourbansais

Pleugueneuc (35720)

As well as lions, panthers, tigers and parrots you’ll discover some rare and unusual animals at La Bourbansais, like meerkats, wallabies, marabou stork, anteaters and even Watusi cattle. This year the zoo launched a new walk through 4000 sq. metres of woodland where you can observe three species of lemurs, Madagascar's emblematic animal.

The château. Built in the 16th century on the site of a former Gallo-Roman villa, this former residence of members of the Parliament of Brittany - renovated in the 18th century - is one of the region’s most beautiful châteaux.

There are also two shows to see at the park: hunting with birds of prey and the “Fidèle meute”, or faithful hounds, a demonstration in which 50 French tricolour hounds take part.

Death doesn't mean you stop paying

Rest in peace.

But if you don't pay the rent on your plot they will dig you back up.

EDIT: When you buy a plot in France it is for 15,20,30 or 50 years and you pay in advance before you die. Your relations then take on the "rental" if they wish or the caveaux can be exhumed, depends on the commune and their rules.

Saint George (ca. 275/281 – 23 April 303)

Happy St Georges day

Painting by Gustave Moreau depicting Saint George slaying the dragon

The tomb of Saint George in Lydda, just south of Tel Aviv.

William Shakespeare Born 23 April 1564; died 23 April 1616

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead.

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility:

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger;

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;

Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let pry through the portage of the head

Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it

As fearfully as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,

Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,

Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit

To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.

Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!

Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,

Have in these parts from morn till even fought

And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:

Dishonour not your mothers; now attest

That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.

Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here

The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;

For there is none of you so mean and base,

That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:

Follow your spirit, and upon this charge

Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

Sans Permit 2 and what I saw today

Decisions decisions, what to post first, I think this gorgeous looking Harley, Lidl car park in La Gacilly.

Remember my last post about a Sans permit with a canine driver? Well heres another.

Lawnmowers

There are different types of lawn mower, if you live in the UK with a typical UK sized garden you may find an electric lawnmower more than adequate for the job, but when you have a good size garden you need a different approach.  I have 2500sqm of garden, in year one I had the opportunity to have my piece of "River Cottage", about 1200sgm of veg garden, now many UK expats do what I did, get the local farmer to plough the land and preper it for crops, then after it starts to grow realise that you have taken on far to much as it overgrows, most veg going to seed before you have chance to gather in your harvest, then deciding that maybe next year you will have a couple of cold frames instead, with a herb garden close to the house.

So you grow something that grows very well in Brittany, GRASS, I often see people on UK Ex-pat websites asking where they can buy turf. I usually reply throw some seed on the ground, wait for one days rain, instant jungle. I did offer a pick your own service to those wanting turf, but no takers. But back to cutting the stuff. Petrol lawnmowers fall into three groups, push it, be pulled by it and drive it. My first lawnmower was a push lawn mower with a Honda engine, push lawnmowers have one draw back, you have to push it, that gentle slope in your garden becomes a hill when your pushing it in 10cm or more of long grass, the more you cut the heavier the job gets as the grass collecting box fills up. This year it failed to start and as it was five years old, and hard work I bought a tractor lawn mower. The tractor lawnmower drives the (in my lawnmowers case) the rear wheels, the only problem I've found with it is that as the weight is at the back (the grass box) and its pulling you is the front end is a bit light and the lawnmower will bounce.

The tractor part on my neighbours (and elderly Dutch man) lawnmower broke, the energy needed to push the lawnmower and the pulling of the starter cord has proved to much for him, so he's bought a ride on lawnmower, electric start, variable speed, including reverse and adjustable cut height, ideal, its even got lights.


LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What time is he going to cut the lawn????????????????????????,

Visit to the Doctors

I've praised the French Health Service in the past and will do so again now, its not cheap, thats true, Paul pays a lot of cotistations on his wages including health, our top up insurance costs nearly €100 a month but the service you receive is well worth it. When I hear people complaining about the state of the NHS in the UK I often think, "your right, but are you prepared to pay and pay a lot for better". Anyway it seems I've hurt a tendon in my foot, its swollen up and is very uncomfortable, so I pay the Doctor €23 to tell me that, €21 of that will be reimbursed at the end of the month, and leave with my prescription of gel and tablets, "ooh and can I have some Gaveston and some extra Paracetamol please, thank you". In the UK you catch a cold you don't bother the Doctor, theres no cure for the cold, the Doctor will tell you to buy some day/night nurse, its a lot cheaper than a prescription. In France, you catch a cold you visit the Doctor, theres no cure for the cold, but you can have a bag of drugs anyway, maybe no cure but the drugs make you feel better, and your paying anyway so why not get them. Doctor has advised no sports or belly dancing for the next 8 weeks, and Ive assured the doctor I will start my treatment after this holiday weekend as it clearly states on the tablets not to drink alcohol with the tablets.

Sans Permit

In France if you can't drive or have lost your license possibly through drinking you can carry on driving, you can be the proud owner of a Voiture sans Permit, these tiny but very expensive death traps can do about 50kph, generally have crash damage and make you the most despised person on the road. Here's one a saw today with a typical driver.

Time for an advert

Fresh Raspberries

Fresh Raspberries put into a bottle of Vodka.

Something to try the weekend.

Kenzo

Over the last week there's been a few photographs taken of Kenzo, well over 300 to be honest, here's a few I selected at random