28 December 2008

As we approach the end of 2008, it is a natural time for reflection. How have we coped personally over the last 12 months; what will 2009 bring?
In France, there is a host of changes afoot - changes affecting all areas of life from health, home and business to transport, pets and education. These include interest-free loans of up to 30K euros for so-called 'green' improvements to your home, extra charges for polluting cars, new Sunday opening-hours, changes in schools and universities and at last France is simplifying business start-ups - the auto-entrepreneur. This last has been so complicated that even Alan Sugar would have found it difficult, let alone newcomers learning the language. And it gives possibilities for retirees to supplement pensions by establishing small businesses with far less bureaucracy and hassle. Familiar objects will be changing too: car number plates and light bulbs, for example. As in the UK, the light bulb change is crazy. The long-life bulbs use more energy to make and to destroy, making a nonsense of the whole thing. And how many householders realise that these bulbs only make sense economically if you burn them all-day long? But what do I know.....
Personally, I've been writing this blog every day for over 7 months now. Some of you leave welcome comments - thank you - but I plan to reduce my blogs from now on to every Sunday only. Please feel free to comment and particularly whether you've enjoyed my ramblings over the past months.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very happy and healthy 2009. As Spock would say: live long and prosper!