Latest reports are that the weather is nicer.
January mean daytime HIGH : +10, Low: +01
compare that to Thunder Bay
January mean daytime HIGH: -9, Low: -21
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/FRXX0001
Current Weather:
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxdetail/FRXX5485?dayNum=1
Thursday 22 December 2011
Wednesday 7 December 2011
Where is it you are going?
Venelles, is a town (8000 ppl) 10km north of Aix-en-Provence. See the map below:
View Aix-en-Provence in a larger map
The blue pins show some interesting things we are trying to keep track of.
View Aix-en-Provence in a larger map
The blue pins show some interesting things we are trying to keep track of.
Thursday 24 November 2011
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Bureaucracy - YUP that's a French word.
Going to France and staying for more than 90 days requires that you have a VISA. Getting a VISA however, is an experience I don't recommend. Unless of course you enjoy that sort of thing. You'll know if you enjoy that sort of thing if you take this simple test.
1. get a hammer.
2. put your hand on your desk
3. raise hammer over your head
4. hit your thumb like you want to create a mini-fusion reaction in your nail.
Now, if you drop the hammer you won't enjoy getting a VISA.
If you held onto the hammer and repeated steps 2-4 this information is for you:
You can find the requirements on the Visa application process on the website for the French consulate office in Toronto: http://www.consulfrance-toronto.org/ It is important to understand that the instructions are not the same in English and in French, and neither entirely depict the requirements you will encounter.
As an example, the site won't tell you that you need to produce your marriage certificate...but you will be asked for it, nor does it provide much information on how to get your RCMP background check.....but you will need to etc etc.
And even if you think the picture that was taken of you children for their passports looks like them, and that the picture taken especially for the French Visa looks like them, you will still need to put them on an airplane and fly them to Toronto so that the French can take a picture of them.
FRUSTRATING, but hopefully the Visas arrive and all is well that ends well.
Insert 3 week time lag here.....
OK...The VISAs arrived yesterday, so that means....we are going to France!!
Aside: If you ever need to get an RCMP background check (aka a criminal records check) the normal thing you do is go to the police station, get finger-printed and send that card (plus $$) to the RCMP, and then WAIT. Before I went this route, I read this page on the RCMP web-site http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cr-cj/time-temps-eng.htm It shows the wait time is 12 weeks if you submit ink fingerprints, but if you submit electronically the wait time is 3 days. So...I went to the police station and asked who in town has the ability to submit electronic finger prints, and they gave me the name of a small company just down the road. 3 days later, background check in the mailbox. FYI the wait time for an appointment at the local police station just to get the ink finger prints put on a piece of paper was 1 week.
1. get a hammer.
2. put your hand on your desk
3. raise hammer over your head
4. hit your thumb like you want to create a mini-fusion reaction in your nail.
Now, if you drop the hammer you won't enjoy getting a VISA.
If you held onto the hammer and repeated steps 2-4 this information is for you:
You can find the requirements on the Visa application process on the website for the French consulate office in Toronto: http://www.consulfrance-toronto.org/ It is important to understand that the instructions are not the same in English and in French, and neither entirely depict the requirements you will encounter.
As an example, the site won't tell you that you need to produce your marriage certificate...but you will be asked for it, nor does it provide much information on how to get your RCMP background check.....but you will need to etc etc.
And even if you think the picture that was taken of you children for their passports looks like them, and that the picture taken especially for the French Visa looks like them, you will still need to put them on an airplane and fly them to Toronto so that the French can take a picture of them.
FRUSTRATING, but hopefully the Visas arrive and all is well that ends well.
Insert 3 week time lag here.....
OK...The VISAs arrived yesterday, so that means....we are going to France!!
Aside: If you ever need to get an RCMP background check (aka a criminal records check) the normal thing you do is go to the police station, get finger-printed and send that card (plus $$) to the RCMP, and then WAIT. Before I went this route, I read this page on the RCMP web-site http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cr-cj/time-temps-eng.htm It shows the wait time is 12 weeks if you submit ink fingerprints, but if you submit electronically the wait time is 3 days. So...I went to the police station and asked who in town has the ability to submit electronic finger prints, and they gave me the name of a small company just down the road. 3 days later, background check in the mailbox. FYI the wait time for an appointment at the local police station just to get the ink finger prints put on a piece of paper was 1 week.
Sunday 10 July 2011
We Got It!
After much looking and negotiations we have the villa where we will be staying in Venelles France.
sleeps 12 so no excuse for not coming to see us.
sleeps 12 so no excuse for not coming to see us.
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