Fine

Sir,

Enclosed is a receipt for the £10 fine i had the pleasure to find on my windscreen last monday. I thank you for your effort in making Nuneaton a better place to drive to and park, but i must say that having a well lit panel explaining that parking is not free after 6pm would go a long way in getting public support for your good work.

I'm sure you'll understand that i've had made certified photocopies of the fine and the receipt. Just in case there was some poorly lit fine prints that i would have failled to read, or some problem in the post. One can never be so sure in these times when it's so easy to be mistaken for a cash cow.

You might be pleased to hear that i will choose to take my salsa dance classes to another Midland town. It is an activity i do to relax afterwork, i don't want to have to deal with unpleasanteries with like the matter at hands. So i will take my custom to the club in Hinckley, or maybe Leicester. But rest assured that parking convenience will be a factor in my choice.

Yours,

Remi Gauvain

Facture

Je dois envoyer ma premiere facture pour service a une petite entreprise en France.

Un petit coup de google pour trouver le taux de TVA qui va bien. Impossible! A la place d'un taux, je veux dire un pourcentage comme ca: 7.6% je trouve des articles super sympa du style:

1. La facture doit indiquer la dénomination sociale de l'entreprise qui facture et son adresse (L. 441-3 du Code de commerce). De même le numéro unique d'identification (Siren) et la mention RCS, suivie du nom de la ville où se trouve le greffe auprès duquel l'entreprise est immatriculée (sous peine d'une amende de 750 euros). Le numéro Siret et le code d'activité ne sont pas obligatoires. Si vous êtes en société, vous devez mentionner votre forme juridique et le montant du capital (sous peine d'une amende de 3 750 euros).

Mais qui peut etre assez fou pour vouloir creer une activite dans un pays pareil? Allez mon petit, 20% de chomage chez les jeunes, cree ta boite et si tu te plantes dans la facturation prends ca dans la gueule!!

Ca donne pas envie de rentrer tout ca. Beurk.

Si vous voulez lire l'article de l'entreprise.com cliquez ici

Close call !...

I changed the fork on my bike on saturday and set off for a test ride on sunday, paying lots of attention for anything dodgy coming from the front of the bike. So when the rear derailleur snapped in two, i was quite surprised:

Then i realised that for once i was lucky! This happened as i was cycling slowly uphill, not racing downhill on rough ground. And i was only 5 minutes driving away from home, so i was rescued in a matter of minutes.

On a less happy note: I am waiting to hear from the job, rush to change the rear mech before wednesday, receive the rear shocks for the mystery machine, succeed in removing the rear brake drum on the mystery machine, hear the outcome from last week's walk, find the time to finish up the kitchen and gaz fire surround (both major must do before end of year goal), finalise my x-mas trip to France (pending on item 1 above), and i'm not even touching on the pile of admin papers to do...

Wish me luck! Advice on getting enough quality sleep when stressed most welcome...

Un dimanche a la campagne

Une petite promenade dans le Peak District avec Helen, Kathryn et David:

Comme le dejeuner au pub a ete tres agreable, il faisait deja sombre quand on a commence a marcher!

Le vent etait plutot fort sur la une fois sur les hauteurs. David et moi en avons profiter pour jouer aux equilibristes:

Une super journee!

Sir, your indicator lights are pink!

That's what the MOT inspector (controle technique automobile) told me last week. I got the skoda taxed and registered - it used to be a disabled car. Having to deal with government bureaucracy reminded me on why i like it in England. Then came another kind of pettishness: "for profit" bureaucracy! MOT testers who abuse their power by forcing unnecessary repairs on motorists.

The car failed it's MOT for a leaky rear brake cylinder (fuite a cylindre de frein), a missing CV joint clip (un clip de joint de cardan manquant) and "indicator light of the wrong colour" - white i was told (clignotants blancs au lieu d'orange).

I did all the repair myself except, you've guessed it, the indicator lights. They looked orange to me, so i took the car to a spare parts shop on the way to the testing station to ask if there was a different type of bulb i should use. But they confirmed that they looked right and shouldn't cause any problem.

Well, i've never heard of a bureaucrat coming back on his words so when i left the car at the MOT station i told them to change the bulb if they failed the test.

On my return, i was told "Sir, your indicator light were pink"! In conclusion, i need a different MOT station for next year. And even though i had to pay for the new light bulbs, i was pleased with myself for having asked them to give me back the old ones.

PS: sorry no picture, i don't have use of Allan's digital camera anymore...

PPS: real-life Dilbert speak here. Don't forget to read the comments!