NEED some manual labour to shift logs as I am not able to do it DUE to disability - 2 strong people. Please email with phone number and will explain my predicament. I live in Le Quillio.
thank you,
Have you tried asking your neighbours, they can be very helpful considering your disability.
My neighbours are older than me - I am 73 (and in receipt of a War Disability Pension) they are in their 80s mostly females! The younger element are in full time employment and disappear at weekends, the Maireâs secretary is temporary and does not come from the commune and lives about 15 miles away and does not speak English.
Rosemary, I hope someone can help you - but - I do think you need to find some long-term helpers.
I suggest you write a letter to the Mairie and explain that you need some help with physical things (like moving logs).
Take you time and use short phrases. Google translate and a dictionary can help if you do not have any ~French.
Incidentally, where did the logs come from??? and what do you propose to do with them???
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Good Morning (wish it were - damp and foggy!!!)
My neighbour has a few woods around the commune and every year his son prunes the trees - coppicing and stacks everything in a wood yard next to me. The land is not flat on a slope and in the past have used a wheelbarrow to collect wood I found I was unsteady on my feet I have osteoarthritis in my back and knees. The son does not live in my commune - he is a professional man,in his 50/6Os The wood is to be used to feed my woodburner as I have no central heating. I did ask at the Mairie - still waiting for an answer - ! I did use Bing translator and do use a dictionary! Thank you for your time, As yet no other replies.
The commune should have an employee called a cantonnier, this person might be able to help, exceptionally, if you ask at the mairie.
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Hello Rosemary, sorry to hear of your problem, have you tried âgarden servicesâ in your area (not sure where you are ) many of these firms are very accommodating & are prepared to do odd-jobs, also you could place an advert on Anglo-Info asking for help,or if you are registered as disabled you could contact home help(aide a la domicile ) services for your area, your Mairie will be able to give your their details .(You can claim back 50% of some home -help services depending on your age, but you have to register for this with the Tax Office & you can only employ a firm who is also registered under the scheme )
Hope this helps,good luck. Elaine
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Rosemary - just a practical point, because lack of language can be a very limiting factor . . . . I recommend you use the most effective translation website Deepl.com - miles better than the likes of Google translate, it includes the ability to highlight any word that doesnât look quite right, and it gives you alternatives to easily choose from. Always best to construct your message with simple, short sentences - then you will be better able to spot words that have not translated as you mean them.
With respect to Stella, French âfonctionnairesâ (at all levels) do not like committing anything in writing - especially just to an e-mail. They can be held responsible. It is not the best way to contact your Mairie, because they will not want to respond in writing. Maybe it would be better to take a printed copy of your request to the secretary in your Mairie , and just say âJe suis dĂ©solĂ©e, je ne parle pas français, mais jâai besoin dâaideâ [Sorry, I donât speak French, but I need help] and hand her your typed request.
I tend to use both - Deepl is not âmiles betterâ than Google since Google switched to an âAIâ based translator (Deepl is also AI based), both are about as good as machine translation gets, both can produce translations that are completely inadequate from time to time (weâve discussed this on the forum, with examples, previously).
On average Deepl seems a little better, consistently hitting more idioms correctly but it sometimes does less well than Google - as they say âyour mileage may varyâ
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Michael⊠my suggestion of putting a letter together, stems from Rosemaryâs comment about the Secretary having no English - which leads me to suspect that Rosemary does not have a good grasp of French⊠(or there would be no problem)
Handing someone a piece of paper with your questions/thoughts clearly written on it - should get a decent reaction⊠
I know folk who do this sort of thing, especially when visiting their Doc/Specialist for an important appointment. They find the stress of the visit makes whatever French they possess - go right out the window⊠
First of all - thank you for their input ref Shifting logs etc - it has now been resolved.
As a point of interest - I HAVE always typed out messages in English and translated it into French and double checked it by using another translator program to see if the salient facts are mentioned. Every week we have a different secretary so there is no continuity and the girls do not come from my commune so every thing will not be easy for them - I sympathize as it not easy for them. I have a good relationship with the MAIRE and his deputy as he speaks English - communication has been relatively easy,
I have guidance also from my bank should I have odd letters ref money and a cut off section requesting payment and everything is resolved. Most of them are scams ! Would like learn to French but my nearest place is out of reach for me. Have looked into it very carefully but is impossible.
I can manage usually without outside help. - I have had problems in the past and they have been resolved very quickly as I set the wheels in motion immediately they occur if I cannot resolve them, I have a good paid helper but he is away at the moment - had he been around the shifting of logs etc would not have presented a problem!
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So glad it is now resolved.
Also interesting to note that you are another of us who writes things out in advance. 
Have you tried online tutoring. There are loads of videos on YouTube which might help you. You listen and respond ⊠building up confidence (hopefully).
Initially, in UK we used Michel Thomas cdâs to get us mumbling various French phrases⊠and built-up from that by listening/using whatever means - radio/online News etc etc.
Of course, nothing beats the regular face-to-face conversations (challenges), but not everyone has that opportunity.
With Google I do like the option of being able to listen to the pronunciation of words I cannot get my tongue around.
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Me too⊠I turn it up very loud and listen again and againâŠit definitely helpsâŠ
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