BigLog

1 post wonder....... And so meek, he had to sign up for a new UserID to hide behind.......

But now that you have decided to join in you've made yourself look a right prize twit.

I worked in Pension's companies, the odds are stacked against you to live long enough to draw much if anything, there's a life lesson there for you.

No she couldn't have saved all that money, I know her / there situation. It's funny isn't it, that both a MAN and a WOMAN are needed to produce a child, but here she is being LUMBERED with 4 children to look after them FULL TIME and with NO MAN who was responsible for those 4 children standing up to their responsibilities LIKE A MAN. Where's your criticism of the men involved here ??

How very judgmental of you....... So when a woman stays at home for 20years to look after her 3 (then 4) children, whilst her partner (common law Husband) goes to work and provides, and who later on in life develops depression causing marital breakdown, sh*theads like you expect her to have saved for 20years for that eventuality ?? Like I said, you have no compassion nor any proper advice to provide apart from hindsight. I sincerely hope the same happens to you one day to teach you a life lesson.

Doing it right now. Thank you all for the helpful suggestions. I'll do my best to keep you posted.

Oh stop it please - where is your compassion ?? She was in a relationship for 20years. Him an Art Valuer at 'posh Auction house (which you'd all have heard of)' , her a Ballet School Teacher. They weren't your common wayne-waynetta types (sorry, but you're even making me make judgements here). And they were together for 20years - him developing Depression during that time. So 3 children during that time does not seem unreasonable. I suppose if she did marry him and then took him (legally) to the cleaners via the courts, your tone would then be what exactly ?? That she was a gold digger and that the legal system is unfair ?? I, as a man, have heard tooooooo many stories of irresponsible men who seem to think that the responsibility of providing for THEIR child stopped the moment after their relationship broke down (sooner if I'm being blunt). That makes ME personally ashamed to be a member of the male species. ......just re-read your post and realised you're very ignorant. Go re-read my posts. Children 1&2 are on scholarships - do you understand what that means ?? Child 3 is paid for by P1 and is expected to get a scholarship in 2 years time or he'll go to a state school - it's child 4 from P2 that is this issue here as that little girl is a 3 year old and they're are about to lose their home due to a drunk fool. Therein lies the problem.

Thanks Cartimanua51, She does get some help from previous partner - he pays the child school fees for child number 3 (the first 2 children are on scholarships). I think she has got the CSA involved but p*ss-head has 5 children in total (not from 2 relationships either from what I remember). The illness for number 1 is depression. They are still both on speaking terms and it sounds as though they did give it and their relationship a very good go. The Drunkard's suggestion was for her to get out of the house and for them both to rent the house as an empty unit. When she confronted him with 'and where are me and your daughter supposed to live' he said it wasn't his problem. Yes, you are dead right about the students / lodger. The lodger has already found a flat to move to in the next week. The students are foreign and are going back to their home countries in the next 2 weeks. She is quite a posh lady (so ?!) and her 1st partner is a Valuer for a well known Auction house (fine art etc). Partner number 2 was a dreadful mistake by all accounts. Not sure what you mean by stocking up. Her job earns her peanuts (and I mean that literally). My advice to her was to try and save the house (as I'm convinced the uprooting of her posessions would be devastating for her). She's thinking of buying a shipping container and putting all her stuff in that and storing it somewhere. To be honest, the more I think of it, the more it makes me really sad........ Thanks for your help - it really is appreciated.

Hi, I've got a female friend who is in a terrible situation - she is unmarried, her partner has left her in a deep mess. She had 3 children from a previous 20year relationship (never married). She then left him (due to his illness which she could no longer cope with) and later on found a partner whom she had a little girl with (3 year old). They (partner 2 and her) bought a house in joint names (I repeat, they didn't get married). He, subsequently left her in the house all by herself which she has had to keep afloat using students and lodgers - and he paid towards the house by way of voluntary contributions (apparently he has a drink problem). Recently, he had a bicycle accident and has been unable to work (he is a film editor). So he hasn't been able to pay towards the house. Basically, they are on an interest only mortgage and without his support, she is going to lose the house. He is playing serious silly buggers because whatever equity is in the house (not a lot) he is determined to make sure that she doesn't get any (even if he doesn't either). To me, a bystander, this doesn't sound right. A woman with 4 children is about to be made homeless because of a drunk idiot who won't even take care of his own 3year old child. Please, what suggestions can you make ?? This is very upsetting and unsettling for her and her children - who are very ordinary, nice people. Please, serious suggestions. She has gone to a Solicitor and CAB and neither have been much help. She really doesn't have a pot to p*ss in (she drives around with loose change to cope with food, petrol etc). Thanks in advance.

Some of us (me and Catara) did try very hard to warn others. Unfortunately people only hear what they want to hear.

My apologies to you too as well. I was only trying to help the OP by bringing his attention to things that maybe he hadn't considered (and I really didn't know the word awesome was going to cause such offence). Of course my French would be 'under the table' compared to other people's (and so on and so on etc !). Learning a language takes a lifetime IMO and, what amazed/frustrated me about my own abilities was the deluge of basic everyday words I simply didn't know (and how many others I didn't know and hadn't even considered). And if you're ever in a situation that calls for immediate natural speech, quickly (like say in a dispute, a car accident, something where no one is going to give you any slack, you will have your work cut out). Another example. The last dinner party I was at there was a Belgium who claimed his French was perfect (yes, there we go again) - we had a similar discussion as here (though no trading insults !) and I then simply asked him if he knew the word for 'puddle' in French ?? He didn't and there and then I'd made my point. Anyway, posting like this, it can be hard to make my point, so, I apologise a 2nd time to you too - no offence was ever my initial intention ! Kindest regards.

Ha ha. That's a bit rich coming from you. I know you have issues comprehending written English, but re-read your 1st post to me. In that you insult me no less than 3 times (in the first 2 sentences, claiming this that and the other and making huge assumptions about my abilities and then finishing off claiming linguistic superiority when you know nothing about me). All I seemed to have done is use the word 'awesome' and you've blown a gasket (the reason I'd used that word was two-fold; 1) several times I'd meet French people who mistakenly thought I was French - which of course wouldn't be just on accent now would it !? DOH !! and 2) I have an issue with people who claim to speak a language 'perfectly' when I know that they are no where near perfect, in fact the opposite).

Keep taking the Anger Management / Inferiority Complex courses..... ...and don't forget the Green Envy tablets as well (to be taken twice daily).

That has to be one of the most stupidist comments I've ever heard.

Why 'bother' ?? Erm, because it's good practice..... Sheesh, they're all out tonight.

I think you need to brush up on your English, I didn't say I couldn't do any of those things (I said just not as good as I'd have liked). And maybe your standards are a lot lower than mine. Sorry, no 'maybe'.

I wasn't

Not sure what you mean by this, but I'm taking it that you don't believe me ?? :angry: I spoke awesome French (and I mean awesome) but 'knowing' a language is knowing it at MANY levels. Can you argue in French ?? Can you negotiate in French ?? Can you recite a poem in French ?? Can you appreciate a comedian's sense of humour in French ?? Can you read broadsheet French newspapers ?? Can you understand a teenage French 'yob' who slurs his words and talks 'slang' ?? These are just SOME of the things that I, with my 'awesome' French couldn't do 100% and that is VERY frustrating. Can you speak French with a neutral accent ?? I could, other Frenchmen would praise me endlessly, but pronouncing French perfectly (from the back of the throat - guttural sound's if I remember correctly) is not an easy task - most English people cannot do this. And that's even before we go onto writing anything (CV, legal letter, letter of complaint, covering letter for a job whatever etc etc). I'm genuinely not trying to put the OP off, just highlighting the sorts of obstacle's just the language itself will present.

I lived abroad for 5 years, learnt the languages, integrated as much as I could (in fact hated to meet another English person!), but personally I found it too hard, and ended up returning to the UK (albeit in a much better location to the one I left and albeit for reasons other than the culture / language). But here are my personal observations...... There are SO many things to consider when moving abroad, that I'd be surprised you'll have thought of them all (in fact I know you won't). Firstly, take a look at your local knowledge in the UK. You're not even aware of it, because it's second nature to you. Example (and in NONE of my examples am I trying to slag people/locations off). If I said "Wigan", immediately it conjures something up in your mind, no matter how small that conception is (about the area, the type of demography, the people who originate there, the nightclubs, the class of people, the accent etc etc you understand ??). If you were to bump into someone with an accent from 'up north', again, a zillion things / thoughts would pass through your mind (subconsciously). In another country, this cannot happen because you simply haven't lived there long enough. Ask yourself, will you be able to spot a rogue french plumber if one tried to rip you off ?? Or a crafty 'cockney' type frenchman ?? You might meet a woman over there who may be ticking all the right boxes, and again, because of your lack of experience / language deficiencies she may actually be a right slapper and because you're all cooey because she has a french accent you wouldn't have any idea at all !! Do you understand what I'm trying to say ?? Television also. You'll see 'celebrities' on the box and have no idea who they are (they could be the most famous people in France and you wouldn't have a clue). In a nutshell, you'll lose your identity as you're neither French, but at the same time bitter about England and that'll put you in never never land. Oh, and another thing that comes to mind, is trust me, after a while, physically your mouth (NOT to forget your mind) will get fed up of trying to speak another language which is NOT your own 100% of the time (again, it's a MAJOR uphill struggle to command any 2nd language to anywhere near the command of your own native tongue - trust me, I know, I speak 4 and none of them can match my English because I haven't spent my lifetime learning the others). Finally, you may know in England, how to 'play' the system. In France you'll be stumped big time, you'll be the most naive kid on the block. But then again, if your a really chilled out kind of guy that won't find any of the above frustrating............

Pimlico Plumbers is a family business that started over 30years ago......

This is a very interesting thread - might I add my comments. 1) Why would anyone want to retire at 55 ?? In fact, why would anyone want to retire at all ???? I've never understood the idea of retiring - it's like getting to the final chapter in one's life as quickly as possible. I feel as though we are only on this world for a brief time, and most people just want to 'take', how about contributing to the end ?? Perhaps it's just that there are SO many people out there who hate their jobs and can't wait to leave it (in which case, why not find a job you love and which you'd hate to have to ever leave it) ?? 2) Eating out ?? Funnily, as I've gotten more and more obsessed with healthy eating, the last thing I'd dream of doing is going to the Indian or Italian a few times a week (keep doing that and you won't be needing to worry about Retiring!!!). 3) Holidays ??? Again, it's like people are soooo stressed, so much hate their work that they have to get away for 2-4 weeks a year to take the 'pain' away. Just my personal observation.

Someone who had more integrity, more honesty and less greed than Dogbox ??

Almost everybody who tell's me they've been to Morocco 'for just a day' - it was usually to Tangiers. Then when you ask what they thought, they'll usually say that they didn't like it. This reaction is so consistent / common. Unfortunately, it's because of the VERY reason Michael has said - it used to have such a bad reputation as it is within the first 5 minutes that you get this terrible impression that the whole of Morocco is just like that entrance from Tangiers port. I haven't been there for at least 3-4 years, so I'm sure that it's improved a lot - but when I arrived over 5 years ago (by car) it wasn't a pleasant experience at all. Asilah, however is really nice (the sea / beach that is) - very calm.

He lent dogbox his false beard

I remembered the other one..... The Soup Dragon !! Not sure whether phlegmatic is the right word - more like 'stunned into silence'....... Yeah, good ole Dogbox, where is he now I wonder ?? Back on the C4 forum ?? Anyway ES, glad to see you're still in denial.....