January 2026 – Yacht Camira

Happy New Year 2026

The visa visit is coming.

Louise has been learning French on Duo for some time now, and doing very well from having absolutely no French at all until we met Nicolas back in Sicily. She’s coming on great guns.

News this just this week !

France is introducing new citizen ship requirements one of which is to to fluent up to a particular level as a prerequisite for long stay residence in France, operational from 1^st January 2026.

“Sacre Bleu” & consternation !!!!

Louise despite her rapid advancement is nowhere near this proficiency yet and we are applying for a long stay visa in two weeks.

After a lot of online reading and a phone call by me to the French Consulate in Edinburgh during which I had to speak French as they will only converse in French, it appears that although it’s true it seems it’s only once you have applied for residency. Also there are multiple opportunities to take the test and, if you are over 65, then you are exempt altogether. No one is sure if because she is applying for a long stay visa does it kick this off or not? It’s just suck it and see, but we are hoping she can hold out to post 65. Failing that in a years time she may be good enough to pass.

I, on the other hand, despite my 5 year secondary school French lessons managed to tell the lady I was speaking to that I would basically like to (“introduire” ) bonk her!

You should not use “introduire” to mean may I introduce myself it should be “present” . I knew when I was saying it but it was too late . LOL

So, Louise is off for her holiday to Athens.

Fingers crossed

Leaving the house in Samos

A bit of sightseeing, nice hotel, followed by a curry then off to her appointment the next day.

Sights, Hotel & Curry

Here we go …….Allez Allez !

Aye well …………………………………….

after all that, as they say in the Eurovision Song Contest, the” UK null points !”

No visa – well not the one we need !

A CDS of a family member of the European Union.

The consulate cannot issue these as its not French Immigration law it’s EU law. To cut a long story short it’s better as it’s “a right” due to me being Irish and can only be refused in extreme circumstances. It may also mean the language test is not required ? However we do have to apply at our local prefecture once in France within 3 months of being there.

All that time, effort and expense & all she has to do is rock up at the arrivals with me and my Irish passport, she’s even allowed to use the European Queue! LOL

Ah well she enjoyed Athens and got some more sights in before flying back to Samos.

Morning sights before the return flight

We have sort of adopted & feed a few cats at the marina.

Caramel, Blackie, & Friendly.

It really started with Caramel who had had kittens last summer and was being looked after by Danny at that time . She would come on his boat to get fed. When he & Stella headed back to Switzerland I didn’t think it was fair for her just to be stopped being fed overnight so we started feeding her. We will do it for the winter until Danny comes back and other boats arrive and then begin to cut down slowly before we leave in April. Hopefully she will find a replacement benefactor. (Although as I’m writing this it’s now March 12th and she is still on the full buffet. LOL)

By chance I found an old basket thrown being thrown out It was clean & soft, so I put it in the corner of “the Gym” behind the plate glass window which would get the sun – it would be nice & warm for her throughout the winter. I hoped she would use it.

One day as I arrived to feed her I found her asleep curled up in it. She has now officially laid claim & taken up residence , although I’ve seen blackie sneaking in when she’s not there. When I arrive she pops up her head and trots over to her “feeding station”.