Slightly overlapping with another thread, my Francophile mother had male French au pairs to look after me when I was small, and the first of these fretted about going to the police station after his arrival, in a way that confused my mother.

"But I have to get my papers in order!" he protested anxiously to her.

Her patient explanation to him that (this was pre EEC) he need not carry any "papers" still resonates. I only hope the Dissident Frogman can still feel half as free in England now as that 1960s Frenchman did.

Unfortunately for DF, there is a flag that should be missing from the Italian restarant.

I'm still not apologizing for what I sent, tho. Felt good. And it's all about feellllinnngggssss, isn't it?

Sandy P: explain.

Mark, hmm, sounds familiar...

I remember a conversation with Italian friends, about what you do when you move house in the UK.

Well - you just move. "But don't you have to re-register with the police?" No, of course not, you never register anyway so what would be the point?

"But what about the car, don't you have to go and re-register it in the new place?" - No, you just move, and take it with you. "So what about the number plates?". They stay the same. "!!!"

"But what about getting the mail redirected?" Well you just tell the local Post Office and they just do it. "Really? Just like that?" Yes. Just like that.

"Ah, but the phone! What about the phone?" Well you just call the local BT office and they connect you up the next day. "What? Without a 'Certificata di Residenze'?" Yes. Without anything like that. In fact there is no such thing.

Dumbfounded amazement all round.

Let's hope those days are not over yet. Or ever.

Perry, an literary exploration of Sandy P's missive;

"Unfortunately for DF, there is a flag that should be missing from the Italian restarant. "

No doubt he feels that the flag that SHOULD be missing is the EU "stars 'n' blue" flag.

"I'm still not apologizing for what I sent, tho. Felt good. And it's all about feellllinnngggssss, isn't it?"

His key board is malfunctioning and the l,n,g and s keys are sticky... and he is happy about not being apologetic.

Simple really. No, I wasn't referring to Sandy...

Well - you just move. "But don't you have to re-register with the police?" No, of course not, you never register anyway so what would be the point?

However, you do have to register the fact that you have moved your television to the new address with the TV licensing authority. Otherwise you have committed an offense.