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For me, Stuart Bingham to win it. Very worried about the breaking strain on his trousers though.

I've only popped in now and then, Menthe, but it's good to see that the experienced heads don't wine everytime, even when we know experience helps. There have certainly been some serious upsets this year .. all makes for more entertaining TV!

Apart from getting all the figures I need from OH, I long ago gave up getting him involved - it's much safer that way!

Nobody shouts around here but I grumble and complain and fret but, for some reason, this year I am calm and laid-back and apart from looking up some bank statements, have yet to complete anything online. May is a month full of activity chez nous. Both our birthdays (on separate days) to celebrate, the village's fête patronale lasting a long weekend, of course all the May holidays and no muguets to be seen in our flower beds this year so can't give out bouquets to anyone. Then there will be the ceremony at the monument aux morts and then the religious ones later in the month. You'd think the impots would realise they are really pressuring us unfairly?

Well, everyone, I am delighted to report that the lack of reception was due to the weather. Rain either in bucketloads or fine and plentiful with thick mist. This morning, everything was back so I could catch up on some of the thrilling action I missed last night. If you haven't watched, it is really very addictive. This is the world championship and 3 of the 4 finalists are qualifiers; something that has never happened before. Talking about the weather, a woman has died in the Aisne dept because a mud slide demolished her house. Made me think of the mud slide in Aberfan that killed schoolchildren and teachers in a primary school. I wasn't living in Wales then but it was national news headlines.

She's sweet ! I like the smile on her face and the happiness in her eyes. Give her a hug for me.

Is she French or British? Also, presumably a youngster? Our Belgian neighbours (it’s their residence secondaire, so they’re here just 3 or 4 times per annum) have had golden labs for a number of years. They had two half brothers for a number of years, but sadly ‘lost’ both of them in the last year or so. They now have a slightly bonkers youngster of about 18 mths who, like his predecessors, is never further than a few metres from his ‘master’. I’m no dog expert, but they’re a lovely breed.

😲

Yep, that is her tongue!

I find that most days I can either receive BBC news or Sky news but not both at the same time. One tip, when parliament is in recess, BBC news is run on the parliament channel so that's another way of receiving it.

What has she got in her mouth? ( please tell me that's not her tongue ).

We lost the BBC News channel about 2 weeks ago, but can get the news on BBC1. Also lost a few Freeview channels, but can still get some of them on the "+" version. I think this may be due to a plane tree in the road outside having grown somewhat since the dish was professionally reinstalled and aligned a few years ago. Unfortunately the installer is no longer in business; the number of Brits around here seems to have decreased dramatically in the last 3 or 4 years. Nothing to do with Brexit, of course 😉

Wedded bliss. 😉 I'm sorry, you really did make me laugh as I can so relate. It certainly isn't funny at the time, but I chuckled when I read that comment as it can be very similar round here.

We did ours yesterday too, I dread it, it always ends in an argument! Mr Betise has (nearly) all of the figures on a spreadsheet on his computer, and I sit at mine and input them into the impots online forms. He shouts a figure at me, I tell him it's not the one I need, he then can't find the right one, I start to quietly despair. Eventually there is more heated shouting (not by me) and I tell him that if he's going to shout he can put the bloody figures in himself. Every year (sigh).

I’ve often said to Mrs G that I wish that there was some mechanism for us to ‘buy in’ to UK TV. As it is, we all get it for nothing and therefore nobody bothers too much about whether we (in southern or southern-ish France) get a signal or not. It’s very annoying, but you can only wait for the weather to calm down a bit. BTW, I often hear people in the UK moan about an increase in the licence fee - up to about £180 p.a. now eh? So that’s £15 / month. Said people will think nothing about paying loads more for SKY etc. Just how much TV can you watch?

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Menthe, we have this problem with satellite reception often especially in the rain, and at certain times when climatic conditions interfer with the signal. Similar to what you could get on the radio signal in the old days. We got around it by having a VPN installed and using the interniet and an Amazon firestick, but I can't get BBC to work on that at present, but I also have it on laptop, computer and Ipad and with the VPN connected, I can get trhough on those. Yes, OH has been glued to the snooker too. It's becaue they are now if HIgh definition, which Channel 4 and ITV work much better as they are not (I think) but even they disappear when it rains, hence the VPN etc. It tends to get better in teh evenigns - sometimes! He's watching it on the TV now, for example.

No, it's just the weather. Was watching last night without problem. I just thought that perhaps the BBC has blocked our signal or something.

Yes sorry, it sounds like the weather. Rain and heavy clouds will do it. Plus if you have any trees blocking your line of sight they will be beginning to come into leaf.

Via satellite like you. I have retuned the tv, checked the connections, done all the usual so now I think it's the weather. Rain, wind, cloud all day (as every other day this week). Sometimes, when the weather is bad, we lose our signal but, because not all channels are affected, I thought I'd just ask. Thanks for the prompt reply, greatly appreciated🙂

How are you watching, satellite or internet? I'm on satellite & everything's fine.

Has anyone experienced difficulty with viewing some bbc prorammes, for example, BBC2 and BBC4? Have been watching the snooker from the Crucible and suddenly, this afternoon, there was "no signal" and also "no streaming". So nothing on Yesterday either. If it's no longer possible to watch, will there will be no Wimbledon tennis?

Just completed mine today .. but my excuse is that next week is busy with birhdays and then we go on holiday and won't be back until it is too late!!😉

Good thinking, Gardian. So there IS justification for me being just in time every year.....and that is no matter how early I start the blasted return.