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Alane

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Everything posted by Alane

  1. I'm not sure that you need a map - the camera in Caen is well signed. The b*****r of it was that I thought that, at 110,  my speed was within the limit having missed the sign(s) indicating a reduction to 90 - or worse. Does the magazine give the speed limits at each camera? Regards Alan.
  2. Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like it was a 90 limit at that point - I wouldn't have missed both 90 and 70 signs. I still can't believe I missed the 90 signs. Unfortunately I'm unlikely to go that way again to check as we were only using BF because they were doing the "France for £5" deal and otherwise they are too pricey. "Also..........the police WILL chase you up if you have a local address they can got to". Alcazar - are you referring to UK registered cars? Presumably that only applies if the local force picks you up and know where to find you? Best Regards Alan.
  3. We too paid a small fortune to hire a digger and dumper truck from a hire company. Afterwards our neighbours told us it was more usual and much cheaper to hire from a builder. They rang a builder who had done some work for them and he quoted a price less than half that we had paid.  Unfortunately we'd finished the bulk of the work by then - if you or your neighbours know any builders it might be worth asking. I was surprised that a builder would hire out his equipment to someone totally unknown to him but that didn't seem to be a problem. Regards Alan E
  4. Thanks for the update. I don't have a French reg car but do travel to France regularly so wonder if I'm likely to get pulled up at a controle for not having paid the fine. Probably unlikely but would be a nuisance late at night on the journey home to catch a ferry for example. The 70 limit is just north of the A13 junction just before the turn off to Ouistreham - I've quite possibly got confused and the road the camera is on is a slip road onto the peripherique from the A13 but it was signed as Peripherique Nord. Maybe I should trade the car in! Regards   Alan.
  5. I've tried asking this on Vehicles in France but maybe some local knowledge is needed. Can anyone tell me what the speed limit is at the point on the Eastern side of the Caen Peripherique where the speed camera is located. For whatever reason I obviously missed the speed limit signs, went past the camera at 110km/h and whoosh blinding white light. I'm now wondering if I'm looking at a 100 euro fine for speeding in a 90 limit or the book thrown at me for doing 110 in a 70 limit. Before anyone tells me - yes, I know I should have been paying more attention but I must have missed the limit signs in my scanning for the direction signs. We were on our way to Ouistreham and using the route for the first time, and I'm now back in the UK so can't check. Any info gratefully received. Best Regards Alan.
  6. In my defence the road was wide, unobstructed, dual carriageway where the limit had been 130km/h a few hundred metres earlier, but as it was drizzling intermittently I assumed 110 was the current limit. No excuses though, I should have seen the signs, but didn't, so I still don't know what the limit was. I suspect that if it wasn't 110 then it was 90. A 750E fine for travelling at the equivalent of 70mph on a motorway seems a bit steep but if that's the law of the land well there you (I?) go. It was a fixed camera as far as I can tell, as I said in my earlier post, it was well signed. A pity I paid more attention to the sign for the radar controlled camera and not the speed limit sign - it was the first time I'd seen one in France. I suppose it's possible that the flash was for someone else but somehow I don't think so. I make every effort to make sure I don't exceed the limit in France as well as the UK. On a recent trip from Calais to Normandy we passed three controles on the same journey and they are now a feature of everyday life in our area. Apart from the safety aspects I want to avoid hefty fines! Best Regards Alan.
  7. I was "flashed" by a speed camera on the A13 coming into Caen this morning. I was travelling at 110km/h and obviously had missed an earlier sign indicating a lower limit. It was the first time we had used the Caen -Portsmouth BF crossing and I was probably too busy (careless?) looking for roadsigns. Can anyone confirm the limit at that point (approaching from the East). The camera was well signed and I checked my speed to make sure I wasn't speeding! Does anyone know what happens in the case of UK registered cars getting caught on camera? Do they pass on the details to the DVLA, make a note to stop the car next time it's in France, or just forget it? Further on from where I was flashed the limit is signed at 70km/h. If that was the limit at the camera (which would be surprising given the nature of the road) then I was more than 30km/h over the limit which would normally result in a licence confiscation. Do the French try to confiscate licences of foreign nationals? I'm not trying to avoid the penalty - I'd just like to be forewarned on what to expect. In some respects it would be better to pay up than be expecting to get my collar felt every time I travel in future. Best Regards Alan
  8. Andy I'm sure they believe they will improve either cash flow or profit by dropping the scheme - whether they are right or not is of course another matter! For me the POC was good value at a price I was prepared to pay. At those prices I travelled whenever I had the opportunity - at a higher price I'll think twice and I know from analysis of my travel patterns that I travelled far more frequently after the POC was introduced than before. Additionaly without the flexibility of the POC tickets I won't have the opportunity as often - I always knew that if I got stuck late at work on a Friday night I could either just turn up late or travel the next day. I'll be interested to see if time reveals why they've chopped the old scheme before anouncing replacements. Best Regards Alan.
  9. Bob Thanks for the info and link reference - it is certainly much much cheaper than prices I was quoted in the UK which equated to more than £2k per cu m for air dried oak from a specialist supplier in the South East. I guess that is in line with the quotation of £1400 for a professional buying in bulk (and presumably excludes the VAT in my quote). As in the other posting, I'm thinking of making a number of doors, although not sure when I'll get started yet. We're in Normandy but for a big difference in cost it would be worth a journey with a van - I'll check out the local prices. I know that green oak is very cheap from the sawmill and that old beams can be had very cheaply as well due to the number of timber frame agricultural buildings in these parts that are falling down but I've not seen the cost of fresh air dried timber. XLB - if you aren't going into long term production most of the equipment you describe can be picked up cheaply these days from the likes of Machine Mart and Screwfix - not of the quality that your joiner is using but good enough for a body of work that will be finished during the guarantee period. I've also seen professional wood working machinery going cheaply on e-bay although you'd then have the problem of transportation of some pretty heavy kit. Regards Alan  
  10. Peter I agree, it's almost beyond my comprehension why Eurotunnel would want to cheese off it's frequent travellers. Maybe, as promised in the letter we received, the new arrangements will be as good as the POC. However, the early booking deal being offered for next year is not as good as the POC deals so we must assume, in the absence of any other information, that this is as good as it gets. Like you I'm looking at the alternatives. With the number of crossings I make I have to get the best deal - the POC benefit of full flexibility and Club Check-in was worth £££s. Like all good things I guess it had to come to an end - but - I almost never travelled on a full train, in fact probably never. Therefore my income was pure profit - even if their new pricing policy drums up extra income, they could still have had my custom which would have continued to be pure profit. Why wouldn't they try to keep us - one of life's mysteries. Best Regards Alan.
  11. Bob You say that you can buy dried oak planks at reasonable prices - can you elaborate on "reasonable" as so far I've only bought the green stuff from my local sawmill? I'm thinking of some bulk buys for a project in the UK.   Best Regards Alan
  12. Green oak definitely IS used in timber frame construction in France. Our local sawmill sells tonnes of the stuff every week to local artisans. I have used such timbers for repairs in my barn, they are not necessarily newly felled trees but even if one or two years old, they are sappy and wet much over an inch under the surface. On a 30cm square timber I worked the sap stained my fingers black and I had to clean the tools and drill bits regularly. Three years later the timber (which is on a sheltered south facing wall and consequently will have dried significantly in the outer face) has developed shake in the dimension where it was free to move but along the length has shown no movement. As it is pegged into a timber frame it has accommodated the movement by developing shake rather than shrink in overall dimensions, the daub wall infill we put in after the repair is still reasonably tight up against the edge of the timber. 15cm timbers I used for other framing work which was also contained plenty of sap has barely moved and only has very fine shake present after a similar period. I'm not sure about chestnut although the carpenter we used for earlier work suggested using chestnut for floor joists. The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings in the UK publish leaflets on this sort of thing but I would suggest talking to a local carpenter or at your local sawmill. I can't recall if Ted Benson mentions chestnut in his books - certainly worth a look as Bobc has said, Ted Benson's books are a treasure trove for anyone working on a timber frame building. In our area in Normandy there are mobile "sawmills" that will visit and shape up trunks and branches into square timbers.   Best Regards Alan.
  13. John Like you I'm surprised that any organisation would want to mess around with its regular customers and proudly tell them that in future they'll be treated exactly like the one off traveller. On the other hand the letter from Michel Lanneau does say "you'll find our new fares unbeatable value for money, so the cost of travelling will not increase as a result of the withdrawal". Time will tell, but on reading that I have a more optimistic expectation. Perhaps they are going to make their fares so cheap that it won't matter that there are no bulk purchase discounts. I'll wait and see. I think you'll find that the T&Cs did state that the scheme can be withdrawn at any time. The free crossing with the 1000 bonus points will more than cover any loss from the subscription.   Best Regards Alan.
  14. I too have experienced these in the past and I believe they are the work of the offspring. That statement is based only on the fact that the moles I've caught in these surface channels have been small and not on any special knowledge of mole behaviour so I stand to be corrected. If I am correct then you can look forward to plenty of future activity when the little treasures grow up. On the other hand if you are stamping them down then maybe you will solve the problem anyway. Have you come across any hard to flatten lumps? Regards Alan.
  15. Things seem to be changing and the web site has been updated. A couple of weeks ago it said that there would be a new better value scheme and this was confirmed by the rep I spoke to when I tried to renew my membership on the 15th. The site now says that "Currently there is no plans for a direct replacement". At that time they were also saying that the POC tickets would be available to book for existing members until the 28th of Feb - this has now been brought forward to the 13th of Jan. The site makes the statement "We are developing a new simpler pricing policy for 2005 to ensure all our customers can benefit from a more flexible, attractive pricing structure". Given that their early booking offer for 2005 (book before Nov 3rd) is a rerun of the £98 return for travelling off peak perhaps this gives some clue to the level of prices. Regards Alan.
  16. When I was over a few weeks ago I was surprised to find that in some establishments the card readers were set up to read the Chip and Pin cards that are coming into use in the UK. Coverage seems patchy but one hotel told me that new machines were set up for the UK cards. Has anyone yet come across any filling stations where the UK cards can be used? Best Regards Alan.
  17. Kevinmc I think you mentioned in an earlier post that you were a Property Owners Club member - did they give you any clue as to what the replacement scheme might be? When I spoke to them just after the first announcement the staff seemed to be in the dark on this although they did suggest that I shouldn't buy more POC tickets than I would use before the announcement of the new scheme in November. Best Regards Alan.  
  18. Judging by the near empty shuttle trains that we have travelled on over the summer I would say that they have overpriced their fares. I am surprised that the £98 fares didn't make a difference but we travelled out on Friday evening on several occassions and the trains were never anywhere near full. For me the it's the "return before 11am" that is offputting meaning that I effectively lose a day of my holiday. When the fare was first published it was a "return before 2pm" if I recall correctly which wouldn't have been too bad. With the demise of the Property Owners Club maybe this will be the only economical option. The only time that we have experienced the sort of traffic that they need to generate was on Good Friday morning when we went over for the Easter break - that was complete chaos. I did read in the business pages earlier in the year that the new board voted in by the shareholders had decided to increase revenues by upping the fares, it seemed such a mad idea that I assumed it was just incorrect reporting.   Best Regards Alan.
  19. Yes Points Plus is also ending although you have until February to exchange points for a ticket which will be valid for a year. It's a brave company that messes around its frequent customers in this way - let's just hope that the new deal is nearly as good or better. I agree that a real downer will be the loss of the right to check in via the Club queue although it has to be said that at really busy times they don't enforce the rules anyway.   Best Regards   A.
  20. With their offers now being cheaper than the Property Owners Club tickets I imagine they felt compelled to do something to change the schemes although abandoning the whole Points Plus loyalty scheme seems a bit drastic. I'll wait and see. I spoke to them yesterday and they suggested I didn't go ahead and purchase a tranche of tickets until details of the new scheme were available in November, pointing out that if I didn't think the new scheme was as good I had until Feb 05 to purchase tickets which would be valid for 12 months.   Like you I'm sceptical and as a frequent traveller will probably go elsewhere if they become uncompetitive as a result. Our property is in Normandy and if the Eurotunnel prices go up then the P&O season tickets will become a better bet.   Best Regards A.
  21. All very mysterious. My membership is due for renewal this month and I was just about to request 8 tickets. Do I believe the "better value for money" promise or should I book my tickets now. Call me a cynic if you like but I just don't believe the hype ans suspect that the good times are over re the Property Owners Club. If so then more fool them as I travelled Eurotunnel at least 15 times a year as a result of the PoC prices and sometimes much more. Is this another boost for Speedferries? If anyone gets any news of the new schemes then I would be very interested.   Best Regards   Alan.
  22. If you are a property owner and plan to travel more than 5 times a year then you are probably best off joining their Property Owners Club. If not they are currently doing an offer of £98 for a return if you travel out after 5pm and travel back before 11am. There is a link to the offer on the "passenger travel" page of the web site.   Best Regards Alan.
  23. James Don't worry! I've not had any difficulty at all in changing my ticket dates, even up to one hour before crossing on one occasion when I didn't find time to call until I was on the M25 on my way down to Folkestone. I tend to book all my tickets for the back end of the membership year and call them forward as and when I want to travel. The official line is that they have to be amended 24 hours in advance but there is a getout clause and I've found the staff who deal with the owners club to be very helpful. You can also change the dates and times of an owners club booking on the internet site so even if the office is closed, if you have online access, the dates can be amended. Don't forget you also earn loyalty points on the tickets as well. I have nothing but praise for the scheme as it means that the short stay prices are cheap enough to make weekend trips realistic even in peak summer season. Best Regards Alan.
  24. I wonder when it will occur to the people running P&O Ferries that they need to fill them. If I had a pound for every crossing where we've parked with a couple of dozen cars on the bottom deck from Le Havre to Portsmouth I would be a little bit better off. Can't they see that fares of five or six hundred pounds return just won't wash when we can fly to the south for 5 or use the short crossing for hundreds of pounds less and take a hit on a drive of 150 miles extra. Maybe we should start lobbying the government for a tunnel to Normandy. Best Regards Alan.
  25. Judy Have you tried calling the helpdesk number given on www.ricoh.fr Support Graveurs et Photo Numrique : 0800 914 897. Best Regards Alan
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