Cerise

Lynda - make sure that you check she is not deaf.  If in any doubt ask if you can arrange for her to be PEA tested.  A small percentage of dalmatians suffer from hereditary deafness and this can be a factor in them being rehomed several times.  Hopefull this is not the case.  If you want any more info do get in touch. Maggi  

Shouldn't be a problem - but if I were you I'd make it simpler and rent the gite for odd days/weekends.  If there is a kitchen folk can prepare their own breakfast.  You are not obliged to stick to one week bookings.  My s-in-law does this and she gets quite a lot of weekend and odd nights during the off season.  You could offer breakfast as an 'optional extra' delivered in basket form (croissants/fruit/yogurt) and let them make their own coffee etc.  I think that would be easier as with chambre d'hôtes most people expect you to be there and serving.  You can also think about shorter rentals Thurs - Mon for example during the low period.  Flexible is the way to go outside the summer.

Didn't mean it nastily - it simply wasn't clear what you were intending to do.  Where are the c d'h - in house?  If in gite is breakfast in house etc?  Your original post really wasn't clear - if you are simply doing c d h when gite not rented weekly then there should be no extra costs but you will need a licence for breakfasts etc.

Sorry got confused as to the day and missed yesterday.  Not really managed to diet this week but got rid of half the Xmas excess - so hopefull shed 2lb this week and start again trying to lose 2 stone.

That is as clear as mud!   A gite is either a gite or you have rooms in which you are doing chambre d'hote.  Either way if you are registered for letting holiday accomodation I can't see it makes a difference which you do, but normally chambres d'hôtes are part of the owners home and services such as breakfast are included.  Chambre d'hôte are not self catering.  Perhaps explain a little more clearly.

A very simple answer is a large carrier bag.  Put handbag and other bag into it and put carrier bag through as one piece of luggage.  It works (I know I've done it) and proves how daft the whole thing is as the two bags are still going through the scanner, simply together.  If you forget your carrier bag, nip in to W H Smiths buy a newspaper and ask for their largest carrier bag.

You will need to have insurance for your gîte, but bear in mind that you should include a clause in your letting that your tenants should also have appropriate insurance.  In French law if your tenants rip your swimming pool liner/set the sofa on fire/burn the place down it is expected that it is THEIR insurance which will pay.  Most French people are automatically covered for Résponabilité Civile, but if your guests are from elsewhere you should check that they have appropriate travel insurance as a claim could be protracted and you could encounter difficulties in getting a payout if they were not appropriately insured.

Hi Yvonne If the dog showing thing is important to you, you may want to make some enquiries to the breed club and with the Soc. Centrale Canine as to the distribution of shows.  If you find that all your Nationale d'Elevage are at the other end of the country - well it is a long way and expensive in petrol and motorway tolls, hotels etc.  The shows in the South West for example are often less well attended than in the north and whilst it's nice to win it gets a bit boring only meeting the same 6 dogs show after show.  Another thing is access to veterinary services.  I recently helped friend take her litter of 10 dalmatians to Bourges for their PEA deafness testing.  As we don't live far from Toulouse and there is a large veterinary school there, I would have expected we could go there, but no, no machine - so 1000 km round trip setting off at 4.00 am for the obligatory 6 week testing - a right royal pain and very expensive to boot.  Since I've moved here I've given up showing and breeding - no dog club within 50 km radius of us either - as it is all too difficult and time consuming.  Whilst I realise that you will have more time as you are retired it is certainly something to think about if you want to show.  If you are breeding it is also difficult to get people to come from further afield to view the puppies. Your idea for looking after puupies who are waiting to go to UK is a good one - but I think it would be more successful in the north as it would be easier for the new owners to get over for a weekend or two to bond with the new arrivals.  If you want any more info about the doggy scene please feel free to p.m. me Good luck where ever you decide to settle.  

Lynda - if you need any dali info (owner for 32 years myself) please feel free to pm me.  She looks sweet and they are excellent companions for other dogs.  Mischievous though, so if your JR is already naughty they would make a demon team.

It's OK Joy - I put on your other 4lb[:)] - now you know where it has gone!  I have eaten everything and lots of it over Xmas and New Year.  I gave up dieting last year because I just couldn't get motivated, but I really feel like going for it this time.  So lots of exercise, a bit less food and hopefully a lot of weight loss.  I'm never going to be Twiggy and part of my problem is that I don't actually care enough to make to much effort - thin just isn't that important.  But I do need to get rid of the excess so Happy New Year and good luck.

I take the hint Christine!  Can't take her myself but I'll ring and get some more info and distribute it to the dalmatian world! There is also the SPA in Montauban for the original poster - quite a lot of spanielly type dogs round here.  

What a lovely boy.  If I can help with co-voiturage, please let me know. 

Coucou c'est moi, Trevor. This time last year I was alone and in a refuge.  Thanks to Living France, Mrs Animal, Eliana and Arlette, this is me today.  I'm impatiently awaiting under the tree in the hope that a meaty bone will fall down the chimney.  I'm happy in my new home with Kiri and my owners. During 2007 my friends raised 1000 euros to help the other dogs who found themselves in the same refuge as me.  I'd like to raise a toast and wish Merry Christmas to all those who helped me and others like me and to wish you all health, happiness and meaty bones for 2008!   [IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q89/cerise_2007/DSCF0024.jpg[/IMG]

You can carry on and stay with us then.  We do ask people their name and address, but believe what they tell us.  Never ever been asked to prove ID in 30 years of staying in France so guess if I'm breaking the law so are loads of others.  In fact, last year stayed in very nice GdF chambre d'hotes not prebooked just went in off the street and I don't think they even asked us our names! Unless there is a big secret that someone is not telling I don't think there are any new onerous rules for doing table d'hôte either.  Good hygiene and a licence for serving drinks are all that are required.  Our préfecture has got their act together and we've had some fairly fancy paperwork to fill in for the new registration requirements (we were already registered with them and the mairie), but the rules don't seem any different from before. We have 2 dogs and a cockatiel and apart from locking them up during meals (to prevent guests from feeding them!)  they have not proved a handicap either. Although I do do evening meals, I'd like to do a great deal less - very hard work and not that profitable.  The main reason we do it is because there are few local restaurants out of season.  If I lived somewhere with a large number of eating places I'd certainly prefer not to do it.  

Cheers my dear.  Just realised where the venue is so will pop along and find out when I'm in Albi next week.

Where, whenwhat time - where can you get tickets Katie?  Albi is a place near us - and there aren't many places near us[:D]

They'd love it. Last year I bought my dad and my husband terrible electric sports cars that played loud muic tootled round the room opening shutting their doors (10€ each local market)  They OH 47, Dad 82 played nicely all day.  Only got a bit nasty when nephew (9) wanted a go and they couldn't decide whose car he could play with.

Hey I speak French, but I don't consider that a good reason to watch 3 badly dubbed episodes of a dire American soap one after the other.  Pray what is GOOD about French TV.  If I must be addicted I think I'll stay with the BBC[:D]

Tag - I was going to stay out of this horribly personal thread, but since you mention those shying away from the addicted I will say that in a previous life I was married to an alcoholic for 18 years.  A charming man at first but gradually a nightmare that went on and on..  I stayed and tried to help until one day a sensible doctor told me I couldn't save him but I could save myself.  Sadly and reluctantly I did so.  Thirteen years later I have been happily married to someone else for 10 years and can enjoy an occasional drink without fear.  My ex still drinks and even his own family have given up on him.  In the end unless the person themselves is willing to change those trying to help will only get hurt and things won't get better.

Did you do much/any research first? Yes quite a lot Was it all plain sailing? Longwinded and tedious rather than actually difficult. What were the fears? Language for OH (I already spoke French) , ability to make a living. Did you have to change your plans? Yes.   Despite research did not realise how difficult it is to work in France.  I expected to be able to get job (in reality simply told 'too old' aged 47)  Husband managed to get job despite language skills. How did you overcome the problems? Flexibility, good sense of humour and sheer hard work. Did you give up? No Would you recommend it? With caution - would not like to do if a we had to have a mortgage or if we had children. Did you do it alone, with a partner. With partner Could you have managed it alone? Probably Was finance a problem? No - but we had planned .  Dislike earning great deal less whilst cost of living is about the same.  If we had had to borrow could not manage.

Lost 500gr too, but parents arriving tomorrow so less exercise (they can't keep up with me and the dogs on our usual swift walks) and more food.  I''ll keep trying! Good luck to the rest of you.  Lynda - where's my motivational talk?

Wooly - unfortunately it doesn't always work that way and it sounds as though she may spend what is left of her life nursing a bad tempered alcoholic.  It may well finish her off before it does him.  If he won't get help she could try going to the doctor for her own sanity - even if she can't bring herself to leave she may get some support. I wish her well, poor woman.

Tell her to leave.  This is not a flippant comment.  In a previous life I was married to an alcoholic and put up with it for 19 years.  It was always going to get better - but you know it never did.  Eventually a kind doctor pointed out that I couldn't save my ex-husband, but I could save me.  I did and now thank heaven that my last 13 years have been free of that misery.  I've married again to someone who enjoys an occasional drink but for whom it is not his life.  I am sorry that I wasn't able to do anything to help my first husband.   I did try but only the addicted person themselves can change.  If they can't or won't then nothing anyone can say will make a difference.  If she leaves then this might shock him into getting help, sadly if she stays the abuse is simply likely to continue, her life will become a total misery and he will still drink.    

Annual tariff for P5 is 450€ pretty reasonable I thought and navette is every 10 minutes from 4.30 am.   I know this as friends had abonnement in P2 which is being improved so have been advised to take out new abonnement for P5.

Hello - me again.  Well I have only lost 7lb since May - but at least I've lost something and good news I didn't put on any weight on 2 weeks holiday.  So I'm back and need you to keep shouting at me Lynda to try to get rid off the rest of the weight.  If I could lose another half stone by Xmas I'd be ecstatic.  1500 cals a day for me - difficult given that my parents are arriving for a stay next week and my mum has Jewish Mother Syndrome - "Eat, eat, you must eat" so   Have a good week everyone and keep smiling - difficult when it is cold and chocolate is off the menu.