David584

It has just been announced on the ITV news that BA check in staff are considering strike action over the August British bank holiday weekend. The union are taking a "peace package" to BA to avoid this strike action. In the words of the union leader, if the strike goes ahead, "It will shut the airline down". Anyone considering using BA to travel over the August British Bank Holiday weekend, please take note. David

Makes me wonder how the French authorities would react to someone wishing to register a Vauxhall duel fuel vehicle, i.e. one that has been purposely built by the manufacturer as a duel fuel vehicle such as the Vauxhall Astra?

As I am visiting the country next month, I have - despite comments from other members - followed Scoobydo's recommendation and ordered the CD's. I certainly need to improve my scant knowledge of the language so I will see how I fair with the package. If it improves my knowledge then wonderful. If not, tough. But there again, nothing ventured nothing gained!!!! David

"Politeness does not cost anything and it is manners that maketh the person"

Kevinmc GPS is fine, however unlike the tachograph, it is not recognised as a legal document. To fit a tachograph to a car is a VERY expensive option. It also means a severe modification to the dashboard of your pride and joy. Also there has has to be a fitment between the gearbox and the device to ensure its calibration. This calibration also has to be checked at least every two years (in the UK) to ensure that the tachograph is accurate. This is also accompanied by a certification sticker that has to be displayed on the vehicle. Are you really prepared to have to carry an adequate supply of tachographs in your car at all times as required by law? In addition to that, you will also have to carry a minimum of 7 days previous charts and also have to account for the days in which you do not use the vehicle. Another consideration is that you will have to complete ALL the fields on the chart i.e. your name, place of departure, place of end of journey, the date started, the date ended and the start and end kilometres covered along with the total covered. Bear in mind that your name, your place of departure, the date of your departure and your start kilometres have to be recorded on that chart BEFORE you commnce your journey. Failure to complete all these fields at the end of the day is an offence Yes a tachograph can cover multiple journies - you just leave the chart in the device - but you have to be au fait with the mode switch. Will anyone else drive the vehicle? If so, and you are not present on the vehicle, then your chart has to come out, be completed and theirs inserted. You also have to ensure that you take the chart out before the end trace pattern meets the start trace pattern. Drivers hours will not apply to you for the simple reason that the regulations (EEC 543/69 and EEC 1463/70) only apply to goods vehicle and passenger carrying vehicles. Having said all that, there is no legal requirement for a standard motor car to be fitted with a tachograph device. You may find it extremely hard to find a company who will fit such a device. I am not saying that it is impossible but probably rather difficult. Any suppliers of such devices will probably turn round and say "You want do what???" How do I know all this?? I am a retired police officer who was also a traffic officer - I specialised in tachograph offences. I am also a part time coach driver who endeavours to stay up to date with changes with tachograph legislation. David

Terry - there is a lot I could say in reply to that. However as I wish to remain a member of this forum I will, by way of a change, keep my sledgehammer diplomatic mouth shut!!! Tee Hee!! David

Over priced is right. I am taking a holiday in Basse Normandie next month and did the Internet rounds of those operators who offer transport to France. P&O quoted me 195.36 for a seven day return on the Dover/Calais route. Speedferries quoted me 95.00 for the same period on the Dover/Boulogne route - and Boulogne is half an hour closer by road to my destination. No prizes for guessing which one I booked!!! Having read the Daily Telegraph article, I am surprised that Robert Wood used the terminology "Froggies". The article makes it clear that the French are responsible for the majority of the ferry company's income. By using his description of the French in what I would term as a derogatory manner, I wonder how much further financial damage is going to be done to this branch of the company. And will this push prices even higher still??? David

I have just checked the Sky listings - that program is on tonight at 10.30pm BST and as far as the listings allow, it would appear that it is being shown every night at that time. David

LAST EDITED ON 11-Aug-04 AT 07:30 PM (BST) I recall some many, many, many years ago (but possibly not that many!!), there was a plastic walling system featured on television. This comprised of interlocking plastic bricks that you filled with sand (for the weight otherwise it would blow away in the slightest breeze) and due to its fascia, you could build an imitation drystone/York stone wall to make a raised flower bed. I want to be able to use such a product to make a raised flower bed as my bricklaying has to be seen to be believed!!!! Bearing in mind that I live in the UK, I have searched the Internet for UK sites, but to date cannot find such a product. Does anyone know where I might obtain such a product? Or was this one of those products that featured on Tomorrow's World (now that is going back some!!) and never got off the ground? (If you will excuse the pun!!!) David

Hi there. Have you tried manually tuning this channel by going to services and selecting option 6 ? I appreciate that this may not be the ideal solution but if it works then you get the channel. David

Have a look at this site http://www.satcure.com It can be a bit of a minefield but I'm sure you will find your answer there. David

According to the DVLA site the the directive is called European Directive 1999/37/EC.

Have a look at this particular topic, possibly the author might be able to assist you. http://www.livingfrance.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=273&forum=DCForumID23&archive=yes David

My next door neighbours are off to Italy today (Sunday). By shopping around for the "tourist" rate of exchange they got 1.45 to 1.00 and that was last Wednesday. Since then the Pound has slightly deteriorated against the Euro. At the time of writing, http://www.xe.com is quoting a mid rate of 1.49273 to 1.00. As to what rate you will be able to get depends upon how much money you wish to convert from GBP to Euro. To transfer a large amount to say a bank account in France, it is worth your while having a search on the Internet to see what companies are available for such transactions. Then make enquiries with them to see how much they charge for such transactions AND what rate they will give you. You have not said in your post if you wish to covert small amounts - which would normally attract "tourist" rates - or if you wish to transfer a large amount say for a house purchase. Commercial rates differ greatly from the tourist rates so, depending on the mid rate of the Euro to the Pound, 1.50 to 1.00 can be achieved, but again timing is of the essence and it pays to watch what the mid rates are doing. I'm sorry to say that I cannot be of anymore help than this. Needless to say exchange rates can be quite volatile. David

May I be the first to offer my congratulations to your family and yourself. I hope that you will all be very happy in the Dordogne. From one who is still stranded in the UK!!!! David

This is what we call in th UK an "artifice burglary" or distraction burglary. In the UK it is usually aimed at those who are aged 70 plus and allegedly, are far too easy a target. Whoever the offenders were in this case, had done their research and knew at what time of day to commit this offence. Irrespective of the country in which this happens, it is a blow to one's self esteem and far more so to those who have relocated to another country and find themselves victims of such an offence. No weedon, I am not suggesting that we have a whip round in order to replace what these unfortunate people have lost. What I will say is this, when such an event happens (God forbid), that each and everyone one of us should be more sympathetic to the victims of such a crime. David

Check your private inbox. David

By using a search engine I appear to have found Gerard Mang's company details which can be found here: http://www.cstb.fr/app/interbat_batibase/Fiche_soc.asp?id_soc=6772 Perhaps by making direct contact with them, they might be able to advise you as to whether the part you are looking for is still manufactured. Good luck. David

Go to this site http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/drivers.htm and all will be explained.

The 1812 overture complete with cannon at full volume!!!