David M

...we bought a 5 litre bottle of linseed oil from Les Mousquetaire BricoMarche... If the oak is dry...   would you paint/spray/rub it with terebenthine first?  I don't know I'm just asking... I mean I would definitely do that if I were applying a wax to a thirsty wood... and I recently applied linseed oil (and burnished it) to a kitchen chopping table but it wasn't old and thirsty... or is this like mixing oil and water... in which case would you wet the oak before adding the oil, so that as the wood "dries" it draws the oil in? anyone any thoughts?  I've a few smoked or painted beams I'm about to sandblast this Jan... David

[quote]Dave A couple of questions as we will be doing something very similar next year with around 80 sq m. Did you use a compactor on the gravel and how deep did you lay it. Are you planning to use rea...[/quote] Hiya Alan gravel... we discussed this a lot with various people...including one of my business clients whom are a very large building consultants...  in the end we went for a 20mm smooth pebble...to allow easy compacting...we were laying on compacted clay... to a variable depth of 40 to 100 mm.  We were originally aiming for 100mm minimum, but it was clear we were working with an old beaten clay floor, (at least 200 years old) so we decided to keep that and not fetch too much out... the deeper areas where were we investingated various things in the floor to make sure it was ok... and dig out the odd "time-team" artifact... anyway you are prohibited by law from digging down more than a metre We compacted it with boots... and a couple of 7 Kg hammers....ours was such a relatively small area and a shallow depth so I don't know if a compactor would have helped at all... we also try to make such things a bit social... time for drinks and chat.. then we followed the same process with the sand... finishing with a couple of wood and aluminium section levellers...  we are both travelliing/working now so we've left it for a month... but I did the same with my mothers house in around 1974 and it still seems to be ok... Ready mix yes.... I've done this before... with my dad, and two cousins...and we were all fit and young then... this time there is likely to be only three of us and not so young... we didn't even consider readymix... it's not really viable for us... It would be going off before it got here... So we bought a cement mixer... our advisers tell us that we should easily manage the first part (22sq metres) in a little over half a day... I think the time consuming part will be making sure the armature is ok... I last did this about 4 years ago in Ireland, and that's what took the time... that and vibrating...we will use additive fluidifiers...to help it run smoothly....we've thought about using a vibration wand, but decided against it, we are going to just bash it with the floats... at the moment we are using brick to set the depth of the armature, but I believe platic widgets are available in the UK, so I'm going to take a look when I've over there in December... we'll work from one corner and always keep a wet edge... you could of course subdivide the work area with wooden battons (which you could use for your levels) and then do each area over a different day, though you would need to plan your cable path to suit, it shouldn't be difficult.  You'd need to reove the battons and fill-in to finish - but you'll need to do that anyway with your levels. Hope that helps... I know a few people are interested so I'll try to keep you all posted on progress.. I was hoping to do a brief this weekend, but work intervened... we are planning to do the next bit at the begining of the new year...work permitting... David

Thanks for all this... it's a real time saver... and really appreciated. D

Yes we already have the TMS... it's a styrofoam product, like the DOW... it's supposed to have a lead-setting U value for its thickness/density...the particular one we have comes tongue and groove and with a special skin (not foil backed) presumable for handling the radiated heat...and designed specifically for the type of heating (inscreed cable) that we are installing... ...actually we looked at several products... in the end it came down to how we rated the supplier... that' why we ended up with the TMS... ... however a project for later this year ...might.. be to install insolation to the loft... the new roof goes on in Jan (5.5% or no!) and we are putting a sandwich insulation material under the ardois (slate) principally to reflect heat from the sun (it gets incredibly hot in there in the summer) ... everyone is saying that will be enough... but I suspect we will want something else to retain heat in the winter...styrofoam might just be the answer.... I'll take a look at Dow again then... so thanks for the pointer.... D

  never... I forget I really am obsessive... it helps to get reminded from time to time...

Hi everyone About a month ago, I got some really helpful replies to an extensive query about rewiring our house. Things have moved on and I have another query (or five), at the end of this post; but first a bit of update. Certification....When I suggested I might want to go for NF C15-100 certification from the EDF, I got some advice from gurus on this board...not to try... visits from two local french electricians later, I have to tell you the poor guys almost had heart attacks at the very idea that we would try for certification...so it seems to be a universal dread...thanks for the heads-up. Underfloor heating... We have bottomed the technology and supply of all this and are well on our way with the installation now... if anyone is interested, I'll glady post a brief with details of the floor, the materials, tools, technique and costs... This is easily a DIY project...just needs patience and time... Encastrer....I had these grand ideas that we would use flexible gaine and bury all our cabling in the walls... ok so a bit naive ... I know that now... said electricians (whom are going to work with us, and whom are extremely helpful) demonstrated how our internal walls would collapse if we attempted to use a raineureuse to bury a gain of length of more than a metre or so...then after a careful inspection of our stone walls, just said something that sounded like  faire courir un grand danger à ... so I gathered they thought the idea of using a raineureuse on this stone a tad less than good for ones well being.. ..anyway I thought "what do they know?"... and set about a little trial with a meulleuse (angle grinder) about 90 minutes later, I'd managed about 40cms of enough track for ONE 25mm gaine...and yes I was dressed up like a Xmas tree and yes I was sweating...ok... so they did know what they were saying... and yes it would take me until Xmas 2056 to get it all done.. poser un câble, vide and cloison were the other words I sussed, among lots of other stuff,  from which I gathered they were saying (a) there are areas where we can use gaine succesfully, and we are going to do that and (b) we should use existing voids wherever possible and create them with partitions, false walls, pannelling and the like when we can't find something already there... ...which people on this forum had already hingted at... thank you for letting me get there on my own...now you can stick in a few penneth because I'll understand better what you are saying... Ok... then PLAN B... create a 150mm false wall in the kitchen (its under renovation anyway, no difficulty) use this to route all utilities.. in fact we if we route our electical circuits in here, we can use this as a way of routing to four other critial areas of the house... and all with easy maintenace access...great solution and underway... The rest is still a bit of a problem though... in some parts of the house we have enough existing voids to route cable for all our services  (lights, power, specialised power etc)... but in others it will be less easy.. and here are my two, maybe two hundred and two, queries... Les goulottes, les moulures et les plinthes.... I've managed to get my head around some of the regs concerning the deployment of this stuff.. but am still swiming in a fair amount of confusion, je pense aussi, que c'est vraiment vilain, talk about total lack of imagination by these manufacturers...what they see is what you get... anyway 'nother story... question 1: If I use cable (rather than single conductors) are there any circumstances in which I may run the cable in gulottes, moulures or plinthes? question 2: What constitues a vide?  For example if I bring a feed (by single conductors in gaine) to a junction box, behind a cloison, may I then switch to cable, cut a groove (route a channel) in the back of a skirting board (for example) and then up a door jamb to a surface mounted light switch?  How much flexbility is there for me to make cable (not single conductors) coverings in wood? Queston 3:  Cable bundling... I'm going to have about 16 circuits (ie 2.5mm2 cables) running paralled through two rooms on their way to/from apparatus in other parts of the house, some of this will run behind a cloison, some behind pannelling.  If this is properly attached to the wall, with fittings that will not compress the cable, am I allowed to bundle it, or must it remain flat. Question 4: Canals and floors.  Our ebeniste isn't too happy with the idea of panneling being used to hide cable... he things it's going to spoil the look of the pannelling (actualy he's right).  The alternative is to create a canal in the floor, and run the cabling along the canal... but I think I read that this was specifically prohibited in the NF... is that so?  Is there a way in which I can run cable in floor.... this will be concrete covered by tile.... I'm limited by space because of the minimum safe distance of any cable to the installed heating cable....finally I've looked at other routes (such as false beams) but these are not really feasable as the cabling is running contra to the actual 300/200mm poutre of the building...So How can I put cable into the floor? Question 5: General....Theoretically changing from single conductor in gaine, to cable, is easy, I just do it at a junction box (boite de branchement) but in practice this isn't going to be so easy...especially since I want to abide by the rules ... any general thoughts...? cautions...? warnings....? As usual all thoughts are welcome... I'm exploring everything... David

That would be right Nev... I'm 55 I started using internal email around 1969.. you know.. hacking someone else share of the server, but didn't become a serious user until the mid 70's and could afford my own account until October 78... I think... The Post Office had 11 public email servers at the time, I had an account on one in Birmingham (I think... memory is going) called Keats... they were all called after poets. Emails to the US generally took a day or so, as they were passed on from server to server... I forget the name of the protocol now.. I used it until around 1979... later it migrated to x.400 and I think there were about 300 of us the UK, and then my first direct internet connection arrived around 1984 (well in advance of www) when I got connected to JANet (Joint Academic Network) through Imperial College in London.. and my first CDLC modem for mobile comms... ... so I get kind of frustrated when things don't seem to me to have moved on much.. D

We're just halfway through the middle of this... because of the kind of problems identified and because our suppliers are so helpful, we decided to do it ourselves... We had a mixture of wooden floor boards (dry rot) and early C20 concrete on original beaten clay. We identified the cause of the damp and went about a fix (1) we spent about €2800 on a gel injection damp course that seems to have been extremely succesful and (2) with help and advice from our local Marie and direct labour department, we started a DIY improvement on our land drainage.  I'd guess we spent less than €50 on that, which had an immediate beneficial effect, but we will be putting in some small land drains this summer. Then we used a chainsaw to fetch up the floor (new quality saw cost us around €200) and rented an electric hammer to fetch up the concrete floor.  (3 day rental, plenty for 50 sq metres, was a little over €100). Shovels, picks, masonry tools, cost us about another €100 (including 32€ for a 2000w 230mm angle grinder for cutting some stone) And then about €157 for a skip for a week to get rid of the buidling rubble (€8 a tonne disposal tax).  We got rid of all the bad wood in the local benne with the permission of the Maire... no charge.. and sawed up the rest for firewood. We paid around €108  for 4 tonne (I think) for gravel and a similar amount for sand.  We laid and levelled the gravel, and blinded it with the sand.  It cost us around €70 for a number of levels, including a really useful laser level and for planks for walking on. Now we are laying a non permeable membrane on the floor, to stop any rising damp, we are foding it up the side of the wall to rise beyond the walls damp course... All that's needed now is the screed.  In our case we've decided to use this as an opportunity to install underfloor accumulation heating (heures creuses), so we are laying 47mm insolation board (specific for under floor heating) (from TMS) which I think is around €19 a square metre, then on top of that goes about 80mm of screed in which is set a steel armature (to stop the concrete fracturing) attached to which is the Vivrelec approved heating cable. The cable will have three control areas which will add to the cost... but should be around €1200..the screed (with fluidifiers) and armature I'm expecting to cost us around €250, we spent about another €200 on a cement mixer, floats and other tools. So at the moment I'm guestimating that the whole job of about 48sq m will cost us around €3000 to cure the damp problem €755 for the basic materials for the floors €2050 for the heating related parts €600 on tools Just looking at the floor part, we will probably lay the floors for less than €1500 and spend about 262 hours doing it (3 of us)... Additionally we've over-bought on 20mm quarry tiles, (2 palettes) because it was much cheaper by the palette at about €1800 for the two. And we've commissioned a number of steps in local "used" stone at about €150 a step plus the masons charge for installing.. but these are added "luxury" details..  it's been great fun though.. this is not something we would usually do...there's dust everywhere.. and we had to move the kitchen into the entree for a while.. but hey.. we will get our Vivrelec standard electric storage heating fully tiled floors for less around €5500... oh did I say I ache a bit... a lot actually...

Well I think I might be a tad offended by this remark Chrissie  Getting these things right is not at all obsessive... I mean, dropping in to Dublin this week to review a couple of cafes here is just what I do for fun... and popping over to Warsaw next week because my brother in law says he's found a great coffee house in the old town... I mean I wouldn't call that obsessive... Or detouring to Oslo on my way to Sweden to have a coffee in Pascals with my other brother in law.. even that I don't think is obsessive... but I guess I admit, that catching a flight out to a small island just of the coast of East Africa, early next year, just to see how my beans are doing... you're right.. that is a bit sad... ..guess I need to get a life... But really hope he enjoys his coffee whatever you get him... D

I don't think it's a stupid question at all Ron... There are two issues here (1) how many email accounts do you have? and (2) do actions to that account, undertaken in different applications (like say IE and then Outlook) synchronise? In other words, if I send a mail, or delete a mail in one application accessing may account, do the results show up in another application? I'm assuming you both use the same email account.  So the short answer to your question is; Yes, one person could delete an email before another has had chance to see it.  Precisely because you are using only one account. If you don't want that to happen, you should get an email account each.  This would give you an email address each and other people would write to either you or your wife.  But I realise that you may not want "separate" mail like that, so if you do this and still want to share you emails, you can.. set up two accounts only issue the one email address automatically forward all mail sent to the one email address to the second email address (mailbox) as well as keeping it in the original mailbox. - so the mail goes to both mail boxes (unfortunately not all ISPs will provide you with the facility, you will need to check) (you could create a two person distribution list, but this is probably a bit over the top) Make sure that in your second mailbox that your reply to address is set to the email address of the first mailbox.If you do this, all mails sent from either of you will show the one reply address... this will be the address of the first mailbox.  All mails received will go the the first mailbox but be copied to the second.  So you would both always get the same mails, be mailing with the same identity, but be able to treat what you did with incoming mails differently. (How you do this will depend on the application you use). One final point on that, you will need to remember to copy your partner in on all mail sent so that you both have copies of sent mails in your sent mail folder.  However some ISPs will let you also copy all mail sent, to your own mailbox, which save you having to do this. The problem with synchronising what happens to your mail when you access it with different mail tools/clients (eg IE or Outlook) is a litte more complex.  Such mail actions can be either completely synchronised, not synchronised at all, or somewhere in the middle - usually nearer to the not-synchronised-at-all end. Most ISPs will not offer any synchronising facility.  Most ASPs (application services providers) most certainly will... but it does cost.  I expect to be able to synchronise my mail irrespective of the device I use to access it... In the case of Wanadoo (though I don't know) I assume if you use Outlook, with the POP3 protocol to collect your mail you will get a chance to either remove it from the server when you download to Outlook or leave it there.  So if you remove it when you use Outlook and then your partner uses IE to access the mail, nothing will be there.. not deleted exactly, just removed from the server, down to your local PC. Other mailbox protocols like IMAP4 (but not in every case, if I rember correctly) will also let you choose to keep mail on the server, but delete it when you are seen to delete it from your Outlook. It's all a bit messy I'm afraid. I've been using public email since 1978 and it amazes me how little peoples expectations of it have advanced.  Most ISPs still seem to offer the same old protocols and inbox/outbox facilities that the UK Post Office were supplying me back almost 30 years ago. Today I get my email, fax, telex, x.400, voicemail, SMS, multimedia messaging, all to the one account, I can access it from virtually any connected device anywhere in the world, including Antarctica, but I had to set up my own server to do it... SMTP...you may see references to this.. this is the de-facto strandard protocol for SENDING mail on the internet.  (Simple Mail Transport Protocol).  When you are not using IE, whatever mail client you are using will use this protocol to SEND your mail, either directly to the server that holds the recepient mail account or to a proxy/smart server that handles it for you like Wanadoo. ... I never know how much information people want in these situations.. so sorry if this is just too much... I wrote it stuck in a queue in a ferry terminal... regards David

 Is it true that you have to have to have a SAGEM?... No Ron, any compatible WiFi adapter should work... the livebox (who thought that name up?) operates to a couple of standards commonly referred to as 802.11b and 802.11g  (These are IEEE standards published orginally back in 1985, and since re-issued by the ISO). 802.11 is the Wireless LAN standard.  They include 11b, 11a and 11g (there are others).  The 11a is NOT suitable for your livebox, the other two are.  (b and g operate on a 2.4 Ghz frequency whereas a runs at 5 Ghz.) 11b with give you up to 11Mbps throughput over a range of 30-50 metres.  In practice the best you will get is 6Mbps and if you are some distance or the otherside of a stone wall, it may drop as low as 1Mbps. 11g will give you 54 Mbps again over 30-50metres...but in reality you have to be quite close to get the best performance. None of this tends to make much difference if you are just browsing the internet, these speeds are faster than your average internet connection anyway. So any Wireless NIC (network interface card) designed for a modern PC running MS XP will do the job, if it says it's 802.11b or 802.11g This could be a USB dongle (usually reserved for notebooks), An external box with an antena and a USB plug connecte to your PC, a PCMCIA (now called PC cards, credit card sized cards used in notebooks), or a PCI card (fits into the computer) with either an antenna attached, or one on a cable to let you move it around to get best reception. There are plenty of manufacturers, Sagem is one, also Linksys, NetGear, Belkin and so on.  I personally use all of those and a couple of other less well known (including my Nokia 9500 mobile phone) to connect to my livebox. The only difficulty in configuring is in (a) entering your WEP key.  This was printed on the side of your livebox packaging and inside the CD case when you took delivery.  It encrypts the data transferred between you PC and the livebox, to stop people like me sniffing and reading your data, and (b) I think that the livebox is set-up by default to use access control, so you may need to enter the MAC address of your new NIC into the access control dialog of your livebox.  The MAC address (Media Access Control) for an ethernet card (ie your new wireless lan card/adapter or whatever you buy) is a 48 digit identity number dispayed as 12 digits of hexadecimal.  It;s unique and is put on their by the manufacturer from a range of numbers given to it by the IEEE.   So it should look something like this:  00-30-05.65-53-D1 (made up example) You should see it printed on the network card, or you can find it by using the IPConfig/all command in an XP command prompt window. The point about this access control is that it stops other people connecting to your network through your livebox... all ISPs should be so conscientious... One final point about the livebox, is that since the online upgrade from Wanadoo earlier this year, the Wifi has become quiet flakey, and at the moment I'm having to deactivate/reactive the wifi service in the livebox about 3 or 4 times a week.  This has got so bad that I've reverted to cable connections for two pcs. Hope that helps regards David

Hi Chrissie This depends so much on how dedicated an espresso drinker that he is.  And in a way he'll never really know until he's had his own espresso maker for a while.  So there are a few things to think about in choosing a machine.... the price range is very wide, but you can get a good Italian made starter machine for under €150discount in the UK and a substantial mult-user (home version) for around £750.  I haven't yet found a source in France.  You can of course pay €3000 for a domestic machine. There are lots of variables to making espresso (its from the Italian and refers to the way the coffee flavour is extracted from the bean, rather than the speed at which it is made).  Most espresso addicts start with as many things as possible being fixed, such as using an electric rather than a manual pump, reputed brand blended ground coffee (loose or in pods) rather than beans.  These things help you get a good result most times... you can still vary which coffee you buy and for how many seconds you run your pump when serving your coffee. So here are some things to think about... in no special order...  Will he want manual or pump?  Most beginers prefer a pump to begin with... that way you get a consistent flow of water through the coffee grounds.  I think someone has already said minimum pressure of 15/18 bar... Will he want to leave it switched on all the time.  If he's a real dedicated drinker, he'll want his shot first thing in the morning, which means he'll want everthing warm, that's the handle that holds the coffee and the cups as well as the water... that means leaving it on overnight... I live in two homes, mine are only swithced off when I'm not at home. ... that also suggest that it should have a brass boiler... will need critical parts made of metal not plastic (which warps and discolours when left on continuously) and will need a place to put the cups so that they get warmed to the right temparature (nothing worse than a cold cup lowering the temperature of your drink).  It also means that the water is warm all the time, and not just heated when it is placed into the cup, as on cheaper models... ... most steam jet frothers on starter machines are not very successful, they tend to work from the same boiler and create so much hot water rather than steam that they dilute the milk you are trying to froth... And if you don't intend to have it plumbed in, you'll want one that is easy to fill with water, easy to see the water level and easy to top up... dedicated drinkers will keep their water fresh... Most modern machines will use both ESE pods, both Illy and Gaggia make pods that produce very acceptable flavours, but you only get 1 fluid ounce from them, so you end up making two shots to get the usual 2 fluid ounce shot you'll get from a ground coffee. (An espresso requires 7 grams of coffee grounds to 1 fluid ounce of water at something like 93C pressurised through the coffee at between 15 and 18 bar.  Most espresso (solo) in cafes will be 2 fluid ounces, 4 for a "grande".  (I didn't mix the metric/imperial the industry did) Gaggia is about the only serious begginer manufacturer I would recommed for anyone who is more than a causal drinker of espresso.  Check them out at http://www.gaggia.co.uk.  Look for the special offers, the do their Cubika from around £99 and the "Classic" from around £150... these are "reconditioned" machines (I think they are returns), and the Classic is especially good value... they have the main features you would want, 15 or 18 bar pump, brass boiler, cup warming plate, take grounds and pods, mainly metal, solid construction... If you are willing to pay more, or are looking for a particular style, you could try La Pavoni (www.lapavoni.com) have some very traditional brass/copper/chrome styles... if he's a modernist, then the Allessi Coban designed by Richard Sapper is just brilliant.  I use one at home in Ireland and the only reason I don't have one in France is because my wife likes the look of the LaPavoni brass and copper hand pumps in our kitchen. http://www.alessi.com  At around €500 they are not cheap, but they have all the qualities a lone espresso drinker needs. You can buy the grounds model and get an extra handle for the pods for about another €25. If you get a grinder, it MUST be a birr grinder or mill, the ones with blades just do not produce a fine enough mill... ... a nice touch is a good cup.  I use china.  In Ireland a set from the Night and Day range by Wedgewood, and in France a set commissioned by the Barcelona museum... both are so superior to the thick chuncy cups you get in cafe's and do make a difference to the drinking experience...both hold enough for 2 fluid ounces of espresso and a little milk for the odd time I want a little froth...(with ground espelette chocolate and cinnamon bark) By the way, Francesco Illy invented the fist automatic espresso machine in Trieste in 1935... Hope that helps David

Great. you can come and do mine. David

...aaahh I see you made two entries to this post... and it's already been answered ... D

I'm not an expert, but I thought NF C15-100 said that the va-et-vient (multiple switches, one light arrangement) was only suitable for two switches, and that for anything more you needed to use a télérupteur.   I think you will find something on the Hager site, but I'm afraid I don't have a direct link: http://www.hager.fr , you could also try the LeGrand site.  Both have helpful little videos on a lot of their products.   No doubt other forum users will have more detailed advice.   Regards David

Climbing Eretzu today (SW, Soule, Pays Basque), I had the usual company of Vautour Fauve (Griffon Vultures) (around a dozen), woodland birds (Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, usual run of tits, chats and finches and other little brown blobs), Choughs and a few unidentifed raptors... good day all in all... except as my wife Natasha, and I began to descend from the summit, above us arrived a flock of Red Kites, (Milan Royal).  I counted 23 before I gave up.... there were more.. but estimating is difficult when you are gazing directly above, and your footing on the mountain is a bit unsure..it must have been the last of them gathering up for their migration south... I've never seen this before...I think the cloudy weather in November generally hides them.. we normally only encounter them in small numbers.  Today, they just used the thermals off Eretzu to gain some height and were gone... leaving the vutures scouring the lower slopes... Amazing site... David

I think I'd be tempted to clean it, with a non-residue soap/detergent and then paint it with a breathable paint.  And see what happens. During the last 18 months of our renovation, we've encountered 4, possilbly 5 different types of stains on our walls.  They come in 3 textures and 4 colours. On the lower parts of the stone walls in the house we have effervescent plaster.  That I'm certain is saltpetre.  In the outbuildings we have dark granular stains near the floor and a very light beige discolourating near the ceilings. Back in the house on the top floor near the tops of the walls we have light brown patches (as you describe) and other areas that look like fossilised tree roots. The cause of all of this we believe is different types of damp (humidité as the locals say with a smile).  18 months ago the walls measured at over 85% humidity.  Drilling a hole brought out a stone slurry.  The causes we are certain were bad land drainage (cured), rising damp (cured with gel injection) and a leaking roof (temporary repairs and a new roof underway) The effervescing plaster in the house we have had to remove, it was no longer adhering to the walls.  We'll give the walls another 6 months, test for humidity and replaster if we are below 10% humidity. The effervescing plater and the light beige stains in the outbuilds, we treated with products containing "piolite" a year ago.  It's all held fine and there don't appear to be any problems, we only treated the affected areas, leaving the walls other places to breath.  But we are reluctant to use the product indoors because it really does prevent the walls from breathing. The dark granular stains on the old limestone walls of the outbuilding which were also treated with piolite (3 generous coats) have returned after a year. We think it may be a fungus. Similar external areas we treated with a fungicide in the early spring all look perfect. The fossilised tree roots, were diagnosed as a fungus due to damp coming into the wall from above.  The leaking roof was temparily repaired.  The wall dried, the stain quite litterly brushed off with light sanding, and the plaster is intact and still adhering well to the wall. So to come back to your query.  The light brown stain hasn't changed in 18 months. The paster sounds sound;but  I don't think it's a result of saltpetre, but I do think it's a humidity stain.  I'm going to treat it with a fungicide and paint it with a non sealing paint (no vinyl) and just see what happens The point about all this story is that there seem to be a whole variety of dicolourations (mineral and organic) encouraged by humidity. And as Skye says you need to cure the cause... and the only treatment for saltpetre leeching from plaster, is to remove the plaster... so paint it and wait. David

I think it’s a question of understanding and evaluating the threat and your own vulnerability and then just modifying your behaviour accordingly. We’ve all learned to keep our eye on our wallets and purses in crowded streets for example. I have been a victim of identity theft twice in the last 20 years, I’m much more savvy now. But in both cases I was uniquely placed to serve a particular need, l wasn’t a random choice.   But you do need to be sensible about connecting your computer to the internet – I mean you wouldn’t let a child out on the street without teaching them at least some rudiments of road safety. Using computers is really no different – you put yourself at varying levels of risk and its simply a matter of learning to manage risks just as you would shopping in a busy city street.   But be aware, you are at risk.  A couple of months or so ago, I was flying home from Dublin. The flight was late and I took the opportunity to test out just how many people were using laptops in the departure lounge and how many were secure.   There were 4, 3 men and a woman. I could have told you their names, addresses, nationality, age, employer, name of spouse or partner, and what they were dong tomorrow. In one case, I could even have stolen his ferry e-ticket. And yes they were all using Windows XP. And for ADSL users there are other vulnerabilities where there is a small risk that the processing ability of your computer can be stolen  -to process spam for example.   But the answer is simple, though it does take a little money and a little application. but nothing too technical or overcomplicated.  You need to get an all-in-one security application. One that will help defend you against virus attack, spam, other malicious code or malware and intrusion.  I use something called F-Secure Client Security. Updating it each year gives me continual antivirus updates but the security part would continue to work even if I didn’t update my sub. When you install it, it will stop all network traffic except internet browsing, Then each time your computer tries to do something new there will be a pop-up asking if you want to allow this (either this time, or every time). That’s, how you create and configure new firewall rules. It’s very straight forward but you may need to take time to understand what it’s doing. Now F-secure client security is easy to use, but it is a professionals product so your retailer may never here heard of it. But they may be familiar with similar products from other vendors. Providing you are prepared to spend a little time reading the manuals these products will become transparent in use  –but you will be protected   Regards, David

Excellent guys… thank you for the response.  They are exactly what I was looking for.  So ...   1)      Parafoudre.  Dept 64, aerial cable supply, bright blue skies at night.  If it’s not compulsory for us, it should be. 2)      Each interrupteur protects a single circuit:  I’d do it as good practice 4)  Ring Circuit:  No rings! Undertood, but I can daisy-chain my sockets.  I can put 8 (single or double) prise murale on a single 2.55mm2/20Amp circuit, but good practice would be to limit it to 6.  Am I going to have difficulty putting 2 x 2.5mm2 wires into the terminals in a prise mural?  Am I going to swear a lot? … I don’t normally: 5) 1.5mm2 circuits.  Yes I take all points. Thank you. I see why (appropriately protected) 1.5mm2 would be offered by the Norme.   No daisy chaining of lights:   The NF manual I have, definitely shows NO chaining of lights at the ceiling rose (boite plafond).  (Though I have not actually looked at a DCL to see if it is actually offering branchement)  Where the manual does show a daisy-chain by branchement, it shows it as a circuit to a second bulb, activated by the same interrupteur (switch) as the first. In other words you can “chain” lights as for example from a telerupteur It seems to be that in the preferred schema the lights is to deliver the feed first to the interrupteur, and then to the light fitting, and that the feed goes on from interrupteur to interrupteur not from DCL to DCL.   I realize this is not the manner of a house in the UK where BS ceiling rose are designed with built in terminal posts to support the application of a ring running from rose to rose.  But my home in Ireland uses UK style hardware (switches and roses) but the ring, runs from switch to switch, and deploys loose terminal blocks to make the necessary connections not otherwise supported by the UK hardware. (it also makes a very sloppy arrangement at the ceiling rose, which does not have a pattress or a boite). So this is an arrangement with which I am familiar. So I think I’ll work that way, unless someone tells me I’m wrong.  I’ll run the gaine from the coffret to a point above (or below) the first interrupteur, then I’ll form a branch to that from the main feed.  The alternative (non-Forme); of daisy chaining interrupteur, would obviously force an undesirable increase in gaine size from interrupteur to boite de branchement in the main feed as wires fed, down it and back up again to maintain the circuit. And I see no advantages in the alternative of running the feed via the DCL. Other stuff: Rather than work piecemeal.  I decided to remove most of the existing installation and install temporary cable, with the intention of creating a complete new wiring installation over the next 6 months. Then we’ll just switch the EDF branchement over to the new coffret.   Question then: Although I understand I do not need to do this, is it a hassle to get a new certification for the property?  How would I go about it.?   And one other loose question. If any of you feel you have the time to answer… some time ….It will be appreciated…It’s really about esthetics, because I don’t now what products are available on the market, or the regs that govern their installation….   Electrification of the Pyrenees means I’ll get to make a tidy job of the whole installation around the EDF bran

[quote]I have been trying to buy a new PC sourced in the UK and shipped to France, for various reasons. There are many sources that have websites but when I email them to ask if they ship to France I get no ...[/quote] If you buy in the UK you may just want to check-out the warranty. While some EU manufacturers have genuine international or EU-wide warranties, others will require that you "return the PC to base". And you will incur shipping charges for return of the PC to the UK for repair. because they will only honour the warranty in the country in which the PC was purchased. You will also find that warranties differ from product to product from the same manufacturer. David

[quote]Right, we are all ADSLed up and cooking on gas! What I am now looking for is a half-decent radio station to listen to online. Out here in the boonies we have only a limited choice of music radio - Alo...[/quote] My wife Natasha is an addict of Nostalgie . . . so's her dad! David

Hi all This is going lo be a bit long,  but I’m looking for some very specific advice \ information about electrical domestic wiring structure, specifically about the structure of a circuit.  I’m unclear about what I’ve read on the subject, and am confused by apparent contradictions in the example schema & wiring diagrams in various books and manuals.   The wiring in my house seems to date from the last renovation (1870)! It needs a complete new installation, which I’d like to do in accordance with the current NF standard (last revised 6/2004, I think).   I understand most of it from the Promotolec NFC15-100 “For Dummies” edition, and useful websites such as Hager and Legrand.  I have previously wired houses with and without ring mains in other countries. I will appoint an electrician to complete and test, I will buy fittings locally, but   a)      I will want to plan the schema myself (amending it according to advice from a local electrician) b)      I will want to do all of the wire routing (gaine installation (flexible conduit)) myself,   So here is the nub. Have I understood the following correctly?   1)      It is a single phase installation. After the EDF disjoncteur (500mA circuit breaker), the installation will be protected by a parafoudre (lightning protector) unit, as well as terre-prise (earth conductor). 2)      In the consumer unit (tableau electrique/coffret) there will be one (or more) 30mA disjoncteur différential, protecting a number of interrupteur (the total number of which will be limited by the number of locations on the bar, but actually reflecting the organisation of my schema). 3)      Each interrupteur protects a single circuit 4)      Each circuit is a single branch of 3 wires (phase,  neutral, earth, each of 1.5, 2.5, 4, or 6mm2 section). It must NOT form a ring. (Some French brico books definitely show a ring) 5)      If it’s for prise confort (power sockets). It may supply 5 sockets if it’s 1.5 mm2 wire and 8 sockets if it is 2.5mm2 wire, (with a 16 A and 20 A interrupteur, respectively). 6)      A twin socket may be counted as a single socket. 7)      Now I am very unclear about this next bit: I may NOT connect the sockets, in series as I would on a UK ring main (unless it’s a pre 1990s installation); but must form a branch in the circuit to supply each individual prise (socket). In other words the gaine carrying the wires from the consumer unit must arrive at a junction box (boîte de derivation). From this box will run one gaine to a pattress  (boîte d’encastrement) to hold the prise murale (socket) and a second gaine will hold the wires to continue the circuit on to the next junction box and socket and so on until I reach the maximum number of sockets allowed on the circuit (or to at least as many as I require). Is this correct?   That’s it. Any guidance would be welcome. David

[quote]Does anyone know the range for the European Fire Salamander? My chickens have recently come across two on my farm, which I find surprising as we are in Maine et Loire ( Dept. 49 ) north of the Loire...[/quote] I came across one, early one morning, in the mists, on the slopes of the Pic du Midi d' Ossau. Ambling along quite casually. David

Telling you ADSL was "impossible" just might be a bit of a  clue. It may be an old exchange incompatible with ADSL. In which case it is just possible that new telephone line installations may be from a new exchange (or new equipment in the same building) that is ADSL compatible or even currently enabled. Of course you would have to order a new line. I realise its a long shot, but you might just try asking neighbouring communes if they have ADSL. Regards David