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Berlioz

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Everything posted by Berlioz

  1. Thanks, my e-mail was down so didn't see replies, I have ordered some.
  2. Does anyone have any recommendations for either which model of dehydrator to go for or where I can find one in France (shop or on-line)  I would also like to find some demijohns, airlocks etc as I left mine behind when we moved to Toulouse.  I have an orchard full of fruit ! Thanks (also posted in gardening)
  3. I have been looking for 'Swell Gel' or similar crystals to mix with the compost in my window boxes but cannot find any locally (Toulouse).  Has anyone seen any or found them on-line?  
  4. I ordered some clothes, non food items, greeting cards, presents etc.  If you put anything in your basket that they cannot deliver to France an error message comes up when you try to check out. (I had some xmas crackers) good service but it takes much longer than the delivery stated on the site.
  5. We got the following information from our Daughter's IB coordinator at her International School  which proved to be almost correct.  We applied to the university of Cardiff  and therefore the the Cardiff LEA (her first choice) but due to a anomaly in the rules regarding uni in Wales for non welsh students they sent the application on to Suffolk (where we moved from in summer 2006) Eventually her student finance came through.  Other parents have got finance exactly as below.  I had to call Wales and Suffolk a few times as there was initially a bit of confusion when the system was first introduced.  We found the information on the Student Finance site did not cover this subject correctly although I expect by now it was been corrected.   Information about eligibility for student finance in the UK. This message is for the parents of  year 13 students who are UK citizens only As I explained at the H Ed meeting, UK citizens even if living in France are eligible for student loans in addition to the loan to cover fees which all EU citizens are entitled to but ONLY IF THEY SPEND AT LEAST ONE DAY BACK IN THE UK BEFORE THEIR COURSE STARTS In order to access this, UK citizens living in France should ignore the EU7N Student loan form that they will receive but instead download for PN1 from Student finance direct and apply using this to the LA (Local Authority) where they will be studying or if they have already moved back to the UK to the  LA where they live If anyone from the LA queries this, quote the following: Education Student Support Regulations 2006 Amendment 955 Paragraph N° 8 Effective from 30/04/2006   Provided  the student and his/her parents were originally settled in the UK and have lived in the EU for three years before the start of the course, and the student arrives in the England at least 1 day before 1st  September then the student can be classed as a Home student rather than an EU student  
  6. My daughter will be taking the Brevet next summer but wants to return to the UK  live with her Dad and take A levels in Art and French at the local Upper School.  I know that the Brevet isn't a straight equivalent, could anyone point me in the direction of more information?  She is currently averaging 11-12 in her notes and is not particularly academic but does not really want to do a CAP or BAC Pro. She started in 6eme in 2006 and is currently in 4eme so if she has to do GCSE's we need to plan for that now. She enjoyed the first 2 years but is far more artistic than academic. Has anyone any experience of this or can point me to further information.  ?? Thanks, Donna      
  7. For interior paint I have had several deliveries from http://www.tradepaints.eu/ i.e. Dulux white matt emulsion 6lt £11.99 inc VAT.  Delivery for up to 25lt paint is about £25.00.  I ordered zissner primers and some other obscure things I just could not find in France. I have shoulder problems and cannot do sanding down to provide a key etc so have to use different primers and paint that does not need 4 coats!!.  Delivery is usually in 2-3 days.  Price list here http://www.tradepaints.eu/offers.htm.  Excellent customer service and knowledgeable staff if you are not sure what you need for a particular job.   I have no link with the company except as a satisfied customer so hope this post is ok. For exterior shutters I have used Tollens self undercoating satin mixed to colour at Castorama, expensive but thinned with white spirit for the first coat actually goes a long way and saves on undercoat/primer. A friend who has lived here for years advised me to try it. I used Bondex on the windows and am really impressed with it.  I used Leroy merlin floor varnish and am also very pleased with that.    
  8. I had loads this year (as per previous thread) even in big buckets as we moved house in the summer. All from supermarket ones gently washed (to remove anti-sprouting coating) then put in a warm place (on top of the fridge) to sprout either half in compost or water.I pulled the sprouts off when about 10cm high and put them in a glass of water until I could see roots then potted up them up, planting out after the last frost. They are very easy but they must be 'cured' in a warm place, like onions after harvest and kept frost free.  I'm just about to start some for this year as we eat a lot and they are very expensive at the supermarket!    
  9. I would like to plant some Ash, willow (to coppice for firewood) and native hedging as we have lost some trees in the storm. I have looked at past postings and wonder if anyone ever found an affordable supplier in France?
  10. Update in case anyone is following the thread: Got a phone call last week from the lady at the Mairie who helped us with the application telling us it was agreed and collected the permission, stamped and marked 'must be movable'.
  11. Thanks giantpanda, I'll print it off, get my OH to fill in as much as he can  and take it to the Hotel de Ville tomorrow and ask for some help. 
  12. Has anyone put a polytunnel up recently, I am unsure of exactly what I need to do before ordering a new tunnel. I have read the threads on sheds and greenhouses but could not find anything specific to tunnels and if they are temporary or not.  When I asked at the Mairie before we bought the house the friendly lady at the counter said we didn't need to apply for permission  unless it was permanently cemented in, i.e. had foundations which it won't because I may want to move it every few years. She didn't mention anything about size or height. I would like one 2.4m high, 4.42m wide, 9.14 long, about 40m2.  (or 8 x 14.6 x 30feet)  We are in an agricultural area with 2hectars of land.  We are not near any areas of historical interest. We are not overlooked by neighbours.  Indeed we are over the road from 5 absolutely enormous tunnels at a nursery. However http://www.nouveaupermisdeconstruire.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/51190_02_cle578913.pdf says:  6) les châssis et serres        Dont la hauteur est comprise entre 1,80 mètres et 4 mètres et la surface au sol sur une même unité foncière inférieure à 2 000 mètres carrés (R.421-9 g)  =    Déclaration préalable Can I download the necessary form from somewhere? So I'm confused!   
  13. Thanks giantpanda, I think I will have to get my husband to write to  CPAM and sort it out!
  14. My daughter is 19 and having en unexpected Gap Year as she missed some IB exams in May (Hospitalised) and has had to sit them this week.  I have an E121 and she has her own a carte vital with the same number as mine.  At her latest blood test they said that her card had 'expired' as she is over 18 and she would need one of her own.  We had a letter from CPAM asking for a certificate of scholarity for 2008/9 which of course we do not have as she isn't going to Uni until Sept 2009 as she had to defer her place.  Just to complicate matters further she is planning to work for 5 months in the French Alps with her boyfriend who hasn't lived in France before. On our last French tax return she was  a dependent child, and still is for only part of 2008.   Does anyone know a) what we need to do about the Carte Vital situation and b) Does she/he need to register for work and get her own Social Security number or is that automatic by the employer? c) Does she still go on our tax return with her wages included or does she need her own? Also posted in Health.
  15. I'm not sure of the best place to post this!   My daughter is 19 and having en unexpected Gap Year as she missed some IB exams in May (Hospitalised) and has had to sit them this week.  I have an E121 and she has her own a carte vital card with the same number as mine.  At her latest blood test they said that her card had 'expired' as she is over 18 and she would need one of her own.  We then had a letter from CPAM asking for a certificate of scholarity for 2008/9 which of course we do not have as she isn't going to Uni until Sept 2009 as she had to defer her place.  Just to complicate matters further she is planning to work for 5 months in the French Alps with her boyfriend who hasn't lived in France before. On our last French tax return she was  a dependent child, and still is for only part of 2008.     Does anyone know : a) What we need to do about the Carte Vital situation b) Does she/he need to register for work and get her own Social Security number or is that automatic by the french employer c) Does she still go on our tax return with her wages included or does she need her own tax return?   Also posted in Working.
  16. Me too and also fibroymyalgia   My UK doctor would not treat me as my TSH was 3.5 so I went to see Dr Peatfield.     Tsh went up to 6.6 after I moved to France and ran out of Armour Thyroid so My french doctor tried me on Levothyrox (T4) but it was useless, I could not convert it to the active T3, still had the aching, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, insomnia, brain fog, weight gain etc etc.  I am now on Cynomel (T3)  0,0025mg x 3 daily (3 times the usual does as I am thyroid 'resistant' ) I am about 60% better now and still slowly building up the dose.  My doctor took a bit of convincing expecailly not to treat to TSH results. My Tsh is 0.07 now.   Armour (natural) thyroid but that didn't work as well as the T3 for me.   This forum is no longer active but there is an amazing amount of information, search the postings, I found it imensly helpfull. http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/community/index.php?sid=bbd863c0f62f1e7b308488b995408ed6   http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/pages/forms/peatfield_order.html   Dr Peatfield's book is a must have for anyone with thyroid problems.   Wonderful man.
  17. I have just harvested mine, grown in big pots as we moved house in June. they were a bit tangled up but I did get some big ones.  I will be growing a lot more next year.  I washed the supermarket ones in water before sprouting them rubbing very, very gently and then half buried in compost or half submerged in a shallow tray of water, no cocktail sticks. I had a purple skinned one and a orange fleshed one. I gently pulled the 'slips' off when about 9" tall, got about 10 from each potato, put them in a glass of water until I could see roots, then potted up and hardened off and would have planted out at the end of March if I had not been moving house.  The one half in wet compost was easier as I didn't have to remember to keep changing the water. Also they don't like being cold so perhaps the people who didn't get good results used ones that had been in the fridge perhaps that is why they didn't sprout? They need to be kept at room temperature as they are a tropical plant. I think they are actually one of the easiest crops I have grown, there are no pests etc they just like a lot of water!  We like them cooked like roast potatoes with garlic, olive oil and rosemary, baked with sour cream & chives or mashed on 'not shepherds' or fish pie!
  18. Berlioz

    Medlar

    I have a large medlar tree with lots of fruit on it.  I've tried the jelly but was wondering if there is any thing else I can use them for?  We don't really eat a lot of jam. They are very ripe and dropping off the tree, I want to use them up before the puppy eats them all! I did 'google' and didn't find much.  
  19. I've just picked a kilo or so from our 'hedge' and am now looking for Grandma's Blackberry and Apple jam recipe I have somewhere....  I will soak them in salty water as above, thanks for the tip.  Is there any benefit in attempting to prune the bushes/hedge i.e. cut out stems that fruited this year leaving the long new ones for next year? Or do I just cut off anything in the way. I mention this as the bushes around the telegraph pole/drive that must have been  hacked back to allow access to the drive and post box seem to have cropped really well compared to the ones in other parts of the garden.  We have only been here 2 months so I'm still learning about what is where etc ???    
  20. Update:  The Bosch strimmer when fitted with a harness from Homebase for £2.99 (as advised per previous thread otherwise I would not have thought of buying one) works amazingly well, no trips to chiropractor and is fine for under the hedges and around the orchard. (It is important to find the right weight/action for each user depending on specific back/neck  problems my daughter and I spent a t leas 1/2 hour trying all the display ones for weight/swing etc in Castorama)  lawn mower ditto.  The ride on mower is back in working order for Himself to play with. The field has been cut with a tractor by a near neighbour, baled for hay by machnine and will feed his horses.  It will then return eventually as manure for the potager.!! The house came with agricultural land and as we wanted to keep the privacy and views that went with the property we accept that correct management is necessary.  Having had a large garden in the Uk we were under no illusions that our field of over 1 h. would take care of itself and we did have a management plan for the various areas.  We are currently surrounded by sunflowers in our neighbours field and it is magical.    
  21. I got a Bosch with wheels on to take the weight, its my neck and shoulders I have the most problems with, bending isn't the issue. It is also very light. I have nearly 2hectars and mainly want to do under the hedges etc so weedkiller isn't an option there.  The flame thrower is a good idea for the drive though. Thanks everyone for all your suggestions.
  22. He doesn't want to and anyway I like doing it myself. 
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