Berlioz

Does anyone know why the e-mails no longer have most of the text of the post on them, just the link to the topic? As our internet is often down I used to be able to read the posts off line without having to log on unless I wanted to read a long post or reply.   D  

Weeds:  http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/weedlf.htm  and http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/weeds.html  have some good pictures of weed leaves and flowers. Cats:  I use chicken wire cut into sections and put over/around newly seeded/planted areas (I have raised beds and my cats cannot resist such a large litter box!)  I also use metal wire hoops with anti-bird netting if I want to leave  in place a long time .  Once things are not too small then bits of prunings, bamboo in 1ft sections etc work well too. I don't often post as I am still learning myself :-) D      

Thanks Cooperlola I have got a policy with Tailfinders, excellent price (compared to past quotes in the UK) and the medical loading for the three of us was also reasonable.  All very quick and efficient and a big weight off my mind as we travel a lot. Donna  

My old Uk travel insurance has expired and I need to take out another family policy.  I am now resident in France. I have a carte vital and top-up insurance.  We have various pre-existing medical conditions which makes 'off the shelf' travel insurance very expensive in the UK. (I actually ended up being covered by Norwich Union as part of our house insurance in the UK!) I am about to book a long haul holiday and want to be covered for the expensive flights etc. Does anyone know/can recommend a policy (Uk based or worded in English) as my french is not up to french insurance small print, it is very easy to find yourself not covered with these policies and I do not want to risk this. Normally I would spend hours on google but am nursing a broken finger so typing time is limited! :-( Thanks, Donna

Clair: I only just saw this thread but I ordered from them too (after a totally fouled up lens.com order) and they arrived in two days, excellent service and I will use them again.  

I need to find a gardener to rotorvate a new veg patch, dig holes for trees etc in our new-build, compacted, rented garden and probably cut the grass in the summer.  I have a couple of people to phone (although any further recommendations are welcome) how much per hour should I expect to  pay?  I used to pay £8 per hour in Suffolk  This is quite urgent as 5 fruit tress were delivered yesterday (to go in root control bags so we can take them with us when we go). The landlord  promised his gardener would do the necessary, needless to say I should have known better as despite leaving a detailed plan, in french and a long conversation between said garden contractor and my husband just before we left for the airport for our honeymoon last monday, no tree holes and top soil of 2 inches above compacted stones and rubble are what we returned to!  

Well, you are not going to believe this but, even as I type the 'Pool Alarm Man' is installing the alarm.  He phoned about an hour ago, to arrange to deliver the alarm and actually turned up. Was it the power of thought? or Voodoo? LOL

Thanks Andrew This is what I suspected, it is in our lease that he has to supply one.  the 'Men' only come in the spring to open and in the autumn to close the pool, we are responsible for salt etc the rest of the year.  We even bought our own bubble wrap blanket as he would not provide one.  Donna  

An update:  the parcel finally arrived after 6 weeks!   For my own lenses I found http://www.lenses4net.fr/FSPub/default.aspx and my own lenses were delivered 3 days later!  £7 less per month than in England.  The site is in several languages including English and French so I could be certain of what I was ordering.  

Our landlord has not supplied the promised pool alarm (we moved in at the end of July) despite numerous e-mails and letters about all the items still not working/not done which he ignores. There is also no sign of the promised men to 'winter' the pool. If we get caught without an alarm who is liable for the fine, him or us? Thanks, Donna

Ahh, broke my google translate 'rule' of translating it back to see if it made sense! That fabric is similar to the one I found in Jardiland I think.  I suppose I could sew a bag together????

Please can anyone tell me where to find these?  I have seen the fabric in Jardiland but want the bags as I plan to move my trees in 2-3 years time (we are renting at the moment).  I have googled 'sac de commande de racine' to no avail, what are they known as here? Also are there any on-line compost delivery companies, I used CPL in England.    

That link leads to Cherry trees as whips and in pots, Prunus cerasus 'Bigarreau Coeur de Pigeon' Cerisier Gros coeuret Famille :Rosacéesor and pigeon repeller!  Granted they do look like tomatoes ;-) Searching for 'coeur de pigeon tomatE' also does not bring them up. I give up now! Thanks for trying Mooky. .....I have found 3,slightly squashed by lorry, tomatoes by the wall and have put the pips in a glass to ferment. 

I just looked at Plantes-et-Jardin again, through all the tomatoes and searched for 'pigeon' and 'coeur' again but can only find le cerisier 'Bigarreau Cœur de Pigeon'  .  a Cherry Tree! Why can't I find them!!!!! Please send me  a link Mooky!

I havn't got a greenhouse here and am advised it would be too hot in summer cassis, will they grow outside ok? I did look at Simpsons, and the Organic Catalogue to no avail, I have e-mailed Edwin Tucker as their seed catalogue isn't on line yet.  Simpsons do have some really excellent seeds so I have sent for a catalogue.

Thanks Cassis, I didn't ferment mine, so will try again.  I have the T & M catalogue, spontaneous tomatoes are exactly what I want!  The Sweet Olive tomato looks interesting too, very similar shape to my 'mystery' toms. I have put Supersweet and those in my 'basket'. I like to try new ones each year.   By the way do you spray for blight and if so with what?  I used to grow Ferline OK outdoors in Suffolk but the Red Alert always got blight (although my self sown ones don't here yet which is interesting)  I didn't spray there though as I also had greenhouse Toms. Off to my first french class now, I bet I will be old and grey before we get to gardening french LOL.    

We had a 'wild' tomato growing on the vacant plot next to us, lovely little red bite size olive shaped tomatoes, not many on a truss.  the kids loved them. It was sprawling on the grownd quite happily and was coping with just rain.  I saw them in the market and think they are Coeur de pigeon, rouge.  The builders came to move the bricks etc and ran over the plant! I have tried to save some seed but have never had much luck before. I have looked on about 30 seed sites this morning both French (links found on this forum) and English (from Kitchen Garden Magazine's list)but cannot find seeds for sale. Does anyone have seed catalogues with obscure varieties? As it was obviously so happy in the garden and thrived on neglect it is probably just the one for me!

Thanks Cassis. I also found a map on http://lesbeauxjardins.com/jardinons/potager/mensuel/france/climat-france.htm 

The bit where (in my case)  if you are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, have an E121, are not directly paying into the French system then Child Benefit continues from the UK rather than being paid by France (because we are not directly contributing to the system) The same also applies if the wage earner is working in the UK paying UK tax and NI but resident in France (also applies to us).  I have lost my link to the original details I'm afraid.  I also spoke to someone in the Child benefit Dept ages ago when we were thinking of moving.    

an update: E121: the English speaking helpline lady told me to go to my local CPAM.  I took my daughter's lovely french tutor and they told me that they did not deal with Estrangers.  But they booked me an appointment with the correct person in the main office in Toulouse.  That person did not speak Englsih but himself french is good.  we took the birth, divorce, passports, RIB and photocopies of all and she said that the English are very organised and have the correct papers but the Germans are terrible! The paperwork and numbers etc arrived yesterday so I am in the system, Hooray! E106 Spent a whole morning chasing this up and finally got through last week they said it had been issued, dated 1st September  and was on its way.  Nothing has arrived yet. Child benefit:  still trying to get them to read their own rule book.  Thank you all for the advice.  

.....because I had only just arrived in France when we ran out and with everything going on, finding a new english speaking optition when I had the prescription allready seemed like too much hassle! LOL  I got some from our UK optition on my trip back last week. Anyway just 10 mins ago the parcel arrived.  It does not appear to have been shipped by air. Such is life......

Please does anyone know of a website where I can input my post code for the expected first/last frost date? or a map? My garden software wants to know!  

We contacted La Poste and they say that it is not in their system.  I then contacted Barclays and they will do a 'chargeback' to my bank account 30 days after the supposed date of dispatch (early October)  I e-mailed the company and told them this. So I ordered some from my old Optician in Cambridge and collected them while on a lightening visit last week. I will have to do that each time we need some lenses:-(  I  think that you probably are right about the regulation issues but my French isn't good enough to order on a French site yet ! Thanks, Donna  

Thank you Will, I will call the phone line tomorrow. Regards Donna

10 weeks after 100s of phone calls, lost forms etc my E121 (I'm on long term incapacity benefit) finally arrived yesterday.  There is no sign of Him-self's E106 yet so we are still chasing it. How long will it take us to join and can it be done by post/web site ? As usual I am trying to sort this out while my other half is away working. My french is not up to it so I will ask my daughters French tutor to help me once I know what is needed and get all the paperwork together. I am looking into insurance to cover us until we join and top up afterwards. I have the Exclusive plan details and will probably do the gateway plan ASAP. We have PPP in the UK and I haven't cancelled it yet in case of an emergency.  (There is no way on earth I would rely on the NHS again!) Merci, Donna