water rat

It usually looks bright at first ,then becomes duller,but I know that doesn't help you match it.

That's a caterpillar. I've had plenty of leeches on me in the tropics,many at one time ( lots of blood, argh!) I have seen those large water leeches in our millstream which presumably attach themselves to water life. they were feeding on a dead ragondin - it was like something from a horror film .I wouldn't like to get one on me ,they were about 6 inches long. I think they're called horse leeches? Yours grosseley W Rat

The Franco Anglaise club at Ste Sevérè sur Indre ( 36) is organising a rallye pedestre/ treasure hunt this Sunday 14th June through the gorgeous Berrichone countryside. It's around 8 kms and registration begins at 2.30 under La Halle at Ste Sevérè. There will be prizes in various categories and refreshments will be provided at the half-way point at  Chateau du Mont . See you there!!

We are divers , but too far away. couldn't you just rig up a breathing /hose line for a confident swimmer?

Thanks for all the suggestions ,but none of the leaves look anything like mine .I will try to scan one shortly and see if that works . It's altogether more elegant and delicate than the usual umbelifera and the leaf is fern_like.I have just one flower head in a glass and the fragrance is filling the room.

I'm not v good with the umbelifera group ,too many! and my camera's not working. So here goes with a description  pink flushed flower heads of strong lily-like perfume. seems to like damp ditches and shade where it grows over 2 metres high. Typical ribbed stem,but the leaves are arranged like mini palm fronds and not typical of the group. Any ideas?

You get what you pay for on Ryanair. I constantly trawl the website for miniscule fares which I book and sometimes don't use.I took a trip to Uk in April for 10 euros 2 centimes ( all included) and have booked a trip for my parents in June for 35 euros all in. We all know the RULES and how they are enforced,so don't complain. As Le Chef himself pointed out we can afford another wardrobe of clothes in uk at these prices. And you ARE just a customer.If you want special treatment use BA or Air France. There are some of us who just want to get from A to B.

If folks feel the need to come on the forum and  not only blow their own trumpets , but include pics as well ,then they should expect vast amounts of citicism.

The best machine is the cheapest from Lidl. Trust me , we have 5machines of varying age and prices and make bread every day. The worst and most unreliable is the most expensive Russell Hobbs ,already replaced once ,but now out of guarantee and beginning to play up.

Could be a Jay. They are great mimics. Our ones mimic my ""dog calling whistle" and the telephone bell which is outside. Great Fun!!

We are right in the centre of Fance ,Indre, Creuse,Cher border which has never been popular as a holiday spot for Brits,just a stop on the way south,but always with Parisians as a short break and not too far from the city. Now the credit crunch has driven away Brit house hunters, the french are coming to look for their maison secondaire, mainly Parisians ,but to my surprise,also those in the south who are looking to escape the tourists, heat etc and find a bit of "green". Everyone is always surprised how beautiful this region is ,but the tourist infrastructure is dismal. The "Maison de Jaques Tati" has opened at Sainte Sévère and we are full up this week_end for the celebrations and have turned away many others who have nowhere else to stay.. It looks like it's going to be v popular, but would you believe the Tourist office has had to close due to lack of finance. So after they've visited Tati, there's one restaurant bar which is only open at midi and they won't be able to find any info on the area.We are trying our best to improve this ,but it's an uphill struggle if no_one else is enthusiastic.A couple of CdH's have closed and returned to the UK.  We hav'nt bothered with the british market for years and advertise soley with GdF. Although this all sounds a bit negative ,things are looking good for us,we're sticking in there!!

We are having our best year yet ,  it seems some clients are deciding to do a long weekend away in the countryside in a B&B rather than the big holiday abroad or 2 weeks in a gite. Anyone else experiencing this?

In my experience they do work for a while ,but the critters get used to them. As for rat catchers ,you can't beat a couple of terriers. We have two locally bred  and they're even called "Ratiers"

we've lived in harmony with Lerot ( bandit mask dormice) for 6 years and have never had any probs with electrics. They make a bit of noise when they are coming back in the mornings after a night on the tiles,but I enjoy their antics and there isn't any smell It can be a bit disturbing for our guests ( we have a chambre d'hote) but I explain it's all part and parcel of spending time in the countryside.I refuse to go aroud killing creatures. They do make a weird noise though. Like the twanging of a jew's harp. In fact we once had a sensitiive soul who asked if our place was haunted ,as he thought he'd seen someone playing a guitar at the foot of the bed." Oh it's just the dormice" I said ,so he decided to try to stay awake to see such a spectacle. It wasn't until he left that I realised what I'd said. He's probably telling everyone that we're rather bizzare hosts. Still; there's no such thing as bad publicity!

Have also PM'd you W Rat

Yes, the mole crickets  make tunnels through the spuds. I've never seen a creature so aptly named.It definitely "says what it does on the tin" a mole at the front end and a cricket at the back!!

We are over-run with mole crickets and lost most of our potatoes to them in our first year. Instead of trying to kill them we moved our spud crop elsewhere and put veg in that they don't damage.They are such amazing creatures ,almost science fiction.By the way;they do pinch if you pick them up!! We live in L'Indre where it's very humid and marshy and have lots of flowers inc cowslips ,marsh marigold,lungwort,bluebells,cowslip and ragged robin. The Mairie delays  the cutting of the verges until later so they look like colourful tapestries with carpets of spotted orchids. The main farming is pasture for the charolais, so there isn't much spraying. The only practice I hate is flaying the hedges until they are just sticks. I really miss the layered ancient hedges of the UK and we are doing our best in our little corner to restore them.I heard a nightingale this morning at 4 am!!

No ,they hate it and will shrivel up in a very unattractive manner. they are shrubs of woodland.

I cleaned ours  with soda crystals disolved in hot water and scrubbed, then rinsed. This brings them up beautifully without losing the patina. It's a secret hint from a furniture restorer friend of mine and makes it look like they've been cleaned professionaly. Afterwards you can decide on a finish. I used a clear satin varnish as I didn't want continuous treating with wax ,oil etc. It's also a cheap and safe method and called cristeaux de soude over here. I agree, don't sand ,you'll ruin them. W Rat

[quote user="ukhostland"] Me, I like Cherry Toms and will be putting my order in to Thom[son and Morgan as soon as I get a spare moment. Colin [/quote] I bought lots of seeds from thompson & morgan during their half price autumn sale. They are now selling in france and I think they can't be beaten for their large choice of varieties. I find the only problem with british firms are their ungenerous amount of seed in each packet ( probably due to smaller gardens in the uk) so the half price sale was an opportunity to try new varieties. I'll always grow the tomato "Gardeners delight"( love the flavour) and this year are trying a newly revived type called"brandywine"(loved the name,but only 30 seeds!) and "roma" an italian plum type. Lets just keep our hopes up that the blight doesn't show up. W Rat  

 We live in a bog and have hundreds,they're almost like weeds. It's been down to 17 below one year and that never bothered them. I only cover them if they come up to early with well rotted compost or poo or dead bracken which works brilliantly for any plant protection.

 here's another that is more about the cosmetic side http://users.resist.ca/~kirstena/pagecomfrey.html

I just put a few leaves in a pillowcase and hang it in the bath,also use one of those wash mitts filled with leaves. There's lots of info about comfrey here . www.allotment.org.uk

Hello eveybody! this is a great topic.May I introduce the subject of comfrey. It's wonderful for the skin. I put it in a pillowcase and hang it in the bath and it makes hair feel gorgeous, as well . It's easy to grow too ,but you need to find a doner who will give a few roots.

Ours eat anything that moves, unfortunately a lot of the local wildlife inc,frogs, slow-worms ,lizards,snakes and all manner of furry things apart from moles. Nothing seems to eat moles, kill them ,yes, but not consumed.  I once saw our coq destroy an unfortunate snake à la  secretary bird in Africa,by stamping on and stabbing it. There was an almighty argument once it was dead over who got the spoils. Chooks originate from indian jungle fowl and I don't think they're far removed from that.  I started off with a few "how to books" now they just amuse me. If you keep them free range and make sure they're secure at night ,they"re tough as ole boots. None of ours have ever had an ailment in 6 years, only murder at the hands of a marten! W Rat