NuBeginnings

Hi Eric, Ill do one better here is the web link The skiing was great as was the hotel, but I will never go skiing during French school holidays again ! This was taken today at the top of the glacier [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/Sking/IMG_1186.jpg[/IMG]

QuillanThanks for the tip some one else had mentioned willow, but the link you supplied was very informative. I have the space to rotate the crop. So it will free heat soon ! Just need to work out is solar is going to be cost effective as EDF just phoned to say our bill is €4000 for the month of December, can't be correct! They are sending some one out to inspect ;-)

Ahhh that would be very true ! Ill shut up now.

Why not just use a free sat box that records ?

We also opted for independent hot water tanks in each of our guest bedrooms, makes life simple when we have guests turn the tank on. As for heating, when we brought our place it had a 100KW oil boiler installed in the main house. As we were renovating a number of outer building that would require heating, we decided to install a 100KW bio fuel boiler it can run on pellets / wood chips and logs in an emergency to heat the whole estate. The idea being to to cut and chip our own wood, we have 15 acres of mature forest. I am also going to plant about 5 acres of saplings next year for future fuel. So this year we brought pellets but by next year I hope to be using our own wood to heat the whole estate The oil boiler, then became our back up system and is used to top up the bio boiler when temperatures hit -10 ! You can get significant government rebates if your changing your system from  oil to wood. [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/DSC_0050.jpg[/IMG]

So thought I would fill you in on the snow situation in la-plagne. They had a decent dumping a few days ago there is still plenty of snow on the higher slopes. These pictures were taken today. [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/Sking/IMG_1153.jpg[/IMG] This is taken in front of our hotel, ski in ski out ;-) [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/Sking/IMG_1143.jpg[/IMG]

How many of you out their ride? As the weather is improving I find my self wanting to escape more out in to the beautiful country side. This was taken a couple of weeks ago, early February sun shining this is why I moved to France ;-) [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/Horsing%20around/IMG_0152.jpg[/IMG]

La Plagne to Les Arcs is a good run, we have skied it a few times. Just make sure you give your self plenty of time to get back.

I must say that I have enjoyed reading this thread. Love the trial and tribulations, I especially enjoyed the post regarding the Merc that got stuck in the mud after you warned them ! I would have levied a towing out fee ;-) Please keep posting.

Just curious we are of to la-plagne for the week ;-) Have been there a few times, great resort, any one else hitting the slopes this week !

A good article is worth a lot, it helps your organic listing and is good to have on your website. But it does depend on how the article converts in to bookings. We were reviewed earlier in the year by a national Swiss paper. It was another positive review and converted in to 7 people booking from reading the article ;-) I do believe in google, even if they infuriate me at times.

I work hard at advertising, I don't pay to advertise in magazines. Most of my marketing budget goes on google and trying to tempt journalist to come and review us. After all if you can get a good write up, its better than any paid advert. Well today was a good day, we just a rather positive review in the daily mail online ;-) Happy days ! I would be interested to know your views on how you market your place.

Fabulous well worth the watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI&feature=player_embedded

Now this is not what you may think. Last summer we were woken by a rustling noise in our bed room. I jumped out of bed, hit the light switch in a panic (as it was our first week in our new home), to find a rather large barn owl perched on the end of our bed ! Mr Owl had flown in through a downstairs open window up the staircase and in to our bedroom. I opened the bedroom window and out it flew, sadly I did not have the foresight to take a picture. Mr Owl was a beautiful creature and utterly splendid to watch fly. We decided to adopt Greek mythology and took his visit to be a good omen. Has any one else had any odd creatures coming in to their houses ?

We looked at a number of Chateaux but we fell in love with Milly, on the practical side she met all of our needs and more. But also on the romantic side, my partner and I decided if our business was not a successes we would stay put. She enchanted us both and still does even after uncovering a multitude of sins that the previous owner had inflicted on her. We have lavished care and attention on her and love her dearly.

Never heard anything back after my last email !

No worries ;-)

I can safely say I am not having that issue !

We are in department 37, near Chatellrault. I would be happy to take 3 of the cats if any one can get them down. We have lots of space for them, 30 acres and we love animals. We have 2 dogs 3 horses and a goat.

Yep she is one heck of a building, well she is a good size chateau a large gym and a small guardians house all on the same system. The boiler is a 100kw Froling and clients that don't like to be cold ! [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/DSC_0050.jpg[/IMG]

Please let us know what happens, the poor guy looks so sad.

I am cutting a huge amount of dead trees down at the moment along with many that fell last year. I have been trying to make the log sizes 1m in length I will then split them in to 1/4 with a log splitter. Some I will keep for the open fires but most I want to chip. I am estimating I will need about 60 tons per winter, but as I have not run the system on wood chips yet that's a gestamate ! [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/Millys%20Forest/IMG_0174.jpg[/IMG] This one is a bit on the large size ! [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/Millys%20Forest/IMG_0175.jpg[/IMG]

Hi all, Does any one have any experience with wood chippers? I am looking to rent one for about a week. It needs to reasonably industrial as I want to use it for producing wood chips for our heating system. I have been looking at loca.ser on line but cant seem to see any. Wood chipper = burineur en bois is that the correct translation ?

Lots of animals, Horses donkeys dogs cats and the goat ! [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/Our%20menagery%20of%20pets/IMG_0911.jpg[/IMG]

[quote user="crossy67"]Looks like your bulldog really likes the goats attentions [:$] [/quote] He is a pug, not a bull dog ! The goat shoved the pug out of the shot ;-( [IMG]http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k562/NBeginningsFrance/Horsing%20around/IMG_0141.jpg[/IMG]