joidevie

Hi all.. We're thinking of hunting out some cheap second hand skis and heading off for a couple of days skiing in the Pyrenees.. Not done much for many years, but seeing as we live so close, it seems a shame not to make the best of the opportunity.. Does anyone have any first hand suggestions as to where is a good place to go suitable for competent but rusty skiers? Ideally not too far, where we could arrive, ski, spend a night, ski a little more and head home? Mid-week is a good option for us to avoid crowds/higher prices etc.. Many thanks..

Many thanks..

Hello all.. A quick question if I may.. I am permanently resident in the UK and pay tax here. Upon selling up our holiday home in France we paid the capital gains tax in France as per usual via the Notaire. There has now been some interest earned on the proceeds from the sale into a French bank account, and it appears to be gross. I intend to declare this here in the UK and would prefer to keep things simple this way. Am I OK doing this or does the French tax system become involved? Many thanks for any thoughts..

Any workarounds to get this running on a Mac? I have used 'Crossover' in the past.. I guess a few of us here have one.. Cheers.

Great, many thanks for the suggestions.. In the past I have heard many stories of 'tanking' rooms and membranes etc etc.. So I was interested in alternatives..

Hi... I was wondering about any views on building a 'built in' shower - perhaps using 'tomettes' or other 'absorbent' tiles.. Previously I have put in a ceramic 80x80cm shower tray and sealed the surrounding tavertine tiles with "MIGRASTOP" - an oily type sealant which worked great and totally sealed the unit.. No problems there.. For another project, would I want to buy one of these 'ready made' 'ready to tile' shower trays from say Brico Depot, or simply tile on to a brick support and seal with the "Migrastop" product? Would the lack of use of a ceramic tray give rise to long term problems? Many thanks in advance for any insights..

Many thanks...

Hi.. We're in the process of feeding our cabling on a re-wire and I was wondering which telephone cable to buy? We have a new Orange voip. line with a livebox and this only seems to connect to two of the strands in the current phone junction box. Brico depot has "PTT 298 4 paires",  or "souple 2, 4 or 5 paires" Which one? The souple 2 paires is almost half the price, but will I be missing out further down the line? Many thanks..

The usual waiting game than.. I'm sure SD will be around for plenty of time..

Hi.. I'm looking at a new satellite receiver (Technomates seem to review well). If I but a 'non-HD' box, how long before it won't pick up Astra broadcasts? Is there a fixed switchover date? Or will standard digital continue for a long time? Many thanks..

Will do.. Was one of the first things I learned!

So a load of hocus pocus ..  Save the £30 and get a decent brand £6er from a well known auction site.. Sounds good to me..

[quote user="Martin963"]If the LNB reviewed was significantly better for V than H then there was either something wrong with it or with the reviewer! In practice (unless the signal is absolutely marginal) any bog standard universal LNB should respond to both V and H with equal efficacity. I've never heard of this situation,   and there must be very few set ups where it would make a difference. I'd be interested to read the review if it's on line and you have the time to flag it up.....? Thanks. [/quote] The review is here - and the reference I was looking at was half way down for 'Smart Titanium" LNB's..

Great, thanks.. So, if I use an LNB that is "better for vertical transponders than horizontal" (a review), then this should be no issue..? In the past I've tried all the skewing,  switching to 125 cable etc etc.. However, we have since moved (hence more receivers), and the reception has been great, though I just want to get a decent quad LNB. Cheers.

Hi.. Before I go out and spend a fortune, what (type/make) would be the best LNB to get for a 90cm round dish to receive freesat in southern France? Before I only had one LNB for one receiver, but I will soon want 2 receivers, and a likely third in a year or so.. Signal strength can be a little ropey, and I have heard that using a "quad" with only two receivers can weaken reception? And would reception of UK TV from southern Europe be considered 'vertical' reception or 'horizontal'? Many thanks..

Many thanks..

So, will the possible mistake on the dates generate Taxes H & Foncieres? Cheers

Many thanks.. Do I need to sign and return the avis? This is my first time with this.. Cheers

Hi, I hope someone can help. I'm not sure where I stand - I last year received a French tax return to my UK address (where I am resident), which I filled in and have now received  the avis. I sold the French house in Sept 09 but my tax avis 'référence' states "address d'imposition au 01/01/2010" as the place I sold, which was in 09. Will this carry through to generating bills for foncieres & habitation? Will tax returns continue to arrive in the future? My last declaration was addressed to the UK so I assumed that that was now my 'address', but the reference to "address d'imposition au 01/01/2010" is confusing me. Pre printed on the "votre addresse" section on the declaration were words to the effect of 'if you have earned income in France after your departure abroad, please fill...' so I assumed that they knew my correct address? Also, at the time of the sale, the 'plus-values' were all sorted by the notaire and paid directly from the sale price, should this have been included in the declaration? Many thanks.

Thanks for all the replies.. Test tubes at the ready! In truth, the recent batch is more chalk covered than cement and will be easier to prepare.. With over 1000 to do, I don't think stripping the underneaths completely bare will be the way forward.. Perhaps enough to get a good spread of 'colle'.. Any good tips on what type of mix/product to use to glue? They're 20cmx30cm "parefeuilles" and 2cm thick, going on to existing old cement tiles (50's, and a little smooth on top..) Cheers.

Hi.. We're in the process of buying up reclaimed terracotta / tomette floor tiles to re-use.. An initial overnight soak in water has not made the original mortar underneath any easier to remove! Am I missing a simple trick here? Many thanks.

Hi again.. We've just moved and I'm now laying cables under the floor for some new sat setups. Should I have to use "exterior grade" coax as the last 5m runs up a wall - or is the pre green gained 17 VATC form Brico Depot OK if I leave the gain on right up to the LNB? Will look a bit ugly mind, with 3 separate cables jutting from the LNB all with green 20mm gain surrounding them.. Cheers..

Pretty much what I thought.. And my last place sold without a hitch with both notaires agreeing the the electrics were 'all new'.. It helped that EDF came right at the end to swap the old blue meter for a brand new digi one and connection to the outside main..

Thanks! Found their page here very useful..

Hi.. I was wondering what the actual 'official line' was in France regarding 'doing your own' electrical installation/replacement etc.. In the UK things have become more stringent as to what 'is allowed' to be done by a non qualified/registered individual? With the brico sheds full to the rafters with the materials and many punters happily buying them, and nearly every house you visit someone is 'doing their own', I suspect the practice may be somewhat different to the 'rules'. Might this affect insurance policies for example? I previously converted a barn and placed many of the gaignes during the construction, and later called in a friend who had previously worked as fridge technician (and was a 'qualified' electrician) to come and wire the place - and plan to do this again on our new renovation.. It just got me thinking after a friend here in the UK began complaining about how many things he was no longer 'able' to do himself after new UK rules came into practice in 1995..