Jump to content

Owens88

Members
  • Posts

    954
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

Posts posted by Owens88

  1. Any chemists out there ? I have long argued that the safest way to drink coke is to create an ester (which is stable and non acidic, e.g. your polyester sheets).

     

    The equation I use is that acid (Coke) + alcohol (Rum) will tend to ester (stable) + water

    (source - schoolboy Chemistry last century)

     

    So Coke is safer with Rum in !

     

    John

  2. [quote user="Owens88"]

     I am digging into a black hole here which would only be answered by asking 5 french professsionals and hoping that at least 4 had the same answer.

    John

    [/quote]

     

    p.s. No slur intended to anybody here. We have , unfortunately, found with some other enquiries that French professionals can often disagree even while all proclaiming 'c'est la Loi !'

  3. I have used renulac white and its ok.

    However my one experience with different brand, trying to re-paint a golden yellow wall with the more of the same, was a tedious 4 coat experience. 

     

    However. I was later told that French paint differs from Brit paint by design and not just for cheapness. Something to do with size of the polymer bit. The advice I recall was to not overbrush french paint as it breaks it down, thinning even worse. Anybody else have any fix on this story or is it just one my memory invented ?

     

    John

  4. The measureof milder is interesting. Pyrenees Orientales can have its exceedingly cold patches (and longer spells of very cold nights) but lots of bright days. Whereas England does long grey wet spells.

     

    We bought our place having viewed it when snow was falling in Prades and other villages.  We have visited in February and had a roller coaster week - Sat night on terrace at midnight. Sunday visiting St Martin de Canigou in t-shirts. Monday snowed in (well not quite but the ski-slopes were too windy so we stayed in) rest of the week skiing or snowballing etc.

     

    Good luck

     

    John

  5. Convecteurs are very simple things they singe the air and it rises eventually forming a convection current warming the air in the room. Has a drying effect on the air but is quite effective at taking the edge off large cold spaces.

     

    The rayonant serves radiant heat which warms objects that it touches, more pleasant to be in.

     

    John

  6. Hi

    I did mean only costs related to the French premises - but drawn on a UK bank and secured against a UK property. i.e. I borrow the money in the UK for my french property but use a uk property as the security instead of using the french property (which seems to add 3% in stamp duty just for a re-mortgage - see separate thread).

    e.g. I understand that the UK tax man recognises interest costs against buy to let income irrespective of how the 'loan or mortgage' is secured - so it can be secured against a property which is not the purpose of the loan.

    I suspect that I am digging into a black hole here which would only be answered by asking 5 french professsionals and hoping that at least 4 had the same answer.

    Thanks all anyway.

     

    John

  7. Thanks

     

    To be clear I am asking whether I could attribute UK interest against a French Holiday Let tax liability - e.g. if I extended my UK mortgage to cover the debt on the French property.

     

    All the other stuff I said was really intended to explain why I might go such a tortuous route !

     

    Cheer

    John

  8. Hi

     

    We are looking to remortgage our french property purely to get a better rate . It seems that to do this in France is going to require a Notaire's fee

     

    1) Is that alway ncessary ?

    2) Is it really 3 % or is that negotiable ?

    3) Would that also apply if getting a British bank to give us the mortgage ?  (i.e. is it linked to registering a 'change'  on the deeds which sounds like a £50 job rather than a £1500 job)

     

    Thanks in advance

     

    John

  9. I have had to suck it and see. Subjectly a 7 w downlighter is about equivalent to a 20w halogen but the 1.5 w led is nothing more than a 'gloom avoider' in between other lights (and mine is too blue) when i replace the 1.5 I will try the newer 3w warm whites. Good luck in finding supplies. I find I have to do it online.

     

    John

  10. OK so it was entertainment, and a good wheeze for the journalist.

    • The journalist (dressed in a summer jacket, open shirt) asked the retired person (wearing a 'lets go winter hill walking' jacket but without hat and gloves)   'Do you really need the allowance ?' Retired person says yes.
    • The journalist asked the UK Govt. was he entitled. They say No because he left UK before a certain age. (let us presume they know the rules).
    • The journalist asked a politician his opinion whether their rules were fair and the politician let out his human response that he didn't think that the UK state should be paying winter fuel supplements  for people who (were lucky enough to) have left the UK earlier than most people's retirement age.
    • The retired person was asked to voice an opinion and he reminded the politician that he still has a UK vote.

    The best comment I have seen was that it, WFP, should be incorporated into the basic pensions and stop double-handling things. (NB the bad weather payment is different).

    Just out of interest where was it filmed ? Prades ?

    John

  11. I sympathise.

     

    I only have one gite and keeping that up to date across many sites is a headache. There is one site that penalises me for not accepting instant bookings, but then If I take a verbal booking I give some grace to get the money then update the websites within a couple of syas (internet depending) .

     

    A 'one source fits all' routine for europe would indeed be good.

     

    Incidentally I never have any intent to decieve (or manipulate) and most enquiries from these sites are enquiring of many owners. As a booker myself I do resent the ones that need you to ring to enquire (often hotels).

     

    John

     

  12. This once happened to me. The (Austrian) lorry hit me at least 3 times. I was really lucky that I was driving a heavy car (a saab) and the weather was dry. The fast lane was full so I had no chance of escape there.

     

    The police who attended knew of it as a common occurrence. The driver admitted fault. The insurers tried for 50:50 !  The police had not filed a report as I had not imnmediately claimed bodily injury.

     

    Sorry to any lorry drivers out there but all the legal advice I recieved was to immediately claim injury - that escalates the event into one worth reporting on.

     

    Another interesting point. The driver was not just 'passing through' he was part of a fleet of 30+ LHD vehicles operating largely between Kent and the N.E. UK.

     

     

    John

  13. [quote user="Nickd"]

    ...

    One theory that has been suggested to me is that it could be a problem because we have an English PC and this could be causing problems with a build up of static electricity as they have different earthing arrangements. Can anyone verify this? Does this seem like a possible reason for our problem?

    ...

    Nick   

    [/quote]

     

    I am no engineer but I seriously doubt that they have any difference apart from the keyboard. 

    However one friend of mine has noticed that French electricity is obviously different because it is safe to have open sockets near a sink.

×
×
  • Create New...