Miki

[quote user="Cassis"]I guess London Bridge is iconic but it doesn't have a great deal of architectural merit, does it?  It's not exactly graceful.  But personally, I like it despite its "blockiness" and gothic jimcracks.  A bit of archetypical England like the Houses of Parliament and St Stephen's Tower. [/quote] London Bridge ? Take another Butchers me old Soz !!

It would be either Camping El Garrofer or more likely Camping Sitges as it is just south and an easy walk in to town. We used to supply ice to the latter. Even now, you can still take a wrong turning and miss the tunnel and just slip on to the mountain road. Many people prefer to follow signs for Tarragona to avoid both tunnel and that, as you say, treacherous mountain road and drop down later to Sitges, when well past Barcelona. Carnaval is on 20th Feb, brilliant and 3rd largest Mardi Gras parade.

What site do you stay in, or did you do a bit of sauvage near the front, like we see many doing in Feb/March ? The best two, over the years, had appartments and luxury houses built on them. That road over and around the mountain, long had the reputation as one of the worst "main" roads in Spain. If you remember, it had a dusty old cement works on the road as well (still has in fact)  We now take the tunnel at a cost of around €4.50 Cat, what cat................Oh that's just Dick acting like an old moggy [:)]

[quote user="Bugbear"]Do they flock to Sitges in the summer..........................?[/quote] Sitges, sadly well out of your league old chap. As for flocking there, they sure do and have done for many, many years, nice people, beautiful place and home for me, many years ago. Viva Barca !!

That leaves Katie..........so ?

You sure must have the wrong Dylan, sugary he ain't nor is the Welsh poet, so it must be another motorbike luvvie.........................[:)]

Thanks, well that's got me worried now. I shall let Tina go to bed and start my search, where do you hide your stash, TU & Katie, just so I can save time [:)]

Still too sugary and that I can't abide. So deuce I feel [:)]

The new pills take a time to kick in Katie, I should know.. The man once known as Ivor the Engine [:)]

Are you saying I can't call something trite ? Because I would rather make my own mind up and that message, to me, is quite simply the usual sugary kind of stuff one can find all over the net. You and in fact anyone, can feel totally free to like it all you like, no problem. I therefore would hope that I can have my opinion on this type of thing and that also includes what books to like or not along with  music, without being told how I should see these things.

Bug ger the evening meals, although Tina has recently taken a large group for 4 days in August, who will probably want to munch every day. Funny how time makes one soon forget the hard work it makes for us............... I do hope Leapy Lee is still bouncing about Benidorm and we might even take the time to see Sticky's Daughter this year [+o(] I know we have apparently been booked to go to the Rich B itch......................again !! Send a us a few bob and we can go to Sitges on the way home, merci buckets.....................[:)]  

Bruddy hell before I can find out myself, you have posted.

The Author Josephson is very much an American (L.A) and as far as I know, it sure did originate from the States I have to say, I also find a lot of it quite trite. http://www.josephsoninstitute.org/movie_whatwillmatter.html Sorry, probably won't link, so cut and paste

I have to be honest here. When I have bought and sold cars (old habits die hard, it was my biz for a for while in the UK) they have generally been to order. That has meant buying from Spain, Belgium and the UK but now, it really is not as easy as it once was. That is to say, most of my contacts now have decent cars and fewer people are asking me, if at all in the last few months. If I was to have taken it up seriously some years back, I would have found a good area to be (among other new and used dealers) and bought or rented a decent size pitch (20 plus cars) Selling regularly  from home is not really going to be a player. Ebay France is nowhere near as popular as the UK ebay, selling in weekly/monthly journals is fraught with competition and 99.9 % of phone calls will be in French, so that will mean good fluency. At best I would say try your luck part time, i.e have a day job but you will need a fair amount of capital, a decent car at auction starts around 5-8000 euros (and more of course) and re-selling on from that, means a very small market at that price level. If you become a proper dealer, then what guarantees will you offer and what have you set aside for a workshop to remedy probs, from simple stone chips from a car bought wholesale to servicing and even warrantees ? Don't want to put you off but I felt all that was worth mentioning.  

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]It's a good Job Messrs Smith (Paul, not the one who actually IS a member), Gaultier, Lagerfeld, Boateng (Oswald this time, definitely NOT Paul) etc., aren't CF members. They'd be having nightmares for weeks........[;-)][/quote] What do that lot know, Lionels and tab collars are back and they don't even know it, not like wot we Bretons dos [:)]

[quote user="Just Katie "]I had a friend living in Mexico who told me it was quite normal to ask people their bank account balance[:-))].  What's yours Miki?[:D][/quote] Same as last time you asked me, three 0's behind you still and getting worse. I am but a poor guesthouse proprietor don't you know [:)]

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Katie. When we go home our close friends never say anything about their house value but for sure, at some time or another, some other folks in the pub, or wherever, will get around to saying "So just how much is your place worth in France" My stock answer now is (and it is quite truthfull to be honest) "No idea, what the hell I can get for it I guess" followed swiftly by the questioner again with  "Oh ours has quadrupled in price since last week, it's now a zillion quid and we only paid a few hundred quid, mind you we've had a new bathroom fitted since" Jolly bluddy good I say, "Have you seen Sticky Vicky".......that stops 'em short, if they know her, they keep stum and if they don't, then their puzzled look is worth a million words [:)] It has seemed that for many years, only two things appear to be stock parlance in the UK, the Lotto and the value of ones house (notice, not home) Oh and that chap who wasn't anywhere near being in when we left, Mr Blair, gawd luv 'im [;-)]

[quote user="Mister Fluffy"]I'm ashamed to say that the Christmas ones lit up... [/quote] Ashamed ! you should be gloating after reading what the others wear [:D] Quite right Betty, we chic peeps are understandably shocked by the crass mode we are reading of, ain't we . [:)]

No it's true (allegedly) Arfer Martin told me.

Did they spin and light up, not proper dickie's if they didn't [:)] I think your point has been proven Will [;-)]

Hottie ...................it might be short for Hotpoint ?

I doubt you would get near the rate offered by a UK bank/building society would you ? And if they do take out the 11% social debt from the interest, wouldn't it look an even poorer proposition ?

Possibly, not sure of that though but who would invest money in France if they lived elsewhere ?

I believe that from January this year and where due,  the 11% social debt is being taken direct from ones French savings account. Will that be the same for Ing ?

Some people do Lori but as Val says, they also know there is a good chance that their child may well be victimised. Our kids, even if they have had a genuine complaint, they would/will never allow us to go in to the school to sort it out. I hear that there are channels (this si tongue in cheek) I even hear of people that have taken that route but when kids and not just mine, say please don't come in to the school, it will only rebound on me, then I prefer to listen to them than take the advice that has has been offered of go and see the head or whoever...... As for parent/teacher organizations, we have seen good and bad in the early schooling up until the end of collège but as far as Lycée is concerned, I know of nothing like that in our kids places. As far as enough parents making a fuss, it really is not the traditional French way, they rely totally on the profs and believe them to know how it all is and they don't know, so keep out. That maybe general but it is by far the highest percenatge of how it is, well in our experience anyway. I think it comes down from both sides as just how it is, the porofs look afdter each othera nd the aprenst have long thought the way it is and has been is the best......It means the students (along with some profs) take strike action everytime they want change (or not) and we are due another blow up !! The trouble is, the last time (last year) it affected the exam periods quiet badly. Dotty, I think we are really talking more, after collège here, the years leading up can be a picnic. Your kids have very good marks, keep them at it but do listen to their probs in the years ahead, which I'm sure you will do. But as SB said, we can kick the UK education system but just look at how many people on LF say how good their kids have been in their early years at school here, credit where it is due perhaps ?