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Floydmike

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  1. [quote]Well where we are (Mayenne 53) all our friends have Whiskey after 11am until about 1.30pm. Then coffee or beer, between 2pm - 5.30pm and after that it is whiskey all the way through!! Needless to sa...[/quote] You could also try Kir (Cassis and sparkling wine), Not wishing to sound pedantic, but this is one of the few areas of French life in which I have a little expertise. A Kir Royale should be made from Cassis with Champagne. A Kir should be made from Cassis and white burgundy, not sparkling wine. The sparkling wine and plonk white versions, which, personnally, I find perfectly acceptable at almost any time of the day, are economy versions of the real thing. Mike
  2. Noone ever said it would be easy and there is not a gardener born who does not have failures, but when you eat a dish of something you have just picked, it all becomes worthwhile, and, when you've served that dish to Miki, to show him what he's missing, doubly so. Then there are the bonuses. Iceni has already mentioned the exercise. In addition, think of having a stock cupboard,enough to see you through a winter, and all of things you have grown yourself and also think of the pleasure of being able to give your occasional surpluses to friends and neighbours. If non of these arguments convinces you, there is always the most powerfull argument of all. It does cut down the amount of time you have available to allocate to apero consumption!! Mike
  3. Fran, This question is very relevant to us too, as we completed on our house, at Pauilhac, between Fleurance and Lectoure in February. There are a few roses there, that appear to have done quite well, but I have no idea what varieties they are. They have been planted in areas where there is some shade from trees, which may be significant. We are also planning on planting fruit and nut trees in the autumn, and would be interested in which varieties and rootstocks people recommend. There will also be a message in your inbox. Mike
  4. Maybe try another variety or try sowing a little in a more shaded area. Mike
  5. We got rid of our lawn in Fulham some years ago and replaced in with a membrane that would let water down but not let weeds up. The membrane was then covered with pebbles. To plant, we would brush the stones away, cut a whole and then, pop the plant in and brush the pebbles back. After 10 years, the pebbles are hardly visible. Apart from the plants mentioned elsewhere, we have had success with sedums, sempervivums and saxifrages, none of which seem to need much watering. Indeed most mat forming plants have done well. Mike
  6. It would also be a great way to improve your French and meet the locals. Please share any information you discover. Mike
  7. I have finally had to concede that next trip we will have to visit Ikea in Toulouse. Can any of you recommend any other shops or shopping areas in Toulouse. We are particularly in need of sofas. Mike
  8. LAST EDITED ON 06-May-04 AT 05:16 PM (BST) Thanks for posting this. It would be really helpfull if any of you who know of vide greniers, could post the details somewhere.
  9. Floydmike

    Bamboo

    We have a large and rapidly expanding clump of some form of giant bamboo. Does anybody have any ideas short of Napalm or tacticle neucs? If I could find a way to kill it, without killing the other plants it is trying to swamp, I would consider concreting over the remains to use it as the base for a terrace.
  10. LAST EDITED ON 30-Apr-04 AT 03:47 PM (BST) I posted a reply to this a couple of days ago, but it seems to have disapeared. We are about 40 minutes south of Agen in 32 and pretty much in the same boat as you as far as furniture is concerned. We have had most success in the large centre commercial just south of Agen off N21. If you follow the sign to Carrefour, there is a brilliant Castorama and a Colorama and several other general furnishing stores. Jardinland is just before Carrefour and we got some bargain wooden garden furniture there. Avoid Carrefour itself unless you have one of their frequent shopper cards, which have special rapid checkouts. Without a card, there was only one checkout with a very long queue. If you follow the sign for Geant, you will spot an excellent furniture store called L'Inventaire where we purchase an excellent bed and some bedroom furniture. We will probably return on our next trip. They were able to deliver, on time, the next day at a charge of 50 euros, but delivery was free for two items, so it is always worth haggling about that. There were also some good garden furniture deals at our local Champion. We have much more furniture shopping to do on our next trip, so I would appreciate hearing how you get on. Regards, Mike
  11. We're in 32, between Lectoure and Fleurance. I cannot emphasise how helpfull the Cleasbys have been to us. [email protected] Mike and Lucy
  12. Welcome to the Gers in July. I've also replied to your inbox. Mike
  13. If you are forced to dig a plant up, the worst that can happen is that it dies. Inevitably the roots will be damaged, so it is important to prune very hard before replanting, so that the damaged roots do not have to support too much folliage. Use the prunings to take as many cuttings as possible. After all, you only need one to take to replace the plant you've lost. As far as the digging up is concerned, try to dig it up with as large a root ball as possible. Try to have it out of the ground for the shortest time possible and don't let it dry out until the roots have had a chance to reestablish themselves. Then keep your fingers crossed.
  14. I'm still waiting for a convincing explanation of how Chirac's policy towards Islamofascism differs from Marshall Petain's policy towards National Socialism.
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