Thedunnes

Hi A chum of mine wants to come and stay but our house is not big enough.  He wants to book 2 weeks in a  place hopefully near us, so do any of you have a property that can take 10 in the area near the A20 between Uzerche and Pierre Buffiere (spelling?).  Last week May, and first week of June. Thanks Stephen (19)  

Hi My thoughts are that this chap did not give you the opportunity to deal with his difficulties in a reasonable way.  If his problems related to the fact the he was expecting a 5* hotel and not a self catering property then it is hardly your problem.  I would be fairly blunt if he responds to your reply with more whinging.  It is also worth noting that his only recourse to compensation is through the french legal system.  As he sounds very well travelled, he probably speaks french fluently - not.  Therefore if he takes legal advice in the Uk they will tell him there is nothing they can do as he has made a contract in france and he will probably disappear into his hole. Stephen (19)

Just a thought, but you do see some fitted carpets and they are often very poorly laid.  It may that good carpet fitters are not very plentiful....... Check it out, next time you are in France. Root out carpet shops and research how they go about fitting carpets for clients.  You could have hit ona very good idea. It is true if you that being self employed in France is not as attractive as in the UK, but in reality it is on a par with being employed in the UK.  People seem to forget that a employed person in the UK paying basic rate tax is really being taxed at 34% on most of their earnings.  People often forget National Insurance when talking about the 22% rate of tax.  No employed people pay tax at just 22%. Stephen(19)

Penny I wanted to clean the beams in our cottage for two reasons.  Firstly in the original sitting room they were black with a couple of centuries of soot and the big beam of the inglenook fireplace had been painted a lovely shade of brown.  Second there is quite a bit of worm and I wanted to treat it all and I could not spray the timber as the soot is greasy and I would not have achieved a very good penetration with the xylophene. In the other downstairs room I was just wanting to clean up the beams but the were not too bad, however the dirt made it hard to detect the eaten bits. One problem is that where the wood has been eaten it is almost always where they had not bothered to clean the bark and "white" wood from the beam.  This what the wood worm actually like and by cleaning I was able to see the bad bits much more easily.  The blaster ripped the dirt off the good oak fantastically.  Where it was eaten it was less effective as the softer nature of eaten wood absorbed the energy of the sand and whilst it made an effect it did not clean as well as the good hard wood. I have since been able to use an air chisel with a portable compressor to gradually and rather crudely remove the eaten wood back to good hard stuff.  The rooms have been transformed and are much lighter as a result the fireplace is fantastic.  I do have a picture of the fireplace half done, but I have not mastered how to compress photo files and so the file is quite big, but if you would like me to try and send you a copy of the shot then just let me know.  It is not hard work, but it is messy and for an unfit bloke like me.  A decent builder should be able to do the job with ease.  You do end up with and instant indoor beach and the stuff goes everywhere..  The area cleaned by the way was just under 60 sq m and it took me two days, including collecting the machine on the first morning, running out of sand at the end of day one, fetching more sand first thing and getting the machinery back beofer they closed at 18.00 that night.  We used 23 40 kilo sacks.  Looking at it we probably could have done some sand recycling but the one time I blocked the thing it took me half an hour to sort it out, so I decided against re-using any of the sand that was by now on the floor. Am I pleased with the results?  An unqualified yes.  Would I do it again.  Yes but I am not in any hurry to.  The really satisfying thing is that the sand blasting was the last mucky job and now all the work is productive. Most of the wiring is now in and I even started to re-point the interior walls with lime which is interesting and much more physical than using the sand blaster. Stephen (19)

Penny I hired the kit from BLS for 2 days.  Cost was reasonable, I have not got the invoice to hand but it was about £250.  I did have to go back on the second day to get more sand.  If you don't want to do the job yourself, which I can understand as it was fairly tiring.  It was not difficult, but at the end of each day the bags of sand did start to get rather heavy.  It is also a two person job to unload the kit fro the car and the compressor which was towed behind the car was not what I would call light and considerable effort was needed to manoevre the thing to where it was needed. If you can't find someone specifically with the equipment, I would suggest trying to find a competent builder as most of them in my experience are uesd to using the kit and they will hire the kit in for the job.  My experience was that it was hard but very satisfying.  I now have several bags of used sand which will be used to blind the hardcore going into a patio that I am planning. Stephen (19)

My neighbour (Henry) runs a hunting business and has a 200 ha fenced off hunting park where you can have a pop at wid boar if you are so inclined. To stock said park he breeds wild boar in an enclosed 30 hectare wood. Anyway, he dropped round and asked if I could lend a hand to round up a few boar to move from the breeding park to the hunting park. I am always up for a chuckle and was curious to see how they actually did it as the animal are completely wid and have no human contact. The following morning I meet up with Henry and about 20 others at the breeding park. A large mesh net is erected around one corner of the park, leaving about the last 40 metres open. We then fan out and walk the wood to drive the pigs into the netted corner. The net is then closed and I am told they reckon we had about 30 of the chaps in the netted area. The theory is simple. The pigs are supposed to run into the net and get their trotters tangled in the net and fall over, at which point someone jumps on the unsuspecting animal which someone else ties up his trotters so that he can be carried and released into a waiting stock traler. Simple. We stretch along the net and the chap next to me advises to hide behind a bit of tree so that the pigs won't see me whilst he does the same. Someone with a dog then entered the netted area with a view to encouraging the pigs to run towards the net. Suddenly about 13 pigs including the big male boar (who works in the breeding park if you see what I mean) come steaming towards the net. The net goes flying and the pigs steam either side of my tree with me rooted to the spot. The chap next me and I laugh that there was no way we would have moved. A cry goes up as a pig is netted further along and we run to assist. This operation is repeated 3 times and in the end we have captured 9 pigs. One of them did gallop into a net right next to Henry and I and we both jumped on top of the chap and someone else secured his trotters. I guess this method of capture goes back to the pre-historic times and the adrenalin was cetianly pumping. A Health and Safety man would have had apporplexy. Risk Assesments! I don't think so. Sure it was very dangerous, I have never seen an animal break cover and run so fast in my life. The big boar must have weighed about 90 kilos and I don't want to think of the damage he could inflict if cornered. Did I enjoy it, yes. A very amusing and eye opening morning! Only in France. Stephen (19)

Slightly different situation here. Driving down the A20 towards Uzerche. Two cars coming the other way flash us, my passenger and I discuss this and wonder if there is a problem or a speed trap. I check my speed, 50 mph in UK regd car, I explain that this equates to 80 Kph and my passenger helpfully points out that the limit here is 90 k. Round the next coner bingo we see in the distance flics on the side of the road and cars coming out of junction ahead of us. I slow further on account of the cars emerging from junction. We get to Flics a couple of hundred metres after the junction and I get pulled. Chap comes straight to the drivers door and I get out and ask what the problem is in french. I am informed I was clocked doing 115 kph and am told that I face a very very big fine. I frown and point out that I disagree a little feeling confident that I was in the right. Le flic points out that he prefers to believe the electronic equipment operated by his buddy. I open my car door and invite my passenger to confirm my story. At this point things get very interesting. My passenger is very well known to the Flics as he is a Lt Col in the Gendarmes and is far from impressed at the allegation of speeding. The equipment is rapidly packed away and conversation turns to an apology and threats from my chum that he will speak to various people about rather obvious picking on cars with GB plates. My chum was genuinely shocked by the encounter as he is on the army side of things and does not have a bad bone in his body. I am very grateful that he was in the car otherwise I can easily see that I would have been on the verge of an expensive trip to the bank. A very salutory lesson and not one I can really draw any comfort from apart from the fact that on that day someone was wathcing over me. Stephen (19)

I am only at the threshold of trying to look into going over the France to live and work, whilst the wife and children will remain in the UK for certainly the next 5 - 8 years. My wife is the principal earner in our family and whilst I have plans that will earn me an income it will be drawfed by my wife's earnings. Does anyone have any experience of how the french regard spouses who are not both resident for tax purposes in France. I am sorry if this has been covered before, but I could not find a relevant thread. Stephen (19)

Keith One of things that I hoping to do next year is hold a classic bike rally ("Rally Rosbif" perhaps!)for mates in the BSA owners club both GB and french, at our farm on the Correze/Haute viennee border. A decent rock band is an essential ingredient as I am sure you understand. Please let me know if you start to gig so that we can see whats what. Stephen

My understanding (and I stand to be corrected) is that for the unit to flow properly and not cause vacuums, it is essential that the 100mm pipe extends higher that the WC itself and be open to the atmosphere. Typically this means the pipe exiting the roof. However you can have the pipe exiting into the attic and fit a DURGO valve which allows the pipe to vent one way only and thus stops any nasty niffs exiting into your attic. These things are hard to find in France (in my experience) but the proper name in french is "Aeration sous toit des chutes d'eaux eses". According the box mine came in the mob who supply them in France are: COLENA, Zone Industrial Nord, 15 Rue des Freres Lumiere, 68000 Colmar. To install you just have to carry the 100mm pipe up into the attic and connect the WC to the rising pipe by using a swept T joint and the then pop the valve on the end of the pipe. Much simpler than making a hole through the roof for a traditional vent. Oh I got mine from B&Q I am afraid as no one seemed to know what I was asking for over here. I have cecked with a chap I know who says that are perfectly legal to use in France. Hope that helps Stephen (19)

I have posted a couple of times about Kingspan in the nope if trying to find something similar in france, but to no avail. There are similar products (and yes Bob I have you M&T pages safely forgotten on my desk in France and will post them when I get back in July) but none come in the large sheets that Kingspan produce (1200mm x 2400mm) which mean minimum waste when infilling between rafters. Anyway it might sound utterly mad but I am almost certainly going to bring in a truckload of the stuff into France. In the UK it costs about 7.50 per m2 and becasue I am getting it very direct so even with feight it is costing me about 7m2 delivered in Correze. If anyone is interested in sharing part of this load, then let me know. Logistically the load is being delivered to my farm 2 miles from J43 of the A20 in July. Leave a message in my in box if you are interested. If you don;t know what Kingspan is then look at this http://www.insulation.kingspan.com/newdiv/pdf/tp10.pdf Stephen (19)

I would agree that it is worth looking at what is available in France. For example the Renault Traffic is available in France as a really civilised MPV/minibus with luggage space whereas in the UK you have to get it converted which makes it much dearer and I guess it would then be hard to get a Certificate de Conformit to register it in France. The new (came out this year) VW Caravelle or Shuttle is a massive lift over the previous model. I borrowed one last week which had the 178 BHP engine option. Seriously quick and 35 mpg and actually quite quiet. Still trying to convince she that must be obeyed that this would be a sensible vehicle for those long hauls to Correze. Stpehen (19)

You will probably be OK with the SEAT as long as it is imported officially into France, and SEAT can provide a Certicate de Conformit. The Kwacker is probably a different proposition as it may have never been imported officially into France and if that is the case you will find it very difficult to register in France. That said you can legally insure a UK regd vehicle but in my experience only on the equivalent of a thrid party only basis. I have an old Espace that I have taken out to France. It is currently on UK plates but is insured there on an any driver basis for less than it cost to tax in the UK. I now have the Cert de Conf in my hand and will have to submit it to a french MOT (Controle Technique) after fitting some new headlights and then hope that the registration process can be completed. On the bike front, there is one chap I know of you runs a fleet of classic english bikes to rent to holiday makers. Most of these are on UK plates and he reckons thatr they are all properly insured and that he has no problems with the law. Stephen (19)

My old espace is insured thru Axa and when going thru the detail of the cover the broker casually pointed out that anyone who had had a licence for more than 3 years could drive it. I nearly fell off the chair and explained the UK position and they laughed. Check it out it may actually be very easy if not already included. Stephen (19)

Hi all In a few years time we will be moving permanently to our house in Central France. I aim to become qualified as a plumber over this time. From the point of view of registering and then practicing as an artisan. Can anyone advise whether some UK qualifications are more readily accepted than others. Thanks Stephen (19)

It is worth visiting Lapeyre in Limoges (estate behind Castorama). They display the different shuters that they make to order. I also think they have some standard sizes which you can trim for an exact fit. Fitting should not be too difficult, but if you are not willing to fit yourself you can always decide on what you want and then ask your artisan to copy of use the lapeyre stuff. Stephen (19)

Bob & Ann I am pleased that the trip helped you settle on Brittany. A lovely part of the world. We spent time there on our honeymoon. It was good to meet you and wish you the very best. Stephen p.s. we even managed to build that Dorma by the end of our stay. Right now I need a holiday!

Just in case any of you are in this part of the world there is a weekly gathering in the basement of the La Mairie in a little village called La Mongerie. La Mongerie is just up the road from Masseret which is nr J43 of the A20. Wasn't quite sure what to expect when I trotted along with a couple of pals who were working with me on our property and we enjoyed a very pleasant evening. It is not exclusively English, but English is the language spoken, but a couple of dutchmen were there enjoying what is a very nice loaction. Roaring fire, big table and John Smiths, even if it was in a tin! Gathering occurs every Saturday from 8.00 ish Stephen (19)

Has anyone managed to register an old (pre 91) type espace. Another forum member is having difficulty and I would like to reg mine in Correze. If anyone has managed to complete this exercise please could they let me know. I had been under the illusion that it was generally easier to reg a car of french origin, but this may not be the case as the other forum member is having great difficulty getting a certificate of conformity. Stephen (19)

I am in the process of renewing all my fencing mostly with post and rails and have been working on a fairly modern barn that has stabling that opens on to one of the fields so that my neighbour can use the land for her horse should she need to as I like the idea of animals being visible on the land to deter visitors. She says that I should also be aware that some people like to holiday with their animals and has recommended that I look into this more seriously as in a year or so we will have two operating houses available for rental. We are in Correze very close to the A20 and there are plenty of places where you could ride along local rights of way and we have enough land to create a schooling area. I am not interested in owning horses as I had enough of that on my parents farm (horsey sisters) as a lad, but can see that there could be a market out there, if this type of holiday is popular. I would be very pleased to hear from folk who either cater for this type of market who might be happy to pass on advice or simply from people who think this is something that could become popular. Thanks Stephen (19)

Technically you have to register the quad and get it a plate and then it is legal for the road or indeed any right of way. If it is not regd then you cannot use on the road or in fact anywhere other than private land (i.e. no nice old lanes). In France you can get both road legal registerable machines and non road legal. My neighbour treated himself to one at Christmas and his kids (14 and 17) are permanently banging up and down from their place to ours but it is illegal and I do hope that there is not a sadness as unjuries can be a lot worse than from coming off a trail bike. That said (I have trail bikes you understand) I cannot help argeeing that they are a hoot, but in the claggy stuff they are much more hard work. To get about on it a bit more you need to get a trailer and soem friends with great expanses of land (like my neighbour) and play there. Oh and don't even think about trying to register it. Stephen (19)

See in box

Always an issue that is going to cause some debate. Irresponsible 4x4 driving can cause horrendous damage and annoy many people. Pottering along well maintained unmade roads can be fantastic fun and really take you to very remote parts of the world. I would thoroughly recommend Andorra and the Pyrennes generally as you will find plenty of space to explore. Correze my county actually promotes the use of some of its lanes through the tourist authority, but eveything in moderation. Personally I like to potter along on a trail bike, but do get very pissed off at some of the antics of lads riding motocross machines illegally on trails in the UK and in France. Happily where we are the area is riddled with lanes and so there is very little problem as if anything the off road fraternity do alot of the maintainance to keep them passable. I have yet to meet any people on them when out walking or riding. The best areas are the least populated, Limousin as a region is one that meets this requirement. Laning is fun, but it takes very little irresponsible use to wreck what is otherwise a very enjoyable way to spend ones time. I hope things do not deteriorate to the extent they have in the UK where the actions of a few have ruined it for the many. Stephen 19

I am using a chap called Roger Fages in Uzerche. He seems a nice chap but I have not engaged him to act as a Maitre d'oevres, and sorted out the planning I needed. He is in the Yellow Pages, if you want to contact him Stephen

I know it is not the saeson for touristy things, but is anyone aware of a cookery course operating in Correze in the hrun up to Chrimbo. My hard working wife is changing jobs and will be on gardening leave for December and Jan and I know she would love to spend a few days immersed in a cookery course ideally before Christmas. Any ideas? please let me know. Stephen