Al Rogers

Yup. Didn't check the time but that sounds about right. I was watching a riveting engineering video on YouTube and thought at first it was an odd addition to the sound track.

My UK bank asked several times for my numéro fiscal, which they said HMRC needed. Spoke to the local impots people and they told me I would be issued a number only after I had submitted my first tax return, which is not due until next year. My bank accepted this and said they would get back to me next year. There was no mention of a certificate of tax residency.

Self-delusion is another one of my traits, Idun ?

I applied for an exchange on June 4 (my UK licence expires on Oct 31) and heard nothing until Monday, when my dossier was returned with a note saying it was incomplete. They claimed I'd failed to send them proof of address and legal residence. Now, I'm pretty thorough with paperwork and spent some time ensuring my application was accompanied by everything they asked for, but who am I to argue? Quickly photocopied the documents they needed and rushed to the post office. In my village, being Monday, it was closed. Drove 15km to find an open one and sent what I hoped was now a "dossier complet". On the bright side, the address I was asked to use seemed to be some sort of fast track and I'm hope three weeks is long enough for them to sort things out. Fingers crossed, but I'll be astounded if I can drive legally on November 1.

My builder used this "wedge" technique to level my kitchen floor in the UK many years ago and it worked a treat. He said the easy option would have been to bolt new, level floor joists alongside the existing ones but recommended the technique you're proposing. He had 40-odd years' experience, so I took him at his word. I doubt a DIY store would cut them for you but any decent carpenter would do this. My guy did the job quickly on a table saw so it shouldn't be too expensive.

Following on from the Buzzwords thread, newspapers should cast a very critical eye over their headlines before publication. The Guardian seems to think Brexit has been banned. They must know something we don't.

A lot of the cheap DVD players on sale at UK supermarkets a few years ago were region-free. I've kept an old Asda player for the odd occasion when I want to see a North American- format film. Presumably French supermarkets sell or used to sell the same units. The internet hacks can also work, depending the player. Worth a try. The last time I looked into this, Blu-ray players were considered unhackable.

I'd try the number for their French operation. I'm sure they'll have a useable UK number: NOTRE SERVICE CLIENTS Appel gratuit depuis la France et la Corse 0800 29 22 22 (de 8h à 22h 7j/7) I've used QVC many times over the years and their customer service is top-notch. Nothing to do with Littlewoods. It's a massive organisation founded in the US. Hope this number works for you.

Bags is my new watchword, Norman. Thank you. I should probably have done a little more research myself but thought the topic might be of interest to others and knew you guys would have some useful insight. It's all quite fascinating.

Many thanks. I'd never come across this before. Yet another subtlety to add to the long list.

I'm battling to improve my French ahead (as they say in newspapers) of moving to France and was surprised by the title of the book Le Club des Incorrigibles Optimistes. I would have expected "Incorrigibles" to follow "Optimistes". Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on this.

I'm sure some "talking dictionaries" are better than others but this one seems about right (i.e. agrees with me). Others more expert in the language may disagree. Sorry, can't see how to make this a clickable link. http://swac-collections.org/search.php?str=Muraille&lang=fra

[quote user="mint"]Incidentally, AR, if you do change your Saab break for one of those berlingo thingies, it's UN Berlingo. I had it on good authority only a couple of days ago. It came from the man who is redecorating our balcony rails. In the last few days, I have added some bricolage vocab to my repertoire. Une baguette is not something the artisan wants from the boulangerie, but a wooden fillet and white, pronounced the English way, is merely white spirit. No one can accuse me of not learning![:D] [/quote] Thanks, Mint. Coincidentally, un Berlingo is quite high on my shopping list. My cousin recommends them, and your balcony could just have clinched the deal.

A fascinating thread – but one that's done little to bolster my confidence in mastering French before I move over from the UK soon. I hadn't come across "break" as the French term for an estate car but was struck by its similarity to shooting-brake, that splended old term for a vehicle aristocrats used to take blood-sports fans up to the pheasant moors or hills. Evidently it comes from a cart used at one time to break horses. No idea why we changed the spelling of "break" in the English version but it was possibly an alternate spelling in the past. Just off to the shops in my Saab shooting-brake. That should impress the neighbours.

The "quote post" function doesn't seem to be working as seamlessly as it should, so this is in reply to the question: "I have wondered how the gender is decided for a new word, particularly with scientific discoveries. Who makes the decision?" I remember reading years ago that new nouns would generally be classed as masculine in a belated attempt to simplify the language. I'm sure that plan went well.

I certainly hope it'still possible. Most of my possessions are in storage, my house in the UK is on the market and I plan to head over to SW France as soon as it sells. My understanding is that S1 healthcare coverage for retirees should be available until Britain formally exits the EU. The government helplines were too busy today to confirm this, for some reason. There have been reports that the French healthcare rules have been changed to allow foreigners access after three months. If this is the case, it would remove a major hurdle for potential retirees who, like me, are not "very well off". I would think it's possible to retire almost anywhere in the world if you meet the minimum income requirements, and believe I could just about scrape in. Over-optimistic and naive perhaps, but it's full steam ahead for me – and damn the torpedoes. If you really want to retire in France, don't give up hope.

Thanks for the input, chaps. It'll be coming with me. The movers will be delighted.

It's odd the things that preoccupy you when you're poised to move to a foreign country with a different language and strange customs. In my case, it's the quality of the current crop of Black and Decker Workmates. I bought one in Canada 40-odd years ago and it still works a treat, albeit with a few scars. I was planning on leaving it behind (because it's a touch awkward to lug around) and getting a new one in France, but reviews of the latest Workmates suggest the build quality has plummeted over the years. If that's the case, I'll take the old one with me. Any thoughts?

I've always been fascinated by the self-powered water pumps that were apparently developed centuries ago. They seem to depend on a certain "fall" of water to operate, so may not be suitable in flattish terrain. If nothing else, it could be a talking point for your neighbours. http://journeytoforever.org/at_waterpump.html

My go-to birdman (who somehow managed to avoid a stretch in Alcatraz) confirms it's a chaffinch – Fringilla Coelebs. He says it looks like a female, not yet full-grown. Good shots of a delightful little creature.

There's at least one cash machine at Aberdeen Airport that dispenses euros, so presumably you can find them at other UK airports. I suspect the exchange rate wouldn't be up to much, though.

[quote user="Patf"]Stool pigeon , or stooly. Eric - your first one is similar to the english expression I've been had, or ever been had? It's a bit hard on pigeons though - there's a whole room devoted to them at Bletchley Park, some of them gave their lives for their country in WW2 (carrying coded messages.) [/quote] Indeed. But the word "pigeon" on its own fits well with its French equivalent, whereas "stool pigeon" means a snitch. What a wonderfully multi-purpose role those birds fulfil.

I seem to remember "pigeon" being used in American slang to mean a sucker or easy mark. May have been in old gangster movies or Damon Runyon tales.

[quote user="mint"][quote user="Al Rogers"]I always suspected something was missing from my life and now I know what it is - a cheese plane. Off to get one now.[/quote] I've got one; it's great for doing those dinky parmesan curls to put on top of dishes. [/quote] There will be dinky parmesan curls aplenty on my pasta tonight. A whole new world is opening up. Graters are obviously for wimps. PS Apologies for the "block quote" nonsense. You must have a magical touch, Mint.

I always suspected something was missing from my life and now I know what it is - a cheese plane. Off to get one now.