Tony F Dordogne

It's a small airport and people there get to know the regulars - trying this may be a once and only scam!

Absolutely Bob, don't have a problem with what's happened at all!  There was plenty of warning given and many people ignored the no parking signs that were there already so down to them.

Well, if your car is parked long-term/overwintering where it shouldn't be - in the wrong place under the new regime - it's likely that when you get back to it, your tyres will be flat. There's an old white  Ford (I think) outside the aero club (where the Douanes park) and a much newer (new UK plates) black estate car outside the first building on the left as you approach the airport and they both have a full set of deflated tyres.  Also some of the over wintering cars which have not been moved from the old parking places seem to have full sets of flaties. Seems too much of a coincidence that suddenly all the tyres have gone flat but of course, would not have been officially sanctioned.  So when the owners return to the cars (if they return to the cars) maximum inconvenience.    

There is also the web site of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which contains the details of all the British War dead, including civilians, from the conflicts of the 20th century. It's an excellent resource for people who have lost relatives in either of the major wars www.cwgc.org it's easy to navigate and if you have lost a relative, you can download a very tasteful certificate with their details on it.  

WJT, I think you are completely wrong here.  I live in an historical village in the Dordogne where the carte communal was recently changed to allow some new Perigordine style houses to be built.  The opposition to the change came from - the Brits - the guy that owns the Chateau (Brit, biggest maison secondaire in the world, only occupied for a few weeks a year) and another Brit couple who tried to drum up opposition to a dangerous wall being replaced because they didn't like the alternative. We NEED these new houses.  We NEED the new families.  The Brits and other incomers have bought so much property in the village centre and inflated the prices so much younger people cannot afford to buy, the commune (158 people) is aging so fast because kids are leaving and we have no incomers, other than a few holidayers/maison secondaire owners. We need the new houses, we need the tax revenue in the commune, we need new blood, small children at the fetes, new ideas etc. And of course there are stringent planning regulations, to suggest theat there aren't is just plain wrong-headed.  Everybody from Batiment de France to the Historical Buildings people have a say in our village development because the village is so old.  But, they don't live here we do and the new builds are an essential part of MY commune remaining both viable and vibrant.

Send me the address Hoddy and I'll go check it for you if you want me to - going to Sarlat at least twice this week and have to go every week so it's not really out of my way. And the word is that it was a child that got through the bars and it was done in daylight - one of the problems is likely to be that although people saw them, as somebody mentioned, could have been the migratory Brit syndrome.

Hi folks Bumped into somebody I vaguely know in St Cyprien market this morning.  She and husbands are Brits, locked their place up a couple of weeks ago and when they returned it was empty, stripped by burglars (took everything, fridge freezers, furniture, the lot) who apparently got initial access by squeezing through burglar bars.  Must have taken ages, at least several hours to do. The house is on a fairly busy road and on a well used junction.  The people concerned had locked everything up, all shuttered but it's a big house, open to public view and when you drive past it and it's empty and shuttered, it looks empty if you see what I mean.  And although in open view, the house is fairly isolated in that it has no houses close by so anybody coming or going may not have looked suspicious to the casual observer. According to the G men, it's one of a string of similar thefts that have occured in the St Cyprien area of 24 over the past short while. Leaving aside what you may think about the scrotes that did this, it's just a word of caution for people who may be going away, to have friends/neighbours swing by regularly to check your house out. 

I'd read all the other threads about renting out to families short and medium term first ................

A number of people were arrested a while back in the Dordogne for claiming a benefit - well being given it as their annual income - because they were renting, not declaring their income and then getting RMI and health benefits because their declared income was so low in the appropriate tax year - while they were living in nice houses etc etc and effectively working on the black. I know of one guy locally who earned a good amount of money last year on the black (which he quite happily told people about) and then declared a seriously low income on his tax return for his failing gite business and voila, gets the benefit this year as he and his wife were below the financial threshold last year. Makes my blood boil .............. and would I report him, probably not .........

Word is that programme is imminent - from Tourist Office yesterday! Well, French imminent anyway ...................  

I've got a load, cut last year, nicely drying and if you take it away you can have it, well most of it, for free. Not sure how much a stere is but two big piles looking for a home, just need to keep some to build steps and edge potager ...  

Oh no, have started in Sarlat also, several shops restocking with Toussaints and Xmas stuff at same time .............

Had a good look in Sarlat today, went to the cinema and the Beaureau de Tourisme - and they both said that the programme will be published about a week before the Festival starts! They agree it's barmy doing it that way but that's the way it is I'm afraid. Could take a couple of lessons from the London FF ........... I'll post as soon as I see something ...............

Tried to find something today about Festival - nothing around but I'm back Thursday so will look again. Also excellent restaurant, without too much duck is Le Bistro opposite the Cathedral, well worth the slightly higher cost ...............

Hi Maggie Know him well, though mainly socially - his Mum and brothers all live in Oz, great having conversations with them!

Maggie, if your hairdresser was Jacky  at Coiffure Concept in the rue Gambetta, he's sold up and moved back to his other salon in Sarlat. OH and I found him there via our free Xmas key ring - still great service and hair cuts, men and woman and well worth the trip.

Hiya WJT What's the Dordogne frenchentree?

I'll be in Sarlat tomorrow and will go to the Tourist Office and cinema (the woman that own the cinema is a major mover in the Festival) to see whether there is any paperwork. Double rats though, looks as though I'm back in the UK when it's on though, sure it's first two weeks in November as it was last year. 

I'm told this is one of the worse year for flies in our bit of 24. Loads of fruit flies to be sure and those bloody horse flies that take a chunk out of you.

Had to go again today - left home at 8, there by 8.25, shopping and admin stuff all done by 11 - by which time, seems like there was NO parking left anywhere near the town and the place was full of bloody tourists. Took the Les Eyzies road back and cut down through Meyrals to St Cyprien - hardly any traffic on it, seems the best way for the locals to be travelling.

You would Keith if you can get that far - it's the bit getting to the car park by the roundabout by the railway viaduct that's the problem.

There are certainly restrictions on domestic use in 24 - notice on our Mairie's notice board.

Wednesday market is much better for the locals.

We had to go to Sarlat yesterday morning - a no option thing - and just getting into the town from the Valley Road was a bloody nightmare. We were stuck in a traffic jam for an hour from the St Cyprien direction, way past the college and out towards 'Toute pour le Maison', very hot, car fine but LOADS of tourists heading for the Saturday market.  Chatting with a French couple later who had come in from the Soullac direction, they were an hour and fifteen minutes in hardly-moving traffic.  Looks as though Sarlat is filling up even earlier than last year on Saturday market day - which now seems a good day to avoid.

Had a look at the Lakeland stoner a few days ago - ok but no better than the French ones. Going to order the French made (Tom Press I think) Rustiuca advertised cherry and plum stoner - three plum trees absolutely groaning atm and need some sort of device to get the stones out, other than sharp knife and fingers.