gail17

Hi Many thanks for your replies, giggled at the antics in Pons!.  Please keep them coming. Gail

Hi [:(] Usually we have managed to have a spring break across in France as well as a summer one.  Unfortunately we can't make it this year.  We were last over at Christmas and they wait until July for us to go seems to be really dragging. Just wondered if any of you living there or lucky to be visiting could make me insanely jealous with any news i.e. how's the weather coming along esp around the Saintes area, are the water restrictions still in place?[:(]  We also heard when we were last over that a commercial centre is planned for outside Pons and thought maybe there may have been some more news about that. Please any news would be nice. [:)] Gail      

Hi Many thanks for your reply.  He's invited us to meet up when we are next visiting, so your advice should  help us when we are trying to keep the conversation going. Thanks Gail  

Hi Wondered if anyone can help.  I have received a recent email from someone who as far as I can gather works with his wife in the Lycée in our near to us.  His wife is an english teacher and he has written that he is d'EPS at the Lycée. Can anyone possibly le me know what the translation is for this into english? Thanks

Hi Many thanks for your reply. We did find out about Saintes but we didn't manage to get to see it..  Maybe if we are there again this year we will bear it in mind as talking to a couple of our neighbours they seem to think that it is quite good. Gail      

Hi I've just been reading postings about events in relation to Angouleme and just wondered if anyone knew of anything happening in and around the Saintes/Pons/Cognac areas?  It's our first New Year in France, is there any info or advice that anyone has as to how the French celebrate it. Thanks Gail

Hi Many thanks for your replies. Gail

Hi Sorry in advance as I am sure that this has been covered before but after doing a search I didn't seem to be able to find anything.  Can anyone let me know how shops open over the Xmas period.  We will be arriving shortly before Christmas and would find it really handy to know if we are going to be ok to shop etc just before Christmas and if they open normally afterwards? Many thanks Gail  

Hi Emma Thanks for your reply, that would be great if you could let me know closer to the time. Gail  

Hi Thanks for your reply, has anyone had any experience of buying one in Charente Maritime,we're close to Pons. We won't be arriving until early evening on the 23rd so we'd probably be looking to buy one on Christmas Eve, maybe we might be leaving it too late? Gail

Hi Many thanks for letting me know I just wasn't sure and just didn't really fancy taking over an artificial one.  I'm trying to pick up on the differences between french and english christmas'.  As far as I can gather Christmas Eve seems to be the main event in France but any info about other differences would be really appreciated. Thanks again. Gail      

Hi We are thoroughly enjoying planning for our first Christmas in our house in 17.  We are arriving in the area on 23/12.  We have always had a real Christmas tree in the UK but are unsure as to how available trees are in France.  Could anyone in the area let me know if they would be available and if so where, do supermarkets stock them etc? Many thanks Gail   

[quote]Hi Gail, My daughter isn't 3, but Year 3 primary - she is 8 years old. My 7 and 5 year old aren't using calculators yet. Your son's school doesn't sound like our local schools so perhaps if we don'...[/quote] Hi Sorry Debra, my mistake Year 3.  I would be concerned if my boys had used calculators at that age.  As far as I can gather there is great importance put on 'Mental Maths' as my Year 4, this is probably were the tables would come together with other aspects. He does however find the practical exercises more exciting as he puts it. I must admit when I first attended Maths workshops at our local primary specifically held at the school to show the parents how the children were taught and also how we could help them it did seem a litle alien to me. Things had changed and the best help seemed to be that even if it seemed unusual for us it seemed better not to confuse the children and give them our method together with the one that they were taking on at school. However as time has gone on both the boys have done fine enjoying the subject and we have been surprised and pleased at the results.  You are looking into the french system as an alternative to home education I do hope you find the system that will help your children to do well.         

[quote]Skills - reading yes: look say may be on its way out but not in time for my kids, I'm afraid. There have been a lot of documentaries on the subject since I took the kids out of school. Things seem t...[/quote] Hi Really surprised to hear of a 3 year old using a calculator, this is something that would not be touched on at our local primary schools.  Asking my 13 year old at secondary school how often is uses a calculator in a maths lesson he reminded me that they do not use them in lessons apart from checking their work on the rare occasion.  He is actually covering the topics in maths now that I did at 15 prior to just sitting my O'Level, happily I'm finding that he is leaps and bounds ahead of me. Gail  

[quote]I don't know what, if anything, the last post means, but the general criticism of the English education system is the exact opposite of what I take it to say, that education is practically rather then...[/quote] Hi I too would be interested to know what you class as 'real learning' debra? Gail    

Hi Really enjoying reading through this thread, but does anyone have any ideas about Gail and Ian? When we introduced ourselves to our neighbours they were did seem to struggle a little saying our names, we didn't mention the spellings at the time, would that have confused them even more?  Hoping for any replies. Gail     

Hi Probably a long shot but just wondered if anyone could help out.  Our situation is that we are over in France (17) for around 4 weeks in the summer and will be taking our trailer down from the UK with us.  We currently have our caravan in storage in down there and now want to bring it back here as we will actually be staying in our house at last!! Anyway as we only have the one car and two things we need towing I just wondered if anyone returning from France during the summer could make use of our trailer for something and tow it back. It is a fairly large one, with a cover which we bought over in France recently. It wouldn't really matter where in the UK it would end up as once we are back here towards the end of August would be able to pick it up ok.  Gail (17 as often as possible)         

Hi We are planning on buying some large items from Ikea's website and arrange for delivery of them for when we are over in France for a few weeks.  Has anyone had any experience of this and if so did they find it all went well. It will be during August could there be delays etc with french holidays? Hoping for any comments.  Gail  

Hi We are actually starting to take things over to our property in 17 that will hopefully be ready for us to stay in the summer, after renovation works.  So excited!! We should be able to manage to take quite a lot of things ourselves but do have some larger items which we may need help with. I'm just asking on the off chance that anyone may be going from the NW, we are on the Wirral, down to 17 during July/August. Hoping someone may be able to help, we would obviously help with costs etc. Gail        

Hi For us the best moment in 2004 to do with our renovation in France was when we received photos by email of our windows and doors finally in. Still a fair bit to do, but we are now nicely on our way! Here's looking forward to 2005 when we can finally stay in the house ourselves!!  

Hi We are on our way over to France next week for our first stay at this time of year. We have previously been across during the Spring/Summer so we are looking forward to it as it will be a little different for us. Could anyone, mainly Saintes/Cognac area possibly let me know if brocantes etc are still being held at this time of year, any other advice as to what might be happening would be also be really appreciated. Many thanks Gail

Hi Thanks for all the helpful replies so far, I will pass the information on. Gail

Hi I wonder if anyone could help out. I have been asked by a friend to ask if anyone has a large property that may cater for a large party of up to about 24 people. My friend has holidayed like this for some time in France and would be interested to look at most areas. They would ideally like one large property but would consider separate but close to each other i.e. complex. as they like to obviously socialise/meals together. As far as I know it would be mainly adults but with a few teenage children. They are looking at a couple of weeks in August 2005. Many thanks and hope that someone may have some suggestions. Gail

Hi Not sure about inboxes but i don't know what happened to me! Used to be glcpons, then became Glcpons but unable to login at all using email address and new password sent to me after the change now gail17 and very confused!! But saying that it doesn't take much!! Gail