Russethouse

L'enclume by any chance GG ? I remember those pebbles...

I'm sorry I have no idea if Superdrug ship to France but we found them cheapest with Tesco often having offers.......( we had to buy certain things for my mother that weren't covered by the NHS. Can you not get a prescription for these products ?

To be fair I believe he has overcome a difficult stammer and as an adult has learned to play the piano...both of which I admire. The BBC chap, Nick Robinson thinks he may become much loved in the way that Micheal Portillo has....we'll see ;-)

[quote user="idun"] The man could end up doing lots of things. I can think of far worse than him at the moment, so why have a go at him in particular. He is, as has been pointed out dead clever and I'm sure, as he has been politican so long, will use that tricky brain, which all of them seem to have, or develop, to find himself a job. [/quote] I suspect he is an intelligent guy but like many people the moment of the election that gave me the most pleasure was seeing him defeated......I used to just detest the way he stood in Parliament making silly flatlining gestures, like a 2 year old, when he had been part of the team who had helped get us in the mess to begin with. It demeaned Parliament as a whole ( and there are plenty of others who do the same, but not with his profile) Sadly he comes over as bombastic and somewhat petulant....perhaps he'll find a better niche away from the House of Commons.

Hmmm...Nicola Sturgeons party does have only 56 votes in the UK, so for all her demands she is batting on a sticky wicket., having shot herself firmly in the foot ....In addition now the SNP have seats at Westminster they will start to be criticised just like other MPs, errors and mistakes will happen and they may find they have 'peaked' as far as Westminster is concerned.

The Tories will give the electorate a vote, so it's pretty tough to curse them when it's the people who will decide.

I was thinking about the chap who moved from Australia having bought a house on the internet, just the other day. PS Sometimes see Mr Coops on FB...

Keeping my fingers firmly crossed for you, Norman

You maybe luckier than you think, don't forget that some people can now lay their hands on their pension funds.....not sure it is totally wise, but many are doing it.

Having viewed a few properties recently I would de clutter and then do it again.....if you have bright colours either make sure everything matches spot on or paint them white or cream. Use reed air freshness, some of the houses I viewed had a very individual odour... Good luck...I hope this is a happy move and not something you feel forced into...

Grecian, Are you getting other visitors ? Does your wife have any friends locally who might help her in any way

Idun, I am going to borrow that expression, I'm a very generous size these days, sad to say but that sounds nicer somehow....

Always happy to oblige [:)]

I've been to an M&S outlet in Street....I rather thought the men's stuff was a better buy than the womens.... Some seasons I just don't like the colours or cut.....some times I do, they are a bit hit and miss For good jumpers and cardigans try Woolovers online....

Sorry to hear that Grecian, Apple is often given for upset tums so its a shame it didn't work...., Hope you start to make progress soon...

Good to hear from you - take care....

I'll have to look and see what make my stick blender is but it has a special soup wand which us bigger than the normal one ......having said that we do like chunky soup....

Idun, I use a stick blender with a soup 'wand' for my soups, less mess....... I have tall cupboards with heavy wire baskets in the bottom and shelves on the top, the crockery goes on the shelves, with less used items at the back.

With Karndean it's vinyl and it goes on in strips, there's no grout although I suspect GGs white strips look like grout. My husband doesn't like tiles because he says the grout gets mucky and stains...you can seal it which helps, but Karndean or Amtico, if you have a bigger budget , look good and just needs a wipe over to come up smiling.

Fwiw I have Karndean on the floor and I'm very happy with it...easy to clean, not cold like tiles which we had before and no grout to get mucky ( although this can be sealed to help )

[quote user="mint"]Yes, drawers everywhere, all around the island, hob on the island and a hood that vents the cooking fumes outside and not just recirculated as at present, and some of those pop-up plugs for mixers, toaster etc. With 3 large full-height units with pull out shelves, I am hoping not to have to have wall units as well.  The installer said wall units finish off a kitchen but I think that without them the room might look more spacious. If I do have wall units, then they are going to reach to the ceiling so that there will be no grunge to gather on top of the units. The kitchen bit itself is tiny but I am stuck with the dining area..........not ideal but so be it. RH, he did mention that Neff ovens are good.  I shall look at Bosch as well as I had one that was excellent but my German friend says that only Miele ovens are any good. I thought I might even splash out on a Siemens but, as you know, id, I've GOT to get the oven right! [/quote] There are so many options on my oven it would be hard to go wrong - circotherm, circotherm intensive, top heat, bottom heat, top& bottom heat, bread, defrosting etc.......We went to a demo day at the local main agent and that was worth while as we could ask lots of questions....Good Luck !  

I notice at the beginning of this thread I still had my range cooker - now we have a two Neff ovens (1 large 1 small)  with telescopic racks and an induction hob, Neff again, which I love. if you are having larder units I would still recommend fitting it with pull out wire baskets, I find these very useful....If I could have a built in larder fridge and freezer as separate items I'd do it in a heart beat...

[quote user="Catalpa"][quote user="Russethouse"]The thing that I am uncomfortable with is that the staff at Charlie Hebdo have published a cartoon yet they are now pretty much protected, it's someone else who will most likely pay the price, not them ....and for what, the joy of a quick laugh poking fun at someone else's religion ? They know the score, why add fuel to the flames right now?[/quote] Because if Mohammed had not been portrayed in some way after the executions, the terrorists would be perceived to have silenced Charlie Hebdo and the right to cartoon as they choose. This time, I don't think it was for quick laugh at all - I suspect it was a deadly serious decision. But I am very ambivalent about it and am with you and others in that: there was France, substantially united against terrorism last Sunday but by Wednesday, there are five million yah boo sucks copies of the new edition on the streets. I wish they hadn't done that but I can see why they would choose to do as they did and I won't condemn the editorial team for it. But I do hope that CH becomes less "just because I can, I will..." provocative in future... but quietly and without fuss. Temper their freedom with responsibility, I suppose. But perhaps in the editorial team's view they already do. [/quote] I appreciate what you are saying but for example if they depicted other religious leaders too, it would still have made the point, but perhaps more subtlety ...who knows, we can't go back, so to coin that dreadful phrase, it is what it is....

Not at all, but why give yet another excuse, and for many French Muslims , on home soil.....my feeling is that there could have been a more conciliatory, uniting cartoon with no loss of face. It will take people with goodwill on both sides to ever reach a 'peace' that wasn't the way to encourage it IMHO On the other hand free speech is fundamental to our society, as I said at the beginning, I feel torn

I'm sure you are right, but why give yet another excuse for hard liners to persuade young Muslims that the world is against them ?