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Gardian, when does ALBF the Mouth NOT miss the point? I wasn't recommending using a surveyor, that decision is up to the OP. I merely wanted to contradict ALBF's statement that there were no surveyors in France. That statement is not true. I believe the RICS has a very active branch in France. However, I don't know much about their work here and certainly do not know any individual well enough to recommend them. OTOH, I do know Mussidan and, depending on the property, a surveyor may or may not be needed. The is a lot of old and poor housing stock in parts of Mussidan.

It is totally untrue that there are no surveyors in France. You need to google RICS France and you will see a list of current members. Be aware you need a STRUCTURAL surveyor and not one that will just value the property or measure out the extent of your land. I know about this organisation because my husband is on their list. And no, I am not about to tout for business. He is not looking for work. Just trying to help:

Thank you, DL, what can I say? You ARE a WISE one? Oops, it's OK, I'm getting my tin hat.....but I do mean "thank you".

Pretty forgettable? VERY kind assessment, Gardian. They really were nothing to write home about, were they? I suppose England just about deserved their win as the Wales team are mostly young and inexperienced.

DL, if you don't mind saying, which bank is it? Wouldn't mind a new bank account. Of course, if you'd rather not say, I won't hold it against you!😘

Gardian, I will bear your forecasts in mind when I watch!😜 I was utterly shocked by France's performance last week. I knew du Pont and Ntamack would be missing but I couldn't believe how below par (I thought) the whole team was. In the old days, they used to say the result would depend on which French team turned up. The French could play with their much admired French flair or be all over the place. I just hope those days are well past and they play with consistency at the very least.

I'm not talking about me, I don't fly either and don't think I ever will again.

No, based on experience and what you THINK you know about the others. That is what your parents, teachers, books, newspapers etc etc tell you about them. Base on prejudice and perhaps the fact that these others are an unknown quantity to you. For example, if your neighbours are green-coloured martians and you get on well with them, you might think oh those green martians are all right and I don't know why people don't like them.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can ban "screaming kids" no more than you can ban children who sit behind you and kick your seat at regular intervals nor ,come to that, adults who tip their seats in front of yours right back, without forewarning and all their dandruffy hair is practically on your lap

Lots more arguments for and against since I posted this. The funniest remark I have read is this one: Pay for leg room, so why not pay for buttie room ......

Apparently, this is to do with loading of the air craft, safety, estimation of fuel and so on. I hear that "plus size" models are already complaining and are being "triggered" at the mere thought of being weighed.

Aren't you glad it was ONLY a relatively short flight? Imagine flying to the Maldives or even to New York with her in the next seat? And who gets to use the arm rest between you?

Too simple a question, ALBF. It's to do with personality, experience, knowledge of history and so on. You never come to any experienc as a tabula rasa, you already have preconconceived ideas and inclinations. I am just reading a book about the last viceroy of India and you could ask equally why do some Brtions have an affinity with Indians and others don't and vice versa?

Colour yes! It was only after colour that I began watching snooker😁

Imagine sitting next to her on a long distance flight! I worry about this excessively and in fact have practically given up flying.

Lehaut, do you watch "Invitation au voyage" on Arte? It's on lat afternoon, about 5.30 every weekday. I learned about these fountains from one of the programmes. It's a marvellously enjoyable programme.. would take.too long to describe the contents. The only trouble is, it whizzes around the world at jet speed and you have to watch with attention! Only a couple of weeks ago on the programme, I learned that the Pilates (Joseph) who invented the exercises to keep his fellow prisoners in good physical and mental shape was himself a POW on the Isle of Man. And there was me, knowing nothing about this piece of information, who claim to have practised pilates daily since about 2020. I recounted the contents of the showing to some French friends from pilates class and they were also fascinated.

Does this make sense to you? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13056657/helsinki-finland-finnair-measure-passengers-weight.html They could charge by weight for all I care😄

Yes, riggers, I remember! And when BBC2 was off air, you got the "test card"!

Snap! It's only a very short time ago (matter of a few days) that I quoted that poem on another thread.

Wools, here are a few sentences I have copied from a book I am reading and I was keen to reproduce them here because, while I think the same things, I do not have the writer's facility for expressing them. The following remarks are made by one of the characters and I have paraphrased only slightly so as to guard the sense. We live in such a humourless age. It used to be possible to laugh....... Well, now there are all sorts of censors and killjoys. Earnest, ignorant people who lecture us on what we can think and say. And do you know, we have lain down and submitted to the whole process. It's been the most remarkable display of passivity. There is a bit more along similar lines but I think we get a good flavour of what the speaker in the story means to say.

Wools, you must remember those TEFL job adverts which called for native speakers only. You'd think that the BBC would aim to be an exponent of the language of English. There again, I don't suppose such adverts would be allowed these days. Setting standards used to be something to be admired. I expect if you used that phrase now, you'd be reviled or "cancelled" or whatever meaningless word is in current use. I seem to remember that the BBC's mission was to "inform, educate and entertain", in that order. I'd like to know to what degree they themselves think they are fulfilling that brief?

Betise, how have we come to this? I now have to accustom myself to a world that has gone mad.

Just as well you don't watch, Norman, it'll make your toes curl. But for OH putting it on, I'd turn it all off altogether.

You've hit the nail on the head, Wools but I hesitated to point it out.

Has anyone noticed that there are now a whole slew of newsreaders and presenters who speak indistinctly and stumble over the simplest words? Many of the experienced staff have disappeared off the screen. Of course, there has been natural wastage: death, retirement, got rid of for various dubious practices, "retrenched", let go. But do they have to recruit a whole lot of rookies who either look half-terrified (with good reason) or who are unashamedly upfront and over-confident. Nobody now expects anyone from the BBC to speak the king's English (whatever that may be) but you do expect them to be able to read the news in a way and accent that is comprehensible to the majority of viewers and listeners. To think that I had met Albanians who told me they learned English by listening to BBC radio and only last week, I watched a documentary on French TV where a man said that during the 1940s he listened exclusively to the BBC News because he couldn't be confident that the Vichy government would tell the truth about things happening in France at the time. If it's just about cost-cutting, I'd rather they reduced this 24 hour rolling news nonsense and go back to less but better presented news.