Catalpa

[quote user="Quackers"]Great recipe site is www.recipesdownunder  I have used it for loads of different dishes since we moved here they have a great section on preserves too if you are into that sort of things[/quote]   Did you mean:  http://fooddownunder.com/  ? If so, you could edit your post and get a mod to delete mine. [:)]

Or garlicky olive oil and milk... but otherwise I'm with you, Suze. Except... I've got the same magazine as you, Alexis, and I thought I might try a packet of the L'aligot d'Aveyron - brand Marie de Livinhac. I didn't buy much (possibly any) packeted stuff when I was in the UK and haven't done so here either but in the spirit of experiencing all (or most) things French, especially something that scores 19/20. In the same magazine Vie Practique Gourmande 3 Fev issue, on page 23/24 are recipes using chocolate. Langoustines au chocolat et poivron confit and another: Risotto au chocolat. I am guessing with the latter that it is a savoury dish by the decorative ingredient of a few shavings of parmesan annointing (if solids annoint) each serving. Yeuch. [+o(][+o(][+o(] I suppose if I am going to try packeted aligot I should subdue instinctive prejudice and try a langoustine with chocolate mayo... but as a taste combination, can it really work??

Unfortunately, since the documentary on the Yorkshire Eagle Owls went out, the female has been shot and has died. It's not only France that has vandals with shotguns in the countryside. Sorry, Pixie. :(

Slightly quicker but, just as important: much much more reliably. I don't get the error messages, timeouts etc. Really missing them. [:P] Minor quibble is the length of time all the post smileys / smilies (both spellings look daft) take to load before I can start typing a response.

I agree with John Owens and Pangur. In Europe, if degree snobbery (in either direction) isn’t playing a part in the recruitment process, a candidate’s previous employment experience, personal qualities etc are of most interest with an MBA being secondary. The value of the qualification is subject to the relevance of the MBA course and the quality of the provider. I’m only talking here of the corporate world and particularly the multi-national corporate world. Here, a good MBA gained in the UK or America will be recognised in France. Or Germany or the Netherlands or Spain. Anyway Floozy, you mentioned INSEAD and INSEAD is French and highly rated in Europe - I can't remember where it comes in the global rankings but the FT site will tell you. http://news.ft.com/businesslife/mba I’ve worked for multi-national companies and been involved with recruitment for about 18 years. If an applicant had done an MBA following on from their main degree or had spent only a year or so in the workplace and then done an MBA, the candidate was viewed as top heavy – all qualifications and no substantive business experience to which the learning could be applied. Frankly, if employed, they could be a nightmare. If someone had worked for around 5 - 10 years and then taken time out – either full-time or part-time – to do the MBA, subsequently they were a much more ‘rounded’ candidate. They didn’t get an interview because of their MBA, they didn’t get a job offer because of their MBA but taking the candidate as a whole, of course it was a factor. There’s no doubt that an MBA can (should) make the candidate more promotable in the long-term which, for a big company, is always appealing. Networking opportunities: 4 or 5  years ago, I saw a statistic indicating that around 60% of middle / higher management in the UK found their positions via networking. Or at least that networking had an influence even if that influence was knowing someone whose brain you could pick pre job application / interview. (And yes, I found 60% astonishingly high). So the networking opportunities offered shouldn’t – I think – be a reason for doing an MBA but they’re definitely a potential benefit.   An MBA is hard work, bloody expensive if you are funding it yourself and doesn’t guarantee anything. But if I were 25-30 now, had already started and wanted to progress in a corporate career, I would definitely do an MBA. Good luck [:)]

Isn't Mr O'Fyle a carp?  The reason he's back is obvious - it's winter, his life is dull... he's got nothing to put in his blog. Unless he generates a bit of dissention somewhere. Whatever. Is it really worth us spending the time on a discussion? I think indifference is the best response. I want to be... well, dolphin has gone so I'll be a porpoise, please. [:)]

[quote user="JohnM"][quote user="Owens88"] neither   Cats don't swim  , by choice anyway. [/quote] This is sad, but I seem to recall seeing something on TV (some years back) of some cats who seemed to enjoyed swimming. I can't remember the full details, but I do have an image of two very content cats in a tank of warm water.   [/quote] Turkish Van cats (apparently they came from the Lake Van area originally) like - allegedly even love - water. http://www.swimmingcats.com/ A friend of mine had two and they spent much of their time in the kitchen sink, waiting for the tap to drip on them. Cats, eh? [*-)] My Maine Coons are fascinated by water and will hang over the side of a bucket of water dabbling their paws. Given the opportunity (which we try not to give[+o(]) they'll hang over the loo too, watching it flush... it is quite bizarre.

[quote user="Renaud"]I write from a B&B users point of view. We have often stayed in a B&B run by a delightful couple when we come over to see how the renovation of our house is progressing. We came over at the end of November, when it was decidedly cold. [/quote] Was the B&B British or French-owned? I ask because we've only stayed in French-owned B&Bs - the areas we were in had mostly French-owned CdH's at the time. On several occasions the rooms - and the rest of the house - was cool / cold with a slight feeling of damp. I wonder if British B&B owners are a bit more aware of how appealing warm rooms are to their guests! But maybe not...

[quote user="Alcazar"] My youngest uses MSN, and has done on a regular basis since he was about 13, BUT: he isn't EVER phased by what anyone says to him, (as some VERY rude teachers at his comprehensive school found to their cost), he's the ultimate "smart *rse" as far as responses are concerned, so unlikely to suffer any fools on there gladly. He just blocks people who annoy him. [/quote]   Good for him. [:D]   I considered adding – but then didn’t because it sounded a bit sexist! – that chatroom participation / concern over what’s said tends to be more of a girl thing. Boys like the quick, impersonal hit of a text msg or, if they use chatrooms, it’s often very focussed in content – such as football or car related. The majority of the participants in less-focussed "issues” and “making friends" chatrooms are girls. I was involved in developing an education website for 10 – 16 year-olds a few years ago and looked at a lot of research on forums and chatrooms, usage patterns etc: we decided if we did include a chatroom, it would be live only at specific times and actively (live) moderated to take account of some of the challenges I've described.    Lori – I wasn’t suggesting that Nina herself had a pc in her bedroom – but I wanted to explain the point that I believe the commonly understood safety online guidelines aren’t the only consideration.   I think you can avoid unwanted “invitations to chat” by setting MSM to hide your profile – probably via the connection / privacy tabs. As it is, it sounds as though people can access your profile. Someone with more familiarity with MSM will no doubt advise you – posting the question in the LF Satellite / TV / Internet forum is probably easiest.   BTW, Lori… does your daughter know you post on Living France??? [:D][:O]    

[quote user="Alcazar"] I think quite a lot of what people say about chatrooms is knee-jerk reaction, and can be taken with a pinch of salt. It's certainly no worse than what you'd overhear in the playground, cafe, disco, etc. What you MUST do is to stress, then stress again, then stress again, the dangers that CAN exist, and the rules for safe conduct. [/quote] In chatrooms, I don't think it is just the safe behaviour thing that has to be considered. With playground, cafe, disco etc, they're all face-to-face encounters and probably involve several people or a group. Participation in a chat room is solo and - as people have probably discovered even here on LF, TF etc - an aggressive response, perhaps sarcastic, belittling a view - can be quite wounding... and we're adults. I think.[^o)] A 12-year-old getting a screenful of abuse - quite possibly from people his/her age - would be a discomfitting experience. Cliques can exist and bullying can happen online just as much as face-to-face and can play on the mind in the same way but, because it's not physical, can be difficult for a child to articulate and discuss. Saying to a parent "I'm upset because Buffy2000 says I've got the personality of a worm and I will never have a boyfriend" is laughable... until you consider it may be said directly to the child at 10 o'clock at night in their bedroom. Home, unlike a disco, isn't neutral territory: it should be a safe space. Anyway, my point is that unmoderated chatrooms for tweens / teens can be quite vicious places and if children are going to spend time in them I think it's better for 2 or 3 of them to participate in front of one pc screen. Any unpleasant remarks received are then shared and diluted. So long as this little clique don't then become the bullies...[6]

We're in Manche too - in the south near Sourdeval - and we saw our first Fire Salamander in the autumn - we were quite pathetically excited! It's not unusual to see them apparently, though this was the first time for us.

Late autumn, we found a fire salamander ambling peacefully across the building rubble in front of the house. I knew they were around in this part of Normandy (south Manche, near Sourdeval) but s/he was bigger (about 8 inches) than I expected and the yellow striping was almost fluorescent. What I really want to see is wild boar... though not too close, and definitely not with me between Ma and her offspring. [^o)]

I believe that leverets are another young animal parked by Mama Hare while she goes about her daytime business and which should be left where they are - usually in long grass - to enable her to return to them. Re owls, I seem to remember that some owls (notably the Little Owl?) if they fall from the nest, they are capable of climbing trees and returning if not to their nest at least to a safe height. What a good post: thanks Chris. :)

[quote user="Deimos"]Same for me (again Firefox 1.5). Ian [/quote] I use Firefox too and now I'm wandering around a bit more, I'm having a few problems seeing functionality that others are talking about and isn't working for me. I don't think the emoticons are inserting themselves either [W]... oh, maybe they are. I think I will wait before commenting further to see if it is Firefox conflicting with the software... or user incompetence! Possibly the latter.[:#]

Yes, Tim thoughtfully put in a special piece of coding enabling Teamedup to break the champagne bottle across the bows, as it were. Then the rest of us were able to post. Errr... kidding! Nice new site, seems quite fast - which is waht really matters to me!

QUOTE: > said Will-le-C, marine journalist, loftily. Not everyone assiduously reads every LF post every day. Or even most posts every day. Or even logs in every day. It was news to me and personally I'd prefer that people continue posting things they find out because it will be (valuable) news to someone even if it might be considered by others as 'old news'.

I think Alcazar may just have suffered another coffee / keyboard conflict

Canelle's unfortunate demise was discussed on the forum when it happened. The search function functioned and delivered... http://forums.livingfrance.com/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=296&messageid=121819#bm121927

I'd *love* to live in a location where there was a chance I'd see a bear - or a lynx or (elsewhere) a wolf in the wild. Thrilling. I hope Canelle's orphan has a long and quality life. But. The populated world has changed since the larger wilder animals roamed Europe. More people, more farming, less appropriate wilderness. And, the biggie (I think): man is becoming a more urban animal and the prospect of a bear sniffing around a remote campsite, the idea of a bear in the dark - is seriously worrying. Why are they being reintroduced? Is there a natural reason?  For me, as I said, I'd be thrilled. I think that might be a minority (even a romantic) view in a "bear reintroduction area". Perhaps education is the way forward. Dunno. It's quite a complex subject I think without easy answers. I don't think zoos are necessarily the way forward either but a different sort of zoo - with large areas of land available and big budgets... well, perhaps.

I think they recruit from male model agencies in September just for the calendar months of October and November. 'Cos I never see the cute ones at any other time. And y'now, I have no issue with that. None at all. <is there a 'smirk' icon I can use...?>

[quote]The questions Catalpa raises are fascinating, numerous and not easy to answer. She(?)'s right, of course, when she says it's basic primeval fear of the dark but be kind to us for genuine darkness isn...[/quote] Oh I rambled on far too long but I do find instinctive reactions and behaviours fascinating. I’m scared of spiders. If I see a shadow that even looks like a spider my whole being flinches internally. It’s a totally instinctive reaction – primitive? Rational thought has no place in that split second reaction. Why??? I’m sure I wasn’t attacked by a monster spider in my cot. I’d probably have eaten it. The fear of the dark thing: the region’s psychopaths clearly aren’t gathering at the windows ready to burst in and say hi... intellectually that’s clear. Emotionally... not so clear and I sympathise. I just think subjects like this are interesting to consider. I’m not sure there are any answers. I think we’re all scared of something - usually something tangible - spiders, snakes, rodents, toads, whatever. I guess fear of the dark is just another manifestation of that. Analysing it a little may alleviate it a bit. Hope so.

There's obviously a range of expectations of a B&B / Cd'H / T'dH from both owners and guests. Do any of the owners have on their websites (assuming most bookings come via a website) an indication of what to expect from their B&B? Like Miki might indicate (nicely!) that "we're thrilled to to see you between 6pm and 10am but outside of those hours please do your own thing elsewhere". Or SunnyD (was it?) might say "our home is your home 24/7". Yes I know I'm exaggerating but you get my drift? How do you manage customer expectations or do you generally find that you don't have to? Does anyone ever have to say to guests sprawled in a warm sitting room at 1130am on a rainy day: "I'm off out now - and so are you!" I can't help thinking that if a B&B is comfortable, on a drizzly and dismal grey day a comfy sitting room with a good book may more enticing than a windswept, rainy Mont St Michel, especially if they're staying somewhere for several nights. It's all very well to say on Living France "well, they should have chosen a small hotel"... perhaps... but if they didn't...?

MJW said: > That’s fascinating – and I don’t understand it at all. Deliberately rendering myself helpless is the absolute opposite of what I would find comforting. Ziggy said: > No, I haven’t. Is watching programs like that what influences reactions to the dark? Fear of the supernatural unknown? I think locked doors and shutters = concern about the natural unknown. Is current day “fear of the dark” an ancient – and originally entirely sensible – instinct that whispers "large prowling animals are looking for prey just outside the light of the fire so be careful?" If so, this persisting instinct could apply just as much to men. Or is it a conditioned reaction to crime news reports and documentaries? And also the number of women that are used as convenient victims in “thrillers”? And bad things tend to happen at night! I suppose it’s both. I’m like ChrisB – I’m happy out at night, the silence, the rustlings which says there’s wildlife about. And without the light pollution, a bright moon makes a torch unnecessary. Apart from 7 years in London, I’ve always lived in the country and never had streetlights to light me home at night therefore dark is normal. Teamedup said: > Instinct at work? Perhaps someone was regarding you with malevolent intent, and when they switched off you relaxed??? Scary thought. And I'm joking. I think?

I've seen magazines (in the big Leclercs with separate newspaper / magazine areas) almost 'glossy' magazines only advertising houses - what appear to be the more expensive, unusual properties. I think they're probably aimed at wealthier French househunters as opposed to the British looking for a bargain but I haven't tried to figure out who their readership is. I don't know whether this is a route that a) is right for the property or b) will delivery good quality enquiries, but it's another opportunity to consider. I think these magazines are quarterly or possible spring and autumn editions.

I think I saw Mrs T elsewhere in the Post Bag just this afternoon. Maybe she'll call in here for a comfy sit on a saggy chic sofa.