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Catalpa

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Everything posted by Catalpa

  1. Siting stairs is definitely a key element - which may sound daft, but for us they're the part of the design causing us the most debate. We've something similar in size which needs new floors and - call us staid and boring but - we're replacing the corrugated iron roof with slate. We're able to go the block and beam route. Or is it beam and block?! It'll take me too long to detail how we've laid things out so if you send me your address via a PM or by email then I'll mail you a copy of the plans and explain our thinking. You may not have them by... Friday was it? But at least it will give you something to mull over. Carole
  2. Approx how long / wide is the building and will it have two (or even 3) floors? Carole
  3. This site lists (along with a lot of other cheesy stuff) market days for Orne, Manche and Calvados. http://www.camembert-country.com/market01.htm#3 If there's a moderator around, it might be worth adding this to useful links or making it a sticky as market day info is dear to a lot of peoples hearts. And waistlines. Carole
  4. Hi David - I'm not someone who gets irritated by "message in your inbox" posts because I assume there's some long convoluted story or personal approach being conveyed that needn't bother the rest of us. But in this instance, if you are replying to LinNorton's question about mid-week markets... what on earth are you saying that couldn't be safely and informatively shared with the rest of the forum? Carole
  5. > Nowadays I’d use GdF and book direct with the owner. In the past – 10+ years ago – we regularly used VFB. They certainly aren’t the cheapest but they consistently delivered good quality, well-equipped, clean gites. They used to – perhaps still do – check all their cottages on a yearly basis so they maintained a standard. http://www.vfbholidays.co.uk/ Carole
  6. Catalpa

    Top up

    I'd like the details too please, LesL. I'm finding this part of setting up life in France quite confusing and if anyone else is particularly satisfied with their top up provider, could they also send me the name. I have a feeling I'm going to be back with more questions on this topic over the next few weeks. Carole
  7. Catalpa

    Dog experts?

    > I agree, particularly re digestion and especially if your dog bolts food. We had clean through the night problems with one of our dogs in the far distant past and we put the evening feed back later - somewhere between 9 and 10pm - and it solved the problem quickly. Carole
  8. As a Canadian, you might want to check (you probably have already) what residency qualifications you need to meet. It's easy for EU nationals - we just up sticks and arrive! But Canada isn't (afaik!) part of the EU. :-) Here's a company I know well and who are regularly recruiting. Your background might suit. Send them an email and ask. There is a careers section on the site. When applying for jobs with multinationals, recognised national qualifications and experience are frequently transferable. http://www.amadeus.com/index.jsp Carole
  9. so many houses have open fires in France... which requently smoke... perhaps they've been considered more irritating than useful? We'll definitely install them... when we graduate from two room living. Carole
  10. Have given this some thought but decided that our female labrador who is very territorial and sometimes a bully would make it too much of a chore if they didn't get on. If there was a problem, we'd have to keep and exercise them apart and as we're about to start major house renovations and may end up living in a caravan during part of the winter... extra dog: bad idea! We also have to board our dogs intermittently so would have to do the same for yours. You mentioned sorting a passport out for him next year. Do you mean you're starting the process now? Has he had all his jabs including rabies and been chipped? If the procedure is the same / similar to the UK, it takes 6 months from a successful blood test so you'll have the passport by next April... and if you've initiated all that, someone might be more willing to take him on as a temporary guest... rather than think they might end up with him permanently. Good luck with finding him lodgings. Carole Manche - 50
  11. [quote]Hey, what have you done to my questions?!!![/quote] Ignored them completely, naturally! Did they have dogs or hounds with them? If so, what sort? The type of dog should give a clue as to what's being hunted - though many French hounds are apparently multi-quarry. We're in southern 50 and I do know that sanglier are hunted here and we've seen deer, hare and partridge but in the UK, not everything comes into season at once. So I'll enquire whether "everything" is (literally) fair game from the opening of the season or whether hunters have to limit themselves according to the date. If the latter, it might explain why so many hunters get shot... partly out of frustration because there's nothing else to shoot. And sheer stupidity, of course! Foxes are undoubtedly shot too, but as they're not edible I left them out of my seasonal wonderings. We've noticed how little road kill there is (although there's been a few squished hedgehogs recently ) but I think it's a combination around here of lack of traffic, plenty of woods and hedgerows... and large numbers of hunters. There are very few rabbits because myxie reappeared 5+ years ago and numbers plummeted. As for white van man with fire...????? Bespoke pizza emporium?! Charcoal production? Heath Robinson food smoker? Carole
  12. I saw them in Mr Bricolage (in Avranches - 50) last week. I also bought one in the UK for my parents - who're in their 80s and way past hauling in wood or coal. They're exactly as you describe - black painted wood (or plastic) body with glass (or perspex) panelled doors and the 'logs' or 'coals' are lit from below and appear to flicker. There's a 2 or 3 speed convector fan mounted underneath. I think they'd only be effective as a supplementary heat source - my parents have storage radiators as main heating. They can be surprisingly effective visually especially as the focal point of a small room but before you buy, make sure you see it switched on and check how loud the motor is that drives the flame flicker effect. One model I looked at was quite loud and intrusive. You can get cast iron versions too but they are substantially more expensive - £400+ in the UK - which seems a bit high for what they are. BTW, as promised I did have some thoughts about your advertising so I'll email you either later today or tomorrow. Carole
  13. Opas enquires: what does one call a baby sanglier? marcassin ... sweet little stripy jobs, but take care not to get between mama and babes. Mama gets seriously annoyed.
  14. Thanks Val - obviously we could literally translate the document but literal translation doesn't give the background. So we are right to tick both boxes? What does the 50% refer to? That at least half the footprint of the house is for residential use? If so, that's fine, as the whole house is... house! Carole
  15. We’re getting some quotes for groundwork (digging out a bank, levelling, drainage pipes etc) and one of the devis has an attachment: - an "Attestation pour les travaux realises dans les locaux affectes principalement a l’habitation" It's a printed sheet – produced we think by the company themselves – and requires the signatory to state: .............. Je soussigné + adresse Atteste que le local situé: …………………………… - est achevé depuis plus de deux ans ? - est à usage d’habitation pour plus de 50% de la superficie ? Has anyone had a similar form to sign attached to a devis? If so, exactly what is the purpose? Is it VAT-rate related? ............... Carole
  16. Well, no points for guessing where I’m off to after Avranches market tomorrow. There’s a fabric shop in Vire which has a fair selection of furnishing and dress fabrics and is adequately priced – for France. Threemax Tissues – which is on Avenue de Bischwiler (sp may be inaccurate) the same road as – and near to – Gemo, Intersport and the new Guy Degrennes factory shop (which while still expensive has some excellent reductions of about 50 – 60%… but I’m digressing from fabrics to plates.) Also if anyone is as far down as Mayenne, there’s Toiles de Mayenne – TOILES DE MAYENNE Fontaine-Daniel - BP 21 53101 Mayenne Cedex http://www.toiles-de-mayenne.com/default.htm which has an excellent shop with some well-priced remnants and ends of lines. It’s in a beautifully converted stone building with some good layouts showing how the fabrics work together. Having just wandered round the website I see there’s also a T-de-M shop just outside Avranches ST-QUENTIN-SUR-LE-HOME (50220) Zone de la Baie 51, rue des Estuaires But not having been there (also tomorrow perhaps) I don’t know how it compares to the Mayenne factory / shop. While on the subject of factory shops, we went to the Haras du Pin in St Lo a few weeks ago and there’s a factory shop with very well-priced clothes, shoes, etc opposite the entrance. A sort of TKMaxx but not so extensive and the clothes are better displayed. Prices were very good though. Kickers shoes, for eg, for which I paid £60 in the UK were on sale at E20. And I am *so* generous for sharing this shop info! Carole
  17. [quote]I am for one, Lachouette. How did you get on 2heads, enthused or not?[/quote] Yes, we're enthused and definitely installing solar panels. TOH returned last night so I'll get him to post some thoughts later. Carole
  18. Anyone expecting friends / guests on a PO out of Portsmouth today may have a long wait. TOH is sitting patiently at the pre-checkin carpark at Portsmouth waiting for P&O staff to finish a union meeting to see if they'll operate sailings today. And as far as sailings to Le Havre, Ouistreham and Cherbourg go, if there's a vacuum someone will fill it. Even if it's BF for le Havre. Hmmm... better renew my property owners membership! Carole Update: the ferry sailed about an hour late because, say PO, apart from the union meeting they were trying to ensure that on arrival at Cherbourg, the boat would be allowed to dock - that there wouldn't be a protest blockade in France preventing docking / disembarkation.
  19. Ferrets are the answer. And a hungry hawk. Plus something to effect the exchange. Carole
  20. I have no idea whether there is more / less / the same amount of abuse in France vs say the UK but when French acquaintances (of very short acquaintance) push their very young children forward to us for kisses, are they conditioning their children to accept what might at some stage be unwanted or inappropriate behaviour from "trusted" adults? That's an appallingly bald comment and I could no doubt have worded it better but I am sometimes surprised that on very brief knowledge of me and my husband 3 / 4 / 5 year-olds are expected / encouraged to behave in what to me is a very trusting way. Or am I reading far too much into the greeting kiss here and bringing with me the UK perception that you don't dare touch a child anymore without risking it being viewed as inappropriate? Carole
  21. [quote]The "Holier than thou" brigade Alcazar[/quote] well, thank goodness none of them have found this thread! :-^ My personal peeve is people who add gratuitous exclamation and question marks. Carole (someone send me a tongue-in-cheek smiley, quick)
  22. [quote]2heads - your auto-censored post had 6 asterisks, not 4. Did you type c o k e r or c o c o nuts?Russethouse - the only anagrams of c o c o that I can come up with are oocc, occo, ccoo, ococ or cooc = ...[/quote] I typed c o c o nut... yes, I noticed that there were more asterisks than letters but just assumed that the software didn't want the more sensitive members to guess by counting letters what dreadful word had been obscured. However, having just previewed this note before posting, it's even weirder than that. coconut... ...when *not* preceded by a space is okay ******onut when preceded by a space causes 6 asterisks. so [space]coc seems to be the problem. Why??? Anyway, it's Sunday, it's sunny and I'm going out to get a life as obsessing over space-coconuts doesn't seem a balanced way to spend my day! Carole
  23. Just discovered a random bit of auto-censorship when replying in another forum...******onut that's co co nut, folks. Go figure... ... and this means that if someone refers to Co co in a post, her name gets censored. Carole
  24. for me... - Hellmans mayo - M&S red pepper & onion relish - the most versatile red stuff out of a jar I've found - Discovery Creole recipe sauce - Tesco Korma sauce (diluted with******onut milk + add chopped fresh coriander makes a superb sauce for white fish, esp monkfish) I can live without all of them but I do like having a few jars in stock. One thing I can't find that is bugging me is fresh root ginger. Anyone else found a super / hyper that stocks it? Preferably in Manche / Calvados? Carole update: I really do *not* believe that the software prevents the use of the word c o c o nut. That's insane! ROTFLMAO!
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