Alan Zoff
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Posts posted by Alan Zoff
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I have given up trying to find bread yeast for sale at a price I am prepared to pay so I am going to have a go at making my own yeast starter. Lots of tips on the internet but not expecting a quick result.
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But you really need Bronco for this. Which, if my memory serves me correctly, was much the same as grease-proof paper.
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If it still looks serviceable after the first use, just turn it over and use it again. That's what we do, anyway.
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That's exactly what I do, Idun. Tray of water in bottom of oven to make crusty bread for me and soft rolls baked separately for Mrs Z. She's spoilt.
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My wife avoids most French bread and will only eat my bread if I keep the crust reasonably soft. Sharp crust wreaks havoc with her gums so her dentist has instructed her to avoid it at all cost.
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There's a pretty good reason for that, Idun
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Are you implying men are more kneady, Idun?
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Flour is back on some shelves but can't find bread yeast anywhere - well apart from Ebay thieves asking up to 50 times the normal price for stuff past its use-by date
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Extremely helpful female Notaire in Lurcy-Levis (Allier). Not that that is likely to be of much help to people from elsewhere but, as with most things, it would seem not all Notaires are the same.As for the UK, my solicitors tell me they are keeping busy still with conveyancing, preparing all the paperwork, searches, etc so that they are ready to complete as soon as they get the go ahead. But they have always been good with email and phone communication.
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BST
in Other Topics
I was up at 6am (5am). Had breakfast. Watched some old Cheers episodes and then went back to bed. Woke at 11.30am."What the heck" seems to sum things up nicely. -
BST
in Other Topics
Everything seems to me to be far more complicated, and have far more options, than I really need. Years ago we had a Renault 16 with very simple heater controls that worked brilliantly. Fresh air on my face, toasty warm feet. The heater in my present car has 20 pages of instructions in the vehicle manual which I really can't be arsed to read and would never remember if I did. And as for the trip computer settings, well, not a chance. Life's too short.Although my 4 year old grandson would no doubt suss it all out in a flash. -
BST
in Other Topics
When I wake up tomorrow, I wonder if the clock in my car will be right again after 6 months or 2 hours out? -
Same here, Idun.We spend far less on food than our kids and eat far better. Just can't seem to convince them that they don't need to buy takeaways and shop-bought snacks - take a home-prepared packed lunch to work instead and bank the savings. Falls on deaf ears, I'm afraid.
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Other people clearly spend a lot more on groceries than I do
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We were saying much the same thing yesterday. Most of the vege cleared out at our two supermarkets but a family-owned fruiterers within 200 yards of both had bursting shelves and hardly any customers. No bread in supermarkets but corner shops left with unsold loaves.I can only think that after seeing images of panic buying in the media, the public has focussed on supermarkets and, once there, has bought everything in sight and ignored other outlets.
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And we thought Brits hoarding toilet rolls were low-lifes
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When we were first scouting for a place to buy we stopped in a rural gite. I asked the owner if I could park our car in the space between the gite and the neighbouring cottage. "Please do", he replied. "The cottage belongs to Parisiens and it will really annoy them".
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I started with the ALIS deal and transferred to Easytrip. It has worked well for me, especially as it was offered with no initial charge, complete with a bunch of free goodies. You are only charged for a month in which you have used the badge - this started at one euro and, as mentioned, will now be 1,70. So if used in say 3 months, that's 5,10 per year. Probably worth it for the pleasure of driving straight at the barrier without having to stop (in the 30 lane).I alternate between taking my car and my van so it will be interesting to see what happens if I only register one of the registration numbers. Perhaps not best to test this out in the non-stopping lane, though.
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I use subtitles where available - many programmes do not have them.What I find even more useful is to plug a small bluetooth transmitter into the tv headphone socket. The sound is then sent directly to my bluetooth headphones, or to the hearphones, whilst others can listen normally via the tv loudspeakers.
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I would just add that the Bose HEARphones are quite different from their HEADphones. They have 3 live directional microphones per ear so act more like hearing aids. But for some reason seem to work better.There are some drawbacks over hearing aids in addition to the cosmetic disadvantage. For a start, the rechargeable battery lasts not much more than a day in continuous use. The expected life of the battery is 500 charges and they stress it cannot be replaced. So they expect you to chuck the whole device away after around 2 years. (If I am still using mine then, I will probably slice open the sealed neck piece to see if the batteries are accessible and replaceable despite the blurb.) Although there is a control module that dangles from the collar to enable you to adjust volume, receive and make telephone calls and to stream media, the buttons are so small and awkward to reach that I find it quite useless. The controls are however replicated in the app via bluetooth.I will post more results as and when I make further progress if people remain interested.
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Please send photo of strumpet
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Just thought I would mention this in case of interest to others.I have had a difficult "reverse slope" hearing problem for 40 years. I have seen countless audiologists (NHS and private) who all started out confident that they could sort it but eventually admitted defeat, the private ones after taking thousands of pounds from me over the years.However, although not yet marketed as hearing aids, there are now off-the-shelf bluetooth devices from audio companies such as Bose that, in my case at least, provide a significant improvement and at a fraction of the cost of private aids (less than £300).They are sold as hearphones and I have tried those by Bose and BeHear. The Bose give me a slightly better result but my loss is far from typical so what works for me might not be best for someone else. What is particularly impressive about the BeHear is that the accompanying app allows you to produce your own audiogram and program the device specifically to your particular graph. In fact, a slight criticism I have of the BeHear is that they seem almost too sophisticated/ complex for their own good. But I am still experimenting with them so I might be commenting a little too early.Both have much less aesthetic appeal than hearing aids as the electronics are in a collar that goes around the neck and is linked by thick black leads to very noticeable ear buds. Frankly, I have reached the point where I don't care too much what things look like if they can enable me to join in conversations! In fact, they are marketed as conversation enhancers, rather than hearing aids, and are aimed as much at people with reasonable hearing who struggle in difficult situations (crowds, pubs, restaurants) as at those with distinct hearing problems.As usual, the technology was first launched in the States and initially they were unable to call them hearing aids due to licensing laws. I gather however that Bose have now come to an agreement with the authorities over this and I think we can expect to see an opening up of the market over the next year or so and some welcome competition to the lucrative hearing aid industry.I can only really comment on the two makes I have tried. There are others such as NuHear buds that do not have the collar and leads as all the electronics are in the ear buds. My cousin who tried those was unimpressed but, again, it may be horses for courses.
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Thanks all for the comments. That's something I had wondered, Nick. Would be good to find a reliable specialist to confirm it would work and advise on how best to go about it.I shall be driving from the French house to southern Spain shortly to visit my brother who lives in the hills above Malaga. It's a house belonging to him that we are planning to buy.
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Following retirement, my wife and I (both UK nationals) are looking to spread our time between England, France and Spain. We have owned properties in England and France (one in each) for several years and are about to buy a small Spanish house as a winter bolt hole.Times spent in each home could be flexible but we are thinking along the lines of say 3 months in Spain and the remainder divided between UK and France.Pointers on who best to consult for sound advice on the legal/tax implications of this arrangement will be very much appreciated.
Bread
in French Food and Wine
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