JohnM

You're lucky. All I got was the "shrug" when I got there and asked for the Cricket Ground. I was there three days and never did find it.  

I can only surmise on the Chambre d'hotes etc as I've never used them, but I am sure that if you post again in the Chambre D'hotes section saying roughly when in July you aim to be there and asking for contact details, I am sure you will get a few good leads. If I had a place there, I would give you my number even if I was theoretically full for July (I understand that last minute cancellations are common!) However, as I normally only need somewhere to break the journey, I normally use the cheap hotels (Premier Class, Villages, Quick Palace etc) and book in advance. I found that when I booked "on spec" (Ski season looking for places close to the "Route to the Alps" late at night) I had to traipse around before I found anywhere.  

Part of the trouble is... there is a time and place for 4x4's, in some circumstances they are the best vehicle. However at other times they are not. But what do you do? I certainly can't afford to have a different car for each need. So you have to pick the best compromise (in my case a clio) for some people it's to have a 4x4. However, I do believe that there are some (too many) people who just have one because it's trendy. (I once met a fair ground stall owner who had a 4x4, but then couldn't actually use it to tow stuff out of the mud because he didn't have the right tyres - he had to wait until he could get a friends lorry)  

Well, not exactly free, but shared among those of us who don't have kids I was a Scout leader for many years and it did irk that some parents just thought of Scouts as being somewhere to get rid of the kids for a few hours - some were amazed that we had the cheek to ask them to help fund raise, take their children to events etc.  

Thanks for the reply, I wasn't prying, but I did jump to a conclusion that worried me (serves me right). I haven't looked recently, but I'm sure I have seen some of those cars on ebay.fr.  

[quote]Summary of earlier posts : Ryanair and their low cost mates have forced the high cost airlines (BA, Air France) to bring down their prices Ryanair etc are credited with forcing P&O etc to bring ...[/quote] Nicely put! I remember watching the "Easyjet" fly on the wall programme and thinking, why do the grumblers use Easyjet if they don't like the rules? My ex brother in law was one of those who thought it was up to him to decide how long before the flight he needed to be there and then would set off from home at a time that would get him there for that time, assuming that there would be no problems on the route. He was one of those people where intense insecurity manifested its self as "Nobody Tells Me What To Do". He was (is) outwardly an Arrogant G*t, so I now tend to think that all "NTMWTD's" (see above) are very insecure. I build in lots of contigency time and haven't been caught out yet, despite getting very lost in Toronto (and I use the time at the airport to do important things, like breakfast!)  

Izz and Porth, One of the troubles with Outcast is that he disagrees with teachers just for the sake of it. I actually find it quite sad, he obviously had a bad time at school and he has been unable to get over it.  Before anybody remembers the "debate" I had with Dick about teachers and accuses me of hypocrisy, Dick and I will not agree about teachers, but we can and do, agree about others things. Outcast will not agree with the teachers on principal, he no longer has to do what they say, so he doesn't. I don't read Outcasts posts because I find them hard to read and I have found that when I do sort out what he is trying to say, he is often ill informed. So I now can't be bothered to even try to read them.  

That luggage rack on the back doesn't look very good, it's not even level, the picnic basket would slide off before you even got to the first bend. Let me know if you want me to fix some little railings or bungey hooks on it.  

I don't want to preach, neither do I want to know why your license has been taken. But if it wasn't your fault, then there must have a reason why the authorities took it away. If that's an assumed health reason, please think carefully about whether this "solution" to your problems is a good idea. Also, assuming that the reason for not having a license is not a worry to you, remember that these cars are limited to 30mph so if your sons school is 30 miles away, it's a long journey each way.  

I'm not sure if this fits in totally with the thread because I've been skipping over Outcast's postings. But, as somebody else who didn't go to Uni, I agree that qualifications do matter. I have worked alongside graduates, held my own with them, even taught some of them how to the job, but because I don't have a degree it has held me back. (I daresay I ought to go out and get one, but I started the OU once and remember the day I gave it up, the TV prog had been really interesting all about carbon dating and the the maths required, I sat thinking, maybe this maths lark does have a use, then the lecturer said, "that's it, we've done what the archeologists want and got the answer as accurate as they need.... but I'm a mathematician so I want it more accurate" I shouted at the screen "Bob, don't go on, the result is meaningless because of the accuracy of the data" but he ignored me and I gave up the course, I wanted maths as a tool to help me, he wanted me to have it as a hobby ).  

Naw.... it's got to be a corkscrew.  

Hi Ann I've never lost any money using moneybookers, however, I have worried about whether it's gone missing because it took so long! So, yes, I've found it safe. In fact, I've just given them some more money today! You set up an account with them (mine is a euro account) I then instruct my bank to transfer money to it. When it has arrived at moneybookers I withdraw the euros into my French account. I set up my moneybookers account in euro's so that euros arrive in France, if sterling arrives in France I gather the French banks like to make an extra charge! Hope that helps  

Hi Sarah, The advantage of using moneybookers is cost. They give a pretty good rate of exchange and only charge €1.80 handling charge. The disadvantage is as described above.  

[quote]I agree. The point I was trying to make, and it was before I found the time criteria in the French code, was that you have to make a display of stopping. In England if you stop, and go immediately, (h...[/quote] I think the big difference is that we really do not have many actual "Stop" signs in the UK. Most of ours are "Give Way". (I am sure we used to have more of them when I was young... and the man walked in front with his red flag....) But if it says "Stop" then it is an offence if we only give way.  

Of course Wiltshire is well down the wedding present list, who the hell would want Swindon? Is it true that Camilla has politely declined an offer to help out with the Hen Night arrangements. Rumour has it that someone in high places suggested a chauffer driven trip around Paris.  

[quote]Give me strength. Grants for doing what? There is next to nothing I believe could justify any foreigner getting a grant for. I reckon the demos haven't even started yet. So they buy up our propert...[/quote] I was looking (still am, but can't afford it yet) to fit some solar heating and my French friends told me that I could get a grant twowards it. I "doubted" their opinion and so they telephoned the grant office to check. (My "phone French" is still ****) They came back to me full of glee (as one would when one wins an arguement) to tell me that the grant is for the building not the owner. So, in that case, EU grants are available.  

With due respect, Mazan's first posting on this matter was to ask whether an open forum was actually the place to discuss an illegal activity. I think his subsequent answers have more than justified his original satement / question. Particularly when one reads other postings on this forum which highlight how "the authorities" and others monitor the net. Under the circumstances, I am not sure that the snide comments about him are justified.  

The only downside that I know of with Villages (apart from the coq on the website) is that if you have room at the front and your curtains don't fit totally, your room is bathed in a green glow - but that same green glow does mean you can see the hotel from a mile or so away when you are looking for it late at night!  

I've never had a bad stay in http://www.villages-hotel.com/ . However, don't have your speakers too loud when you access the web site.  

Before you go to bed, it's worth checking that there's nothing worth watching on TV, for example, the Canadian Opera Company (COC) may be performing. I gather that the Council of Canadians (COC) enjoy watching their performances, well the artistic ones do, the sporty ones are more interested in the activities of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC).  

That's brilliant, thanks.  

Eh? What have Yahoo done in Wales 11 times and England only 9? Have I missed something important?  

I know I've read this quite recently but now I need it, I can not find the posting, I have searched honest, but must be using the wrong search words so please don't shout (oh, go on then, have a rant). Some friends have talked me into letting them use my cottage for a week. Now it may just be a one off, but now I've done the sums I think I ought to let more people use it to help pay the bills (and fund improvements... or stocks in the cellar). So, I'm going to have to pay income tax. The posting that I think I read, said there is scheme for the "small income" whereby you claim a set amount for expenses and just pay tax on the remainder. But what is it called? What do I tell the impots I want do? I've just struggled with a phone call to them, so am now writing a letter setting out my stall.    

Party Politics! I hate them. The canvassers come round to my door to tell me just how lousy, evil, incapable, dishonest the "others" are and I should not have anything to do with them, yet when the elections are over, many of the winners of all parties get together and socialise. Why aren't they a bit more honest? I'd love to hear them say "Oh, yes Fred from the Bringabottle party has his heart in the right place, if he gets in he'll work hard and it will not be the end of the world, but we happen to think our chap(ess)  just has the edge". (I know they can't because that would put a chink in the armour that Fred could use to his advantage, but I can hope).  

Oh, I don't know. I will admit to ignorance on this, what does Napoleonic law say? It just lightened a serious moment for me when I  read so much that pointed to them having the right guy, yet that chappie then said not to jump to conclusions.