Sassy

as I now have the necessary paperwork, i can bring the mother and daughter back to the family in the uk. does anyone know of a box returning, private or commercial from the st.lo region in the next month, many thanks.

don't give up on brittany, they do have good deals running at the moment, but it is better to phone up the uk and state what you want. lately i have found them much better than p&o on price, plus the flexibity of times with both cherbourg and caen. their price for a 5+ day crossing beats p&o, and try and find a friend who is a member to get the 15% guest discount..it all helps.  good luck.

further details in pet section

sorry forgot to mention, pony is in 50 on border of 14. prefer he remains in hour or so drive of vire.

cody, 13.2hh 9year old new forest gelding, now hopelessly outgrown, now seeks new home for love and work. originally a rescue as a yearling from the new forest so welfare primary, hence loan, but could review sale later if good home found. needs competant youngster or lightweight adult.please email for further info, many thanks

brittany may be expensive, and sure we have feared to tread that route for many years, but have priced out a five day return to uk in june with the car and children, and brittany came out at 248€ with the fast ferry both ways from caen...only 28€more than p&o from le harve. take off the extra travel time, fuel, tolls, and add extra time in uk.........then brittany at last is a winner.

no luck so far, have tried sending you an email!

quite amused by the comments on the status of french as a language, and have found that there is a basis of truth in them. recently enquired to colleges and schools of further education in wiltshire for AS and A level french courses, but they are not offered...only up to gcse! now if i wanted to study spanish or italian then that would be no problem. my husband figured that everyone who wanted to study higher french had already moved to france!!!!! the children may not be doubling their employment chances, but any increase in an ability to communicate with others has to be great...be it signing or a multilinguist, surely the essence of this change in lifestyle is enhancing the individual not just getting a job.

many thanks margaux but unfortunately email gone on holiday i think!!!

due to prohibitive import regulations for our male zebra finch, and blue budgie, we are looking to see if there is a bird lover in manche area who would like to adopt them. they are currently in a large indoor cage but have been used to life in an aviary. the finch needs other finches for company but will have to wait until we return to the uk in the summer if no home is found. as each bird has to have three veterinary inspections, one in france and two in the uk, we could virtually restock the aviary for the import cost of our two little friends. feathers crossed!

booked with p&o yesterday using the 75pound each way offer. they were adament the service to le harve was wrapping up completely in september, so bizzarre it is advertising the offer until december???????

logical replies regarding microchip registration, but it still begs the question....your dog had a microchip, hence registered to someone somewhere...........so what justificaton for destruction.....that is just tragic and unbelievable!!! my heart goes out to you.

I agree that a sixteen year old leaving school may have illusions of grandeur, limited education, and poor work ethos...but I don't see how the education system can be entirely held at fault for this, and I do not see if a child is reluctant to progress how a bac will make a difference to their learning.  A child is learning by example, and at sixteen surely the parents are still a guiding force as to the path the child takes, we are surely more a commodity than a bank account, a taxi, a cook and alarm clock?  If I have been unhappy about an element of education, it being either the childs fault or the institutions, then if possible one tries to find an alternative or a solution.  The education system at primaire level in france has been supurb, teaching the children self control, focus, and an attention to detail.  The primary in the uk was chaotic and unfocused. Now I feel they have the necessary skills to do very well in secondary education in the uk which I feel offers a wonderful opportunity for learning...if the child is encouraged and motivated....and if of course you can get the school you want!!

This is all fascinating dialogue about examinations, and a serious fact then is don't play trivial pursuit with an irish person with a school cert! I hate this concept of failure regarding examinations, how totally primieval. We all accept examinations are useful in guiding the child into a structured part of learning, but it is so so only the beginning. As very few individuals remain stationary in their occupations further learning throughout life relating to the changes is fundemental, so education is formated to your development, desire and expectation. School is not just about exams, its about the development of the person, building their confidence...and ha ha the happiest times of your life. Not the way some seem to be coming across! Not all children will do GCSE or A levels lets face it, what of those in Ireland or France? I suggested a "maison familialle" to my daughter, and I thought she was going to cry.....they clearly do not have the same reputation as a further education college in the uk which is non discriminatory between the smarts and the strugglers. Whether it be bac or A levels, the child that has a desire to follow a certain direction will be aimed at that towards the end of their learning. All the lycees around here seem to have a specialty, and be the desire to study at university in France or the UK, surely it would be far less complicated to phone the desired university and ask if they have a problem with entry with either format?

thought we would travel back to the uk as foot passengers for the week in the holiday, that is one adult and four children. After discount brittany brought the price down to __£71__  P & o then offered __€37__and then further discount with points. At these price differences its worth having a car in two ports?