hoverfrog

I thought that salt was traditionly used to clean butchers' blocks... Wood has it's own anti-bacterial agents, which is why 'they' went back to advocating wooden chopping boards after recommending impervious ones for some years. I'm not complaining - I recuperated several fantastic wooden chopping boards from school kitchens in the period when they were unpopular (the boards, that is!)

so it all started with lada.co.uk, but it kindof snowballed :) A week of (free) camping, some sorties down the 'petit chemins' in Nivas, BBQs, etc., for Lada fans is happening in Limousin from the 31st July to the 7th August. Details on the website - http://www.ladafest.com Oh, and I'm hosting this year's event! Anyone know of a cheap hirer of portaloos in the area???

there are so cool ideas on youtube, of all places! e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zop6ND1h4o&feature=related do a search on plasterboard or drywall repair.

important thing is to get a machine fit to do the job you want it to do. Personally I swear by my Stihl, but then it's a biggish one and does everything I want it to, and has interchangeable spinning blade head or self-feeding strimmer. Chap in the shop swapped the harness it should've come with for a more female-friendly one, which is very comfortable! If you use it elsewhere and forget the harness then a skipping-rope tied over one shoulder does the job but is not reccommended :)

wisterias grown from commercially obtained seeds will flower - eventually! Layering is usually more effective than cuttings, but both will do well when rooted. Wisteria is a forest plant, I believe, and as such it flowers when it gets to the top and bends over. This can be simulated by hard pruning. Patience is the thing though - it can take years for a seedling/small plant to flower! (running the lawnmower too close and cutting the blasted thing off at ground level several years on the trot can make the process longer. Trust me, I know!)

it's not the total of the URSSAF contributions, it's the total in the AF column on the "cotisations et contributions 2007 information" sheet from URSSAF, the total of the cotisations paid to CIPAV in 2007, and the total paid to RSI. Well that's what the woman at URSSAF said - so that's what I put. Actually I'm a bit stumped as to why we have to go through this rigmarole. If you are registered as a micro - BNC then you can't earn over a certain limit before having to re-register as something else. I've been right up to the limit, and by the time they take all the cotisations into consideration I never have any income tax to pay! Might just be me though, as I currently have three kids as dependents.

I've just done my main tax return online, and have never put payments to my mutuelle there either! I would imagine they would go on the Déclaration commune de revenue if they go anywhere, but the lady at URSSAF said they didn't.

I finally went to see the helpful people at URSSAF... box TA is the total of the AF column on the "cotisations et contributions 2007 information" sheet from URSSAF, the total of the cotisations paid to CIPAV in 2007, and the total paid to RSI. Section 1.3 is for anything they paid you (sickness, accidents, maternity, etc). Anything paid to or from a mutuelle complimentaire doesn't go anywhere. This means I only have to fill in box DB and box TA.

I haven't had a chance to go and see either my friendly tax lady or the chap at URSSAF... I know, I'm running out of time!

sounds good - I do find driving in some steelies is like having concrete blocks on my feet!

are kevlar toe-caps as rigid? My steelies are my day-to-day uniform these days. I can use the chainsaw, do DIY, throw logs about, and when the horse steps on my feet I don't notice :) For most uses steelies are there "just in case", however the only time (apart from me dropping things!) I've been really really glad of them is when some pony stamps on my feet and I only realise when I can't move!

I've never found a ladies steel toe-cap, but have to say I'm very happy with my ancient ones bought from Rural Expert! I've tried to replace them three times (the puppies ate the tongue), but each time I go back to them as they are more confortable! I can't find any ladies chainsaw trousers either :(

I agree totlly with that - our weather (especially in the winter) is usually the same as Brive, rather than Tulle (closer) or even Eymoutiers (just a few miles away!) According to Météo France there are 8 micro-climates in Limousin. It's therefore difficult to know what it will be like anywhere! Funnily enough, Radio Bleu Limousin are generally not far off the mark :)

I used to have clay - how I miss it now! The 1st year I tried to grow caulis they were miniature vegetables - before they became fashionable! Dad bought me 6 sacks of concentrated manure for xmas, and things were never the same after. 6" of well composted horse manure each year after that and I was laughing. Then we moved. Here in France we have acid soil - drains fast and very stony. The caulis love it though - and the other brassicas. I was taught that brassicas like alkaline soil, but here the neighbours always ask me "what on earth could you grow on an alkaline soil?" Answer everywhere seems to be the same - muck, and lots of it.

funnily enough we did light the fire last August - and had a BBQ at the beginning of March! The méteo was spot on today - thunderstorms this evening.

we're East of Limoges, at 500'. We have friends 10 mins away at 600' who have different weather to us! We've had -20, +40, 60cms of snow, torrential rain and golf-ball sized hail. On the whole the weather is never boring, does everything to extremes, and is never the same 2 years running. Going to/from Limoges we find the weather always changes at Masleon - that's the altitude effect again! The thunderstorms can be dramatic - they're usually followed by an increase in demand for new modems :)

my (ex) OH was on the plane, and I was there to meet him. It did come in a bit quick, then effectively aquaplaned off the end of the runway. It ended up the furthest from the terminal building that it could be and they all had to walk back in torrential rain! There were TV crews there, dozens of pompiers, and absolute chaos!

constructing one's own life is hard. Constructing a hen-house is easy :) Forget the fancy designs, and think about what you want it to do. Hens have survived for centuries - flapping around the farm-yard, laying in the hay, and roosting on wherever there's a space off-ground. Are your chickens going to be fenced in? Is there a local problem with predators? Do you want them to be in an ark and move it every day? How much space do you want them to have? A basic chicken house is a wooden (usually!) box, with a shelf for egg-laying and a perch, and a means for them to get in and out and also for you (for cleaning, and to make sure they haven't left the eggs on the floor - chickens are stupid.) You can make it as complicated as you like, or just let them roam around and find their own places. I've built quite a few hen-houses over the years, some more complicated than others, and they don't appreciate it! All they need is shelter from the wind/driving rain, somewhere to lay eggs, and to be fed. They prefer to roost off-ground to avoid predators (well they are tasty, aren't they!) but that could be lathes built into the open barn wall (like at my friend's house) and it doesn't have to be complicated. You may lose all your chickens to a fox, or a marten, or a dog, but there's nothing you can do about a determined predator - and indeed I've lost more chickens when they were constrained than when they were free-er. Chickens are not fussy. Last week's leftovers is just as tasty as today's! Get together a hammer, a few nails, some pallets/old doors/bits of wood and make yourself a hen-house. You'll feel better for it :)

yes, but I don't like eating grass! :)

not a lot - but it would help the roses :)

thanks for the replies. I can't get hold of cow poo, but clay might be possible if I dig down far enough! The trolley jack and axle stands have made no impression on the existing floor, however as it slopes in two directions it's not ideal! A tamping iron seems like the best bet for repairs.

Not strictly "house" renovations, but I couldn't think of a suitable alternative! With a beaten earth floor, how does one go about repairing it? In my case I'm thinking about the barn floor - so I'm not going to dig it up and concrete, or any such thing! It's just a bit more worn in some places than others, and I'd like it flatter so I can jack the car up on it. These floors are almost indestructible - but over the years the wear is uneven, especially where animals or vehicules are involved. How did they make them like that, and how can I renovate it?

if the suckers are from the rootstock plant them anyway. When they are established you can graft something else onto them, maybe even a bud-graft from the original tree when you prune it. What have you got to lose?! It's not rocket science, it's not even hard, and if the grafts take then you've gained a lot with no outlay! If it fails, then just keep trying. Dad used to use sellotape round the grafts - by the time the rain and sun had removed the sticky the grafts were usually well away :) Someone else who studied rural science??? Wow!

it sounds like the batch of Advantix you had was a rogue batch. I had the same problem once with my dog many years ago with Tiguvon (sp?) A few months after my dog had the reaction several batch numbers of the product were recalled - but too late for him. He survived, others were not so lucky. After this episode, he used to hide behind the sofa if I brought out those little tubes! Talk to your vet, make sure he knows about it and that it is documented. Write to the product manufacturer if needbe, and remember to quote the batch number in your correspondence.

seeds can last for a lot longer - they succeeded in germinating wheat (I think it was) from several thousand years ago! I'm still using my Dad's seed-box up - he died in 2004. So far no failures, even parsnips. Just keep the seeds dry and that's it! I would've said keep at a reasonable temperature too, but I leave my seed-box out in the workshop where plants in pots freeze, so as long as they're dry I don't think it matters.