Ian 56

It is not a Sky box but a Visiostat digibox and professionally installed. The installer aligned the dish. There appears to be no reading for the signal strength as there was on the TPS box. The only readings are the two LNB frequencies which are 09750 and 10600. Thanks for your interest. ian    

I have recently changed satellite reception from Hot Bird (TPS) to Astra 2 (BBC free-to-air etc). The last few evenings there seems to have been  a problem with the sound and picture losing synchronisation, ‘creeping synch’, with the sound ahead of the picture. This is not confined to one channel. Is this a regular occurrence? Also sometimes the picture cuts for a second or two, almost as if the satellite is trying to regain synch. This was never apparent with TPS. Could it be caused by being out of the intended reception zone? I am in central Brittany, within the footprint I would have thought.   ian

I now have more details from our local installer who has successfully fitted  the Visiostat  dish. Models are available that will receive from 3 satellites – for example Astra (28,2° E), Astra (19,2° E) and Hot Bird.. I am considering the 2 satellite option which costs about 180 €. It is possible to use a single cable from the dish using some splitter device which adds another 60 € to the price. I favour this as I do not want the upset of installing a second cable run.   ian

Has anyone fitted a multiple reception dish in order to get the BBC free-to-air channels from Astra 2D as well as French channels from TPS (Hot Bird). I do not want the complications of a motorised dish and a dish with two heads would seem to be good solution. I understand that Visiostat make one.   ian

Darty in Vannes and possibly in Rennes. You can check prices on their web site. www.darty.com Also the large hypermarkets such as Carrefour in Vannes. ian

I built one, 'borrowing' the design from a handsome looking roof over a local lavoir. Basically 6 oak uprights on concrete bases with a tiled roof. I just put in a gravel floor and hardly any protection on the sides apart from the south-west as it is important to get air circulating. It worked well. ian

I had this short-cycling problem at our previous house. There the reservoir did not have a bladder but an air pocket. From time to time I had to drain off excess water from the reservoir to replenish the air. It is a simple process if your set-up is similar. ian  

I am no expert but Antonio Carluccio is and in his book 'A Passion for Mushrooms' he has a section on them. He writes that the smaller ones can be pickled and frozen and may be eaten raw in salads when sliced thinly. Whole ones are good grilled and the older ones are best sliced and fried or used in stews and sauces. Hope this helps. ian

Returned to the GP today and the problem is with his machine. A terminal illness one might say. He is now issuing the old style forms. Afterwards tried the local CPAM office and not surprisingly there is no computer record of our payments. I was told 'patienter'! I guess the head office will reply to my letter eventually. In future I shall keep a careful record of the times I use the Carte Vitale as I only remember which weeks I visited the doctor not the exact days ian.

Thanks for the replies. I have put my Carte in the Mairie terminal and it is in date. In this department I have never been given a receipt. ian

I have an Orange phone and the number I use to find out the remaining credit is 222. ian

Thanks for the advice but I do not think our cards are out of date as they work in the pharmacie. However I will put them in the slot machine in the Mairie to check them out. We come under the aegis of the Etrangeres dept of CPAM which are in the head office and we do noit get much help from the local office. ian

What is the course of action when the Carte Vitale system fails? Our two cards worked perfectly since they were issued until a couple of months ago. However the last two visits to our GP have not been reimbursed despite having the cards inserted in the machine and seemingly being processed correctly. I have written to the CPAM about it but so far without response. The relevant CPAM office is some 80 km away so I am reluctant to trek over there. Before the cards were issued I used to keep a photocopy of the claim form in case it got lost in the system, but with the Carte Vitale there is no receipt to show that you have paid.   ian

In this department, Morbihan, the CPAM is now issuing the Carte Européenne d'Assurance Maladie, which replaces the E111. It takes about a week to get it unlike the E111 which was issued on the spot. ian

I think you see pheasants at this time of year as they have just been turned loose after being bred for shooting. Fending for themselves and having hunters shoot at them is a new experience. ian

I do not use them myself but I see that some gluten free products are sold in our local health food shop in Pontivy, not a large town. There are a number of such shops in Brittany.   ian

That is the way we used to do it before getting CPAM and our mutuelle linked. Life is much simpler if they are linked however. ian

[quote]I have received a reply from Photo:Pour obtenir le numéro 4HS Cartier Bresson de photo vous devez joindre àvotre demande un chèque de 7.50 Euros à l'ordre de PHOTO (sommecorrespondant à l'achat et a...[/quote] Thanks for the information Dick. I will order my own. ian

My grandson, in the Maternelle, was given a poem to learn which went roughly, "Would you like a bon-bon? Oui! Oui! Would you like a suppository? Non! Non" The French have a broad outlook! ian      

[quote]I have tracked down their websitehttp://www.photo.frand they seem to sell back issues, so I have emailed them to ask if they deliver in England. If not, can we get someone in France to accept delivery...[/quote] I am happy to mail them on to you if you wish as I am resident in France. I can e-mail you my address if you are agreeable. Just add an extra copy for me ian

Thanks for the advice. ian

I bought a Leclerc TV set last December,  61 cm wide screen Trans-continents, on offer at 299 € , and which came with a DVD player thrown in. Both work fine but I feel I am not getting the best out of the Trans-continents DVD player as it is furnished with an Italian language manual and nothing else. The model is PH6000S and it would appear to understand English as it displays OFF when it is off and OPEN when I put a disc in. I understand French but very little Italian. Has anyone experience with this player? I would like to get subtitles.   ian  

[quote]I've heard that the cost of the TV licence in France is reduced (or free?) when you are over 65. Is that true? If so does it only apply to permanent residents? Bernice[/quote] This is in the archives somewhere and I forget the exact details. However the lower age limit is at least 70 and to qualify your income must be below the level at which you pay income tax in France. ian

There is one in the Leroy Merlin Fiche de Conseil on installing electricity. www.leroymerlin.fr You can download it or pick it up in the store. ian  

Good luck on your move. I think Brittany is a great place to live. ian