Hoddy

I don't think the Battle of the Somme would be a target for moslem terrorists. Many moslems died there although there is no knowing what twisted ideology these modern extremists think. Part of their power is their unpredictability. Hoddy

I came in from a superb meal and the village firework display to hear this awful news. We can only offer our sympathy to all those touched by this.

I've always added sprigs of mint to new potatoes at the start of cooking. I thought it was an English tradition and that everyone did it.

Yes, thanks for the link Idun. If I do decide to go ahead I'll go to the local pharmacy. I don't do Amazon, but at least it shows that it's readily available.

Thanks for that. I was aware that lime could be dangerous because I have a memory of a farm labourer in the village where I grew up being very badly burned after spilling some lime down his wellies. I didn't know if it was slaked of unslaked.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I heard an edition of the Food Programme on Radio 4 which talked about Gliko and I liked the sound of it.. I googled and came up with this http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-presidia/permet-gliko/ I love crystalised fruit and I have a lot of walnut trees. It does seem very fiddly though and I'm not quite so enthusiastic as I was to start with. I know about lime in gardens and on fields, but I didn't know it was 'slaked'. Thanks again for everyone's contributions.

I've been looking at a recipe for 'Gliko". It lists something called slaked lime. I don't even know what it is in English. Can anyone help ? I'd like to know what it is and where I might get it from.

“All most people know is that something somewhere seems not right.” It’s true that there has been some racism in the Brexit campaign which is a pity because cries of racism close down any sensible discussion about differences in culture, custom and language and how that affects other people. Most of the arguments I have heard have tried to scare me into voting stay or convince me that leaving will lead me into a land of milk and honey. Neither of these arguments leave me feeling that whatever “is not right” will be improved by my vote.

They have changed it. I flew with the new boarding pass last week. I found the new one more convenient I just folded it in four and it was easy to fold inside my passport.

Sorry I didn't make myself clear Kong. I didn't try to use the Freepost - I put the whole thing inside another envelope which took it over the weight of an ordinary letter. I was trying to warn other people who may try the same thing. I have very little faith in a Freepost from France to England being handled properly.

Home education ? Have you checked that it's legal in France ?

I have already voted. I didn't trust the prepaid envelope so I put the whole thing into a different one. The woman at La Poste confirmed my suspicion that the packet was overweight. It might be worth checking yours if you are doing the same as me.

My holiday home is about 8 km from Sarlat. One of my French neighbours was four in January. She can write her own name, Mummy, Daddy and three different names for her grandparents, another name for her great-grandfather and the name of her dog. All in very neat writing.

And another thing .......... If the widow or perhaps the children could afford a headstone then they weren't living poverty. It occurs to me that the location of the headstone might be of use. John - do you know about the French Azilum ? Was your headstone anywhere near there ?

I don't think you can necessarily draw that conclusion, Loiseau. Even women who were married to wealthy men were sometimes illiterate in the early nineteenth century. If you are interested in his social class John a better clue would be the man's rank in the army.

Does anyone know when civil registration of births began in France ? If you were looking for a birth in 1790 in England or Wales you would have to look at baptism records because civil registration only began in 1837. I don't know how carefully French churches kept such things, but in general English and Welsh church records are good around 1790 although I suppose the disruption caused by the revolution might have affected them in France.

Glad to see you back Twinkle. Are you still singing ? I sam still spending my summers in France and managing to put one foot in front of the other.

You are right Loiseau I did mean to ask where in France Francis Durand lived. Durand is quite a common name in my neck of the French woods, but I have no real idea if it's widespread.

France he comes from ?

Meanwhile back on the roads ............ I think their upkeep must be a local thing. In France I do most of my driving in the Dordogne and the lot, both of which have much better roads even in quite remote parts than we have here in Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

After some representation and discussions with other mods I have decided to unlock this thread. May I appeal to everyone to leave out the personal insults ?

I can't offer any help Ethan except to suggest that you say how big Lily is.

I have deleted a post and I'm going to lock this thread. It would be good to have a decent discussion on this subject without resorting to personal insults.

I agree with most of what you have written Cajal and I add this which I picked up on Twitter which might amuse - "Those fighting for independence can't tell us what life would be like outside the British Empire." Lord North, Second Earl of Guildford.

Like Vette I love Cedar Deodora, but maybe taking Norman's advice Wooly should 'plant pears for his heirs'.