[Please help with hardwood outdoor table top]

I have an old outdoor table which is made of some African hard wood which would probably be illegal these days. My late husband used to treat it with some sort of oil which I can't remember the name of. Last summer I varnished it and now it's looking a rather miserable grey.

I know that the oil wasn't teak oil but have no idea what it was.

I would be grateful if anyone has any suggestions to preserve it.

[Tha' is amaayzing!!]

The one that is driving me mad at the moment is the use of 'the' when it should be pronounced 'thee'.

Yesterday I heard a newsreader say 'the NHS' when he should have said 'thee NHS'. It is becoming widespread.

[Fosse septique - we are at an impasse]

Welcome to the forum Sherlocked.

I won't say anything about the house you are currently looking at, but I would like to offer some advice if you decide against it and decide to look elsewhere.

I would be very wary about a paddock or garden on the other side of the road. I've seen one or two very quiet country lanes become very busy in the summer, and especially with Satnav, people just won't believe that taking their camper vans down it is not a good idea.

[The firemen never visited]

OK I've had enough of this.

Richard51 - you started this with a tagline that I would describe as 'trailing your coat'. I left it hoping that no-one would fall for it but unfortunately CatharTours decided to join in.

I am asking both of you to stop using provocative tag lines in any language in all your future posts. It is so easy to put things into Google translate to reveal their true meaning.

[Tha' is amaayzing!!]

Absolutely !

[Happy New Year 2019]

I agree wholeheartedly about the sniping. Accordingly I have removed a post from this thread which was seeking to continue it.

I am still awaiting a reply from Admin.

[Happy New Year 2019]

Richard51 - your advice on contacting Archant is rather late in the day. I wrote to Archant immediately after Quillan posted. It being New Year's Day they are out of the office.

As a retired teacher of many years standing I cannot accept your advice as to what a light touch can do.

[Happy New Year 2019]

Richard51 - you are ascribing powers to me that I simply do not have.

I was embarrassed and quite cross to see Quillian's post earlier today. I had been assured that he had left the forum and that his access to the moderator's section had been ended.

[Happy New Year 2019]

A happy new year to everyone.

A pity that we've started off with some unpleasantness.

Gardian - I don't recall when I last deleted a post of yours. Perhaps you can remind me.

Richards51 - I'm sorry that you think I cannot cope with this thankless task. If you apply to Archant and say that you are willing to do it single handedly I'd be happy to relinquish my role.

[Xmas greetings]

Now that the turkey is safely in the oven ............

Happy Christmas everyone.

[If anyone is travelling to or from Gatwick today]

Mr Google says that there were 92 done incidents in 2017. I don't think it's too fanciful to think that there are many people better placed than me to inform the government.

[If anyone is travelling to or from Gatwick today]

You're right Nomoss I should have , but I think that the chance of them taking any notice of me is small.

They do seem to have done things which I presume are anti-tasers.

[If anyone is travelling to or from Gatwick today]

I can't understand why there are no measures to prevent this. I live near a less important airport but it has often occurred to me that it would easy to disrupt it with a drone. Lots of people have them these days.

[Oops, by the way. Lest we are deluded into thinking there's a Tory monopoly]

Made worse by the fact that Osamor's mother is in the House of Lords.

[Brexit and the Gillet Jaunes]

Long experience shows that none of the posters on this forum are numpties.

[using the language]

Betty wrote

"It is about the application of computer based technology to different spheres of life/business/industry.

Having paid a huge sum for the translation of an archaeological report I can certainly endorse this.

[Thanks]

to all who reported the advertisements.

I've deleted them and banned the poster.

[Forums are alive.......]

Idun - I deleted two posts this morning and one of the deletions took your post with it. I cannot now move it back but here is a copy :-

LOL that must just about be the same question I asked on here nearly 20 years ago.

I still never get it.

I must say though that no one has actually said this to me recently in my everyday life, whereas it would be mentioned on a fairly regular basis about 12 years ago by a variety of people when they knew I lived in France.

As I have said before, we simply moved for a bit of an adventure, that I do get.

Andy4H - not gremlins just a moderator trying single handedly to keep things going with inadequate software.

[Finally got back in!]

" I even turned to Hoddy for help."

You're welcome.

[How many French live in the UK ?]

I was once told by a man who works in a hi-tech area that many of the French in London are women in their late twenties/early thirties who believe that they will have a better chance of promotion than they would in France where it's a case of "dead man's shoes". I've no idea if this is true though.

[Banned?]

Minor miracle - the least techie person in the world may have fixed it.

Please ask her to try again.

[Banned?]

I've informed Admin - I'll have another look myself.

[Banned?]

I'm sure no-one has banned L'oiseau - there would be no reason to.

I'll have a look to see if I can find anything out.

[Hey, Alexei....]

I expect that Salisbury is full of Russian tourists every weekend.

[Leaving school at 14 or without qualifications]

I left school at 16 with no qualifications.

I've done OK, not brilliantly but OK.

I passed my 11+ and went to one of these so-called wonderful schools where I was humiliated on an almost daily basis because my parents could not afford my uniform.