St Bernard

Ah well, an American chef, not a French butcher! Further evidence that it's difficult to find here and probably a non-traditional cut. Thanks for the guide to cuts of meat. I had also seen it through a different posting. Only one of the links referred to neck fillet and that was a Northumbrian butcher who sells on-line but not outside UK mainland. Jan  

Thanks for all the replies. NZ frozen lamb is excellent value and perfect for marinading and then putting on the bbq. As for the neck fillets, I think it's a case of a quick word with the butcher in the UK and then a chat with a local butcher here. Jan  

Does anyone know the French term for neck fillet of lamb? It doesn't appear to be a cut which is generally available here but it must exist. Many thanks in advance Jan

I've mentioned before in this forum a number of sites where there are free grammar courses but I have found a few more since then. You should find something helpful among the following: www.polarfle.fr is a site where you will find a murder mystery to solve. The clues are found in the grammar exercises. There is also comprehension work. There are four different levels from debutant to avancé. www.fle.fr is a site which links to a number of specialist providers of french language teaching for foreigners but in addition, in the ressources section you will find grammar exercises. www.bonjourdefrance.com has various grammar exercises as does www.xtec.es/~sgirona/fle/ . If you would like the grammar to be explained in English you should take a look at www.laits.utexes.edu/tex/. This is a free course from the University of Texas. From London Metropolitan University there’s www.city.londonmet.ac.uk/langstud/call/french/French/ A good Canadian site iswww.ccdmd.qc.ca/fr/franc/accfranc.html www.didieraccord.com/ is another site which comes up with the correct replies when you check your responses. Hope that helps Jan Laury

It seems that the restrictions apply only to agricultural use. However, we live in the Ariege (09) and there is no reference in the table to restrictions in the Ariege even though some were announced 10 days ago. I would suggest that you check with your local Mairie.   Jan Laury

For anyone fancying a bit of grammar work there are a number of courses available for free. www.polarfle.fr is a site where you will find a murder mystery to solve. The clues are found in the grammar exercises. There is also comprehension work. There are four different levels from debutant to avancé. www.fle.fr is a site which links to a number of specialist providers of french language teaching for foreigners but in addition, in the ressources section you will find grammar exercises. www.bonjourdefrance.com has various grammar exercises as does www.xtec.es/~sgirona/fle/ .  If you would like the grammar to be explained in English you should take a look at www.laits.utexes.edu/tex/. This is a free course from the University of Texas. Jan Laury  

Take a look at www.fle.fr. This will guide you to a huge number of specialists such as Alliance Francaise in providing French language courses for foreigners - hopefully there is one in your area but I believe that some of them have on-line courses as well.   Jan Laury

It all depends on what you want. If there is an MJC (Maison des jeunes et de la culture) in a nearby town, that's a good place to try although they tend to follow the school year. Also look in the local weekly classifieds which you'll get through your letterbox. If you are looking for something more intense have a look at www.fle.fr. This has details of language learning centres in Toulouse. You will also find grammar exercises on the site! Have fun Jan Laury

We live at Montaut (09) which is one hour's drive north of Ax and about 30 minutes from Foix. I think you need to look closely at climate conditions in local areas, which can vary quite dramatically, and not be too tied to the idea of 30 minutes from Ax or another ski resort. After all the ski season only lasts for around 4 months of the year. I fully agree with the idea of renting in the area and checking it out properly. Good luck   Jan Laury

If you want to know what weather to expect at your new home you can get a 10 day forecast at www.pagesjaunes.fr. Just click on ville en direct, then on meteo, and enter your postcode.

I live nearer the Med so can't help you directly but here are a few thoughts. 1 Why not buy one of the French diving magazines as they have plenty of classified ads from dive centres. 2 Put a question about French dive centres on www.diverforum.co.uk 3 An accord was reached between PADI and the French dive association on recognition of qualifications in the last couple of years. 4 Have you looked for PADI affiliated centres on the PADI website? I like warm water diving so I haven't tried diving here but I've always had good experiences with French divers overseas. Happy bubbles Jan Laury  

I'm always rather taken by the no overtaking roadsign which one can see by the side of roads in the Pyrenees under which is stated "sauf vehicules lentes"!

You can check the Toulouse airport website for details of all destinations available from there - www.toulouse.aeroport.fr. Have you checked SkyEurope - www.skyeurope.com - for flights to Bratislava?   Jan Laury

I've been down here for nearly three years and absolutely loving it. We find the area very peaceful but at the same time within easy reach of the sea, mountains, and, via the regional airports, the UK. It is a very diverse département geographically. We are in the plain in the north (Basse Vallée) with the mountains in view ahead of us. Climate will vary with altitude but also with the local topography. On many occasions we have had friends living a few kilometres away experiencing rain and we haven't had a drop. Where we are it has been another hot and dry summer - the third in a row. In winter we see lots of snow on the mountains but get very little if any ourselves. In our area it can also be very windy. We have found local people very welcoming but there has been a sharp rise in the number of foreigners here in the last few years as low cost flights and lower property prices have attracted newcomers. I see that Ryanair have added two more UK airports for flights to Carcassonne in neighbouring Aude. If you don't know the area you should come and check it out.   Jan Laury

French courses for foreigners recommence at the MJC in Pamiers in the week beginning September 19th and running until the end of June. Normally there are 30 sessions. There are four different levels. The proposed schedule is : Mondays – 9am –10.30am Intermediares                10 30am – midday Faux debutants                5pm – 6.30pm Debutants Tuesdays - 9am –10.30am Avancés (conversation)                 10.30am – midday Avancés (grammaire) Debutants are absolute beginners and faux debutants would have a little french. The teacher will ensure that you are in the class that is best for you. In previous years the class size has varied between 4 and 9 people. The cost for the year is €150 if you do 1½ hours per week or €235 for 3 hours per week. There is also a €16 MJC affiliation fee (which also gives you a benefits card). For further information you can call the MJC on 05 61 60 50 50. Alternatively just turn up for the class which suits you.   Jan Laury

French courses for foreigners recommence at the MJC in Pamiers in the week beginning September 19th and running until the end of June. Normally there are 30 sessions. There are four different levels. The proposed schedule is : Mondays – 9am –10.30am Intermediares                10 30am – midday Faux debutants                5pm – 6.30pm Debutants Tuesdays - 9am –10.30am Avancés (conversation)                 10.30am – midday Avancés (grammaire) Debutants are absolute beginners and faux debutants would have a little french. The teacher will ensure that you are in the class that is best for you. In previous years the class size has varied between 4 and 9 people. The cost for the year is €150 if you do 1½ hours per week or €235 for 3 hours per week. There is a €16 MJC affiliation fee (which also gives you a benefits card). For further information you can call the MJC on 05 61 60 50 50. Alternatively just turn up for the class which suits you. Jan Laury ****Additional information (25/09) - In previous years the teacher has been french and with an appropriate qualification in teaching french as a foreign language. However, this year they have not been able to find such a person and as a result the courses are being taught by a Dutchman who lives locally.

At the end of October 2002 we moved to a house 3km to the east of Montaut (09) - one hour south of Toulouse, one hour west of Carcassonne. No commuting, no hassle, views onto the Pyrenees, why did it take so long?!!   Jan

For up to 5 days ahead you could try www.eurometeo.com (an Italian site but it covers France) and there's www.weather.yahoo.com which gives forecasts for up to 10 days ahead. Both are free.   Jan Laury

Having read the advice I decided against lifting my dead looking verbena and adding it to the bonfire site. Today, I decided that enough was enough and plunged in the fork to lift the sad looking thing when sudenly I noticed a new growth at the base. My plant had survived the frosts . Patience has got its just reward - just.   Jan Laury

Carrefour has a full range of electrical appliances and next door to it you'll find a big electrical store - Planete Saturne.

We've had no problems with them although we have not bought large household appliances. Our experience has been that all the suppliers from whom we have bought over net by accessing through a shopping gateway have been ok. The only internet with which we have had a below average response was Castorama where an item was out of stock. Have you looked at www.kelkoo.fr?   Jan

First of all, welcome to France. We live south of Toulouse about 45 minutes from Portet and Roques. If you are going to shop at IKEA, don't forget that you can also use the internet. We have friends who have ordered over the net and then collected at Toulouse. You don't want to get there and discover that the must-have article is out of stock. Portet is either a horror or retail delight depending on your mind-set - I love it. There are lots and lots of stores with furniture but finding places can be a challenge. Portet also features the largest Carrefour in the south-west if not south of the Loire and you may find things there. Whatever you do, avoid Portet on saturdays. However, depending on your taste and luck I would advise you to look in the depot-ventes in your area. If you're not familiar with them, they sell proerty on commission and you can find bargains especially if you have an older property with large/high rooms. A lot of the stuff there will be awful but from time to time you can find beautiful large pieces - wardrobes, sideboards, solid tables etc. at very attractive prices because they just won't fit into a modern property. Good luck Jan  

I haven't been but hear that conditions are good provided that the runs are open. Yesterday Ax was shut - due to the wind I would guess. I think you need to check with the tourist office as to what is the current situation.   Jan Laury

We use Free as our ISP and since the end of last week we have had internet problems. No difficulty connecting but then impossible to get into any site. Thought the problem was due to a fault with our new PC but I don't think that is the case. The situation has improved - hence the e-mail - and I've found that if I close down the PC completely and then restart I can connect t, most of the time,o the internet and access any website. However, if I then disconnect from Free and try to reconnect I will not get into any site. So, I have to close the PC down and then restart. Similarly, I'm not able to reconnect after putting the PC in "sleep" mode.   Jan Laury

Have you looked in the weekly free newspaper - Le 09 - which carries all the classified adverts? Although not in the foothills, Pamiers, which is no more than 15 minutes away, is larger than Foix. Good luck Jan Laury