Jc

For a one night stay we usually use Campanile or similar.

Can't your hospital in the UK make any recommendations or even the charity DIABETES UK.

I had two new windows fitted;two of the scruffiest workmen turned up-late-one was wider than he was tall,wearing a pair of towelling shorts and the other was barely 5ft. tall.Two hours later,they left leaving a perfect job;and I mean perfect;didn't even need redecorating where the wallpaper touched the window.

Most firms crossing over or under the channel offer season tickets at a considerable discount.

You can tell the booking clerk your age and get a discount;in fact,the clerk last year asked our age,didn't want to see proof and gave us the discount.Interestingly,for the journey one way ,we got a shared ticket and back,two separate tickets.

I agree there are not many for the next couple of days but there are plenty of £19 ones a month ahead.

That's period return-daytime crossings;go by night or five days you'll get the cheap ones.

Exactly-to supply hot water and heating to a large house you are looking at a boiler of 80,000-100,000BTU or as I said about 30-36 Kw.

I typed P&O into a search engine;the first thing that came up was P&O offers.Bank holiday weekend out-daytime crossings-period return-car+passengers-£36 each way.

You may have bigger storage tanks but I was talking 30Kw. boiler.

I should have added-no token,codes or anything else required.I got daytime crossings,period returns ,the cheapest they've ever been.Just go into their site on the net.

Blue asbestos was the most dangerous but in the past couple of years ALL asbestos has been brought within the scope of the regulations.Asbestos cement items are not dangerous unless broken up.

To heat a whole house with electric radiators is unlikely to work - given the resriction on supply;you would only be able to have a few on at a time;oil or gas would seem the obvious route to take.I had storage radiators in the UK running on "cheap" electricity-even they cost a fortune to run-the  gas system fitted later was infinitely better.

Had an electric boiler years ago in a factory to supply hot water to a piece of machinery-powerful(10Kw),heated up quickly,low maintenance-as long as cleaned annually but cost a fortune to run.In France we get our hot water from a tank heated by electricity(1.7Kw) and it is very good-supplies sink,basin and shower but to heat a house I would estimate you would need a boiler with about 30Kw. output.And you would need 3-phase supply.

Sounds remarkably similar to the current P&O offer.

French banks don't have the same problems as UK because you don't write cheques if you don't have funds or if you do,you no longer have an account!!

Yes,either wire can be "live";that is why all modern French installations must have circuit breakers that cut off both.

I have diabetes and was taken into hospital as an emergency-nothing to do with diabetes-I told the doctor in A&E what medication I was on and they supplied and continued the medication while I was a patient and carried out regular bloodtests(even during the night-with a torch).Excellent service.

There is always the "world service" from the BBC but that is not as good as it used to be.

To get a "compte etranger",you must reside and pay tax outside France and you now will be asked to prove both.Always carry a can of fuel in the boot.I was driving north up the N20 on a Sunday a few years ago and there were no petrol stations open,manned or auto.I eventually came into a village and found one open and the owner got up from his lunch to serve me-by the look of the queue when I left,his lunch was going to be very cold by the time he got back to it.

There are many different levels of so-called "free" travel cover offered on Gold cards-the minimum  usually only covers you for what you paid for-ie.if you used it to pay for a ferry crossing-it only covers you on that crossing-nothing else.Most exclude pre-existing medical conditions.I once had to claim on my proper insurance and was glad I had it.I dislocated my ankle totally.It paid for an operation,hospital stay,repatriation for my wife and myself(that included taxi to airport in France,BA flights and taxi from Gatwick) and a driver to bring our car home-this was all done with a single phone call to the insurer,they organized everything,took over completely.I would never travel again without similar cover.

There has been correspondence elsewhere recently that the cover offered by these cards has so many conditions that it is barely worthwhile-as has been said before"read the SMALL print".

If you can fit a UK plug,you can fit  a French plug.

I've seen people with signs outside their property stating that they are members of some association or other and when challenged"Oh!,we were JUST going to take that down".

I've just booked a Dover/Calais period return crossing -daytime in May and it's the cheapest it's ever been.P&O.And I've been travelling since the 70's.