Loiseau

Sat-navs, paper maps?? Pish! What's wrong with navigating by the sun and the stars, albf?

QUOTE mint So, there I was wondering whether bouillon meant emails that are sort of "boiling" away, much as a pot on a back burner. END QUOTE LOVE it, mint!!!

QUOTE nomoss Using the top density I found for pine of 560 kg/m3 gives a weight of 34.02 kg for the large gate. I estimated 35 kg. END QUOTE Hang on, nomoss... Are you going to all this trouble for PINE gates? Surely that is not going to last any length of time, and you will be going through all this palaver again soon. Angela

Ha ha! Love it, Norman!

Oh poor mint. I do so sympathise about the rib. I once cracked one in a fall from a horse, and I remember the MOST painful thing was coughing. How awful to feel it snap with a sneeze. I don't think there's anything to be done about it, is there? Ribs more or less stay in position and mend themselves in their own good time. Angela

When I glanced out at the London sky earlier this evening, at the planes approaching on the flight path to Heathrow, there was indeed a beautiful full moon hanging there - fairly large and yellow. I shall have another look tomorrow, in case it is even bigger and better.

What about a bill from the demenageurs for removal and storage of your possessions? Or proof that you had asked for your post to be redirected from November 2015? Though if it is the notaire's job to inform the tax d'hab office, maybe he/she did not do that? Angela

Poor mint. I am so sorry to hear you are black and blue. Not to mention the loss of dignity that you endured... I fell headlong in my garden the other day, and it is a horrid feeling as it dawns on you what is happening. Luckily in my case no damage done, as I fell on the gravel and not on any tiles or concrete. And no one around, so no loss of dignity entailed! Bonne guérison. Angela

Gluey: Thanks for the link and explanation! Far more than I wanted to know, but it's always handy to have a bit more useless information packed away in what passes for my brain...

So come on guys... What on earth is a shill, or even a schill, bid?

I know you are not allowed to duck out of buying, once bidding has finished and you are the highest. But I have no idea about changing your mind at an earlier point. I would imagine it is not an option either. Just cross your fingers that somebody bids higher sooooon!

Lovely in the Vendée, with temperatures nudging 20 degrees. Lots of gardening; less walking than the dogs would like. Angela

I think only the person taking the money has to be registered with PayPal, mint. It means that they can receive credit card payments. For you, as the person paying, it means you can pay by credit card, but I don't think you have to register unless you choose to. I chose not to, so that whenever I receive those spoof emails telling me to do something or other about my PayPal account, I can discount them entirely! I am sure there will be some eBay expert along shortly to tell you what's what about bidding, but I would have though you would want to keep an eye on your bid in case somebody tops it (unless you wanted to stop at the amount you bid). Usually, there is a flurry of bidding at the last minute, so you should keep an eye on it during the last 24 hours of that 6-day period, if you want to up your bid. Angela

Wrong side of 70, but right side of 75. Widowed, but in cosy relationship with much-loved forum member ? ? Retired from writing (for Fr and Eng mags), freelance sub-editing etc. Comfortable enough to have still maintained French holiday home, though strenuous physical work necessary for upkeep of same is beginning to lose its appeal. Not v political; Tory by nature, with occasional veerings towards Lib-Dem. Voted Remain. Have studied and worked in France, so I remember the hoops one had to jump through to establish residence etc back in the 1960s. Have had holiday home for nearly 50 years, so lots of experience of gritting teeth in dealing with French services (definitely no rose tints for my spex!).

I tried looking for Porc. Bio. Eleve en plein air. and suppliers seemed to be some distance from you, and mostly selling through local markets rather than by mail order. Traditional breeds seems to translate as "porc rustique". Angela

I usually include one onion in my leek and potato soup, to give the flavour a boost. Did your fresh leeks have that all-pervading leek smell when you bought them? If not, maybe that indicates they were an "improved" variety that lacks both smell and taste. Angela

Is it stated on the "acte" for the purchase of your property? After the bit about who you are, where you were born, etc. I remember the notaire decided what it should be for ours, but that was 40+ years ago and things might have changed. Angela

I was trying to see what formation one needed to become a préfet. From the biog of a present one, I saw: Scolarité : Bac S – Lycée Thiers à Marseille Diplôme : E.N.A. – promotion Michel de L’Hospital Licence en droit, H.E.C. So not just one, but TWO "grandes ecoles". Angela

Ooo, not much chance of seeing them in London, but tomorrow night I'll be on a channel ferry, and they get you up so blinking early that maybe I shall catch them them! Angela

I didn,t know they had lived in London together. That house in Camden certainly needs sprucing up; maybe the gun money could go towards that! ;-) Angela

ROFL x 2

I thought it had a familiar ring to it, cajal!

Alas, mint, you are right... For that very reason, I have not made it for ages. It would be just TOOOO tempting for a certain person :-(

I did a SCRUMMY butternut soup last week, with cumin and chilli. It's a Nigella recipe, so probably Google-able. You have to roast the quartered squash and spices first, which intensifies the flavour wonderfully. Interesting idea about the evaporated milk, Idun. I will give that a try in a "creamy" soup next time. The only thing I use it for these days is chocolate fudge. Now THERE's something delicious for winter!! Angela

Hah! Must have driven past that place last Friday, after spending a lovely few days near Colmar. Angela