Kateloustear

Les Lauriers - that didn't sound too bitter!!!! If you have a passion for property, people skills, dedication and a bit of common sense then you will find this job extremely rewarding and you will meet many different people along the way.  The income that Les Lauriers quoted is a low one, if you are doing the job right and giving a good service, you can expect to earn well in excess of 20,000 euros per year.    

We are looking for a plasterer to plaster the walls and ceiling of our living room.  Does anybody know of anyone who could do this before December?  We are looking for a smooth finish not the rough finish so often seen in older properties.  Only recommendations please: Kate

In the early hours of Tuesday morning our tiny village took the full force of a mini tornado. The storm started the night before at around 11.30pm and slowly grew to a crescendo at 4.30am when the sky just threw massive hailstones, the size of golfballs down onto us!!!! My 7 yr old daughter who normally sleeps through anything, woke up frightend and when I went into her bedroom we heard the most ferocious noise and we seriously thought we'd been hit or the chimney was crumbling. I was petrified of bolting across to the telephone for fear of the ceiling coming down so I grabbed my daughter and we flew to the top of the stairs when the electricity went off! We fudged around looking for the torch and finally got downstairs to two very subdued dogs. By now the noise was incredible and instead of being brave, panic set in and I turned into a real girlie!! (I must add that hubby away working!). I phoned some English friends who live 10 mins from us who said they would drive over to fetch us. By now water was dripping through our lights in the breakfast room and the window had blown open, all this in the pitch black - thoughts of a horror film spring to mind! Our friends finally arrived half an hour later as the roads were so bad they couldn't drive very fast. They took us to their house where we waited until daylight. I was very nervous about going back home and establishing what damage had actually been done. However our house was still in tact as was the roof and the chimney. It wasn't until our neighbours dropped by at 8.30am to see if we were okay that we discovered what the terrible noise had been - golfballs in the form of ice!!!! They live in le bourg and their restaurant had taken a real hammering. It was just like a war zone, the fireman were out, there were people out trying to help clear up the mess. Our car has been badly damaged by these hellish hailstones and it now resembles one of those l'escargot dishes!!! Our friends think it may be a right off. Our tiny little village even made the National news, the devastaion was so bad. A very shaken, tired but relieved, Kate

I like the way you sneaked your website on - is that not advertising in itself???

A friend of mine is trying to find a good home for her donkey. She has both parents but cannot keep the baby for various reasons and really needs to find a good home for Coco. I believe she is around 2 months old now. She's adorable. Anybody out there who can help? She is located in the Dordogne. Kate

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Termites were found recently in the property next door to us which is being sold. They were found in two old tree trunks in the front garden. The vendors have been over to burn these trunks although we are not convinced this is enough to eradicate the problem. Has anybody any experience with these awful creatures and could let us know what the likelihood of them spreading towards us is? Kate

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I need a B & B for some of my clients to stay in next week, however, Madame can't do stairs. Does anybody know of a B & B with a ground floor bedroom between Montignac and Perigueux? Thanks in advance. Kate

Welcome! We're near thenon, east of Perigueux. I see Susie has been in touch, she may have told you about our social group! If not, let me know and I'll give you some info. Our daughter is 7 years old. Kate

Try Roderick Macleod: [email protected] He's very nice and English! Kate Stear

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We are looking to change our LHD citroen xsara picasso for a LHD 4 x 4. Has anybody gone the route of buying a LHD from the UK and bringing it over? There are a number of UK companies who import cars from Europe and then sell them from the UK. We have found secondhand cars in France very expensive so we thought we might get a better deal this way. By the way, anybody know of a LHD 4 x 4 up for grabs, let us know!! Kate and Craig

Our daughter currently attends the local village primaire in CP. She is doing very well and is very happy and has made a couple of lovely friends and a few other ones (who I wouldn't describe as lovely!!). When we arrived we knew that the local college had a bad reputation and planned to take her further afield when that day comes. However, we have now heard that the primaire is not doing so well and that standards are pretty poor and we now have the dilemma of changing schools next September. We originally planned to put her in a private school in the city at college age but we're now discussing the possibility of sending her to a private primaire later this year. Has anybody got any experience of the ecole privee's? I have an appointment to go with one of the other mothers tomorrow to check one of them out. Apparently we are not the only parents thinking along these lines! I understand that they offer a wider range of activities and subjects for the children which I think would be a plus. Any advice would be welcome. Kate

We came over eighteen months ago with our then five year old. In the UK she was quite clingy and didn't like change. She was in reception class in the UK when we left and had made some lovely friends. We had the same reservations as you. However, we didn't overwhelm her with the language beforehand but played games with French words involving numbers, colours, animals etc. She started here at the Maternelle in the Grande section, local village school, no other English children. Eighteen months later, she's getting straight A's, loves school, is totally fluent and never ceases to amaze us. You will have hurdles to get over to begin with, but children are much more adaptable than us adults. You will also find that the children are treated as local celebrities and there will be no end to their friendliness. Good Luck and I hope this helps.