Keni

The nearest I know of is Friday night in Montbron outside Chez Maurice - saw it a couple of weeks ago when we were over..... went to the textile exhibition at Varennes - was really interesting - guy making felt soles for slippers - operating heavy machinery in shorts & shirt & sandals - love it!!!

A good one - thanks Clair  

Thanks Nick - will do so when next over.

Clair - what was the song, when I follow your thread I get a U-Tube screen saying I can't watch it in England due to viewing restrictions!

Been at local evening classes at local college now for several years - all in all you can't beat Asterix or Tintin books for learning. We even have an Asterix learning French program for computer -it's been great  - learn French with a smile! Also my daughters' Collins GCSE Total Revision French has proved to be about the best for all the verbs/grammar/daily chats etc.

A lot of history is now being put on the internet - failing that start with talking to the family with the oldest member of the village - from them you can glean a load of stuff - we have to have all the family with our friends as the old boy only speaks a patois, so his daughter translates into an understandable french for us.  

Can I ask on this discussioin - our bottled gas cooker which we acquired with the house when we bought it, seems to work ok - we have a blue flame, but all the burners seem to produce a lot of soot/carbon residue. One in particular. It is a nothing special cooker - just 4 burners - have seem the same on sale for around 400 euros in Giant in Anglouleme. Is this anything we should be worried about?  Cheers.  

Saw it on the news earlier - the journo asked the usual crass question - upon reaching the top, it was something like ' how do you feel?' To which I feel my reply would have been - 'Great, now I am going to enter the marathon next year'. How did he feel? He's struggled up a sheer rock face only using his arms  for strength, slept on a tiny platform and you don't want to know the hygiene arrangements, grief I could kickfellow journos at times!!

How long are they going to be available - I can't get back until August & look great!!!!

phew, got it on the 6th try... now I can go to my French class!!

Thanks Weedon and to Steve for that pic - sorry I did not reply earlier but health was a bit iffy.  

Our friends' daughter has been in the French school system since they emigrated 9 years ago. She has been at college studying Health & beauty in Limoges, having been training at a private college. She has just discovered after 1 year doing 'highers' that as the company she is seconded to for her stage/temporary work is to close because of the 'crise', because of that  she will also be losing her place at the college. She will  be 21 during the next year and no-one wants to employ her now because they will have to pay a higher wage. So after 3 years work at college, she will be kicked out with no formal qualifications, no job and unable to re-train. To stay in college she must find a job. She also cannot go back to the UK as her qualifications are not complete/recognised in the UK. What will happen to her now? If she returns to the UK she has no other training, her whole life is based around finishing her college work. A weird system.  

Just a follow-on from earlier missives. The new roof is going on in France at the moment - we are really lucky with our builders, everyone in the village has said as much to us - how hard they work and the quality of their work. This is the second job they have done for us - they only set up last year and they are really hard workers and know their stuff. Have just been over to see the work. Due to poor health I have had to close the business and am just waiting to see what the OH plans for his retirement, like I say, slowly slowly....... My thanks to all who wished me good luck - now at 55 I hope we are working towards what our new future will be....

Just to agree with others, although we have to date only ordered online in the Uk, all delivery was brilliant. We are looking to get furniture from Bordeaux for Haute Vienne - having worked out the costs, we think it it is cheaper to go to Bordeaux and pay the higher price in France for the Ekthorp - which we too would like, than hire a van in Uk and bring it over. By the time we costed van hire, foreign insurance and petrol, getting it from Bordeaux, even at a higher price than Uk is a better deal.    

Just sticking my neck above the parapet (spell checker not working), we are hoping to move to France and have been looking forward to it for several years, whilst in the mean time overcoming the obstacles of everyday life at present. I have found this generally an informative site - so forum as a word is correct - although sometimes what we say or ask can be jumped on and written replies can border on insulting or rude, but there again, as a forum everyone is entitled to an opinion. Me, I would accept what life chucks at you in England or France and be grateful that you woke up that morning, was still breathing and able to enjoy that around you, be it friends, family, the local ladies or even work. PS It was great to finally meet you Chris at the beekeepers meeting on Saturday - unfortunately we only had a weekend but we made the most of it.

Thank you all for all that information and help - i have this weeks copy of MCN and shall be perusing this and other ads for the right bike. The one thing I find at the moment is that second hand bikes are really thin on the ground in the Uk - unless you want an oldy or a superbike - all I am really looking for is a lighter weight bike in mid range - 750 plus I feel too much after all this time. Thanks again.

Well done Coops, enjoy your car and as they say - today is the beginning of the rest of yor life - have a good one. xx

Having been out of biking for 20 years, I have the chance to grab a 19yr old GPZ 500S - I adored my old GPZ 550. The question I pose is, is it a worthwhile bike for me to bring over to France, with the intention of running around on it? Are parts/spares available and as I am in Haute Vienne are there any service agents for Kawasaki? I am not familiar with this model and want to ease myself back into the field - getting a 900cc or thereabouts would be stupid I feel after this time and the old GPZ suited me well, but I know not this bike. It is from a dealer and I feel he is offering it at a fair price. Any thoughts or knowledge, I would be grateful. Thanks

Do you mean like bird flu & foot & mouth disease did? I know farmers that lost all their stock - then if you remember we had the 'leak' from the government lab - a drain wasn't it? Always just in time to save the government from going down the drain! Breathing in the wrong place - one of the weather forecasters is the worst - plays havoc with trying to follow sentences.  

A little bird told me?!

Everything comes to they who wait - so the good news is that we have sold the house and are now renting for the time being - next step France! I can only say to everyone on the Forum a big thanks to you who inspire and educate us all. When I have been at my lowest, I know I can usually find something to cheer me up on the site. Although this is only phase 1, we feel we are on the way. For six years now we have dreamt of being able to sell up, pay off the mortgage and 'take it from there'. To those who are also waiting - you can sell - we put the house on the market last September, coming back from our holiday. No-one looked at the property at all until Jan 9th, and that was the first - who promptly purchased. So, don't give up heart, it is possible, now for Phase 2 - giving up the day job. Although my health is a bit off at present that will not stop us trying to achieve our future. Thank you to all and keep up the good work!     

Talking about this scheme, is it also allowed for being a market trader? I have a scheme in mind but it would only work with being a temporary trader - ie at a market at present. Many thanks  

Going by the latest pics I reckon Viagra has entered the scene as well! Mind you it's amazing how much a miliionaire can be attractive  - Lady M (uck) proved this! I am a fan as you know Frenchie - but I still think it's the money wot drives 'em! (o ye of little faith).  

Ok, it was a moped, but sitting outside our local watching another local try to get on and start his moped was worth it - in the end Danielle, the owner came out, started it up, then the old lad unsteadily got on it and rode off (sort of) up the hill. Brilliant!

Having worked on the railway for 34+ years, Chris is dying to throw his watch away! The company have just given him a Blackberry - which of course he can't operate because he still aims to be the last computer literate person in the world. They say he needs one to be kept up to date with the track information, so, like the watch come retirement they are both going back!