Keni

So my mate had a 'council renter' in her home, and when she refused to pay the rent, took her to court. It transpired it would take a year before she could be removed. So my friend got in touch with the council and infromed them this person was being investigated for drug dealing (true) and she had not paid the rent. The outcome was the rent was paid directly to my friend and when a year latyer she was evicted the council told this person she had made herself intentionly homless and they would not help re-home her. Justice was served, eventually.

The OH works for the rail network over here - is not driving trains anymore,  is now a conductor. One of those waste of a life force walked up to the OH and asked him if he'd ever been mugged doing his job - to which my ex-marine said, no but would he like to try and be the first....

Ivana is another name that springs to mind...

Like you Babbles, I have a small retail business in the UK at present - so yesterday I dug out the till programming book to try and find out how to re-program the thing to 15% VAT. However after that we decided to just stick a sign up and say 2.5% off all marked prices, or something like that and just use a calculator to figure each sale out (great for the Christmas rush). The next question is once we start getting stock next week from suppliers and they (hopefully) drop the VAT to us, we then have to figure out some stock at lower prices, so some will have to be calcuated at say 4% less etc. But I am still paying Mr.Brown for the priviledge of employing staff - if he dropped the employers rates (not employees) it would save far more, allowing jobs to be more secure surely. We pay a minimum of another £16+ per employee at basic rate. For a large company that is a load of dosh, and with JCB and other firms taking pay cuts to ensure the jobs stay, workers are doing their bit, so why can't Brown help the employers keep their staff?  

Withj the pensions looking set to rise over the next few years - I am sure it will be minimal however, not being in the Eu at present, as you mention, your pension will be frozen and you will not get the annual rises or heating allowances etc. If you feel you can live on your money, allowing for taxes, electricity et al., then I would say rent for a term and see what happens, better to have tried and failed than not tried at all! Good Luck

Where abouts are you JR - just in case we need to obtain a swarm next year.....

The other half has been learning bee-keeping for the past few years - well, you never stop learning. I've learnt just how good honey is - yes, it is a great poltice and was used as such in the medieval days, and if you can get lavender honey, that too is ideal for spreading on burns (I mentioned in another thread to Twinkle about the properties of lavender). I do a bit of aromatherapy and natural healing - look out for products called 'Burts Bees' - a whole range of products, I think they're on the web. We are hoping when we finally get over to France, Chris will continue with his bee-keeping. This year has been disasterous for honey levels - many supplies from Uk bee keepers will be gone some time after Christmas. We have a small stockpile, but even ours is running low.  

I must try this recipe - I have not heard of it before..

Loved The Rag Trade - when they have shown clips the situations are often still relevant. I lived for a while in Winbledon and knew Tut Tut (Bootside & Snudge), the Manager, Robert  Dorning, & his daughters Katy & Stacy - she was in Black Beauty, and I think one of them does a TV ad now for car ins.  Even to talk to Robert Dorning, he was a funny guy. Being in Wimbledon though, with the theatre I met so many people as my mum had a cigarette shop - Arthur Askey, Jimmy Edwards & Eric Sykes (Big Bad Mouse) and so many from the great panotmimes. Do they have these anywhere in France at Christmas? There's an opening for an impressario perhaps - bring pantomime to the French?

So,.... if he used 100 tons of paint, perhaps the engineers out there could calculate whether the ceiling will stay up - you know critical mass and all that - I don't expect the building was  created with the architect thinking, 'well, the ceiling will take the strain of 100 tons of paint'... ...and where did he buy the stuff- I reckon I could have done the job for half as much, using paper maché, and who did pay for the job?..

Thanks Twinkle I had forgotten that one - being PC these days loses out on some of the great old comedy shows - the inuendos were great in those days. I do not know any of my friends, disabled or ethnic who are offended by these shows - most have said they find them so funny, as they were meant to be highlighting situations.

Chris has been looking at those galvanised things for months now over here and been trying to work out how it will fit into the car to take to France, 'cos he says he has never seen one over there! Might be a good idea for Bricomarche to start selling them.

Frenchie, I agree with another post earlier - Lavender oil is brill. I carry it all times - when my daughter got burnt whilst swimming during the summer a few years ago I covered all the burns with the lavender oil - it does not sting and heals the skin leaving no scar. It is the only natural oil that can be applied directly to the skin (did an aromatherapy couse a while back). The healing properties were discovered by a French chemist who having burnt his hand on a bunsen burner, had a bowl of lavender oil nearby and putting his hand into the bowl, discovered these properties- that is what we were taught in our class anyway! Hope your fingers have stopped hurting now.

I agree Twinkle, all the great 'double-entendeurs' seem to be going, long live the comic greats - do you remember Arthur Haynes?

Having been reading through all these posts, it looks as if the growth of the French economy is due to more people wanting to be part of the French economy - namely those moving to France from other countries. According to recent statistics the French economy is slightly above the Spanish, as many people are leaving Spain due to housing problems (I wonder what they mean?) amongst others - and are moving to the south of France, where prices are rising. As a p/t journo, I am aware of just how many people are leaving/trying to leave the UK (including us), and although to many it is a case of the greener grass, for a lot is is for health reasons (warmer temps etc). Whilst France is perceived to be a country offering more to outsiders, it will have a growing economy, and with young Nicholas at the helm, it will only do his government good whilst this is perceived. So all in all you guys, although they are now trying to talk the UK int joining the Euro, France is regarded as the country to be part of at this time so enjoy it 'cos we are all jealous really! xx  

Sussed it, click the string whilst bouncing it up and down - got it from blue to peach!

Thanks, Although she suffers from epilepsy, she has never let anything stand in her way - now an instructor at sea cadets, she has  been taught everything from powerboating to drill. As a disability, it has not stopped her. The OH and his brother are in Flanders today - they have been at the Menin Gate for the ceremony. I must ask you about this sizing thing though...

I hope this uploads - it is of my daughter Cj at the Evesham War Memorial - as a Sea Cadet she was'on duty' with her rifle at the corner post, along with others, each placed at another corner. For a young lass she took her part well. We are proud of her. Thanks Krusty for the help - I don't think I've sussed out the sizing thing yet, but hey, I can now upload pics! [IMG]http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq82/keni1954/04112008175.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks Will - I have made a note of that one, the price of the sweet tobacco scared me though. When my mum had her sweet shop in the 60's she sold the tobacco in small quarter packets, roughly how they are being sold now, but they cost 6d - or 2.5p to you young 'uns. Now it's £1.77p, but I reckon that's inflation.   Sweet shrimps were 8 for 1d when we had the sweet shop, then it was 4, then 2 for 1p now 2p each!!!

I haven't seen sweet tobacco for years - how about licorice sticks with sherbert in the middle?

Apparently, according to the BBC, he will be talking live in Chicago in a while, but will be surrounded by bullet proof glass. Looks like it's already started....

how about sherbert fountains or flying saucers....

Well, we're still doing songs,  and food, so I thought why not old sweeties -I am sitting here having snaffled a pack of my daughters swizzler fizzers eating away and having also downed some parma violets....... anyone remember pineapple cubes....

I agree with the Ribena as well, also in UK M & S summer fruits as hot drink - really good!

Am on the search for a wood burner myself krusty, have been told that Supra are good, but can't find them locally anymore - we need a small one and all we keep being sent is information on big ones. The deville at present in the dining room is literally that, in the middle of the room with a 1 metre pipe to the chimney connection, so that's half the dining room taken up. I can get smaller ones here, but car won't take them back to the HV. Am now contacting Fabien at Chalus, have been told she does them - and fits them herself!