Liz

[quote]We are going to be digging a large pond on our 2.5 acre site in Normandy next spring. Is it cheaper to buy butyl lining in England or France, please? And has anyone got any tips for a successful pon...[/quote] Yes, is the short answer. We have only built a small garden pond here but we searched all over for liner and found the supplies rather limited and pricey. It is quite rare to see Butyl on sale and cheaper alternatives that have a life of about 10 years are usual. There are magazines on sale which might give you some advertising leads to follow up amd there are a very few specialised outlets in France which would get you what you want at a cost. If you can get hold of a book by G Hessayon that is called something like 'Be your own pond and rock garden expert'. There is one of a series of books and they are excellent, basic advice and very cheap to buy. Two tips, your pond need not be very deep, if it is small 70cm is perfectly adequate, if large I would think 1m is ample. Secondly, don't be imaptient it will take time to achieve a balance and have clear water, after that put in any fish you want. Just thought of a third tip, NEVER, NEVER, change the water! LIz (29)

We met a couple recently, perhaps a little older than you, who came to live in a little hamlet in Brittany 12 months ago. It was clear that they could not speak french and we asked how they got on. Absolutely no problem, if we get an officlal looking letter we put it on one side, then if we get a second that looks the same we ask someone (they have a neighbour who is an English teacher) to help us translate. If they have any official business (eg health matters) they go to the office concerned and 'get by' with waving, pointing and the good will of the staff. Not my way of doing things but they are very happy with their new lives. To help you decide on a move I would suggest you read all you can on the subject, there are many books and magazines these days, and also look through topics on this and other Forums. I would also suggest you should make an extended stay in the area you fancy before comitting yourselves, particularly in the winter when places that look lovely on summer holidays are completely different from September to March. Many of the lively resorts on the Atlantic coast are more or less closed down for 9 months in winter. One problem for people that have moved away from family is that they miss seeing their grandchildren grow up. Liz (29)

"Luckily, we have friends coming from Portsmouth, who rang us to say that they were in Cherbourg. We have changed our booking to tomorrow. ******s charged me £5 to change the booking! I'll do something about that! Is my opinion of BF about to change?" Always wait until THEY change the arrangements. That way you can do pretty well what you like as they will book you on to any other crossing (several days later if that's your choice) at no extra cost. We've worked this several times in our favour as we are in the fortunate position of being able to go home if no boat has turned up at the port. We've learnt our lesson and now ALWAYS phone the port to check that the boat is on time before leaving home. More gales forecast for Wednesday/Thursday Liz (29)

I've only just caught up with this tale because I can't bear to read the sad stories about animals I can do nothing about. I.m glad there is a happy ending. One tip - if you find a stray animal take him to the nearest vet. They can check to see if he has a chip (puce) and notify the owners. We found a lovely labrador sort of dog recently just about to wander onto the express way. Fortunately a vet was quite near, read his chip, and phoned the owner. Obviously if the animal has been abandoned the chances are it won't have been chipped either, but it's worth a try. LIz (29)

[quote]HelloIs it necessary / advisable to fill in a return if you own a property but are not yet resident? (I assume in this case you have to specifically request a form, rather than it being sent to you?)[/quote] Not unless you are obtaining an income from letting your property out (even if it is a very small sum) or you have some other income from a French source. If this is the case you do need to contact the tax people at Rue des Uzes in Paris (I can let you have details if necessary). There are sometimes rumours that they trawl through lists of properties to let in France (such as Chez Nous brochure) to compare with their records. I've never found out if this is true! Liz (29)

[quote]We have had a nightmare with La Poste. Opened the account in Feb 04 and then discovered that they would not send us a cheque card or cheque book until we were resident (Junish). So could put money i...[/quote] Like others I am surprised you had the problem with the name. One of those little problems that is sent to try us when dealing with French institutions Regarding the cost of money transfer it does seem rather steep. We have had an account with La Poste for nearly 10 years and although it is a long time since we transfered money from the UK on an ad hoc basis I just checked bank statements and found a sum of about £1500 pounds was transfered over in 1999 for 15ff (just over 2 Euros). Either it has gone up a lot in 4 years or there is something wrong somewhere. I think you will find that it is not unusual for the receiving bank to charge for the service. I would check with them to see if there is any other way of doing it at less cost. We chose La Poste because their charges are very low for ordinary no frills banking so I wouldn't rush to change. From what I have seen on this forum other banks make hefty charges just for having the account, La Poste charge 2E a year. All banks charge a lot for any kind of card. It's just the way it is here, I'm afraid. Liz (29)

[quote]Hello, I am still waiting to find out if it is OK to leave geraniums in a barn without windows over winter. I posted on the previous thread about this but got no replies. I need to make the decisio...[/quote] Frankly, Pixie, is it worth it? I think they may well survive, particularly the fuschias, with no light, but all you'll get in the spring are some horrible looking sticks and geraniums that may well have rotted to some extent. You will then need to cut them down completely and pot them all up in fresh compost. It will take weeks to get much in the way of decent growth and even longer to get flowers. Meanwhile, you french neighbour has popped down to the market at the first sign of a sunny days and bought some nice fresh plants at modest prices that give instant blooms. I used to go through this storage thing for geraniums and fuschias and concluded it wasn't worth the bother. I now have hardy fuschias that come up every year in the garden with no trouble and buy in bedding as I want it. I am generally not a fan of instant gardening as seen on TV but in this instance I go for the easy way. Liz (29)

[quote]Liz, Thanks for your prompt reply, you've suggested doing exactly what our fosse "emptier" was doing but he certainly didn't probe as deep as 50 cm. I'll try that in the Spring when we will be there...[/quote] Robot, I forgot to mention if you do find the access to your fosse you can then buy a circular concrete pipe which should be just the size to raise the level of the access to the surrounding ground and provide a snug fit for the original lid. It is called a 'rehausse' and can be had in a builders' merchant but probably not in your average DIY. Liz (29)

I've searched on the net and I've looked at GdeF. I find it difficult to get somewhere for 2 of us at a reasonable price. We've booked mobile homes the last 2 years. One thing that really annoys me with French sites like GdeF is the additonal booking fee they ask for. Surely they can cost this in, how does someone make a booking without incuring these extra charges? Liz (29)

A bit later in the year (at the traditional hedge planting time) we always get catalogues from the local shops offering colections of hedging plants. I've never had occasion to buy any but I know a lot of people do. You normally need to order and then collect from the shop. Leave it a few weeks and I am sure you will find something suitable in your mail box. Liz (29)

[quote]Boniour everyone, We've just bought in Pas-de-Calais in countryside between Le Touquet & Monteuil-sur-Mer and have a fosse septique - the local mairie's office can arrange for it to be emptied F-...[/quote] The previous owner is saying what a very large number of French septic tank owners will say. Many of my neighbours and friends have said things like 'I've lived here for 35 years, our fosse has never been emptied and it works perfectly'. In theory this could be true, if everything is in perfect balance the solids break down and the remaining liquids drain away through the network of soakaway pipes. More modern schools of thought recommend that the fosse should be emptied every 2 or 3 years. It sounds like you need to find this second tank which could be a bit awkward if the previous owner is still around. It could be, particularly if the surrounding land is flat, that the fosse has been buried quite deep (with the top at say 50 cm below ground level). I think this was quite common to provide a fall for the drains and in the belief that access would never be needed. If the lid is not obvious and the owner can't tell you where the access is you may need to prod the ground with a long metal object to see if you can find it. Then get the tank emtied which hopefully will cure your problem. I've been there, done that, but I don't have the T-shirt Good luck! Liz (29)

[quote]Can i be really cheeky and ask for the details on Terms and conditions as well. We too will be joining you all next year, and already have enquiries for June/July. Also i am looking for information o...[/quote] Hi Janet I did this this morning and then got timed out. Firms I have used for Internet advertising are Visit France, Holiday Lets and Villas France, all fairly successful. I think they all allow you to link your web site. They have had free trial offers which may still be going on and there are lots of others that do similar things. Try a search for 'Letting Holiday Property in France' or similar on the web. If you have to pay costs are generally around £100 a year. Many sites allow you to put in your own text, upload pictures and make changes when you want to and display a calendar. All very easy to do. Liz (29)

"Is it doable in terms of work permit and schooling for my 7 years old? How and where to start???" I would start with the Canadian Embassy Consular services (presumably in Paris). They will tell you what the requirements are for permits to live and work. They should be able to tell you how your qualifications translate into French equivalents, the French are very keen on paper qualifications. Regarding schooling it depends if you want French or International education. If you go for the local French schools AFAIK you just enrol as anyone else does. International schools are very few and far between and you would need to find a home bearing this in mind. Children of 7 do not generally have a problem fitting in even if they do not speak the language at all initially. You could look out for books on the subject, Amazon is an obvious place to start. Many are geared to UK readership but David Hampshire, for example, does realise that there are other nationalities wanting to live and work in France! We have a Canadian living nearby. He has never worked, he simply found a French wife Liz (29)

It is probably possible if you are not shielded from the direction of the transmitter by hills, We are about 130 miles from the nearest UK transmitter and on a good day we get a perfect picture, on a bad day (which is most of them) we get little or nothing. To do this we have a very large arial. So, I agree with others who have suggested a satellite system is your best bet. A french digital satellite system at modest cost will give you all the BBC programmes, but not ITV or Ch 4. A digibox will give you all the usual UK channels. Liz (29)

The first time I saw these was somewhere round the Dordogne many years ago and I hadn't seen them anywhere else until about 2 or 3 years ago we suddenly sprouted them in Finistere. They are just a simple black figure, more or less life size, with the number killed in a particular year. It makes you think if they are on a road you don't travel very often but otherwise I suspect they go unnoticed. LIz (29)

There are kits on the market that contain a log to burn that helps to dislodge the soot etc. You then finish off the job with a brush. These kits contain a certificate which you have to register with the manufacturer to show that the job has been done. I understand this satisfies the insurance requirements. The only tip I know regarding brushes is not to turn them agains each other the 'wrong' way as you will then get bits of the kit unattached and stuck in the chimney. Somewhere in middle England is a chimney with our brush stuck in it! Liz (29)

Daft as it sounds make sure you get the right steamer. Some people were stripping wallpaper in a neighbour's house recently and I heard they were having problems. It turned out they were using the sort of machine that I think is intended for getting creases out of curtains etc. You need the sort with a flat plate. Use protective gloves the whole thing gets very hot and make sure the water doesn't run dry. I swear by my Earley steamer although I have used wet methods as well, it's probably down to personal preference. Any wall paper that is sound can be successfully painted. Liz (29)

There is, of course, although it is not so much used as in the UK (tea comes without milk!). The only kind I have never seen is fresh skimmed milk, AFAIK this does only come in the long life version. It may be a regional thing but I have never seen it in my travels through France. Liz (29)

We stayed in a mobile home in the Vendée recently and we had a gas water heater which supplied instantaneous hot water for shower, bathroom and kitchen sink. I have no idea of the make but I am sure it was a modern one. I did notice it had a short vent pipe through the roof. It worked very well. No smells, no fumes and I was quite impressed. Liz (29)

We have one that is genuine cast iron and looks like an old style Godin woodburner, but,  I am afraid we bought it in England    I think I have seen the sort of thing you mean in France,  most likely outlets are Leroy Merlin or Mr Bricolage.  The season for displaying heaters of all types in the shops is just starting so you may catch some new arrivals.   Liz (29)   Carole, you just got in before me, you're right about the expense of the cast iron ones, but very attractive.

A freezer is the answer.  Not one of those huge things where various disgusting items emerged from the depths 3 years out of date, but a modest one where you can keep tabs on what you have.  I always shop once a week, I did that in then UK as well. Bread goes in the freezer, I find I can get fresh milk with a sell by date of at least 2 weeks ahead, but I have frozen it successfully.  Fruit and veg lasts a week although we sometimes top up mid week.  Meet gets frozen, I'm a specialist in picking up half price free range chickens in our local hypermarket I also find that there are many frozen food delivery people who are forever ringing me up to try and persuade me to buy,  I don't do this as there are only 2 of us but I know my neighbours with large families find it very useful.   Liz (29)

[quote]I too am also getting "things" that don't work on the new forum, does anyone member know for sure, that everything that is meant to work, does so for them? I didn't know that sigs don't work for some...[/quote] I cannot get into the Control Panel, presumably 'sigs' and other goodies are in there. I know it exists because if someone sends me a PM I can see it but the link from the main screen simply does not work. I've mentioned this before but I thought I would say it again because it is very frustrating to only have half the facilities other people seem to have. I entirely agree with the sentiment expressed elsewhere that 'Trading Standards' ought to operate, I think Archant have been sold a dud. Liz (29)

You don't say if it has a liner or concrete lining. If it has neither of these then it will tend to be permanently muddy because the fish will be stirring up the earth. Even if you have a liner and the lilies have been planted in earth on the bottom of the pond the fish will stir that up as well. You're right about oxygenators, they tend to sell a lot of Parrots Feather here for this purpose and I saw the Gardeners World people pulling out loads of it last Friday becasue it is too rampant, so beware. They were replanting with something which I think is called Canadian Pond Weed, like pipe cleaners, which I always found pretty rampant too. Whatever you choose plant it in baskets to try and get some control over it. It is getting rather late in the year for planting ponds anyway and I would content myself with taking off the dead lily leaves and cutting them back, perhaps pulling them out if there are too many. Remove any other debris and any rampant green algae if you have any. Feed the fish until the weather gets cold and they stop showing interest. Then, in Spring take another look and get in some plants when the weather starts to warm up. Liz (29)

Somewhere in this Forum there must be loads of discussion on this topic, but goodness knows where it went. The Carte de Sejour has been done away with for EU nationals. Liz (29)

I've tried altering the security settings as suggested and it has made no difference. I cannot get into Control Panel (although I can see it if someone sends me a PM and I click on that link) and I cannot get into Search either. Both these come up with a Javascript error. I can't do Spell Check (Error on page) but I can do Preview. I do not have these problems with other Forums. I'm on IE5 and Win95 with AVG. Liz (29)