Liz

You might like to have a look at http://brittany.angloinfo.com/af/250/ although it only serves to confirm that you are unlikely to find any schooling for over 11s in the Morlaix area or even elsewhere in Brittany. The school mentioned at Carhaix only takes them up to 11 but, by the sound of it, the Head takes an interest in English pupils and may be able to suggest some other lines of enquiry. Liz (29)

As the final couple have just departed I think I'm now in a position to reply to the original posting. It has been really good this year not only from the quantity, people in January, February and March, which is unheard of, but in 'quality'. In the 2 or 3 previous years, although we had more or less the same number of weeks booked each time I had the distinct impression that a number of the families that came were seeking something from their holiday that they did not find. We offer a quiet, rural/seaside, old fashioned sort of holiday and although, in principle, this is what they were seeking, in practice it didn't quite seem to suit them. This year we have had more genuine holiday makers (rather than property hunters) who have really enjoyed themselves, in spite of indifferent weather in some cases, and have left copious favorable comments in the visitors book. One family who came for 2 weeks this year have booked for 3 weeks next summer - whoopee! It makes it all worthwhile. Liz (29)

I would recommend caution in applying for a French credit card. When we first moved here we had been accustomed in the UK to using a credit card for everything, paying off at the end of the month. We carried on doing this in France and Barclaycard invited us to take up a French Barclaycard. Thinking it would be the same sort of terms and conditions we agreed. How naive can you get? They wanted a substantial fee each year, round about £40 I think, and the credit limit was the equivalent of £500 a month (in the UK it was, of course, several thousand). We managed to get the fee waived for the first year and the credit limit increased to about £750 in the second year and then gave up. I am now accustomed to having sufficient in my non interest paying current account to cover all expenditure which I make by cheque. I refuse to pay a fee for a card of any sort! Liz (29)

[quote]I've tried and I've tried and I've tried. Now I realise why I have always come back to LF when I've visited other Forums. They are all in this style and it is NOT AS GOOD (imho) as the old layout. ...[/quote] "Unless it speeds up I shall have to stop using this forum which I have enjoyed since it's inception." I have to admit when I first read your post, Coco, I thought what's she on about it isn't that bad for speed, no worse than previously. But the last few days have been absolutely diabolical and I don't think I can work up the enthusiasm to post another message ever. It all takes far too long. I'm in the stone age so far as computers are concerned, Windows 95 and IE5 but I don't know why I should have to go out and buy a new computer just because software writers can't get things sorted. I accept that access to web sites may be a bit slow for me, but I'm not in any great hurry, and I don't have this problem with other sites. Generally I quite like the look of the new site although I find many of the butons hard to read. Maybe I need new glasses but those bluey ones are very faint. Also I can't get into the Control Panel and hardly any of the features eg spell checker and search, as has been noted elsewhere, work. Oh well, I suppose it will get sorted eventually. I was trying to do a 'quote' by the way and I don't think I've got that right! I've just had a look at the preview screen and see what happens - not quite what I expected. Liz (29)

If you are thinking of the operation of the Fosse Septique as opposed to more general environmental concerns you should find that the contents of the loo do not go in the same compartment of the Fosse as your 'grey' water. Therefore the products you use in your washing machine will have no effect on the action of the Fosse. Liz (29)

This is rather negative but I have never seen this stuff in France, and we do keep an eye on what's what in the French DIY market. I remember seeing it in the UK and thinking at the time that it is not something that would catch on over here. I think the attitude would be why have simulated when you can have the real thing for a modest outlay, ceramic tiles being generally loads cheaper in France than in the UK. The best (IMHO) national DIY shop in France is Leroy Merlin so you could check with them although everything they stock is not necessarily on their web site. Liz (29)

At the top of the first page of the Forum it says that 'all times are GMT'. When I just checked it was 11 34 according to the Forum and 12 27 here in France (and I have one of those clocks that is accurate to the millisecond or something!). Surely when it is 12 27 in France it is 10 27 GMT or 11 27 BST? Liz (29) Sorry, Don't know how I managed to post this twice.

At the top of the first page of the Forum it says that 'all times are GMT'. When I just checked it was 11 34 according to the Forum and 12 27 here in France (and I have one of those clocks that is accurate to the millisecond or something!). Surely when it is 12 27 in France it is 10 27 GMT or 11 27 BST? Liz (29)

We've just booked 4 nights in mobile home ('le midweek'!) in the Vendée. The rent is 141 Euros including a booking fee and the guarantee we will have to pay on arrival (caution) is 155 euros. If we do not leave the place in a perfect state of cleanliness 45 euros will be retained on departure. Seems the law is more honoured in its breach than its observance. In fact, last year at the same place, we were not asked for a 'caution' although it was mentioned in their terms and no inspection of the place was made when we left. Liz (29)

>"WARNING - Holiday Homes: >Fosse Septique(s) do not like drying >out. > > >50 yrs old, and we're >told the fosse is empty >but no idea how old >it is. I am curious about these two statements. I find it odd that the Fosse should dry out. It is a reasonably large chamber full of liquids and some solids with a close fitting lid. AFAIK the liquid will remain there for a very long time. Perhaps if you are in a hot climate it will tend to dry out but, I suspect, not much. Certainly not over the course of one winter. I am also puzzled as to why it should be empty. It should be full and when it reaches a certain level the liquid will drain away into a set of pipes laid underground for this purpose. Have you had a look? Are you sure it is a septic tank and not a 'fosse etanche', a large tank that is emptied periodically. Assuming the thing is working corrrectly, when we had our place as a hoiday home we were recommended by several people, including plumbers, to put down 4 sachets of Eparcyl before leaving and 4 more on return. This followed by a weekly dose as normal. I do not think re-directing rain water is a good idea, I think it would tend to cause an overflow with huge deluges of water all at once. Liz (29)

I am not sure that it is necessarily foreigners that get ripped off. I think there is a certain kind of tradesman that will try it on no matter what the nationality. I have seen this in some of the quotes a french (and native of the area) neighbour had to do up a house. It always pays to get several quotes for all but the most minor works. I was in Mr Bricolage the other day. The french chap in front of me had paid for something costing just under 50 Euros with a 100 Euro note. He was only given change for 50 Euros. He noticed it almost immediately and Florence at the till did a lot of flouncing, eye rolling, shrugging and, most strangely of all, some sums on a bit of paper, and eventually gave him the correct change. When it came to my turn the item I wanted, which was priced at 28.29 on promo, came out at 30 Euros. More eye rolling and shrugging. I left it and walked out of the shop. Liz (29)

They do exist and work from gas canisters I think. The only place I have seen them is in a shop called Espace Emeraude. There are few of these shops about in this region but I don't know how extensive they are elsewhere in France. I doubt you would find one in an ordinary garden centre or DIY but look for the farm supplies shops. They are mostly used by those that go in for Bio agriculture. My husband has one that is powered by parafin (came from a UK car boot sale). He loves it and goes round our weedy gravel drive from time to time. It is quite a time comsuming occupation and the effects are not long lasting so I sometimes sneak out with a Pathclear equivalent when he's not looking! Liz (29)

I'm glad you posted this Coco because I have been meaning to check how much oil we have and see whether we need in any more. So I got the dip stick out (he didn't mind a bit) and we have two thirds of a tank so that's OK for the time being. To answer you question, the last time we bought oil a man from our usual company came to the door and said he had some oil left in the tanker to get rid of and could do us a good price. We paid 365 Euros/100l in February. I think I'll wait and see if he turns up again. I'm glad we had a new boiler fitted in the spring, we ought at least to see some economies from that. Liz (29)

I wouldn't worry about this. Unless they are specialist nurserymen or have access to some heavy duty moving equipment they are not going to be able to take big plants at all. You simply cannot move large plants at the drop of a hat, they have to be prepared for the move perhaps a couple of years in advance. If they are smallish shrubs, and they would really have to be quite small for the average householder to move successfully, or herbaceous I think you will probably find that by next summer the gaps will have filled themselves naturally and if you need a few more plants, what fun choosing them. At least they have had the decency to give you a list. You are lucky it is only a few plants, the norm is for everything including complete kitchens to vanish. The other norm is for a load of junk to be left behind for you to sort out. It sounds like your sellers are 'doing the right thing'. Liz (29)

To help you make a fair comparison a fairly recent catalogue from Brico Depot shows 10l of white Acrylique satin Novemail brand at 44 Euros. Dulux Valentine for similar paint and quantity is 53 Euros. I think Novemail is their own brand and I have used it without problems. I have also found it pays to look for monocouche and I found a good one in Mr Bricolage but can't remember the brand. White paint is not a problem to source but a wide variety of colours is not readily available off the shelf. It can be mixed in the shop, which pushes the price up considerably, or you can tint it yourself as you suggest. Liz (29)

Two points I don't think have been mentioned so far. French white goods AFAIK always come with a 2 year guarantee (I've nearly always bought in Geant and that is the case there). Wherever you buy your gas appliances they are sure to know someone who will install for you, so ask when you purchase (or even before). Liz (29)

Does anyone know if it is back in action? It was due to resume service yesterday (Tuesday) but I haven't seen anything about it. As I'm hoping to travel on it next week I guess I'll soon find out! Liz (29)

My neighbour grows them commercially and they are sold in Tesco! I think they might grow OK if your winter is not too harsh and your soil reasonably light. You would have to be careful to buy the correct shallots for planting and not the ones sold for eating that will probably have been treated so that they won't sprout. Sorry if this is a bit obvious. Liz (29)

LAST EDITED ON 14-Aug-04 AT 10:29 AM (BST) After several years here I don't miss anything. I was obliged to spend several weeks in England recently. I came across a French market in the local town, the nostalgia I felt, particularly when I spotted a Breton chap in full costume with our black and white flag was quite overwhelming. I had to go round and talk to some of the stall holders just to get a 'fix' of the french language. On second thoughts I could fancy some Cheddar cheese and Cadbury's Fruit and Nut, neither widely available here. Just noticed you said 'apart from food' so I'll go back to my first answer. Liz (29)

>Why do some people have to >use such things as b******, >or rudeness to other people >and the french system and >the french. > I can't honestly say I have noticed this. Maybe because I am so used to hearing such words these days that they just don't strike me or maybe because I tend to skip through most of the topics very rapidly to get to the info I want and I simply miss them. As for the backbiting I just move on to another topic. I must say that I tend to steer clear of the Postbag and stick to the more practical topics of the Forum, which in the main, are absolutely brilliant. I also steer clear of anything that starts to have 'flames' (more than 30 posts I think) since these can almost be guaranteed to contain a load of stuff I don't want to read. As for being rude about the French and the system, I don't think it unreasonable to point out the down side to the way of life here. It isn't all a bed of roses and I think anyone who wants to buy a property or live here should be aware of that in advance. Liz (29)

>Also what useful tips has anyone >got for me when using >metal studding,never used it before. > > We put two uprights back to back rather than just the usual single one. It helps make the structure more rigid and doesn't add much to the cost, which is very modest. Liz (29)

>Can anyone tell us whether it >is possible to arrange a >transfer of funds from our >La Poste account, online? > >We regularly transfer money between our >La Poste savings & current >accounts, but we cannot see >any means to transfer to >a 3rd party, like the >facility we have on our >UK on-line accounts. > I am pretty sure this facility doesn't exist on La Poste. I have had a La Poste account with internet access for some years and never found this feature. Looks like you will have to use some other method. Liz (29)

I haven't had mine either. This is about the 4th or 5th month where it has all gone wrong. I'll be e-mailing the subscription department shortly. Liz (29)

Hi Val I am glad to hear your friend had a call to tell them of the problem. We only booked for today's 8 30am crossing yesterday afternoon and no one advised us it would probably not be going to Plymouth. We had to queue at Roscoff for an hour and a half this morning to find out what else is available. As it happens we've re-booked for a couple of days time which suits us fine and, as you know, we have no distance to travel to get home again. Every cloud ... Liz

Just a word on poly cotton in France. I was looking for bedding a while ago and I prefer poly-cotton, there is hardly any about in the shops, virtually all french bedding it seems to me is coton only. Eventually I found some and it looked alright in the packet, 50%/50% which is what I would normally buy. After the first wash it was obvious that it was so thin and prone to go into bobbles that I was quite disgusted. Next time I will make sure I pick my bedding up in the UK. It wasn't particularly cheap either. I have noticed since that 3Suisses have poly cotton in their catalogue, maybe worth a try. Liz (29)