Lori

They are two adults - no kids. They are staying with me here in Bedoin (Vaucluse), but will depart Saturday and are open to going anywhere within 2 to 3 hours of Montpellier - that is where they flight home from. They need 6 nights, but are prepared to pay for the week. Anyone have any suggestions. They are looking for good comfortable accommodations - apartment with kitchen, bedroom, living room, etc. in a nice setting. No budget was mentioned.... Any recommendations would be welcomed.

Thanks everyone. Last year she flew from Nice to New York JFK and then on to North Carolina. It was the best routing we could find and it still exists this year. It is also THE most expensive routing. As far as travel agents go, Teamedup, you are so right, some can be far better than the Internet. We have one here in Carpentras that is super ! She always finds deals we never found online. We still have to pay the 90 euros EACH WAY for an unaccompanied minor on an International trip - but that is the only thing that makes me feel she is safe, so that is just the way it goes. You are right, the ticket prices are SO much cheaper before July 1st. And, you are right that the last week ok school (at least in Ecole Primaire) is rather ridiculous - mostly games and fun time. So, perhaps it could save us a bundle to try an earlier flight. Plan to look into that tonight online - then later at the travel agency. Many thanks for the support. Lori

My daughter is going to visit her Grandmother in July (North Carolina). She will be traveling alone. She did this last year with no problems, but I have since read several recent articles noting various problems that have arisen with children traveling alone. One was when a 10 year old boy was arriving to his destination city and the airline staff were instructing him to get on a different airplane to a different final destination point. The boy managed to prove to them that he was not supposed to be going any further than where he was, but the staff was all ready to put him on another plane ! I am trying to book her with the fewest connection points. We live near Avignon, so the closest "real" airport is Marseille or Nice. Avignon only flies into Orly. She would have to get over to CDG for her flight to the States, therefore Avignon is out of the question. We (I would accompany her) could take the TGV up to Paris CDG, but I am trying to find out which would be the most economical and safest for Katerina. Summer flight prices are outrageous - lucky me. Anyone have any experience with this type of thing? Any suggestions to make? Thanks.

Just in case someone wants to read it in English (and hasn't). Here it is. Quite long and, to me, a bit confusing.. http://europa.eu.int/constitution/en/allinone_en.htm

You're very lucky Val2. I'm afraid I live in an area like Teamedup. I pay 60 euros for our collie each year. Worth it though as we love him dearly and want to make sure we do all we can to protect him.

Coco, you should not feel the slightest bit upset. In this day and age, we adults have to take some responsibility for our actions - or lack thereof. You operate a business. If a future guest does not have a written confirmation of a reservation, said guest does not have one. If the guest hasn't paid a deposit or asked if one was required, the guest doesn't have a reservation. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I always confirm my reservation - either by email, snail mail or telephone. I also confirm again a couple of days before my arrival - even if I am staying in a huge hotel in Paris and I HAVE a written confirmation. Don't feel bad. Life is too short. Have a great season..

Love the engraved item idea, especially if it can be used for work. Also like the aiming to the kids idea. Both are very helpful. Not too sure how comfortable I would be with the lunch idea. I don't really know them very well ... just that he is a really great teacher and has had an incredibly positive impact on my daughter. But I will keep it in mind. Thanks again

Thanks Missy You are so right, the school has little or no playground equipment. I like the idea, but still would like to offer something more personal to the teacher himself. Nice idea about the Sunday lunch, only I am American, not British and I'm afraid our reputation (as you probably know) for food is not a particularly good one..

Thanks Battypuss, that thought had crossed my mind. I wasn't too keen on a book or something written as he really doesn't speak English. Somthing else along those lines would be nice. I'm still trying to think of something. He is in his mid 30's, married (to a maternelle teacher), with two young daughters. Still looking for ideas...

As the end of the school year is approaching, I am trying to decide what to give my daughter's teacher. My daughter is not the easiest child in the world and this year's teacher has been the best she has ever had. He is fantastic. Also, this is her last year in Primary school. Any ideas what I could give him as a thank you gift??? I'd like it to be something special - not the usual flowers/stationary, etc. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Posted you a Private Message

Battypuss - absolutely love a good sense of humor. !

We recently had what looked like honey bees in our chimney. I kept noticing them in our living room and then heard what sounded like hundreds of them in the chimney. Went out, brought some wood in, opened the fireplace door (carefully) and lit up a fire. Let it run all afternoon and into the evening. Luckily it was not a really warm day here (Vaucluse). It has only been a few days, but, so far, I have not heard or seen any bees. I do hope this works, but it was really nice to know about the Pompiers as I had no idea what the "pest control" people are called here.

Thanks Lisa. I will give it a try during the holiday season. Sounds so good.

Thanks to you all. I have enjoyed reading all the different posts. Learned a bit too. We need the charger because the car doesn't get used enough. My husband is always overseas (well practically always) and I can only use one car at a time (stop laughing). I try to use the Toyota (the one least used) to take my daughter to and from school, but have noticed in winter, this is simply not enough use and the battery will sometimes go dead. I am embarrassed to continue asking my neighbor to help me. I did manage to learn how to use the jumper cables - don't laugh. I suspect that will be all I ever need. Just wanted to know about the battery charger as a last resort. There is a Feu Vert in Carpentras, so I can check out what they have if it comes to that. Thanks again, Lori

Bought the mascarpone today. Oh my !!! It is SO good. Can't believe I have never tasted it before. Lisa, your recipe sounds fantastic. Is it an actual recipe or do you just put it together without measurements? If you have a recipe and are willing to send it to me, I would love to give it a try. You could use the private message system if willing. Thanks.

Thanks everybody. I will give the Lidl cream cheese a try. The only problem I have with the St. Moret is that it is not as firm as Philadelphia Cream Cheese and therefore is a bit more fragile.

Does anyone have any recommendation on where to buy a car battery charger. Never bought one before. Are they all pretty much basic or should I look for specific features? May sound stupid, but always left these things to the husband (who is overseas for the moment). Thought LeRoy Merlin might be an option, but perhaps an auto parts store would be better?? Any suggestions out there?...Any idea what a fair price would be?

Thanks Lisa. I have never actually tasted mascarpone, but I have certainly seen it all round here. I will give it a try. Do you think it can be used for the traditional cream cheese/powdered cake frosting?

Does anyone have any idea where I can find cream cheese? Auchan had been carrying a very similar Dutch variety of cheese called "Cremette." However, they have run out of stock and removed the name plate where it was located. I have several holiday recipes that call for cream cheese - not to mention Cheesecake. I have tried using the St. Moret, but it is really not the same thing. Any advice? We are in the Vaucluse.

Thanks to all. I think I have come to the conclusion that we can eat at 12:30 (picnic fare - baguettes, jambon, saucisse, cornichons, sliced veggie tray, etc., etc.) and I can have one or no glass of wine (others do what they wish). As we will be walking along the beach, taking coffee in the village and then walking around town, etc. 6 to 7 hours will pass since the eating of lunch before we get in the car to go home. And, it is SO true, a glass of wine with lunch can definitely zap your energy level. A vigorating walk (or two) along the beach should help us ALL wake up. I'll take a look at the website.

Thanks Helen & Dick: I guess if the driver only has one glass of wine at around 12:30 pm, with lunch, then doesn't drive until around 7:00 pm, he/she should be okay. It is always hard for me to find someone in the group who won't have ANY wine with lunch. I find that a lot, not all, of my friends don't take one or two glasses of wine that serious, but I do. So, it will probably be me that does the driving. And, yes Helen, it could be raining up a storm. That would certainly ruin things. Planning for Oct. 30th at this point and planning to go somewhere near Ste Marie de la Mer (near Arles). Thanks for the info. Had no idea of the time frame. Now I have a better idea. Lori

I can't honestly tell you what the price per KW hour is, but I can tell you that we gave the electric heaters a try last winter - to compare fuel over electricity (yes, we are crazy). The 3 electric heaters we used brought us the largest power bill we have ever had. We were quickly brought into reality that electric heaters cost a fortune ! And, we turned them off every time we went out. Stick to the petrol based ones. That way, you don't get a whopping bill after the fact. Lori

Planning a picnic in the not too distant future. We would like to bring a bottle of wine with us. If we each have two glasses (regular wine glass size) how long should we wait before driving home? We will be near the sea, so we plan to walk for a few hours (after lunch). Don't want to drive with the alcohol still in our systems. Anybody have any idea? Or, do we have to leave the wine behind and take water?? It is a full day, into evening outing, but wine would only be consumed at lunch. Thanks so much for the help. Lori

We have the Bialetti too. We like the strong flavor it gives to coffee. We use the LIDL Italian Espresso. It really turns out good with the Bialetti - less appealing with the electric machines. I put the bottom and top of my Bialetti in the dishwasher to get rid of that messy bottom. This may dry out your rubber sealing ring, but I always have a stash of extras in the drawer. I don't know if you are supposed to put it in the dishwasher, but it hasn't stopped it working well. Just a suggestion. Oh and, we didn't have much success with the Magimix Espresso/Capuccino machine. We bit the bullet and invested nearly 400 euros on the machine, but after one year, it was always in need of some sort of repair. Made pretty good coffee, but with the cost of the machine, its life was too short for us. Also had a hard time finding shops that could make the repairs... FYI