MargaretD

I think I've read most of the posts, but I can't see what I'm looking for. Along with the rest of France who don't have a pool my husband and I just bought a pool the other day, from the supermarket.  The water is 97cm deep with a blowup ring at the top, perhaps another 15 to 20cm.  We don't need a ladder to get in,  Where do we stand with protecting children?  It has a floating cover, but that won't protect a child from sliding in.  All the other homeowners on the estate think I'm crackers...(probably am), but as it is above the ground aren't they covered by the same law as those set into the ground? Any help would be really helpful, as I'm going on holiday soon, and don't know whether to empty the pool but 5000l is a lot of water to through  down the drain.

I was suprised a few weeks ago.  I'd bought a ticket for a Tuesday afternoon, but due to circumstances I had to get to England for the Monday lunchtime.  Drove up to the man - he looked at my ticket, asked me to use the machine and even 28 hours too early wasn't charged anything extra.  And it was a 48 hour return!  I was expecting to pay an extra £200!  I would have gone direct to the boats except it was blowing a gale...

The young people who I've been teaching were sitting CAP's, BEP's and BAC-Pro's.  All of them had to sit exams and try to get over 10/20.  However, the coefficient for their practical subjects is 7 to 10, but their academic subjects is 1 or 2.  This means that cooks can just about get through with a little academic work, and great cooking skills , but not the other way round.  Young people who were not near the 10/20 mark just are not entered for the exams, and their parents weren't told until just before the exams, when nothing could be done.  I felt terrible working in that system, so I'm going. As Mistral (I think) said the CAP lot spend one week in lessons and 3 weeks at work.  For the BEP's and BACPro's it is around 66% in work, but that makes for awful timetable scheduling... Parents worry about the Brevet.  One of my best friends was concerned that her son was doing really badly.  She had an older daughter who had always done loads of studying at home, son had done next to nothing!  Anyway, I have a very happy friend, her son has done very well.  In some respects the brevet does resemble SATS as it says what the pupil is roughly capable of.  I also think that the standard I have seen in BAC lessons (not BACPro) is about comparable with the AS levels I've taught.  But the systems are so different, but I think the difference doesn't get levelled out until the Masters Degree level. It just seems so complicated.

Although we are in Champagne (Aube) and not Alsace we have loads of Carp fishing nearby.  Lakes NW of nearby town (Brienne le Chateau) are run by an English guy, but the Lac du Temple is where they're holding the world carp fishing championships in September (I think it's that competition).  

I think you're talking about what turned my white wedding dress grey/black 21 years ago!  We have them in our house, on my face etc...  Harvest bugs, storms bugs, harvest mites.  They have wings and are so light, but when they crawl up your leg or arm you can feel them.  They also aggravate my skin so I itch, and the cat's ears are also irritated.  But if you watch them closely you can see them lift their backends up to make a U shape, (I don't want to know what they're doing, probably some bodily function...) They certainly come into our house.  Two have even got under the plastic cover on the phone that protects the number!  But what I like is to turn our bedroom light on, then inspect the bedside table the next morning - about 30 to 50 dead bodies - revenge is sweet, but our house must contain thousands.  ROLL ON WINTER (joking), but at least roll on September and the end of harvesting.

When we moved we had an 18 hour journey.  Cat, litter tray, water and food bowls - all went in.  The cat sat in its carboard box inside the bigger cage all the way, but as soon as he arrived at his new home, he ate the food and performed in his tray!  It was 3rd August, and we put a damp towel over the top of the box, except at the front.  It calmed him down.  At service areas we just opened the doors to get some fresh air into the car.  I still put the tray and food/water in, but he never uses the facilities, so have bought a small cooking tray just so it takes up lass space in his cage.  By the way, we have decided he has more space if the cage is sidewards - ie. his floor is really a side.  He doesn't need all the height they give him, but the extra depth/width means he can stretch out.

One of the phrases I sometimes here is "les grandes lignes", my mind always goes straight from Paris to Lyon by train, and then I remember (having lost the plot totally) that it is an outlien plan, the broad outline... because the next thing is the person with "les grandes lignes" decides to "je vais me jeter a l'eau" which would be great in the summer into a pool, but he really means that he's decided that he'll take the risk, that he's made his mind up and hamade a decision. M  

I've loved to read all your messages so far, but as I write this, with cat is between me and the key board, he's had an eye on the screen and thinks that the 3 cats are wise...  It's 34C here, he's too hot... Wants me to book him a flight to the Isle of Man, where the weather is better for cats... But when we moved here in August last year he had more space in the car than the rest of us.  His cage though was covered with bags etc. Good news was, when we were getting him ready to move I tried to take him out for trips in his box in the car, he cried the whole time.  The day he moved, he got in, cried for 30 minutes then 20 hours of silence... He was OK. we were OK, and he settled quickly. M

So, if 0.2% live in the Champagne Ardenne, am I the only one, or am I one of 500?  It would be nice to know.  The North East has one of the fewest number of messages on it... M

Just read the last few comments.  I was on my way to work, nearly got caught speeding (I was doing 50kph in the village), but the gendarmes stopped me anyway, Did I know what speed I was doing, replied I thought I was doing about 50, could they see my carte grise, yes,... Could they see my drving licence, yes... could they see my first aid kit... fire extinguisher... trinagle... spare bulbs... yes had the lot. But wait, they asked me for my reflective jacket - well that caught me out.  Didn't realise I had to have one.  Well, they explained it is advisory and could I please take a new one with me with the ticket to the local gendarmerie within 7 days.  So it was the local shop who got my money - not the gendarmes! But then they are all getting married at the moment in our area, wedding presents, setting up houses etc, it is quite costly... ( three married in the last four weeks!, but at least all the local ones are now married, perhaps no more road checks for a while!) M

I would make sure you keep up with rabies injections, as my sisters cat had to be quarantined for months in the old days, but is there another base for the vacine?  As a human sufferer of allergies to basal carriers I know they provide different, though sometimes more expensive, carriers - I'm sure there may be something for felines etc... I'm pleased to say that our cat goes to the vet and comes back with no problems, he's also going to need a new passport soon, as we travel alot. M

Yes I mean scales insects, they are what I've always fought against on indoor plants, hence my consternation on them living outside!

Have you got your EHIC card to take to the social security for medical cover etc.  When we got ours it only took a few days to get our medical cover and then we sorted out the extra medical insurance.

I think I might disagree with david's comment, if I have understood him correctly. We have our TV aerial from the roof plugged in, and the sky box attached to the dish.  Tonight I'm watching FR3 etc, but later on will watch BBC1. There is no problem!  except we've just had a thunder storm and both a feeling a bit wobbly at the moment.  Terrestrial doesn't like the lighning, and I think I need a new bit of tape around the lead that connects to the dish (and it's pouring!)  But otherwise, we usually watch both versions in one evening.  We just don't have a TV schedule, and if we get hold of them we have to do time acrobatics to make sure we plan a good evenings TV. Must add we brought our TV from England, just had to retune it for the French channels, but it did that automatically.

Having read all the previous posts I dread asking for help in killing scale insects and the ants that seem to be tending them so lovingly! What I'm concerned about is that I've taken precautions about getting scale insect in the house, but yesterday I couldn't believe my eyes to see a whole bush covered in the things, and its only just below our balcony and the plants I've always protected so... Any ideas, I tried washing up liquid etc yesterday, but it was like water off a ducks back - yes, I started to pick them off, but that is going to take me a lifetime... Any other ideas... Oh, and ants, the garden is full of them.  Yellow ones, red ones, little black ones and enormous black ones.  I saw some killer in Champion this pm, but it says not suitable for domestic animals.  Mr Tim (cat) is resident in France and uses garden, so I put the packet back on the shelf.  I may go and buy it tomorrow, and keep the cat in...  But any ideas greatfully received, except for don't kill the ants etc!!!!

I'm increasing the number of compost heaps i've got going this year, and mixing the grass cuttings with shredded paper.  I've also soaked a few cardboard boxes in water and put that in as well.  But the temperature is hotter than I've ever known before(in the compost heap),  I've turned the first complete mixture, started six to seven weeks ago, a few times, and I think it might almost be ready!

No. It wasn't a hornet, bigger than that, fatter, louder and black!  We also have hornets, we have pictures of them taken by one *** 24 year old.  It's a pity he wasn't around to get a picture of this carpenter bee! M

Our vet certainly has all the Hills food, and has offered to buy whatever I need!  I said it was OK as our cat eats his Felix.  Vet looked sad, obviously he hoped that as a Brit I would spend the earth on the cat. (Well I do, every time he goes to England with us! - so I suppose I see his reasoning) Margaret

Well, thank you for your replies!  I have ben looking at carpenter bees on the internet, and I might be just persuaded that my attacker was indeed one.  But it's also quite nice to know that males don't sting - and I read somewhere that you can tell because either the female or the male has a white spot on its face,  I think if I get that close I might have already been stung/not stung... But what terrifies me is that it loves to find a home in the end of a piece of wood!  Well, mine canchoose any log on the wood pile, or indeed many ends on the house itself! Oh ..... Of course, it could be something different - but it did sound like a load of planes coming over(not sure about bombers but I do remember the sound of lots of canberras and it resembled that! Margaret

We have a cat, as does a friend of ours 4km away.  They have both settled well into their appropriate houses, but neither will go out unaccompanied.  We have both ended up saying it's the smell of the wood burning fires.  But who can say...  A meouw doesn't really tell us much, does it? But as for Felix, Leclerc definately sells it.  Timmy only ate chicken in jelly sachets in the UK, but thinks that French sachets with vegetables in them are much better.  We now take French food to England for him if he comes with us for visits.  And by the way, at my mums house he is in and out the catflap all day! I think the person who origanated the term 'scaredy cat' knew about English cats having moved to France! Don't give up, we haven't yet... yet Margaret

I know it was not a big black wasp, but What do you think I have just been scared witless by?  It sounded like a BIG wasp or bee as it was trying to get out of the window.  It was about 3cm long, maybe a little longer and over 1cm wide.  It has been in the house a few times recently, but today I couldn't get to the window to open it for ages.  It had no yellow on it at all. I would love to be able to work it out, as I got too close for comfort and wouldn't have liked to have been stung by it... Margaret

I think I'm following on from Mistral's comments... I teach the BEP and Bac Pro.  The kids are in the Centre de Foramtion des Apprentis every other week.  They get paid, at 16 I think it is 25% of SMIC and it increases with age.  The BEP's are usually two years, as is the Bac Pro.  After that there is the option of the BTS etc.  The standard in the groups is academically very mixed, but at a higher level than the CAP's.  There are all sorts of trades, and I teach English to some of them.  A couple are fluent, whilst others are trying to get to grips with recognising similar words, then guessing the rest. Also as a trained SENCo I think I could see the benefits of something similar in UK schools - M

Hi, You've also got to think about the pressures in the British system in Years 10 and 11 compared to that in the 3eme in France. The kids do their college Brevet at the end of 3eme (our Year 10), but it is only in French, Maths and History/Geography.  However, your 13 year old will have to be able to get to grips with the French as soon as possible.  With an understanding college, you should be OK.  You might find that French language courses open to you would also be a benefit to your child.  Maths is different here as well... but the words are easier to sort out, and now I've got a hang on how to do French divisions I can't seem to remember how to do them the British way! (I'm a teacher!)  The geography curriuclum will be familiar to them, but the history of course will be different, but not too different - the Cuban Missile Crisis is the same in every language. The alternative is that you choose 5 GCSE's to do through a correspondence course to leave a second option open.  But I would say, make the move, otherwise you'll never do it.  Margaret

  Yes.  We have a poele (is that really how you spell it?) with pellets.  They are clean (ishhhhh).  We have an awful problem with static with ours.  Our house will need redecorating at the end of the heating season.  But yes, I empty out the bottom box, well, I can't remember when, so I might do it today...  We don't have radiators, the thing just lights up and then pumps out hot air.  We have an air intake lever at the side, which we have to have reasonably well out, or the pellets don't burn, but in the winter when we had it on all day we used 4 bags of pellets at 3.12 a bag (I think). We heat living room, kitchen and two bedrooms with it.  Perhaps it's a little too pwerful sometimes, but when it was -16C outside we were still snug and warm.  As I have said, our only problem is the static, and if I could solve that problem I would be home and dry.. but They can also be quite noisy.  There is a fan on it to circulate the air. I think ours is about 15 years old, so todays versions might be a lot better.  Could you see one in operation somewhere? Good luck, Margaret

The anpe site is usually very good.  But the seasonal jobs are hard to find.  We've only got to them by going through our own department, and then seeing the link.  This then brings up all of the seasonal jobs throughout France.  I then take a few minutes to dream, remember that we "have cat, can't travel" and start looking for other jobs in our department. In the Aube at the moment they've been looking for people to tie the vines onto the wires ready for the growing season. Good luck,