cheminot

I am looking for a garden ornament in the shape of an Owl or raptor made in either wood or metal. Does anyone know where I can find one please? cheminot. dept 16

The book is called 'Oradour-sur-Glane, The Tragedy Hour by hour' by Robert Hébras. One of only six survivors among 648 villagers. cheminot

The reason for carrying a tin of paint in two carrier bags on public transport is the idea that the bags will contain any leaks from the tin. No messy spodges on the buses for people to slip on! It is not, however enshrined in health & safety legislation but is a policy adopted by many transport companies including the one I work for. I worked for many years on cross-channel ferries and there were never any fast rules about the carriage of small quantities of paint or similar materials other than the requirement that they be properly stowed in the vehicle. A different matter for lorry loads of hazardous substances, which were still permitted on the ferry with the correct hazard warning labels, but were, where possible, placed at the ends of the ship rather than the middle. This being so that any problems could be more easily contained. cheminot

Having just spent a couple of weeks 'thinning out' our overgrown garden we have accumulated a small mountain of branches and roots etc with still more to do.. We could burn it later in the year but it would be handy if we could shred it all and use it around the garden for weed prevention. To do this we would need an industrial sized 'tree-eating' shredder. Does anyone know if it is possible to hire such a machine, with or without operator in the Cognac/Angouléme area? cheminot

Dont know if it exists in France but in the UK the Telephone preference service does not stop these computor generated calls, but you can stop them by registering with a system called 'Silentguard'. Unlike the TPS you have to renew your registration annually but it is free. The number to register on can be obtained from the BT operator. It would be worth calling France Telecom to see if they have a similar service. cheminot    

My concerns were not with the stability of the ship or the weather. I have been on a lot worse ships from that point of view. My issue is with the standard of accomodation. Has anyone else tried to sleep in a cabin above or below the bar when the disco is going full blast? Try to escape the smell and fumes of cigarettes, outside the restaurant this is quite a challenge and as for the standard of the food we were served in there....................! cheminot

I have just completed a return trip from Plymouth to Roscoff on the Pont L'Abbé.  I now know the meaning of the phrase, 'To hell and back'!   cheminot

I intend to buy a ride on mower/garden tractor when we go down to our house near Cognac in March/April. I know that the brico's do a good selection of them but if anyone knows of any other sources in the Cognac area, new or used, I would much appreciate any leads you can give me. It will not have to work too hard as our garden is only about 1600 sq m so I dont want to spend a fortune on one. Many thanks in anticipation cheminot

Regarding the bike, (I am assuming you have a 'new for old policy'), get a price and the specification for the model which matches the one you lost, send it to the Insurance company with a letter explaining that this is the equivilant to the one you lost and thus unless they can find a cheaper equivilant this is the sum you want to claim.  It worked for me. Regarding the door and shutters, get a quotation for renewal/ repair of the original pattern. submit this quotation to the insurance company.  You can then make up the difference as required, If you try to claim for a different type of door etc the insurance company are likely to delay paying out until they are satisfied you are not getting more than you are entitled to. Again this worked satisfactorily for me. Good luck Cheminot

[quote user="Iceni"] But why is Friday 13th considered to be unlucky ? And by whom - other than some Brits [/quote] On Friday the 13th of October 1307 the French King Phillip the Fair (or unfair depending on your point of view) sent troops to arrest all the Knights Templar in France and to seize thier assets as he was a bit short of cash and the KT's were wealthy and immune from taxes by papal decree. Since then Friday the 13th has been traditionally regarded as unlucky, particularly if you were a Knight Templar and living in France! If you're not then you should be OK. Cheminot

We spent many hours searching websites for immobiliers in the Charente. We wanted a house in the Cognac region.  We then went to 'Pages Jaunes' ( Frances yellow pages) typed in 'Immobiliers' and 'Cognac' in the appropriate places and got a list of all the immobiliers in the area and links to their websites. From this we found the house we wanted quite quickly. If you know which area you want to buy in we can thoroughly recommend this. It takes you directly to the local immobiliers and most of the websites seem to have english pages if you need them. Cheminot.