cheminot

What I envisage is something that is instantly recognisable for what it is. ie. an Owl should look close to what a real owl looks like when perched on a stump, the same for a buzzard but allowing for the materials used and the artistry involved. I am not looking for an abstract interpretation. I have googled, searched ebay worldwide, looked at no end of websites but have found nothing resembling an owl or a raptor. Chris As regards the sizes of the stumps, one is about 120cm high the other 50cm. If you are wondering whether it would be possible to carve the figure out of the stump itself then I would have to say no, it would have to be mounted on them. cheminot

I have just about given up on this. I have searched everywhere I can think of but have found nothing. If anyone knows of someone who can make or supply what I have described please let me know or I will be reduced to having a gnome or a toadstool! cheminot. dept 16, nr Cognac

Thanks Meg and Mog, both of your suggestions are of interest although the idea of wire gives me visions of basket woven effects which I am not keen on. I would have to see an example to form an opinion. In terms of wood I think the use of lighter coloured woods would be sufficient to convey the impression I am looking for without the need for hollowing out but this would depend on the posture of the bird. In terms of image I feel it would be better to have the bird in its normal perched posture rather than in flight. Thanks Dick for the picture, not quite what I had in mind! My location is dept 16 nr Cognac. Have tried to put it on my profile but the computor rejected my attempt. I have only been living here for 2 weeks and it seems that this livebox contraption doesnt like some of my original software. cheminot

I do regular monthly transfers through Currencies Direct. It costs me nothing and I get a good exchange rate. Dont think it is possible to get it cheaper than that! cheminot

My apologies if this appears twice. I posted a reply some hours ago which seems to have got lost in the plumbing! I have two tree stumps in my garden which, rather than dig out I would like to make features of them. I am looking for an Owl and/or a Raptor such as a Buzzard figure approximately 40-60cm high, preferably made of sheet metal to convey the lightness of the subject but wood would be OK depending on how it is fashioned. I feel cast or stone figures would not give the effect I am looking for. Any suggestions would be appeciated. cheminot

Thank you for your replies. I have a couple of nicely weathered and shaped tree stumps in my garden and rather than dig them out I would like to make a feature of them. I especially like the idea of a bird of prey like a Buzzard or sparrowhawk and/or an Owl. I envisage them to be around 40-50cm high, though naturally an Owl would stand taller than a BOP because of its posture. I particularly like the idea of it being of sheet metal as I feel this will convey the lightness of the subject in relation to its surroundings but depending on its type, wood may be satisfactory. 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

Thanks for the info. Will try writing again and if that doesnt work I'll try my nearest dealer which I believe is in La Rochelle. cheminot

I have brought my Triumph Thunderbird 900 made in 1996 to France and want to register it here.Before bringing it to France I wrote to Triumph UK and asked how I could obtain a Certificate of Conformitie and the gave me the address of Triumph France so that I could find out what I needed to do to get the said certificate. I wrote to them (in French) with no result. Does anyone know another way of obtaining the certificate? cheminot

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

[quote user="Deimos"]You need to remember that with 3 phase, each phase is actually out of phase. Thus there is a world of difference between supplying all phases of a 3 phase supply to a device and putting the "same phase" to each of the 3 supplies !!! I would recommend calling in an electrician as 3 phase can be dangerous due to the higher voltages and things are not always as simple as you are assuming !! Ian[/quote] Phase angle is only of importance in rotary applications(alternators, motors etc) particularly in multiple source generation. For resistance loads such as heater elements equal distribution of load is important. In most 3 phase heaters the elements are connected across 2 phases in a 1-2,1-3,2-3 configuration to provide equal load without the need for a neutral but of course this means that the elements are rated at 380/440v each. This means they are unsuitable for single phase operation. If they are connected with a single phase to each element going to a common neutral then it will be possible to use a single phase supply but you have to bear in mind that the load on the single phase supply will be tripled. Most manufacturers supply single and 3 phase heaters for their chaudieres so the best solution would perhaps be to change the heater unit for the single phase type. cheminot

[quote user="Deimos"]You need to remember that with 3 phase, each phase is actually out of phase. Thus there is a world of difference between supplying all phases of a 3 phase supply to a device and putting the "same phase" to each of the 3 supplies !!! I would recommend calling in an electrician as 3 phase can be dangerous due to the higher voltages and things are not always as simple as you are assuming !! Ian[/quote] Phase angle is only a factor in rotary equipment (alternators,motors, etc),in resistance loads such as heater elements equal phase loading is important and is usually achieved by using 2 phases per element thus eliminating the need for a neutral, however this means that each part of the element has an operating voltage of 380/440v. If the elements are supplied separately by each phase and then to a common neutral then they will be 220/240v, but if you want to convert this setup to single phase supply you must check the load of each element as you will be tripling the load on the supply cable. Far better to change the element to a single phase type which should be obtainable from the suppliers or manufacturers of the chaudiere. cheminot

Thanks very much for all the replies. I dont fancy touring europe so it will be between dealers and the internet. I bought my present car through the internet which, as it was a diesel automatic it was a special order and delivery took three months. I'm not bothered about waiting as I will keep my present car until it arrives. I've checked the difference between UK and French prices and for the model I want there doesnt seem to be much difference. I think i'll try playing off the local dealers against each other first and see what comes of that. cheminot

Maybe you will find what you want here: www.biotech.co.uk/products/odourvent.htm. cheminot

When we move to France permanently we want to buy a new car. (A Renault Scenic is our first choice) Is it just a case of going to your nearest dealer and paying his price for the car we want or are there other outlets; eg. internet, where we could get a better deal? 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

The 'modes' are heat settings.those having 6 fils (wires) are able to supply six different heat settings contolled by programmer/thermostat. The fil pilote is the control circuit wire. 2 ordres means 2 heat settings. You say you know how to wire them and then say "presumably with a programmer". Pardon me if I say this sounds like a contradiction. Nor am I sure what you mean by "no signal confort/240v signal eco", could you elaborate please? Tempo is an option you can have from edf which charges different prices on different days on a colour coding system. If your house is mostly or all electric it probably isnt worth having as almost all the expensive (red) days are in the winter. If you look at your meter and it has 2 sets of numbers prefixed by HP and HC then you are on 'heures creuses'. cheminot

In our case the restriction is due to an 'ancient monument' being within 500metres which is an old chateau, but also all the land immediately around us is owned by Hennessy Cognac on which they have just planted new vines so we are feeling fairly safe from new development for the moment. cheminot

[quote user="Forum Admin"]'ransom strips' is what we used to call them....[;-)][/quote] Hardly a ransom strip. The present situation is that he has pedestrian right of access along the bottom of our garden from his property to a well so this part of the garden is of no use to us. He has vehicular access to his back garden from a lane which runs down the side but it is awkward to get into. What he is asking for is exchange a piece of his land at the side of our house (not joined to the piece he wants) for a strip 4 m wide to allow him to get a vehicle to his back garden without using the lane. We are in a restricted development area (ie no new building is allowed) so even if he had the space he could not develop it. Given these circumstances it is no wonder he is trying to avoid the high fees of a purchase. We do not want the land at the side and would happily sell him the strip he wants but that of course would generate the very fees he is trying to avoid. 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

An update on this subject. We have just spent two relaxing (not always) weeks at our house in france. Have seen the neighbour who wants to swap a piece of our land for his. He has had a visit from the geometre who has quoted him 650 euros to change the cadastral plan and register the exchange. In addition there are notaires fees which he has yet to find out about. I get the feeling that he is starting to go off the idea now! cheminot

We want to install a double oven (split level) in our kitchen when we refurbish it but have been unable to find such a thing in France. Will we have to buy in the UK or does anyone know where to get one in France? cheminot

I assume yours is not a civil service pension. That being so when you move to France it will be taxed in France as part of your overall income. Before you go you should contact the inland revenue and get a form P85 which will enable you to get your pension and any other UK income free of tax. They will of course notify the french tax authorities as well. Your income tax bill will probably be less than the UK but there are health and social taxes to be considered as well. A rough guide to this can be found on; www.frenchentree.com/france-tax-advice. As regards transferring the money, probably the best way is to do a direct debit from your British bank account through a specialist currency transfer company to a French account. There are plenty of these about and you can check which one best suits you. They inevitably give a better exchange rate than the banks. Hope this helps 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    

[quote user="Monika"]   Is your Avatar Swanage Railway? [/quote] No, its the 'City of Truro' in Laira Depot at Plymouth, which is where I 'travaille'.