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Mhj

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  1. Hi, I've just enjoyed some lovely years in France and am now about to move to Scotland, yes I know it rains a lot there!  I will come back to France each year but Scotland is where my heart lives.  I am attempting to downsize and have various bits of furniture for sale if anyone is interested. Some BUT /MFI type furniture -   2 desks                                                      2 drawer units for desks                                                      Several bookcases and two wall units Typical old French furniture    -      1 large old ornate dresser                                                      1 dark oak desk unit British style wall unit 4 easy chairs from Fly Thanks MHJ  
  2. We are thinking of moving and will need to dispose of many of the things that now clutter our house.  Amongst them is around 3 -4 years worth of Living France magazines and (I'll say it quietly) a fair quantity of France magazines and also some nice French Détour magazines. Rather than put them into the sac jaune is there anyone out there who would like them?  Free to good home as long as you collect - we live 10 km south of Angouleme. MHJ  
  3. [quote]Now, that looks more like a female! I have let them know, but I thought by Marmalade, you meant ginger, which is what they would like.[/quote] Sorry - I can see the name is misleading!   It was the first name that occurred to us when we first saw the ginger.  It's a considerable advance on our first efforts at cat naming. When we arrived there were three cats in our garden and we named them Baby, Middling and Biggest!  Biggest is now a very lovely chat domestique, baby is still timid and lives in the garden and unfortunately Middling got run over.  The other kittens that have come and gone over the years have been a little bit more imaginatively named.   Margaret
  4. Thanks Christine, all help much appreciated!  Marmalade is a lovely wee kitten, black and ginger and white.   Margaret
  5. Hi, we have had a number of cats living in our garden and have been (reasonably) successful in getting them all sterilised and or finding them new homes. Stuck at the moment with one little kitten, just over 6 months old.  She has just been to the vet and has been sterilised and tattooed, she lives in the garden and outbuildings but would love to live in the house and when she does get in she is fascinated by the washing machine and will also sit in the dishwasher licking the dirty plates!  Would anyone like to offer her a home?  We live 10 miles south of Angouleme. Margaret    
  6. I've no idea why a journalist, I did try to sugest that other groups of people might do the job jsut as well but I was very firmly informed that a journalist was what was wanted!! MHJ
  7. A French friend sits on a regional committee and they are looking for a British journalist to help them with a day towards the end of the year when they will be discussing how Northern Europeans settle in Charente.  They'd really like a fluent French speaker who either lives and works in France or one who visits regularly.  Please let me know if you are that person or know anyone and I'll put you in touch, thanks MHJ
  8. [quote]Those décorateurs urbains sound interesting MHJ, you don't have an example of their work, or they don't have a site I suppose? Zeb, your abstract and honey and white made me think of an artist discov...[/quote] Sorry Christine, no web site but if you are on the 939 to the south of Angouleme any day you are welcome to come and look at what they have done for us, just send me an e-mail.  I didn't put their details on the post yesterday, I wasn't sure if that was allowed but here they are now:   Décorateur Urbain Blanchard Cyril 0545698056 ou 0670638762  
  9. [quote]Hi - now that barn/sitting room is just about finished we have lots of huge wall space, some painted white and the rest honey coloured stonework. Some large abstract art would look great but my attemp...[/quote] Hi, I've just seen your post and thought you might be interested in the Urban artists we found.  In March 2002 we wanted to brighten up the look of the very large, whitish metal shutters/gates covering a wall of windows at our house.  While walking in Angouleme one evening we were interested to watch some young lads using spray cans to decorate (very professionally) the shutters of a shop while prominently displaying a letter from the shop owner saying they had permission! We got them to come out see us and gave them a print of a Buffet painting we like, they spent one evening with us and we are very pleased with the result.  They call themselves Decorateur Urbain and say they will go anywhere in the department.  I've sent their tel number to you by e-mail.    MHJ  
  10. [quote]"I think the poster was very decent in paying up." Oh no -not decent just doing it the English way. As with poor service in restaurants etc, don't complain at the time, keep a stiff upper lip but mak...[/quote] We appreciate all the comments, thank you. I was amused to see myself portrayed as a shrinking violet afraid of standing up for myself, I am usually criticised for precisely the opposite. On this occasion I simply wasn't sure of the legal position,  the local tourist office was still closed, and we had a 300 mile drive into the Alps ahead of us, hence my decision to pay up and check the position out later.
  11. Last week a hotel charged us 10 Euros over the price displayed on the bedroom door - explaining that prices increased during holidays. We argued but paid up. This is the first time in 40 years regular travel in France that this has happened. Our belief was that they were of course entitled to charge higher prices for certain periods, but that this had to be displayed on the bedroom door. Can anyone state the legal position? And a couple of subsidiary questions! - Are hotels required to display prices outside their hotel? - Are restaurants required to provide a "menu" ie a multi course meal at a fixed price? Thanks for any help   MHJ      
  12. Lovely to hear your voice again.  Do you think that by dressing up in your "designer" French woollie there is a chance that the French will not immediately be able to identify you as English?  HOW do they do that, you don't have to open your mouth and they can tell.  Perhaps it is down to the sophistication of the clothes we wear!   MHJ
  13. Thank you both, I think sandblasting is out but I'll go and search for building bleach.  I love the idea of cognac barrels being stored in the room, thank you for that image, it does always seem to be a very friendly room - perhaps down to the spirits drunk there, thank you   MHJ
  14. HI, we live about 10 miles south of Angouleme and would agree with most of what Helen says.  We were shocked to find out how cold it could be here - minus 2 today - BUT, having come from the north of England we think we get less grey, rainy days here.  More cold days but lovely bright skies and we THINK that the winter is shorter, if there is a sheltered spot outside it's quite possible to be sitting outside (wearing a woolie!) at the end of Feb.   Margaret
  15. Please can anyone suggest how I can clean a very dirty looking stone fireplace and also an internal wall which has some very dark patches on it.  I don't THINK it's damp!  I've tried washing, soda then moved onto a wash with bleach - these have helped a little.  I've heard that one can use chaux, but how?  Any help would be much appreciated, thank you Mhj
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