Mike1958

Great news for us again here in Bagneres de Luchon. The tour will hit us again on the 9th of July as it heads up to the Col de Peyresourde.

Until reading this post I had not considered changing my meter though I guess as permanent residents who run a business from our home then we are probably over paying by not taking advantage of the lower rates available over night with the new meters. Can anyone advise: 1. How long the whole process normally takes from contacting EDF to having the meter installed 2. What sort of savings can be made against a basic tariff Many thanks, Mike

Many thanks for the quick response. Before I go ahead and try this (i am happy about how to make the changes) can I confirm the authentication steps. Is this a password that i set up, or should this be the original one that I had when I had the ADSL connection installed. If the latter I may have a problem as I no longer have it and I do not use Orange's own software for browsing and mail.  

As I have got to the stage of pulling my hair out I thought that i would seek help from members who may have experienced the same problem with outbound email (via outlook) to Hotmail accounts that is being rejected. It is getting to a stage where it is beginning to impact the business in that I can no longer contact certain customers using Hot-mail accounts. I have successfully without problem exchanged email with these customers , however now I am repeatedly receiving mail delivery failure notifications either due to anti span/phishing or on my last notification blocked due to complaints (not from the recipient I hasten to add). My ADSL connection is with Wanadoo where I use their SMTP account for my outbound email. I am running McAfee Security Centre which is up to date I am at a loss as to how to resolve this problem therefore any pointers or advice would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Mike

This is one of those daft questions where I guess I know the answer but thought I would ask anyway. When we purchased our house the house details stated that we were connected to mains drainage and as we are in the centre of a town we never thought about it further. Though we have not had any problems we met the original owner recently who stated that the house was in fact connected to two septic tanks which are buried in the garden. My question is that even though the sale took place 3 years ago, would we have any standing if we tried to claim against the agent for misselling. We do have the original sales sheet with the house details that states clearly that the house is connected to mains drainage. Regards, Mike  

Hi Toni, We actually run a winter ski business in Bagneres de Luchon which has its own very French and family friendly ski resort of Superbagneres. In addition we are fortunate to be surrounded by a number of other resorts including Peyragudes which is only 15 to 20 minutes away and Baqueira Beret in Spain. If you are still looking for either a Christmas or Half Term holiday our package includes a free transfer service to and from Toulouse which takes approximately an hour and a half. Have a look at our website to discover more about the skiing here in the central Pyrenees. Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com

Does anyone know or or can recommend a English speaking accountant in the Southern part of 31 near St Gaudens or between St Gaudens and Toulouse. Many thanks, Mike

All of the local shops and florests are stocking lilly of the valley which i gather is associated with a French May day tradition. Can anyone please explain what they are generally given for? Many thanks, Mike

Many thanks Aly, I should have checked beforehand. I guess we will try the undercoat approach. Regards, Mike

Can anyone help. We have the thin slatted type of shutter (in wood) that fold against each other when closing. They are white but the paint on the outside is flaking and in need of a good paint job. We looked at the various options and thought that as the existing paint was fairly thin that the normal exterior white paint would be to thick and settled for a product called SYNTILOR XYLODHONE. Having rubbed the shutters down, with some parts now down to bare wood the first coat of the product above seems to be too thin to give a good even white finish. I know this is just the first coat, however does anyone have any experience of this product and if so should we persevere or change to another product now. Any advice or recommendations appreciated. Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com    

There is a famous crossing into Spain here in the mountains around Luchon called the Port de Venasque that the resistance used to help escaped airmen etc flee their German captors. The start point is a place called the Hospice de France where there is a monument to the efforts of the resistance. If you search using a mix of Hospice de France, Resistance etc you may have some luck. Regards, Mike

Would anyone be interested in a property exchange that would enable you to stay in our 4 bedroomed house in the centre of a famous Pyrenean ski/spa town, in exchange for a property of a similar size on or near a beach in the SW.  We are looking for a week in August preferably. Regards, Mike  

Many thanks Tresco, much appreciated. Regards, Mike

Does anyone know the correct term for the top soil used for new lawns. I probably cant get it here in the high Pyrenees though I thought I would give it a go. As ever any help is appreciated. Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com

We kicked off our first winter season with a house full for Christmas which in itself would normally be a challenge. Our guests included two Veggies who would not eat anything with a head which also eliminated fish dishes. A lot of thought and late night pacing my my wife resulted in a highly successful week with an exciting and certainly highly presentable range of veggie dishes being delivered. Feedback from our guests was excellent with the ultimate accolade of not only the best holiday food they had received but also that they had put weight on which they would normally never do.  Blowing our own trumpet - certainly, however the message is that veggie dishes need not be just bland pasta - there are some seriously good recipes out there. Here in the Pyrenees there is not normally a great range of veggie options available - as they really do almost shoot everything that moves. Please feel free to add our link to your site.   www.peak-times.com    

I was a BB user for years in my ex corporate life. Superb tool, and though it was tied to the office 24/7 it meant that I wasnt. It doesnt work everywhere (you need a GPRS network not just GSM) but does have a great battery life and means that you can choose when to interact with senders without necessarily becoming a slave to it. Now - life here in the Pyrenees means no more expensive mobiles, no longer having to wait and respond to email, just the daily check of the weather/snow report/enquiries. Do I miss it - NO Would I recommned one as a work tool - YES  Is there anything better - not at this time. Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com  

Many thanks Miki, Having spent a lot of time in France over the last 20 plus years I am certainly under no illusion that life here (as with the reference to the road to Paris) is not a short cut to a generous income - actually the opposite is probably true in most cases. For ourselves we have given up what many would call a pain free life without financial worry in the UK to live a life in France that we have always dreamed of. Our goal is to wake up in the morning and look out of our windows and see either snow or sun, work pays for that privilege and as such if we can pay our bills, put food in our bellies and wake up looking at the mountains next week we will continue to be happy. Working our socks of for little return is fine, and to be truthful it is the many differences between the UK and here that makes living here  so special. Understanding what is different just helps us avoid potential difficulties in the future. Thanks again for all the helpfull comments. Regards, Mike      

Just a quick follow up from my earlier post. firstly many thanks to all the threads added, as ever very much appreciated. I thought that I would enlighten those that are interested into the results of a conversation with a new broker from MMA that I have spoken to (trying hard to do it all in French). By the way this is for an "all risks policy" Using UK examples of elements of cover i.e. 1. A guest or me spills a glass of red wine onto a carpet that could not be cleaned. Can I claim - answer no 2. A guest knocks over a lamp and breaks it. Can I claim - answer no 3. My mountain bike is stolen away from the house. Can I claim - answer no 4. My garden furniture is stolen (from my garden). Can I claim - answer no Basically if the house burns down, if there is a flood or storm damage most policies provide decent cover. If something is stolen (from within the house) it is covered but outside of this the extent of cover is poor. Am I getting this very wrong - or as the broker said "in the UK you insure everything - and therefore pay for it" Does anyone actually know for sure that there is a French insurance company that does provide "accidental damage" cover and would so for a CDH?   Sorry for the long tirade - just paid to have the Land Rover serviced - Feeling extremely poor.   Many regards, Mike

TF1 dedicated almost 40 mins to Abbe Pierre tonight. Though I am not fluent enough to understand all that was said the legacy that he has left behind is one that the people of France will undoubtedly not forget. Someone putting everyone else first. Challenging the status quo and making a difference. We need more people in the world like this.  

[quote user="Cerise"]AGF also added ours on plus the requisite bit for poisoning people with TdH! (this in case Mr Cerise does the cooking[6])   From memory think we pay about extra 50 euros a year.[/quote]   Many thanks for all your comments, my local broker is now saying that he is having difficulty in finding/arranging the cover needed and also states that AGF will not provide cover. I am not mad enough to believe he is giving this his full attention and have already started to look for quotes with another broker (MMA). Can anyone advise as to the general annual policy fee - say for 4 bedrooms that I should expect. Many thanks, Mike www.peak-times.com  

I have a small fireplace in an old house that unfortunately has a crack in the stack that allows smoke into a 2nd floor bedroom. I have posted on this subject previously and have gone down the route of looking at either fixing the crack or installing a liner. Having had a frank discussion with a chimney expert I was advised not to use the fire at all as there was a significant danger of the timbers in the second floor catching fire. Installing a tube would not solve the problem as the heat in the stack still could cause a fire. We are not using the fire, but have heard that there are companies that use a spray treatment that solves the problem by spraying the inside of the chimney and sealing any cracks/leaks and is heat resistant/fireproof. Has anyone else used this type of solution or know of a company that specialises in this type of treatment.   As ever any help is appreciated. Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com  

I share many of the comments already made and also must add that as someone who lives in the heart of the Pyrenees (Bagneres de Luchon) I am somewhat biased. The 1/500 are absolutely ideal though for specific routes with greater detail the 1/250 maps are superb. There is also a great software programme called Memory Map that allows you to view the whole of the Pyrenees at the 1/250 level with the added bonus of aerial photographs, route planning tools and 3D fly pasts of routes that you plan. As we live in an area blessed with some great walks (including the GR10) that cater for all abilities we find that from Spring through to the end of Autumn "Luchon " becomes a magnet for the walking community. Good luck with your plans, Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com 

Can anyone help in providing/recommending the details of a good policy to provide cover for CDH/TDH and B&B? Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks, Mike (31)

Many thanks Deimos, I have a full time ADSL connection and have configured my Outlook to pick up automatically on 1 on the 3 email accounts that I have which seems to be working fine. The problem is that though I have nothing in my outbox, when attempting a manual send and receive Outlook provides info on the task bar "sending message 1 of 2. Whilst attempting to send (though there is nothing in my outbox) a dialogue box pops up asking for Please type your user name and password Server is fixed at: mail.wanadoo.fr User name Password I think this only relates to a tiscali.co.uk mail account. You mentioned not using the wanadoo software. If I was to remove this would I have any problems still connecting to both the internet and my POP3/SMTP email accounts via my livebox?   Many thanks, Mike

I have a problem that is extremely frustrating and wondered whether only other forum member could help. The problem: Outlook seems to say that it is sending messages when acually I have nothing in either drafts or outbox. Whilst this is going on I get numberous password/username requests from Wanadoo - I dont use this Other info: I have 3 mail accounts none of which are Wanadoo I was previously recommended to make a change to Wanadeoo settings which seemed to work   If there  is a way to purge the outbox (though there is nothing in it) i wonder if that would help.   Many thanks, Mike www.peak-times.com