Cat

I found some at Cazals market, but as I was buying them, my bloke (who's french) furrowed his brow and asked if I was really going to make him eat THOSE.  Which is a bit rich coming from the mouth of someone whose idea of a feast is the molten bone-marrow from some poor beast's hoof. [+o(] So, anyway,  I roasted the horrid_animal_food_white_carrots, along with some butternut squash, and guess what, he asked for seconds!  Now, every time we visit Cazal market, it's "can we have some more of those white things". Still can't get him to eat Marmite though [:)]    

[quote user="Opas"] SB did a post on this man a while back.  He kept his late parents in a freezer in his chateau for 22 years as they(the parents) believed they could be brought back to life at a later date. I have just been reading Wanadoo home page news links, I have not got a clue how to make a link, I am sure somone will help out here.  The upshot is that the parents have now been cremated as the freezer broke down! [/quote] Gruesome [+o(] here's the link  http://www.wanadoo.fr/bin/frame.cgi?url=http%3A//actu.wanadoo.fr/index.html%3FiCata_newsItemId%3Dmmd--francais--journal_internet--une%26iArti_newsItemId%3D060316105642.nyhto38h  

If it's just the driver you need, you can try downloading it from here: http://www.scanner-drivers.com/companies/788.htm  

[quote user="Will the Conqueror"] The e-mail address with which you registered is the key piece of information in member records which is why you cannot change it. I really don't know how it let you try this even once. You can change the user name, so it might be worth doing this, then re-registering with your new e-mail address, and choosing your old user name (or something very close to it). But if your e-mail address has been corrupted that will be difficult. [/quote]   Will, are you saying then that the email address is being used as the primary/unique key ID in the SQL database?  Gosh [:O]  

It's perhaps worth mentioning the using ALT sequences for accented characters will only work with a full keyboard with a true number-pad.  Laptops usually use a smaller keyboard, and only have the number keys that are below the function keys.  

[quote user="Frogslegs"] URGENTLY REQUIRED …ryanair’s telephone number for refund! We were given this number 0892 232 375 presumable u.k. number but it just keeps ringing!!! [/quote]   If you're phoning from France, you're right it's 0892 232 375, but is in France, so don't add the 0044 to dial (they have an option when you phone to speak to an English speaking rep).   Phoning from the UK it's 0906 270 5656.  You can only be connected to the phone number for the country you are actually phoning from.    

[quote user="Opalienne"]Just out of interest, since in one of the posts Ms Duff said that she and her husband had bought a house near Draguignan, I checked the Pages Blanches for the Var.   What do you know?   No Duffs...........[/quote] Ah yes, I did a bit of checking too (too much time on my hands, that's for sure, but amazing what gems you can drag up from family-tree websites).  Seems they're brothers, and one of them has a wife with a very English-sounding name.  They both have offices in the same two towns.  Draguignan is directly situated between those two towns. I'll fetch my coat ...    

I can highly recommend hijack this if anyone is already having problems with their computer. As protection against viruses Avast Home Edition by Awil software is very good, free, and can automatically download updates every day.  It has recently won an award for its performance, and can be downloaded from www.avast.com Spybot Search and Destroy is also a tried and trusted tool for detecting/fixing spyware, cookies, trojans, diallers and keyloggers. Each time it detects an attempted registry change, it will ask if you wish to allow the change or not, and will remember the change so that you may reverse it later if you wish. It's also free from http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html With these 3 tools, and a slight tweak to the standard windows firewall settings, my computer gets the highest possible safety rating when scanned using using ShieldsUp https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2      

Yes I have, it doesn't apply for the flights I had changed , as they were booked before the 16th March. I personally won't mind the charge for checked baggage for future flights, as £2.50 seems a very reasonable price to pay for the convenience of online check-in and priority boarding.  No queuing, hurrah!    

A couple of weeks ago I made reservations with Ryanair to fly back to the UK for a few days.  I deliberately chose the cheapest flights I could find, 1.99 euros each way (before tax and charges). This morning I had an email to tell me that both my outward and inward flight times had changed, and that I could either accept the changes or apply for a refund or a "travel credit". The new times (much later in the evening) would have made it impossible for me to catch the connecting bus and train to Ipswich (my final destination).  I checked the prices and times for flights later in the week, and found that only the Saturday flight was still operating at the original early-evening time.  BUT the price was much higher. So, with a heavy heart, I phoned Ryanair to ask if a travel-credit is only valid for the actual cost of the booked flight, or if it could be used for ANY flight (even if more expensive). I was expecting the worst, and had my trusty debit card ready in my hand, as I was certain that I'd end up shelling out loads more dosh [:(] So I was gob-smacked when the very nice man changed my flights, free of charge, to ones that should have cost over 100 euros more. They say good service can be defined by exceding customer's expectations.  I've never had high expectations of Ryanair (you pay your money, you take your choice) but for once they've left me with a lovely warm feeling [:)]    

I've got the "monster" Oxford Hachette too, I find it meets all my needs and is very easy to use ( it came with a CD that "speaks" french words on my computer, but I have never used it). I've also got a mini Oxford Hachette, which lived permanently in my handbag for my first few months here, but now never sees the light of day.  

Was this the kind of thing you had in mind Candide? Try searching using the word "galets" http://www.mr-bricolage.fr/modules/espconseil/fiches_magazines/Mb63-02.htm http://www.shopping.aliceadsl.fr/c1058p1m0b0//browse.html  

Well, reporting back on the restaurant, it was superb! They serve a fixed menu (no choices) but the standard was what you might expect at an expensive restaurant.  The setting was beautiful, in an old vaulted ceiling hall of golden-yellow Sarlat stone.  The waitresses were all trainees too, very young and rather nervous, as they were being marked on their performance by their tutor. The restaurant was full, and is in fact pretty much always fully booked for months in advance (the reason perhaps why they have no need to advertise, as word of mouth seems to be doing the trick nicely). We only found out about it through a friend who teaches at the college. It's actually situated next to the car-park near to the cinema complex in Place Pasteur.  They're fully booked now until May, and the only spaces they have are for the examination period (when apparently people aren't too keen to eat there as the tension is so great you could cut it with a sabatier knife). The phone number is 05 53 28 53 84, or you could pop in on a Tuesday, Thurday or Friday lunchtime, or Tuesday night to pick up the menu.    

Has anyone eaten at the chef's training restaurant at the Pré de Cordy (Lycee Professionnel Regional) in Sarlat? We're eating there tonight, the menu looks good and at 14 euros it's not expensive. I tried googling but couldn't find anything relating to the restaurant, so perhaps it's not that well publicised.  

The maire of a local village told my french OH this a few days ago ( they are very good friends).  So unless he was joking (and that WOULD be sick) I think it is to be believed. It is not the kind of thing that they would make public, as it would serve no useful purpose to the general public and would only cause panic. It may be that only maires in areas deemed to be at greatest risk have recieved this information so far. Here in the Lot we have literally hundreds of elevages of ducks and geese, due to the Perigordine canard and fois gras industries. The part about buildings suitable to be used as temporary morgues is actually published on the internet, on the french government health site, and is part of their January 2006 plan should any flu type pandemic occur. http://www.sante.gouv.fr/htm/dossiers/grippe_pandemie/reco_orga_soins.pdf Given that the Spanish flu in 1918/19 wiped out around 40 million people (between 2.5 and 5% of the world population at the time) and Hong Kong flu killed around 750,000 people in 1968 (both mutations of a bird flu virus) it is only natural that a very serious view is being taken of the need to make these kind of provisions should the virus mutate.    

Nope, we're still eating chicken and duck, plenty in the freezer too. I like my duck cooked pretty rare though, so might just consider cooking it for a bit longer if bird flu gets a grip on the country.  

As the H5N1 virus has yet to mutate, surely it would not be possible to develop a vaccine against a mutated strain?  This is about prevention, and not cure. If those at most risk (people routinely handling or slaughtering infected birds/poultry, or living in close proximity) are given a vaccine against the current strain, would this not help to prevent a possible mutation by lowering the number of available human "hosts" to H5N1? It's not just the papers that are driving the priorities, the authorities here in France are taking this very seriosly too.  If anyone is on very friendly terms with their local maire, they might like to ask about the directives they have recently been given regarding available cemetary space and buildings suitable for use as temporary morgues (I don't think I'm supposed to be aware of this, but I am).  This is the first time in 35 years that they have recieved such directives, it seems to be rather more than simple scaremongering. I'm usually the first to scoff at drummed up reporting of health scares, and ate my beef rare throughout the mad cow panic.  I'm still eating chicken and duck... but I am worried.  

You're right Jond, bâche is a tarpaulin. Just seen that a number of dead turkeys have been found at a turkey farm in Ain, they are culling all surviving turkeys, but the test results will not be known until Friday.  If H5N1 is confirmed it will be the first case of the virus spreading to domestic farm birds in the EU. http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-02-23T155717Z_01_PAB002370_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-FRANCE-FARM.xml&archived=False    

Tony, was this the one you were thinking of http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/632452/ShowPost.aspx It's not been pulled, but has had some posts deleted.  

[quote user="Gastines"] I thought I'd add a GUILTY memory and it might start a new line in memories. [/quote]   Oh dear, I'm afraid that has reminded me of something I thought I'd forgotten. I have a younger brother, 3 years younger to be exact.  He had a guilty secret, as a very small child he used to eat the bacon rinds that my mother threw in the garden for the birds.  I have a worse one!  As a evil big sister I told my brother that he was a disgusting creature to be eating bacon-rinds from the garden, I told him that he might just as well eat the dried up bird sh*t on the gate-post as well.  I dared him, and then I double dared him, and so he did [+o(] I feel quite badly about it now, really I do, sorry Simon!  

Around here, when the work on a house is finished, it is a french tradition to have a crémaillère (rather like a house-warming party, but including all the artisans/architects/friends/neighbours etc). It might be a nice idea to invite your builders, if you were thinking of having a house-warming that is.    

I know, I find it strange too, especially when you see all the veg they have for sale at the local markets.  They must make an awful lot of soup! I love my veggies, but very often they just aren't an option and it's simply meat and some kind of carb (potato, pasta or rice seeming to be the favourites). Having said that though, the last time I ate out my main course was flambed prawns, served with chips AND pasta [:S] In our local auberge they have a sign saying that vegetables are available... on request!    

[quote user="Teamedup"] I am not sure whether one is covered by a UK gold card if a french resident. And usually one is covered solely from a UK destination. I think that the small print would need very careful reading before going down that road. There was something about this on You and Yours a few years back.   I agree though that a french gold card for french residents is a good idea and we always take one for the year we are planning a big voyage. [/quote] I can second TU on this one. I have a Lloyds TSB gold card, it used to allow free travel insurance, but under the new terms and conditions this is only for UK residents.  

[quote user="jond"][quote user="Miki"][quote user="jond"][quote user="Opalienne"]You should try driving in Belgium if you think France is bad!   I used to wonder why so many Belgian cars had dents in their offside wings, but soon found out.   Almost all roads are priority a droite and if you hesitate you lose your priority, so people just shoot straight out from minor into major roads and hit whatever happens to be in their way.[/quote] I'd agree with this. The most agressive, thoughtless driving I have ever seen in Europe has been in Belgium, particularly around Antwerp, where about 70% of those behind the wheel should be certified. [/quote] What and put Portugal in to European 2nd place.....no way, they are worthy winners and by a few km's as well !! [/quote] Ah, now I would not disagree that the Portuguese are doughty slayers of their fellow countrymen on the open road (I think they score highest in Europe, do they not, in road-kill per head of population?), but they have a happy-go-lucky attitude to the carnage that is a stark contrast to the cold-blooded ruthlessness of the Belgians. I realise that I am making some sweeping generalisations here ([6]), but, what the hell, it's the overall idea that is important, and it is clear from these observations that the myth about the French being the "worst" drivers in Europe is just that - a myth. [/quote] These are the latest available figures for road fatalities in Europe, taken from the Europa European Commission for Transport's CARE database.  It looks like Latvia and Lithuania are to be avoided! http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/care/statistics/series/fatal1991_rate/index_en.htm RATE BY MILLION POPULATION Rate by million population   1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Belgium 188 167 165 168 143 134 134 147 137 144 145 131 - - Czech Republic 128 152 148 158 154 151 155 132 141 145 130 139 141 135 Denmark 118 112 108 105 112 98 93 94 97 93 81 86 80 69 Germany 142 132 123 121 116 107 104 95 95 91 85 83 80 71 Estonia 312 184 210 242 223 144 192 195 160 149 146 163 120 124 Greece 207 210 209 216 231 206 201 208 201 193 178 151 147 153 Spain 227 201 163 143 146 139 142 150 144 143 135 129 128 113 France 184 173 172 157 154 147 145 153 145 138 138 129 102 93 Ireland 126 117 121 113 121 125 130 124 111 111 108 97 87 89 Italy 143 142 126 124 123 116 117 110 115 115 116 117 104 97 Cyprus 150 189 161 184 162 174 155 149 150 147 129 129 128 154 Latvia 346 274 257 279 242 220 212 255 248 247 219 221 210 220 Lithuania 314 223 256 205 181 180 196 224 202 173 203 201 204 216 Luxembourg 216 177 197 162 172 172 143 135 135 174 159 140 119 110 Hungary 204 203 162 151 154 133 135 133 127 117 121 140 130 127 Malta 45 31 39 16 38 51 48 45 11 39 41 41 41 33 Netherlands 85 83 81 85 86 76 75 68 69 68 62 61 64 50 Austria 200 178 161 167 151 128 137 119 133 120 118 117 114 108 Poland 207 181 165 175 179 165 189 183 174 163 143 151 146 148 Portugal 326 310 271 251 271 272 250 210 200 184 163 160 150 125 Slovenia 231 247 247 254 209 195 180 156 169 157 140 135 121 137 Slovakia 116 128 110 119 123 115 146 152 120 116 114 116 120 113 Finland 126 120 96 95 86 79 85 78 84 77 84 80 73 72 Sweden 87 88 73 67 65 61 61 60 66 67 66 63 59 54 United Kingdom 82 76 68 65 64 64 64 61 60 60 60 60 62 56 AVERAGE 162 150 138 134 132 124 126 123 120 116 111 109 103 95 Fatalities are all persons killed within 30 days from the day of the accident. For Member States not using this definition corrective factors were applied Figures in green come from the national statistical publications Figures in red are estimations - Data not available    

It's not just Nationwide that issue Visa Delta cards; Barclays, Lloyds TSB, Abbey, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Coop and Alliance and Leicester all have Visa Delta cards too. Ryanair used to make no handling chanrge for flights booked using a Visa Delta debit card, but as Val says, this has now changed to 1.20 euros per person per return flight. Incidentally, someone was saying recently that it was no longer possible to search for the cheapest flight by searching using a range of dates... well I've just found the facility again.  they've moved it from the front page to "find lowest fares" to the right of all the flags for the language options. http://www.bookryanair.com/skylights/cgi-bin/skylights.cgi?language=EN&culture=GB&mode=FARE