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Punch

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Everything posted by Punch

  1. He just wanted a drink ! You obviously offered him a coffee, and he probably said " oui ou un bière " sounds like "a beer" to me  [B]!
  2. Every French Dept has archives Have you tried googling " archives departementale Normandy"  Or Brittany ?
  3. [quote user="g8vkv"]Thanks for the response - it'll be interesting to see how quickly they leap into action .... [/quote] If you call our their "service dépannage "( Number is usually top left on your facture ) , they will normally come out within a couple of hours. www.punchardrenovation.com
  4.   It was interesting to see  Ralph Mctell on the one show this evening returning to Paris; He wrote "The streets of London" aged 22 whilst in a hotel in the Latin quarter of Paris which was only the third song he ever wrote - he has worked ever since but that song was the one we remember him for. "McTell wrote the song after busking around Europe in his early twenties and witnessing extreme poverty in Paris. Not wishing to offend Parisians, he changed the setting to London, but felt the song was too depressing and left it off his debut album. " The Streets Of London  
  5. That's not done with a chainsaw !
  6. I went for the first time many years ago when it was in it's infancy and then called "Vive La France "- a much better name than the "France show". It was probably around the same time as this Forum started and I had a great time. I returned a couple of years later and didn't enjoy it as it was terribly crowded, very hot, far too many pushy estate agents, middle class twits quaffing wine as if they knew what they were talking about, (LF frorum members excepted of course [:)]) and  and food was extortionately priced. However it is a great taste of France for those who want to discover different regions under the same roof . Here's a link to comments on last years show.  http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1/866722/ShowPost.aspx#866722          
  7. [quote user="Clair"] The good news is that the telly hasn't played up since [:D] (touch wood, fingers crossed and all that) Oh! and Mr Clair is still alive![:P] [/quote]   Are you sure that's good news ? - About the telly, (not Mr Clair of course ! ) [6] That new Philips LCD looks a long way off now - I blame Anton ! [:)]
  8. Funny how he's wearing two completely different shirts in the photos- so obviously not even taken at the same game !
  9. Claire,  have you thought about asking a local shop like Gitem ( or even the shop that has the new TV on offer), for a Devis for the likely cost of a repair ?   My local guy charges 15 euros for a Devis and if I accept he knocks it off the final facture. Then at least you would know the cost of the repair and wether it's a viable option or not, and if you are going to buy a new one you may even get a further discount. I wouldn't jump too fast into special offers on TV's because often they are selling off either old stock or outdated /superceeded models. I would recommend Darty ( either on line  or you local store ), excellent service and a huge choice.
  10. You first need to clip/pull off the front plastic rocket switch. Just get you fingernail or a plastic wedge behind the switch and it should just clip off revealing the access screws to then remove the body.   www.punchardrenovation.com
  11. Further to the post by Val2 regarding wasp stings.......... http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1347079/ShowPost.aspx  We've just had our next door neighbour around to inform us that one of our close neighbours in our village died yesterday after being stung on his hand by a wasp whilst having breakfast. Apparently he had never had a similar reaction but his hand swelled up and he died of a heart attack before the Pompiers got there. He was only 48 and worked in the woods most days cutting firewood. It was really sad as they lost there 18 year old son last year in an accident and now madame is all alone. My OH was stung twice by a Frelon last summer and we didn't realise at the time how serious it could have been until our Doctor who is also a family friend, gave her a telling off for not getting down to the surgery. We have one of those "Aspivenin" suction pumps to extract the sting venom, but you have to work fast for them to be effective and often the stings are in akward places ( between the toes/fingers etc). Are wasp stings more dangerous? Is there a new strain of killer wasp on the loose?  I've had lot's of dealings with hornets and have a healthly respect of them especially when we come across their nests whilst working on peoples houses, but I find they are much less bothered by human presence than wasps who I now am very wary of.   www.punchardrenovation.com    
  12. I've had two Reanults from new in France and seem to remember that there is a first service at around 7000kms for an oil change/checkup and then thereafter services at around 30,000kms. Personally I get oil changes done in between service intervals as I beleive 30000kms is too long, (but only for the first 100, 000Kms or so). Regarding the spanner symbol - hold down the odometer reset button for about 10 secs and the spanner will reset to ( probably 30,000kms). It does on both of our Renaults, and then counts down !    
  13. It is always a good idea to think of the inside finish of a job if you are re -roofing. If your budget can go that far you could dispense totally from using plasterboard on the interior and use a sandwhich type of panel insulation that not only insulates the roof, but also gives you a finish on the interior, leaving the chevrons exposed. If they are oak and look nice then this is a good idea. I shall try to post some photos of a recent job I did using this method. Otherwise, it is never a good idea to fix directly to the chevrons; If the roof moves the ceiling could crack, and you will only make extra work for yourself, in terms of levelling up and installing insulation. Use the French system of "suspentes" and metal rails called Fourrures. The suspentes are clips that screw or nail onto the sides of the chevrons and then the "fourrure"s (that are 5.2m long), clip into the suspentes. Then after insulation, you screw the plasterboard to the rails with the approppriate screws. We install hundreds of metres of this type of system every year and it is the recognised way to do it. If you use a string line to install the suspentes, you will always have a stright even surface for your plasterboard . The added benefit, is that the rails are designed to have a couple of millimetres of play when they are clip into place, thus allowing slight movement for expansion and contraction. www.punchardrenovation.com
  14. Like Claire I have done this too, but not for a while since I've lived in France. Most of the Ferry companies have cottoned onto this loophole and now have a clause in their T & C's that states that they have the right to charge the full standard fare if the return portion of a return crossing is not used. I used to pay cash rather than by credit card so that they couldn't do this. I do not know of anyone who has actually been caught out though. Ferry pricing has no sense in my opinion. 20 years ago when I first came to France and bought my place, Brittany Ferries used to publish their prices in their brochures and it was possible to calculate the price of a crossing to the penny, at any time of the year. Now it seems like they just pluck a figure out of thin air !
  15. You are right Mutiara, and Jim. There is nothing in the French Regs ( not in my copy anyway!)  that forbids it. It is perfectly acceptable ( but not common) to use Flex in gaine. I think many English trained Electricians often confuse the UK regs with The NF C 15 100 .  I would of course be happy to be corrected if anyone can find the relevant regulation ................. www.punchardrenovation.com  
  16. In reply to the OP..... This must be one of the most misunderstood things of French electricity supplies that crops up time and time again on many French related fora. There is absolutely no benefit whatsoever in having three phase in a domestic enviroment, unless you are running industrial type equipment or machinery, have a particular need for it such as a heat pump etc; or you have a large group of properties on the same site. You may not have a choice in some instances. The EDF will often insist on three phase for supplies over 12KW as it helps balance their loads on their supply network. It also can depend on the distance you are from the nearest supply transformer. The EDF would also prefer you to stay on three phase for the same reasons. There is recent scenario that I have had for a client in which the distance between the EDF coffret and the house is quite a long distance and because of the voltage drop reasons, single phase cable sizes ( 2 core) are prohibitive. Basically if your EDF supply is 9KW you can draw up to 9KW ( about 45 amps) on a single phase supply before your EDF disjoncteur will trip. In an equivalent three phase supply of 9KW, you can only draw up to 3KW on any one phase, before the EDF trip will go. This means you have to balance your installation very carefully and this is sometimes difficult to do. There is no difference whatsoever in monthly standing charges  or units cost for either type of supply. www.punchardrenovation.com
  17. [quote user="Cathy"] You need to be 8 years' old and then you can jump the queue... Last year, I took my 8 year old son with a temperature of 40 degrees to a French A&E and we were seen immedaitely, much to the misery of the many sports' people with sprained ankles etc (it was Saturday evening).  I spoke to one of the injured (a footballer) and he had been waiting 3 hours. [/quote] I have to concurr.....five weeks ago I waited from 8pm and was eventually seen at 1am in the A&E in Mayenne Hospital . Just when I thought my time was up, more urgent cases came in - just one of those nights I suppose ! Hoddy - don't discount a splinter as not serious -  I too had splinter, the doctor opened the wound, said he could't find anything and then stitched my hand up. I tried to protest and said I was sure there was something left in there, and could I have an xray, but no, he knew best, he sent me home. When I had the stitches out 10 days later the infirmiere said the large blister and swelling was not right so she said better make a RDZ with the quack. The next day before the renedvous, the wound opened and a huge splinter 2.5cm long started to protrude from the wound. Together with the piece that I removed at the time of the accident, the total length was around 3.5cm and deeply embedded in the muscle of my hand near the tendons. I'm still on strong antibiotics and have had a radio to investigate further - My doctor said the hospital should have xrayed the hand in the first instance, sent the photos to her colleagues. Anyone who is sqeamish, dont click the link !  [:'(] http://picasaweb.google.fr/snakehipster/Hand?authkey=qo-kzQuLzZ4
  18. Yes , Clair is correct. We have annual pollution emission tests on all our vans in the business, as well as the standard 2 yearly CT's.   http://www.punchardrenovation.com
  19. Apart from the obvious things like fuses etc that have already been mentioned, before you dismantle it you could squirt a bit of WD40 in and around the switch mecanism ( make sure it is unplugged first!), and then operate the switch a few times as it may just be a dirty contact. Otherwise I think it could be the carbon brushes that you will find inside the casing . All good brands will have spares available and brushes are a common item.  
  20. [quote user="Chezstevens"]In that case, not having mentioned 2 yr extension before, I would hope that Renault would have been rather more generous.  Was it 4 yrs and 100,000 km warranty? [/quote] Yep thats's the one - Contrat "Lozenge" I think it's called.
  21. Chezstevens - Actually  I did  extend the gurantee to 4 years at the time of purchase which is why I fought my corner with Renault so hard. Now 7 years seems a good one. Pity Kia don't do a decent van ! Bones, - The gearbox was a complete Dealer factory exchange, with new clutch too. I'm beginning to think I came out alright in the end.    
  22. Well here is an update; A day after posting my original message the gearbox finally failed and I had no choice to put it in for repair at a Renault main dealers . The bill came to 3000 euros. I refused to pay the bill without a satisfactory response from Renault "Service clientele" but the Renault garage would only release the vehicule if I left a cheque (which they promised they wouldn't cash) until I heard back from head office. I had no choice as it (the van) was my livelihood, so left a cheque. So two weeks passed and I got a phone call from a Renault Service Clientelle who said they have studied my dossier and would offer 50% of the repairs costs. I complained further and said I wanted "entier satisafaction" and would like the whole bill paid for. To cut a long story , after 10 mins of reasonablt polite convesation (in French) I realised we weren't going anywhere, the guy on the other end said as it was out of guarantee and he said it was a genuine offer. He then threatened to retirer (take back) the offer if I didn't accept. With fear of losing the offer I reluctantly accepted. I must admit I was quite angry with effectively being threatened but can live with it. Most French people I have spoken to say that was a good offer and I was lucky  to get 50% ......... Maybe they're right? I think that if it had of been in the Uk , with bodies like the CAB, consumer programmes and such like I would have fought a bit harder. Thanks for the replies chaps, and yes Bones I woul be inclined to do what you suggest if there is ever a next time. Play them at their own game is what I would now advocate.
  23. [quote user="UlsterRugby1999"]I'm no expert - but I have used a special mastic which secures the guttering and downspouts very securely and needs no special skills. You can get it in BricoDepot for circa 7€ and it works very well.[/quote] Yes,  There is a zinc mastic available for the DIY market which will work to a certain extent on straight joints but there are other aspects of using zinc that just have to be soldered. The only proper way to do it is to solder it. In my case I have to give a 10 year guarantee so I couldn't trust a mastic.  
  24. [quote user="Bannon"]We use a dog. No cables, no batteries.... and no cats![/quote] But a driveway alarm doesn't need to be taken for a walk, doesn't leave deposits every where and doesn't need feeding evey day, There are no vets bills either [:)]  
  25. French guttering is not galvanised it is just zinc. You need The "tinmans" 33% eutectic solder usually is called a bagette de soudure à l'étain in France and a gas fired copper iron which should not directly contact the zinc for too long as you will have a big holes appear very quickly!! You will need to use a proprietary flux décapant. Decap express 841 is a make I use sometimes. New zinc will solder well. You need to clamp the two gutters in a gutter clamp so that they are not under tension when soldering and then tack in three places. You will need to rub the iron tip over a bloc of "sal ammoniac" from time to time to remove oxidation and keep it clean. remove all acid residues with clean water. There is a knack in doing it properly and you can easily burn a hole straight through the zinc if you have too much contact. I am lucky to have employed a French roofer for seven years so have become adept at the soldering side of things. Here are a couple of photos of some I have done recently . I cut my own holes for downpipes and solder all round the flange. The joint is very strong. I must stress that the above is just a brief summary and there is quite a bit of skill to it , but with practice on old scraps of zinc it should be fairly attainable. Photo 1 Photo 2 www.punchardrenovation.com    
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