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Here endeth the topic Amen. 

This topic is closed!

Interested in sex & travel? Patrick

Actually you can find the BBCi channels using a French digital satellite receiver.  Have a look at  http://www.lyngsat.com/28east.html where you'll find all the tuning co-ordinates, then read the manual that came with the receiver to find out about adding transponders and searching for channels. Patrick

I've got an 087 number on the line that comes with my Wanadoo broadband contract and connects through my livebox. It gives me free calls anywhere in France.  Patrick

"Wait a second" Madame de Pompadour Patrick

[quote user="pads"]I think i may have the last word here.............................its Zut Its the last word in my french dictionary do I win?[blink] [/quote] To be fair to other EU member states I have consulted my German dictionary and it's "Zypresse". (Cypress tree) Oh, and my head is so not like a yak that I'm thinking of trading in George for a more realistic and better looking avatar.  He's not ageing too well, and he will not be playing me in the film of my life any more.  He's now got the part of my Dad. Patrick

I don't think I want the last word.  The implication is that whatever you said was so boring nobody could be bothered to respond. Having said that, I suppose this will be the last thing posted on this topic - ever. Patrick

Thanks, all,  for the very informative answers.  Her driving licence is British so unless she suffers from one of the medical conditions specified (hopefully not - she's still very healthy) there should be no problems. Patrick

My mother is considering coming to live in France.  She's 87 and very independent.  She has driven since her teens, was an American Ambulance Brigade driver during WW2 and still zips about everywhere in her Citroen. She's worried that she may not be allowed to continue to drive if she moves over here.  Does anyone have any information? Patrick

Well, sorry about the website.  I could have sworn it used to be on there!  Where did it go? Anyway, I've put it back - I hope. Let me just repeat I have never criticised anyone for using the term "gite".  I just prefer not to use the word in any of my marketing, because of the connotations it has for me. Patrick

[quote user="Gluestick"] Perhaps when UK society reaches a level similar to (e.g.) one of the old US frontier towns in the later half of the 1800s and when more "Normal" people are shot and killed, then the great uninformed majority will be shouting for "Them" to do something about it. [/quote] Actually, I read somewhere, and believe it's true, that killings in Dodge City, Tombstone, and other towns whose names became bywords for violent " wild west" action, were remarkably few compared with modern day American cities.  I bet you're statistically far more likely to be shot in Manchester now than you ever were in the wild west days in Dodge. Patrick

[quote user="EMH"]Ending with-  -age all masculine; except 6: la cage, la rage, la plage, la page,                                                                           la nage, l'image. [/quote] Also "mirage"?  Edit:  Silly me - just looked it up! I'm wrong again. Patrick

You'll find my website address in my personal details. Naturally I'm pleased with 35 weeks of lettings, since the best I've done with any of my other 3 cottages is 31, and that was in the second year of letting it.   Now, I don't think it's abnormal to want to know if that's good by other peoples' standards too, so asking if it's a record is one way of finding out.  Yes, it's also blowing my trumpet a bit, but I didn't think it sounded too cocky.  Sorry if you did. Do people in the south care how many weeks of lettings other people are doing?  Obviously many of them do since there are fairly frequent postings about this very subject, among which most are from proprietors in the more southern parts.  I've seen a lot of comments that the gite market is saturated in some areas.  The north has as many, or more, holiday cottages than many other regions, but with a good product, good marketing, some effort and some luck, it's possible to compete and be successful in any market. And I'm really only here for the food, wine and golf, so obviously I prefer the north. Patrick Edit:  Just for the record, I was not criticising the standards of any British run holiday cottages in any region of France.  I just said I don't use the word "gite" because it conjures up images of the less well-equipped and rather poorly-furnished places I used to take my family to stay in, on holidays now long in the past.  As it happens, they were all French-owned and run - but if the cap fits......

So, it's not a record!  But it's good to hear some really upbeat stories - so many people seem to do nothing but moan in these pages about how slow the holiday business is. Perhaps the people who are making the business work have just been keeping quiet about it. Patrick    

On 4th July this year, the anniversary of it's completion, one of our cottages will have been let out for 35 weeks in it's first year.  That's assuming we don't get any last minute bookings for June.  (We only have 11 free nights left, anyway) I completed work on this cottage (I don't like to use the word "gite" - it smacks of ill-equipped, dusty places filled with hand-me-down furniture) on July 4th last year at 1440 hrs.  The first guests arrived at 1600.  Not only has it achieved an exceptional rate of occupancy since then, but it's also been so much in demand we've switched many guests, who wanted to book it but couldn't have it, to our other cottages, thus increasing sales all round. Anyone got a better story? No, I'm not going to tell you how we did it! Patrick  

Your departmental Gites de France office will be able to tell you how to proceed.  The grants come from the Conseil General and may not be available in some areas where there are already plenty of holiday gites, but it's worth a try wherever you are.  You need to understand that even if you are successful, no money is handed over until you have finished the job, it has passed inspection by Gites de France, and the Conseil General have examined all your building invoices. Rule 1.   Do not start any actual work until you have applied for a grant and received an indication that your application is under consideration. Rule 2.  Make sure every aspect of your proposed design complies with Gites de France minimum specifications (size of bedrooms, living space, bathrooms, wheelchair access for larger gites, etc.) Rule 3.  Do not break either of the first two rules. You will need to put together a dossier showing what you intend to build together with builder's estimates and a written favourable opinion from the local head of Gites de France.  The letter of application is easy because Gites de France give you an example to copy.  I can't remember all the other stuff you have to do because it's some time back since I did it, but I got 12,200 euros grant towards 2 gites a few years ago. Patrick  

[quote user="andyh4"]I think you're taking this too seriously Pat.  [:)] I was going to follow it with a posting about not getting speeding tickets from fixed cameras. Then one about how deep in the doo doo he was because he had been pulled up and all of his activities had come up on the police computer and did anyone know the address of a good french speaking lwywer in SW16.  And was it possible to pay fines in installments.  [/quote] But it's wonderful here in Angleterre!  When they catch you speeding they award you more points on your permis de conduire!  I was so worried because I had lost all but 3 of my points in France - now les rosbif bobbies have given me 6 more!  I only need to get caught once more and I shall have a clean licence! Patrick

[quote user="andyh4"]Hey I have just discovered that if you do not get your car re-registered and drive with your French number, they cannot track you down and make you pay your London congestion charges.  [/quote] Malheureusement, mon ami, they can still tow your car away when they find it parked in the congestion zone and no charge paid! Patrick

No, I hadn't realised there was an Arthurian series.  I tried one or two of the American civil war ones but didn't find them so engaging.  Possibly not attracted as much to the main character as I was by Sharpe and Thomas the archer. Patrick

Me too!  I think he's particularly good on battles, and I found his accounts of Waterloo in the Sharpe series, and Crecy in the Grail Quest series, very much more clear on the factual stuff than all of the  "proper" military histories I've tried. Patrick

[quote user="Will "]Don't wish to be awkward, Patrick, but that was Pete Seeger not Bob Dylan [:P] Don't you just love a pedant?[/quote] You're probably right - but how am I supposed to remember?  It was the sixties, right? Peace & love, man Patrick

I have actually travelled in time.  I got here from 1948 - and it only took me 58 years of your time. I would like to have a look at the Paris of 1889, but I haven't found how to get this thing into reverse!  Patrick

Junkies smoked them, every one, When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn? Patrick (with some help from Bob Dylan)

We went to the pub the other night but the service was terrible - the waiter never came to our table and after a long time we decided to go to the bar to  tell him we wanted some English beer.  They offered us Stella or Kronenbourg.  It cost so much we went home without even asking to see the menu. Have you tried that superb "Branston Pickle"?  It's perfect with rillettes. Patrick