Weedon

For those interested in seeing how Bloodhound is developing, watch now. http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/rocket It's presently on live. 15:40

Rupert Murdoch has been deeply touched by some of the messages people left on Amy Winehouse's phone..

Try this website, when it loads click on [other] for listings of sports schedule. F1 broadcast now. Edited. That is of course for those who have no UK tv. You can watch cricket as well.

[quote user="Dog"]. As a kid all my bicycles were made up from discarded frames found in ditches and we had great fun scavenging at a local tip. I don't think you'd be allowed to do that today. [/quote] [:-))] When I was a kid I had a bike like that...couldn't keep the blooming thing going in a straight line, I used to proceed in a crab-like manner. I am sure that's why now one leg is shorter than the other. Now that I am close to moving house and all of my furniture was loaded onto the removal lorry on Wednesday, I have a barn with lots of very useful bits of plastic sheeting of various sizes saved over the last 10 years. Yesterday the new purchasers came round to have anothe look prior to completion on Friday (I am then homeless). I think I got away with explaining to him that plastic sheeting is useful for covering up stuff in the barn. I couldn't quite bring myself to sell him the idea that the solid bag of cement would make a great garden feature. Having had to do a de-clutter prior to moving I had to get rid of anything that had not been used, sat on or otherwise made use of in the last 6 years, some of which went to the local dechetterie. The helpful chap there used to help me unload my trailer and I came to notice that his wooden hut started to take on a similar look to the inside of my own house. Lovely to read about the bits and pieces that you folks can't bear to part with.    

A little while ago whilst travelling in my camper my GPS failed to start when I wanted to set off to my next destination. No problem I thought, just take off the head assembly turn it upside down and stick something sharp in the hole marked [reset]. Search camper for something sharp to stick in the hole. A fork is no good as the other tines get in the way, and they are too big anyway, don't be silly...cocktail sticks in a camper, I don't think so. What can I take apart that has something small and sharp in it? I had not got any magazines so no staples to prise apart. After a 20 minute search found nothing suitable I thought the solution was to drive out of town to find a supermarket. Found supermarket. Where to find pins, any pins, safety pins perhaps, do they still make them, does France know about safety pins? The last time I saw a safety pin was the one time I tried changing a nappy on middle child (45 years ago) and was more nervous then about jabbing myself than the child (couldn't pluck up the nerve to change a nappy for the first child). Incidentally I refused to have a go at the third child, I mean have you seen that stuff in there?[+o(] Finally found a wrapped pack of safety pins on a stand marked "odds and s ods" at least I reckon it did. Blimey oh riley!!! 8 euros for a pack of about 6 safety pins!! That's the problem with France, where are all the tatooed people with piercings when you want them? In my neck of the woods in the UK there's hundreds of them, one of them would have loaned me something I bet.  

Really sorry we cannot make it this week as I believe crossy curry is on the menu. Is it going to be a pig-out in the park, and is the pig-out short for pigeon?

Thanks for the suggestion but I think the local village shop is all out of falcon's, red kite's and kestrel's, I don't think he asked about a hawk though.

Recently I met somebody whose life is being ruined by pigeons in his eaves, and having been plagued myself by moles (garden type not skin) I know how these things can get to you. I thought his best attempt, if a little tricky, was to balance on a windowsill whilst swiping at them with a broom. I reckon his neighbours think it is a quaint English version of housework rather than pest control though. I suggested a catapult or a fancy water pistol with dye so he could see if the same pigeon comes back.   Anybody else have any suggestions for a very cross pigeon non-fancier?[:D] Edited:- Cos I can't think why I thought there was a D in Pigeon.  

A nice wedding song..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J-3mIpk67c Edited:- Blooming website was slow so I punched the [post] twice.

A nice wedding song..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J-3mIpk67c

No need to worry JJ and Crossy I won't let you down I shall be there, cos I don't have any other friends great or otherwise[:P].

[:-))][:D] I wouldn't even think of trying that. So now how do I feel? A bulldog can do things on a skateboard I couldn't, and a poodle plays the piano better than me.[:$]

I'm impressed with the piano playing as it's better than I could do, and the high notes are pretty good, if a little off-key imho. I particularly like the way he looks around to see if anybody is listening.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcQai--9AHQ

Yes yes yes...that's enough please. Now can pachapapa get on to sorting out this persons right of way/neighbour dispute, I want to see how it's sorted. I feel like I'm a neighbour myself peeping out of my window waiting for it to escalate into some pushing and shoving.

French farmers make use of their synchronised blocking tactics and make it into a piece of art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCXqyrZcUWQ

It is my understanding that the contract is offered to the next of kin, who has the right to agree to go ahead or to cancel. I have no idea how long it takes but I imagine it takes as long as the notaire can satisfy him/herself the nephew is the only family. Your notaire is the best person to ask.

The Greeks are much worse! They have borrowed money from lots of countries which they have no intention of paying back, so I wouldn't be too concerned about loaning a book or a CD to anyone. As for somebody returning an album with cornflakes stuck to it...how common. I'd make sure that very expensive Jordan's meuesli was stuck there before returning it.

Very interesting. Suffice to say that although my village sits on top of a hill and is in itself about 100 miles (give or take) from the sea, my house sits slightly lower, but that is counter balanced by having a number of very tall oak trees in the garden, so I feel sure that if either Marseille or Brest floods I shouldn't get my feet wet. However, as a consequence, if the river in Laval rises I shall have to do a quick shimmy up one of those trees just to be on the safe side. Question is, if that should happen which item would I take with me as I struggle to get to the top of the tree? At the moment I favour the blow up mattress except that it would be much easier to climb if the mattress were deflated. But then I doubt whether I have enough puff to blow it up whilst clinging to a branch. Could take the foot operated pump I suppose, but would there be room up the said tree to get my leg pumping away whilst chanting "Tsunami!" in the manner of a football crowd taunting the opposition with a "oo are ya...oo are ya"

Gem, you have most probably already done this so apologies if you have done the obvious. Did a google and found this. Again, you might already do this. Have a look at the addresses, put them into google maps (street level) then have a gander at the outside.

With the money that Nadal has earned, and I imagine he has a clothing sponsor as well, he could get a pair of shorts to fit him. Every time he serves, plus a few extras,  he has to stop his bottom from eating his shorts. Maybe it's a Mallorquin thing![blink]

JJ...I heard that you eat and drink most days so are quite happy to share a crust or two with anybody, whether it's the 10th or the 17th.

For some time it has been our (me and John) intention to meet up again (we met a couple of years ago) around the time I was next passing through Angouleme, which I will be so as to be at a race meeting on the 13th. We intended to meet for a beer or two or lunch on the weekend before, that being the 10th. We have chatted this morning as he was trying to organise a meet for the 17th instead of the 10th. It is not possible for me to be there on the 17th as I have to be back home on the 17th at the latest, so we are going to meet as planned on (or around) the 10th. It's a little difficult for JJ to access the forum at the moment so he has asked me to let you know that he is quite happy to make the meeting day the 17th for anybody who wishes to do so. Shame I can't meet any of you on the 17th, perhaps another time[kiss]

Any update on the sunday lunch rendezvous? Has it been decided yet whether it is a formal lunch or a "bring and share" pig-out in the local park?

[quote user="Jay"][quote user="Weedon"] I am sure Coops knows, but just so nobody goes to the garage and mentions the incorrect term...the correct phraseology for correcting uneven tyre wear is "wheel alignment...toe in (or out)...or tracking". Wheel balancing is placing balance weights on the rim of the wheel to correct shake at the steering wheel or vibration felt through the car.[/quote] You would get some odd looks if you said that in my garage! For those of us who live in France I believe it's Alignement, Pincement (Ouverture) and Equilibrage. [/quote] I was assuming that most intelligent people would look up the appropriate wording in a dictionary before asking at a garage. It's what I do when I don't know, which is most of the time. Incidentally, much better to ask for Parallelisme des roues, for those of us who live in France.  I believe that a lot of French people would most probably understand what you were getting at if you said pedantic rather than pédant, as well.

[quote user="AnOther"]  Not often but I've seen cars on the road where a badly out of balance rear wheel was bouncing that much that it was almost leaving the road yet the driver seemed totally unaware of what was going on ! Finally, although it's understandable that most would fit a new pair of tyres to the front wheels, it is almost universally accepted that they should be fitted to the rear, particularly so on a front wheel drive car where the weight transfer under braking makes the back go very light with the resultant risk of skidding and loss of control. The best plan is to rotate your tyres so that they all wear at a similar rate then replace all 4 at the same time. [/quote] A bit of an exaggeration in your first sentence there ANO. I have never ever seen that, and I cannot believe that anybody would be driving a car where that is happening and not be aware of it. As for the back end breaking away and skidding. You have to be driving pretty fast to make that happen I reckon. I would never advise rotating the tyres so as to have them be replaced all at once, much better to do 2 at a time IMHO. As far as it being universally accepted that new tyres go on the rear, I don't think that is true at all. I am shortly to need 2 tyres because the fronts have worn slightly badly on the inside edge. Ordinarily I would elect to have them fitted to the front but in this case I will have them fitted to the rear with the rears coming to the front, as I want to make sure that any out of alignment has been fixed properly. That is not because of any safety road holding issues, as I reckon I never drive so fast as to lose the back end (neither do I normally drive like a doddery old fool), but I am more conscious of how much things cost. Having said all that I am quite happy to accept that because my experience is originally based on selling and fitting Dunlop D75s, Michelin Xs and Mohawk's, like everything else in life the way things are done now seem to supercede all that went before. Those were also the days when it was sometimes impossible to balance remoulds successfully and Chinese tyres sold very well because they were black and made of rubber.