Weedon

[quote]On a thread in South Western France (Gammon), there is a discussion about farmers using human waste from Fosse Septiques on crops. I have been meaning to ask about this and thought I would post it her...[/quote] You can rest easy as this is a complete wind up. They appear to spray human waste on the fields but in fact only go through the motions!! Weedon(53)

NB Rabbits eat their own droppings. Never kiss a rabbit That reminds me of a tip for chapped lips. You go into the nearest field of cows lift up a tail and kiss its bottom. Its not a cure but it does stop you licking your lips. I do hope that the idea of packs of hunting rabbits never catches on as the drumming from their back legs will sound like the Zulu army at Rorkes Drift. Weedon(53)

[quote]As if no one will rip you off here! Think again, so what will doing your own thing be, find the person who did this and what, do their knees, make threats, or just put it down to 'life'..............i...[/quote] I quite agree that to be here does not make me immune to being ripped off as you put it but I prefer not to rely on "nannyism" for every little mishap that might befall me.  Life is too short to stuff mushrooms and sausage skins because after all said and done we are talking about a piddling £150 quids worth not thousands of pounds of real estate with respect to the original poster who simply asked for opinions. The small claims courts are clogged with tuppenny ha'penny bits of "its not the value its the principle" irrelevance and where is the benefit of that to man or beast and who pays in the long run.  I would suggest that that is one of many reasons why a lot of people like me have upped sticks and got out. Weedon(53)  

[quote]You should be relying on the UK Distance Selling regulations in this matter, not on the Sale of Goods regulations. Your rights are very clear: having bought at a distance and been supplied with inco...[/quote] What you say in your reply is so very true and is what makes the UK such a "happy" and "pleasant" place to live in!! I still prefer the old days when you bought a "pup" and learned a valuable lesson from doing so and is also why I prefer living here and doing my "own thing". Keep asserting your rights and filling the small claims courts but leave me to day dream. Weedon(53)

[quote]Please can anyone advise me on the following problem I have. A couple of weeks ago I thought it might be fun to buy a metal detector, never having used one in my life! I searched for UK sites and fo...[/quote] In the examples you quote you say that the new one includes accessories but the used machine did not appear to mention any accessories unless I did not read your posting correctly.  It would appear to me as if they have sent you a new model as they had no used ones anyway and as a result you did not get the accessories as they were only supplied with tha new model at the new model price.  I would suggest that instead of trying to get all "heavy"  with them that you simply phone them and speak to the Martin person and do a deal in your favour for the headphones, the digging tool will only be a garden trowel anyway I suspect. I do have a metal detector and I think you will find that headphones whilst not essential are certainly desirable in order to eliminate general noise. Joan Allen as an organisation is the accepted leader in the supply of these machines in the UK and you should find them more than happy to keep you "sweet" if you deal with them in the correct manner. Weedon(53)

Could some kind soul explain to me if it is possible to put a photograph onto this area. If it is and you don't mind explaining could you possibly keep it brief and in childlike phraseology. Weedon(53)

Now and again when feeling a little down (nothing to do with a duck) I have a quick gander? at my top 10 posting just to check if I am still on top. Yep still there and possibly for ever. Not having looked at page 2 of course I never read John (73 & 99). Weedon (53)  

In my experience its a big Yes to the first 2 ?s. We haven't experienced any other beasties though so you might just have to contend with trying to keep out the mice. It depends on what sort of house you have though.  If its an old stone built property in the country (like ours) where the mortar?? has reverted to earth its difficult to keep the blighters from entering the walls and in turn coming into the rooms so I block up as many obvious points of entry on the exterior and its a constant vigil to look for little holes etc. inside the house. I put down plastic containers with poison inside them so the dogs can't get access to it. I also have trap containers which catch the pests and then I despatch!!!! them ( I don't like the killing type which makes them wriggle as they expire).  The problem with the poison is that when they die they don't always end up in a convenient spot so the smell could be the first indication of success?  You can get so called electronic sonar devices that plug in to a wall socket and is supposed to protect up to 30 square metres but if my experience is anything to go by you can give them a miss because all the mice seem to do is boogie to the flashing light. You could get a cat (should be end of problem) or a good mouse catching dog (like us). Having just read this it sounds like a battle zone but its not as bad as it sounds really. All of this is based on my own experience but if you have a proper house? with real bricks and things you should'nt have many problems. Happy hunting Weedon(53)

Its already been done to death about the old and the new forums so I will just say that from now on I will only reply to any topics if there are no more that 9 replies (who said who cares?) as I don't want to be on the second page. Who looks past the first page any way? Weedon (53)

So France is or is'nt for you then? All the things for and against are probably right but where do you go to find paradise. I bet if you found it you'd probably end up living near to some right pain in the rear. I can only speak from the corner of the retired person and I am more content here than I was back in my East Sussex village but there I ran a small business for 30 years and it was b***y hard going so I find living here a doddle. For the working family, without a good  knowledge of the language, frankly its a none starter.  I did a little research before coming here but not much and I was only taught french at school for 6months when I was 14 years old so my grasp of the language was and still is very bad.  But I came here not expecting anything other than what I have found. Perhaps there is too much on television about so called super stars living idyllic lives and too many stories in glossy magazines which are giving people an unrealistic idea of what their lives could be like.  You only have to look at that new talent show on saturday night tv to see that people are just looking for that one chance to turn their lives into something fantastic. Sadly for all of them it "aint gonna happen". For 99.9% of you look at the life you already have and be aware that it does not get any better.  Luckily for me I found that it did, maybe its not much but its all mine and I am content with it. Weedon (53)

[quote]Around here (85) every April/May a local sets a still up and off we go with our containers![/quote] My farmer neighbour is the local man for taking your apples,pears,plums and probably anything else you fancy turning into a drink.  He,s got a contraption that looks like a cross between Stephensons Rocket and a steam engine, with which he gets his alcohol out of. For the past 2 years I have had one old chap who comes to take away my apples and in return I get a dozen bottles of cider. Another old chap takes the pears the downside is he insists I have a  bottle of what he calls Poire William. I swear that it must be 95% if its not it must be pretty near. I've only tried one swig and it nearly burnt a hole through the roof of my mouth.  I've now got 2 bottles of the stuff and its about this time of the year when he's due to take away the pears and I will then have 3 bottles!!!! Anyone suggest a use for it? I've thought about using it to clean paint off my hands but I am a bit worried that it might take skin off as well.

I don't know about your sort of setup but on my small cylinder valve there is a small black knob which I think is a fail safe device. Push this in and this resets the device and lets gas flow along the pipe. I found this out after pressing the lighting device to no avail for about 15 minutes. I hope it is as easy for you. Weedon(53)

[quote]Hi, I wondered if anyone had finished with their scaffolding and would be willing to sell it? Willing to collect from 19,46.47,24 or close. best Regards Helen[/quote] If my guess is a good one then I reckon most of the people who use this forum and live here need to own certain things and one of those is a good type of scaffolding contraption. I bought a scaffold tower before I moved here and it one of the things I wouldn't be without. I was in Point P the other day and I did notice they had scaffolding for sale. It was the type that had trestle type things and metal walkways that hook on to the trestles. It was certainly not a DIY flimsy item and worth considering buying. I am not sure if Point P is in your area but if not you probably have a similar thing where trades people go for their supplies and I have found that these good quality bits of equipment are very often better value than the UK. Sorry that its only waffle I have to give but whatever you end up with don't forget to secure it well. Weedon(53)

[quote]This is just to let you know Dick that someone else occasionally looks in on this forum. I've not been to Corsica either. Hoddy[/quote] Seen it on the map but never been there and as far as I know never likely too and I would'nt have looked in only that blooming DS did a posting, but I'm sure its very nice and ripe for the next influx of A Place in the Sun wannabuys. Weedon (53)

[quote]So can I throw all my unwanted building supplies down it...? and maybe the ex wife......? Mick...[/quote] Presumably in heavy rainfall you get some water in it and if you throw any old junk down there and water percolates (sp) through it there might possibly be contamination further down the line.  Maybe others might think differently but if you fill it with junk and it goes wrong it would be a shame to have to get it all back out again. Weedon (53)

[quote]Come on guys n gals - what's a suitable adjective for Kirstie ? How about "strapping" to set the ball a-rolling ? John[/quote] Perhaps "bouncy", along with that other "bouncy" Lloyd's Bank advert person who does A Place in the Sun. In my view they both have what it takes to knock up concrete. Weedon (53)

I have to start off with the fact that I think that croissants are over-rated but on the odd occasion I can be bothered to go a mile up the road to the boulangerie to buy them I stick them in the micro-wave on hi-speed for 20 secs and I just find them warm and floppy.  For all I know they buy them in bulk and make out that they bake them themselves. I have fond memories of my childhood when we used to live virtually next door to a bakery and mum used to get us to go for hot rolls for our breakfast before school, now that was a treat. Weedon (53)

[quote]Strange, isn't it. The smell of organic waste is something I've always associated with France, and as such it has quite pleasant connotations. You know, the whiff of the pissoir or street corners in t...[/quote] On our one and only visit to Paris a couple of years ago we found the stroll along the Seine past the Tuilleries (sp) so romantic?? and funnily enough the tune that came to mind was "Hey round the corner dog poo" I think you may know it as something like "Hey round the corner behind the bush looking for Henry Lee".  Sorry but I have trouble remembering the real words to tunes. I recall thinking that the words to "Shake rattle and roll" was "You gotta s**g Marilyn Monroe".  Personally, very often, I think my words are better but then I digress............... Weedon (53)

[quote]Hello, New to the forum. We wondered if anyone knew of a chimney sweep in Dept 22 near Guingamp. We have been looking for over 2 years now. We did manage to find one but was unable to communicate in F...[/quote] I can't vouch for other towns or villages but in our village the local roofer also cleans chimneys and has arranged for his mate the chimney liner installer expert to come along and arrange to install a liner for me. I speak very little french (shame on me) and the 2 workers speak no english but we got there fairly easily with the help of a good english/french dictionary and lots of laughs (at least from me). Have a go with your local man, arm yourself with a pre-worked out speech and hopefully you will have your wood burner up and running for the winter of 2005/2006.  You didn't expect it to be done this year did you?? Weedon (53)

The chilling fact is that the fanatics who carry out these acts whether in Russia, Iraq or World Trade Centre show as much compassion to human life as when the rest of us squash a fly. The rest of the civilised world sadly will  always be one step behind in dealing with these cruel and inhumane specimens. Weedon(53)

I see that the only ones interested enough to post any replies to this thread are those that own 4x4s which in my view are not neccesary for 95 per cent of those that own them. One of the reasons I have heard people justify owning them is that they are safer if you have a collision. So its alright to go headlong into another car so long as you are safe is it? When I was in the motor trade I lost count of the numbers of 4x4 owners who after owning the vehicle for some time  had never ever used the four wheel drive or had run it in four wheel drive for weeks without knowing it. Golden Retriever, 4x4 , private number plate, have I missed anything else on the list. Fire away, I have a thick skin and a good tin helmet. Weedon(53)

[quote]Sorry, but what is a vole?? Is it a mole??[/quote] A vole is like a mouse only smaller with a pointed snout and has a high pitched squeak when frightened by a cat or a dog but cats usually don't like them. The numerous holes all over your garden may well be voles but more likely to be field mice (mulots) which take over the runs of moles (taupe). Whatever they are it is good hunting material for different types of owl and kestrels and for all I know other nocturnal thingys. If your garden is anything like mine I am convinced that one day the whole area will drop by 3 inches (only joking). I have to confess that I do put poison seed into the holes beacause I hate the mice coming into the house in the winter. I haven't tried the "thumper" but I have tried sticking kids windmills into the ground with little effect. I was told by a proffesional parks keeper in the UK that there was very little you can do to get rid of moles except to remove the 'slag heaps' and fill the holes with sand. When I was a bit paranoid about the moles I have been known to run like hell for my spade whenever I saw the mole hills moving in order to give it a b****y big whack which I read somewhere did them no good but I hit the ground so hard it hurt my shoulder so I now just flatten the ground with my garden tractor and worry about other things like getting rid of flies!!!!!!! Weedon(53)

This warfare developped parallel to the Vendéen revolt. The most important leaders were Jean Cottereau and his brothers, Boisguy, Boulainvillier, Boishardy, Cadoudal, Antoine de Tremoille. The Chouans owe their name to the "chat-huant" whose hooting was used as a sign of rallying. This revolt consists of three periods. The first stretching from autumn 1793 to spring 1795. They were few in number and had no logistics, they were badly organised, badly equipped, undernourished and could only lead actions of feeble proportions. The change occurred in the month of October and November 1793, when they were joined by the survivors of the Vendéen army which had just been defeated at Savenay. The Chouans organised themselves around the Vendéens, but also around smugglers no-longer in hiding, and the noble who were making their come-back in France. The English promised a landing of their troops. At the death of Robespierre in July 1794 the young republican proposes an amnesty to the rebels. It’s in spring 1795, that the Chouans sign a treaty of peace with Hoche and obtain liberty of religious worship. (People were only allowed to worship in churches that recognised the Republic.). Making the most of this peace to arm themselves again, they waited for the landing of the emigrant troops. This happened on the 17th of June 1795, on the beaches of Carnac. The hundred thousand emigrant troops that they had been waiting for, were only ten thousand commanded by Puisaye, Hervilly and Sombreuil, but without the Princes who had abstained. An 20 000 strong army of Chouans in the command of Cadoudal, headed straight for the landing area. However, they had not counted on the presence of Hoche, who had been alerted by the convention, drove them back towards the peninsula of Quiberon. They were made prisoner on the beach of Port Haliguen. They could not go back to sea, since the swell was to heavy, preventing all vessels approaching the coast. The convention refuses to favour them and they are obliged to fight at Quiberon, Auray, Vannes. The moral of the troops is very low, the Chouans are tracked down by Hoche who makes a point of cutting them off from the peasant population, by using the political approach of religious tolerance. A year later, summer 1796, most of them have renounced the fight.

[quote]Thanks Dick, that's really fascinating. I love local history, and it's nice to come across something as interesting as this, even though it's a bit morbid. I'd heard of the Chouans, but never associat...[/quote] Further to the interesting bits supplied by DS there is a Jean Chouan museum of sorts situated on the Laval to Le Bourgneuf de Foret road with an official looking plaque on the roadside indicating it. I say "of sorts" because the only time I attempted a visit it was closed. It looks as if it was either a house or a newer house on the site of a previous dwelling which I, it seems mistakenly, took to be where Jean Chouan lived. On reflection I think it is only open in the summer months, I may pay it another visit in the next few days to have another look now that the subject has come up. Weedon (53)

[quote]There's been loads of stuff on France 3 news (when not JO) for the last week, and some documentaries ( and the film 'Is Paris Burning?'). A lot of it I hadn't seen before. On the 25th (I think) there ...[/quote] There is an excellent book entitled "Is Paris Burning" about the German occupation of Paris and it seems the world owes much gratitude to the German OC of Paris in that he disregarded  orders from Hitler to blow all the bridges of the city and its historical buildings.