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jxedwards

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Posts posted by jxedwards

    Touluse Blagnac Airport Yearly Parking

    in South West (Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées)

    Posted

    As has been stated on the forum before and shown in the link below it is possible to buy yearly car parking at Toulouse Blagnac airport for just under 1,000 euros.

    We are thinking of using this option opending ourchase of a more 'reliable' car.

    Question is how/where/when can you purchase this option?

    How does it work, ie swipe card for use with any vehicle, dedictade windscreen sticker for a specific vehicle?

    If any of you fellow Midi-Pyrenneans have experience of the yearly parking option please let us know the pros/cons etc.

    Thanks

    John & Julie

     

    http://www.toulouse.aeroport.fr/US/pageEdito.asp,UIDcNode,198694F9,UIDcRoot,812C44C3,IDPAGE,595.rwi.html

    FAQ - FRENCH ELECTRICS GLOSSARY

    in House Renovations

    Posted

    I agree re french v UK sockets with regard to quality however when in Rome? Not so sure they are 'safer' any eveidence to suggest this apart from opinion?

    Not sure if they do comply I suspect they do not.

    As I have stated on previous post's what happens if you have an electrical fault causing damage/fire to your property and the unsurer's discover UK sockets????

    Selling your house in the future you will have to replace with french sockets

    French sockets use different size mounting screws so any surface mounted sockets would have the boxes removed from the wall and replaced withh UK ones.

    Basically silly idea use french

     

    John

    Underfloor Heating System Suppliers

    in House Renovations

    Posted

    Having searched the site and having asked before and did not really get any 'concrete' answers I will ask again hoping that someone can help.

    We intend to install wet underfloor heating in 3 rooms and a hallway in our property.  Approx 120 m2 in total with 8 circuits.

    I have installed underfloor heating myself in the UK and I want to to do the same in France. I have searched online but cannot really find any information re suppliers in France.

    I do have the option of buying in the UK and getting the supplies delivered. I know sizes are different but I would only require adaptor/crossover fitting into the manifol for the UFH.

    there maybe an issue with the mains pressure being higher in France re UK.

    So anybody out there installed UFH in France using French supplied equipment?

    Anybody out there can point me in the direction of a supplier particularly in the Midi-Pyrennees?

    I have asked my plumber but not really getting much sense out of him. I think he is technically afraid of UFH due to little of no experience of it.

    So any help re suppliers appreciated.

     

    John

    Basque militants attack holiday homes

    in South West (Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées)

    Posted

    Paul,

    I agree with your comments

    As a South Walian I can only apologise for the ignorance of my Northern counterparts.

    It is something I am due to ‘experience’ in 3 weeks when myself and OH visit Snowdonia for a weekend. I will report.

    North Walians generally look down on us ‘southerners’ as being less Welsh as the majority of us do not speak Welsh, or if we do it is not as a 2nd language. The historical facts behind this are well documented, therefore these reasons should be understood.

    It is a difficult situation as it was for North Wales in the early/mid 80’s with ‘rich & affluent’ people inflating the price of property behind the means of local people. This of course has possibly been repeated in areas of France.

    Now in Carmathenshire (West Wales) the county council will only permit new housing developments if a certain percentage of the housing is kept low cost for purchase by young local people. I do not know the details but in principal seems a sensible route to take.

     

    John

    UK Anti-terrorist security, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

    in Travelling to/from France

    Posted

    As we are on the subject:-

    IDIOT SIGHTING : Hubby and I had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a "large" enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time,  a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, "Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower." I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, "NO, it's not. Four is larger than two."
    We haven't used Sears repair since.
    ________________________________________
    IDIOT SIGHTING: I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road. The reason: "Too many
    deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore." 
    From Kingman , KS
    ________________________________________
    IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE: My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for "minimal lettuce."  He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg.   He was a Chef?
    Yep...  From  Kansas City !
    ________________________________________
    IDIOT SIGHTING ! : I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?"  To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?"   He smiled knowingly and nodded, "That's why we ask."
    Happened in  Birmingham , Alabama
    ________________________________________
    IDIOT SIGHTING : The stoplight on the corner buzzes when its safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, "What on earth are blind people doing driving?!"
    She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS
    ________________________________________
    IDIOT SIGHTING: At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker:
    She was leaving the company due to "downsizing." Our manager commented cheerfully, "This is fun. We should do this more often." Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.
    This was a group at Texas Instruments.
    ___________________________________________
    IDIOT SIGHTING : I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself, and for the sake of her own life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on. A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office no less.
    ____________________________________________
    IDIOT SIGHTING: When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it.  We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver's side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked.  "Hey," I announced to the technician, "Its open!"   His reply, "I know - I already got that side."
    This was at the Ford dealership in Canton , Mississippi !
    ______________________________________________________________________
    STAY ALERT!
    They walk among us, they REPRODUCE!!!!!!!!!!!

    Canadian Electrician

    in French Artisans

    Posted

    Howard,

    Don't be sorry far better to vent off some frustration here on a forum than start wife bashing or something else more drastic......!!

     

    Sorry doesn't not help the Canucks from BC but good luck anyway

     

    John

    (cheapskate Brit wanting everything for nowt)

    UK Anti-terrorist security, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

    in Travelling to/from France

    Posted

    Toulouse airport being told I had to pay for 1 of the small plastic bags.

    So I just put my small tube of toothpaste in the front pocket of my carry-on and decided to act dumb.

    Straight through x-ray out the other side no problem....!!!!

    Phew.....!!!! Whats the point???

     

    Cardiff being told by a chav like female with a grating voice to put my laptop and bag through. Bag contained 1500 pounds worth of camera equipment plus laptop a lot of money.

    Then told to wait as the yearly Benidorm bound morons in front of me had set off the metal detector with all sorts of wonderful metal bits in their pockets. Meanwhile 3K's worth of my electronic goodies lie at the end of the belt where anyone in a busy airport can pick them up. Oh yes I have seen it happen at Madrid and Amsterdam.

    So I step out of line to keep an eye on my belongings. This caused the chav to lose the plot and ask me to step back in line. When I refused explaining the above she called the supervisor. 'Who do you think will take your belongings sir'? With that some small kid promptly picked up my rucksack camera et al and shouts 'dad is this ours'...! Turned to the chav and super 'I rest my case my lord' and promptly proceeded through to collect my valuables. The supervisor understood but sad to say beyond the chav's comprehension.

     

    Cardiff being asked to remove my flip flops whilst boarding a Benidorm bound flight. Yes I can be one also....!!!!

     

    Any UK airport 1 bag only. Catch a flight at Madrid or Lisbon or Sao Paulo, 1 bag, yer avin a laugh....!!!!!

     

    You have to laugh otherwise severe depression and despair would be the alternative

     

    John

     

    AKA Mr Meldrew

    Confused about Gaine

    in House Renovations

    Posted

    Gluesstick,

    Not sure about different size cable on a 'circuit'. Not good practice and not something i would do. Within the NORMS, no idea.

    Nothing wrong with JB's feeding sockets from above however as I said they will need access and again not something I would do. No load at the socket as it is a direct connection and the cable being used should be capable of full circuit current.

    Off the record I have run socket wires behind plasterboard horizontally at skirting board level. Against the NORMS/regs, yes. I know about them. Yes if I sell!!!! The big one is running horizontally/diagonally across walls where anybody could try and nail/screw anything, whoosh bang bang.

     

    Bon chance

     

    John

    Confused about Gaine

    in House Renovations

    Posted

    Chaps,

    See comments below in Blue. I am basing my info on my 25 year old UK electrician qualifications and what I have ‘discovered’ re French NORMS. By no means definitive but I hope the comments help.

    Note written before additional comments by BobDee. Bobdee no way Jose horizontal between lights big big no no.

    I take this to mean that in non load bearing partition walls, horizontal gaine runs are not allowed (except for short ones of no longer than 50 cms). This is correct, also diagonal runs are a big No No. Recent case in the UK which finally prompted legislation was when a lady got electrocuted drilling a hole in her new kitchen wall. The person who had revamped the kitchen had installed the 6mm2 cooker cable diagonally across the wall with no mechanical protection under the plasterwork and incorrectly earthed. The regs/NORMS apply common sense if you have a socket/switch then you assume that it is fed vertically and no other way. Short 50 cms runs are allowed. This should apply to any wall load bearing or not, think about it.

    My confusion is because simply, if up and down is the only allowed implementation, then it would be better to use a connecting box each time, rather than series-connect through the sockets! Probably however any connection in any circuit can be cause of a breakdown. Remember French NORMS require that access is available to all JB’s (junction boxes/boite de deviation). Therefore if you were to put JB’s in the ceiling/floor space above a room the JB’s would need to be accessible. If you series connect as you say at the socket then yes you use extra cable but all you connections are accessible.

    To conclude if you are struggling with any of these concepts (and by the questions you have asked I would surmise so) then leave this type of work alone and hire a qualified person. Electricity is the silent hidden killer. As some would have noted from my previous posts on similar questions, if you screw up your plumbing connections you will get wet/furniture ruined/expensive. However unless you are laying on the floor unconscious the probability of death/serious injury is almost zero. Screw up electricity…..brown bread, goodnight Irene, hello pearly gates (maybe).

    I am undertaking the rewire of our property myself. However when it comes to the relocation of my distribution board/tableau I will ‘contract’ this out to a fully registered French electrician as this task is beyond my knowledge of the French/EDF connection systems. Don’t be offended by my comments just everyone needs to be made aware of the hazards of getting an electrical installation incorrect. Even though I ‘left’ the UK domestic electrical industry 20 years ago I work in the offshore oil & gas industry with high voltage electrical systems so feel ‘qualified to comment thus.

    Regards

    John

     

    French asked to be polite to tourists for 24 hours

    in The Complete France Post Bag

    Posted

    This occured on July 9th I believe. Anyone experience this 'event'?

     

    THE tourist lost near the Place de l'Opera in Paris asked a newspaper vendor for help.

    "Where's Starbucks?" she said in halting English.

    "No idea," he replied in French with a bad-tempered shrug - even though he knew the nearest Starbucks coffee shop was only 50m away.

    Haughty indifference to tourists is as Parisian as the Louvre, yet tourist officials are hoping to eliminate that attitude, if only for one day.

    Yesterday marked the launch of the first Paris Tourist Day, when residents of the French capital are encouraged to be polite, welcoming and helpful for 24 hours.

    Hundreds of thousands of brochures were to be distributed to waiters, taxi-drivers and others, calling on them to shed their longstanding reputation for arrogance and brusqueness.

    The Paris Tourist Office has also produced a charter in French and English with what it describes as commitments for Parisians and holidaymakers.

    "I will take the time to give information to visitors," it urges the city's residents.

    "I will take advantage of my stay to try French products," the charter advises foreigners.

    As part of Tourist Day, tourist board staff will be sent to the city's most visited sites in orange and white T-shirts bearing the slogan "Paris est a vous" (Paris is yours).

    Their mission is twofold: to persuade tourists that they are welcome, and to persuade local people to make them so.

    The campaign is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at rectifying the weakest point of the French, and notably the Parisian, tourist industry: manners.

    In a recent international opin-ion poll, Paris was ranked as the world's third-most attractive city behind Sydney and London. Respondents praised its architecture, monuments and glamour.

    But it came 52nd out of 60 for friendliness.

    The stakes are high. With 16million people staying in Paris hotels every year, it is the world's most popular urban tourist destination. Tourism in Paris is worth more than E14 billion ($22.2billion) a year and employs 150,000 people, according to the Tourist Office.

    I'm a pro gambler, what are my tax liabilites if I live in France?

    in Earning a Living

    Posted

    Mel,

    I am not fully able to answer your question as you do not reveal which secret service you are employed by.

    I know from my personal experience working as an agent for the Welsh section Mi-Taff that you can offset any income tax against your expense.

    As our dept head allows non recieptable expense of up to $10,000 a time then you can be very creative with your expense forms. As I frequently have to deal with the Welsh underworld (Tafia) then I find it easy enogh to reduce my income tax costs.

    I am not sure on the rules outside of the UK but I suspect that they will be the same as all EU countries should have signed up for the 'Letstryandfooltheforum' agreement!

    As for a Bently dealer in the Loches area not to sure.

    Hope this helps

     

    Opening an UK bank account from France

    in French Finance

    Posted

    An aunt of mine emigrated to USA when she was 27. At the age of 80+ she spent a year in the UK with family. She tried to open an account but did not check the right boxes and had no utility bills etc. despite having served 3 years for King and country in WW2 and showing papers to that effect she could not open an account to Xfer funds from USA. Not even intervention from the local MP was of any assistance.

    Sorry does not help you but just highlights the problem to others who may be tempted to close their UK accounts.

    Towing a vehicle using a 2-Wheel Trolley in France is it Legal?

    in Driving in France

    Posted

    Gents,

    Thanks for all the replies, very informative.

    A friend of mine will actually tow the vehicle in exchange for 4/5 nights accomodation with his wife and a gift of the 'dolly' trolly.

    It appears that to use one of these  to use a phrase I heard in Brasil once 'It is not legal, but also it is not really illegal!'.

    For instance if you live in lands end and your vehicle breaks down in John O'Groats then you have to get it home! Providing you obey the legal speed limits and documentation should be ok.

    The tow the French side will probably be during night time so hopefully all the Gendarmes snoozing somewhere.

    Anyway will let you now whn the vehicle has arrived safely and fine free in France

    John

    Towing a vehicle using a 2-Wheel Trolley in France is it Legal?

    in Driving in France

    Posted

    I intend to tow a Morris 1000 traveller from UK to SW France in Sept. It is my intention to use 1 of those 2 wheel 'dolly' trolley trailers whereby the front wheels sit on the trailer and the cars rear wheels are on the ground.

    Car will be fully insured, no tax as it is tax exempt and of course full UK MOT. It is my intention to register the vehicle in France once we have safely arrived.

    So to my question as the topic title states is this type of trailer/towing arrangement legal in France? Can I expect to encounter (apart from curious glances) any issues with the gendarmes?

    SD your imput would grately appreciated as the 'guru' of this section.

    Thanks in advance

    John

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