Penny29

Hi, We seem to be a magnet in this area for people handing in or looking for their lost dogs - this is what we do when we are trying to find an owner: 1. Posters in all bars, bakeries and Post Offices (inside and outside). 2. We speak to the assistant in the Mairie and also put a poster up in the building & outside. 3. Posters in all local vets & speak to the receptionists in every vet's within 10 mile radius. 4. We contact the SPA and the gendarmes (faxing through a poster is especially appreciated by SPA). 5.We tell the postman (most important - the postman is your most useful resource) & ask for his help. 6. Finally, in the case of lost dogs we gather up as much help as possible and drive around calling for the dog...........especially late at night when it is quiet. 7. We post on ex-pat forums like this one- a long shot but always possible. 8. We telephone everyone in the area with an English name in the phone book (local to where dog was found only) & ask them to keep an eye out, give dog's description etc. Ditto with French friends in the vicinity. The last time we were asked to track down a missing dog he was found at the home of some summer visitors who took the dog in because they felt "sorry for him" but did not have the common-sense to tell anyone they had found a dog - I have a feeling it was the postman who helped us with that one. Good luck - keep trying, do everything you possibly can.            

We spend at least £20 per month or more on books & have happily used Amazon fr & uk for years. But for the best value in secondhand books I use:  www.abebooks.co.uk  To keep delievery costs down we try to order a bunch of books from the same supplier, they simply cannot be beaten on price & also it's a great source for finding rare & out-of-print books.    

Hi Wtg, We bought a ex holiday park static caravan from Canvas Holidays several years ago - we bought it on a special offer when they were offering free delivery within France. The after sales service was splendid and they still help us out when we need to locate a part. After 12 months the water heater burst due to a severe frost (we were living in it during the winter of 2004) & they provided us with a new one completely free of charge. Yes, you do need to get prior permission from your mayor (make sure you make it clear you are siting a mobile home as opposed to a caravan). If you want any other information including the pro's and the cons plus a chance to learn from our mistakes (re. burst pipes and inept plumbers who mended siad pipes with, wait for it....................cable ties!!!!) then drop me a pm.  

All found safe and sound.   Thanks to everyone who read this message.   Ros

Hi, Can anyone in this area (the North East corner of the Dordogne, nearest town = Thiviers) please look out for a lost dog. Valentine is an uncastrated, pale blonde Golden Retriever, he is a very friendly, affable young chap, around 2 years old, micro-chipped but not tattooed. He also answers to his pet name of Pam-Pam. Valentine belongs to our friends, Franck and Sandrine, who also live in the village of St Paul La Roche. He escaped from his "Nanny's" house (a farm on the outskirts of the village, where he goes for Doggy-Daycare during the week while his humans are at work) this morning at 10am. He gave Nanny (who is short sighted and a bit slow) the slip and he hasn't been seen since. We have all been out in our cars this evening for hours and hours, scouring the lanes, knocking at doors etc but to no avail, so we are all very worried. Tomorrow morning Franck will contact the SPA's, local vets etc. Please can anyone in the vicinity keep an eye out for this dog and let me know urgently if they see or hear of anything. Also, please, please can you ask any friends you have in the area to do the same? Please help us find this dog - he is very special, and Franck is breaking his heart. I won't give my telephone number out online, but my PC will be on all day and I will regularly check my LF inbox for news. Thank you all in advance. Ros

Quillan, Regarding your threats of "Forum Closure" to any who disagree with recent policies this quotation from the Bard seems apt: "I think something is very rotten in the state of Denmark."

Hi, I've been a member of this Forum since at least 2002, but haven't posted much in the last year or so because I did feel that the Forum had lost a lot of it's punch and pizzazz as a result of too many rules and regulations being bought in. To be frank, the Forum got boring. In my opinion it is going to get a lot more boring if people who enter into spirited discussions and debates risk being banned or "suspended" for failing to toe the Fluffy Party Line, and yes, I am referring to people like Miki, and to people like Teamed Up and Val and to all those who stick their heads above the parapet from time to time - people who aren't scared to voice their opinions. Please don't start banning all the interesting people!!! I DO think over-moderation of the Forum is having and will have a detrimental effect........ gawd help us, but I can see the day when all the posts will be "safe" and along the lines of: "Will my white goods work in France?"/"Do I need Top Up Insurance?"/Where can I buy Heinz Beanz?"/"Will my Sky dish work in France?".        

EURO BOOK SALE  - ALL FUNDS RAISED FOR THE PHOENIX ANIMAL REFUGE On Saturday 22nd April 2006 From 11 am to 3.30 pm.   At the Salle des Fetes, St. Mayme de Pereyrol (sign-posted from the D21 between Bergerac and Vergt)   ALL proceeds for the veterinary treatmentand re-homing of abused or abandoned dogs and cats *Paperbacks ……….. 1 euro *Hardbacks ……….   1 euro *Tea or Coffee ………1 euro *Glass of wine ……….1 euro             *Sausage Rolls ………1 euro             We shall also be selling:Videos, Cassettes and CDs (Your donations of books or other items will be very welcome, so just bring and buy if you prefer!)   A special four-course lunch for 12 euros – including wine - will be available at the Truffe d’Or Restaurant – opposite – but please book in advance 05 53 54 29 85   Internet: www.phoenixasso.com

And a rainbowfull of greetings from us GMs, here in the Village too!!!!

Thanks for the advice Ian,   How plain daft - hope someone with influence has read this thread! Like many others I am keeping my email address completely private, but it would help many of the regular contributors if searches could be carried out using a username. I'll be honest, that sort of search also helped me figure out someone's credibility in the past & enabled me to make an educated guess as to whether a PM from someone I didn't know was bona fide or not. Mods - PLEASE change this aspect of the search facility and soon!

I told someone to search for an old post under my Username - tried it myself, stunningly the seach facilities claim that nothing is to be found under the name of Penny29, now I know this isn't true even though I seem to lose hundreds of posts everytime LF has changed it's format (But I ain't bitter!)!!!! What am I doing wrong or is it a fault in the system?

Yes it was me! Can't find the long, explanatory posting I wrote as it was at least 12 - 18 months ago but here are the sites I used to find out about qualifications and regulations etc. There are strict regs about how near to another house you should be etc. However, like most things in France I know a fair few people who have set up, advertise, charge & basically ignore all the rules so I guess you can take your chances & risk paying the price afterwards!!!!!! http://perso.club-internet.fr/denac/Denac/CertificatCapacite-01.htm http://www.cyno.org/ http://www.sfcyno.org/faq-sfc-6-La.html+loi+les+chiens+et+vous#62 If you do a serch under  my name you may come up with the long detailed posting which I MAY have popped on the "pets"  forum at the time.  

Teamed Up, You're showing your age! And advocaaat is back in fashion again! Mix lemonade (really can only be R White's!) with the advocaat (just like we used to do) plus now add twist of fresh lime juice, a (large) splash of vodka - and garnish with fresh lemon or lime slices - delicious!!!!!

Hi,   I need some advocaat for a cocktail that I'll be serving to guests over Xmas - haven't seen it in any of the shops. Has anyone seen it for sale anywhere? We live between Perigueux (24) and Limoges (87) so shops in either place will do. Thanks in advance  

Awww, come and stand in the corner with me, Miki!!!

Hi Miki, I'll do better than that - I'll send you a cheque for £100,000,000 & all you have to do is send £400 of this onwards to my friend (naturally by Moneygramm or Western Union, certainly NOT by cheque!) in Lagos/Sarajevo/Moscow/Amsterdam ! You can phone me to confirm his - I believe you have my Beanz-Meanz-Heinz phone number. Trust me also        

Hi, The original poster should be applauded for putting this on the board. Please, forget the smug "blindingly obvious" comments from the Poster above (who would have been better keeping their mouth shut on the subject), I think it's very important that websites continually broadcast warnings to their membership. If anyone wants more information check out the FAQs on this website:  http://www.419eater.com/ they give facts and figures on how many people are taken in by these scams - if victims weren't plentiful then these scammers would not continue to exist would they?  

Hi, Anyone living in and around the Excideuil area may be interested to know that there is a wonderful English couple nearby who have set up a completely catalogued English book lending library in part of their house. There are thousands and thousands of books in all subjects, and people can borrow books for up to one month at a time. The best news of all is that they offer this service completely and utterly free of charge!!! All they ask is that people phone before they visit to make sure they are in. I won't plaster their telephone number on here for obvious reasons but anyone interested should contact me via Forum email or Inbox. Penny

If you were interested in a timber framed, straw bale insulated ecologically friendly houses we know a French artisan (who speaks fluent English) who builds them from scratch to whatever stage of completion you want. He has a show house in the Excideuil area. PM me if you want further details.

We've also inherited the same and I recently asked advice from a neighbour who has the greenest of fingers and always produces delicious veg and fruit. He doesn't ever spray his trees and believes in pruning out neglect and disease, he took me round his garden and explained which branches he would lop off and where (in layman's terms the dead looking ones & you simply lop them off just above a healthy looking bud & always at this time of year). He seems to cut out anything that's knackered looking, bent, twisted etc. He also said for me not to be afraid to cut down leading shoots which are just growing up, up and up (he said lop at least 1/3 off) - he says a short stubby tree bears more fruit than a tall, willowy one. On the other hand, another neighbour with equally green fingers swears by spraying every fruit tree in sight with "copper sulphate" at this time of year. I'm going to try the pruning method first................. Hope this helps

Hi WJT, The web address for the Phoenix is : http://www.phoenixasso.com There you will find contact details for donations, adoption & fostering of animals etc. Hopefully, there will be plenty more Phoenix Fund Raising events coming soon - we are trying to arrange some for next year in the Northern Dordogne (around Thiviers) so that people from both sides of Perigueux can help raise cash for the charity as well as having a good time in the process. In the meantime, don't throw out those old books, CD's, videos, bric-a-brac as this can all help raise money for the charity - if anyone in the Northern Dordogne has stuff they wish to donate please contact me via my inbox. Penny  

Hi, Hope it's okay to post the details of this here as it is on behalf of the Phoenix Rescue Association, and all the proceeds are going to raise money for animal rescue: On Saturday 19th November 2005 From 12 noon to 4 pm BOOK SALE At the Salle des Fetes, St. Mayme de Pereyrol (sign-posted from the D21 between Bergerac and Vergt)  Plus: Christmas Stall with cards, and decorations for sale. Also the next in our series of Great Little Recipe Books – Cakes, Puddings and Desserts will be on sale. (Ideal Christmas Gift at 8 euros each!)   ALL proceeds for the veterinary treatment and re-homing of abused or abandoned dogs and cats *Paperbacks ……….. 1 euro *Tea or Coffee ………1 euro *Glass of wine ……….1 euro             *Sausage Rolls ………1 euro             We shall also be selling bargain-priced hardbacks, Videos, Cassettes and CDs and bric a brac (Your donations of items will be very welcome either in advance or just bring and buy!) (A special four-course lunch for 12 euros – including wine - will be available at the Truffe d’Or Restaurant – opposite – but please book in advance 05 53 54 29 85)  

Hi, Anyone else have one of these this evening? I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as trees were uprooted and garden furniture flew into the sky! It only lasted about an hour but was spectacular! The rainbows afterwards were quite awesome too. We are still without electricity several hours later and am writing this with the last vestiges of battery power on my laptop! We are in the NE corner of the Dordogne - just wondered how far this freak weather travelled in the SW today? Penny    

A nano-hamlet just outside St Paul La Roche in the NE corner of the Dordogne with my partner, 5 dogs, 6 cats and 2 donkeys.

Miki.................... I think someone's got a crush on you