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Penny29

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Everything posted by Penny29

  1. Hi, Join the club - we are in the North Dordogne and our mutts are going in for their jabs on Monday afternoon, whereas only a few months ago when we took the dogs down for their normal vaccines we were told rabies was not necessary. The vets was really busy today with people rushing to get the mandatory jabs done. I blame that fool who bought in a dog from Morocco. My bank manager is not amused!  
  2. Hi, We insured with our local branch of AXA & they gave us three months to get the re-registration process completed. We did get the car through it's controle technique before asking for insurance cover so we weren't unnecessarily complicating things by expecting them to accept a British MOT as proof of roadworthiness! I'm sure they would have extended the 13 week deadline if the bureaucratic process had delayed the issue of the carte grise, but in our case we found that it all took very little time and was not at all complicated. If LF haven't "lost" it I did post a step by step description on the South West France Board under a topic heading "Re-registering a car in the North Dordogne" which may be of some help to you, although the process seems to differ from Dept to Dept.      
  3. Hi, We insured with our local branch of AXA & they gave us three months to get the re-registration process completed. We did get the car through it's controle technique before asking for insurance cover so we weren't unnecessarily complicating things by expecting them to accept a British MOT as prof of roadworthiness! I'm sure they would have extended the 13 week deadline if the bureaucratic process had delayed the issue of the carte grise, but in our case we found that it all took very little time and was not at all complicated. If LF haven't "lost" it I did post a step by step description on the South West France Board under a topic heading "Re-registering a car in the North Dordogne" which may be of some help to you, although the process seems to differ from Dept to Dept.      
  4. Emerald,   The better link for the above is www.canvasmobiles.com
  5. Hi Emerald, We recently bought a static from canvasholidays and they arranged delivery, as it was August they had to do a whole lot of phoning around to find a company who had a spare driver and carrier, so they must have a huge database of companies which offer transportation. I gather the costs were around £700 for transportation from Bordeaux to the North Dordogne. Perhaps it is worth contacting them and asking them if they could give you a list of phone numbers? Their website is www.canvasholidays.com and we were in contact with a guy called Mick Briggs who was very hepful indeed. I think his email address and phone number are on the website under "ex-rental sales".  
  6. Dick, Don't rise to the bait - remember what I said about writing styles being like fingerprints? The same can be seen on a few other threads under various new names (however, the grammar, coherency and spelling remain woefully the same!)  
  7. Thank you, Stephen, Lots of information there - I await the blaster with trepidation now but at least forewarned is fore-armed, I'll let you kow how we get on.
  8. Hi,   I used a private bloke called John from Hampshire (advertises in LF magazine - can't remember his details) for our first mini-move out here (we were going into furnished rental at the time) - he was great, but we felt his lorry was a bit too small for our "real" move some 12 months later so we used a "professional" company from South London. They were an absolute joke and I wouldn't even recommend them to my worst enemy. The "insurance" wasn't worth the paper it was written on. If I were doing it again I'd use a small private bloke & forget the big companies - the risks are the same but the costs are substantially different.
  9. Hi,   Just to say I have put an update on the donkeys under the "Pets" section. Regarding the dog mentioned above - I'd just say that you can always train a submissive dog by giving him lots of TLC and thus confidence & that they usually end up making the most loyal and loving of pets. The quickest way of improving their confidence, I have found, is to give them a proper routine (especially for feeding times) for the first few weeks. Dogs are creatures of habit and they love always knowing what will happen next and when! I've also found making a cave (from a large cardboard box covered with old blankets) useful for very nervous dogs as they then have a place to hide when the newness of everything becomes just too much.    
  10. Hi, Just to give you an update. We went along to the meeting place this morning, disappointing turnout as there were only about 16 - 18 people in total, but of these the vast majority were French which was a great morale booster. Msr Le Maire, who had promised to attend, was hiding somewhere in his offices and suddenly became "unavailable" (Local politics? Cowardice?) but the gendarmes were very affable (although they insisted on taking down everyone's car plate details and on checking our windscreen CT & insurance stickers), and best still a cameraman and reporter from the French TV station FR3 came along to cover the protest. We drove down to the farm in a convoy, there were 6 donkeys in total grazing in pastures which were mainly comprised of mud and weeds, a sorry looking rick stood nearby filled with damp rotten hay, and there was no sign of water troughs or any water source. The donkeys had bloated stomachs and thin legs, presumably caused by a combination of malnutrition and worms, some looked far healthier than others, most had open sores on their hindquarters and legs. One of the foals was in a pitiful condition - stick thin with a dull, bruised looking coat. I would guess that this particular foal won't live for many more days unless a miracle happens. We started feeding the donkeys from the stocks of apples, pears and carrots that we had all taken along but after about 10 minutes the farmer and his wife appeared (both very fat - they obviously don't stint on feeding themselves!). Despite the fact that the TV cameras were rolling the farmer lost his temper and started trying to attack us with spikes from his electric fence. Then he started throwing the scattered fruit & veg at us, all the time screaming that his donkeys were in good health and that we should mind our own business. Had the situation not been so sad this would have been the stuff of good French farce. The French representative from the BB Foundation tried to talk to him about veterinary care, dietary needs and the death of the mother and foal from starvation some days ago, but he didn't want to listen and was content to say, "See you in court, the Prefecture is on MY side not yours". The Foundation then offered to buy the donkeys on the spot - he refused to sell saying that he kept them for pleasure. As you can imagine this heated debate continued for quite a long time, but it was obvious that we were not going to be able to rescue the donkeys today and that the legal process would have to take it's course in 2 weeks time. Those of us nearby will continue to take food to the donkeys every day from now on, but we can't supply them with water as the farmer will simply throw our trough away but we hope that there is a water source somewhere on the land (maybe we just couldn't see it) after all the donkeys MUST have some access to water or they would be dead by now. So, that's it really. Those of you in Aquitaine with French TV may see the event covered in the regional portion of the news this evening, I think on TV South West, but I wasn't really listening when they were talking about the broadcast (I was too busy throwing surreptitious apples to the donkeys while the farmer's back was turned!). Thanks for all your messages of support. Penny
  11. Hi All, Support and assistance required from all animal lovers within reach of Jumilhac Le Grand in the north Dordogne for tomorrow morning at 10am please. The Bridgette Bardot Foundation has uncovered a terrible case of animal cruelty at a farm on the outskirts of Jumilhac. The farmer seems to have acquired donkeys for breeding purposes but now the animals are quickly starving to death in a barren field with no food and no water. The one exception being a small foal, which he has enclosed within an electric fence so that the other donkeys do not eat the meagre amount of hay he has given it. The Foundation have taken legal action against the farmer but this will not be heard in court for another 2 weeks, this will be to late for the donkeys as two have already died. Therefore, the Foundation have arranged for TV cameras to be present tomorrow and need as many people to come along to give support to the point they are trying to make, which is that the law against animal cruelty here is too cumbersome and too slow to save "at risk" animals lives. They also hope to shame the farmer into releasing the donkeys into proper care. This venture has the full backing of the local gendarmerie and the Mairie. Several vets will also be present to administer aid to the donkeys if they should be released. A safe sanctuary is also ready for the immediate care of the animals until they are well enough to be adopted. The other aim for tomorrow morning is for people to take food such as carrots, fruit and even hay so that, if not released, at least the donkeys can be fed, even though this may involve hurling apples over the electric fences!. We are taking along sturdy water troughs that can be passed under the fences but desperately need people to turn up with water in large canisters as most of us are reduced to collecting water in bottles at the moment and that simple won’t be enough. Unfortunately, we heard about this too late in the day to buy bigger water vessels. If any Forum members could lend their support the BB Foundation would be eternally grateful. Jumilhac Le Grand is just inside Dept24 (North) on the very edge of the borders of 87 ( near St Yrieux Le Perche) and 19 (Hauteforte). We are meeting at 10am tomorrow morning outside the Mairie in Jumilhac Le Grand. PLEASE HELP. Penny
  12. Hi All, Support and assistance required from all animal lovers within reach of Jumilhac Le Grand in the north Dordogne for tomorrow morning at 10am please. The Bridgette Bardot Foundation has uncovered a terrible case of animal cruelty at a farm on the outskirts of Jumilhac. The farmer seems to have acquired donkeys for breeding purposes but now the animals are quickly starving to death in a barren field with no food and no water. The one exception being a small foal, which he has enclosed within an electric fence so that the other donkeys do not eat the meagre amount of hay he has given it. The Foundation have taken legal action against the farmer but this will not be heard in court for another 2 weeks, this will be to late for the donkeys as two have already died. Therefore, the Foundation have arranged for TV cameras to be present tomorrow and need as many people to come along to give support to the point they are trying to make, which is that the law against animal cruelty here is too cumbersome and too slow to save "at risk" animals lives. They also hope to shame the farmer into releasing the donkeys into proper care. This venture has the full backing of the local gendarmerie and the Mairie. Several vets will also be present to administer aid to the donkeys if they should be released. A safe sanctuary is also ready for the immediate care of the animals until they are well enough to be adopted. The other aim for tomorrow morning is for people to take food such as carrots, fruit and even hay so that, if not released, at least the donkeys can be fed, even though this may involve hurling apples over the electric fences!. We are taking along sturdy water troughs that can be passed under the fences but desperately need people to turn up with water in large canisters as most of us are reduced to collecting water in bottles at the moment and that simple won’t be enough. Unfortunately, we heard about this too late in the day to buy bigger water vessels. If any Forum members could lend their support the BB Foundation would be eternally grateful. Jumilhac Le Grand is just inside Dept24 (North) on the very edge of the borders of 87 ( near St Yrieux Le Perche) and 19 (Hauteforte). We are meeting at 10am tomorrow morning outside the Mairie in Jumilhac Le Grand. PLEASE HELP. Penny
  13. I found "supreme being" on Jill's squares too! But nothing on mine which should have read "Frau Ubersturmboomleekinposterer". Dammit.      
  14. Well said Jirac, and that's all I am going to say on the subject. Suggest the adults amongst us get on with the original theme of this thread which, I believe, was knighthoods. So................... do you think young Ms Holmes should become Dame Kelly or Msr Pinsent a sir? Or do you think we (in the royal sense, of course) dispense with our knighthoods all too frequently for brief moments of sporting glory rather than for consistent public service? Or perhaps knighthoods have no place in today's society (note the apostrophe, Dick - Do I get a ?) - perhaps these awards cause more dissention than they do recognition? Penny P.S. I have been tempted beyond all reasonable belief to add a "translation" of the above text in the fonespeek Saligo Bay cleverly suggested but I am proud to say I have resisted!!!
  15. Ha ha Danny! Thanks for correcting me - I've no excuse to offer other than unthinking ignorance! No excuse I know, especially as I am of Irish/French ancestry myself and was married for many years to a Polish/Scotsman!      
  16. Thanks Steve, Our builders are going to do the blasting for us - although they are virgin blasters!!! What did you use yours for? Were you pleased with the result? Was it REALLY messy?   Thanks      
  17. Miki and Dick,   Isn't there a French phrase (but I can't remember it right now) that runs along the lines of "everything changes but everything stays the same". I am sure you, like me, are getting a feeling of deja vu on this thread. Dick - don't you find it interesting that people find it impossible to disguise their writing style (or lack of it?) no matter how many pseudonyms they care to use. Penny  
  18. Thanks for your replies, Gay. I tried the advanced search facility with slightly better results, but have to say that the new search facility doesn't seem to be as "intelligent" as the old one. For instance a search for "re-registering a vehicle" won't find alternative topics such as "registering a car" nor will it find any postings where the hyphen has been left out as in "reregistering." I hope this will be tweaked at some point as the archives hold so much useful information which needs to be easily acessed by new members.    
  19. Hi, Can anyone recommend a sandblaster in North 24 or South 87 (or East 19, come to that) - we have asked locally, checked the Yellow Pages etc but can only find hire shops for DIY and we actually need a man (or woman) to do the job.  
  20. Am I being obtuse or is it the system? If I feed in a search, such as "re-registering a car" it brings up ten topics totally unconnected with my search criteria (such as Dick's witty observations on the use of asterisks - good reading but not what I wanted!!!) then, when I (the eternal optimist) try to go to the "next ten matches" nothing happens at all! What am I doing wrong?        
  21. Hi, Try the following thread:   http://www.livingfrance.com/instantforum/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=28&MessageID=1907 It's not ideal as there is a posting missing from it, a posting which must have lost it's home when the Forum was re-jigged - which is very anoying as the missing posting was the one which contained about 20 links the threads which would cover your question.   Penny        
  22. Hi,   I thought I'd reply cos the "search" facility on this new forum seems sadly lacking - well, it certainly didn't work well for me when I tried it out! Beanie, most of the things you mention will work here but you'll either have to spend ages changing English plugs to French ones or resign yourself to running umpteen English appliances from an English extension lead (with just the one plug changed at the end of that). Microwaves, toasters, coffee makers and kettles etc will work fine here. I think some things depend on age - for instance our televisions, VCR's, DVD players have worked okay here, but they were only a few months old when we bought them in the UK (hence the decision to bring them over. If any of my English equipment had been old I would have scrapped the lot and bought new here), but others have said that their equipment would not receive French programmes etc. Your UK washing machine will work but will be "cold fill" only. Personally, this was one thing I wasn't prepared to muck about with (the combination of water and electric) so we left our old machine in the UK and bought new here (not expensive at all). I hope this has helped. Penny  
  23. At the risk of being called a bum-licking groveller, I would have to say that it was this Forum We found our first (rent free!!!!) rental through the LF Forum, which allowed us to try things out for a while before committing to a permanent move. We also met our best friends through this Forum and they have helped us in more ways than I have space to write about! Almost all our problems and queries and questions have been sorted out or answered via the Forum and along the way we have made contact with some wonderful people who have since become good friends. Okay, NOW can I have ALL MY POSTS re-instated please (this amount of flattery deserves summat don't it???). I would like a new title please, Eleanor -  Frau Ubersturmforumposterer, Senior Member and VIP.   Penny  
  24. You've probably thought of this but assume you are fitting headlight deflectors befire crossing the Channel. We bought an EU kit from Halfords which cost around 25 and had everything we legally needed for motoring over here - little triangle thingie, headlight deflectors, first aid box and a load of other stuff that I can't remember! We notified DVLA of the export of our car after we had been here a while and only after we had decided to actually live here permanently - we started off renting over here while we made our minds up whether it was for us - if we had been too precipitate in sending the export cert off I dread to think of the red tape we would have encountered had we decided to return to the Uk within a few months!!!! Penny
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