Feuillant
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Posts posted by Feuillant
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Thanks everyone (why the groan, Cassis?), I guess it's mostly barn owls plus some others who come along to join in. I never realised that they were birds that enjoyed company!
There are lots of them - maybe 30 - and in asking some of our neighbours they say the house was well known for having the house with the owls - and the crane - but that's the mechanical sort...
So they are back - and we are delighted.
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For the last few weeks I have heard what sounds like snoring of a fairly gentle kind coming from various parts of our house and barn.
It's a sort of slightly high pitched snore which starts up at about 6.30 and carries on till 9pm or so.
I know they are owls making the noise as I have seen them fly our of the masonry - but can any-one tell me what sort?
They are not barn owls as they are quite dark - unless they are the young. Wingspan is, at a guess, 40 centimetres, maybe a little less.
They clearly live in a colony and have been there for at least 4 months - maybe more.
We welcome their arrival as they should keep down the mouse population, and it means that the fouines who used to live up there have had to move out - hooray!
So, what are they and how should we look after them?
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Hello
A French chap we know round here (near Toulouse) put his barn plus about 3000m2 up for sale with planning permission for a dwelling - either a new build or restore the barn. Lovely position and great views, too.
I saw it in the local estate agents for 95000 euros, but he was also advertising it privately and was completely happy with a price of 55000. He said to me that the agents were just trying it on!
It just goes to show!
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hello
we are not too far from you, and I would search the 31 and the 32 local free papers, also the la Depeche on-line small ads, and try paruvendu on line and free papers.
Then there are a couple more online called Kitrouve (also a free paper) and Publi (ditto)
I would heartily recommend the back of supermarket small ads and the local tabacs etc, plus outside the Mairie etc.
Finally what about Emmaeus if there is one near you.
Of course in the current weather who needs a kitchen!
I will look and send a private message if I spot anything, meantime.
Good luck!
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We live between Toulouse and the Pyrenees - there are a fair number of little airfields here, but also I know of a few properties that have their own, some of which have been advertised on the blue homes website which may allow you to type it in as a key word.
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my apologies to those who asked for copies of this - please contact again with e-mail address and I will send you the full text of the one we had drawn up by the notaire.
In case anyone is wondering, this is the form to use if you want some-one to use your land but don't want to find you have accidentally created a tenancy which may continue to a second generation!
As you will know from browsing on this site, any arrangement whereby for example the farmer takes your hay (ie mows your field) and maybe gives you the odd egg from time to time can be fraught with dangers...so I hope the document will help!
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We live between Toulouse and the Pyrenees, and I need some small items transported to us from the Paris area - about 2 or 3 cubic metres worth.
Can anyone recommend a transporter? the items aren't worth a great deal so we don't want to pay a fortune for such a small load.
Also, we've got some furniture scattered around the north of England which we would like to bring over at some time, so is there anyone out there who might want to share in a part-load, or have some spare capacity?
Here's hoping!
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Hello
have you heard of "La Salicaire", the assciation botanique de la vallee de la Garonne.
e-mail address is
and they hold plant sale days, amongst other things.
I have a list from them of good local pepinieres.
Also, if you are over toward the Haute Garonne, there are excellent plant/tree sale days at St.Lys in the spring and St. Elix le Chateau in autumn.
All our advice said to buy small, as trees will settle in much better and soon catch up with - even overtake - their bigger cousins, if they are happy.
Hope this helps.
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hello Charlie
I too have a 12th century tower, and it is NoT listed, but I know my way round some of the pros and cons - properties can only be on the Register if the owner agrees...
Contact me further if you are in the Haute Garonne/Midi-Pyrenees...
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thanks for the replies, guys.
There's no picture of the larvae on your site - can you tell me what the differences are between these and the chafer grubs (which we don't much want)?
No worries about the "untidiness" of our place, however - we always leave wood lying around and don't use chemicals. It helps if we re-name things, too - eg we have a wild flower meadow, not a lawn...less mowing!
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We have been digging over our compost heap and it is full of these grubs.
They are about an inch long and sometimes a centimetre in diametre (to mix measures).
They have brown heads, and as well as finding them in the well rotted compost we have also found them in rotten wood.
We found that they could be stag beetle larvae, but there seem to be too many for that (I am very fond of stag beetles, so I wish they were).
Any ideas? If they are desirable, fine, but if not, it's an early Christmas dinner for the chickens!
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interesting thread!
We keep chickens and I have seen a buzzard come down and attack and kill live ones - fully grown, too. Recently Mrs Roast lost her only chick (don't know how) and although I have never caught her reading Kubler-Ross, she sat and grieved for a couple of days, then shrugged her pinions and got on with life. Interestingly she didn't display any desire to search for it - she just looked thoroughly miserable, and wouldn't leave the coop, although the others - Mrs. Fried, the nuggets and Lewes (a white sussex, of course) all went off without trouble. They will usually stay in if there is a predator around.
We have kites, harriers and lammermuirs (well you know what I mean) and the occasional vulture too, and this spring we saw a huge crowd of migrating raptors - perhaps they were honey buzzards?
We live about 40 miles from the Pyrenees, so we get a good range.
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interesting thread!
We keep chickens and I have seen a buzzard come down and attack and kill live ones - fully grown, too. Recently Mrs Roast lost her only chick (don't know how) and although I have never caught her reading Kubler-Ross, she sat and grieved for a couple of days, then shrugged her pinions and got on with life. Interestingly she didn't display any desire to search for it - she just looked thoroughly miserable, and wouldn't leave the coop, although the others - Mrs. Fried, the nuggets and Lewes (a white sussex, of course) all went off without trouble. They will usually stay in if there is a predator around.
We have kites, harriers and lammermuirs (well you know what I mean) and the occasional vulture too, and this spring we saw a huge crowd of migrating raptors - perhaps they were honey buzzards?
We live about 40 miles from the Pyrenees, so we get a good range.
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hello
I lived in Cambridge for 20 years, then South-West England (where it rained EACH day for 7 months...) and now live 30 miles South-West of Toulouse.
Providing you live up on the hills and not in the valleys you should expect to see a positive change. We are 1000 feet up, and have wet days in march/april/may, but usually mild. There are some very cold but short-lived spells (-6 to-12) in january and Feb., but these are mainly dry months.
I have given up using the "normalement" word in relation to weather here, but it Should be dry for the summer, autunm and winter, with sudden, heavy and brief thunderstorms in summer. Altogether much more pleasant than the Fens!
We too had temperatures of 27o on Christmas Day, followed 5 days later by -6 - so I don't recommend underfloor heating unless it's cheap geothermic!
And of course there was the canicule, which was awful...farmers round here are still anxious about the water shortage, but maybe that's just normal for farmers?
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Our arrangement is basically for him to use the land for his cows, so that includes grazing and a hay cut.
But I'm not sure whether it matters what he is using it for- what does matter is that he gains no claim over it.
Our agreement does state what he can use the land for, however.
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Has any-one tried to contact Barclays about this product, or can give me information about it?
I have tried the web-site but can't get any further info. from them and their office is always closed - in Paris?, at 10 in the morning? I don't think so!
All help gratefully received.
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I am feeling very perky as we have just received a handsome tax rebate for the costs of putting in our fosse septique!
Particularly perky as I did the tax return on line!
So far so good - BUT can any-one get to grips with how this can have happened, as we are still currently paying our taxes in England, while waiting for the relentless bureaucracy to transfer our tax affairs to France, - so, on what has the rebate been given, as we have paid no tax here?! (or do they rebate tax for septic tanks in England now?).
I have no doubt we are entitled to the rebate, it's just getting my head round HOW!
Any suggerstions, and as it's the silly season the zanier the better, gratefully enjoyed...
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Hello all
I posted a fairly detailed reply to this issue some time back, as we have gone through the official channels with our farmer in order to make sure there are no problems.
If anyone wants to know any further details I am very happy to supply them - they are quite long as I can provide the full text...by fax, if I can get it to work!
Our farmer was very happy to do this with us and there is 6 months notice on either side.
It cost us 200 or so euros which we split between us and it is money well spent...you are quite right, it is incredibly easy to find that you have created something legal which is binding for 2 generations just by allowing some-one to give or do something in return...our agrrement does not do this, yet we remain on friendly terms!
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I agree with the previous posting, but add a few comments.
We have about 5 hectares of woods, pretty impenetrable, but we have found that the local wood cutter will clear the growth we don't want, leaving the good old healthy trees, cut the wood into suitable lengths for our fires, and bring it up to the house, all for free! We in return provide him with 2/3rds of the wood for his business. It could have been less if we hadn't needed it cut or brought to the house.
So far, we have seen no signs of the woodcutter's wicked second wife, or of her step-children leaving a trail of baguettes as they wander disconsolately in the forest - but we have seen many more butterflies and some resurgence of woodland plants in the little clearings he has made...
With the price of other fuels, you can't lose!
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The moth on the lavender is probably the humming bird hawk moth - we have lots too, and they fly by day; does that fit?
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three exciting years on the Haute Garonne/Gers borders near Samatan.
We have a 12th century castle, 3 collies and a load of dyslexic hens -they mistake kitchen for chicken, even though I have told them they enter at their peril.
By the way, am I the only one to be disturbed by French laws that apparently allow you to marry your daughter (cf. John not Di)?
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Here (the Haute Garonne) the price is automatically included in the tax d'habitation, and hbeen for a year or so.I would guess that this is now the case theoughout France?
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thanks for the reply - it's a personal consignment so I will try La Poste again, but they are one of the experts in the gallic shrug department round here, as I found out when I asked about it before.Any other ideas welcome!
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Sorry if this isn't the right forum - which is?I have a parcel tracked from the States which has been sitting in Customs somewhere in France for 8 weeks or so. It does not contain anything illegal, so does any-one know who I might contact to see what is happening!All help gratefully explored - I would really like to see my parcel again!What is YOUR record for customs sitting?
livery stables near Mirande
in Pets
Posted
I have a friend who is a bit short of cash at the moment and would be happy to accommodate a horse or two in her stables about 5 miles from Mirande, in the Gers.
She has 3 horses of her own so knows what she's about.
If you are interested please message me and I will pass your details on to her. She is French but speaks reasonably good English.
I hope I haven't done wrong by placing this message - apologies if so in advance!