londoneye
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Posts posted by londoneye
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thanks - we are talking 700 litres of water, which sort of riddles me with guilt actually (not the cost, because water not terribly expensive in this area) but the waste thing.Ok - will probably continue as before then, draining down, unless someone suggests otherwise !
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HiWe have a couple of buildings which are not heated in winter, and which have hot water tanks in - the standard french chauffe-eau electrique.I have no doubt that the temperature in the buildings goes below zero in mid-winter.Last year we drained down the water tanks, but recently someone told me you are not meant to do this.Does anyone know if it is best to drain them down or leave them please ?
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hmmm could have fooled me !
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Ah well I suppose I'd better fess us - I am one of them.Well, not one of those on the photo as they are all rather ageing and portly - I am the young gorgeous one who is not on the photo.Want to join in Woolie ??
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Well done to original poster - there is nothing wrong (believe it or not) in doing what you believe is correct. Sounds like a good result anyway.Besides which, there seem to be some people on here these days who have little to do except slag off newbies.I was a newbie once and (except once!) I was given loads of good advice for (in hindsight) what were perhaps slightly naive questions at times. But until you have lived somewhere for a while you are almost certainly going to have some naive questions - it's not a sin.Glad it went well - sorry - not often given to venting !
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Nest has been dealt with in the same way as last year in the end.Tried spraying up chimney from bottom (kitchen) but obviously the nest was very close to top because they just laughed at us and came to have a look through the kitchen window at what we were doing.Sadly had to resort to the double ladder, lots of clothing and welders mask again (always gives the neighbours a good laugh). Don't think there were as many hornets as there were wasps last year though and not a single sting this time.Thanks for all help - now we can clean the chimney flue ready for winter cooking !
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Nothing to do with Advantix but a comment regarding scalibor.Our dog seems to be a tick magnet - wherever there is one she will find it and ensure that it attaches itself to her.When using the combi frontline and various other combined tick/flea preps she had ticks everywhere and even though we used to check her every day, they still found her!Now been using scalibor collar for just over a year and have not found one single tick attached to her. Can't guarantee it works for everyone, but to be honest I've been amazed by it's effectiveness. Plus my vet advised me only to use frontline every three months, as the dog never ever has fleas, and actually it works out a lot cheaper with frontline every 3 months and the collar. Again, not recommending this, just what was recommended to me.
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Our Mairie supplied road signs (free of charge) for us, without even being asked, although our commune is somewhat smaller and they were probably thrilled to have even one more business opening up.The Mayor also arranged for our accommodation to be listed in the local tourist office brochure for us.However, it may be worth getting to know her a bit before starting to ask for things!
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Hi NectarineProbably too late for you, but if you are back you might want to buy for next time.Currently automatic dispensers selling very cheaply in our local M. Bricolage - not sure whether they will be in all M Bricolage or not though.
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Hi CathyMany thanks.Currently I am registered as AE but OH is not, so he could register I assume under AE in his own right to do this.We have a series of products in mind but need to have a trawl of the local markets in the next week or so, to see what the competition is (none hopefully!) and if there are competitors what their prices etc are and whether it will be feasible.Do you actually have to go and visit the chambre de commerce ?Anyway, will search for other threads - I did but clearly I am not doing a very good job as nothing came up - will try again.Many thanks for responding.
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Interesting - this would have been our preferred method of course, but I had thought it was very difficult to get into the local market scene. Will definitely look into this.Many thanks.
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I have to admit I have never tested the (paraphase) 'ok with antibiotics and bleach' properties of Tarax. Frankly it sounds a little scary - something that is resistant to antibiotics is not rocking my boat but worrying me - but hey ho !Works for me.
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HiWe currently have a seasonal business registered under AE.Being seasonal, naturally we have a down-time. We get pretty bored!We have an approx 1 acre plot and have been sourcing some products from China etc (nothing dodgy!) but things that we can buy inexpensively in bulk and think will appeal to the French market.If we were to advertise our products on the basis of holding a 'monthly market' on our own premises (with other half setting up as another AE for any profits), could we do this?Ie could we effectively set up a market stall in our own back yard and sell products (nothing electrical or difficult to control, let's say house-hold textile type stuff). Our other thought was that we could make a 5% donation to something like local pompiers or children's fund, to appease neighbours with parking situation.Does anyone know if this is possible or is there some kind of regulation against it. We are only in the embryonic stage, so feel free to be blunt!
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My money-saving tip is buying Tarax instead of Eparcyl.One box of Tarax for 6 months costs same as Eparcyl for three months. Admittedly around here you have to buy when you see as the supermarket only seems to get Tarax in a couple of times a year and then it's sold out really quickly (wonder why?).Plus, this is the first year since changing to Tarax with our two septic tanks that we haven't had any smells whatsoever. Could be coincidence of some kind but I doubt it.And, final point, you don't have to flush the toilet 350 times to get rid of the Eparcyl sludge which seems to hang around for weeks, thereby saving water as well.Well, I suppose it's a small saving, but saves me at least 30 euros a year (with two septic tanks)!!
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Ahhh wooly - you can be my good woman friend if you want ...Oh no sorry that's not what you meant !!!
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Hi SidNo I didn't find the Lapeyre one I will have another look.We have always been happy with their stuff, especially the made to measure windows we had (necessity rather than personal choice), which were very good quality and really not that expensive.Will look again, thanks.
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Hmmm not sure - the one in the Telegraph article looks more like 'mine'. But then again there is no saying, come to think of it, that the picture of the hornet in the Telegraph article is of an asian hornet - they may have just dragged any old hornet picture out of the archives.Anyway, I suppose between us we have at least identified that it is some kind of hornet! Assume method of killing hornets and wasps is the same, so we shall now consider our plan ....
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Thankfully mine seem to be nothing near the size mentioned in the news report but it is they - unless they have cousins that are a different species and are the same.
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So funny - Cooperlola and Sweets we should form a society - except that actually we wouldn't want to, come to think of it!Like you I am very happily unintegrated.Now that doesn't mean that I don't have the odd chat with neighbours over fence and that they don't feel free to come around to borrow things as required (wheel-barrow and extension lead being last two) - though why a FARMER wouldn't have either of these two is a mystery to me.Yes, we might even be invited into their rather mucky yard for a beer if we pass while they are drinking one, but that's about it.On the other hand we then have the other french neighbours (ex-Paris) who would happily live in my house if I let them, ditto our other English neighbours. Easily resolved though, because I send OH around their houses instead, as he is quite happy to sit and talk rubbish for days on end.I guess everyone finds their own level they are happy with. What I do miss however is a good woman friend; no-one that I have met here comes even close to being someone I would want to impart that category to, albeit there are a couple of women on the forum who sound quite promising were they in the neighbourhood !
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Aha !Here he is (well his brother) - identicalhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1543400/Hornets-hit-France-and-could-reach-Britain.html
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OK I found one I killed yesterday but couldn't get a good picture of it but now I have had a really good look close up I will go back to googling.If a description helps (!)He is about 2 cm long with a yellow face and reddish brown on top of his head.The first segment (attached to head) is reddish brown with a black blob on.The second segment is striped as follows:1 reddish brown stripe (small)1 black band1 very thin yellow band1 more black band4 yellow bands with black dots on (not striped).anyway back off to google again.
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Hmmm - will wait for one to come out today and try to get a picture - afraid it will be a picture of it dead..
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the problem is that I cannot find anything which looks quite like them - they don't look like the european wasp (to me) as they are not very yellow and don't really have stripes, just a vaguely yellow bottom (!)They don't even particularly look like the pictures of hornets.They come out into kitchen (from chimney) at any time of day and don't seem to be particularly attracted by light. They come in and out of top of chimney at any time of day and there is no great rush (as far as we can see) at dusk for them to dive back in.They are very hard to kill - and I mean hard to kill - you can bash them with a fly swat a good 20 times and they still get up and fly around and they are hugely noisy - ie they buzz like no tomorrow.I will keep looking though, perhaps I am looking at the wrong pictures still.
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Thanks all.I hate spirals as well but wondered if it was just me. I have never actually seen an alternating tread staircase (except in pictures of course) so don't know how easy they are to get used to, but my view is that they cannot be more off-putting that the stairs we currently have.When our neighbours come round for a drink they normally have to 'go back to our house to check on something' at least two or three times a night !!I found some pine ones in UK for £200.00 which look really nice (well, for the price)but all of the ones I have seen in France are 600 euros or more which seems a bit (pardon the pun) steep!Might have to investigate transporting ones over from UK.
bit of a long shot i know!
in Central (Centre, Limousin, Auvergne)
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