zeb

Are you sure it's definitely dead in the morning? I put a large log or two on before going to bed (11ish), shut it right down and it usually looks out in the morning but I open it right up, put couple of sticks on and smallish logs. It usually picks up really well. But, we are up by 7.30am and I don't think it would last much later than that. The kitchen (well insulated) stays warm all night. good luck.......helen

Hi Nicola - it's best to ask for it to be cut into 33cm lengths for the Rayburn. Well worth the extra cost as it saves so much time! You need dry, well seasoned wood, a mixture of chene (oak) and charme (hornbeam) is good. In the Charente we paid 32 euros per cubic metre for cut wood delivered. We paid a little more than last year (and from a different supplier) but the wood is excellent and we haven't got loads that needs splitting (i.e. manageable sizes). Ask your neighbours who they buy from and how much they pay. Best to go on local recommendations.   regards.......helen

None of you had rows in public then? Too well brought up? I had a row with my partner in B&Q once. I shouted, really shouted at him and then burst into tears of frustration (can't remember why, probably over his choice of paint or his smirk or something). I was obviously having a bad day as I'm usually quite stable. I wonder if folks went home and contacted a "shopping in B&Q" website about the appalling people who shopped there? regards......helen

.........agricultural workers.   helen

Go to your local Doctor with UK prescribed medication and ask for more. (My doctor happily prescribed the medication I had been taking in the UK and then suggested something better!) Then to the pharmacie, but if your relative hasn't joined the Health System in France then he/she will have to pay full price for the medication (and 20euros for visiting the doctor). Lots in the Health section on here about joining the French system. It's also a good idea to ask your GP in the UK to send on your medical notes. Expensive but helpful. Good luck..........helen  

Have asked Dutch friend what travel sites her family uses for booking holidays in France (gites), she came up with this one and will post me later with more. www.bonjour.nl  They also use www.gites-de-france.com May help someone..............helen

What do you do in the summer Di - use kettle on gas hob? We have electric kettle and no problems, but EDF upgraded us to 6 Kw a couple of years ago as it kept tripping out on three. We do not have electric water heating tanks, electric heating or an electric oven though but do have all other mod cons! regards......helen

Felt a bit nippy here in the Charente ce soir so peeked at TPS Meteo and it's forecasting snow in Limoges tomorrow. Not a million miles from me! Get those woollies on you lot over there and have a hot toddy by the woodburner. Courage..........helen

Just take up gardening as a profession! I had an imposed rest of 6 weeks a couple of months back (convalescence) and gained a stone and a half (we also had guests staying for some of that time so ate and drank loads more than usual). Anyway, am back at work now and am losing it pretty quickly. Had to - I have no elasticated clothes! Have also cut out cheese, butter, all snacks, and reduced wine intake to one glass a night!! Apart from that I eat everything and anything.  It works! regards........helen  

Huh - this is easy......... Waterstones Waitrose Monsoon Dent (the village and the brewery) Hawkshead (the village and the shop) St Ives The Lytton Arms Some of my family My friends ...........if they could be dropped off somewhere in the Charente, not necessarily on my doorstep, that would be good! regards........helen          

I know of somewhere (with storage space) just south of Ruffec in pretty little hamlet, available from now till end of March. Email me if that's any good. regards.....helen (this is not my own property, just a recommendation!!)  

SB - you'd better read Monika Ali's Brick Lane next! Moi -  have a cotisation bill of 3500 euros to pay (and this is on top of monthly insurance bills and subcriptions), Bush won the US election, an environmentalist got killed yesterday trying to stop the transportation of nuclear waste, and I'm sure loads of innocent folks around the globe got blown to smithereens in some war or another........so do I have a right to be glad? I dunno........but I think I am. regards......helen (doing French paint effects today -  a mad shade of orange whilst listening to Mariza at full volume!!!!)

We've been to two so far, our neighbour's very elderly mother died in the Spring and there were only 9 of us (this included two British couples) in the vast church, so the priest sat us in a side bit which was more intimate. The grandson brought roses and gave us all one to drop into the grave. It was very sad as there were no friends or aquaintances of the deceased there, but probably normal as she was so old. The other funeral of an elderly neighbour was held at the local church which was packed, but everyone was wearing normal daytime casual clothes - no suits or black ties. We took our other neighbour and she wore a vibrant orange chiffony trouser suit. Tres chic. Again we went to the interment with everyone else but then went home. I think only family went back to the house. Some people went to the local English run restaurant (formally a bar) after the funeral for a drink but unfortunately were told that they couldn't have a drink without a meal!We had previously sent a card to the widow and been round with offers of help but the family requested no flowers. Later, we bought her a pretty oldfashioned English rose bush for her garden as her husband had been so "gentile" towards us. I think you just have to go and follow everyone else's lead. As in the UK funerals differ according to family/deceased wishes. regards......helen

Can you take the dogs, boggy?   regards....helen PS I had an excellent crossing both ways despite rough seas, smiling staff, delicious coffee and cakes etc, but suggest you pay the extra £10 to get on and off quicker (you can even sit separately from the rif raf if you wish).

Sorry Charles , I don't really understand your comment about stoves bought from French bricos. Can you explain, as I'm concerned that my large, French woodburner (bought from Weldoms) won't be up to the task of heating a 40sq mtr kitchen?   regards.....helen

Hello Penny - we sympathise with you. Hubby painted a ceiling for folks during the summer and after a coat of PVA and two coats of Dulux emulsion patches were still soaking through. Someone suggested an aluminum primer/sealer (which was brought over from the UK),  so the ceiling was painted a delicious shade of silver and then, praise be, it took the final coat of Dulux very well. Hubby doesn't want to paint another ceiling for the next five years as that one was soooooo huge and such a bummer! But, the end result is lovely. regards......helen PS Tresco - couldn't resist but where is this stain which keeps reappearing!  

As far as my French friends are concerned Sarkozy is mad! First we are told to conserve energy and then we are told to drive with side lights on all day, even in the sunshine.  Surely this will use more fuel? Bizarre! Have lots of sympathy for motorcyclists, it will be unsafe for them. Also, before this "recommendation", if a car appeared from around the bend with lights on, either rain or some other hazard could usually be expected. I am unclear as to how they will determine whether this has reduced deaths on the road - probably will increase them. Not many lights on here in the Charente.......helen    

Although I'm OK as a passenger (I can cover my eyes) , I can't drive over the Pont de Normandie either (do they chauffeur services there?) or the bridge to Ile de Ré, or the QE11 at Dartford for that matter (have been known to travel all the way round the M25 to avoid it - nearly got divorced). It's a real bummer as I have to be driven anywhere where there is a huge bridge!! Apparently Joanna Lumley shares the same phobia so I don't feel so stupid!! Looking forward to seeing that viaduc from a distance SB! regards.......helen (house and animal sitting this week and only managed to kill one canary so far!!!)

Lutece 3000L - plastered a wall with it yesterday. I'm a girly and I find it easy to use, I did a "rough" finish and it looks OK - mind you a professional would have a pink fit!! helen  

Hello Anton - it's good to see you back (but I was hoping that Isabel would post sometime! She isn't just a figment of your imagination is she??) We went to Brico-Lots in Poitiers about a month ago during their final week of them trading there. (We bought 8 sq mtrs of kitchen tiles for 17 euros!) They've been bought out by a company which trades in Moroccan furniture All the staff have been kept on (they were all really looking forward to the change) as a team. Brico-Lots in Angouleme will cease trading in the spring (2005) so there may be bargains to be had there. Last time we went there they had vast stocks of UPVC windows - all shapes and sizes! Apparently, the French have had enough of maintaining wooden windows and have fallen in love with UPVC! regards......helen  

Thanks for the responses - we are now sorted. regards....helen  

[quote]I actually started discussing this in a different thread with regard to planning permissions needed, but would appreciate any opinions and comments in terms of what French people like in conversions (...[/quote] Well, if you aren't considering selling it, perhaps you should worry about your own needs. helen  PS Older French people seem to like brown - does that help?

We applied for (and got) full planning permission for change of use of attached barn (into a sittingroom) and grenier (into bedrooms and shower rooms) as new windows, doorways and veluxs were being installed. We took our amateurish plans (drawn  to scale on graph paper with photos) to the local DDE for checking and then took them into our Mairie for sending on to the DDE! Friends ( actually lots of people we know) who are converting greniers into living space and installed veluxs, have not bothered to apply for planning permission. This includes a French couple. Maybe it's not really necessary. Would we do it in Britain? My last house in the UK when we bought it had a kitchen upstairs (it had probably been a shared house), we were told to apply for permission (building regs) to cut off water to upstairs kitchen sink before removing it - did we hell!! best wishes.....helen

As Alexis said in another thread somewhere all sorts of central heating systems - solar, oil, gaz, electricity (don't know about geowhatsit (takes acres of ground and is tres cher to install) are covered in a pullout section of this month's Maison et Travaux. I am sorted (have oil fired and a huge woodburner) so if anyone in the UK wants to beg me for my supplement send me a PM and I will post it!! regards......helen edit: oooops sorry Alexis!! Your posting is in this thread! This St Emilion is very good hic!  

Hi S&S and welcome to the forum. I'd hate to see you throw your money down the pan so it may be a good idea to rent somewhere in your chosen area for a year so that you get to know it well, its good and bad points/places, how much rain, sunshine and snow there is and what the holidaymakers (all nationalities) want! Renting is generally cheaper than the UK in most rural areas of France as it is more normal to rent rather than buy (for the French). For a long let go to a French immobilier (or look at small ads in local papers) as long gite rentals (especially UK owned) are expensive. As a tenant you have more rights than UK tenants, sign longer contracts and can't be chucked out so easily, but have to give longer notice (and occasionally the properties are not too great so have a good look round) You can never do too much research. Best of luck.............helen