zeb

Yep, think my eclectic musical taste is down to JP. Grew up listening to him and his music on Radio London. Loved the man, his wit and his music - even his mad T-shirts. Couldn't stand Home Truths though but he will be sorely missed.   helen

Most of our light fittings (not wall lights) have come from Ikea as they are soooo expensive to buy in French lighting shops, even LM. I bought some of our wall lights via ebay - French (provencal) wrought-iron candle type lamps and sconces but my favourite wall fitting (just an ironwork shade thing) came from a craft type shop in Minervois. Throws out wonderful shadows on the landing (but not much good as a reading light!). helen    

OMG - didn't realise you were that old Val Hopefully it should all blow over quickly. regards and bon courage Bretagne helen

Hi - forgive the double posting but guests of ours are hoping to get in a couple of days skiing/snowboarding during Christmas week. Has anyone got or know of vacancies B&B, chalet or gite 26th -29th December within an hour of ski slopes. They will need two doubles or twins. Thanks.....helen

Hi - guests of ours would like to go snowboarding/skiing for a couple of days during Christmas week. Does anyone know of vacancies 26 - 29th December in B&B/chalet or gite within an hour of ski slopes? Will need two doubles or twins. Thanks and regards......helen

As Anton says, there are good French renovating books available in all the DIY sheds and also in the large supermarkets. Ours is packed away at the moment but I think it's called "Tout Faire Savoir" published by Marillion. Although the instructions are in French it is full of step by step photos. You could buy the David Hampshire book as a basic guide but we didn't find it very useful for our large reno project. We made the mistake of getting builders in to do early work - digging out and laying concrete floor in barn, building block wall to separate one barn from sitting room barn (!), making botched job of reroofing part etc - and it all took forever as they had other jobs on the go. In the end, hubby did the majority himself but got a general builder in to help with the big, heavy, downright dangerous work! At times very daunting but we are getting there and every new room or large installation which is completed means a huge champagne celebration!! regards....helen PS...We also had French plumber for bathroom and central heating installations and French electrician for the total rewire - money very well spent.

Central heating (oil) has been on first thing in the morning for the last couple of weeks (mainly to keep the bathrooms warm and dry the towels) as we get up soon after 7. But because of fears of rising oil prices am being very frugal and the bathroom rads are the only ones on at the mo. I know that come January I'm going to have the central heating going most of the day though! We swapped our wood burning cuisiniere for a huge new woodburner a couple of weeks ago and lit it a few times in the evenings but it was soooooo hot in our now very large kitchen/sitting room we gave that up for the time being as we were falling asleep on the sofa by 8pm! The last couple of days here in the Charente have been super though - apres midi temps in the high 20s and cottage is better insulated this year so can keep the heat in. regards......helen

Sorry, but the site could do with a wee bit of tinkering, Chris, apart from stating that you are open all year but closed at Christmas!! (Perhaps this is what opas was getting at?) Too many photos and when you click on them they are enormous and very distorted - but, maybe that is just my pc. Oh, and the headline font is just too large. Actually someone posted do's and don't's of putting together websites which had some excellent tips. Any ideas where it is - my pc times out if I do a search (the old LF worked better for me than this one:blink?   regards........helen  

Yes, know of a couple in Provence who are running their gites as "pink palaces" aimed specifically at the gay market and are fully booked all year round! Also a friend of ours nearby is aiming her large gite at groups such as motorcyclists, artists, ramblers etc. She also organises painting/alternative therapy/girly weeks etc which are very popular and runs a vegetarian B&B. Luckily she has journalist friends in high places so marketing has been excellent and easy!! Personally, apart from an awful holiday in a bathroomless gite in the Auverne (early 90s Brit owned) we have only ever stayed in gdef 3 epie gites (we want the whole French experience). regards......helen

Hi fletch - the casto range of emulsions from Castorama are good to use but colour range is more limited than in the UK (and, of course, as Clara said, tres cher!). We usually ask friends to bring our (interior) paint over from UK but have used casto emulsions and they are fine.   regards.....helen

Oh Penny - I love the sound of all that, and I've got no kids!! Maybe I'll book a gite near you for a few days in the Spring (not far too travel - I'm only in sunny (huh) 16! regards....helen  

Hello Chris and welcome to LF! You may find that you will have to get EDF out to upgrade as 3 Kw is VERY basic and with normal modern household appliances your leccy may keep tripping off. Ours did whenever we had TV, washing machine, f/f, lights, and kettle going at the same time. Hairdryer definitely made it trip off. EDF came for nothing and upgraded it to 6 Kw - it's only tripped off during a storm since. Not sure how much extra standing charge we pay but worth it as I got fed up with scrabbling about in the dark! regards.....helen

Our's often trips off during a storm - it did it one night last week. I hope it's not a fault as we've been rewired recently. Luckily we are here to switch it back on. regards......helen

I made quite a bit of fig jam but didn't use extra pectin so it didn't set very well. So, I've been using it up in apple crumbles and bread and butter puds (ab. yummy). As we have guests tonight and they are getting a pud can someone (TU?) tell me how to make chantilly cream? I have some of those little green and white cartons of créme entiére de Normandie. Merci beaucoup.........helen

.....and me TU! Will I be fluent in 20 years time? regards.........helen

Hi - someone suggested advertising French property for sale in Loot or on ebay so I had a look (don't want to sell, just being nosey) and couldn't actually find any on ebay (this seems a wee bit risky to me anyway) but spotted several homes for sale in Loot from under £10,000 in....Bulgaria! This came up in conversation last night and I was told that Bulgaria is the new Dordogne!! Has anyone considered buying a house there? Now I thought moving abroad was for the love of a particular country, it's culture etc.etc but is it just for cheaper property? (But there again, maybe loads of folks have fallen in love with Bulgaria!) .........er, where next? regards....helen  

Hi Lori - may be a good idea for the driver to stick to soft drinks and the rest of you can get as p****d as you like and not worry. Oh, and also it might be a good idea to have your picnic somewhere warm and dry - it's b****y freezing and wet today!! regards....helen  

Are carbon monoxide detectors also available in France? regards......helen 

Ha! Yes Stew, I tried going in (Ruffec) with a script from Vision Express. They were not impressed!! Am waiting for my appointment in November for new french prescription. Anyway, update on original posting. One consultant examined me and said it wasn't his area of expertise so called another consultant in who spent around an hour examining me, telling me the history of my maladie, showing me the publications he'd written on the subject, gave me prognosis and various prescriptions. Even a prescription for a blood test! Now, please tell me folks, do I arrange this with local infermiere or pharmacie?  regards..........helen  

Yes there is a free carpark, but like Limoges, it gets very full. Have a good trip.........helen

.......isn't that the village with the superb restaurant behind the petrol pump?   regards......helen

You're welcome! By the way - did you ever do Run to the Sun?

After bragging to all and sundry how well i have been since moving to France I was rushed into hospital at the beginning of August for an emergency op on my gut! All well although I found the convalensce tiresome to say the least, and as none of my clients would let me near their gardens over this period I had to do my own!! Anyway, another little problem reared its ugly head this week and I saw my doctor on Friday evening expecting anti-biotics but no, said he, it must be fixed, permanently! He phoned consultant (best in the Charente apparently!) who answed phone (6pm and his secretary had gone home after doing her 35 hour week), much discussion regarding possible operation at the beginning of next week (eeek!) and request for me to visit specialist on Monday and maybe all will be done and dusted by Wednesday!! Are there no waiting lists around here? I know it's not the same where TU lives but what about the rest of you? regards....helen je suis tres desolé, mes clients - will be back soon!!

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't be Wrong - what makes the French so French by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow published by Robson Books - I got mine at Stanstead  (£9.99) but available from amazon. (They do apologise for the sexism!!) According to the blurb on the back The French smoke, drink and eat more fat than anyone in the world, yet have fewer heart problems and half the obesity rate of the British and, work 35-hour weeks, and take seven weeks of paid holidays per year but are still the world's fifth-biggest economic power. So what makes the French so different?   regards......helen  

[quote]Those with long memories for taste will know that French UHT or long-life milk was somewhat of an acquired taste, especially in one's cuppa. Technology seems to have made great stides in recent years ...[/quote] You are dead right Graham - I can remember holidays in France years ago when I couldn't wait to get back to the UK for a decent cup of tea as the milk here smelt and tasted so foul! When we first moved out here I thought things were the same and drove miles several times a week (very small freezer then) for fresh milk in plastic bottles from supermarkets (you have to pick your days - it's only delivered to the shops two or three times a week!). Then I was carless for a bit, hubby did the shopping and brought home  loads of UHT milk "Petit Vendeen" - pretty boxes of locally produced UHT'd milk with cows and map on packet. No smell! No foul taste! Can be drunk in tea and on cereal or by the glass full just like fresh milk. We buy loads of cartons at a time and only need shop once a week now! regards.....helen