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Rascalb

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Everything posted by Rascalb

  1. Remember nothing sucks like an Electrolux! Electrolux own Husqvana, McCullochs, Jonsered, Poulan, Flymo etc.   Having started out with a McCulloch - which was passable we made lots of enquiries with farming/forester friends and they all agree that Stihl is the best (and most expensive) but that Husqvarna is the next best. We currently have two of these  Husqvarna chainsaws and love them to bits - they are great items and the only problem we had was with the second one that my husband mixed the fuel incorrectly on initial start up. We bought ours from a firm in Devon and their prices are really competitive. Cannot remember name but could look up if you would like it.
  2. I have never had a problem so far at Rennes/Nantes with different rental companies.
  3. Kind of depends on what you want to do with the land and how much you would like? A little more info would be useful.
  4. We had a C1 from Autos Abroad last year for £142.00. The only thing I would say about Nantes is make sure vehicle is full of fuel before you get back to airport or you will have to pay inflated hire company prices as there is none on site. There is a garage on the road in from Angers (But was shut due to renovation work last time we needed fuel).
  5. We are also in 53, but husband did our new roof (58 sqM) himself from scratch and would just like to confirm Big Mac's qoute sems the same price range that ours cost us in summer 2007. We got our total costs including timer frame, battens,felt,crotchets and nails etc to £4200 (cannot put hand on original receipts at moment). Should point out he only did it himself because it was single storey! We used Riviere in Laval for our supplies and found them helpful and competitive.
  6. My 17 year old son holds a CBT, which he passed in June 07 and will renew in June 09(He caanot afford full licnce due to driving lessons/car etc). Can he bring his NSR125 to France next summer? He has insurance cover for Europe included on his policy, but is not sure if CBT is acceptable. He has a Honda GS125 he is considering bringing and leaving in France and wondered how hard it is to register? How does bike Ins cost compare to UK? Thanks Sheena
  7. Hi My son is Dyslexic and I am Dyscalculic. There is a Programme called "Word Shark" which is good for Dyslexia and helps improve reading and spelling(have used this with son as it was recommended by SENCO). It should be readily available on Internet (sorry I did not check). Unfortunately Dyscalculia is not recognised in Cheshire where I was educated and now work in education. Do not know what to suggest for that as I understand how hard it is to remember tables and formulae myself. Dependant on the age of your child Paired Reading may be helpful in an evening when they are relaxed.  
  8. Having used the Tunnel over 50 return trips I have never heard of people "Bumping" into the car in front Teapot, but when working in Customer Complaints Dept of camping company frequently heard of scrapes and knocks on ferries (usually poor driving).
  9. The old "Vomit Comet" title applies to all "Wave Cutters". It stems from the fact that people who travel well on conventional ferries have always traditionally found the cat's leave them queasy! Having worked for a well known camping company this was always proven out by staff trips and customer comments. I myself am seasick on traditional ferries but not on Speedferries. Having said that we have tried Speedferries 4 times. They were late every crossing (apparently the only guarenteed sailing on time is first of day). On three legs they ran out of water for the toilets, which was not a pleasant experience. We are also frequent travellers on the tunnel and agree that the extra charge weekends have increased. This is OK in sumertime aswe have the light nights and an aired property, but a pain in darker nights. Yes, there can be chaos when there is a problem, but that is occasional and the ferries can be exactly the same. It is the most convenient form of travel based on comfort and speed as far as we are concerned. The one thing I would like to see is that Eurotunnel look at geogaphical location of members in some way as being from the North West or further North we have very early and long journeys to make the cheap crossings. Being on the doorstep or within an hour or two's drive gives people a massive advantage to take all the cheap crossings!  
  10. Where about on DEFRA website is this?. I had a look, but it only says they are banning imports and that export bans are upto the country you travel to.
  11. I e-mailed Eurotunnel Customer Services and was told that they have no intention of allowing 2nd cardholders as it would increase their charges to their 15000 Property Owner members. So no luck there !
  12. Just out of interest how was it discovered that the account holder was not in the party? Were the check-ins manned? Usually if you use the self check-in with a joint card there is not a problem (We have used both cards dependant on who is driving). We too would like to see a "Joint Account Holder" situation brought back. Maybe we should all lobby Eurotunnel!
  13. We bought our house in the Mayenne in December 2001 and have since been crossing 6-7 times a year. Coming from Cheshire we too find the UK leg the worst, whatever time of day or night. We have tried Brittany/Speedferries and Eurotunnel in the years. Brittany is expensive and for us too slow, Speedferries were late on every crossing we made and tend to sail when other companies would consider conditions too bad. The tunnel is the best option for us as northerners - if we miss our booked crossing we know another will come along at some point(not the next morning as with ferries) and compared to our Brittany journey we usually save 5 hours (sounds little but  an 11 hour journey is bad enough)
  14. I agree with darnsarf - Bought a car from e-Bay 16 months ago and have had no problems. It was a bargain compared to garages selling similar. Just do your homework looking for the usual faults on the model you are looking at, check high feedback score and go for it.
  15. We are currwently thinking of changing accounts so called Nationwide to check if charges to be applied in future for using Flexcard abroad. Branch manager says they have not heard this and fully expect to continue as normal.
  16. www.direct.gov.uk   Just had a look at DVLA website where it says...   Temporarily importing a vehicle There are international agreements which provide for the temporary use of a vehicle in a foreign country for a limited time, usually six months in a 12 month period. A visitor to the UK may use a vehicle displaying foreign plates, provided that all taxes (including vehicle excise duty) are paid in their country of origin. If a vehicle bearing foreign plates is stopped by the police, it is the responsibility of the keeper to demonstrate that he or she is eligible to use the vehicle in the UK without registering and taxing it. European Union vehicles It is the responsibility for the driver to prove how long the vehicle has been in the country. This can be achieved by producing ferry tickets. Used or unregistered vehicles brought into the UK will be allowed to circulate freely for six months in any 12 month period without the need to register. Certain vehicles will be required to display a temporary 'Q' plate. Temporary visitor status is not appropriate to these vehicles.   Hope this clears up legal position in UK.
  17. Not there permanantly yet, but will be within five years. We are in the Mayenne and chose the area because - It is rural like Cheshire. It is fairly central within Europe for travelling, Easy distance to travel back to UK to visit family and not too hot all year for husband!  We also did not want to be in a "Ghetto" situation with other Brits as we like the "behind the times" lifestyle of France and fully intend to be as French as possible. But we have been made very welcome and are really looking forward to full time occupation.
  18. I think as Mark says that the security checks are inevitable, but I understand the moans as we travel by shuttle at least 6 times a year and have only avoided being pulled over 2-3 times in 5 years on the UK side. It is irritating, but we now know some of the staff and they know us! I find the biggest problems are now cancellations and delays if you travel between 1.30pm and 4pm, even though you pay the premium to do so. Not quite what the flexible's pay, but I fear they cause us to be delayed if we are "bumped" to allow them on board. I think the cancellations are probably down to lack of numbers and the trains being consolidated.
  19. Does anyone know if there are any resouces on-line for genealogy research in France, particularly Brittany. My family name (Linnett) is believed to be from France, according to family legend and I would love to track it back. So far I am back in Essex in the 1700's (which was a bit of a surprise for a Cheshire Lass!). When in France we are in Mayenne and so able to travel up to Brittany if needs be. Many Thanks  
  20. Cannot say how shuttle ran Friday 9th Feb but travelled over midday Sat 10th and was best journey we have done so far (in around 50). Was told it had been busy earlier, as it was manual check-in for some reason. Suspect that some trains are being amalgamated after crossings being either early/late a few times in last 12 months instead of at booked times and never being offered an earlier crossing. This time return we arrived 1 hour before, not offered earlier train and arrived in terminal building to find our crossing marked as final call. Rushed up to board and still left at designated time half full. Still as long as no long delay I am happy with service given. Think you have to be over an hour early now to be offered earlier crossing these days. Agree that screens have to be thumped - staff member told me to treat it like I did a man - give it a good thump to make it work. Made me laugh anyway! Find traffic in UK a problem with almost every journey at one point at another. Return journey was great until 12 miles from home (Northwich, Cheshire), which took 40mins!  
  21. We did receive bills from EDF to our french address which meant we missed payment dates as we live in UK. They always over-estimate by large ammounts and in our area (53) they do not give refunds - they just let the credit run against subsequent bills. You could always write a letter using a free translation service like Babelfish on Altavista.co.uk home page. You can also translate web pages on this, so it may help explain your payment plan. I should say that the on-line payment system seems to be a bit hit and miss and can mean that you end up sending a cheque later than the expected payment date dur to it not working. 
  22. Chris I think you are right and you should approach the school albeit on a casual nature firstly about the problems your son is having. I too work in a large english secondary where we have large numbers of Eastern European children. We have found that despite our best efforts some of the children are still not integrating (believe me we are trying) and a few have passed comments that they are picked on because they are non nationals. Invariably they are just like any other children with individual hang-ups, therefore I would try not to go in on a "British" tack and with an open mind as the teachers will be more at ease and feel able to be as open as possible with you. Not sure if you are taking your son to the initial meeting, but this also sometimes reveals information you are unaware of. Good luck!
  23. We also received one of these for the first time this year after five years of ownership. Our piece identified also applies to part of our garden(as far as we are concerned). I had it translated by a friend and it meant that we now pay a small payment to one office, but it is deducted from our Taxe Fonciere as an allowance. So basically status quo, just split between departments internally. Hope this helps.
  24. I have a message from Flybe that they have new routes from Manchester. They have the high season flights to Rennes and Brest now, which is great news for all of us "Up North". Prices starting at @ £70 return with good flight times.
  25. We have cover with More Than for both our vehicles. I had to use them last month and was not asked for service history. The cost is very reasonable Citroen Picasso and BMW tourer (11 years old)both cost around £65 for full cover including homestart and Europe. They took around 1 hour 45 mins to reach us but mainly because it was school holidays and they were very busy! Obviously a lot of companies charge extra for vehicles over 15 years old and this may be where the service history kicks in.
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