steve@sarah

I dont think that frontline stops the ticks attaching, but kills them when they have. So if you found a tick, it should have been feeling very ill! I also use a collar, called a "scalibor" [Think thas how you spell it] collar when we visit. It was recommended to us as it is supposed to repel ticks as well as kill them and also it helps prevent sandfly bites [apparently these are common in many areas in France and are not just the things you find on beaches]. I started using these collars after reading several articles in the press about sandflies and the disease they carry - I think it is called Leishmenioses which makes dogs very ill. I have noticed that with the collar we get far fewer ticks attaching to the dogs. Hope this helps, Sarah

Nobby, do as Teamup says and get off to the docs. Especially if the area round the bite is red or inflamed or if you start to feel unwell with a high temperature...... The illness is called Lymes Disease and can make you very ill. My brother in law caught it after being bitten by a deer tick while he was in Belgium. Thats how I know about it. Sarah 

Be very careful about ticks biting humans esp. if you live in an area with a dear population as ticks can carry Lymes [?sp] Disease. My brother in law caught this in Belguim and was very ill. If you have a reaction to the bite get right off to see the doc. Sarah. 

Dave, do as my mother in law does and keep slippers [including spare ones for visitors] by the door! Sarah

Dave- advise TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF!

I can't comment on Hunter Stoves, But we have fitted several different makes over the years. I would not say you needed a multi fuel stove for France if you intend to burn wood, as the previous poster said . Clearview stoves are good; several diff. sizes and styles our customers have always been happy with them. Villager stoves likewise, they are cheaper, personally I think the styling is a bit "fussy"[but you might like it] and the doors do tend to soot up. My personal fav. are the charnwood type- we've got a small one in uk and are planning to fit a bigger one in France. Mine seems very economical to run, its easy to light and the doors dont soot up.Also, they are designed to take a back boiler which, if you have one, will give hot water and run rads. When you are looking at stoves, look how thick the metal is, how well the door is sealed and how easy re-fueling is all important to future use. Sarah 

I've looked intoTransmanch Ferries and although they look much cheaper and the crossing would be right for us, they dont take pets! And of course the dogs have to go too.... Sarah

The blood test is done one month after the first rabies jab to make sure there are enough anti bodies in the blood. If there are, the passport is issued. If you have a pet passport then this has been done and wont have to be repeated unless you dont get the rabies booster jab done by the due date. The tick and flea treatment [this has always been Frontline and Drontil when our dogs have been to the vets] have to be done between24 and 48 hours before RETURNING to the UK .You dont need them to get into France. The timing is VITAL miss that 24 hour window and you have to get another treatment and wait. Also make absolutely sure, before you leave the vets, that the details of the tick@ flea treatment are correctly filled in- date, time and product used. Hope this is helpful, Sarah  

Yes, please tell! Despite training our dogs, and being dog lovers not just"owners", one of our goldens has a real taste for birds- and I mean taste. She managed to corner and catch one of the many pheasants raised in the woods nearby and since then regards bird chasing as the most fun in the world. I know a healthy interest in birds is bred into goldens but this is proving difficult to stop. Luckily our garden has a dog proof fence so our next door hens are safe! As I said before, training is the best long term solution,and is fun any way, but a fence is a good idea- even if it is not your lack of fence that is the problem. Sarah  

I have just checked the date in the passports, they were issued at the end of August by our Vet in the UK. I asked her to replace the old ones as I had heard they were being changed and did not want to have the wrong sort! I used them for the first time at the begining of September  Sarah.

Our dogs got their new passports last autumn and have been to and fro 3 times, with only the new passport. The first time I did take the old forms"just in case" but did not need them. Since then we have just used the new passports. The vet in Chateaumeillant filled in the details of the tick @ flea treatment, and the check in staff at Caen scanned the dogs and checked paperwork with out a second glance. Obviously you have to make sure all the paper work is filled in correctly and that you allow enough time for the tick treatment, but all I can say is we have not had any trouble. Sarah

yes, JO can be irritating, but then so can most people. At least he has done something about an issue he feels strongly about, not just sat and moaned. Personally I feel school meals are only part of the problem- the real issue is why those children knew so little about food. Is it lack of "domestic science" in school, lazy/ ignorant parents who can't/ won't cook, the fast food McD culture???? The guides in the unit I run [age 10-14] have been discussing this programme over the last few weeks. The general consensus is that; how can any one not know what an onion looks like? and they hate turkey twizzlers! Cooking is one of their most popular activities this terms recipes [chosen and designed by the girls] have included low fat broccoli and cheese pasta bake, mixed veg pasta salad with tuna, fruit smoothies and home made pizzas.Why this differance? Is it because they have found out for themselves how much fun good foog is? I don't know but at least it shows not all British kids live off junk. Sarah 

Another excellent reason for fencing your garden! If you keep dogs then you must make sure they aren't a pest to other people, I think the original poster said they were thinking of selling their house- surly good fencing would help? Sarah 

Please don't use one of these horrible electric systems on your dog- for all the reasons other posters have listed. If you have a problem with an escapee dog, then fence all or part of your land. As well as keeping your dog in, it will keep the neighbours hens out! The best method though, as the last message said, is to train your dog. Yes, it does take time, no its not an instant fix and yes you will have to work hard! If you need help, then I'm sure there are books/ training classes ect in your area. Stick with it and you will have a happy and well behaved dog- you never know, you might enjoy it! However, if your dog already has a taste for chicken "in the feather", you'll need a fence as well- one of my golden retrievers has found the huge fun to be had chasing birds [any variety will do] and despite the fact that shes very well behaved at other times shes also very good at forgetting the rules. We are working on it, but at the moment there is no way I would leave her out next to an unfenced flock of hens- unless I wanted chicken casserole! Sarah

We had to have an asbestos survey done before purchase. It was done by the seller and as I understand it is a legal requirement. It was quite a detailed document, listing all the buildings, with photos, and itemising any asbestos found, giving type and condition. We were also told that we would have to show the report to any one working on the buildings so they were aware of any poss. hazards- obviously asbestos has to be treated with care. Hope this helps,Sarah.

Well I love my land Rover- and yes it does get muddy! As a strong servicable work horse I can fill the back with muddy dogs, tool, wood any thing you like and not have to worry. And whats more the OH loves his Range Rover too! 2 Jags Prescot can't tell me what to drive.

DaveandOlive and Iceni sum up a lot of what I had to say! Back to the problem of the beams..... I've always liked the effect given by rubbing in [to the wood] boiled linseed oil to cleaned wood esp oak. If you are not sure what effect you want, why not a spare piece of the same wood and try out the diff. options, then you will see which you like best without running the risk of finnishing the job and finding out you hate it. This works for me anyway. As for health issues, follow the saftey directions on the tin!  

er... am I in France? Why? Advice about stoves is the same where ever you are- it's cold here and there and apart from different styles of stoves, which is a matter of personal taste, the question was about experience of wood burners which we have lots of, both in our own homes and fitted for others professionally. The bosky was in England fitted some years ago when we could not afford a new one, and all stoves, French or English go out if you forget to feed them. If it matters, I am typing this in Shropshire and will be fitting large Charnwood, with boiler, in Cher region as soon as able to for reasons mentioned in my last post.

We have 2 Golden retrivers age 2- jumping up can be a real problem especially as you know the friendliest dog is a wet and muddy one! This is the method we were taught at puppy class- it does work but yoy need to prime all visitors familly ect so you can all give the sams response. Practise first with people you know. Put your dog on the lead and have the helper come into the room or up to the dog and say hello. As soon as the dog jumps up the helper steps back out of reach [hence the lead] says nothing and avoids eye contact with the dog. This means the dog is getting no reward for bad behavior. As soon as he is on the floor, the helper steps forward and pets the dog. Every time the dog jumps up, step back again. It does not take long for the to realise that jumping up is not rewarded and they only get fuss when they are on the floor. Try doing this in different situations and with different people you can make a game of it- labs like to play and will soon see this as a game. A few minutes a day will soon make a difference. If he jumps up when you are out with people you dont know, then tell them not to fuss him. Make him sit then let them pet him. Ihope this helps, let me know how yoy get on!

If these are old beams and have not been painted then I would just go over them with a wire brush to get rid of loose muck possibly they may need sanding but I have never bothered with that- the point of old beams is that they are old! If it is new oak then what we do is rub in linseed oil with a rag dont get it on the plaster though as it is v. difficult to paint over. I would not use paint or varnish ect as the natural colour of the wood usually looks best. However, take advice on what insect treatments are recommended locally! Remember that the colour of new or reacently sanded wood will gradually mellow and darken with time so if you stain it dark it will get darker.

I have been following this topic over the last few days, perhaps you would be interested in my experiece? We have had and have fitted for others lots of wood burners over the years. My favorite is the Charnwood make, not too expensive, looks good, economical with fuel you can get it with or without a back boiler. Also, it has a clean burn system so the glass does not soot up and less smoke given off easy to light ect ect. The villager type is also popular, but I have noticed that the doors do get dirty. The Clearview make is much more expensive, but very solidly made.It depends on what style you like- fussy, plain, shiny enamel ect. I don't think I would fit another second hand boiler- you dont know if it is corroded until it leaks filthy water all over belive me I can remember the horrible mess as if it was yesterday.This was a Bosky multi fuel central heating cooker  it was very efficient but remember you will have to light it and keep it full of fuel every time you want to cook any thing [unless you have a gas/ electric cooker as well] and they always go out when you are cooking a meal for your mother- in law! At the moment we have a Stanley oil fired central heating cooker- brilliant- and a small Charnwood in the dining room. When we redecorate we are having a bigger Charnwood in the sitting room with boiler to link in with the central heating to cut down on oilcosts. We have done this before and it works very well. Hope all this is helpfull!

In the Uk plumbers and builders use a radiator calculator- it looks a bit like a circular slide rule- on which you enter all information ie no. of windows, outside walls, floor type ect. you can then read off the rad. size. you can get these at a plumbers merchants. I presume they have them in france too. But, if you are a complete novice you may be better employing an expert plumber/heating engineer as the last thing you want is for your house to have leaks ect and inefficient heating.