Vinrouge

Hi There,   My wife and I got married in France last year (Haute Vienne, Limousin) Just PM me if you want any advice as it is a little daunting but do-able (sic). The other posters are correct, you have to get married in your local Mairie and thereafter can have a blessing elsewhere. I know Chateau Montbrun near Chalus has a lovely chapel for wedding blessings and we used Chateau de Brie which doesnt have the chapel but has a fantastic reception room. Hope thats some help.    

Sorry 1% oops

Hi There, We take them and the only condition we make is that they can only be used to pay for accommodation and not meals. This has caused no problems and if it means the difference in getting the booking cos you do and not getting it the 2% is well worth it. Hope that helps.  

Hi All, Is anyone out there experiencing problems with their Holiday Havens subscription, with regard to contacting David & Elizabeth. We are a little concerned as we renewed in December and we keep getting renewal notices and absolutely no replies to any of our emails to them. Hope they are OK. Thanks.

Yes!!! My advice to you would be to keep your place in France, Thoroughly enjoy it with your family over the next few years. Then when the kids have grown up and become more self sufficient pack in the rat race and come over to France. Perhaps you can renogotiate with your company to get longer holidays off, in return for working a bit longer at other times of the year. It is true what everyone has said about income, we have no mortgage etc, but need in exces of €1500 per month just to live. I honestly do wish you every success in what you decide and hope you have fun with it. Regards. Tim, Louise and soon to be new member of family.  

Hi There, My wife and I got married in France last year, and although there is a fair amount of paperwork involved it wasnt too bad. The biggest issue will be that your friend would need to be resident in France to actually get married here. I think you will find that fairly inflexible too. However, there is an option. Some very good friends of ours married in the Loire valley 3 years ago, basically what they did was to have the legal civil ceremony in the UK, then came over to France and had a blessing in the Chateau's chapel with an expat C of E minister and then had a great reception at the Chateau. The only Chateau in the area that we know has a chapel for a blessing, would be Chateau Montbrun near Cussac. Stunning setting and Ok if you are looking to invite less than 60 people. Local caterers are fantastic and I would gladly recommend the company we used from Limoges. Hope that helps. T & L.

If you look under Mutuelle des Motards on www.pagesjaune.fr for your region, they are an exclusive motorcycle insurer. They do require you to pay a one of membership fee at the start though. Their quote was similar to Groupama, but a little more paperwork and not in our village etc. Hope that helps.

Hi there, Agree with these comments. I would ask if you could order the car with right dipping headlights. We probably had a bad experience, but when car hunting over here in Limoges, I was gobsmacked at the general lack of any service from main dealers. After working in the motor trade for 8 years, I couldnt believe that from 7 main dealers we visited not one offered us a test drive, a coffee and looked at our 3 1/2 year old part-exchange as though it was an utter inconvenience to their day (even the dealer we bought it off 3 years ago). I thought at first it was me but my wife who is normally very laid back about these things was getting very annoyed. C'est la vie.

Dear All, Have you ever considered wandering into your local English Renault dealer. They should be able to order a UK spec car (usually higher than European) in Left hand drive. You will then have the advantages of being able to speak the same language, get a manual in english and benefit form any current Renault UK deal (currently 4 years 0%), also you should be able to negotiate the same discount as available on the equivalent RHD car. You may have to part with a larger deposit (dealer doesnt want you pulling out of sale as couldnt sell the car to anyone else easily) and a  slightly longer build time delay. If the salesman says he cant do it he is fibbing as I used to do it when I worked in the trade 3 years ago.

Hi There, I have just insured my CBR600 with Groupama, local office, great service etc. This was added to our Car, House business insurance policy set-up though. Hope that helps.

The Curry house near the Cathedral in Limoges is not bad. You may find there range a little limited. We have also found three in Angouleme. All within the pedetrianised area near Les Halles car park. I would definately be interested about any Thai restaurants Limoges/Perigueux/Angouleme though as I do miss them.

Whoops forgot to confirm where. It is at the St Mathieu Lake. Sorry sounds obvious.

There are lots of local things on for Bastille day. The biggest in the St Mathieu area is the Fete du Lac on Saturday and Sunday. Not exactly Bastille day I know but well worth a visit. Music, food and big Firework display Saturday night.

I have followed the replies with interest and with so many experts I am amazed nobody has offered the most obvious solution. If I am not much mistaken I would hazard a guess that being French your Rally will have Michelin tyres, and as such is probably suffering because the particular layout in your garden causes high speed problems with the tyres. If this is the case may I suggest you gather together all other Rally owners on Michelin tyres and boycott the race unless of course the governing body adds a chicane before the fast bend near the rose bed!

I assume you mean outdoor ceramic tiles. If so as long as your concrete pad is level tiles are much easier than slabs (and cheaper). I would recommend buying good quality tile adhesive (on the back of the bags it usually tells you what surfaces it can be used on) You are lookin for one that can be used straight onto Beton. To be honest if my mind serves me correctly it will even tell you whether it can be used exterior! Depending on tile size eg 30x30 I would recommend an adhesive spreader with 8-10mm teeth. Mix the glue to a stiff paste and spread away. The grout is also sold in bags to be mixed should be next to the tile adhesive (Joint). For outdoors I would also recommend Joint Souple as this allows for heat expansion. Lastly if the area to be tiled is over 40m2 I would also recommend you buy an expansion strip. This is a plastic strip sold in different widths, to match your planned tile gap and allows for the same expansion as mentioned above. Cant remember its name off the top of my head. You will find it in most bricolage stores that sell tiles. Usually with the edging strips etc.

First off it was those little red beetles laying eggs all over the garlic leaves (grubs then munching on the leaves) Solved this. Now the mice are eating the garlic bulbs from below the ground. Any ideas on how to discourage this, I dont fancy spending the night in the garden chasing them off! Prefer not to poison them, but starting to get a little cheesed off, no pun intended.

Hello Swissbarry, We are just outside St Mathieu and I would love to meet up with someone who knew the area for fishing. Assuming I can persuade the other half to let me get away from the renovations for the day! I prefer course fishing in smaller lakes, carp, tench etc. Not bothered about huge specimens, just good sport. Will have to dust off the tackle as it hasn't been used for over a year. Hope to hear from you soon. Tim.

Help. We are looking for somewhere that offers reasonably priced photo developing here in France. Perhaps we are working out the supermarket prices. But I make a 36 exposure film approx 10 to develop. Are there any mail order companies like in the UK.

What is it with this Forum. I have never experienced such a negative group of people in my entire life. What exactly did you all move to France for. (To escape the British way of life). Well it seems to me that you are all importing the british mentality to France. I know that it is not all a bed of roses and that people make mistakes. But isn't that up to them to make the mistakes, after all it is their lives. I always detect an air of desperation that people feel that no-one else should be allowed in to there part of France. Well it is a very large country and whatever the thoughts I don't honestly believe that saturation will come. Perhaps there are an awful lot of English moving over to run B&B or Gite busineses, but in a free market economy isn't competition healthy. Oooops perhaps I have just hit on the crux of the comments.

We have been looking at cars in Limoges. If you exit the A20 at J28 then head around the D2000, you will pick up signs for Z I Nord, or Z.I.N. There are several car dealers including VW/Audi just off the D2000. Happy hunting. We cant make our mind's up what we want so will keep the old tank (Audi 100) going a bit longer, although on a late drive back the other night from Angouleme, we both realised we didn't have any breakdown cover and as we have only been here a few weeks panicked as we wouldn't have known who to call. Any suggestions on Europe wide cover.