[Please help.......insurance quandry]

So now he's home, can you give us an update ?

1) Any joy with compensation ? There are "ambulance chaser" type solicitors in UK who say "no win no fee".

2)Any advice for those of us who may be in the same situation ?

3)Mr O thinking of a book ?

Peter

[Speeding]

[quote user="Clair"]If you were caught by an automatic speed trap, the likelihood is that nothing will happen.

If you were stopped by a gendarme, he will most probably have written a note that your UK licence should be exchanged for a French one.

In a few weeks time, you will asked to present your licence at the gendarmerie and if you still have a UK one, your will be given about one month to present your new French licence with its penalty point.

[/quote]

I think things have changed :

The French license does not now show penalty points - you get a notification by mail.

Peter

[Please help.......insurance quandry]

To put this into perspective - I checked out of a hotel in Alicante on Friday morning before driving back to my home in Languedoc. I was driving my French reg car, with French ins cover, French permis, French CdS but UK passport.

Had I been stopped in Spain on Friday I would have been in exactly the same circumstances as Outie. And what about the numerous cross border "day trippers" buying booze, fags, fuel, etc. ?

Given the circumstances - Outie was doing nothing illegal, or unusual

(lots of people drive to work across borders every day) - the UK police

were at fault.

It would be worth looking into the question of compensation. Some info here : http://www.lawontheweb.co.uk/actionsagainstthepolice.htm

Contact with a journalist may highlight the problem and help

with any compensation claim.

Peter

[Wedding in Carcassonne]

Hi

Might be worth contacting this place : http://www.chateaulasserre.com

They are close to Carcassonne and can help with your various questions.

Peter

[How to get Veicle insurance if you are a Foreigner]

Just to add that you can transfer NCB from other countries.

You need a certificate from your foreign insurer stating NCB in years (not %). AS French NCB can go over 10 yrs before reaching the maximum, you need as many years as possible.

Peter

[The Frogs are barking ....]

We've had a very warm weekend (for 1 March !) with temperatures around 21C.

Tonight is the first time this year that I've heard the frogs barking.

Peter

[EDF connection problem departement 34]

Hi

I'm actually on the East Herault/Gard border ......... and builders don't seem to travel that far.

Peter

[Montpellier, Nimes or Avignon?]

Hi

I would head off towards your destination, and continue early (ish !) the next morning.

If you are arriving late, I'd think about Nimes itself, or Aigues Mortes. LE MAS DES SABLES  http://www.lemasdessables.com/uk/geo.html  just outside Aigues Mortes is nice, but you would need a taxi (or drive) into the walled city to eat.

Montpellier is an interesting place to stop. Best to stay on the South side near the tram, and go in on the tram - the centre can be difficult because it is mostly pedestrianised or confusing one way streets.

Sete is a bustling seaside resort / port with many hotels & restaurants.

My choice would be Bouzigues. It is a south facing fishing village on Etang de Thau. It is very close to the A9 and small enough to park and walk everywhere. La Cote Bleue has private parking and a good restaurant : http://www.la-cote-bleue.fr

List of local hotels.

Bonne chance

Peter

[EDF connection problem departement 34]

Seems domestic & business don't talk to each other.

I inherited a business premises and wanted to change the account over. The local "permanence" were unable to find anything in their records - and clearly didn't want to help. They gave me a  phone number to the commercial dept, and it was sorted very quickly.

Maybe, a trip to Montpellier ?

Peter

 

[What's the best thing about living in the languedoc?]

[quote user="Quillan"]

It is winter.

On Friday the weather was fine when we sailed on Saturday it was gusting force 10 along the coast. The water was almost at road level in the marina, another few feet and boats could have floated on to the road.[/quote]

There were high winds with damage on the coast here in East Languedoc over the weekend.

I'm obviously a wimp. I wouldn't go out if force 10 was forecast ! Unfortunately weather changes, and I've been caught out a few times.

Beaufort Force 10 (Storm) :

Wind : 48-55 knots (88-102 kmh)

Wave height : 9m    

At sea : Very high waves. The sea surface is white and there is considerable tumbling. Visibility is reduced.

On land : Trees uprooted. Considerable structural damage.

Peter

[What's the best thing about living in the languedoc?]

[quote user="Tj"]Re the posting by groslard on the Quartier St Jaques, Perpignan, made whilst I was formulating my last reply, the incident refered to by him, was as I mentioned one incident in the last five years.   I frequently visit the area as the best and freshest spices can be purchased in the shops.  The Mahgrebs, Catalans and French live in harmony.  I do not have knowledge of Beziers quartier.  [/quote]

It is also 200km from Calvisson, the village the original poster was interested in.

I ignored the first two comments when replying in my original post as they did not deserve a reply.

Peter

[What's the best thing about living in the languedoc?]

Interesting replies above ?

Calvisson is in a very good location.

It is in the Vaunage which is a large plain populated with similar small villages. It is surrounded by vine and olives.

Calvisson has very old origins, and was once an important town. It has some very impressive old buildings, and was on the main Nimes-Sommieres-Montpellier road (now it has a bypass). It also has a disused station. It is around 30 minutes from Montpellier, Nimes, the Med and the Cevennes. It has a few expat residents (not many English), and at least one French expat who keeps a house there.

It has excellent travel connections -

TGV Paris - Nimes in 3 hours

Low cost airlines (to about 30 destinations) from Marseille, Nimes and Montpellier

A9 autoroute is nearby

There is a local bus service

It is a very desirable village because it has a few shops, bars and restaurants, a Sunday market,  and is half way Nimes - Montpellier. There are 4 supermarkets within 7km, and Sommieres has around 100 businesses.

A pool will reach 30C in summer with no heating.

July and August will be hot (30C - 40C). Rainfall is rare at that time and normally falls overnight (interestingly, apart from a few overnight storms, this weekend has had the first real rain since May).

Others who have "moved" from Northern France have settled happily in Languedoc.

You can contact me for more information,

Peter

[What's happened to Saligo Bay?]

Saligo Bay is still alive.

She recently joined me - as a friend, you understand - on Facebook

Peter

[Cheap flights for 2008]

Hi

I've only put the UK/Ireland ones above. That link takes you to the full list ............. including Denmark.

Strangely, Cimber Air haven't listed it on their website yet, although Beziers airport has.

Peter

[Cheap flights for 2008]

I've updated the full list here : www.the-languedoc-page.com/tourism/languedoc-tourism-air.htm

There will be more announcements, I guess.

There are more carriers, and many more routes for 2008.

Flights from UK and Ireland are :

From To Carrier

Aberdeen - Barcelona Flyglobespan

Belfast - Barcelona Aer Lingus

Belfast - Barcelona Easyjet

Belfast - Reus Thompsonfly

Belfast - Barcelona Jet2

Belfast - Toulouse Jet2

Birmingham - Girona Ryanair

Birmingham - Barcelona BMI baby

Birmingham - Girona Thompsonfly

Birmingham - Marseille BMI baby

Birmingham - Marseille Ryanair

Birmingham - Reus Thompsonfly

Birmingham - Toulouse First Choice **

Blackpool - Girona Ryanair

Bournemouth - Girona Ryanair

Bournemouth - Marseille Ryanair

Bristol - Reus Thompsonfly

Bristol - Barcelona Easyjet

Bristol - Beziers Ryanair

Bristol - Girona Ryanair

Bristol - Marseille Easyjet

Bristol - Toulouse Easyjet

Bristol - Toulouse First Choice **

Cardiff - Girona Thompsonfly

Cardiff - Reus Thompsonfly

Cork - Carcassonne Ryanair

Cork - Barcelona Aer Lingus

Doncaster - Reus Thompsonfly

Doncaster - Girona Ryanair

Dublin - Barcelona Aer Lingus

Dublin - Barcelona Clickair

Dublin - Carcassonne Ryanair

Dublin - Girona Ryanair

Dublin - Marseille Aer Lingus

Dublin - Marseille Ryanair

Dublin - Reus Ryanair

Dublin - Rodez Ryanair

Dublin - Toulouse Aer Lingus

Durham - Reus Thompsonfly

Durham - Girona Ryanair

Edinburgh - Barcelona Clickair

Edinburgh - Marseille Ryanair

Edinburgh - Toulouse Jet2

Edinburgh - Avignon Jet2

Edinburgh - Barcelona Flyglobespan

Edinburgh - Barcelona Germanwings

Exeter - Avignon Flybe

Gatwick - Barcelona BA

Gatwick - Barcelona Easyjet

Gatwick - Girona Thompsonfly

Gatwick - Marseille BA

Gatwick - Marseille Easyjet

Gatwick - Montpellier Easyjet

Gatwick - Montpellier Easyjet

Gatwick - Reus Thompsonfly

Gatwick - Toulouse BA

Gatwick - Toulouse Easyjet

Glasgow - Barcelona Flyglobespan

Glasgow - Girona Thompsonfly

Glasgow - Reus Thompsonfly

Glasgow - Toulouse First Choice **

Leeds Bradford - Avignon Jet2

Leeds Bradford - Barcelona Jet2

Leeds Bradford - Reus Thompsonfly

Leeds Bradford - Toulouse Jet2

Liverpool - Reus Thompsonfly

Liverpool - Barcelona Easyjet

Liverpool - Carcassonne Ryanair

Liverpool - Girona Ryanair

Liverpool - Nimes Ryanair

Liverpool - Reus Ryanair

Luton - Barcelona Easyjet

Luton - Girona Ryanair

Luton - Girona Thompsonfly

Luton - Nimes Ryanair

Luton - Reus Ryanair

Luton - Reus Thompsonfly

Manchester - Girona Ryanair

Manchester - Marseille Ryanair

Manchester - Reus Thompsonfly

Manchester - Barcelona Air Berlin

Manchester - Barcelona Jet2

Manchester - Barcelona Monarch

Manchester - Girona Thompsonfly

Manchester - Perpignan BMI baby

Manchester - Toulouse First Choice **

Newcastle - Reus Thompsonfly

Newcastle - Barcelona Easyjet

Newcastle - Girona Ryanair

Newcastle - Girona Thompsonfly

Newquay - Girona Ryanair

Newquay - Reus Flybe

Nottingham - Barcelona Easyjet

Nottingham - Carcassonne Ryanair

Nottingham - Girona Ryanair

Nottingham - Nimes Ryanair

Nottingham - Reus Thompsonfly

Prestwick - Girona Ryanair

Prestwick - Girona Ryanair

Prestwick - Marseille Ryanair

Prestwick - Reus Ryanair

Shannon - Carcassonne Ryanair

Shannon - Girona Ryanair

Southampton - Avignon Flybe

Southampton - Perpignan Flybe

Stansted - Barcelona Air Berlin

Stansted - Barcelona Easyjet

Stansted - Carcassonne Ryanair

Stansted - Girona Ryanair

Stansted - Marseille Ryanair

Stansted - Montpellier Ryanair

Stansted - Perpignan Ryanair

Stansted - Reus Ryanair

Stansted - Reus Thompsonfly

Stansted - Rodez Ryanair

Stansted - Toulon Ryanair

Stansted - Toulouse First Choice **

** = Awaiting confirmation

As always, additions & corrections welcomed.

Peter

[Languedoc Xmas newsletter]

It is that time of year again, and some of the contents of my newsletter could be interesting :

The Languedoc Page newsletter, December 2007

This is a newsletter from The Languedoc Page.

You are receiving this because you have registered with The Languedoc Forum or requested it through The Languedoc Page.

Wine :

The wine market has continued to be difficult in Languedoc. The EU has

a master plan to reduce wine production and Languedoc would suffer more

than other areas from digging up vines. It is still under discussion

and opposed by France, Spain and Italy.

Inter Sud, the Languedoc Rousillon wine growers association, has

developed a marketing plan to increase the perception of local wines.

They envisage doubling the value of wine sold over 10 years, both

within France and the key export markets of Germany, Netherlands, UK,

Canada, USA and Japan. They intend to develop “Sud de France” or “South

of France” as an umbrella brand.

Meanwhile the militant wine growers association, CRAV, took

advantage of the Presidential election by issuing a video threatening

violence if their demands were not met. There have been some terrorist

attacks on supermarkets, large wineries and wine importers.

The 2007 harvest will be less than usual due to bad weather in other

wine growing areas. However there was little impact on Languedoc wine

production.

Weather :

After a late Spring, the Summer was average for the region. There

were no long hot spells this year. There was a week, or so, of

temperatures over 35C in August.

The summer was dry, and the autumn did not provide the usual quantity

of much needed rain. There has been no flooding so far this year.

Current river levels are available here : www.vigicrues.ecologie.gouv.fr and risks by commune are now available here : www.prim.net/home.htm . Select Department, Then risk, then commune, then zoom in.

Most of Languedoc (and Cote d’Azur, Provence, etc.) had snow on 15

December. It melted within 24 hrs except at higher levels in the hills.

Currently, we have clear skies, chilly nights and up to 15C during the

day.

Land transport:

Lines 1 & 2 of the Montpellier tram system are now fully operational.

Tram line 1 is intended to be extended with a new stop called Cité

Ludique near IKEA (and future Geant Hypermarket). However there is also

a suggestion to extend a little further to create a station &

parking on the A9 autoroute. Some work has been done in preparation for

this.

Tram line 2 is intended to be extended East from St Jean de Vedas to

Fabrègues, Cournonterral et Cournonsec as well as Northwest to

Castries. I haven't seen any dates for these developments.

Tram line 3 was originally planned to go from Juvignac to Perols. It

will now be launched in 2012 as Collines d'Estanove to Lattes. There is

a longer term plan to extend the line from Lattes/Perols to run along

the coast (but excluding Palavas) as far as Grande Motte. The colour

scheme will use a coral reef theme.

Tram line 4 initial studies were authorised for commencement in

september 2007. One option that has been put forward is to extend to

the East from the end of the projected line 3. No proposal has yet been

made.

The topic is regularly updated here : www.the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=839

The final links from the A75-A9 near Beziers are still not completed. The Montpellier CCI has published these dates :

2008 (start) Pezenas - Valros section work starts

2008 (summer) Valros bypass opens

2008 (end) Valros to Beziers section opens

2009 (end) Pezenas - Valros section opens

The connection of the TGV line from Nimes to Barcelona commenced in 2006.

Current predictions are :

2008 Nimes - Montpellier TGV line bypass surveying starts

2008 Public enquiry on Montpellier - Perpignan TGV line route

2009 Nimes - Montpellier TGV line bypass work starts

2009 Perpignan - Figueres TGV line in service

2011 Figueres - Girona - Barcelona TGV line in service*

2013 Nimes - Montpellier TGV line rail bypass opens

2020 Montpellier - Perpignan dedicated TGV line in service

* It now seems that technical problems associated with the route

into Barcelona will delay the Girona – Barcelona line until at least

2012.

The plan for an additional loop of the A9 South of Montpellier has been deferred.

More fixed radar traps have been installed in the area during 2007. There is a map here : www.radarsfixes.com .

Air transport :

Once again, there will be new routes to Languedoc this year. As news becomes available, we will note it here : www.the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1758 and eventually update this page: www.the-languedoc-page.com/tourism/languedoc-tourism-air.htm .

Some early news :

Ryanair :

Beziers-Bristol

Girona-Birmingham

Marseille-Birmingham

Marseille-Edinburgh

Girona-Manchester

Marseille-Manchester

Girona-Newquay

Rodez - Dublin

Eurociel :

Eurociel (a new operator for 2008 flying from Nimes) :

April - October

Nimes-Amsterdam

Nimes-Beirut

Nimes-Lisbon

Nimes-Marakesh

Nimes-Nice-Athens

Nimes-Palma

Nimes-Rabat

Nimes-Seville

Nimes-Tunis

June-September

Nimes-Ajaccio

Nimes-Amsterdam

Nimes-Bastia

Nimes-Beirut

Nimes-Fez

Nimes-Ibiza

Nimes-Lisbon

Nimes-Marakesh

Nimes-Nice-Athens

Nimes-Palma

Nimes-Rabat

Nimes-Seville

Nimes-Tunis

www.eurociel.net/telechargements/1014%20Eurociel%20Guide%20Horaires%20BD.pdf

Jet 2 :

Avignon-Edinburgh

Avignon- Leeds/Bradford

www.jet2.com/Timetable.aspx

GB Airways (BA franchisee Gatwick-Montpellier) have been taken over by Easyjet. They will run this route for summer 2008.

A new airline based in Cardiff ( www.flyforbeans.com ) is shortly expected to announce 12 European routes.

ADSL :

Many cities have a choice of supplier for both phone and ADSL. Some

also have cable. Extending the service to villages has been rapid, and

currently around 3% of visitors to The Languedoc Page still use dial

up. To check the speed available from your phone and review the various

deals on offer use this link : www.degrouptest.com .

ADSL 2 (faster than ADSL) is now becoming available. Prices are

reducing. In general ADSL is cheaper than dial up and, increasingly,

some free phone calls are included in the deal.

Property:

2007 has continued to be a relatively quiet year for property sales

in Languedoc. Desirable houses continue to sell. Languedoc prices

remain attractive compared with those in Provence and Cote d'Azur.

President Sarkozy's proposals have resulted in boosting the Parisian

2nd home market.

Swimming pools :

Private pools should have met the new security laws by 1 January 2006.

Many still don’t! Despite scare stories of government inspections, I am

not aware of any prosecutions.

Health cover :

The French government did an about turn regarding health cover for EU

“early retirees”. Previously they paid a proportion of their income

into the government health system; the proposal was that they needed to

buy private health cover until retirement age. This was retrospective.

The developments can be followed here : www.the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1957 .

The government reviewed the situation and changed it’s position. The

effect of the changes was that new arrivals must take private health

cover until they have either been in France for 5 years, or reach

retirement age – existing contributors to the government system can

remain in the system.

Blogs :

The number of South France residents blogging in English has

steadily increased. We maintain links to the more disciplined (and

interesting) bloggers here : www.the-languedoc-page.com/articles/languedoc-articles01d.htm

Elections :

During 2007 Nicholas Sarkozy became the new centre right president of

France. He started dynamically and made several proposals that could be

beneficial to expat residents (or future expat residents). They are

summarised here : www.the-languedoc-page.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1919

The local elections will be held in 2008. EU national who are resident

are entitled to vote provided they register before 31/12/2007.

The Languedoc Forum (Expat Foyer) :

This forum was hosted by Aimoo until February 2006. It was then transferred to The Languedoc Page ( www.the-languedoc-page.com/forum

) using phpbb software. Since then, 684 new members have registered

bringing the total up to 1384. The spammers continue to attempt to

register both manually and automatically. About 1 registration in 25 is

genuine and accepted. If you have registered and heard nothing from us,

please email us directly. Around 5000 topics are being read per day.

Only a small minority of readers contribute by posting.

Aimoo seems to have had some problems, and the old forum vanished for a

while because I stopped paying the subscription this year. Currently,

it continues as an archive here : http://forum1.aimoo.com/expatfoyer .

The Languedoc Page :

www.the-languedoc-page.com

There are now over 1500 pages of information excluding forum pages.

There will be around 430,000 visitors in 2007 (2006 = 352,129),

equivalent to about 1.5m pages read. The growth rate has slowed down at

the end of 2007, mainly because visitors were lost due to deletion of

Aimoo, and pruning of the current forum reduced the content available

through the search engines.

As mentioned in the last newsletter, we have expanded the property section www.the-languedoc-page.com/property/

. Currently, we have around 2000 properties for sale listed through

IFP, private sales and local agents. This is excluding the free

property classifieds in the forum. We are looking at ways to expand the

presence of private sellers and local agents. We have developed

contacts with some local agents, and can help with advice if you are

looking to buy property in Languedoc.

We used Villa renters to provide a searchable choice of villas to

rent in the South of France area in 2007. This continues here : www.the-languedoc-page.com/tourism/languedoc-travel-bookings-villas.htm

The Languedoc Page ( http://the-languedoc-page.com

) is a community driven website. Contributions from users have greatly

enhanced the photo section (now 440 images), restaurant reviews, and

articles (now over 170 articles). Together with the forum, this visitor

participation has driven the expansion of The Languedoc Page.

The Languedoc Page has been in the top three for the keyword

“languedoc” on google.com and google.co.uk since November 2005. Google

has 25m – 42m references for Languedoc.

The advertising that was started early 2006 has progressed. The

rates are remarkably reasonable given the visitor numbers. More

information about advertising and statistics : www.the-languedoc-page.com/languedoc-advertising.htm . There will continue to be no pop-ups, porno or gambling ads !

We hope that you have found The Languedoc Page useful. If you haven’t

visited it for a while, it is worth a look to see how it has developed.

And I’m still happy to receive article, photo and restaurant review

contributions !

Have a great 2008

Peter

[New Schengen countries from today ...]

http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/images/temp20.gif

[Cheap flights for 2008]

I'm keeping an eye on the new routes, as they are announced.

Ryanair:

Beziers-Bristol is confirmed. I hear whispers from several sources that other destinations (Manchester ?) could follow. Obviously more destinations spread the cost of marketing Beziers.

Eurociel:

They have changed some of the original routes from Nimes. They have a timetable at [size=9][url]www.eurociel.net/telechargements/1014%20Eurociel%20Guide%20Horaires%20BD.pdf[/url][/size]

 and the site is now accepting bookings. I tested the one way prices and got (including fees/charges, etc) :

Nimes-Ibiza for 1 July = Euro 147

Nimes-Amsterdam for 4 April = Euro 130

The latest route announcement is :

April - October

Nimes-Amsterdam

Nimes-Beirut

Nimes-Lisbon

Nimes-Marakesh

Nimes-Nice-Athens

Nimes-Palma

Nimes-Rabat

Nimes-Seville

Nimes-Tunis

June-September

Nimes-Ajaccio

Nimes-Amsterdam

Nimes-Bastia

Nimes-Beirut

Nimes-Fez

Nimes-Ibiza

Nimes-Lisbon

Nimes-Marakesh

Nimes-Nice-Athens

Nimes-Palma

Nimes-Rabat

Nimes-Seville

Nimes-Tunis

Peter

[Six month let query]

Hi

Unfurnished leases are normally for 3 years, renewable to 6, then 9 years and onwards. Effectively the tenant can live there for life providing they don't damage the property and pay the rent. Allowable rent increases are less than inflation. The owner must have exceptional circumstances to terminate the lease (say, needs to live there himself, or, if he wants to sell - he must offer it to the tenant first). However the tenant can terminate the lease at any time by giving, usually, 2 or 3 months notice. Normally landlords will require proof of income, etc because they are very much at risk with these leases. It is a very long, and expensive, procedure to recover the property when tenants stop paying.

Furnished leases (which are rare other than for holiday lets) are less regimented. There is a bit of a grey area between holiday rentals (say up to 4 weeks) and longer term lets. Many longer term furnished rentals are on the basis of, say, 3 months rental, then tacitly renewed each month with one months notice required from either landlord or tenant.

Peter

   

[Languedoc Xmas markets ....................]

Aimargues - 21st December

Amelie-les-Bains - 9th December

Anduze - 16th December

Argeliers - 16th December

Aubord - 2nd December

Aulas - 16th December

Bagnols-sur-Ceze - 15th and 16th, 23rd and 24th December

Balaruc-les-Bains : du 19 Novembre au 6 Décembre

Belvianes et Cavirac - 22nd December

Béziers : du 5 au 24 Décembre

Bize-Minervois - 16th December

Blandas - 9th December

Bolquere/Pyrenees 2000 - 24th December

Bouzigues : Dimanche 25 Novembre

Brugairolles - 16th December

Cabrieres - 2nd December

Canet - 10th and 17th December

Capestang : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Carcassonne - 7th to 31st December

Casteil - 15th December

Castelnaudary - 2nd December

Castelnau-le-Lez : Le Chariot du Père Noël Vendredi 21 Décembre

Castries : Salon des Santons du Samedi 10 au Lundi 19 Novembre 2007

Caunes Minervois - 9th December

Causse-de-la-Selle : Samedi 15 Décembre

Cazouls-lès-Béziers : Dimanche 18 Novembre

Ceret - 16th December

Cers : du Jeudi 14 au Samedi 16 Décembre

Clapiers : Vendredi 7 Décembre

Collioure - Date unknown

Cournonterral : du Vendredi 30 Novembre au Dimanche 2 Décembre

Elne - 1st and 2nd December

Espezel - 2nd December

Ganges : Samedi 8 Décembre

Gard :

Gigean : Samedi 24 et Dimanche 25 Novembre

Gignac : Samedi 1er Décembre

Grabels : Samedi 1er et Dimanche 2 Décembre

Ispagnac - 15th December

Juvignac : du Vendredi 30 Novembre au Dimanche 2 Décembre

La Grande-Motte : Salon des Cadeaux de Noël du Vendredi 23 au Dimanche 25 Novembre

Laroque-des-Alberes - 1st and 2nd December

Le Boulou - 1st December

Le Colet-de-Deze - 16th December

Le Crès : Dimanche 2 Décembre

Le Pradal : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Le Somail - 16th December

Les Matelles : Marché des Potiers Samedi 8 et Dimanche 9 Décembre

Lespignan : Samedi 1er et Dimanche 2 Décembre

Leucate - 15th and 16th December

Lodève : Dimanche 16 Décembre

Lozere

Lunas : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Mailhac - 9th December

Marvejols - 15th and 16th December

Mende - 14th to 17th December

Meyrueis - 9th December

Montagnac : Dimanche 16 Décembre

Montferrier-sur-Lez : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Montpellier : du Vendredi 7 au Lundi 24 Décembre

Montpeyroux : Dimanche 2 Décembre

Narbonne - 1st to 31st December

Neffiès : Samedi 24 et Dimanche 25 Novembre

Nimes - 1st to 24th December

Notre-Dame-de-Londres : Dimanche 16 Décembre

Olargues : Samedi 16 Décembre

Palaja - 2nd December

Palavas-les-Flots : du Vendredi 30 Novembre au Dimanche 2 Décembre

Paulhan : Samedi 15 et Dimanche 16 Décembre

Perpignan - 1st to 24th December

Pézenas : Dimanche 16 Décembre

Pignan : Dimanche 2 Décembre

Pinet : Dimanche 2 Décembre

P-O

Pomérols : Samedi 15 Décembre

Pont-de-Montvert - 16th December

Pont-Saint-Esprit - 14th December to 6th January

Portiragnes : Dimanche 2 Décembre

Pouzilhac - 16th December

Prades - 21 to 23rd December

Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste - 14th, 15th, and 22nd December

Puissalicon : Vendredi 30 Novembre

Puisserguier : Samedi 15 Décembre

Quillan - 8th December

Remoulins - 2nd and 16th December

Riols : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Roquemaure - 2nd December

Roujan : Dimanche 25 Novembre + Noël à l’anglaise Dimanche 2 Décembre

Saint-Chely-d'Apcher - 22nd and 23rd December

Saint-Chinian : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Saint-Christol : Samedi 24 Novembre

Saint-Etienne-Vallee-Francaise - 2nd December

Saint-Gély-du-Fesc : Salon de l’Artisanat d’Art Samedi 1er et Dimanche 2 Décembre

Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert : Dimanche 16 Décembre

Saint-Jean-de-Cuculles : Journées des Santons Samedi 1er et Dimanche 2 Décembre

Saint-Martin-de-Londres : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Saint-Nazaire-de-Ladarez : Samedi 8 et Dimanche 9 Décembre

Saint-Pons-de-Thomières : Mercredi 12 Décembre

Sauve - 16th December

Sérignan : Foire au Gras Samedi 8 et Dimanche 9 Décembre

Sommieres - 1st December

Soubès : Dimanche 2 Décembre

Tourbes : Dimanche 9 Décembre

Trebes - 30th November -2nd December

Vauvert - 8th December

Vernet-les-Bains - 15th December

Villemoustaussou - 2nd December

Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone : Samedi 15 et Dimanche 16 Décembre

Villeneuve-Minervois - 16th December

Viols-en-Laval : Vendredi 14 Décembre Peter

[Sky TV]

[quote user="Quillan"]There is also EU law which I believe says that you can't receive transmissions or rebroadcast programs from a fellow member state unless they give you permission to do so. As BBC programs are intended only for the UK you would, without express permission, be breaking EU law.[/quote]

I'm not sure this is correct.

The Belgian cable service relays BBC1 & 2 throughout Belgium, and has done for around 20 years.

It is apparently with consent of the BBC. They have televised Antiques Roadshows, etc from Brussels, and there is a local Open University group.

Curious ?

Peter

[Sky TV]

People outside of UK have been watching Sky (and more recently UK FTA) since at least 1995. Quite a high proportion of the non French residents I know have satellite installations.

My understanding is -

Sky can not supply cards outside UK. This is because of territorial broadcast rights to films, sporting events, etc.

It is not illegal to be in possession of a satellite dish & box

It is not illegal to receive signals from a satellite

The majority of UK users in France watch the UK "Free to Air" channels, not the Sky channels

The vast majority of users have no technical problems

Peter

[Budding authors ...................]

Most unfair.

It was the poodles that gave the inspiration, and maybe the plots ?

Peter

[Budding authors ...................]

I've recently come across a company based near to me who have  automated the writing and printing process.

They have themes (murder, romance, etc) with up to 500 variables where writers can develop the characters and plot. The result is then edited before printing.

The surprising thing is that the cost is Euro 33 for one copy, less for duplicate copies.

Even more surprising, they have produced over 150,000 separate titles in the last few years. They started in French, and are now expanding into other languages.

The English version is here : www.interactive-novel.com

Anyone come across similar ideas before ?

Peter

[Easyjet buys GB Airways, will fly Gatwick - Montpellier ?]

[quote user="raindog"]Does anyone know what's happened to Montpellier-East Midlands which was started in march this year? No sign of it on the RA site.

[/quote]

Ryanair have been flying to East Midlands from Nimes and Carcassonne. Haven't heard of flights from Montpellier ?

Peter