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Mpprh

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  1. [quote user="Ian Horn"] A local French friend is scathing. "They're all quite lazy: they prune during the Winter months, spray a bit in the Spring and then have a couple of weeks furious activity in September during the vendange. Not exactly hard work. They don't even vinify it themselves - it goes to the co-op."  A bit extreme maybe, but you can see his point. [/quote]   I'm not sure that is an informed opinion ! It is interesting to read the diary of a British vigneron here : http://journals.aol.co.uk/arthurjcook/DomainedePalejay Peter  
  2. Hi I guess it depends where you live ? We've got many digs going on around us. The most interesting is in Lattes. They have preserved the area formerly occupied by the port of Lattes. Never heard of it? It had a population of 13,000 in 800BC. That makes it bigger than Marseille, Sete, Agde and other old cities. They have gone down through 8 layers, and found an Etruscan burial plot. Problem is, this is the only evidence of an Etruscan colony, so they are now digging further in another part of the plot. It could just be a single Etruscan merchants family burial plot ? The glass artifacts, buried in amphora are in perfect condition - it is worth visiting the museum. They have found Greek and Roman cities here, but they are quite new ? Peter            
  3. A commentary on the FT (and Wanadoo ) attitude to customer service ? This is very expensive music ! And because they dominate the market, other players see no need to be much better.   Peter  
  4. Hi I haven't seen any unattended peage control stations. But, we have one near us that should be one of the first. It has a free section on one side, with a stop all peage 5 km away on the other. The maximum they can collect is 1 Euro for people exiting W/E and 1 Euro for those entering E/W. Imagine how many 35 hr week people they need to cover the kiosks on each shift on both sides of the road, plus foreman / supervisors / financial control / audit / technical  ! Peter        
  5. Hi not only is the boss a crook, allegedly. But, if you search on this forum and various others, you will find that Britline and CA in general leave much to be desired in the customer service area. They are not a national Bank : they are an alliance of farmers savings schemes. 20 years ago, I started a monthly savings scheme with them. The promise of the low rate mortgage is only valid within a few km of the branch. They confirmed that it was valid at all CA banks 20 years ago. Apparently not true ! Peter      
  6. [quote user="Ian Horn"] Strange phenomenom around here. For most of the day, it can be quite still: no wind to speak of. Then, around 17.00, we'll get quite a breeze spring up for maybe an hour, always from the west.  Our neighbour remarked on it shortly after we moved in and we thought that it was just one of those 'old wives tales' - but of course, he was absolutely right. Other than when the Mistral is blowing (which is in truth, relatively rare and when it does, it supplants anything else), this occurs more or less daily. Has anybody got any idea how / why this should happen?  [/quote] Hi I live close to you, and sail out of Port Camargue. I think this must be a local effect distorted by hills and valleys ? The land / sea winds are normally North - South.  Frequently, the coast experiences a 180 degree shift during the day : North wind in the morning, lull at lunchtime, then an increasing South wind until the sun goes down. In the afternoons, sailors keep close inshore to take advantage of the stronger winds being sucked in towards the warmer land. This image http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/photos/languedoc-photo-208.htm was taken in the afternoon, and shows a sailing boat off Ste Marie de la Mer. It is heading West, with a gentle south wind in the sails. East - West winds are relatively rare here, but not in Rousillon ! Peter    
  7. Hi There are a few around the edge of fields. But, this year spring / start summer was a little later. I understand that poppies only grow in pure (non herbicide treated ) areas : could this have something to do with it ? Some local poppies  from last year : http://the-languedoc-page.com/photos/languedoc-photo-013.htm Peter        
  8. [img]http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/images/sommieres%20medievale%20fete.jpg[/img] [size=18]Outline Programme : Samedi 29 avril 11h15: Spectacle place Saussine 15h00 : ouverture des animations au château 15h30:début du marché médiéval et des vieux métiers 16h15: Théâtre sur la Place Saussine 17h00: Cérémonie d'ouverture et remise des clefs sur la place du Bourguet 17h30: Parade d'ouverture, départ place du Bourguet 20h30: cinéma aux arènes Sacré Graal des Monty-Python (3€ et 2€) 21h00: banquet sur la place du marché sur réservation à l'Office de Tourisme. Visite organisée de la ville 22h30: Bal sur la place du Marché Dimanche 30 avril: 10h00:Ouverture de la fête. Ouverture des expositions. Concert sur le parvis de l'église. Conte à l'esplanade 11h00: Messe médiévale à l'église. Spectacle de combats médiévaux aux arènes(5€). Contes à l'esplanade 11h30: Fougasse géante salée (Place du Marché) 11h45: Parade (départ devant les arènes) 14h00: Parade(départ place des Aires) 15h00: départ de la soule(jeu) quai neuf. Spectacle de marionnettes place Saussine. Spectacle de combats médiévaux aux arènes. Contes à l'Esplanade. Visite de la Tour 16h00: Contes et poésies d'orient à l'esplanade 16h30: Fougasse sucrée sur la Place de la République. fin de la soule(jeu) 17h00: Spectacle de marionnettes place Saussine. Spectacle de combats médiévaux aux arènes 17h45: Grande parade départ dans les arènes 19h00: final à l'arrivée de la parade sur la place des Aires[/size]
  9. Hi we have a snake family who live in the drainage pipe under our pool house. In Spring we've seen them a few times coiled up under the pool cover when we remove it. They also seem to get around the garden in summer and I've seen them in various places. They are not big - say 70cms, but very thin. They are more scared of us than we are of them ! They have the hatchet markings on the back, so could be poisonous. my main worry is for our dog. I've seen much bigger ones in the wild, normally crossing roads, or dead. We have a local variety that grows up to 2m long. Peter
  10. Hi Different parts of France attract very different prices for building land. Building land is very variable on price even within the same commune. It varies from Euro 5 to Euro 550 / m2 across France. In my village, it is currently Euro 150/m2. I'm sure Paris & some coastal areas are even more. You can get an idea from building land for sale on the notaires site : http://www.immonot.com Rural parts of Dept 46 seem to be in the Euro 10 - Euro 30 / m2 band Peter      
  11. Hi I had a similar case. I used an avocat, but wanted to see the procedure so attended the hearing. There were 54 cases to be heard that afternoon. At 14.00 35+ avocats gathered at the front of the court. My man said "I've got another case in a different court in 30 minutes, so I'll try and get yours heard first (in fact he had two cases to be heard first !). The judicial panel called out the name of the defendant, no one answered, and within about 30 secs the papers were handed over and the case was finished. We had to wait 10 days for the official confirmation from the court. All the non represented cases were cleared in a similar manner. I rather think that, as you will probably have an avocat defending, you need to be there. Maybe you have 100% confidence no one will question your dossier ? Peter                
  12. [quote user="Owens88"] Hey guys don't fall out. Quillan spoke with unforked tongue I think. My reaction to the original question was b***** cheek.  But perhaps I better explain why. The business plan summarises the ideas and the thinking,   ---   dealing with the what ifs and the 'oh my god! s' amongst other things . Any template is only a way of structuring the words (or the numbers) .Even Microsoft give out basic templates for the documents. They are not a template for a Business Plan per se. (o.k. that sounded pompous, and is, but Business Plans are a large party of my day job and I rescue a lot of people who start off thinking they are doing a 'colour in the spaces' exercise for the bank ). Quillan may not have expressed it with custard on top but his gist was broadly correct - one has to manage for profit and to stay liquid and legal. Often the three are confused (or simplified because 'we don't need all that hassle do we ?')   Perhaps the OP might have had more sympathy if he said something like' I've factored this lot in, what have I missed ? Editted as afterhought.. In fact doesn't one have to go through some course to be accepted as being 'in business' in France ? Cheers anyway. [/quote] Hi I'd go along with this 100%. Many people would never have started a business if they had prepared a carefully thought out business plan, including "What happens if" & "Strengths - Weaknesses - Opportunities - Threats". I'm afraid filling in a template is no substitute. Peter      
  13. Hi One understands exactly why Val2 made this posting. But, this is inevitable given the high costs of establishing a legit business in France. It is even worse in countries with higher tax / social costs (Belgium, Sweden, Spain). The problem is not people who are tempted by offers on the black, but government policy. And, all the legit people I've employed have been more than happy to split the work - some with an invoice some in cash. We live in a black economy ?   Peter    
  14. Hi French mechanical labour rates are much lower than in UK. Even local franchise dealers are around Euro 50 per hour. Strangely, bodyshop labour rates in France are higher than mechanical. Peter      
  15. An interesting article : http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/articles/languedoc-articles71.htm   Peter  
  16. Hi Just a few things I noted on the Nimes - Luton route : 1)At security in Nimes, they were sending people back who had more than 1 item of cabin luggage. 2)Technology has caught up with hand luggage. Nimes airport has now installed a pair of bathroom scales next to the Xray machine. 3)There are new road works from the Luton airport turn South. Yesterday, there was an accident somewhere in the middle of the road works, and I missed my flight. This applies to both those arriving from North & South. There were plenty of others in the queue to book tickets for today. We exchanged stories ! 4)Ryanair still charge a flat GBP40 in these circumstances. Peter
  17. [quote user="Clair"] Peter, do you use a Copyscape banner on your pages? [/quote] Hi no I don't use the banner. When I come across whole pages, I email them and ask for a credit. Problem is that copiers copy from other copiers and don't know the origin of the material. Also, with 680 pages, it is hard to keep up with it. Many take a section, and change a few words. Some copied material from just one of my pages (about wine)  : http://www.copyscape.com/view.php?o=70176&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cambridgewine.com%2Fcwines.nsf%2FViewCat2%3FOpenForm%26Cat%3DLanguedoc-Roussillon&t=1142713269&s=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-languedoc-page.com%2Flanguedoc%2Flanguedoc-wine.htm&w=42&c=  http://www.copyscape.com/view.php?o=70176&u=http%3A%2F%2Flanguedoc-france.info%2F0414_wine.htm&t=1142713269&s=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-languedoc-page.com%2Flanguedoc%2Flanguedoc-wine.htm&w=39&c= http://www.copyscape.com/view.php?o=70176&u=http%3A%2F%2Fimlive.com%2Fqa%2Fcm%2FTravel%2Feurope__beziers_live_show__beziers_advice.html&t=1142713269&s=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-languedoc-page.com%2Flanguedoc%2Flanguedoc-wine.htm&w=35&c= http://www.copyscape.com/view.php?o=70176&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.noboundaries.typepad.com%2Fwine_club%2F&t=1142713269&s=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-languedoc-page.com%2Flanguedoc%2Flanguedoc-wine.htm&w=21&c= http://www.copyscape.com/view.php?o=70176&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kinry.com%2Ffrance%2Fautignac.htm&t=1142713269&s=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-languedoc-page.com%2Flanguedoc%2Flanguedoc-wine.htm&w=18&c= http://www.copyscape.com/view.php?o=70176&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.languedoc-france.info%2F0414_wine.htm&t=1142713269&s=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-languedoc-page.com%2Flanguedoc%2Flanguedoc-wine.htm&w=16&c= As I said, there is little you can do. Peter  
  18. Hi I'm afraid this is commonplace. And, realistically, there is not much you can do about it except ask for a credit. This website helps you to find who the copiers are : http://www.copyscape.com/ Peter      
  19. Hi   I have a business account. I was told it was essential if you had a business. You know it is a business account because the visa card is red, not blue (true) ! Other than that, the only difference is that charges are higher.   Peter  
  20. Hi   doesn't sound to be very different to a classified ad with a box No ?   Peter  
  21. Hi having another idle moment waiting for the traffic lights to change, I started to think of the future of PC's and internet. Follow the logic : One day, online communication will be as fast as accessing your hard disk. The communication will be free, paid for by ads. So, why buy software and store it at home. Dell will sell PC's without a hard disk. They will not actually sell them (they will give them away and take commissions from software companies). The OS will be contained in a memory chip allowing access to everything else. Everything else will be available online (probably supplied by MS or google ?). MSWORD is free, but with ads ? Is gmail just the start ? Or am I a million miles from reality ? Peter
  22. [quote user="Alcazar"][quote user="Mpprh"] I had to carry them up a circular staircase two packs at a time. Bad back for a few days. Peter    [/quote]   I think I'd have been inclined to make more journeys, with one pack at a time[;)] Alcazar [/quote] It seemed sensible at the time. And, yes hindsight is a wonderful thing ! I ought to say, the day before I'd carried down the same weight (+glue, etc) to get rid of the old tiles. I hated those stairs, but may have made a mistake. And the next day, I also carried up the plinths, glue, etc.   Peter  
  23. Hi just worth saying that my first property purchase (in Harrow) , when I was 21, was a small flat for GBP 11,000. The mortgage was a huge lump out of two salaries, so you know how long ago that was ! Our parents said : don't know how you will ever afford to buy a house. But we did. In fact several. Isn't this an ongoing old fogey reaction ?   Peter  
  24. Hi I had the same problem. Each 1m2 box weighed 13kg. So 90 X 13 = 1.17 tons, if yours are the same weight each. I had to carry them up a circular staircase two packs at a time. Bad back for a few days. Peter   
  25. Hi afraid I had no choice. The A/C was very cold, and I didn't have a coat = very unhappy passenger ! But we did have a full explanation "the late departure was caused by the late arrival of this flight". Obviously, AF knew of the delay before we were herded into the departure hall (it was an 8 hr flight, so hadn't set off) , but didn't feel it useful to announce it. Peter      
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