Pixietoadstool

Yes - you echo my thoughts entirely - the headline in one of our French local papers was that someone had tried to buy goods in a local shop using a stolen check book - shock, horror, probe!? ... but I find this all rather reassuring and comforting  i.e. that this sort of thing is still considered front page news in rural France whereas here in Newbury it is often about local murders or people dying of drugs overdoses and the like. Valerie      

Please don't just pull them out - you could leave the head in which might go septic. The best thing to do is to screw them out - they literally unscrew anti-clockwise but do it gently so as not to break off the head - they do give in if you do it gently and then just splat - tread on it! You can buy a little plastic hook like a crochet hook which you hook in under the head and then unscrew (as above). I use Frontline all over SPRAY for the dog - I haven't found other brands or formulations very effective at all against ticks whereas we have have never seen Bonzo with a tick after Frontline spray (the drops between the shoulders formulation doesn't work either). If your dog seems under the weather or actively poorly after a tick bite you must get him to a vet because he might have caught piroplasmosis (this has been covered in great depth on the forum before - a search will reveal more useful advice and information). Hope this helps! Valerie

Buffet peut etre? Valerie

Just watched this film again after a 15 year break and it was just as enjoyable and mirth-making as the last time. I love it - so much better than that dreadful American re-make with Robin Williams. I love the bit where they are all trying to be really macho for the fiancee's parents and the maid (Jacob) opens the champagne, the cork pops and the maid and Rinaldo (whatsisname) both shriek in surprise!! Do you have any other French comedies to recommend? I saw Tatie on television when I was in France a few years ago and that was great. I love farce - does the word come from the French "to stuff" - farcir? Can anyone shed any light? Another very good film I saw with Gerard Depardieu several years ago was a black comedy called Tenue de Soiree - but it was VERY black and it affected (badly) me for days. I notice you can get quite a few DVDs on Amazon UK like these for only about 6 - which makes it worth staying in for on a Saturday night n'est ce pas? Any other suggestions? Valerie

Pick the courgettes when they are about as long as an index finger. Fry the washed whole vegetables lightly in oil and butter until they start to brown (lowish heat) then add some salt, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice - this moves them up to A list status (only recipe I know that does apart from substituting the black pepper for a shake of chilli powder). Enjoy! Valerie

I am having difficulty with a verb in Marcel Pagnol's Jean de Florette. It is I think parpelager or se parpelager i.e. il se parpelageait (sp?) for instance. It looks to mean something like hanging around or loafing about or possibly fidgeting. It isn't in my dictionary (the big Collins one), it isn't recognised by Babelfish and I asked a French colleague yesterday who said he had never heard of it but maybe thought it was sud-est patois. However, I notice in the book that when M Pagnol uses slang or patois he usually puts it in quote markes whereas this is just in the main text. The verb is used several times in the novel. Any ideas?? Valerie

LAST EDITED ON 13-Jun-04 AT 10:10 PM (BST) We have had a lot of success with roses in Basse Normandie (we have about 20 already after only a couple of years planting and they are doing well without exception in an exposed garden 1000 feet up). Once established they only really need feeding twice a year plus perhaps the odd anti-greenfly spray. The ground is acid and other plants which have survived without much help or watering are irises, alchemilla mollis, acanthus, rheum, philadelphus, ice plants, euphorbia, ceanothus, rhododendron, camellia, sea thrift, rosemary, thyme, chives, tarragon, parsley, mint, garlic, viburnum, globe artichokes, pumpkins and of course hydrangeas (although the latter does suffer if not kept sufficiently watered). We leave our pelargoniums in pots for weeks at a time from Easter onwards and they are still alive on our return although they could probably do better with a bit of a water in between. I should imagine geraniums would do pretty well too (i.e. the perennial sort) because they thrive in well drained soil. Just make sure you prepare the ground well, feed them, cover with weed protection and/or ecorces (bark) and you will have given them a good chance. For fruit try fig, plum, apple, cherry and pear trees - you can get dwarf versions for small gardens and the blossom is lovely in the spring! Just look how everything else grows in Normandy without too much help except from the elements! Bonne courage/bonne chance! Valerie P.S. Buy your roses in UK - they are very expensive in France. We use a local nursery near us in Hampshire and get very large and healthy specimens for about 6.

I hope the roads aren't closed - we're due to be returning from Caen on the 9 a.m. sailing and have to get from near Vire! Maybe will leave extra, extra early so as not to miss the boat! Any ideas about whether these rumours are true? BF knew nothing when I asked them last week Valerie