val douest

[URL=http://s213.photobucket.com/user/valeriewest/media/Balto.jpg.html][IMG]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc147/valeriewest/Balto.jpg[/IMG][/URL]   Balto spends his days in twilight. Not because he can’t see – his eyes are perfect – but because his owner no longer cares for him. He's now 11 years old, so his owner decided Balto was too old to hunt anymore and therefore was ‘surplus to requirements’. The owner has moved away and left Balto behind so he spends his days locked in a garage on his own. A neighbour has fortunately started to feed him proper dog food and give him fresh water but doesn’t have time to walk him.  Balto is very trusting with people, obeys commands, is good with other dogs, unfazed by cats, we don’t know about chickens. As a hunting dog, he will need an enclosed garden but apart from that all he wants is a loving home and some companionship. He appears to be in excellent health; he is not castrated but is tattooed, no. 2070361.   If you think you can bring some sunshine into Balto’s life, please PM me and I will put you in touch with the people trying to help him.  He’s near Lannemezan (65).   Thanks,   Val Great news!  Balto now has a new home.

I'm delighted to report that Alto has been adopted and his new owners report that he has settled in very well. Val

[URL=http://s213.photobucket.com/user/valeriewest/media/Alto%203a.jpg.html][IMG]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc147/valeriewest/Alto%203a.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s213.photobucket.com/user/valeriewest/media/Alto%202a.jpg.html][IMG]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc147/valeriewest/Alto%202a.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Alto is the perfect companion for someone who lives in an apartment or a house with a  fenced garden or patio.  He is a confident, clean and affectionate cat who loves to play with his toys but chorya (cat ‘flu) left him with ulcerated corneas. Excellent veterinary treatment and aftercare in a loving foster home saved his sight and he now has partial vision in both eyes.  Although his eyesight continues to improve it will always be limited and he is not able to  see to jump up or climb more than half a metre or so, or to cope with traffic.  This means he can safely spend time  in an  outside area  with  low fences which most cats would scale in no time at all – or he would be content to potter around and keep you company in your apartment.  He is neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated and has been treated for fleas, ticks and worms.  He was previously living with other cats (and  is not at all aggressive) but he would be just as happy on his own.             Alto is  now 18 months old – a healthy,  handsome cat who just needs his own space in a kind home.  He is currently being fostered near Tarbes (65) but co-voiturage/delivery may be arranged for the right placement.  Could you give this friendly boy the chance he deserves? If so, please e-mail [email protected] which has  sponsored Alto’s treatment and arranged his foster home, or send me a PM so I can put you directly in touch with his carers.   Thanks,   Val      

Thank you, Norman - you're very kind!

I've only just caught up with this thread but to answer to the OP's question, the only filo pastry I can buy here (65, near the border with 32) comes in rectangular sheets, sold rolled up in a pack.  I buy it at our small local Carrefour  as the SuperU hypermarket doesn't stock filo at all, only brick.  The filo is made by Croustipate (http://www.croustipate.com) and an unopened pack seems to freeze quite well too. Val

I have used a company called http://www.countrygardenroses.co.uk/ , ordering online in France, to send gifts for various occasions to people in the UK.  It always seems to have worked out well.   I have  sent a 'thinking of you' rose (an actual named variety) to a friend whose husband had died.  All the roses with 'golden wedding' in the title are, not surprisingly, yellow, but there are lots of other options including  'Special anniversary' or 'Champagne moment'. For my Aunt's 90th I used their 'Name your own rose' option (around £45 including delivery) and she is now the delighted owner of the one and only 'Mildred's rose', with bright pink blooms,  which has pride of place in a large tub on her patio. So maybe you could send them a 'Fred and Doris - 50 years together' rose  or something along those lines? Val

Maybe what you had are cannelés which are like tiny muffins but a slightly different shape.  You make them in special silicone moulds which are  available in shops here (Hautes Pyrenées) as these little morsels are very popular with aperos.  They freeze beautifully and you just need to heat them through from frozen.  There are recipes for various kinds of cannelés at http://www.750g.com/recettes_canneles_sales.htm.  You can probably tell from the pictures if they are what you enjoyed the other evening. Val

I think the link you give is referring to the documents relating to any minor travelling from France to elsewhere in Europe.  The situation is different where the minor is accompanied by someone other than a parent: documentation may be required to establish that the child is travelling with you with her parents' permission.  It would be sensible to carry a  letter (and make a couple of copies) signed by both parents along the lines of the one at the end of this post.  You may not need it but border authorities are very sensitive to children being moved abroad by or on behalf of an estranged parent so it is best to be prepared.  It would also be a good idea to check with the airline if they have any special requirements - explain you will have a letter giving parental permission. Regarding medical insurance, if your cousin is in the French health system her parents should request a CEAM (Carte Européenne d'Assurance Maladie) from www.ameli.fr as soon as possible as it can take a couple of weeks to arrive.  This will entitle her to NHS emergency treatment should she need it.  If you feel you need additional insurance then Trailfinders.com are based in the UK but offer insurance for travel starting from any country in the EU. Good luck, and have a good holiday together! LETTER OF CONSENT TO TRAVEL FOR MINOR CHILD (full name of child)_________________________. We, (insert parents' names)____________________, hereby grant permission for our minor daughter (name of child) _________________ D.O.B. ____________ , Passport Number ––––––––––––   to travel with her cousin (insert your name) to and from the UK  during the period (outward travel date)_________ and (return travel date plus some extra for emergencies)  ____________. During that period (your name )___________________  and her Aunt (Aunt's name) ––––––––––––––– will be responsible for the supervision of  (name of child)_______________ and have my permission to authorise any emergency medical, surgical, or dental treatments necessary for the well-being of (name of child)______________. Signed: (also print name below) ________________________________________ mother of _______________, a minor child. Signed: (also print name below) ________________________________________ father of _______________, a minor child. Parent's emergency contact numbers: Home: ______________ Work: _______________ Mobile: ________________

All we needed in place of the Certificat de Celibat was a certificate which says there is no such document in the UK!  This you can print off the website of the British Embassy in Paris (in French) for no charge at https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad/y/france/marriage and was accepted without any problem. Our daughter was married here in France in 2007 and because there was so much red tape involved (both the bride and groom were normally resident in the UK) I posted a guide to negotiating through the paperwork which you can still find in the 'Getting married in France' Forum, under FAQs - getting married in France at the head of the section. Bonne chance! Val

I haven't dealt with this company myself but I see that they are selling 90 tabs of Flexadin plus for cats at 39.10 euros with free delivery. http://www.lacompagniedesanimaux.com/flexadin-plus-chat-et-petit-chien-1-a-10-kg.html Val

This is just to confirm what others of you have been saying. Around here - Tarbes, Hautes Pyrénées - about a week ago an 80cm dish with a 5-year old LNB worked tolerably well on all channels, including HD. The day before yesterday people were 'phoning me to say everything, apart from "Movies4men" and similar, had gone. Some while ago I installed a 1.2m X 1.3m dish, and this still works well, similar to what PaulT has found. I bought a new quad LNB from a german company, and when this first arrived I fitted it to my old 80cm dish, which by then had lost all BBC and ITV channels. There was an immediate improvement: BBC1 reappeared, but it was still variable. So, changing to a modern high quality LNB does help, and skyinmadrid.com, already mentioned in this forum, has useful suggestions on this and on problems with reception in general. It appears that the signal from Astra 2E has gone down very recently. Perhaps there is some retuning going on, or the power output has simply decreased. A local friend has bought a 1.2m mesh dish with a new LNB, but try as we might we could not receive BBC or ITV on it. I calculate the wavelength we are receiving from the satellite is about 3cm, ie much larger than the mesh pitch, so I didn't think this would make much difference, but it clearly does. Maybe the dish shape was poor; anyway, in a marginal area where we are it pays to buy a good quality dish. I have helped several people round here set up their 1.2m X1.3m fibre/epoxy dishes, and the results have been excellent. Lastly, my old Topfield 4000PVR Plus box has taken exception to Film 4 and Channel 4, which are on the same frequency. My even older Sky box has no problem with them, so clearly the amplifiers in the decoders vary. It looks like I'll have to buy a new one.

While trying to find answers to my original question I came across this link which seems to answer my questions and might be of interest to others. http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/french-form-powers-of-attorney-69929/ Since I don't know where I'll be when and if  I eventually go gaga it looks as if it would be a good idea to have a version drawn up in both countries! Val

There have been a couple of threads recently about ways of ensuring that elderly parents are protected when they are no longer capable of making decisions for themselves.  The French Mandate de Protection Future seems to be the equivalent of the Lasting Power of Attorney (which has replaced the old Enduring Power of Attorney) in that with the consent of the people involved it can be drawn up to cover possible circumstances further down the line. We have assets in the UK and France so should we have two documents drawn up, one to cover each country?  Or, as we are resident in France, would the Mandate de Protection Future cover us for both?  We would want to nominate two of our children, jointly,  as the protectors of our interests if old age renders both of us incapable.  However, if one of us were to become suddenly incapacitated, through a stroke for example, we would want the surviving spouse to be the one to step in and take decisions.  Would this be possible if a MdePF or LPofA had been set up but not activated? Thanks, Val

Yes, he did indeed, Cendrillon, and in the logical place, too.  I just thought I would highlight the pet-friendly aspect of the new service as I know that is sometimes a source of anxiety for people taking dogs to and fro.

From a recent press release issued by Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries is to start a new no-frills service on 25th March. There will be a weekend service between Portsmouth and Santander in northern Spain and five return crossings between Portsmouth and Le Havre, one of which will be freight-only. Branded Brittany Ferries économie, this new product is designed to appeal to those who wish to travel to France or Spain at a reasonable fare without the extra facilities normally provided by Brittany Ferries. Customers can expect good quality French catering on board (with a limited choice) served by bilingual French crew. The cabins will all have en-suite facilities, but without carpets, and there will be a lounge where seats can be reserved on overnight crossings. Pet owners will welcome the 12 pet-friendly cabins and there will be two specially equipped cabins for disabled passengers. Entertainment will be restricted to a movie lounge. One way fares for a car plus two this spring will start at £79 to France and £169 (including reclining seats) to Spain.  For more details see http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/press-office/blog/41230/07-02-2014---Brittany-Ferries-starts-new-no-frills-service-Brittany-Ferries-economie-from-Portsmouth-to-Le-Havre-and-Santander?page=1