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

We are 35 kms north of Tarbes in Hautes Pyrénées, latitude 43.5 deg N. This morning we lost all BBC channels on an 80cm dish and a dual LNB about 6 years old, using a Topfield TF4000PVR Plus satellite box. This is much as expected, so a little while ago I installed a 1.2 X 1.3 metre dish, using an LNB which came with the 80cm dish and a Grundig Sky Digibox connected by about 25 metres of 17VATC cable. This morning it gives 80% signal and 80% quality. All BBC channels are fine, and C5 SD, 5* etc are also fine. If I use an old Amstrad Sky digibox the signal is 70% and quality is 90%; obviously some difference between the decoders, but I am not sure how significant that is at those levels since there is no noticeable difference in channel reception between the two boxes. From what I have read on the internet, changing to a better LNB and more recent satellite decoder might help a bit, but a larger dish is the recommended solution. The dish is rather an eyesore, but fortunately I have been able to set it up out of sight in our garden at ground level. It was supplied by a french company; if you would like full details please pm me.

There is a whippet association in France which lists breeders throughout the country (see http://www.clubduwhippet.com/page37.html) and I see there is one in Limousin who has a litter available now. There is a website with pictures of the pups. I should imagine most of the dogs from the listed breeders are registered pedigrees but they may well have some puppies which while being normal and healthy do not measure up to show or breeding standards which would not worry you at all.  Good luck with the search! Val

I think some cats are just not adaptable to living inside, even with limited outside access, especially if they have been used to roaming free.  It sounds as if your 'stroppy' cat is one of these.  Maybe he goes back to the old house because he remembers he wasn't shut inside when he lived there.  I would be inclined to let him stay outside as much as he wants, at night too if that was his usual practice, and even feed him outside if that is practicable.  If he goes back to the old house then bring him back and feed him (special treats maybe) but don't shut him inside.  Maybe he'll cotton on to the fact that life in the new place is actually OK and will choose to stay around.  I know this is putting his life at risk but it sounds as though at the moment you have four unhappy cats and two unhappy owners; if he survives the first couple of weeks then life for you all may be very much better. Good luck! Val

Just an update, as promised, to my original post.  My friend's notaire recently sent a letter to the two stepchildren asking for a response within x days; if this were not forthcoming then legal action would be taken to initiate decisions in their absence.  I have no idea whether this had any legal legs, as it were, but it had the necessary effect:  within a couple of weeks the notaire was informed that the stepchildren had agreed to a sale, and had appointed their own notaire who is authorised to act on their behalf. The house will go on the market immediately and my friend is looking forward to moving into a smaller, more manageable property. Many thanks everyone for your input, Val.

Many thanks for your reply. I don't think an ordinary on/off room thermostat will do. The remote control device communicates wirelessly with the boiler, sending it information such as room temperature, which the boiler then uses to determine what it should do. You can read the room temperature on the boiler display itself, which must mean that the R/C has sent it there. The R/C can also be used to change the boiler timer settings and various other parameters. The book tells you to change the R/C batteries, which I did, but the fault persisted. The problem is that it's intermittent; right now it's working, but on past performance it will soon fail again . I am wondering if there is some R/F disturbance causing a problem, like another wifi system in our house? When I call in the engineers, I feel inclined to ask them to replace the remote control/transmitter-sender set up with a wired one, since I don't really need any of the extra facilities the R/C provides. Anyway, thanks for the help from both replies. Val (for Mr douest)

Our de dietrich oil-fired condensing boiler (Model G2UT125FF) was installed four years ago.  I now find that, all of a sudden, the remote control no longer communicates with it. I then use the reconnection procedure in the handbook, which is sometimes successful, more often not. Has anyone else had this problem and managed to fix it?  I am reluctant to buy a new remote at nearly 300€ - if it isn't fixable I am thinking of buying a wired room thermostat, which I assume would have to be specific to my de dietrich boiler.  Does anyone have any idea where I could get one? Any help much appreciated. Val (for Mr douest)

Thanks for the additional information.  I will pass it on and will certainly post regarding any further developments. Val

I also had a query about keeping an e-mail address when we stop our Orange contract, permanently in our case as we are going over to Wimax - see the thread a few notches down from this one.  Jako suggested >>Change your Orange ADSL subscription to a free dial-in 'subscription' instead of cancelling it should solve this problem. << This sounds as if it might be a solution for you too  though I haven't investigated it yet.  Maybe worth a call to Orange on their English helpline? Val

Thank you for your replies.  I shall certainly investigate Jako's suggestion of changing to a free dial-in account instead of cancelling it - sounds as if it would solve the problem! Val

Many thanks to you all for your replies.  It appears that my friend cannot initiate a sale as she doesn't own two thirds of the property.  It is very difficult for her as the others, though liable for a share of some taxes, maintenance of the house etc. are not contributing at all. She may be forced to move into a smaller property and abandon the house.  Perhaps a recorded delivery letter to this effect from the notaire to each of the co-owners might produce some response as they may not want their asset to be left to depreciate...! Val