WJT

Yes, I agree and I think you should post more and please tell us all about yourself. [:)]

[quote user="Will "] Miki could be persistent at times to the point of tedium for those not directly involved in the discussion, but he was usually right, and when he was not he had the grace to admit it. On the other hand he contributed a lot of useful information as well as a lot of lighter, enjoyable chat and has always been, at least in my view, a useful forum member. I have been in touch with him and he has been put on suspension. [/quote] I agree with Will's point that some of "Miki's posts could be persistent at times to the point of tedium for those not directly involved". However, there appeared to always be others that kept up the other side of the argument that was just as tedious. I for one would just stop immediately reading posts that start going along those lines (it is difficult enough with my addiction to read the ones I want to read [:)]). Personally, I am shocked as well and forum members do have a choice which threads they do and don't want to read. I find most of Miki's posts very interesting and to ban a long time member and contributor seems completely OTT and very sad. This is my favourite forum but I am also addicted to another (Total France), so perhaps he could start contributing more on that one. [Www]

[quote user="Croixblanches"] I'm probably wrong, but isn't treatment of the beams, etc: a) supposed to cover all manner of creepy-crawlies b) mandatory before the sale, and most importantly c) at the expense of the seller?? It certainly covers woodworm and termites and a certificate showing it's been done is, I think, required by the Notaire from the seller before the sale can be concluded. [/quote] The seller is only obliged to have a survey to confirm the property is termite free. They do not have to provide any treatment. In fact the survey we received before purchasing, stated that is was termite free but in small print and in French of course, stated that it had Capricorne, Vrillettes and others [:'(]. We stupidly missed it and the agent did not feel inclined to tell us about it. [:(]

I am sorry to give you the news but it sounds as if you have what we have, Capricorne. They are very common in France, they are beetles that eat the outer part of your beams and leave oval largish sized exit holes in the wood as well as the dust you mention. The actual beetle you are seeing is the adult as it exits, I believe the larvae is what is doing the damage inside the beam. Unfortunately, you can actually hear them eating the wood, sounds like a scraping sound. This subject has been discussed at length on the forum, I would recommend doing a search. We too have to get our Capricorne problem sorted [:(].  Best of luck.

[quote user="Eslier"]You won't need touse the wanadoo usb modem if you have a DG834GT but at only 1€ you might as well have it and use it as a back-up.  The disc that comes with the modem has the driver on it - whichyou need to connect with the modem but you don't have to install Espace Wanadoowhich is on the same cd. It's much more obvious than it sounds.  The easiest thing is to follow the instructions and run the cd installer but stop the install at the obvious halfway stage. [/quote] Thank you Eslier, that is a relief. I don't have one of the wireless routers or the card so it looks like I will have to use the Wanadoo modem. By the way they are charging me 3€ euro a month for the modem.

[quote user="Eslier"] When you get your Wanadoo service connected, whatever you do DO NOT load the Espace Wanadoo software. Also, don't let them talk you into having their "Livebox", just accept the standard ADSL modem which they will sell you for 1€ [/quote] Eslier, when you say DO NOT load the Espace Wanadoo software when they send the modem. Is that separate from the modem software? I am worried about this because, I really am a technophobe of the lowest form. I would not know how to load a modem without using their software and was pretty much counting on just inserting the disc they would provide.[:'(].

SB, you weren't the only one and I was beginning to worry that 800,000 seemed a very small budget. I know that in Provence it won't buy much but I thought you were serious about it only buying a garage in your area [:$]. I really don't know about gites but with the market the way it is now, I would imagine it would buy a very beautiful home in most parts of France or at least I certainly hope so [:)]

[quote user="jond"]One of the pay-per-click ads on this very site is offering a "beautiful house in SW France, 5 bedrooms, pool, completely renovated, £295,000" so €800,000 doesn't sound so stupid. It's about the same capital as we invested in three rental properties with 14 bedrooms between them. Mind you, that was in the Vendée and it was a few years ago. [/quote] I just did a conversion and £295,000 converts to about €425,000 euros , which is almost half his budget. €800,000 converts to over £525,000. I would think that in the SW where he is wanting to buy he would have no problem. Here in the Dordogne you could buy an incredibly beautiful substantial property even a chateau for that amount of money. However, warning, I don't believe a good place to be buying gites. I think you would have an abundance of choice with gites on the market at the moment. Others could advise better than me on this because we don't have one but there does seem particularly in Brit areas an over saturation and is becoming very difficult to make a profit or even cover costs.  Having said that with your budget and a lot of research, personally I would say it is more than possible to buy an up and business with a genuine reason for selling. Quite shocked at people turning there nose up at that sort of budget [blink]    

Well, at least it sounds like you know what you are talking about. If it happened to me I would be in trouble. In fact, please don't ask me questions on what you just said happened to your computer and your connection in your post [:-))] I hope you get it sorted out, I know there is nothing more annoying than having computer problems particularly getting on line. Perhaps, because ADSL is new in rural France and to Wanadoo, they just have some things to work through, here's hoping anyway.

I do Steph, but I haven't received mine yet either. I don't think I usually get it before the 20th of the month.

Thank you for your replies. I have decided to go with Wanadoo with FT. I set it up over the phone they did not ask me one question i.e. name address etc.. So hope that it is set up, just find it strange that you can make a phone call, give them your number and that is all that is needed to make a change. Oh well, at least it was easy. Ian, the site says that I can run up to 2 mg and they told me today that I will get 1-2mg. If yours is telling you you can run 8 mg but are getting less than 1, I dread to think what speed mine will actually be because we are very rural as well. I am set to get a USB modem that they supply for the 3 euro a month but will look into the Ethernet in the future, just wasn't confident enough to give it a try yet. Now just looking forward to going to France in a few weeks time.  Just hope I will be up and running [:)] Thank you again.

Thanks Tresco, found him!   Thank you for the blink [blink], I love him too. [:)]

Hi, it appears we now have a choice other than Wanadoo. I was just going to order from France Telecom, Wanadoo but looked here http://www.degrouptest.com/ and discovered that it appears we now have N9uf telecom and Cegetel as options in addition to Wanadoo. Just a few weeks ago our only option was Wanadoo. It appears Cegetel and N9uf are 14,90 euro a month versus Wanadoo's 24,90 euro for a higher Meg. Unless I am missing something it appears they are 20mg vs Wanadoo's 1mg. It appears from reading about experiences here and elsewhere some are better that others, because of the language problems and being computer illiterate, I do not want to make a mistake. Could someone please give me advise as to which provider I should choose or not choose? Thank you in advance. Edit: I just went through the process for Cegetel online to see what the price would be for our number and it is the same as Wanadoo 24,90 up to 5 meg. So perhaps the adverts are a little misleading. [:(]

Thank you Tresco, I will give it a try next time but still don't see the smilie with the buldging eyes. Sorry to say KKK but I am still happy the old ones are back. [:D]

Yes Ian, I think you are right. I don't give them any treats at all now but as I said do feel the need to give them tinned food in addition to the dry. My big dog has never been a problem, it is the little one (Maltese) he does not like dry food or really even the tinned but is very greedy for chicken, treats or what have you and will drive me mad. So since he has been ill, I have just stopped giving treats all together, unfortunately the big softy has had to suffer too (I do find the odd occassion to give him on the sly but it is hard to get one over on the little one). As I mentioned in my PM, I will be looking into giving them the Burns that you have mentioned. Thank you again.

I am very happy to see the old smilies, I feel that they help when trying to convey a message and are much better. But I still miss two very much, the one with the popping eyes, even though I like the [:-))] Woot very much, it expresses a different message in my mind and also Blink. Please consider bringing them back. I for one can do without [B] geeked, I know I haven't seen anyone use it before. Funny these smilies, I imagine it is most used by those of us that are a little bit more animated and like waving our arms in the air when we speak to help get our message across better. [:)]

I just did a search on Burns and it does sound interesting, I assume it is not available in the supermarkets and you must order. I have just started feeding them Pero Organic with chicken and rice and they do eat it. However once a day I do give them some nasty Pedigree tinned food. I get the Pero at Waitrose so I am sure it will be a problem finding in the Dordogne. We will be there for three months so I will have to find an alternative. My dogs do not really like Hills either and the tinned Pedigree in France is different than in the UK and is even more disgusting if that is possible [:-))] Unfortunately, if I just gave them the dry food and treats (I have tried this in the past) my little one will only eat the treats and will absolutely wear me down. However, I have never heard of "liver cake" so will have to look out for that one as well as Burns when I am there. My big dog is almost 70kg so a bit difficult to take food with us with everything else we need to take in the car including him! Thank you for the information, very interesting.

Hi Deimos, very interesting post. I have been struggling the last three or four months with what to feed my two dogs.  I have a large and small dog, just before leaving France the beginning of Jan my small dog became ill. By the way I still suspect poison even though the vet said that nothing showed up in the tests. He seems to be fine now but they said that it was probably colitis. He said to feed him a bland diet of chicken and rice. Well I couldn't feed it to just the one so had to feed both of my dogs this diet and of course they loved it. The vet said that I could only keep them on it for about six weeks and that it did not provide the necessary nutrients they needed. I was beginning to doubt this advise until I read your post. It makes a lot of sense. If you could see my two dogs, I am afraid they wouldn't last two minutes in the wild with the wolves [:)]  I do not have the heart to just give my dogs kibble so do mix in tin food as well so have really been chocking and changing trying to find the right diet of which I know is really no good for my dogs.  My husband says don't worry about it find a healthy dry kibble and let that be the end, they will eat it if they have no other choice. I always liken this to the cabbage soup diet of which by the way I am starting tomorrow. [:'(] I will do this for a week to lose a little and detox after a bit of a binge and it is absolutely disgusting. I know that they are just dogs as others have said but just putting down a bit of horrible tasteless dried up kibble, I feel I am sentencing my poor dogs to a life of cabbage soup diet. [:(]  Therefore, I am trying to find something that they at least enjoy eating a little. Unfortunately, nothing comes close to the chicken. I guess after saying all of that, I really just wanted to know if anyone has any suggestions on a good tinned food that tastes good to dogs that you could recommend to mix with some kibble.[:)] 

Very interesting article about the British invasion in France. http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0%2C1-0%2C36-760870%2C0.html

[quote user="fulcrum"]If your UK service provider Onetel is accessed via a USB modem and you are happy with it then there is a very good possibility that the USB modem Wanadoo provide will be fine. ADSL using any hardware (USB or Ethernet) is mainly a problem if you are a fair distance from the exchange. USB is a problem for some PC's because the USB ports on some PC's aren't up to the job. I'm going to use Ethernet simply because I understand the protocol (connection) and it is reliable using generally available hardware (RJ45 port). The Ethernet modem Deimos mentioned is now €69.00 to purchase outright. [/quote] I am really going to show my ignorance now but I am happy with my USB Speedtouch modem that was supplied free from Onetel. The main reason, I just have had no problems but then again I am just outside of London. I will be using a notebook in Dordogne, however I am not sure if it would have the capability to handle Ethernet nor do I know if it has a RJ45 port [:$]. It does have WiFi if that has anything to do with it. If you were in my position what would you do?  Sorry Lou if you feel that I am hijacking your thread, perhaps I should have started a new one. [6]

Oh dear, now I am really worried. It is very easy here in the UK, I use Onetel for a broadband connection of 1mg and they provide a free modem, never have a problem. I'm afraid I don't even know what Ethernet is, not to mention the language problems [:$] I am not looking forward to this.[:(]

Well we do. Our village has only recently received ADSL and Wanadoo is the only option. We will be over in a few weeks and would like to have it in place before we arrive so will be calling France Telecom tomorrow. It does appear that for a period of time after availability Wanadoo is the only option for a while. Sounds a good way to keep competition out. [:-))]   By the way they told me that there is a monthly charge for the modem of a little over 3 euro, I think. Is this correct?  That would make the monthly fee around 29 euros.

Hi Siddalee,  I just came across this forum that you may be interested in. It is a site for people learning French, in fact there is "La question du jour" where a French teacher will ask a question of the day and people respond in French, looks potentially a lot of help on offer. I would have offered to help myself but I am in the same situation so will also be looking in on the forum. By the way Ab, I have tried your idea with Skype and it is a very good idea, if you can find a partner it is a great way to converse. I personally have had a problem finding the right person, would love to find someone that is on the same level (poor [:$]) of English as I am with French. I have found a few but were almost fluent in English and ended up just speaking English most of the time [Www]. Hopefully, if and when I can speak better this will certainly be a lot of help   http://learnfrenchathome.com/phpBB2/

A few days ago, I think it was 62%. One of the reasons it got my attention.

Yes, I think French prices are very good at the moment and appear to have come down in price the last few years.  Unfortunately, when we were looking (it took us over a year) there was very little on the market but was at the tail end of the peak and prices were starting to stagnate.  But as I said very little (of what we wanted) on the market and appeared to be only the dregs left over and many had been on the market for ages.  By the way, I think a few of them are still on the market.[:-))] But now, according to our agent they have loads of beautiful properties and are listed at very good prices just not enough buyers.  I have seen loads of adverts for properties I would have died for if they had been available at that price when we were looking. I would say that it is definitely a buyers market with plenty of choice. From what you said, it sounds as if you have sold your property in NI, if I were in your position, I would take my time, rent if possible and enjoy. In the end we finally had to rent a gite for over a month with my husband commuting back and forth while I looked full time every day.  I dealt with every agent I could find (French, English and Dutch) that appeared to have something of interest in a very large area because again there was so little on the market. But I would have to say from my experience I didn't find that any of the agents were trying to rip us off. You are in a very good position and if you can shop around search on the internet and try and visit as many agents (French, English, whatever) as possible, you will begin to get a very good idea of the market in the area you want to buy and would be very difficult for an agent to pull the wool over your eyes at that stage in any case. By the way, having said all of this, have you decided on an area? My search pretty much included the whole of the SW believe it or not, particularly in Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees, we finally bought in the Dordogne (Perigord Noir) and love it. Good luck and as I said before, lucky you.[:)]