sid

Barry www.cleaner.com   are you sure? It looks like an industrial cleaning contractor's site to me. I'm interested to find your recommended software. EDIT:   just found www.wincleaner.com is this it? Sid

OK, thanks guys, it sounds safe enough. Sid

I've found quite a few posts about continuing to use a UK driving licence whilst living in France but... The DVLA seem happy to accept that the address is no longer relevent, and the licence is accepted in France (until we commit an offence which has points deductable, whereupon we are required to obtin a French one), but what happens if you are driving in the UK, on a visit for example, and are involved in a situation where production of the licence is demanded by the police? Is it an offence in UK to have incorrect address details? Sid

... yawning too. So anyway, is the ORIGINAL photo a camera or just a strobe lamp or what? Sid

Pete I've just spotted that this thread has been added to... It should be reasonably straightforward to register an English caravan IF you have all the necessary documents. The problem arises with older 'vans, like ours, which were manufactured before certificates of conformity were even thought of. I have to get my 'van modified now; new marker lamps and side (orange) reflectors. BUT the most tricky bit is to get it tested for gas and electrical conformity. In order to do this I have to take the 'van to a testing station, the nearestone being 50 miles away, and it's illegal to tow an unregistered or UK plated 'van with a French car!! A bit of a problem then!! I've had to shelve the plans for now as I've got other more pressing jobs to take care of. Maybe a job for the autumn. Sid  

Pun We do it; grass when necessary, and hanging baskets every evening. We wouldn't want, or expect, anyone to get the mower out, and if we want the basket flowers to survive it's necessary to see to it yourself that they get sufficient regular water. Sid

Hello KathyC As my sanity returns I appreciate more that there are other points of view. However in the heat of the moment I really wanted a  more sympathetic ear, not to be shot down in flames. It has made me very reluctant to post a query or experience on here in future; I'll read the renovations and driving threads, which have served me well for a while, but feel that a forum is really about contributing as well; giving and receiving. You won't get many new regulars if they are effectively ridiculed. I'm not sure there is a funny side [:(] but you were kind enough to apologise and I appreciate that, thank you. Topic closed, I think. Sid

Thank you one and all for your contributions. It's really interesting to see how people make assumptions about other people's situations... not always correctly, and are ready to offer opinions which weren't asked for. However it's good to get a mix of replies because it helps to try and put things into perspective. Until now we have got on very well with the locals; we've been here two years and found them to be friendly but not intrusive. The particular neighbours with the party are newcomers from Paris, and it would appear from what I've heard this morning that I was not alone in being affected by the noise; neighbours on the other side although further away were also upset, so that's gone a long way towards vindicating my reaction. Another neighbour insists that the noise ought to stop at 22:30 and not start again until 06:00 which makes my compromise suggestion sound positively liberal! As for the warning I got about the party; this was at 17:00 in the evening and the disco had already commenced. If I had known the day before or earlier, as indeed they must have known, I would have made arrangements to sleep elsewhere, in a hotel or at friends. As it turned out we didn't get a single minute of sleep. To add insult to injury the partygoers don't live here... they're all students from Paris and it all took place at the parents house. Yes, I am beyond the first flush of youth, but I do remember (just) liking loud music myself. My parents were always keen to ensure that whilst enjoying myself that I didn't spoil things for elderly neighbours. I guess we weren't invited because it was a party for students, we'd be the oldest by 40 years! I wish I could just let it go, but really it's a case of you having to experience it in order to understand how long the night actually is when you can't sleep. Probably like the Blitz!! It's just as well our grandchildren weren't here this week. Sleep deprivation is a form of torture, and if I was to suggest using it on some terror suspect I'd probably be condemned for that too by the same people who tell me to 'let it go' when it happens to me. Anyway, I was really looking for advice on noise regulations, which only Opas has referred to (heures arretes), thanks Opas. There are several members of this forum who seem only too willing to tell us how we should behave; silly me, I should have realised I was the guilty party all along! You'd think we'd moved to a different planet, not just a few hundred miles from sunny England. There's nothing clever about letting people walk all over you. I live here now and I take great care to be a considerate neighbour, and expect the same in return. For the experts among you the correct thing would have been for me to mention it to M Maire. Too late, someone else has already done it and according to the news today Monsieur Maire will be having a gentle word with "Monsieur de Paris" so I'll sign off feeling much better. You will gather from the tone of my reply that I'm still very grumpy, and no, I haven't caught up on my sleep yet. Sleepy Sid

Thank you one and all for your contributions. It's really interesting to see how people make assumptions about other people's situations... not always correctly! However it's good to get a mix of replies because it helps to try and put things into perspective. Until now we have got on very well with the locals; we've been here two years and found them all to be both friendly but not intrusive. The particular neighbours with the party are newcomers from Paris and it would appear from what I've heard this morning that I was not alone in being affected by the noise, neighbours on the other side although further away were also upset, so that's gone a long way towards mollifying me. Another neighbour insists that the noise ought to stop at 22:30 and not start again until 06:00 which makes my compromise suggestion sound positively liberal! As for the warning I got, this was at 17:00 on the evening of the party and the disco had already commenced. If I had known the day before or earlier, as indeed they must have known, I would have made arrangements to sleep elsewhere, in a hotel or at friends. As it tunred out we didn't get a single minute of sleep. I also wouldn't mind if the partygoers lived here, but they're all students from Paris and this took place at the parents house. Yes, I am beyond the first flush of youth, but I do remember (just) liking loud music myself. My parents were always keen to ensure that whilst enjoying myself I didn't spoil things for elderly neighbours. I guess we weren't invited because it was a party for students, we'd be the oldest by 40 years! I wish I could just let it go, but really it's a case of having to experience it in order to understand how long the night actually is when you can't sleep. Probably like the Blitz!! Anyway, I was really looking for advice on noise abatement, which hasn't been forthcoming apart from Opas mentioning the heures arretes. I live here now and take great care to be a considerate neighbour and expect the same in return. According to the gossip this morning the Monsieur Maire will be having a gentle word with "Monsieur de Paris" so I'll sign off feeling much better. Sleepy Sid

Opas It is a one-off... I hope! At least, we've had no problems before. It's made all the more difficult as we're just two adjacent properties and no one else is affected. They have chosen to hold this gathering at the point which is closest to our house, even though there is plenty of other space away from us, which makes it all the more inconsiderate. I certainly don't want to spoil anyone's fun, but I do need my beauty sleep! I had no idea that there were any heures arrete , so that's a good start. I think it's probably too late for this weekend now, but I'll make some enquiries at the mairie so that if it happens again I'll be better prepared. As I said to the neighbour, I don't think it unreasonable to ask for quiet after say 1:00am, but by now I totally zonked out! It must be hell living near Glastonbury! Sid

I have a grouse with delivery times too. I ordered a TV from Alapage 10 days ago and I've not heard from the delivery company yet, although the TV has apparently been shipped and has 48h delivery. It took Alapage 4 days to decide that they needed some proof of identification in the form of passport and utility bill copies. I don't mind this if it helps cut down on fraud, but why not ask for it when the order is placed? All hopes of watching the World Cup Final on a nice widescreen TV have gone out of the window of course, fortunately I do have a small (very small) second set so I won't miss it altogether! Internet trading in France seems to be in its infancy. I've had some good results and some very poor ones. You pays your money.... and you wait, usually. Sid

I thought I'd escaped this when I left UK! As I write this we have had thumping disco music from a party next door which has been going on for 24 hours.... yes, actually right through the night! The daughter of the family concerned came round yesterday to warn me that they would be having a party; when I asked what time it would finish she said it would go on all night. I was concerned because it is within 4 metres of our bedroom window. I went to see the family and asked that the noise be turned off at 1am, plenty late enough considering that I have to sleep at some point. They were unwilling to compromise. I need to know what my rights are before I make any other moves, but at the moment my wife and I are tearing our hair out, not only have we had a sleepless night but we've still got the thumping noise which we can hear in all parts of the house; there's no escape other than to go out. Yes, we could go out, but with a night's sleep missing I'm likely to drive off the road. So, are there noise abatement regulations here or not? Do I approach the monsieur maire and ask him to come and sample the noise? Can I prevent it in future? Sid Thump, thump thump, thump......

Thanks for those replies, guys. Sid

Dotty You may get more response in the 'Driving in France' section. I'm currently trying to get my UK caravan registered here in France and the cost of conformity is steadiy rising; the gas test costs around 200 euros I believe, and I have lamps and reflectors to add, and some internal UK-French electrical changes to make. I think that if your friends are going to sell the caravan they should do it in UK, or at least, not in France. The simplest way to remove the caravan would be by towing with a UK car, with the corresponding reg plate on the back of the caravan. Sid

Matt Just a thought... you didn't say whether your chauffe-eau has an internal coil so that it can also be heated from a central heating boiler, but if it has, these are considerably more expnesive than the 200€ ones seen in Castorama etc. Sid  

I'm emulsioning newly plastered walls, both placo-platre and conventional plastered block walls. In UK I would have used a thinned emulsion to prime the plaster. Here in France I saw some huge tins of "sous-couche platre" and assumed this would be ideal to use straight from the tin. Wrong! It just soaks in and doesn't cover anywhere near as much area as suggested on the tin! There are no instructions about thinning; am I supposed to add water? At this rate it's going to cost a fortune before I even get to the final finishes. The placo is the most absorbent and makes really hard work with the paint at its normal strength; the conventional walls are a little easier. If the stuff is meant to be thinned why doesn't it say so on the tin? Or is this something that experts already know? Any tips? Sid[8-)]  

He's a biker too, so count me in. It always amazes me that he keeps his cool when answering a question for the umpteenth time. Sid

I agree that it's a bit steep. I paid 800€ for a 3 year old mower from the previous owner of our property when we bought the house. It cost 1700€ new and we've seen them new since at a lower price. It's a Bricomarche own brand. These mowers are often made by the same company (Electrolux in USA) and just painted or customised for various outlets. You can check the manufacturers plate which is probably under the seat. They do get a lot of use as you say, but the main parts which suffer are the blades and blade drive belts, and you can get these at the bigger garden shops or DIY centres. Ours had a broken belt and when we returned to UK during the completion phase I ordered spares direct from USA and they arrived within a week! If you buy it make sure you get the handbook and spares list; this makes it so much easier for replacements. Also the servive history. The engine will go for years so long as it's been serviced regularly; it's important to change the oil and filter, just as with a car. These mowers usually have a Briggs and Stratton engine, very robust. For a 5 year old mower my best offer would be 700€ and I think I'd start at 600€. If he thinks he can sell it for 1000€ I'd be amazed.

For wooden windows, hardwood (bois exotique) or softwood (usually sapin) I'd use a lasure treatment. This is wood treatment with insect treatment all in one. V33 and Syntilor are two names which spring to mind but Castorama also do their own brand.  

Eslier I will try to prevent any emptying but you never know what people get up to when you're not there. However, these particular friends are not stupid so we should be OK. We don't have a municipal camping around here and I know that some people are reluctant to travel with the toilet sloshing about. Pleasant thought!  

This is not strictly a renovation query but I couldn't decide where else to put the question... Our house has a fosse septique. We have some friends coming to visit with their caravan and they'll park it in our garden. I think I'm correct in asking them not to dispose of chemical toilet waste down our loo if they're using the standard 'blue' chemicals, ie formaldehyde-based ones. Conversely, is it OK if they use the green chemicals eg Aquakem green? Sid

Another comprehensive post from SD. I'd just like to add that in our the case, at the suggestion of the secretary at our mairie, I filled all the forms at home and she then checked them for me. Result, "C'est parfait!" exclamation by the clerk at the prefecture; it makes you feel so good! It would appear that not everyone gets it totally correct first time. The mairie has stocks of the required forms. Sid 

Well, I have to agree... fantastic! Sid

Chris Don't take exception to my post, I'm merely pointing out that you don't have to buy the most expensive tools. In my younger days I bought top-quality tools for the car etc and they're still as good as new now, a 'Britool' socket set comes to mind which looks as good now as when I bought it in 1966. Tools to last a lifetime means something rather different when the number of years remaining is somewhat less! The quality of cheaper tools has improved remarkably. If you take the example of an angle grinder, you can buy one for less than 30€ which is guaranteed for 2 years; if you run it for 2 years and it gives up the ghost after that it will still have been good value for money. I don't know why you think you have different saw requirements to me... you didn't ask what I want it for [:)] My only point was that there are cheaper options. The Castorama saw still has the same Oregon chain fitted to more expensive models. Some people will always buy the most expensive item, I suppose "because they can"; others need to watch the pennies. Happy sawing. Sid

Sunday Driver has just confirmed something that my insurance agent was telling me recently. He was saying how exasperated he got when people tried to continue driving cars on UK plates sometimes up to 2 years after they'd moved here. He said that the regulations had changed and he now refuses to insure beyond the limit. I don't understand why people delay; in most cases it's a very straightforward process.