sid

Duly noted Clair, thanks. My wife's hearing aid will be due for renewal soon. We have a new consultant in Angouleme and my wife feels very confident with him. He says that he can prescribe, supply and fit the BAHA type that she uses. As pointed out above there is a finite life for these things, normally 3 years for my wife's type, but we've passed that now and it's still OK. They cost £3000 each in UK and the manufacturer has only relatively recently been supplying them in France. Of course on the NHS they are free, but we can't take advantage of that. It caters for a particular type of hearing loss and requires an operation initially, so it's not the normal solution. I'll report back on here when we eventually go for the replacement.  

[quote user="fisherman"]Thanks Sid. Just the advice I needed. I did not measure the dish on my last visit. I'm in the UK just now & as it looked to be about 2 feet wide guessed that that was it's size. However it is an old standard southern England Sky dish & after a bit of research it seems that it could be 53cm. I'll have to measure it on my next trip & maybe get a new dish in place in the autumn. Again Thanks for your advice.[/quote] I can't comment on the SKY dish except to say that it is designed for reception in UK where the signal is stronger and also it is designed to be more aesthetically pleasing (or should I say just less obtrusive!). I still see them occasionally around here. I bought a standard OPTEX 60cm dish from either Castorama or Mr Bricolage (I can't remember which, it was 10 years ago) along with one of their mono LNBs for around 80€ including the bracket. I have since replaced the LNB with a better quality quad LNB for our Humax plus second TV. At the time of installation the signal was strong and I did all the set up with a compass, protractor and a long stick!! I think a decent "finder" would make things a lot easier.  

[quote user="fisherman"]We are a half an hour north of Confolens. We had a 60cm dish that stopped working in February. Is there anybody in this area who can advise on the size of dish that they find works for them. Many Thanks[/quote] We are level with Confolens and about 50km to the west. We have noticed absolutely no change in our TV reception. We have a 60cm dish.  

Good luck JJ at the butcher's, erm, surgeon's, and yes please let us know how you get on with the pressure washer. It's always good to get some feedback. There's such a lot of stuff on YouTube! Always worth a search there, and a video is worth a thousand words! [8-|]  

I've had the same email and had a similar reaction. I can't decide how insecure it is; someone would have to tap my phone in order to record the account and security codes. So that's just the staff at GCHQ then who already listen to me anyway and probably have a complete dossier on my bank details. [:-))] Actually I've only phoned them a couple of times in 10 years, so I'm not too worried.  

Petrol driven pressure washers all work pretty much on the same principle, they have different design layouts but the main components are recognisable; the most common fault is a sticking relief valve. I've had this here with our very hard water. It just needs cleaning. Have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfUcXlBZRxk   Worth a try.

Earplugs! I'm going deaf and I want to keep that bit that I've got left! [Www] I can understand about the reluctance to get your bikes registered, it can be a hassle. However, I've just imported and registered a '70 Bonneville and it was a breeze; absolutely no problem, easier than my VFR800 and a lot easier than our British caravan. The insurer will keep taking your premiums, but the worry is what happens in the event of a serious claim... will they then start to question whether the bike was legal? This has been discussed here many times and I don't think they can get out of their obligations (??) but they can sure make it difficult. If you're living here my advice would be to get it done. I think it's rather nice not being immediately recognised as foreign (until I open my mouth at any rate! [:D] )

No-one seems to have mentioned the situation which we have in our small commune. We have a single list of 13 candidates, and we are required to cross out at least two of them (we can cross out more if we wish). The council requires 11 members. That seems pretty simple.  

The meter itself is 1970 I can see the date! It's still old, mind you. I can't read the other photo, is it the main fuse or something? I tried to get my main "disjoncteur générale" changed a few years ago but they wouldn't do , even when I offered to pay. We've managed on 9kva; we don't have any electric heating but we do have the usual washing m/c, dishwasher, irons, toasters etc. It only ever drops out in thunderstorms and hasn't done that for a while now. That can be a real pain, particularly if you're not at home!  

I'm still sticker-free too. I'll just give the gallic shrug if asked. So far (he says, touching wood) and it's been 10 years now, I've found that the gendarmes are very friendly to motor-bikers, so long as you're not doing anything really stupid. I don't think after all the document checks and breath test rigmarole that they're going to suddenly notice my helmet, which will have been taken off and placed out of the way by this time anyway. Several times I've been waved through roadside checks simply because they know it's a hassle having to take your gloves off, remove helmet, remove earplugs before you can even begin a conversation. I'm not sure that you're doing the right thing in keeping the bikes on UK plates though MJB.  It's not difficult and I for one would expect an immigrant to comply in the UK. (Not that they do - so that squashes that one!).  

I had an SE with the fairly usual Kent 1700cc engine. We came to France on holiday in 1995 in it. It's about as close as you can get to a motorcycle on 4 wheels! Great fun. [URL=http://s1118.photobucket.com/user/basstrom79/media/westfieldatmesland1995_zpsc9fea61b.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k611/basstrom79/westfieldatmesland1995_zpsc9fea61b.jpg[/IMG][/URL]   [URL=http://s1118.photobucket.com/user/basstrom79/media/westie1995_zpsd904bf5c.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k611/basstrom79/westie1995_zpsd904bf5c.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

You're Westfield man, Chancer?  I had one but sold it before coming here; I'd read that I'd never get it registered. Probably true.  

Well, unless you can point me to a reference in the Code de la Route, I'm afraid it is still a grey area to me! All of the above replies are interpretations, reasonable maybe, but I wouldn't want to set off dragging my little car, based on any of this advice. Thinking about it, I haven't got a little car, but even if I had, dragging it behind my motorhome wouldn't be on my wish list anyway! Dammit, I haven't got a motorhome either! Oh, how I miss SundayDriver's replies, succinct and always with a definitive reference.    

I wonder how much of this is hearsay? Anyway, the answer appears to be "a grey area" !! Quite a good piece about it here: http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/technicalhelp/towing/towing-with-a-motorhome/ Possibly the Gendarmes handing out tickets are for other offences, for example not having the red reflective triangles, or maybe even speeding, as these outfits are supposed to be driven at lower speed limits. Edit: And to add to the confusion here's a piece from one of the manufacturers:  http://www.caratow.com/legal.php    

We see them on the motorways and particularly at campsites; motorhome owners use them to tow little cars so that they have a runabout once on site (the big disadvantage of motorhome camping). I know this doesn't make them legal, but on the other hand it doesn't put them off either. I haven't read that they're not allowed in France. As usual, a reference would be useful.  

Agreed to all of that Dave. I would miss UK TV if it disappeared, mainly for the News and sport, but there are quite a few other programmes that I like. I rarely watch live TV though, as I record those programmes that I think I want to see (and often end up deleting them without viewing). I also watch football via streaming sites. As you say, streaming quality here (I only have a 2mega internet connection) is quite poor, but it's good enough to see the action live, not on a TV screen, just on the laptop. I NEVER watch Top Gear now, gone right off it; load of idiots. I've clarified the situation with the Denia region in Spain, and Q was correct, my friends do view TV via the internet, so that's one query (for me) sorted. I'll have a look at Mediahint. Meanwhile, Spring has arrived and I can get outside, no need for telly! [:D]    

Yes, it shows the towns, and even the roads, of France in detail as you zoom in, even if it is a bit short on explanations. It says that where I am I should have a 65cm dish (recommended). I'll stick with the 60 for now. I'm so glad I didn't rush out last year and buy a load of unnecessary satellite gear! I take it that you are in Vichy France then? [:-))]  

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The technical stuff can go in the other thread, I'm just wondering how many people here have noticed no change at all. Of course I could still regret posting this, but I suspect not. I wasn't aware of the internet service in Spain, so presumably we could do the same here? I thought my friends were receiving by satellite, so I'll write and ask very specific questions about that out of curiosity. I know they don't have a particularly high-speed internet connection, so seems to be odd doesn't it? LNBs and cables all suffer from exposure to UV apparently. 5-year life has been mentioned in several places; mine has been up there about 7 years now, although I added a shotgun cable when I got the Humax 4 years ago so the cable is a bit younger. The signal strength is the same as ever. I dread the thought of only having French TV as an option.    

I've read all of the postings on the other thread about the impending doom of losing our favourite UK TV channels, and waited with bated breath for a year or more for the picture to flicker off our screen. so far absolutely nothing has changed. Have all of the satellite changes taken place now? Can I relax? None of this is clear from the other thread, just lots of people saying what they've had to do to retain their picture and how much it's cost them. some of these are further north than me, so I'm very surprised. Friends in Spain (Denia area, just north of Alicante) are still receiving pictures. Unless something dramatic is about to happen this feels like an enormous hoax. Non-technical answers on a postcard, please. Meanwhile the signal is still good (if not better) here in Deux-Sèvres.  

Oh, OK, well let it be a timely warning to others who contemplate this arrangement! [Www]  

Ah, I see what you mean Val2. !  The CG, or more correctly Certificat d'Immatriculation as it's no longer a "card", shows the two names separately. so, the titulaire is named in section C.1,   and in the case of multi-propriété other person is named in C.4.1 Section C.4.a shows what their entitlement is, in our case propriétaire du vehicle I've just checked my old certificate and it had exactly the same sections, so I suggest that yours has been incorrectly completed. Refer to the notes on the back of the certificate.  This way there is no disputing what was intended.  

Our CG shows my name and my wife's name before marriage, ie the same as on a marriage certificate for example. This is the usual form. I didn't understand your post; your husband would have had more than just his Christian name surely? What about the family name (surname)? They normally refer to forename and family name here, not Christian name, as not everyone is of the Christian faith.  

Hello BM This is a late reply to your query. I've not been on here for a while and the other local bikers (Poitou Charentes and nearby) have moved their chat to a new site: http://tourdregs.net/phpbb/index.php  You could have look there. I've not been out much having spent the winter searching for a "new" old bike. It finally arrived in January and I've just done the immatriculation for it. Turned out to be a piece of cake, especially after the tales you hear. It's a 1970 Triumph Bonneville and I'm really pleased with it. Definitely a fair-weather bike though! [8-|]     [URL=http://s1118.photobucket.com/user/basstrom79/media/SidsT120_zps8278ab45.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k611/basstrom79/SidsT120_zps8278ab45.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[:D][:D]  Yes, I'm sure a lot of them would pull the wiring out of the walls if they could!