Cassis

Sounds like Quillan coped pretty well with an "unusual" situation.  Regarding whether you HAVE to collect ID on every guest for the benefit of the gendarmes, I think the answer is in theory the law says "Yes", but in practice "It depends".  Let's face it, this law is generally ignored - a bit like the 1799 Act to regulate the fees charged by innkeepers and porters for holding and delivering packages in London.  I have never been asked for my address by a hotel or a B&B in France and whenever I've seen this same topic on French B&B owners forums they say the same thing - nobody bothers with it any more.  I've never had a French guest offer me their ID card on arrival and if they did I'd probably tell them to put it away. Nor do we ask for payment on arrival - that way we get more tips when they pay on leaving. [;-)] In fact, we do ask for and collect most guests' details at time of booking "just in case".  In case of what I'm not sure.  [:D] "Wait until you have a controle, then you'll be sorry if you don't have everyone's details".   I somehow doubt if the gendarmes know everybody who stayed with us so it would be pretty hard for them to catch us out even if they did suddenly decide to do a Spanish Inquisition on us - so I'm not about to wet my pants at the thought of gaps in our guest records.  If I don't know someone's address I just mark the address section on the invoice "inconnu".

[quote user="lovymarisa"] Also, are you interested in any form of entertainment, for instance orientalist/middle eastern dancers.  [/quote] If Georgie doesn't show any interest, could you forward me the details please, Marisa?  [:D] Tresco's link to the original thread which gave quite a detailed explanation of how to read a scam - partly rehashed by Quillan above - does not seem to work - how strange. [8-)]

I'm not sure about this one.  What do you think?  Any words of profound wisdom greatly appreciated.  [:)] From The Desk Of David Zongo. The Head Of File Department, African Development Bank (A.D.B). Ouagadougou Burkina-Faso West Africa .  "REMITTANCE OF $5 MILLION U.S.A DOLLARS CONFIDENTIAL IS THE CASE"   Compliments Of The Season Blessed One to Who I  Is Now Writing      Forgive my indignation if this message comes to you as a surprise and may offend your personality for contacting you without your prior consent and writing through this channel.             In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of $ 5 million U.S.A dollars ( Five million U.S.A dollars or dollars five to the million) . In an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family in (Monday 31st July 2000) in a plane crash (GOD BLESS HIS SOULS). Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines, but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died along side with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this discovery that I and one official in my department now decided to make this business proposal since nobody is coming for it and we don’t want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.       After series of prayers/fasting over 40 days and nights I was divinely directed to contact you among other names found in the data base Yahoo tourist search. I believe that God has a way of helping who is in need.   I am (David Zongo),the Head of file Department in African development bank (ADB).  When i was searching for a foreign reliable partner. I assured in a vision from the Lord our GOD (BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE ALMIGHTY) of your capability and reliability to champion this business opportunity. The Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after a certain period of years, the money will be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner, and a Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner. We agree that 40% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 10% will be set aside for expenses incured during the business and 80% would be for me and my woman colleague. There after i will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated. Therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as relations or next of kin of the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location where the money will be remitted.  Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear, no my dear sir in all confidence be dealing with me as I speak from GOD, as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer. You should contact me on my cell phone  number 00226-7685 5660.   Immediately as soon as you receive this letter. Trusting to hear from you immediately. Your’s faithfully, David Zongo. FROM (ADB) OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO. GOD BLESSINGS, PROTECTIONS AND GUIDIANCE TO YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY. FILL THE THE FORM BELOW AND RETURN TO METHIS FORM BELOW PLEASE AND RESEND IT WITH EFFECT AS PROF OF YOUR FAITH AND TRUSTINGWORTHINESS TO ME 1) Your Full Name............................. 2) Your Age....................................... 3) Marital Status................................ 4) Your Cell Phone Number………….. 5) Your Fax Number………………..... 6) Your Country……………….............. 7) Your Occupation............................ 8) Sex................................................ 9) Your Religion................................. 10) Your Private E-mail Adress........... 11) Your place of birth............. 12) Your mother’s maiden name.............. 13) The name of your first pet................. 14) Your first school....................... 15) Your last school.................................... 16) Your spouse’s maiden name.........................  POST SCRITUM:You have to keep everything secret as to enable the transfer to move very smoothly in to the account you will prove to the bank. As you finished reading this letter call me immediately so that we discuss very well over this business.   POSTHUMOUS SCRAPTUM:  The Good Lord our God has once again appearded to myselves in an imagining this past nights and has received to me a cavern in the desrt whence we are finding a large quantity of pills, watches of irreprochabel quality.  I am thinking that this may also be of interest to you or other persons with small engines or whose women are very demanding of services.  I am convince that a good man of upstanding as you prove as revealed to me will benefit in these delicacies.   To effect disposals of pills and watches  I and a group of nuns and accountants, all of faith and profession, am proposing to visut in your region of FRANCE, EUROPE and wish to book for 10 weeks your ACCOMMODATIONS in FRANCE, EUROPE.  Payment of Unesco bank draft will be forthcoming on receipt of yourbankers details in the utmost haste to facilitate.   Among our parties is an equal number of womens of Eastern Romania Balkans and Russia with manifold delights and breasts of bountifulbness.  Thes are innocent ladies of good breeding an voluptuosity. We is praying that you is having thoughts, as OUR GOOD GOD WISHES that you be laying your hands and other things on them and helping of these and yourself on our arrivals.

I experienced the same yesterday early afternoon but seems okay today.  Maybe the server needs a new elastic.

That's lovely, Pads.  You can't whack a good rainbow to brighten up the sky on a rainy day.  [:)] [IMG]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i26/cassiscassis/complete/rainbow2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i26/cassiscassis/complete/rainbow1.jpg[/IMG]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]Actually I've seen these for sale in Gifi for €9.99 so I'm getting them for my boys. [/quote] Yes, Pierre, of course they are for the boys.  [Www]

If they don't like them, please forward to Mr Sausage, 3 rue du Boudin, 696900 Sossville sur Sarthe.

You have my full support.  I found it got better after a couple of years or so - my main tip being to get someone to lock you in a hermetically sealed box whenever you've had a few drinks in the first 24 months.  Alcohol is the big, inhibition-lifting enemy.

I wonder, out of all those bought, which is the most under-utilised kitchen gadget -  the electric juicer, ice cream maker, electric can opener, spice grinder, parmesan shaver, electric peeler, olive stoner, garlic press, waffle toaster, coffee roaster, ice crusher, sandwich maker, bread machine, egg scrambler ..........

It also means you can give your links descriptive names rather than a boring URI address. 

Sorry, but I insist that it is a giant tiddleywink taken from a Vogon transporter.  Here is my source: 2007 Intergalactic Tiddleywink Tournament Content may be reproduced for personal and non-commercial purposes.

Ouaii, j'adore ta pêche, ma princessssssssssssssse Fronshee.  Specially for Mistah Heed Something more hip

[quote user="Cat"]Not sure what you're aiming at Will?  The original link was too long, and didn't work. [/quote] Will says "it takes you to a page that tells you your session has expired", Cat. "It" being Clair's link,  i.e. the link of Clair does not work.  So if you click on it it does nothing useful. Here are the pics in question: [IMG]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i26/cassiscassis/map2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i26/cassiscassis/map1.jpg[/IMG] Looks pretty obvious, it's an intergalactic tiddley-wink.

Bonswaar Frenchie;  Saa Vaa?

Yes, well you can't have everything, can you;  Don't be greedy. [kiss]

Now for a touch of class .. Crazy Horses

[quote user="Khazi"]I can't for the life of me make out a face in the picture you mentioned - I'll have another look with squinty eyes! [/quote] If you look really carefully some people can see a face in this cloud. [IMG]http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i26/cassiscassis/complete/cloud.jpg[/IMG]

[quote user="Daisy-May"]Hello, I have just received the prices from them:  1 bedroom/2 persons €240 2 bedrooms/4 persons €345 3 bedrooms/6 persons €530 4 bedrooms/8 persons €695 5 bedrooms/10 persons €845 6 bedrooms/12 persons €985 7 bedrooms/14 persons (with a suite) €1150   They don't publish until Feb 2009 next so I have plenty of time to consider it.  We are receiving a promising amount of bookings from our own site, which we too try to maintain frequently, and yes a lot of time boosting google ratings in the winter! Back tio the chalkboard![/quote] They're having a laugh at those rates, aren't they?  695€ for 4 bedrooms!!!!  [:D]  The price increments are weird - first room 240, the next one add 105, then 185, 165, 150.  I get the sliding scale, but not the second room increment. Maybe if you're top end, over 100€ per room per night, and the rest of the B&B's marketing is hopeless, i.e. you'd be empty without the bookings from Sawdays,  it might make sense, but you need to get a lot of "new" bookings, i.e. they would have to fill a lot of rooms that would otherwise lie empty,  just to break even.  Good luck with your website and all the best for 2008. PS These sort of rates make more sense for gite owners (like Catherine) where you only need a few bookings to cover the costs and make a decent ROI.

[quote user="Bugbear"][quote user="Frogslegs"]We are midway between La Rochelle and Cognac and know of three  b and b's for sale....probably more if I have time to think about it. Email for further information.[/quote] I think that there may be a message there...................................[:)] [/quote] [:D] [:D] [:D]

Useless for anything other than marking a path.  Brico Depot currently have an offer of 8 for about 15€.  Brushed aluminium stalks and caps,  brighter and whiter  LED "bulbs" than others we've tried.  We bought the same from them this time last year and they still stay lit all night.  But the rechargeable batteries will doubtless need changing eventually (as said).

Sawday's is not a guarantee of quality or being a 'cut above' as Clair has pointed out.  In the past we've stayed in a couple and they were indistinguishable from any decently ranked B&B with the national bodies like GdF and Clévac. They are expensive - they wanted a heck of a lot more than 200€ from us so we didn't bother.  From memory about 400€ but I couldn't swear to the exact amount.

Thanks, Wen.  We haven't had any of those but I was not aware of the visa angle from those parts. [:)]

 [:D] [:D] [:D]

All our 2-stroke machinery is 40:1 petrol:oil, but the fuel:oil ratio varies depending on the manufacturer's recommendations, usually marked on the filler cap, otherwise look in the instruction manual.  Best mix it in a petrol container (marked 2-stroke to stop someone topping up a four stroke machine with the wrong stuff) as it's impossible to get the proportions right if you add oil and petrol separately to the fuel tank.  NB 2-stroke oil is marked "2 Temps" - not just ordinary car engine oil. Mmmmmmmm.  Warm oil.  2 strokes good.  4 strokes better.  Mmmmmmm.

Get Squidge to ask these questions in future - saves embarrassment all round. If it quotes cc's it's petrol driven ("thermique").  They are all two stroke (petrol and oil) as far as I know.  Sometimes they will quote watts as a measure of the power output even for petrol models. The vodka/gin/scotch hip flask attachment is an optional extra on more expensive models. If you're using it for more than a few minutes at a time, (lets say, for argument's sake, you have grass, mega-weeds and general green detritus from a 'garden' and fairly precipitous river bank to clear - that would be quite a big job) then those with two handles and a decent harness are more expensive but a lot easier to handle and less wearing on back/shoulders/arms.  As I only found to my cost after buying a cheaper petrol model with a "D" handle and single shoulder strap. I would make sure your legs and arms are properly covered when you use it (not shorts and T-shirt) - face mask is advisable as well.  The sap from some weeds (like cow parsley) can give you "strimmers rash", like giant hogweed burns. Petrol models - wear padded gloves, especially if using it for more than a few minutes - don't be surprised if your hands tingle or feel numb, these things are terrible for vibration. I hate strimming. [:@] PS Strimming on a slope is the pits. [:@] [:@]