hastobe

Not sure about the others but the link above is to standard rechargeable nightlights - none seem to double as a torch.  Maybe that's the difference? Kathie

[quote user="Ron Avery"][quote user="Dick Smith"]Ah, missed that slightly important piece of information! Is that because the screw fitting is wider OD than the bayonet? In which case being true it would be possible to change the bulb holder. Or have I still missed the point? [/quote] No, Yes,  No  The French and indeed European standard bulb holders (screw and bayonet type)  have a much bigger outside diameter than  the UK ones, they can be changed of course to the UK ones to use the shades etc but UK bulb holders are not readily on sale in France. [/quote] Thanks for this info Ron - we're now holding off on the lampshade shopping until we have reinspected / measured our French light fittings.  You've probably saved us quite a bit - very appreciated! Kathie

[quote user="Ron Avery"]kathie said "Light fittings seem very expensive in France - and with a naff selection - unless you like decorative leaves trailing from everything........... ............Yes but UK screw on lampshades/glasses etc don't fit continental lamps do they  They are too small so no point in getting them in the UK unless you want to change all your ceiling roses, table lamps and pendants as well to UK fittings.  Your experience of expense and lack of choice is not as I have found it in France, in fact when I lived in the UK I bought loads of light fittings in France on holiday, much cheaper and better choice, try shopping around other than the bricos. [/quote] I just checked our (UK) lampshades and glasses and none of them are screw on...  Is this a recent change or am I missing something?  It was our plan to take the complete lamps over and just change the plugs.  We can get large decorative lamps (bases and shades) for between £20 and £50 in the UK - I haven't seen anything that sort of price and of similar quality in France - but if anyone knows of decent outlets in N Dordogne we would appreciate the info.  Re the lampshades and glasses, when we looked, they all seemed to be the same as the UK ones - unless, as I said above, I am missing something? Kathie

Are you thinking of patchwork, quilting - or both?  There are also different types of patchwork - hexagonal shapes tend to be traditional English patchwork (which is done by hand and uses papers) - in contrast with American patchwork which is done either by hand or machine (depending on how easy the block is to piece by machine / patience of the sewer!).  Convention is that templates for hand piecing are cut without a seam allowance, templates for machine piecing are cut with a seam allowance .  (Seam allowance is usually 1/4").  If you are machine piecing a good tip is to place a piece of sticky tape (or, indeed several layers to create a 'ridge') at the 1/4 " mark as a guide. If you are quilting then you need a large frame and (depending on whether you plan to quilt by hand or by machine) a sewng machine with a walking or even feed foot, a darning foot and a means of covering or dropping the dog feeds. A good book for more information is 'Quiltmaking for Beginners' by Lynn G Kough.  A good reference book for blocks is 'The Quilter's Block Bible' by Celia Eddy. Happy quilting! Kathie

[quote user="Val_2"]The kitchen looked horrible with nasty cheap fittings b eing put in[/quote] I agree - absolutely naff.  Having said that, we looked at a lot of French houses and didn't see a single kitchen we liked.  At the moment we have an MFI style kitchen, with tiled worktops (pretty good, I guess, by French standards) - but we really don't like it (the expression 'chrome and plastic' comes to mind).  We have just started replacing it and had a local carpenter make an oak kitchen unit with double belfast sink and hardwood drainer.  My french neighbour's opinion?  She popped in to put some milk in the fridge the day  we were due to arrive and telephoned us aghast - Did we know they had put in an awful old fashioned sink? And that they had left the work surface untiled (the hardwood drainer!).  She asked why we didn't  have a proper stainless sink unit like theirs!!!  On a similar note (well loosely related to kitchens)  what is it with the French and vegetables?  Our neighbours won't eat vegetables unless they are cooked to oblivion.  They think 'English vegetables' - i.e. those with any colour or texture, are inedible!  It's the same when you eat out - negligible vegetables and those you do get are limp, soggy and overcooked. Kathie

[quote user="Patf"]I think the best way to start is to come over and spend at least a week driving around your chosen area, or longer if still not decided on an area. Look in the windows of the french estate agents in the main towns when you find the areas you like. Pat. [/quote] I agree - you need to visit the areas and see some of the properties - photos in estate agents windows / websites can be very misleading.  Also - don't just visit in the summer - make several trips at different times of the year.  As Dave implied, the south can be very cold in winter (-10C for us the last two winters - makes for very beautiful hoar frosts but derned cold!!!) Kathie

[quote user="oglefakes"]My uncle in Australia was diagnosed with cancer last thursday and was operated on today (saturday). The same with my granmother; diagnosed one day and operated on the next. [/quote] My mother was diagnosed with (breast) cancer and operated on two months later.  Unfortunately, while she was in hospital recovering from the surgery she caught an infection - so her radio therapy was delayed by four months while they tried to get the infection under control. All I can say is TG we have private health insurance.. Kathie

Perhaps if you can't manage a laugh Dick - maybe just a wry smile? Kathie

[quote user="Misty1"]Its also my view that the 'house in the sun' programmes always show property at far less than the price you would find on the internet - it never seems that cheap when I look for property.  It could be that to get on the programme Agents are discounting prices in order to attract buyers to the areas featured and making a special 'deal' or simply trying harder to find appropriate property than the services that we tried.  Or its possible that the programmes are filmed months/years in advance and prices have gone up by the time we see them.  Even so it is disappointing to see such viable prices on the shows then realise you can't get anything for that in reality.  When we saw 'real' situations like this programme, the prices were much more what you would expect ie. real prices. [/quote] Are you looking in the same area as the house shown last week? Kathie

Sorry folks but, at the risk of being shot down in flames, I do think there are some ahermmm 'boring' folks here - enjoying watching film credits.  Maybe that's why some peeple find it easier to settle in rural France - they have far higher boredom thresholds than me.  Ps: I think the comment about the lack of credit given to more junior staff is very valid and will mention it at work - see if we can get our headed paper changed to reflect the secretary's and the cleaner's names as well as those of the partners.....[;-)] Kathie

[quote user="Bob T"]I saw that program. I was amazed by the "lawyer" who bought a house (in his words, over a few glasses of wine) without really looking at it for £180,000, presumably including estate agents and notaires fees. And then thought that another idiot should come along and give him £182,000 for it presumably plus estate agent and notaires fees. I thought that the presenter on the program was extreemly rude to the female French estate agent and he obviously knew very little about the house buying and selling systems here. [/quote] Whlist it was refreshing to see the other side of the story, I agree that he was very patronising to the french agent.  Having said that, I do think that what he was saying is correct - the way a house is presented does affect  its sale price - many people are very superficial and can't look past the colour of the walls / style of the furniture.  But then again, maybe the agent actually liked the ghastly paper - she was, afterall, french. Kathie  

Well if our (many dealings) with his department are anything to go by he's a power crazed nut.  The phrase 'institutional bullying' has been used on a number of occassions.  I also think he's sly and devious - too many weasly words for my liking (though you could say that of many politicians).  I can't stand the man. Kathie

LOL hubby is just on his way to get fish and chips - and I have a big pan of mushy peas simmering on the hob...mmmmmm.  If heaven is half as good as this..... Kathie Edit: we are northerners too vickybear and I agree we make, absolutely the best fish and chips - fried in beef dripping - non of this namby pamby low cholesterol stuff...

Chipie that was soo funny - your journeys sound very similar to ours...."recalculating route, recalculating route" [:)] - and I still keep the map to hand. Kathie

And if they get stained then a good overnight soak in napisan (or the equivalent) before washing keeps them brilliant white. Kathie

[quote user="J.R."]  I hope that you realise (I didn't and it was a shock for me) that the taxation regime changed in 2004, you cannot any more offset, or as before multiply by three and offset, the cost of materials used in a renovation/improvement. [/quote] TBH - when you see the prices quoted by registered artisans for things like painting (per other recent thread!) I reckon I'm still quids in buying my Farrow & Ball in the UK.  In anycase, as most of us paying PV (i.e. second home owners) will also be paying CGT (at a far higher rate) in the UK the point about (non) deductibility of own materials etc is irrelevant.  You can still offset material costs (if you keep receipts) against your UK tax liabilities.  I would be more cocerned about the quality of work, completion date and value for money when deciding how and who does work. Kathie

JTF is a trade warehouse (http://www.jtf-wholesale.co.uk/)  and I think we fell lucky as it was an end of range / display model.  We had to dismantle it in the store - and it took OH two journeys to get it back home (i.e. home in the UK) with me and son and heir standing on sentry duty in the middle of the car park with the second half until he returned - but well worth the effort!  And the trailer came back to the UK full...of some very nice reds.... Kathie

[quote user="Dick Smith"]Firstly a gas barbecue is likely to be a lot cheaper if you buy it in France (in my experience) and you will have no compatibility issues to deal with. The gas bottle will require a 'detendeur' to regulate gas flow. This needs to match both the gas and the bottle, so again, a French purchase. You will also need a tube (French norms apply) to fit, which you will need to buy in France. So in answer to your question, even if you buy a B&Q barbecue you will have to buy a French detendeur and tube to fit a French gas bottle. As to whether or not a French tube will fit a B&Q spigot, I would be surprised if it didn't. [/quote] We bought a big Aussie 5 burner gas BBQ from JTF for just over a hundred quid.  Cost to convert the gas fitting was minimal - so, for us, it was definitely worth transporting to France. Kathie

[quote user="Will"]The actual text in the official budget document seems to indicate the opposite: "Homes abroad, 5.119. The Government today announced its intention to publish draft legislation later this year which will ensure that individuals owning or planning to buy a home abroad will not face a benefit-in-kind tax charge for private use, if it is owned through a company. The Government will discuss the draft legislation with interested parties to ensure that it achieves these aims." [/quote] I believe there has been some petitioning of the government over the last year or so to eliminate the aforementioned tax effects and there were vague promises that the issue would be dealt wth so.. Kathie

I'm not so sure.  I discovered the other day that two more people in our part of the office have just bought homes in France - which I believe takes the french second home owners to 6 members of staff out of 70.  This seems a pretty high percentage.  I don't think any have any immediate plans to up sticks and move to France permanently though...all for holiday / retirement. Good job we didn't buy with the intention of letting!! Kathie

We could never move to France permanently and think that, if we did, it would have a disastrous effect on our marraige.  Although I love to escape to the peace and quiet of France (and we did, at one stage, think of moving to France permanently) it is peaceful and quiet here because of the contrast with our hectic lives back in the UK.  Without that contrast (for me) it would quickly become dull and boring.  I would miss my friends and family - not for the lovey dovey reasons - but because I can get into an  intellectual debate with them over a bottle of wine - we have shared history.  Although our French neighbours are great it's not the same - non of them have been to university etc (in fact a number struggle with spelling and simple maths), they don't understand our humour, we don't have a common history etc.  I would miss the girlie nights at the pub - there just isn't an equivalent in France.   I would miss the beautiful English countryside (French countryside is beautiful but it's not England and it's not home).  I miss the diversity of food in our local supermarkets.  There are things I hate about England and I feel sad at what has happened to British society over the last twenty years - but it is still my homeland and where my heart is.  As I have said before, our plan is to keep a home in both countries and also to travel.  Being at home 24 hours a day with each other would be disastrous for us - particularly in rural France where we would be thrown together even more (lack of anything much else to do). We  have tried it - we worked together when we were first married and it was an unmitigated disaster - we managed 6 months of it before I found another job. My advice for anyone planning to come here is (if you can) to rent out your UK home so you have somewhere to return to.  Then rent in France and do this for at least twelve months, preferably two years, or at least until you have a very good grasp of the language, have gotten over the honeymoon period when everything is rosy in the garden and have a very good idea of where you want to be (rural idylls generally only work in fairy tales / farms) and even then, if you can, keep a foothold in the UK. Kathie Edit - I'll probably get shot down in flames for this - but the most interesting and intellectual conversation I've had in France has been with a (retired professional) English couple from the next village at our village fete.  So maybe there is a reason why English people stick together?

I don't think there is such a thing as a reasonably priced English leather sofa - as far as I know they are all made in China....well Land of Leather's are anyway - and I'm pretty sure the same goes for Argos too Kathie

We work much better when we are apart - preferably by several miles... Kathie

Light fittings seem very expensive in France - and with a naff selection - unless you like decorative leaves trailing from everything... Then there are the ubiquitous paints...  We also buy all our soft furnishing fabrics in the UK. Kathie

Second idea seems a good one - just make sure they get their daily ration of rum, pastis, red wine whatever after they finished the painting [;-)] We thought of offering free holidays in exchange for a piece of furniture, kitchen appliance, picture - whatever - but then thought about the eclectic taste of some of our friends and family - and decided against it.  Though it would have made for a very original home [Www] Kathie