Lou

Our three cats are currently bringing us around 3 or 4 voles a day......so I definitely echo darius' suggestion! Lou

I received my new passport, renewed via Paris, just a few weeks ago, and can confirm that I didn't need a counter-signature nor an SAE. Total cost including the 26 euros courier fee to get it back to me - 187 euros - ouch! Though to their credit it was back with me exactly one week after they received it. The new photo requirements do mean the photo is NOT flattering - I think everyone must look like a criminal - my certainly bears a startling resemblance to a mug-shot....... Lou 

You could try Hyperburo www.hyperburo.com for actual shops or JPG www.jpg.fr for online purchases I have used Hyperburo but not JPG, just heard of it and seen the catalogues Lou

There's a "vigilance orange" about to come into force for Pyrénées Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées this afternoon/tonight/tomorrow morning - for heavy rain and also wind on the Basque coast, which also apparently is coinciding with a high tide...... Batten down those hatches..... Lou

"" Trouble with checking HC reading before leaping into the arms of Morpheus, is that when the meter changes over on the received pulse, all consumption is then HC: fridges, freezers, whatever: if it's the pulse switch in the tableau, then you need to isolate consumption"" Good point Gluestick but I found that the fridge etc didn't use 4 units overnight so if this sort of level of consumption was being used it had to be the ballon. Not scientific and not necesarily absolutely accurate admittedly. In our particular case we knew it wasn't a fault with our equipment as we were getting the HC at another time of day perfectly normally Lou

This is sad as it's so easily prevented..... We have collars on our cats but use only those with a "boucle de securité", you can buy them in Intermarché (and probably other places)and we have also bought them online from www.kittycollars.co.uk (no association just satisifed customer) The collars have a special clip which releases when a certain amount of pressure is applied, eg if the collar gets caught in a tree We have had so many cats 'disappear' despite being chipped - our thinking is that with a collar it's a visible sign that the cat is not a stray, plus we have our phone number on them too and now also a "locator" device www.loc8tor.co.uk (ditto re disclaimer as satisfied customer) Overkill? yes probably but it does give us some peace of mind - we've had 6 cats vanish without a trace in the 4 and a half years we've been in France. The other advantage of the locator is that we can find the collars when our adventurous tree-climbing kitties leave them behind on a night out.......!!

Yes and it was a nightmare getting EDF to understand and sort it out! We've 'lost' our afternoon HC on three occasions - all, suspiciously, after we'd lost power the previous day or night during thunderstorms (though not every thunderstorm/power cut has caused problems - thank goodness!) Still none the wiser as to why there have been problems, but on each occasion, finally, EDF have sorted it - remotely - once they insisted on sending a technician out to check our meter and then tried to charge me because they couldn't find anything wrong......I refused to pay. The second occasion the technician actually phoned us up and told us that he didn't need to come out he would remedy it remotely, and did. To check that the overnight HC was working - and like you not wanting to get up at 3am to check the meter! - I take a HC meter reading before and after - as the chauffe-eau programmed to HC is the only thing on at that time of night, if there were units used - the HC was working, if not, it's not. Sorry I can't offer more positive help, but if you do contact EDF, in my experience be prepared to explain over and over again in intimate detail what the problem is, the technicians seem to know what's what but not the call centre staff.  I had several conversations of the "according to your account you've got HC in the afternoon" "Yes that's right but it's not switching" "oh does that mean you don't want HC in the afternoon" "no I do want it but I'm not getting it" "according to your account you've got HC in the afternoon" - hit head against wall and scream...... Hope it's something simple!! Lou

Quillan, do you know if this standard procedure in every pharmacy, and do they just donate 'automatically', as it were, or do you have to specifically ask for your drugs to go to this good cause? I have always (in Uk as well as France) taken old medicines back to the pharmacy as I never liked the idea of just chucking them in the usual household waste. But I definitely like the idea that they're helping someone else not just being incinerated. Lou

We're just north of the Pyrénées, on the Gers border and it snowed a fair amount yesterday afternoon/evening. Switched to rain overnight and the snow is all but gone this morning. According to the news/weather report last night on TF1, the temp of 1 degree C recorded by the weather station at Tarbes airport yesterday was the lowest for May since the station was created back in 1946!! Lou

Hi Rose We have an almost identical problem!  We have 3 male neutered cats, brothers all 18 mths old, who all get on well with each other (apart from a bit of sibling rivalry for the comfiest seat every now and then!). Since Feb we've taken one or other of them to the vet at least once with fight injuries - wounds/abscesses. We know the culprit is a local un-neutered tom who is actually a nice cat but keeps turning up at our place to mark his territory. The owner says he can't afford to pay for the operation.  Ours are impossible to keep in at night - we get no sleep as they bounce off the walls - but things do seem to have calmed down recently, not sure if it's the "season" passing or whether our cats have finally given him enough of a beating to keep him away. We do shoo the intruder away every time we see him, also using a water pistol too. We have been considering offering to pay for the opertaion on the other cat, as it would work out cheaper than all the treatment for the injuries! But we're not sure if this will "cure" him now he has learnt this kind of behaviour. We have another neighbour with a neutered female who has also been visited by this tom but she gave him what-for and he's not been seen since round there - sometimes I think females are feistier than the males. Sorry, not really any solutions, but hopefully he will calm down and/or find other cats to bother, or head off further afield in search of a mate once he realises he's not getting any joy from yours. Lou

Will, that's an interesting site. I was pleased/relieved to see that the company I currently use is also listed there. Cathy - if you'd like details of my contact at this other company (for comparison purposes with Moneycorp perhaps) then PM me. You can open accounts with as many brokers as you like and aren't under any obligation to then trade with them (though you probably open yourself up to endless emails/phone calls once they've got your details!!) Lou

Hi Cathy I used to use Moneycorp regularly - for both one-off transactions and regular monthly payments. No problems with them in the two years or so I used them - always helpful on the phone, transfers always on time etc etc. I stopped using them simply because through a business connection I can get a better deal with another company (I won't mention them by name as I DO get a benefit from them and so would contravene the forum rules!) In other words, was quite happy with Moneycorp at the time. Perhaps I should stress that my time with them dates to more than a year ago now so I don't have any recent experience. Lou

Yes, I did - it woke me up (3.30 am) though I then couldn't work out what had happened - the thought "earthquake??" drifted through my mind then I went back to sleep. We're near Castelnau Magnoac in 65. Lou   EDIT: no this one's definitely not an April Fool !

Think of it this way Sweet, if YOU buy the house and are happy with the kitchen, there's a good chance that you will find someone else when/if you resell who also likes the kitchen. You can't please all of the people all of the time - ok, so maybe some people would be put off by the lack of a big kitchen but equally there will be some who will prefer a separate space for dining as you do. On a personal level, we have a large kitchen/dining room which I do like, but if I liked everything else about a house I don't think a small kitchen would be a deal breaker. Lou

Janacek - On an overgrown path Piano pieces - you can find extracts on Youtube but my computer and Internet connection are sooo slooow tonight that it would take ages for me to post the link (sorry) Lou

There should have been a "by the latest" date in your compromis de vente, it's usually approx three months from the compromis - unless everyone has agreed something different. I'm surprised neither the notaire nor the estate agent are pushing as they won't get their money either until the sale completes. Were there any conditions in your compromis which could account for the delay? eg mortgage, planning permission. If the buyer doesn't have the money to complete then you need to get the notaire to write to them with a completion date and explain that they will forfeit their deposit if they can't complete. (assuming they did pay a deposit?) It sounds like you need to push the agent and/or the notaire to at least give you the full picture. Or even contact the buyer yourself and ask what's happening. If you just pull out without knowing whats happening then you risk being in default yourself. Lou

Haven't got 6 Nations tickets but do have tickets for the Heineken Cup Final in Paris..... just need Toulouse to get there too> But at least we get a home QF Lou

Hi Pachapapa I did contemplate something like this but for various reasons it's difficult for her to get to Carcassonne ....... worth bearing in mind though, thanks! Actually Easyjet fly to Gatwick (or is it Heathrow?) from Toulouse so I wonder if we should also have looked at possibilities from there. Oh well since she's never heard of Ryanair (or barely) she wasn't overly worried by the fare!! It was just me that was shocked! Lou

There may be many of us who don't particularly like the Ryanair service, but I had it brought home to me last night just how lucky (financially speaking) we are with them. I've just booked a return Carcassonne -Liverpool  for a mere 20 euros (hand luggage only, inc credit card charge). A German friend came over last night to use our computer to book a flight to Munich - only viable option is Lufthansa or Air France from Toulouse - and had to pay a whopping 315 euros and change flights at Lyon. of course she will get breakfast on board, and probably smiling hostesses, and be able to take a suitcase but ........ I for one wouldn't be visiting family very often at those kind of prices! Lou

We also heard and then saw them for the first time yesterday - we're in Hautes-Pyrenees. There are usually several hundred (i think the figure for last year or the year before was 700) over-wintering at the lake near us (Puydarrieux - also a nature/bird reserve). A couple of years ago we met up with one of the rangers there who let us look at them through her spotting-scope - I was amazed at how exotic and wonderful-looking they are in close-up! Lou

so so funny..... Saw him live in Manchester years ago and left utterly exhausted with ribs aching from literally crying with laughter Lou

Since moving here 4 years ago we have lost five cats in total - one run over and the other 4 have just vanished. It's heartbreaking not knowing whether they have just decided to go live somewhere else or whether they have met a sticky end (strongly suspect the latter but try to persuade myself of the former!) We have five cats at the moment and so far (touch wood, cross fingers etc etc) they seem mostly to hang around close-by. We have spoken to all our neighbours who now know and recognise our cats in the hope that this may help. The prime suspect for the disappearance of our cats (and others in the area too) is one of the local farm dogs - we actually witnessed her chasing, catching (and ultimately killing through injuries) a neighbour's cat. We (and others in the village) have complained on various occasions to the Mairie about this dog - periodically the farmer ties her up but we know that he lets her roam around the village at night. Despite all this we do still let our cats have free access to the outdoors via a catflap - despite the risks I still think it's the best thing for them. We have also wondered about traps in the woods next to our land but don't have any evidence to take this further. I don't think the hunters would be the greatest risk during the night - we are happier that the cats sleep indoors during the day when the hunt is out. Maybe we have just been really unlucky (and of course the four that disappeared could have disappeared for 4 completely unconnected reasons!), we're certainly hoping that our luck has changed with the cats we have now - I have told my husband that if this lot do disappear then we will get a goldfish instead as I can't take any more heartache!! May your cats live long and happy! Lou

Allan, Are you sure they are termites and not some other wood-eating insect? Your house may well be safe even if they are - termites are NOT flying insects and travel underground really quite slowly....and will begin their assault on your house via the ground up. First off, talk to the Mairie and find out if your area is known for termites, as the other poster indicated, presence of termites is notifiable by law. Secondly contact an 'expert' to check your house for termites - that's the kind of surveyor who does all the checks for a house sale. (check pages jaunes for 'diagnostics immobilier') This should only cost you a max of a few hundred euros depending on the size of your house. personally I wouldn't go straight to a treatment contractor unless you have a personal recommendation - there are known scams of siad treatment company offering 'free' checks and then very expensive treatment when it turns out your check was 'positive'.

[quote user="Clair"]Sweet, it's probably a cost-saving exercise. All the tax bills are now printed on plain white paper rather than each tax bill having to be printed on a different colour of paper. [/quote] Hmmm - cost-saving? That would explain why when my avis ran to 3 pages, they sent page 3 in a separate posting....... Lou

Used my debit card in Leader Price yesterday to pay for 4.61 worth - no problem Lou