Judith

Many thanks Banana! And to yours to, thanks for all you do for this forum. The next few days will be a much needed respite this year, methinks!

Menthe, It is certainly one of the more "difficult" forums to access .. I have given up trying to sign in on my ipad, so can never reply to anything whilst away from home ... so very frustrating .. but do not stop posting and replying, you make my time on here so very pleasant, you speak sense, are knowledgeable about France, and come up with lots of lovely discussion ... and yes, do have the most wonderful of Christmas seasons from the damp and cold south! xxx

Menthe, quite right, I hadn't added the years up, but just checked mine and so it is. Mixing it up with WARC cards, and no doubt the UK one, which, in fact, as I had a paper one, I never did need to change, until I got to the magic age when we all turn into the age at which the authorities believe we become incapable, and had to change it!

Ken, I really cannot be bothered to join in your word games, whether you think it or no, that's what came over to me .. but I'm out of this now .. going around in circles is not my choice.

Ken, whilst I do accept what you say, if people in this region chose not to live here, in what is a basically a coastal plain of great depth .. even the Romans lived here .. there would be no-one living along the Languedoc and other coastlines. I agree that new builds now should not be put onto flood plains when possible, but history will show that flood plains have been populated over eons of time, since the world began even. They even occur in the Bible ... but you do seem to have an holier than thou attitude which is totally unehelpful, for not all get even the chance to make a choice, it's there or nothing.

Ken, where I am, most properties are in a flood plain area because that is what it is, and have been here for hundreds of years, not new build, very old towns on the whole, not particularly pretty, not because it is cheaper .. but what it is ..the whole of this part of the south of France is very low lying and always has been, it is not however, reclaimed land .. just a coastal plain where all the towns and villages are around here .. even the ones in the hills suffered the year after we did .. the weather patterns here are usually very kind, but there are storms every now and then, and have been over the years, which are reputed because they are more severe than the usual storms (2 fronts coming together, along with tides on the whole.) We were lucky in some ways, it came up and then down, and whilst there was a lot of mud and some furniture it wasn't possible to rescue, most was .. but all the floors needed to be redone and the kitchen was eventually replaced .. we were relatively lucky, but it is still not nice.

I can cope with the cold, it's the flooding afterwards that always concerns me, after we were very badly flooded about 5-6 years ago .. so each winter now I panic a little when it is not dry.

Thanks Dave .. this has really made my day .. and what lovely coverage .. shame the noise was so much I couldn't hear what Huguette said, but it is stories like this that keep our hopes for the future alive!. The video whch accompanies the Taxi charity post really left the largest smile on my face .. beautiful.

Interesting, though I'm at the "other border" side, comng from Languedoc .. I've got to fill up on the way, so will know the price for the return .. my "new" car seems pretty good, so far, at least for fuel ...

Is it still cheaper Ken. Last time I did in the summer when I was near Girona, it certainly was not cheaper than here!

I got my flu jab a couple of weeks ago, and was due for the 5th covid vaccine at the same time, but having had the virus )started the day I coudl have got the vaccine, typically) only a week or so before the pharmacist said I had to wait now for 3 months ... so you can go to a pharmacie who will adminster it if it is 6 months since the last one. No reminder from CPAM. Only response to flu jab a slightly tender arm, but for longer than usual .. maybe due to the Covid effect. GP said I would have sufficient Covid immunity for several months so no problem. Last year I had the two together, one in each arm. No problem, just the usual aching flu arm for a few days.

I hope not for us .. warm enough, but covered by a grey cloud for almost the last 2 weeks, before that it rained .. only seen the sun about twice. Very miserable weather ..

I liked her straightforward talking but do not think she had any idea of how to go about managing such a broad prospectus as was needed once you reach the heights she did. Managing the company, as it were, is entirely different from managing a department in it. But I do agree with you NickP - this, and we can all think of other examples, has been trial by media (broadcast and social). Contemptible, and totally inappropriate, tollally unedifying to watch, to listen to or to understand the reality of what is happening. MPs who fear to loose their jobs when the "other side" gets in, when let's face it, none of them on either side could manage a P** up in a brewery (my astericks, I know this forum). Never mind the country. God please help the UK, 'cos I am not sure who else will do so. Sodom and Gomorrah comes to mind and we know what happened to them!

I definitely need a groan icon!!!

No groan icon .. honestly, NIckP!!!! But messy indeeed!!

Plenty of water down here .. water butts as previously mentioned, never midn swimming pools ... puddles form an very quick overnight shower (doning nothign else of course!) .. plenty of options.

Menthe, Lori, OK dampness in the Dordogne - I know the area too, holiday home in L&G (Dordogne 20 mins drive away) for 10 years plus. Like verywhere it has been dry this year, but it is normally green, hence damper there than here ... the old bones can't cope with cold and damp any more!

Lori, I can qite udnerstand, prices are getting silly everywhere. .. after Covid everyone wanted a place in a rural setting and there have been mnore house sales this last year than in all the time were were here. No problem, we must just come a say "Hi" when I am next it that area. It does sound super I must admit and if honest, I'm slighlty jealous! Fingers crossed it all works out for you!

Fewer gheckos indeed, and cyclists not wearing hi viz who are NOT visitors, they drive just as badly round here!

Excellent Lori, though sad you didn't stay down here, but I like that area too .. but hubby likes the sun and the heat (I don't so much these days after my cancer scare, but then I find that the damp of the Dordogne area doesn't suit me either. Hope it all goes according to plan.

We have american friends here, she has just had to go through the same palaver. I think she found a diriving school reasonably locally who was prepared to teach in English (obviously they are not like beginners but there are differecnes in teh highway codes of each country) but I know she went to Paris for possibly the test (possibly the written bit nor sure). I can find out more, if you wish. Just let me know.

Your pic of the lighthouse reminds me of our holiday in Lewis, at the top, cliffs even more spectacular, beaches just as you show on Colonsay, but the winters must be quite dreadful that far north! We were there in September in the 70's, weather very tolerable, but everything shut up entirely on Sundays. Only thing open was church. We went to Callanish, the real reason for the trip, which was open as nothing to stop entry. Restaurants only served cold food! Those were the days!

Hi again Spotlizard. You only have to look at where Narbonne is placed to see why it is well connected .. there was a reason why the Romans made it their local capital. Plenty of supermarkets, Carrefour, le Clerc, on opposite sides of the town, Intermarche (I don't often shop in Narbonne itself, quit a few choices of supermarkets for us closer to home), Grand Frais (which is the one thing I do go into Narbonne for), easy access to motorways (west, east and south), not much to the immediate north but the hills of the Minervois and the Montagne Noire and the Haut Languedoc. But beautiful countryside very close by. Plus 30 mins to the beach. Corbieres with all its history close by too, and of course excellent wine!! As in all places there are the usual lotissements, but some I know in Narbonne are in the higher echelons. You do not get the sense that it is as built up as some cities, as it has the canal du Robine running through the centre .. bus service, navette to get around town etc .. though they will keep changing the one way system!!

Agree about the cheese, Menthe. Almost as good a Wensleydale with Christmas cake or mince pies (rememebr I'm a Yorkshire lass), but I haven't seen it around for a while, now you mention it.

Menthe, I have MAC and ipad etc, and thre is a map app on there which will produce itinieraries .. not alsways possibel to put much info in, start and finish, but it does provide 2 or three route options, with timings .. which have to be taken with some degree of salt, but it gives you a ball park timing at least. Maybe you have such an app on your computer?? Worth looking anyway, and there are still free apps for navigation, if you can put with adverts, which I just ignore. Bonne chance.