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It was warm sunny at Whitley Bay yesterday and MOH said also Newcastle.I used to swim in the sea at Tynemouth until I was 18 and moved to Durham.. Byker wall is still there,I dont think it will last as long as the Roman one - who would want it to. I expect the Brits were complaining about the Roman one just as much. Today rain, rain, rain but no central heating on. I suppose it's acclimatisation for our return to France.  I had the misfortune of living next door to one of the city destroyers in the early 70's. Never saw him,can't remember his name. Just a minor player who served time somewhere.Well deserved,I still cant forgive them for the mess they caused.It's taken over 30 years to try and put right. The city is looking stunning now,especially the quayside. Fi

N/E coast England. Don't believe that Mr Fish. Fi

Now just listen up you lot. Get this weather thing under control. It's sunbathing temperature today at the coast, dog is basking in the rays, panting in the heat. It is a week and 4 days until we move to our summer residence and we want it to be nice warm - otherwise am gonna  stop at home. Fi  

We were robbed   [U] Fi

Hmm Fi  

Hi It's the big 50 for me this year after that I go down in age, so 49 next year! Fi

Hi It's confusing because red top milk which is skimmed in the Uk, is full cream in France  and so I use Marvel or coffee whitener in my tea and water the milk down for cooking.. I hate milk anyway never got over the warm sickly sunbaked stuff at school. ugh Fi

Hi My daughter, who is a very astute buisness woman usually buys a book of metro tickets or whatever they are called because she stays in Paris with her friends. That Taxi price was true in July 2005,she is very wise world traveller who has worked in different countries and prone to haggle. Still bears a grudge at being ripped off by a taxi driver in the far east. Fi

Hi My daughter gets the metro to Paris from CDG for a few cents and train to Chateauroux from Austerlitz station. If you are flying  Easy Jet  there is the Paris shuttle that you can book for 16 Euro's which takes you to the station directly,or a  taxi about 25 Euro's. hope this helps Fi

The total lack of young persons in the villages and towns around our way - Indre - just proves the point from  purely observational/anecdotal evidence. All our neighbours kids are in Paris or the South of France.Youngsters with good degrees are working in supermarkets because that's all there is in this region. We have some factories but not many. It's absolutely tragic when so much talent is wasted. Fi        

Hi Monica We did the handwritten will bit when we bought 4 years ago. it's quite simple, not expensive and reassuring. Fi

Oh well there you go. If it's any consolation the snow is gone but it is raining persistently here as well -  the dog nearly drowned in a pavement puddle yesterday. Well she is a short leg jack Russell. Fi

hi I use Lidl's own brand of liquid washing powder stuff if you know what I mean and it's very good. Just dont use the white type for coloureds because it fades them. Fi

I was very worried about what to wear for a very posh wedding in August last year. It was 40 degrees and the women were sweating it out in Chiffon.Who on earth wears chiffon these days. I looked rather chic in my cool cotton traders pants and crisp cotton blouse and I didnt have rivulets of sweat pouring off me .The men had full 3 piece suits on with wet backed shirts when they eventually shed the jackets and waistcoats  ugh. I am at a loss as to why France is so set on polyester and why it is obligitory for older women to wear blue knee length floral frocks at 35 euro a go-not cheap. I hope they dont discover crimplene or maybe they alredy have Fi  

Knickers. Not being rude just for the dog. I got our dog some which you can put a pad in while in heat and then you can use them  when she is out and about on a walk.Need to take them off to pee though.It is a maurading admirer deterent unless my sweet little Chloe pulls them off - but surely not, she's an innocent. She's getting spayed asap Fi  

Yes we are lucky, but very broke in both countries ! MOH works 2 jobs all winter for our summer holiday because I had to retire with poor health 3 years ago. We still have family commitments at home. my house occupied by my daughter who like many others just cant get into the housing market - cant even afford a rabbit hutch! Jobs are still a problem in the area. She has a good science degree and is working in a shop after 2 years abroad.Doesn't want to move away again, long term boyfriend. I know Sunderland well, worked there all of my life. The joy of  listening to the traffic news in the morning and knowing I dont have to spend an hour and a half in the car  to drive the 16 miles to work is amazing (Tyne Tunnel queue)  Essential car user -no option.If we see three cars in our lane in france it's a traffic jam. 5 weeks, one day ,16 hours until we leave for the France house. Not that I am counting ! Let's hope we will be celebrating about the footy later today. Poor old Sunderland though,you can only sympathise with their predicament.I cant even bring myself to be rude about them which is odd for a Newcastle supporter. Must be losing me marbles. Howay the lads Fi  

[quote user="Ab"] How can you live near st .severe and alsoin Newcastle? thats a fib. i suppose you live in posh whitley bay and have a holiday home . i used to live in posh byker if you know where i mean but am now in the south of haute vienne -nearly as posh as byker but without the wall.!!!!!!!!!!!!! i really miss my fish and chips.!!! i am now an outcast in the middle of france .!! never mind we might beat chelsea this weekend inthe fa cup round.. well i did see a pig fly past the window last year and its snowing a little bit now so get some wood for the fire and dream of the better times of childhood in the north east. tyrah pet.!!!!!!!!!!! [/quote]   WHAT - have you no faith in the lads you Newcastle United traitor -Chelsea who are they?  We aint posh but do live near Whitley Bay - hard graft brought us there. I like the N/E so much I dont really want to leave pernanently for France. Six months is fine at the minute until we have weatherproofed the place.Central heating and new windows may sway my opinion in the future. Had a nice fresh cod and chips from the quayside last night - ha Fi    

Yep It's strange how different it can be in virtually the same department.Our hill is a law unto itself ! Fi

Hi I was a good home cook and now leave to  T.O.H. because of ill health. I am pleased to say he cooks well. I am not impressed with either of the judges who do not seem to have any real criteria for assessing the food produced.Some contestants produced some tasty and well presented offerings showing technical ability but were not felt to have potential. Others produced absolute rubbish and were put through. The old format was boring but seemed to produce candidates who could cook. I am not sure whether the decline in home cooking and the lack of any cookery  lessons at  school  is perhaps showing in the standard of the food  presented by the younger candidates. My son's a head chef and I enjoy watching the programme,especially the professional kitchen bit. Fi  

That dog is very pretty SB. It has quite big feet and I think it may turn out to be quite a size!.   Fi

Hi We installed a large cylindrical freestanding wood-burner brought with us  from the UK - Machine Mart. Very cheap about £300 in the sale Sealed the large chimney opening with a large metal plate, custom cut for £20 at home and ran a tube up the chimney. Miscalculated the stove size for the room and it is so hot we sometimes have to open the window. It can be attached to a back boiler but no idea how to do it. I am paranoid and so keep a carbon monoxide detector as well. To many safety lectures in my career!!!! Fi

Hi We live on the borders of Indre and  Limousin near Ste Severe and it is very green and lush. It rains heavily sometimes for weeks in spring but we are on top of a hill. People in the village say it's dry! Come the end of April the great sprinkler in the sky appears to be turned off  and the hot dry setting engaged,temperatures soar into the 40's with frequent short lived "orages" In Autumn the situation is reversed,rain again and we get snow in winter. We had massive hailstones and flooding on the day of my husbands birthday in July 04 and everything was swept away in the wind including the gazebo. The next day was glorious. We seem to have a micro- climate around us (our hill) and there is no definitive meteo site which reflects our weather.It's proper weather though with proper seasons. We like it although sometimes the rain gets you down especially when we were working and only had a 2 week holiday.Now we dont care really because we visit in 6 month spells. We live near Newcastle and you don't get much sea fret on our part of the N/E coast these days it seems to have disappeared with the warmer winters.We only live a mile from the beach . Brilliant sun today but snow forecast the same as in France.   Regards Fi

  Hi Found this somewhere copied it and lost it again.It's not just in France Canada: La lettre pour 2005 est le «R». La lettre de l’année n’est pas requise pour un chien importé. France:  La lettre A est utilisée pour les chiens qui naissent en 2005. Les lettres Q, W, Y, et Z ne sont jamais utilisées pour les chiens pure race. Belgique: Les chiens nés en 2005 ont un prénom qui commence par la lettre E. Suisse : Le nom du chien n'est pas lié à l'année. Normalement, l'éleveur choisit la lettre A pour sa première portée, puis B pour la seconde, etc… Les chiens qui proviennent d'une même portée doivent avoir la même lettre initiale. Le même nom ne peut être réutilisé pendant 10 ans dans un même élevage. Luxembourg : L'ordre alphabétique est respecté et le C sera donc utilisé pour  2005. Fi   found it http://www.dogstory.net/Prenomsdechien.htm

Hi Try getting dog mess out of wheelchair tyres when the wheelchair user cant get out of the wheelchair to clean  it. It spreads everywhere and they have to live with the stink until rescued.   Ugh

I found a concrete garden gnome on the bonnet of my car one day.Left him on the wall but he was unclaimed..I put the thing in the garden and over the years his colour has faded but not on his arms which were white  gloss painted. I wonder if he is wearing white gloves because he is a traffic control gnome. if so he's not doing a good job with the annoying people who's cars  block my drive when going to the shops. I am not fond of him, but when I pick him up to dispose of him to the tip his little face seems to crumple.I will not be bringing him to France though,I will leave him to be relocated sonewhere else. Fi