Gardian

........ and contact us again when you get up to 'Dotty99'.

Christmas Pud - not served though: we brought a couple of mini ones back for our neighbours after Christmas. Not loved either: they hated them!  Probably tried to cook them saignant. 

Yes please Dick: particularly anything specific to the South.

Build a concrete block wall first (just like the UK, they come in all shapes and sizes) and then clad one or both sides of it with your pebbles or rock. You can use some cement sparingly to bind the whole thing together and thus give an almost dry stone wall effect. A purist or pro will perhaps gasp in horror, but it has worked for me and looks quite good and for something only 2' high, it'll be quite robust enough.  

Everybody else's post has been a bit more cheerful than mine, but nonetheless. Visited our village church the other day: memorial plaque for the 1914-18 war, which listed some two dozen names, and this from a village which today numbers no more than 400 souls. Then it was probably a few less, and 24 dead men from the 18-40 age group must have been devastating - many 'duplicated' surnames. Sadly, no different to many other villages in France (or the UK), but one can only begin to imagine the effect it must have had. Then moving on to WWII, and the Vichy era. I wonder what it was like down here around that time? One presumes small German garrisons in the big towns, but village life? Did the local population basically rub along with the occupying forces, or was there an active resistance?  The post has made me want to find out: it may not be too easy.  

Dave ........ The estate agent business is a bit different over here (or at least in this part of the world). Smaller businesses, lower property turnover, much higher commissions (normally payable by the vendor). There are others who view this site who are in the profession and might correct me, but I don't think that I'm far wrong. The point is that a serious foreign purchaser who is 'ready to buy' is probably as good if not better than anybody else as far as they are concerned. Do as you would do in the UK: require them to take the property off the market, whilst reassuring them of your bona fides and readiness to proceed, assuming that that is the case, of course. If not, don't: the legal process is happily quite different here. It may take a little bit of time, but if you're happy with your proposed purchase, then it'll come good faster than in the UK. If not, you'll find out a lot sooner. Let us know the good news. 

Twinkle - I reckon that Mr Smith is winding you up. Anybody who I now see in the supermarket with a melon in their hands and their fingers at all angles will, I know, be one of his fans.  Don't do it! 

Cerise's post was graphic - the only bad thing about it was that it reminded me a bit of my former business life. Except the ending. Better. The move from a nun to John Prescott was lightning fast. When you think about it, she will never have heard of him, but would treat him as a 'friend' if (in the somewhat extremely unlikely event) that he or the like of him should ever fetch up on her doorstep. Puts all the nonsense of the last 24 hrs into perspective. By the way, she told me very proudly that they've been awarded a 'Medaille d'Or' for their jam at some Salon in Nimes, so like wine, chickens and foie gras, their produce will have an appropriate label on it. Maybe I should volunteer to act as their selling agent?   

I met a nun today. There's a monastery nearby housing a Greek Catholic order of nuns (it should be called a convent I suppose, but there are allegedly long-bearded monks there too, so maybe ....)  Anyway, they make very good jam - 10x better than shop-bought stuff, but pricey with it. We were virtually out of stock at home and visitors always want to take some away with them, so we went to get some. Delightful young sister, sold us the goods, took our money and virtually blessed us as we bade our goodbyes. Seriously, she made me feel good for the rest of the day.  Then I got back to Clarke, Prescott, Hewitt etc ...... By the way, this monastery is in the deep countryside and they're having what I would conservatively estimate to be a €1M+ renovation / extension done on the place. They must sell a lot of jam.

We have a place called 'Mejannes-le-Clap' close by. Also, neighbours with the surname (in big capitals on their postbox) of 'PONCE'. I have a job keeping a straight face when I say to him, "Bonjour Monsieur .........". 

No worries, but the removal firm we used is nowhere near you. Perhaps someone else may be able to help? Any advice you might need re the actual move, don't hesitate to ask either through the forum or via email. Best of luck.

Yes, got that, but where from in the UK?  No use me suggesting a possible removal company if you live ****** miles away.

UK location?  (ref removals).

As many of will by now know, it was actually set in India. There were a couple of the required Frenchies in it though - I'll bet that the baldy one (who is on the side of the bad guys) switches sides and helps out the hero, only to be skewered in the end by the really bad English guy. BTW, any French person being played always has to have enough of an accent for you to know that he's French, but not so bad that you can't understand a word. I wonder what an Englishman (or Welsh etc) sounds like speaking French in a French TV drama?

"Premature senility" - and just from buying the weekend ones! If I bought one every day, I'd be a mumbling, grumpy, expat Brit. Just as well I'm nothing like that.

Yes, I deserved that! What I don't deserve though is 'them' taking all the Times & Telegraphs, leaving a choice between the Express and the Flemish daily, the name of which escapes me and most people. Just going to have to get up earlier or camp out outside La Presse.

When they descend from the campsite from about this time of the year until around end-Sept, having been up since cock-crow, and snaffle the few copies of halfway decent Sunday papers before I have a chance to do the same thing - at the properly civilised hour of around 09.30. Bloomin' tourists!

Just found out there's a new 2-parter starting tonight at 21.00 (UK time) tonight. I know that it's a bit 'Boy's Own' -ish, but it's always good old-fashioned fun seeing the gritty British hero knocking hell out of the Frenchies. I might invite my neighbour round to watch. On reflection, maybe not. Whatever, it might lead to a quiet interlude (just for a change) on the Forum between 21.00 and 00.00 tonight!

Please see my reply below to a post a month or two back asking what the French is for a Log Splitter. Casse buches. Got mine a couple of weeks ago at Castorama (www.castorama.fr), then jardin, bucheronnage, accessoires, casse buches. 54.90E, ref 601425. It's like a sort-of pile driver and deals with all the oversize half metre logs that I get delivered. Works like a dream and very satisfying. Those fancy machines are probably fine, but you're looking at €600+ and the hardware described above is just the job. It's works up a sweat, but you don't have to do the whole lot in one go, do you?

I've watched all this bickering over the last few weeks / months on various threads. We've all known people in life who don't know when to stop. I suspect that both 'sides' in all this are more or less equally guilty - frankly, I lost track of the point each was trying to make long ago. Honest and firmly held views are legitimate and worth making - on whatever subject. Make them, add an explanation or clarification, then leave it. Don't try to bludgeon the 'other side' in to compliance, because you won't. The sooner this all subsides, the sooner the Mods will feel it appropriate to welcome Miki back in to the fold - always assuming that he wants to. Frankly, I personally thought that he was / is a pain in the ***, but entirely respect his right to be thus. 

Brandade de Moron    followed by  Salade Coventroise    followed by Cynique Farcie    followed by Picky-don de Drome ..... all washed down with a glass or two of Chateau Lurcher 1930

If someone can tell me why you would need a satnav to find your way home, or to your friend's house (who was with you in the car), then I'll stand corrected. Otherwise, it sounds completely 'barking' to me. Just proves my point. The 'Mail' (I only buy it for my wife) has apparently asked for more silly satnav stories. There'll be an American looking for the Channel Tunnel terminal in the middle of Folkestone / London / Birmingham + someone from Kent wondering why he wasn't in the States when he's in Co. Durham + someone driving the wrong way down the M40 or some other motorway (I've witnessed that once - really scary). I'll duck now, awaiting the brickbats from the US and Kent!  

I don't know about lazy - they just seem a bit irrelevent, but call me old-fashioned. I can just about see the point of them in an urban situation, whether in the UK, France or anywhere else. But out in the countryside? As for most of the French being 'in league' & intrpren*****ism - I reckon that they'd think it was all a bit too Parisien. 

SFA to do with France, but a bit lighter than some of the other current 'impersonation / reptilian' stuff (no disrespect or offence to anyone intended) and a tenuous French link, to be explained. Most of you will have seen / heard of the people in the UK who have been guided by their newly-acquired GPS systems (apparently now a £300M / yr business) towards all sorts of road hazards - in one case a 3' deep ford, before which there's a road sign which says "Unsuitable for Road Vehicles". Do you know what?  They try to drive through it, cos that's what their satnav says ........... !  Then the locals charge £25 to tow them out. Now the French link: someone, perhaps KKK or her pal Twinkle once asked about employment / earning opportunities over here. More than a few road hazards out here, eh folks? 

Obviously some very dodgy business going on up there in the North. As to dodgy animals / reptiles down here in the South: Snakes: yes.  Frogs: yes.  Toads: yes  Lizards: yes. All (essentially) harmless, and you'd very quickly get used to them.