BIG MAC

You will be wanting a CAT and Genny (CAT scan and signal generator) I guess you may be able to rent them in France ---I absolutely didn't rent one here to use during hols. If it were me I would simply lay in a new Poly service and be done with it.  

Serving suggestion, Use visqueen type plastic (Bin liners even) stapled to rough timber to protect it,  Install battens along the side of the rafters (chevrons) further securing the masking plastic Install Kingspan type rigid board insulation between battens allowing air to circulate behind. Fit one layer of foil bubblewrap to go over the kingspan and battens. Cut and fit foil backed plasterboard - tape and joint the joins (using lengthways these should be few and possibly hidden behind half purlins. Fill and decorate Run round edges of masking plastic with a craft knife. Remove plastic exposing the timber to the room while that enclosed in the roof structure remains wrapped behind the finishes. Stand back and admire. Post posting note: If the make up (depth) of the chevrons / rafters is not sufficient I would place rigid insulation between rafters before counter battenning (or metal framing) then board as a conventional ceiling...If you want the look of rough timber chevrons then some rough sawn douglas fir could be fastened verically to create the impression. Need to mark out where the good fixings are while assembling the ceiling.

Knotting is simply Shellac ...find a French Polisher  

In the world according to BIG MAC.. The apprehended miscreants should have the costs of their crime registered as a legal debt that must be fully discharged before they can recieve any state benefits , loans, the use of plastic bank cards, health care. Basically if they can't give a sh17 about their fellow citizens why should the aggrieved make it easy for them?  

The irony isn't lost on me..isn't it the same NZ that will hang draw and quarter you for importing a sandwich? All the time people are buying non EU produce and goods - supply and demand will prevail. If the EU citizens decided not to buy Asian goods or if the items were taxed to create cost parity then we would be looking after our own interests instead of trying to prove Nostradamus correct ;-) Instead of outsourcing European production to Asia to take advantage of cheap labour we should incentivise Asian concerns to manufacture in Europe. The Koreans, Chinese, Japanese and Indians are laughing at their customer and think they have the whip hand....they will have unless the EU and the respective electorates wake up and do something about it.

All the best from the Macs and best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2013

Back in the day I made up a 'open box' out of plywood roughly the size of a cobble and to it I joined a couple of other 'boxes' I then pinned round electrical flex to the edges. When laying concrete I hand cast cement dyes and overlaid the tamped concrete with a sheet of thin plastic membrane and then used my 'boxes' to imprint the finish. I was very pleasantly surprised with the finish I got in a reinforced concrete 'cobble' driveway. Oh I know it's a digression but some may want to try it and of course I am demonstrating a potential cheaper way to use dyes more cheaply.

Where is it and how much do you want for it? Probably best replied to by PM to avoid breaking advertising rules  

Not knowing how you are set up its difficult to comment but it sounds as though you are talking about fiddling with the valves on the manifolds? If this be the case you are  managing flow rather than temperature..any change in temp will be as a consequence of restricting flow. You want to prioritise the bedrooms so will need to try to figure which pipework gets hot first at the manifolds then wind these back until you have the system favouring the most 'difficult' circuits. the manifolds will have flows and returns and ytou will be able to figure this from the markings or from which gets hot first (worth popping some coloured tape on the pipe necks?) A clip on temp guage can be handy for measuring heat on the returns. worth looking at your programmer are you sure you aren't 'zoned' there too or have a room or system stat that may be on the blink so not calling for heat etc.

Southbound you can hop off just before and go over a different bridge... Mrs Mac reckons slightly quicker - Northbound its a cut through the town I think but its no big thing as they are organised now..

I see we are in similar necks of the woods so sent a mail a while back.

I don't speak French but have worked on French cars in years gone by sounds like souffle' my guess therefore is split drive shaft gaiters. you used to be able to get glue together universals (cr4p in my humble opinion but at about £20 a shout some will go for it) €170 for proper ones is a bargain as it involves stripping the hubs, discs , calipers and sometimes struts and balljoints, put together properly (and many French mechanics are proper rather than the gormless youth opportunities types we can get in the UK)..I think you have done well.

I don't speak French but have worked on French cars in years gone by sounds like souffle' my guess therefore is split drive shaft gaiters. you used to be able to get glue together universals (cr4p in my humble opinion but at about £20 a shout some will go for it) €170 for proper ones is a bargain as it involves stripping the hubs, discs , calipers and sometimes struts and balljoints, put together properly (and many French mechanics are proper rather than the gormless youth opportunities types we can get in the UK)..I think you have done well.

Or 'Jewellers rouge' which is what is used to take scratches out of watch crystals, or replace the lense with glass!  

Don't forget as the concrete cures it will lighten in colour - French builders sand tends to be quite 'sharp' and good for concrete mix. I use sable et gravier 8mm 1x5  if memory serves

I have an empty room ...wonder if I can start a fight in it. Anyhoo...did the OP do the deed? is he the possessor of a Spanish Flyer...

I have both a van and a car and both have towbars are British Registered and legal to tow a trailer in theory if I was spending significant time in France I could alternate or decide which vehicle was most appropriate to needs for the next while. Cross that bridge when I get to it I guess  

[quote user="dave21478"]Something is currently tickling my fancy on Ebay - its in Spain and Spanish registered. Now, once I have it here, its the usual rigmarole - C of C, Quittus Fiscal etc etc.....but what are the steps for actually BUYING the car in Spain. I see many Ebay auctions stating that the car can only be sold to someone with a NIE number and other proofs of residency, but what about selling to someone taking it out of the country permanently? Standing on the sellers doorstep, handing over the notes, what steps do I need to be taking so that it legally becomes mine and that it is de-registered from the previous owners responsibilities? Is there a Spanish version of checking a car is not "gage" preferably online so I don't buy something with outstanding finance or many parking tickets/unpaid taxes etc? I have spent an afternoon faffing with google and not found any definitive answers, but plenty of horror stories. It should be noted that I don't Hablo Espanol and just want to fly down, pay cash, sign some forms and be on my way but legally and with no comebacks or the swamp-dragon in my local prefecture saying "ah, but you dont have xyz, I cant process the dossier"[/quote] Not wanting to be a prophet of doom..but if you factor costs of  flights, fuel back in an unknown vehicle (tax? ie TVA if applicable), time and the risk of after all best laid plans something not being right.....You wont take the thing back to Spain I would imagine. It would really need to be something special before I was tempted ...

[quote user="Jonzjob"]OK! I did try to put the thread back on track? If you guys have a bleet would it not be better done by PM or a seperate thread? [/quote] Citroen C4 Picasso is a fine car ...I have no idea what sophisticated accoutrement it may be appointed with but I am sure it is a worthy conveyance nevertheless.

[quote user="AnOther"]You will insist on exaggerating and trying to put words into my mouth won't you Big Mac ! I resent only technology which takes away my control of and involvement with a vehicle. When the day comes that I'm willing to accept that and drive with my brain disengaged, as far too many drivers do these days, I'll hang up my licence and take up residence in the passenger seat. [/quote] Not putting words in one's mouth simply voicing my incredulity at any person who adopts a similar standpoint. to yours :) ..

Sadly a thermal store could cost a couple of grand for a decnt sized one but with a single pipe system correctly sized and insulated....could be good particularly if you put a solar coil in too. In theory you could have air source or ground source even electric able to charge the store. as it's indirect you could configure open vent to the combustion appliance and sealed system for heating ...

We got stuck there for over an hour a couple of weeks ago as the bridge was closed....nightmare as nearly missed ferry. Still we diverted by the funfair and the beautiful cathedral..

[quote user="Rabbie"][quote user="powerdesal"]Very interesting and informative Big Mac but is it relevant to a C4 Picasso ??????[/quote]This is a forum. Why should posts bear any relationship or relevance to the thread title or previous posts[:D][/quote] Not relevant to the Citroen Picasso (a worthy conveyor of brethren and familial appendages) but serves to point out that technology can assist the operator to do the important stuff....Eurofighter Typhoon and well equipped cars the more assistance via technology the more one can focus on what truly matters. I think it odd that a modern motor with all its microproccessors, ECUs, fuel metering, Aircon, EGR, ABS, CD or even DVD, Sat nav etc. may have a driver who resents technology enough to disarm central locking and eschews auto wipers or lights....

The Eurofighter Typhoon features a glass cockpit without any conventional instruments. It incorporates three full colour multi-function head-down displays (MHDDs) (the formats on which are manipulated by means of softkeys, XY cursor, and voice (Direct Voice Input or DVI) command), a wide angle head-up display (HUD) with forward-looking infrared (FLIR), a voice and hands-on throttle and stick (Voice+HOTAS), a Helmet Mounted Symbology System (HMSS), a Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS), a manual data-entry facility (MDEF) located on the left glareshield and a fully integrated aircraft warning system with a dedicated warnings panel (DWP). Reversionary flying instruments, lit by LEDs, are located under a hinged right glareshield.[77] Needs of the user were given very high priority in the design of the cockpit: the layout and functionality was created through feedback and assessments from military pilots and a specialist testing facility.[78] The pilot controls the aircraft by means of a centre stick and left hand throttles, designed on a Hand on Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) principle to lower pilot workloads.[79] Emergency escape is provided by a Martin-Baker Mk.16A ejection seat, with the canopy being jettisoned by two rocket motors.[80] The HMSS has been delayed for many years but should be operational by the end of 2011.[81] The aircraft's standard g-force protection is provided by the full-cover anti-g trousers (FCAGTs).[82] This specially developed g suit provides sustained protection up to 9 g. The Typhoon pilots of the German Air Force and Austrian Air Force wear a hydrostatic g-suit called Libelle (dragonfly) Multi G Plus instead,[83][84][85] which also provides protection to the arms, theoretically allowing for more complete g tolerance. In the event of pilot disorientation, the Flight Control System allows for rapid and automatic recovery by the simple press of a button. On selection of this cockpit control the FCS takes full control of the engines and flying controls, and automatically stabilises the aircraft in a wings level, gentle climbing attitude at 300 knots, until the pilot is ready to retake control.[86] The aircraft also has an Automatic Low-Speed Recovery system (ALSR) which prevents it from departing from controlled flight at very low speeds and high angle of attack. The FCS system is able to detect a developing low-speed situation and to raise an audible and visual low-speed cockpit warning. This gives the pilot sufficient time to react and to recover the aircraft manually. If the pilot does not react, however, or if the warning is ignored, the ALSR takes control of the aircraft, selects maximum dry power for the engines and returns the aircraft to a safe flight condition. Depending on the attitude, the FCS employs an ALSR "push", "pull" or "knife-over" manoeuvre.[87] [edit] Voice control The Typhoon Direct Voice Input (DVI) system utilises a speech recognition module (SRM), developed by Smiths Aerospace (now GE Aviation Systems) and Computing Devices (now General Dynamics UK). It was the first production DVI system utilised in a military cockpit. DVI provides the pilot with an additional natural mode of command and control over approximately 26 non-critical cockpit functions, to reduce pilot workload, improve aircraft safety, and expand mission capabilities. An important step in the development of the DVI occurred in 1987 when Texas Instruments completed the TMS-320-C30, a digital signal processor, enabling reductions in the size and system complexity required. The project was given the go ahead in July 1997, with development and pilot assessment carried out on the Eurofighter Active Cockpit Simulator at BAE Systems Warton.[88] The DVI system is speaker-dependent; i.e., requires each pilot to create a template. It is not used for any safety-critical or weapon-critical tasks, such as weapon release or lowering of the undercarriage, but is used for a wide range of other cockpit functions.[89][90] Voice commands are confirmed by visual or aural feedback. The system is seen as a major design feature in the reduction of pilot workload. All functions are also achievable by means of a conventional button-press or soft-key selections. The functions include display management, communications, and management of various systems.[91] EADS Defence and Security in Spain has worked on a new non-template DVI module to allow for continuous speech recognition, speaker voice recognition with common databases (e.g. British English, American English, etc.) and other

[quote user="AnOther"]There's nothing better to emasculate an argument than a good old double dose of sarcasm and hyperbole         Life is too short for regrets but if I am to have any I'd rather they were for things I have done than for things I have not [:P] [/quote] While laughing I can't help but note that the strapline says it all really...there's a chap who prefers DIY...right down to the windsceen wipers :)