Rob Roy

Sacha, if you are still looking at this forum I am so sorry to hear you have received nasty messages regarding trying to find a home for your dog. I find it inexplicable that some people are so blinkered that they think they know better than you about how your dog would react to the new baby. As you say you can't guarantee 24/7 that the dog wouldn't be able to get to the baby. I just wanted to let you know that some of us would also consider the safety of our children to be the absolute priority, and I'm sure you found it very difficult to say goodbye to your pet, but it's great that you have found a new home for him. 

We moved house last year and have a mature peach tree in the garden that is north facing, and not particularly sheltered from east or west. This year it was groaning with peaches, we had so many I didn't know what to do with them all.

Thanks Will, that was not wanted I wanted to hear, but I think you might be right! Getting a new one is not too much of a problem as even if I can't order for delivery to France we have friends coming over soon who could bring one. Thanks for the link too. AnOther, thanks for the information - I had found that when I Googled, but as the light on the remote is not flashing it won't help me in this instance.

Our remote control for the Sky box has suddenly stopped working. I have changed the batteries to no effect. We can change channels using the controls on the Sky box. I have Googled the problem and read various suggestions for re-setting the remote, but all the solutions presume that the infrared on the remote is working, which ours isn't. Has it died permanently, or can anyone suggest what might be wrong? (I'm finding it frustrating not being able to get the TV Guide up on the screen!)

On the other point you mentioned, Rowan - I haven't found the vets here prescibe just to make money from the drugs, but maybe others have found it different?

Chancer - as I said we only had to get the CT before re-registering. The repair was not as extensive as many we have had in the past in the UK! (Husband is a panel beater)  It was front end damage and from what I can remember there was a new wing, front panel, bonnet etc. It was only a Metro and was just for a 'run around' for me although I was not impressed with having come all the way to live in France and be bought an English car, particularly that one as I never liked Metros anyway!

I'm suprised that you would need to give tick treatment all year round, and personally I wouldn't be keen on doing so. Wouldn't it lose its effectiveness after a time the same as Frontline can do?  We find that the animals have no problems with ticks during the winter months - normally April-Sept are the months we have to keep checking them, although with this year being so dry we've had very little problems with the dog even though the cats kept picking them up in May/June time.

Chancer wrote: "I keep looking longingly at the damaged repairables in a yard that I pass on the way to Brico-depot, i am not sure what the system is in France but bringing one over would circumvent it if there is one." Several years ago we bought a damaged car from our local salvage yard, and buying the parts needed to repair it as part of the deal; they held the CG which they passed to us when we bought the car. Once my husband had repaired it we got it CT'd then took the CG to the Prefecture for re-registering in our name (we also had to change the department number as it happened). There were no problems with any of it.   ,

Yes, a real gentleman and a talented manager. May he rest in peace.

There is a nice house+barn for sale privately by French owners just down the road from us if you are interested. PM  me if you are.

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"] You could be a little late for pickled walnuts. You have to catch 'em before the shell of the nut has hardened and you should be able to pass a needle or similar right through. I make the mistake of getting them too late once and nearly broke my teeth on the result. Sorry if you already know this, not trying to teach you to pickle eggs [;-)]   [/quote] Alas, I think you may be right [:(] Oh well, always next year.......

Thank you Polly, and everyone else for the various links. I had Googled but didn't find those links! I'm also going to have another go at pickling some walnuts. Last time I tried them I used Hugh F-W's recipe but made the brine too strong and it made them too salty. It suprises me that pickled walnuts are not done here considering everything else they do with them!

I am growing my first lot of cornichons, but now wondering what to do with them regarding their pickling. Can anyone help?

Carrots are, suprisingly, one of the more difficult veg to grow. They don't like stoney ground, as it stunts the growth and that might be one of the problems your friend has. As Andy says if they feed the soil in the autumn for next year it will probably help.

As Tony says I think it is comfrey you are thinking of for a feed. I have been wondering where to find it in France.

This thread confirms what I have always thought - French cookers, on the whole, are crap! [:)] I bought a secondhand Belling range cooker off E-Bay UK for 98 GBP and friends kindly brought it over with some of their bits in a trailer. It is brilliant and restored my faith in my own cooking as my old French oven was so rubbish but I wondered if it was me!

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'.........I was shocked at how openly he posted that it was her second litter, it's a disgrace when so many are homeless.' I was tempted to ignore your posting as I don't need to justify my actions, but decided to make some observations. Perhaps you would have been happier if I had implied that the cat is left to fend for herself outside and I'm not bothered about her. I wasn't aware that it is a crime for a domestic cat to have more than one litter, as long as the resulting progeny are looked after of course. I appreciate that there are lots of unwanted/abandoned cats about, but none of them are mine as far as I'm aware. I have never, and will never, abandon any of my cats or kittens; I will be doing my best to find good homes for the latest arrivals, but if I can't they will be looked after (and spoilt) like all our other animals. Russethouse, thanks for your sensible comment (as per usual!)

Liz, if you can wait about 6 weeks I will have kittens available; our cat had hers last week, although at the moment she has them hidden so I have no idea re. colour or how many! She comes in for her food and as much as I try to watch her and see where she goes, she is crafty and gives me the slip every time[:@] She had her kittens in the house previously, but this time decided otherwise. I really can't keep them as we already have 5 other cats, so these MUST go.

We bought a secondhand Citroen C5 estate in the UK in December for the very reason you state - much cheaper than in France. The headlight beam can be changed on this, which the guy carrying out the CT very kindly did for me before he carried out the test.[:)]

According to the article linked to Christine's 'Bo Obama' this little chap is being re-homed by the Obamas, albiet not from an animal rescue but nevertheless it's good news for him.

You will be very lucky to buy a cheap van in France! Secondhand vehicles here are a lot more expensive than the UK, and tend to have much higher mileage (kms!), and have been driven quite hard usually. You would be better to look elsewhere in Europe if you want LHD (Netherlands or Spain perhaps) or buy RHD in UK - where you could get one already converted with a kitchen.

One of our cats had a wire from a snare wrapped round her middle last year; we were not sure how long she had had it as she is very long haired, luckily there was no real damage, but it was very tightly on her and quite a job to cut off. They are nasty vicious things and when we told our neighbour about it, who owns all the farmland around us he was very angry and shocked - he had no idea who could have set it. 

Are polished cement floors exactly what they say they are, and what is the advantage of them?

There was a similar posting on French Entree Limousin recently: http://www.frenchvie.com/limousin/viewtopic.php?t=4138 Just co-incidence or a problem with the billing department?