Rob Roy

Glad you came back Henry and found the answer. Welcome from me also.[:)]

[quote user="Brian King"] Can any one give us any tips to learn the french language. We have borght lots of CDs and books, and attended night school but we are still struggling. The CDs seam to go to fast for us, and at night school we could not keep up. Neither of us had any french lessons at school and we only have holiday french which we have picked up.   Any help would be greatly accepted as we have just spent hours in front of a CD and have only just stopped pulling our hair out. Brian King [/quote] Perhaps audio tapes would be easier, in that you can rewind more easily to repeat bits you miss. I also think the BBC website has some good stuff on learning French. If you download ITunes on your computer and go to Podcasts you can download some very good basic French lessons that you can use through the computer, or have them on an IPod if you have one. However, there is nothing like being surrounded by it to pick it up! Hearing it all day, every day, seeing it written on posters, in shops, signs etc etc, and watching French TV (anything) gets your ears and eyes attuned to it, even if you don't understand a thing to start with. My husband, like you, had never done French at school and had only 3-4 months lessons before we came to live here. He now understand almost everything in a normal conversation (as long as everyone doesn't speak to once!) although he still lets me do the talking if he can!

Satnav? More like C**pnav most of the time it appears to me[:P] Our part-time (English) neighbours were here for a fortnight and were using it to go everywhere, but it seemed to be more trouble programming the blasted thing than opening a map book and following the route. I was out with them one day and the thing kept showing he should go right (which was correct), but telling him to go left.[8-)]

[quote user="Cassis"][quote user="Rob Roy"] I wonder where Henry (who asked the question) is though?[8-)] [/quote] I know - it cheeses me off a bit! [/quote] I got shouted down on the French Entree forum when I suggested that it would be nice, let alone courteous, of people to give feed back or even a simple thank you in response to those who take the time and trouble to reply to their queries.[:(] The response from 2 frequent posters was that they gave their time and 'expertise' freely and did not expect people to have to thank them in return. So that was me put in my place[Www] (I also suggested it might open the forum up a bit to further discussion, but that was not commented on[;-)])

[quote user="Cassis"][quote user="Rob Roy"] I wonder where Henry (who asked the question) is though?[8-)] [/quote] I know - it cheeses me off a bit! [/quote] I got shouted down on the French Entree forum when I suggested it would sometimes be nice if people gave feedback, or even a thank you, on suggestions offered in response to their questions. [:(]

[quote user="Brilec"][quote user="Rob Roy"] "Either the burners have still got the town gas injectors in them, or (more likely) you have a bottle of butane running through a propane regulator. " [/quote] I thought that the bottles had different screw fittings so that propane and butane could not be mixed. (Propane female, butane male). [/quote] Sorry, I should have made clear the quote in blue was from Glyn_Paul, not from me. I was only commenting on our own experiences with friends, and what happened to us with a 2nd hand cooker (bought from the Troc) when we first arrived in France 5 yrs ago.

I think Nelson and Chris pp have got it right - it looks as though there are pom-poms attached to the branches! There are a lot round here, and I love them. I wonder where Henry (who asked the question) is though?[8-)]

[quote user="Jackie"] As most of our courgettes have now turned to marrows do you think these could be used instead or has anyone got any good marrow recipes please which will freeze? Jackie [/quote] You can make marrow and ginger jam - I did some last year and it was lovely, and a beautiful pale gold colour.

I must be lucky then. I have just had a lamb butchered and jointed by our next door neighbour's brother (who is a chef in the US) and got a lovely neck fillet with all the other cuts.[:)] Our neighbour is the farmer who reared the lamb, so I know exactly where it has come from - about 50 mtrs up the lane [:D] I cooked a gigot last week for some friends, and it was really tender and sweet.

Our neighbour was off today hunting in the Haute Correze - not sure what though.

[quote user="Linda P"]Can't wait to meet them when we come out in September- know they will have a loving home[/quote] Not sure I will let you - you might want to keep them[;-)] P.S. Looking forward to seeing you[:P]

[quote user="EnglishBadger"] Yes it does sound like a great idea and our friends tell us so but in reality, when you sit back and think about it, it could be quite boring as we are both worked all our lives, we could easily get bored and have no sense of living but hey, we are in a very lucky position to try it and were going to........ The cottage we are buying and the area we are moving to are what dreams are made of to us...... CAN YOU REALLY HAVE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING.......... I RAISE MY GLASS TO FINDING OUT....... [/quote] Good luck to you, but I wouldn't worry about being bored. Everyone who retires seems to wonder when they ever had the time to go to work!

I can't believe it is that time of year again already[:-))] The first hunting weekend of the coming winter months - it's as bad as the Christmas decorations in Harrods[;-)][:D]

[quote user="Ron Avery"] Rob Roy said "He has a Carte Vitale but has lived here too long to have an E121 now". I think you mean an E 106.  The E121 is the cover provided for old age pensioners and so you cannot live too long to have one or you would be dead!!  [/quote]   I've just checked and he is still alive,[:D] so you are right - my mistake, sorry.

We are now the proud new owners of Mack and Mabel and would like to thank Ros and Mandy for trusting us to look after them. We are looking forward to many happy years together[:D]

[quote user="Gluestick"] Since the hot water supply in France is (usually) fed either from the Balloon or a chaffauge which is similar to a British Combi boiler. Not normal (excepting on old and unusual installations) to have a gravity fed open to air system.   [/quote] Yes, its fed from the chaffauge, but I thought someone had found a hot water mains! [:D]

[quote user="Gluestick"] Since the hot water supply in France is (usually) fed either from the Balloon or a chaffauge which is similar to a British Combi boiler. Not normal (excepting on old and unusual installations) to have a gravity fed open to air system.   [/quote] Yes, its fed from the chaffauge, but I thought someone had found a hot water mains! [:D]

"The HOT and COLD feeds were identical pressure as they were both fed from the mains". How can the hot feed be fed from the mains?[8-)]

"Either the burners have still got the town gas injectors in them, or (more likely) you have a bottle of butane running through a propane regulator. " Three different people we know here had town gas injectors on their hobs (running bottled gas) and didn't know it until we suggested they check. They were all having exactly the problems Billy10 is describing re flame colour and sooty pots.

If you have a Lapeyre anywhere near you pick up their Salle de Bains catalogue and there is some very useful information and diagrams in the back about constuction and plumbing for wet room showers. Personally I can't get my head round the concept of a wet room. Aren't they rather damp and steamy if you use them immediately after someone else - more so than a room with a shower cubicle in?

Sorry SD, getting our wired crossed I think. I thought you were making a comment about the end of my earlier post "What about those who arrive, aren't working, and yet can still claim various benefits? (A whole new can of worms, that one) " when I was not referring to any person of an EU member state, but those from outside it.  

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[img]http://bestsmileys.com/doh/3.gif[/img] Now why didn't I think of that?[:D] One year one of the babies somehow flew into the house and my husband found it sitting on the window sill blinking at him.[blink] He covered it with a towel and gently placed it outside - where mum or dad found it and took it back home[:D] Unfortunately I wasn't there at the time, and never saw it, and there was no film in the camera to take a picture, isn't that always the way? [:@](before we had a digital)

Any chance of asking for the NHS to pay for it to be done in France as they do with other ops? Especially as you have a place here already. I had gall stones many years ago - I have never been in such pain in all my life (and I have been told I have a high pain threshold), far worse than childbirth, so my sympathies to your OH.

Sorry to hear about your cloning. I have no personal experience of such a scam, but 2 of our sons have both been victims in the UK, one of them twice[:(]. They are fairly sure their cards were cloned at ATM machines - and perhaps this is what happened to yours? Luckily their banks reimbursed the monies taken - I think they are both with Nat West. It is worrying to know this is now happening in France. Good luck with your discussions with CA!