Rob Roy

Isn't La Porcherie where there is a guy who has opened up an English style pub in his barn? Apparently it started as a private 'hobby' but has grown and is as popular with his French neighbours as English.

[quote user="Cassis"]Thanks, Opas. We've just found an outlet for all the leftover bread and croissants and pains au chocolat - next door's geese, ducks and hens love it so now we're just chucking all our scraps over the fence! We were sitting outside at about 10.00pm last night when a family of hedgehogs passed through the terrace - one walked over Jude's feet.  They are the mystery visitors who've been polishing off the bird table scraps. Do you think they eat courgettes? [/quote] It is better if you soak the leftover bread etc in water for a short time before giving it to the birds - the hedgehogs will probably eat them too. Not sure about the courgettes though, but the hens might like them.

What about driving straight through London, at the right times it is a good option.

If it is the same thing as we get sprinting up and down the walls (sort of earwig brown in colour?) they look rather like the 'push-me pull-me' from Doctor Dolittle - you can't tell top from bottom![8-)]  I have no idea what they are, but they can't half move quickly[:-))]

[quote user="Ab"] if you had stayed in uk you would have no trouble finding brits. -but surely the idea to live in another country is to integrate with the locals however the language barriers may be. my french is from school 50 years ago but its amazing what is still in the memory box. good luck in your search. [/quote] If you live in certain parts of the UK you do have quite a problem findings Brits. Captain25 did not say he wanted to find other UK families, he was just curious as to where this village is that is inhabited by so many of them.

I was just wondering, with the amount of different woods available in France, why you work with oak in particular - although I can see it must be very satisfying and the way green oak colours to a silver grey over the years I think is lovely. Our eldest son trained and worked  as a tree surgeon, but gave it up as he found it was starting to put quite a strain on his back and shoulders.

I've got loads on our trees this year, far more than ever before - but they are showing no sign of ripening yet [:(] You can buy Mirabelle jam in most supermarkets if you want to taste it.

Go on then KKK - I dare you [:P][;-)]

[quote user="Tresco"] Dotty by 'salad skyscrapers' do you mean what we gardeners* call 'bolters?'   [/quote] Us gardeners might call them bolters, but I like salad skyscraper much better [:D] I have never seen my lettuces bolt so quickly - can only think it is due to the hot weather. The chickens have had more of them than we have [:@]

Sound as though they might be Mirabelle, small plum like fruit that make lovely jam and also used for a plum type brandy [:D]

Why oak in particular Chris?

My husband's comments - "I can't stand Esther Rantzen, Atkinson shouldn't even be on the TV after what he said, and that other guy is just a prat" So you can see he just loves the programme[:P]

When are we going to see some pictures of all this hard work - you should put everything on a blog so we can all see it. I'm sure there are plenty of gardeners who would find it really interesting and informative.

This could prove very interesting...!

[quote user="aj_dr"]Thanks for your replies.......just one question. The figs you buy in a tin are green,,,,do they pick tham early and cook them? aj [/quote] There are two types of fig tree, one has green fruit, one brown. Personally I prefer the green ones, somehow a sweeter flavour.

I finished pickling walnuts a couple of weeks ago - my index finger on my right hand is only just recovering from pricking them all. I used gloves, but not rubber ones (stupidly) and the juice seeped through [:@] We have 7 or 8 walnut trees (not sure how many) and will be inundated with them come October time.

[quote user="andyh4"] I seriously recommend that anyone travelling have health care insurance.  Your European Health (EHIC) care is very limited and does not cover for all sorts of things you might think/hope it does. Friends of ours had a bill of several thousand euros after the mother suffered a serious stroke.  Only the immediate emergency care was covered under the former E111 rules.  All subsequent nursing and care was deemed non-emergency and were not covered.   Second experience is that an EHIC card could not be read by the French macines and full costs had to be paid - OK you claim back later, but you could be seriously out of pocket for a couple of months.  Insurnaces usually pay up within a couple of weeks if you push them.     [/quote] Thanks to everyone, but especially Andyh4 for the above information - it is just the kind of thing I was wondering about. I think I might suggest to her that she tries Saga for her insurance.

I have also always understood that it is who you know, not what you know, in France when it comes to job hunting, and I must say this has been proved to be correct for both my husband and myself in the past. Even our immobilier told my husband about a suitable job once, that he subsequently got through the introduction. It may sound rather obvious but have you had a chat about this at all with your local bank manager?

What are your thoughts on taking out travel insurance if visiting relatives in France? My M-in-L is coming over for her annual visit in September and usually takes out travel insurance which costs her as much, if not more than, her air fare (this year it will go up again as she will be just over 79). My thoughts are that she has her EHIC and we are resident here, so if she is ill she can be treated, claim back on her EHIC and if necessary stay with us until fit to travel. She pays for her flights over the internet by credit card, so presumably has some 'insurance' in that respect anyway. Have I over simplified the situation, or does anyone else think it is a waste of money?  

Our cat had kittens in May, and I have been full of admiration at the very strong maternal instinct she has had towards them. She was ready to face off two large dogs she thought were going to attack them (in fact they were just our wussy labradors who were curious). I don't doubt the mother will be back for her babies, and might move them overnight. I don't disgree with having to dispose of several of them,better that than leaving them to run wild, but if they are moved you might have trouble finding them!

Thanks, but my friends have now found something.

Yes Twinkle, I followed the thread about your poor kitten, so sympathy to you too. Not sure I have the time to sit outside all day waiting to squirt the little mischief![8-)]

My OH used a rotary wire brush fitting on the electric drill. Hard work and lots of elbow grease, but it did the job and got rid of many years of soot at the back of the chimney breast.

[quote user="Liane"]Thank you for your post.   My husband has been in touch with the tax office, who have told him that because he is resident in France, but working in England, he will need to be paid gross and declare tax in France.   They are sending him a P85 form to fill in, this doesn't seem to ring true with the information passed to me on the forum, but I assume they know what they are talking about?!   He is going to ring Newcastle regarding the E109 form so that we can get reciprocal benefits and to check we will get child benefit, be it from France or the UK.   Why it has to be so complicated is beyond me, it is not as if we don't want to pay the tax, we just don't know who to pay it to! I will post an outcome at a later date.   But it probably won't be definitive because something else will change in the meantime![/quote] It just shows you should check with the authorities and not always trust the information given on this forum [:)]

I presume you mean unusual. If you have a look at our website in the 'Accomodation' section you will see that the well is a design that is particular to this part of Correze. I have put some wire mesh at the bottom of the gate, but we will be fencing the sides off this weekend. As I said originally falling in the well is only one of the possibilities for the kitten's disappearance - living in the country there are many others.