Chezstevens

Looks like my original sky dish (45cm? can't be arsed to go up ladder) & additional 60cm dish(opposite end of house) fitted by us some 18 years ago still work fine on all channels (inc CH5 & CH4HD). Obviously my wife's intepretation of the Skybox signal bar must of been pretty spot-on :) So hopefully no unscheduled expense for folks round here. Location: Southern 79.

I always book 2 singles, accepting that the discount is not as great, but this allows me to massage my trip if/when things change.

Well, just got my sh@t in one sock to hear a rumour, from several sources, that the individual is selling up & returning to the UK. If true, he will be missed.

My thoughts support those of LeHaut. Our eldest started in France at the age of 9, the youngest age 4. There was some bullying for the eldest, this petered out (Brit lad that instigated it moved back to UK). Eldest very happy at Lycee, youngest very happy at College. Probably wrong for all sorts of reasons but I have given my boys an incentive to do well with exams. Above 75% they receive €2, 100% €3 (equates annually to around €120). Neither receive pocket money automatically, however they can earn it by helping around the house & doing well at school.

Powerdesal, 18 years ago we bought a Rayburn Supreme with the same rationale of C/H plus cooking. C/H was not effective, although kitchen, hall & sitting room were warm :) We have replaced the Rayburn with an Esse Ironheart (to effectively heat space plus cook) & looking at a pellet boiler to augment & heat rest of house (250m2). However, this idea has been postponed cos we are looking at another house. The Esse Ironheart has been excellent at heating large space plus cooking (Mrs C was brought up on Aga's). Hope our thoughts help.

Wilco, unfortunately at Headley Court for a while :)

:) Was the thread started in France? What IPs were logged ... who do they belong to? Am I a Vietnamese troll that enjoys winding up folks? But seriously ... truth beats any defamation claims (as does time limitations). I believe other artisans may be aware of the individual. Why? Cos other folks were about at the time - cup of tea on a site and it might be discussed. Let's face it ... folks do slag off their competitors sometimes:) Main thing for artisans to take away from this .... do what was agreed at site meeting, not what is easier (especially if priced for the harder work). If you don't, then you might find an annoying SOB hassling you for a while.

NormanH, Good 2-way comms re-established :)

Interesting day, my wife had 2 gendarmes visit the property after a complaint from the electrician who had done the poor work to our house. He complained that by disclosing the colour of his van and his town on the internet, everybody knew that he had done the poor work. I believe my wife expressed some surprise and explained that the electrician had done less than 2 days work, kept the deposit (1/3 of devis) and done this ..... offering to show the poor workmanship to the 2 gendarmes. Further explained that his name was not publicly disclosed and that if anybody had a complaint it is us.

Frankly I suspect that he occasionally needs to left off steam. If you are a young, red blooded man then LV is an exciting place. His duties, both royal and service, are pretty restrictive and he does the additional duty without complaint. I am a serving officer and I have heard far more interesting stuff

Well, it has taken 3 months (including being diagnosed with a tumour in my spinal cord) but the kitchen is finally done. Having attended a course in the UK, I am a competent individual (cskills Utilities Engineering : Electrics) that also bought the french electrical installation books, both system and distribution. I have to smile at the "work" our expert from near Lezay had undertaken. Still, the tableau has been updated with RCDs (4) and microswitches (16) and has another tableau next to it, the 3 phase is balanced (as much as it can be for a domestic supply). I was keen to use another electrician that gave us a quote, after the original guy departed, but I asked a question and received no reply. So....thoughts.... with the right training (5 long, expensive but rewarding days) then there is nothing to concern an individual with working on a domestic supply ... certainly beats the carnage that a disinterested individual can cause. Checked circuits for continuity, insulation and RCD. Time to open a beer. Thank you to all that took an interest in the events at Chez Nous :)

There're, What are your thru life costs for the 160W pump. €0.18 per day is great but not if the pump costs twice as much :) You have mentioned Eco pumps before, it would be nice for forum folk to have an idea of costs rather than PMs.

Parsnips, I'll second thoughts reference your post. Very informative - nice to have post without ulterior motives :)

:)

NormanH, Thank you. Have PM'd.

Folks, Thank you for the info. Does spinal cord cancer count for "long duration illness" (100or rather than 70%)?

Hi, With going into too much detail, has anyone experience of spinal cord surgery at Bordeaux? If so, grateful for PM on thoughts. I work in UK but wish for operation in France (close to family). Included in S1 for family. Will a spinal operation count towards 100% cover (not included in family top-up cover). I could use NHS but their secondary care took 18 months to find problem and my confidence in them is low. cheers, Vern

Probably 'cos bikes in France are limited to 100 bhp. I have had my BMW electronically limited at a service - no probs registering. This was Niort.

Asking this question now will save you a lot of pain later. My experience, with my family living here permanently but myself working elsewhere, is that unless you have a strong income stream then forget it. Most areas of France are oversubcribed with Gites & your chances of work within the French community is nil (unless your grasp of French is exceptional). Artisans struggle to earn a living here. Anybody that tells you that Gites will provide the necessary income stream are, either selling a complex or started with a large sum of money and watched it disappear. The only group that can survive here comfortably are pensioners that have planned their retirement.

French registered motorcycles are restricted to 100 bhp (106 comes to mind). My BMW R1200RT was restricted, at my request, during the service - chap also changed my computer data, including mileage, to metric.

Certainly give the area you live in. Folks may then PM you for the individuals name to avoid the predicament you are in. Hopefully somebody (SD) will be along with info that will help you bring the individual to task. Best of luck.

Waiting for a devis from a professional electrician, rather than red van man :), and have also booked myself into a "Essential Electrics" and "Home Installation" course.  Work has paid for both as part of my resettlement so "Happy days".  Everybody who has seen the damage done by the supposed artisan have been dismayed by his lack of professionalism .... no chalk line etc.  Those that have viewed the photobucket folder, thank you for your kind comments and support.

Hi Martin, Computers are an ache when they don't work. To help folks, what OS are you using (Windoze 7, Lion, Linux 12.04 etc)? If it is Windoze7, why not stick with defender/inbuilt firewall? If Lion, good to see you appreciate Apple OS is no longer guaranteed to be safe :) I am currently playing with 12.04 and XMBC. Vern

We are a family of 4 in a large 4 bed house. Our electric bill of €950 includes the boys computers, games, 2 sitting rooms of TV etc plus HW (we are on EJP). We use 2 wood burning stoves plus a Esse Ironheart to heat the house (wood used 15 x €49) .... if it gets really cold then the GCH kicks in (once or twice this year in the early morning). So total energy costs of circa €1700.

They do speak limited English.