Dave Plumb

Being one of the old British gas engineers who gave up and left, one of the regular calls I got to new aquired ovens that would not light was sinply that if they were fitted with a time control it had been knocked onto to timer control and simply needed to be switched back to manual, try this if it has a clock

I feel I should inform U being a gas fitter,  Gas cylinders should be stored away from direct heat including sunshine and in an area well ventlated at low level to outside air as propane is heavier than air so if you have a leak it will settle and be concentrated in the bottom of any room, celler or storage cupboard and may not be noticed till it is too late, ie you light your low level oven with a built in spark generator and BOOM  [:'(]

It's a bit early just yet but I am waiting to sign my act de vente on a property just outside of Partenay, hope to move in early August and will be there on and off during the years, I have alreaddy found a bar next to the river, (looking for a fishing spot) just up the road from me at Geoges, I understand it is owned by a Brit and may allow to kill two birds with one stone so to speak allowing me to have a beer and talk in English just like in the old country.   Dave  [B]

[:$] Update------ the comprimis has now arived and I have taken down the gallows, now signed and returned should now following the acte de vente be the owner at the end of July.  Due to the delay it has cost me a few grey hairs, but they will not be noticed when I am sitting with my [B] outside my new property, finally chilled out laughing about all the worries over the time taken to get to the comprimis.   Hope you all end up with your own dream[8-|]   Dave

Glad U feel better now Ian, mine has taken 5 weeks    [:(]   he tels me all the family have now signed and it's on the way to me but I still as yet not seen it, I still have the inviting noose hanging over the tree branch[:'(]

Whot can I say, Thanks for all your replies It so happens the agent has e-mailed tonight to say all have now signed and the comprimis is on its way to me,       I never thought there was a problem,            no not me   Dave,         soon to be near Parthenay

www.mappy.com Use full site to find the road or area you want in whole world, will even show the roadworks being carried out, handy for local or trips over the border.   Dave

www.prim.net This a French run site you may find very handy for those looking to buy property in France it lists by area/comune the posible safety risks incured in your chosen area. For those of you already living in France it may not be a good idea to find out. Dave

Having been an SLR and film user for a very long time I was not sure about this new digital idea that was banded around, the press went on about them not having the same quality of image, but I still went out and bought a top of the range (at the time )3meg Sony, zoom lens but not SLR,  paid a lot of money as this was around 5 years ago, printed the pictures off. absolute crap untill I printed them from my mates HP printer, these same pictures were unbealevable, as good as,if not better then film, at least to my and everyone elses eye, since then I have also bought a 6 meg camera but to tel the truth there is not a lot of difference unless I need to blow up a small part of the image they will both print to A4 with no problem. I do not see the need for me to use an SLR, between the cameras I get the same quality images with a lot less hassle, I dont have to carry around a large camera and aray of lenses, filters, film and bags. I would advise to start first with a mid range portable camera with zoom lens  and the money saved put this towards a decent printer and imaging software, dont use the one supplied with the camera, use this experience to find what you need in an Slr before U dive in spend a lot of money and pick something you dont really need. for instance, dont pick a camera that uses things like recharable AA type batteries they will run down very fast and you will miss that all important shot having to change them if you are lucky to have a spare set on you, one of my camera's uses an infolithium battery that lasts for days and shows me in mins how long I have left till recharge, the other uses a mobile phone type battery and lasts for weeks. As you will be using your PC as a darkroom U can over come the need for longer lenses by useing a high res image and blowing it up. If your need for an SLR is for your image and not for photography ignor all the above and buy the biggest, most expensive camera you can find Hope this helps in your choice   Dave

Thanks for that , with the 7 day cooling off period after signing it makes it appear it takes a matter of days to complete but this helps to put my mind at rest,  although they said it would be removed I can still find it on the site after 3 weeks, and I will be contacting them to find out why

This being my first French house purchase I am a little green as to the setup but I am concerned I am being strung along regarding the compromis while the agent tries to find another purchaser at a better price than that they have accepted, Please put my mind at rest by replying to the requests[:)]   1.  How long before The document is raised following the acceptance of the price 2.  I havent seen the document as I am told by the agent I cant receive a copy untill it has been signed by her 7 sons dotted around France and Spain