cooperlola

If the post office really worries you Judith, then send it recorded (with proof of receipt).  Still cheaper than driving miles, given the cost of fuel at the mo'!  I'd certainly always stick to my own department, although these days much is being centralised regionally so it would matter rather less than in the old days, I suspect. Or submit on line?

I have some UK CPL plugs but they have to go into extension cords so maybe that's my problem?  Even if I got the French ones that would mean that I'd only have one socket left for the computer, printer, external hard drives, tranny scanner,  record deck (for copying albums to disc) etc etc! Araucaria - you can certainly link loads of the ones I've got, you are not limited to 2.  However, they're not doing the job.

Book direct, don't get conned by an agent - the Classic is less popular than the 24 hour so no need to pay over the odds:   http://www.digitick.com/le-mans-classic-2012-sport-mecanique-pays-de-la-loire-css5-lemans-pg1-rg1743.html MB is the best camping but sold out now, so aim for Bleu Nord (under "Aire Accueil" on the link")  For the best experience, get yourself a paddock pass.  Walk around all the club car parks (being sure to wave to Mrs and Mr Loirette's yummy red 'Vette on the way); get out to Mulsanne in the early hous of Sunday morning if you can, take loads and loads of memory cards for your camera....  Don't know where to begin and end really!  For more info' and up to date stuff have a look at another forum I'm on : http://www.clubarnage.com/forum/index.php where all the chat is LM.  See you there (Courbe Bar 21.00 Saturday.)

I've recently moved into my newly-completed den on the first floor.  Whilst my laptop picks up the signal from the Neufbox perfectly well (3 to 4 blobs), the pc drops in and out all the time (0 to 1 blob).  Can anybody recommend a simple signal booster, preferably one which doesn't require loads of cables and bits of wire all over the place?  Clearly the inbuilt thing on my laptop (Toshiba) works so why not on the pc (HP)?  It came with a little aerial which I have attached but the thing only has about 1' of cable so barely sits on my desk, let alone gets any closer to the Neufbox.  I could buy another one with a longer cable but I'd rather use something tried and tested (and not too pricey, svp.)  I can't move the box closer to me or the o/h loses his signal strength!  Bl**dy thick old walls and concrete floors....[:D]

I like Garamond.   Not as common as Times but elegant and simple nonetheless.  As a rule, I prefer serif typefaces (the ones with the little tops and tails on) and think they're clearer.  Sorry, forum!

[quote user="Quillan"] the poor schmuck who bought at $41 per share has now ended up $10 lighter at $31 a share[/quote]I'm sorry Q but what?  Anybody who can afford to gamble 41 dollars on anything (and that's what it is, gambling) has to put up with what's coming.  Horses fall over just as often as they win races.  Edit : I'm sure that said sc  hmuck when I quoted you!

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"] Stan, clearly you were never a student at Uni. If they aren't actually green/hairy/crawling away then they're good to eat [+o(]   [/quote]There goes that keyboard again.

I think it's very tough when you live constantly with the same music when you have no control over it.  My siser (who was older than me so was the one with the record player and the tranny) loved the Beatles, whilst my father loved Joan Sutherland.  I grew up hating both.  Much as Mr C hates the TV because it was always on at his parents' house, regardless of the subject matter, and only ever the BBC as the commercialism of ITV was despised. His father would not believe him when he explained that he had seen Nadia Narina on Sunday Night at the London Paladium at a friend's house.[:D] Now I get Miles Davis.  At least it's musical even if not my thing.  Oh, and my little den is nearly finished so I've got Tickled Pink at full vol' on the stereo and only I can hear it.[:)]

[quote user="5-element"] This song haunted me night and day for several weeks, and I don't even like the singer at all!!! I never understood why it just would not go away. (so I am posting the link without listening to it, just in case!) I have often been haunted by a song, or a piece of music, to the point that it would stop me sleeping at night. I have to be very careful about what I listen to because of it. [/quote]I remember a few years ago there was a successful racehorse called Rhinestone Cowboy.  John "greatest jockey" Francome moaned once on the Morning Line that he got angry every time the horse ran because the tune kept coming back to him and wouldn't stop haunting him for days. Angela, not being a Beatles fan and being married to Mr C who will rant for hours on the subject of their "killing popular music forever" I hear lots of similar remarks about their music all the time.  But that one is one of the worst.  NOT the best thing to have buzzing in your head.

Blimey Pierre, well done!  I can't imagine where Mr C's been looking (he's the e-bay bod in our house since I cannot get my Papal account to work any more) as he found none when he looked but finally got one on a "buy now" yesterday evening although I do reckon he paid over the odds.  I've forgiven you for the sheets now....[:D] Q, I also have Freeview so the regional news (which I don't watch anyway) isn't too relevant.  Plus you can always get another regional news version on the extra channels menu.

I cannot imagine paying 72 euros a month for TV, can you?  Although as you say, the "teaser" offer isn't bad.  Happily I now have all the channels I want, although I am having trouble getting a second Sky white card, even 2nd hand on e-bay, so I can get Motors in both places.  Any ideas?

I think (although I'm really not sure) that this is because the title of your thread is too long.  Can you try to shorten it (you need to edit post no.1) and see what happens, Clockwork?  In the new forum, as in the old, this usually happens if a link or pic is too big - the title may have the same effect? With the old forum, you had scroll buttons to move left and right so at least you could read these posts without quoting or replying to them.  The new one doesn't have this "luxury."

For me it's been "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" - positively one of the most miserable dirges ever written or performed.  But some b*gg*r played it on a TV programme sound track and the awful tune just won't dislodge itself from my brain.  Grrrr.

I had a little spate of this about six months ago, Quillan, when a couple of things went straight back whence they came without getting near me.  I re-ordered and they duly turned up and it's not happened since....... (touch wood.)  Like Betty I must say that, in general, Amazon's customer service has been superb - even when intervening with third parties.  For instance, I got a £350 bit of kit the other day for £110 when the seller put the thing on the wrong page.

It is a distinct improvement.  The only snag is that it serves to emphasise how tiny the print size is within the posts - it looks fairly lost on my screen!  You can please some of the people....

No you're not weird (well, insofar as I can tell, anyway!) - the very same thought occured to me.  My mother would like to spend 2 hours on the phone with me but I think she begins to detect that I'm no longer paying attention when the snoring begins after the first hour or so.

[quote user="Martin963"]My reputation is on the line if it doesn't work eh coops...??!! To get the non-TNT stuff you may need to do a free to air scan;   often TNTsat boxes initially just put up the channels for TNTsat,   + a handful of others (eg TV Vosges,  TV Mont Blanc) and you have subsequently to order them specifically to find the German stuff with a general scan.   Just to warn you that this might be needed. [/quote]Finally got my new TV installed in my new upstairs room yesterday so put the TNT box to work.  It did exactly as you predicted, Martin, and thus I was prepared, did the scan, and was watching German Europsport within about 10 minutes!  Signal strengh and quality between 80 and 90 so clearly the dish was well welded on!!! Thanks Martin and others for clear and simple explanations which worked.[:)]

Sorry I missed the big day, both (no internet).   Hope you had a great time and got nice and ratted.

Well, I looked on the website and if you hover your mouse over the question mark next to the 3 free numbers description http://www.sfr.fr/mobile/offres/toutes-les-offres-sfr?vue=000029 it seems to me to say that no individual call must be more than 3 hours long.  There doesn't seem to be a limit on the number of calls though so I can't see a problem if you ring off and call the number back again.  But I guess you really need to look at the full t&c's to be absolutely certain. 

Lots of local farmers and woodland owners have anti-chasse signs on their boundaries around here so I wouldn't worry about not blending in.  If you don't want the hunters, then ifaik, you are well within your rights to keep them off your land. If your plot of farming land is an acre or so then I'm not sure SAFER have any jursidicion, do they?  I have a feeling there's a minumum number of hectares involved before they have any claims on "unused" land.  But this is only a vague memory from the years when we were househunting so don't take my word for it.

What, Martin, you mean you expect gratitude?

Try Trailfinders - no probs for French residents.  I cannot speak for their claims department as I've never made a claim.

Found it: http://www.cma-niort.fr/acces-et-horaires.html

22 rue Herbillaux NIORT 05 49 77 22 00 when I Googled.  Can't see the postcode though.

I can only speak from personal experience and say that the regional offices have many more staff and are much quicker to produce the paperwork than our local one.  Plus they don't close for lunch!  But they do lack the friendliness and familiarity of the local office and cost more to visit in fuel terms.