Ian

Llantony, I'd echo the suggestion of trailer hire, if you've a suitable car. I'm going back to the UK this week to collect the rest of our stuff from Edinburgh. I'm hiring a box trailer here (like a small horsebox, about 5 cubic metres), taking it over, then returning with it full. It'll cost me €200 for ten days, plus the additional costs on the ferry. Having it for ten days means I don't have to rush to load/unload, the way I'd have to, with a van. However you do it, good luck.

Thanks for the ideas, people. I don't think it's the dish as (A) it was only installed in January and reception seemed OK then, (B) I've just checked signal strength and quality, and it says they're 80% and 70% respectively and (C) it's a double dish that also picks up French TV on Astra19 (?) and this still works. In synch Nor should it be the digi-box, I'd have thought, also because of its newness? It's not a Sky box - it's a cheap and cheerful from one of the bricos, called a Visionic Slim 3 (but I believe it's also available as a Kyostar). If the software is back level, I may have a problem, as I can't find any site from which to download an upgrade. I had planned to replace it later this year anyway with a receiver that will pick up Freesat (specifically C4 and C5), so I guess I can live with it till then. Thanks for the help, it's appreciated.

Not specifically a french question, but maybe someone can help. I watch UK TV from the Astra28 satellite. Recently, the sound and the picture have been drifting out-of-synch. I can usually cure this (more or less) by switching the digi-box off for 20-30 seconds, but I seem to be having to do this more and more frequently. Has something changed to make it worse, or is it just my imagination? Is there anything better I can do to fix it, or must I just bear it? Thanks

Well, the second tray did the trick. Cats and owner (sorry, personal servant) are now happy. Thanks for the advice.

Ron, I take your point, but it all depends how much you want to avoid Paris (and the busy roads round Paris). For myself and others from Scotland, landing at Calais means we've already driven c. 800km, usually involving the M1 and the M25 - following that, the direct but busy route via Paris is not much fun. Conversely, the west route is quiet, with few risks of hold-ups or delays, so timing is fairly predictable. And driving is less stressful. As far as the cost is concerned, 100km is around 6l of gasoil, maybe 7.5 Euro. In the context of a two day, 1000km journey involving ferry plus hotel, I don't see that as significant. Landing at Zeebrugge, on the other hand, you can't really avoid Paris. And on our last trip, we sailed though Paris, making Chateauroux in under six hours. Mind, I now have a SatNav, which guided me through Paris very successfully. Maybe the time has come to reconsider..... Cheers

Catalpa, thanks for the advice. I think you may be right - I'm off to Intermarche for another litter tray right now. Thanks

Megan, when i travel from Calais to the Chateauroux area, I take the route via Rouen, avoiding Paris entirely. Yes, it's longer in distance and time (maybe about 7 hours compared to 5.5 or 6 hours via Paris) but infinitely easier to drive - empty-ish autoroutes for most of it, bar the last 60 km or so. If you don't want the stress/uncertainty/delay(potential) of Paris, it might be worth the extra time and money. Re motels, there are several clustered to the north of Chateauroux, just off J12 - we used the Etap, if I remember correctly. Also several restaurants nearby - all OK. Best of luck.

We have two cats. Have had them for six months, since they were kittens together on a farm. Until recently, they shared the litter tray, but the male cat has started to crap nearby, rather than in it. A deliberate act, not just bad aim! She Who Speaks With Thunder suggests he's getting fastidious about sharing. (Fair enough, I would too). She also suggested that changing the litter more often might help, but other cats we've had made it do for days. He didn't use to be so choosy. Can he be persuaded to revert to his previous habits, so saving me from possibly spoiling him? Thanks

Regarding the land of Scottish raspberries, are you talking about the Carse of Gowrie? If so, I know it well - I was raised in Dundee. If you're driving from there to Montlucon, have a look at the ferries to Zeebrugge. Going from Rosyth saves a long drive down to the Channel ports, while going via Hull will save you the bit through southern England (the worst bit, no disrespect meant!). They may seem expensive on the surface, but last trip back from Edinburgh, I paid around £180 for the Rosyth-Zeebrugge crossing (car, cabin, two people) - by the time you add the extra petrol/diesel costs, plus even a cheap hotel around Dover or Calais, there's not a lot in it. Good luck anyway, however you travel.

Peter, thanks for the response. Now we're settled into the house, my wife no longer has such a need for books. Other things to do with her time. We do however have a box or two of surplus books, donated in her hour of need by kind people such as Jehe. If you're stuck for somthing to read, you're welcome to them. Regards

Scotslassie, I've driven a similar route often - I used to live in Edinburgh and now live near Chateauroux. If you really want to avoid Paris, and don't mind a few extra kilometres, swing west of Paris : Calais - Rouen - LeMans - Tours - Vierzon. Now the A85 is open east of Tours, it's motorway almost all the way (and delightfully empty motorway at that). Easy driving - boredom is the main enemy. Rouen is supposed to be tricky, but I've not found it to be a problem. As others have said, as long as you know which towns/cities lie along your route, and as long as you keep your eyes open, it's not difficult. Good luck

Thanks, Jonzjob. You've confirmed what I feared, that the existing wax would pose a problem. I've seen the finish that cabinet scrapers can give, but I don't think they're an option in this case - the existing wood surface just isn't good enough for them, and as it's only a kitchen table, it's not worth putting a lot of effort into getting a fine finish. What I'll probably do is prepare the surface with steel wool and turps, but then I have to make a decision - try and seal the new surface first with something (but will it take?) or go straight to waxing/oiling (but will water continue to mark it?). I think the first option is doomed to failure, so unless anybody knows differently, I think I'll go straight to rubbing in Danish oil. And afterwards, the table....

We recently acquired an old wooden kitchen table. The top has been waxed and looks lovely, but shows every heat and water mark. Not ideal in a kitchen table, so I'm planning to re-finish the top. It's a workaday piece of furniture, not an antique, so any process can be considered. Ideally, what I want to do is seal the surface first with something (matt Ronseal, sanding sealer, whatever), then wax/oil it  for a nice finish. But, I don't think Ronseal would take on a waxed surface. Suppose I rubbed it down first with steel wool and turps, then wiped with a clean rag? Would that be enough, or are we talking a session with Nitromors? Alternatively, how about a heavy duty hard wax (?) flooring product? Osmo maybe, or Bona? OK for wear and tear on a kitchen table, I guess, but water- and heat-proof? Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

Martin, I've had it installed as you suggested - the cheaper of the two Visiosat dish from Auseme, two digi-boxes (from Leroy Merlin), and the local Satellite installer to put it all together (including tuning in the two digi-boxes). It all works a treat! Many thanks for your help and advice.

Martin, you're being very patient, I'm truly appreciative. I've had a look at the Visiosat range on the website, they seem to be just what I need. Two more questions if I may (these are probably the last!) 1. There are two suitable versions of the dish available - one with 0.2DB and the other with 0.6DB. As the latter is another €100 or so, can I assume that more DBs is a "good thing" , and I should go for that model on the basis that it will give me a stronger/more certain signal here (south Indre)? 2. I'm going to get a specialist to fit the dish to my chimney, as I have neither roof ladders or signal meters, etc. Is it worth my while supplying the boxes and the TV set at the same time, and asking him to do it all, end-to-end? In other words, he can't leave till I've got a TV set that receives 423 channels? Thanks for your help.

Martin, thank you very much for your advice. The arrangement you describe (with the €129 TNT box) sounds just what I was thinking about (I think). Would it be difficult for a novice like me to fit and orientate a dish with two LNBs? (I have a fairly wide range of DIY skills and tools, but no experience of anything like this.) If it is possible, where would I acquire one of these TNT boxes (plus the extra LNB, bracket, etc)? Another question if I may, about how it would work (which will show my total ignorance). In the UK, we used a digi-box with a normal TV aerial to give us all the FTA channels, and I changed channels by using the digi-box remote. Does the above set-up work the same way but in duplicate? In other words, the two feeds (from the two LNBs) go to the two boxes (sitting below the television) which are plugged into two inputs (SCART sockets) on the TV? And two remotes to control the two boxes? Thanks again.

I'd be grateful if those of you who know what they're doing can guide me on this..... We have a house (in Indre). As we now have electricity, hot water, drainage and heating, I feel I've earned the right to a little relaxation, so I'd like to be able to watch some TV. Specifically, (A) the basic British channels, no PPV, and (B) French television. The house has no aerial of any sort, so I'm starting from scratch. Having searched back through the forum, I think what I need for (A) is a satellite dish (80cm) aimed at Astra 28E, and a digi-box. My first question - will a digi-box bought locally be suitable, or do I still need a Sky decoder and a non-subscription card? Second question - how easy is it to install, with no specialist equipment or experience? As far a (B) is concerned, I'd like to avoid a second aerial (either an ordinary terrestial one or another dish) if possible, purely for aesthetic reasons. Is it possible to tune in to French TV using a second LNB on the Astra dish (and to which satellite)? If so, does that mean another digi-box, or can one service both LNBs? If there's a web site that explains all this in words of one syllable, please point me at it, otherwise I'll take all the help I can Thanks

If you look at this website http://www.continental-ufh.com/floorconstruction.asp they talk about UFH with all types of floor construction. Regards

[quote user="Nick Trollope"]It is an "inertia" heater, not a storage radiator. It is filled with oil and is designed to even out the on-off cycling of the thermostat by storing a little energy. A storage radiator, as ernie says, is filled with bricks which cool slowly. Any electric heater is as close to 100% efficient as it is possible to be. Put 100W in, get 100W of heat out. It is just a matter of how fast the heat is released - these are joules - Watts x Seconds.... [/quote] So, it is a glorified convector? Drat! I could have got an oil-filled radiator for much less, that would do much the same. Oh well, the wood-burning stove gets commissioned next week, so it's history after that! Thanks

[quote user="ErnieY"]I don't now the specific appliance but in broad terms if it's storage heater then it will weigh a ton because it will be full of fire bricks which are what retain the heat, if it isn't heavy then it isn't a storage heater and therefore will of course lose it's heat very quickly after being turned off. Your knob sounds like it is a simple thermostat and I don't understand why you would assume it "stored most heat" on the strength of that ? [/quote] Ernie, my understanding of storage heaters is that you control the output in two ways. Firstly, in advance by managing the electricity supplied and thus the total heat stored, then secondly after it's hot, by adjusting the insulation, opening baffles etc. Mine being cheap (comparatively), it doesn't have the second set of controls, so the only thing the dial can affect is the input? According to the manufacturer, it is an "electric heater with this unique ceramic brick which stores the heat for an extended and even distribution". Having said all that, while heavy it doesn't weigh a ton. Maybe it's just a glorified (and over-priced) convector?

Does anybody have one of these, and know how it works? I bought it to help dry the house out after a long period of being empty. It only has one control, a knob with settings from 1 to 10. The instruction booklet says (according to my french) that setting it to 1 "maintains the temperature at 0 - 7 degrees", while 10 maintains it at 30 degrees. I assumed that, set to 10, it would store most heat. The idea was to switch it on overnight and store up lots of heat, which it would then release the next day. However, while it seems to be hot in the mornings, as soon as I unplug it (I need the limited electricity during the day for a fan heater), it goes cold. Where am I going wrong? Does it need day-time electricity as well? Thanks

Comforting. Thanks

I've just bought one, and have to say it's the noisiest PC printer I've ever met. Quiet enough when it's printing, but the rest of the time when it's doing what printers do (whatever that is) it sounds like the a gearbox being stripped of its teeth. It does not sound healthy. Does anyone know if they all sound like this, or is my run of luck with printers continuing? TIH

Which is what I did, though I objected to giving Auchan more money. (Couldn't face the prospect of an existence without a PC printer. It changed my life years ago, working at home as I did, when the company gave me a printer to go with my laptop. Then along came ADSL......) So, my "toys out of cot" act is now worthless? Ah well, SWMBO will be happier - she always used to walk away at such moments. As for me, I'm developing a very Gallic shrug at it all. Thanks for the advice.

That's it, then - apart from primary schoolgirls, It's "Madame" for everyone! Thanks, everyone, for your help.