[Can't get the url link thingy to work!]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

well it works for me HERE 

and

HERE

 

[/quote]

Thanks Pierre, I've got it sorted now. It's probably 99% me....it usually is!

[Can't get the url link thingy to work!]

Thanks for the suggestions about my problem here. I did wonder about duplicated http's, but when I looked, I could only see one in the box. So, I'll have another go here, delete the http bit & see what happens......

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/AddPost.aspx?PostID=1533653

Grrr... that didn't work either. let's try tiny url...

http://tinyurl.com/a6c4tb  no that doesn't work either, am I being dense here??

http://www.livingfrance.com/

Ah got it, thanks Pachapapa you're a genius!

[foie gras]

[quote user="Frenchie"]When I was pregnant, all I fancied was pickles and cornichons, ///  L honneur est sauf !! [:)][/quote]

I fancy those all the time....ooo'er does that mean what I think it means!

[Top up insurance]

You don't say what age you are, but your E106 will cover you for about two years & then after that, if you are not retired, you will need full health insurance cover. If you are retired then a mutuelle (top up) insurance will be required. We found ours on the net for half the price of any others & better cover. However, because it is internet based, all of the correspondance is done via e mail & they can keep the costs very low.

[Can't get the url link thingy to work!]

I give up, I try pasting the url into the create link box & then click ok, but it never works. What am I doing wrong pleeese!

[Is it a sign]

[quote user="jondeau"]

When the cry of the frog pierces the fog

on a freezing cold winters night,

Then you can be sure that next summers weather

will be nice and sunny and bright

William Shakespeare (sonnets)  [/quote]

When the nights are too cold

and the Frog's getting old,

and the call of the female just woke it;

then the sound that you hear

that resounds far and near

is the Grenouille - ready to croak it.

Me..... Today 

On a serious note though, this link explains why Frogs calling early in the year are linked to Global Warming.... 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/07/010723101352.htm

 

 

 

 

[cheap meals]

If anyone was watching Willy's Christmas programme, you would have seen him dig a deep hole in the lawn, wrap a whole lamb (dead I hasten to add) in hessian sacking, throw on some hay, fill the hole back in & then light a huge bonfire on the top. After quite a few hours, they dug up the lamb & served it to the guests.

Saves on the electric!

[Heating and fuel refund 2008-2009]

[quote user="tuppence"]

Has anybody received their refund for their fuel yet? "payable in January 2009" apparently, not even sure mine was received at the Impots[6]. 

tuppence

[/quote]

People can submit the forms between January & end of March, it doesn't say how long it takes to send the payment to you.

[Operations]

An Israeli doctor said, 'Medicine in my country

is so advanced, we can take a kidney out of one person, put it in

another, and have him

looking for work in six weeks'.

A German doctor said, 'That's nothing! In Germany , we can take a

lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for

work

in four weeks'.

A Russian doctor said, 'In my country medicine is so advanced, we

can take half a heart from one person, put it in another, and have

them both looking for work in two weeks'.

The English doctor, not to be outdone, said 'Hah!. We can take two

a**eholes out of Scotland , put them in 10 & 11 Downing Street and

have half the country looking for work within twenty-four hours'.

[How to fold your towels if they are on display]

Ah, but can you fold an "Eddy the Elephant Towel ??

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/618261/how_to_make_a_cruise_ship_towel_animal_aka_towel_origami/

[Please remember the wild birds this week....]

We have a male & female Woodpecker feeding regularly now. They certainly get braver the more the thermometer plummets...

[IMG]http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww238/sable666_album/Woodpecker.jpg[/IMG]

[Newfoundland or Saint Bernard wanted]

What about the two Newfoundlands being advertised on this site?

[Peach, a little Treasure]

That's understandable Christine.

I really hope you find a loving home for them soon.

[Peach, a little Treasure]

Christine, do Peach & Amy need a garden that's fenced?

We have a big garden, not near a road, but not fenced.

[Please remember the wild birds this week....]

With temperatures for the Limousin forecast down to -11c this week, can we please remember to put out food for the wild birds.

Nuts, seeds, fat & unfrozen water are all essential to their survival in these temperatures.

We have seen birds frozen stiff on the branches before now & it's a horrible sight. This morning, we had a Magpie visit us with frost on his back.

We're all struggling in the credit crunch, but I'm willing to give up my extra glass of wine to save them, hope you are.

Happy New Year

[Winter Fuel Allowance]

[quote user="Russethouse"]I hate to rub it in but OH didn't claim his, it just arived, and he works (self employed )[/quote]

right, that's it, I'm on the phone to the helpline first thing!

[Winter Fuel Allowance]

Sorry, now I am confused,

moh was living & working in the UK in September 2002 when he was 60, Sept 2003 when he was 61 & we left the following February, so why won't they pay him the allowance?

He filled in all the forms to this effect but they refused him.

Perhaps I'll phone them & check....

[Winter Fuel Allowance]

[quote user="tuppence"]

OK everyone listen up!!  Just phoned the Pension Service in Newcastle and their answer was as follows:_

To qualify for payment of winter  heating allowance you have to be resident in the UK during the 3rd week of September of a qualifying year AND be 60 years old or more.

[/quote]

We left the UK in February 2004 when my husband was 62. As he was working at that time, the good folks at Newcastle told us that he would not qualify for the winter fuel allowance & have refused it ever since.

Seems that it's better to sit on the dole than pay your dues for 40 years as he did......

[Re: Laugh for today.]

A guy has spent five years traveling all around the world making a

documentary on Native dances. At the end of this time, he has every

single native dance of every indigenous culture in the world on film.

He winds up in Australia, in Alice Springs, so he pops into a pub for a

well earned beer. He gets talking to one of the local Aborigines and

tells him about his project.

The Aborigine asks the guy what he thought of the "Butcher Dance."

The guy's a bit confused and says, "Butcher Dance? What's that?"

"What? You no see Butcher Dance?"

"No, I've never heard of it."

"Oh mate. You crazy. How you say you film every native dance if you no see Butcher Dance?"

"Umm. I got a corroborree on film just the other week. Is that what you mean?"

"No no, not corroborree. Butcher Dance much more important than corroborree."

"Oh, well how can I see this Butcher Dance then?"

"Mate, Butcher Dance right out bush. Many days travel to go see Butcher Dance."

"Look, I've been everywhere from the forests of the Amazon, to deepest

darkest Africa, to the frozen wastes of the Arctic filming these

dances. Nothing will prevent me from recording this one last dance."

"OK, mate. You drive north along highway towards Darwin. After you

drive 197 miles, you see dirt track veer off to left. Follow dirt track

for 126 miles 'til you see big huge dead gum tree - biggest tree you

ever see. Here you gotta leave the car, because much too rough for

driving.

You strike out due west into setting sun. You walk 3 days 'til you hit

creek. You follow this creek to Northwest. After 2 days you find where

creek flows out of rocky mountains. Much too difficult to cross

mountains here though. You now head south for half day 'til you see

pass through mountains.

Pass very difficult and very dangerous. Take 2, maybe 3 days to get

through rocky pass. When through, head northwest for 4 days 'til reach

big huge rock - 20 ft high and shaped like man's head. From rock, walk

due west for 2 days and you find village. Here you see Butcher Dance."

So the guy grabs his camera crew and equipment and heads out. After a

couple of hours he finds the dirt track. The track is in a shocking

state and he's forced to crawl along at a snails pace and so he doesn't

reach the tree until dusk and he's forced to set up camp for the night.

He sets out bright and early the following morning. His spirits are

high and he's excited about the prospect of capturing on film this

mysterious dance which he had never heard mention of before.

True to the directions he has been given, he reaches the creek after

three days and follows it for another two until they reach the rocky

mountains. The merciless sun is starting to take its toll by this time

and his spirits are starting to flag, but wearily he trudges on until

he finds the pass through the hills - nothing will prevent him from

completing his life's dream.

The mountains prove to be every bit as treacherous as their guide said

and at times they almost despair of getting their bulky equipment

through. But after three and a half days of back breaking effort they

finally force their way clear and continue their long trek.

When they reach the huge rock, four days later, their water is running

low and their feet are covered with blisters. Yet they steel themselves

and head out on the last leg of their journey.

Two days later they virtually stagger into the village where the

natives feed them and give them fresh water. They begin to feel like

new men.

Once he's recovered enough, the guy goes before the village chief and tells him that he has come to film their Butcher Dance.

"Oh mate. Very bad you come today. Butcher Dance last night. You too late. You miss dance."

"Well, when do you hold the next dance?"

"Not 'til next year."

"Well, I've come all this way. Couldn't you just hold an extra dance for me, tonight?"

"No, no, no! Butcher Dance very holy. Only hold once a year. If hold

more, gods get very angry and destroy village! You want see Butcher

Dance you come back next year."

The guy is devastated, but he has no other option but to head back to civilization and back home.

The following year, he heads back to Australia and, determined not to

miss out again, sets out a week earlier than last time. He is quite

willing to spend a week in the village before the dance is performed in

order to ensure he is present to witness it. However, right from the

start things go wrong.

Heavy rains that year have turned the dirt track to mud and the car

gets bogged every few miles, finally forcing them to abandon their

vehicles and slog through the mud on foot almost half the distance to

the tree.

They reach the creek and the mountains without any further hitch, but

halfway through the ascent of the mountain they are struck by a fierce

storm which rages for several days, during which they are forced to

cling forlornly to the mountainside until it subsides. It would be

suicide to attempt to scale the treacherous paths in the face of such

savage elements.

Then, before they have traveled a mile out from the mountains, one of

the crew sprains his ankle badly which slows down the rest of their

journey enormously, to the rock and then the village.

Eventually, having lost all sense of how long they have been traveling, they stagger into the village at about 12:00 noon.

"The Butcher Dance!" gasps the guy. "Please don't tell me I'm too late!"

The chief recognizes him and says "No, white fella. Butcher Dance performed tonight. You come just in time."

Relieved beyond measure, the crew spends the rest of the afternoon

setting up their equipment - preparing to capture the night's ritual on

film as dusk falls, the natives start to cover there bodies in white

paint and adorn themselves in all manner of bird's feathers and animal

skins.

Once darkness has settled fully over the land, the natives form a circle around a huge roaring fire.

A deathly hush descends over performers and spectators alike as a

wizened old figure with elaborate swirling designs covering his entire

body enters the circle and begins to chant. Some sort of witch doctor

or medicine man, figures the guy and he whispers to the chief, "What's

he doing?"

"Hush," whispers the chief. "You first white man ever to see most

sacred of our rituals. Must remain silent. Holy man, he asks that the

spirits of the dream world watch as we demonstrate our devotion to them

through our dance and, if they like our dancing, will they be so

gracious as to watch over us and protect us for another year."

The chanting of the Holy man reaches a stunning crescendo before he

moves himself from the circle. From somewhere the rhythmic pounding of

drums booms out across the land and the natives begin to sway to the

stirring rhythm.

The guy is becoming caught up in the fervor of the moment himself. This

is it. He now realizes beyond all doubt that his wait has not been in

vain. He is about to witness the ultimate performance of rhythm and

movement ever conceived by mankind.

The chief strides to his position in the circle and, in a big booming voice, starts to sing,

 "You butch yer right arm in. You butch yer right arm out. You butch yer right arm in and you shake it all about..."

[Urgently needed....Goat with milk]

Thanks Gail for taking the time to reply & give me this information.

We'll try the fennel seeds & see what happens.

[Urgently needed....Goat with milk]

Can anyone in the Haute Vienne region help please?

We have a week old foal & the mare has no milk. We have been told that a goat makes an excellent surrogate mother

& therefore we are hoping someone can loan us one to save this foal.

Many thanks if you can help us.

[Open plan shower]

We requested a Douche Italienne for our new build. Built over the sous-sol & we have not had any problems at all.

[Fuel Oil]

I would just like to say that the newer oil boilers are hugely more efficient than the older ones.

If, like us, you have a new house, then the oil is so much more economical & efficient.

We were filling the 1500 litre tank twice a year at our last property, an oldish house & equally old boiler. (25 years)

Our new tank was filled in May & the oil has only moved a couple of inches  since then. Due to the fact that we have all the latest gas filled double glazing, wall insulation, loft insulation etc & a brand new boiler, our house stays lovely & warm & we have to turn off the radiators after a couple of hours in the evening as it gets too warm.

I know we have the colder weather to come, even so, we reckon we won't have to order any more oil until the Spring.

So it's not always bad news for fuel oil heating.

[Re: Laugh for today.]

The Welsh Spy

Not long after the Cold War began, it so happened that a

socialist Welshman John Jones by name was in London.

He

happened to be sitting in a park one day when a man in a

trench coat came and sat beside him.

"Voud you be interested in spying on ze Briddish?" asked the

stranger in a thick Russian accent.

"Sure I would, boyo", said John Jones cheerfully. "For we

Welsh have been oppressed for years. I'm on your side!"

"Very well... Ze password vill be, "Ze geese fly high over

ze frozen pond while ze sun shines." Got that?"

"Right you are", says John. '"Ze geese fly high over ze

frozen pond while ze sun shines. What do I have to do now?"

"Nuzzing for ze moment... Ve vill activate you ven ve haf

need of you. It may be a year, it may be 10 years, but ve

vill. Vill you be ready? You vill remember ze password?

"I will", said John eagerly, and returned to his small

home village in Wales.

Although John waited eagerly, the call never came.

Ten years, twenty, thirty ... until 1999, when a command

came from the Russian HQ to activate agent John Jones

immediately.

A Russian agent headed for the little village

where John Jones lived, only to find there were 300 John

Joneses listed for the area. He scratched his head and

decided that he would go to the local pub and try the

password until he found his man.

So, the Russian agent headed off to the local pub and

ordered a pint of beer. He saw a man standing alone at one

end of the counter, and thought he might as well begin.

He

sidled across to the solitary drinker, watching the crowd

about him with cautious eyes.

"Nice evening, said the Russian."

"Yes", said the drinker.

"Is your name Jones? asked the Russian."

"Yes", said the drinker.

"Funny, isn't it, said the Russian agent, the geese fly

high over the wintry pond while the sun shines."

The drinker tossed back his beer and said:

""It's not me you'll be wanting. You want Jones the spy,

over by the window".

[Re: Laugh for today.]

Harley and God

Harley Davidson died and went

to heaven and was boasting to god how he had createdthe best motor bike

in the world. God disagreed with Harley and said BMW were a better

designed Bike. Harley said what do you know about design you created

woman and lookat the problems we have with them.

God says ahem and replied back to Harley

"I Think you will find a lot more men are riding my creation than yours." 

Swimming in Paris Makes you In-seine

Foreign Food

The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British.

On the other hand, the French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British.

The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British.

The French and Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British.

Conclusion:

Eat & drink what you like. It's speaking English that kills you.

and ..... 'But doctor,' protested the expat, 'it's impossible for my wife

to be pregnant. I've been working in Saudi Arabia for the last year - I

haven't been back home in all that time.'

'I'm sorry,' said the doctor, 'but that's what we in the medical profession call a grudge pregnancy.'

'What' that?'

'I'm afraid that someone had it in for you,'