Artois

Our daughter was 13 when we moved over 2 years ago and she started at a local french school. Although she was held back a year she had a tough time as she was expected to study French Literature amongst other things. She had been doing well in the UK and we felt so guilty at her unhappiness. We moved her to an International School the following year and we have not looked back. She is now  a year ahead of her UK friends. She is a weekly boarder which suits her but would not be right for many children. We also have to find the money to pay the international fees which is an expense we had not envisaged. Our sons on the other hand were 10 when we moved over and fitted in quickly, making friends and developing a fluency of spoken French in about 9 months.They enjoyed their last year of primary. However since starting at college they have been struggling with the written French which obviously affects all subjects. We have had behavioural problems as they were placed in the same class and we had to ask for them to be separated. We have homework battles as they are tired when they arrive home. We feel they could be doing better at school but they are not encouraged. Most of the staff are very caring but at the end of the day these children are the children of farmers many will continue in the family tradition and their education expectations are not necessarily the same. With our boys their English is deteriorating and we are concerned that they have missed some key years of the education system ie the last year of primary and the first two of secondary education. We are looking at a possible return to the UK next September hoping they will be able to catch up. Not an idea we ourselves relish but we have to do what is right for them. I wish you all the best with your difficult decision.    

We use holiday-rentals.com and although they generate some bookings for us they also generate a lot of time wasting enquiries and a considerable number of scammers. Maybe this is true of all internet based advertising?

We were once taken to see " An hell shaped ouse"

We have just read in the local paper of a fire in a house in rue Principale, Neuville-au-Cornet in the Pas de Calais. At the time of going to print the Gendarmes had been unsuccessful in contacting the owners believed to be English holiday home owners. We live in a neighbouring village and if we can be of any assistance please contact us.

Auberge de Jeunesse Promiscuity and happiness are the main characteristics of youth hostels. After having paid your membership fees to the federation (10.80euros per month), you will be able to book a bed in a room shared with other travellers....   Has youth hostelling changed that much or was something lost in the translation?

Thank you Ian. Point P do indeed stock them and have been helpful. They use the Porotherm system. We have opted for the Brico depot ones for financial reasons (they are half the price) but of course you get what you pay for. They are slightly less insulative. The worst aspect of course is the complication of dealing with BricoDepot. They don't deliver and it was going to cost us 450 euros to charter a lorry with an extra 200 for a forklift at the other end. We are now making 11 trips in the Brico hire truck, not an easy option. We were also mis-sold a product which turned out to be a cement which of course fell in the holes. We also soon worked out that even with the correct product you really need the special roller tool to apply the colle. BricoDepot  now tell us the glue will not be available until the new year! They are still selling the blocks of course but hopefully no longer recommending cement? In the meantime we are off to Point-P to purchase the colle Artois.  

Thank you Moonraker, a very interesting website. Maybe we should be using torchis again. There is a move in this area to encourage people to re-torchis their houses but sadly it is all rather late as most has disappeared during recent years, much of it replaced by unrendered blockwork. Artois

Torchis is similar to wattle and daub.  The walls were constructed on a timber framework and then straw, mud and possibly cow dung applied. A lime wash was applied. A very good material in fact, strong insulative and environmentally friendly. Our house is approximately 200 years old and I suppose everything has a limited life. We recently found our doors wouldn't shut and our upstairs floor was sagging. On closer inspection we found the timber frame in large parts of the wall had rotted to a powder due to water ingress. We are now rebuilding all our walls. We have chosen to use Briques Alveolaire for speed and ease of use and their good insulative values. For further info I found the website posted here very useful.

Would be most grateful to hear from anyone with experience of building with Briques alveolaire? We plan to buy them from Brico Depot but they have been unable to tell us what colle to use and insisted that they should be cemented.  We were advised that a special tool was required for applying the colle but the staff now tell us such an implement does not exist.  They were unable to tell us how much they weigh for tranportation purposes, only that the hire van will only take one pallet load per trip (60). Given that we require 1,200 it is becoming rather a mammoth task. Off to the dechetterie to take a 3rd load of torchis, looking forward to a night or two without the front wall, fingers crossed it doesn't rain. Artois

Hi Fil and friend We had a somewhat similar experience 2 years ago. We had accepted a late booking and despite a heavy discount the guest kept finding reasons to request further discount. Unfortunately perhaps, he arrived in our absence but we had arranged for friends to pop over to check all was well. He was seen by our other guests unpacking his car. They went for a walk and on their return he was packing to leave again claiming the house was a death trap. Our friends arrived on the scene and tried to resolve the situation. They offered to book him alternate accommodation but he refused. The following day we received an hour long phonecall detailing his complaints and on asking him to put it in writing so we could deal with it he complained that he couldn't be expected to write to us when he should be on holiday sipping a glass of wine and relaxing. However the letter duly arrived all 3 pages of A4. He detailed the tatty kitchen appliances (they must have been a good six weeks old at the time) A live electric cable (in fact a coiled up telephone adaptor) he took exception to the antique washbasin which other guests have complimented.The list was endless and he finished by saying he had been abroad once before to Greece and been "caught" and was not going to be caught again. He demanded a full refund and compensation including ferry fare. We know via our other guests he had already been offered a full refund by the ferry operator as his ferry was delayed. There was evidence of a half eaten meal in the kitchen bin and our theory is he may have had a family row resulting in their dramatic departure. We offered him a 25% refund just to get rid of him and to move on from what was a very unpleasant situation. We pointed out that it was merely because he did not enjoy his holiday and not because we were in any way to blame. We heard no more from him. We didn't think it was an organised scam but someone clearly out for what he could get but now you have us thinking? Good luck with the rest of the season. Artois

We have recently had requests for booking confirmation in order that people can obtain a visa. We reserved a week for a lady based in the UK who then requested a confirmation of booking naming her South African relatives who would be staying in our farmhouse in order that they could apply for a visa. Shortly after we had done so she cancelled, thanking us but telling us her plans had changed. We confirmed a booking to a Vietnemese family again living in the UK, following receipt of a cheque and booking form. We were then met with a similar request. We obliged only to receive a reply requesting a refund as the visa application had failed. We replied that we would only refund the money owed once their cheque had cleared at our bank. This morning we received a message telling us he has cancelled the cheque. We have lost a weeks booking and now have another vacancy next week with little chance of re-letting it at this stage, not to mention our wasted time. More importantly should we be suspicious or is this coincidence? Has anyone else experienced similar? Artois.