mint

jr, i see your survivalist and minimalist skills have premeated every facet of your life (re another thread on your first weeks/months in france).  i am lost in admiration, truly. ray mears (as in rm's survival guide on tv), watch out, jr's behind you!

no, kathy, depends whether the kettle or the senseo machine comes in a "wind-up" version because i think electrical points in the kalahari might be a bit thin on the ground 

blossom don't be put off.  we are about to move over very soon (if our uk house gets sold at long last; this is the 5th "definite" offer that has gone through surveys, solicitors, etc).  you won't ever know if it'll suit you without trying it out for yourself i have had quite a few problems along the way, since we first decided to move over there about 4 years ago.  we have gradually and in very small stages, got our heads round what the move will involve. i am sure there will be many, many more surprises; some quite nice and others less than pleasant.  but, i'll tell you what, i am going to give it my best shot and i am going to take along, besides my husband and my dog, my very best and most positive attitude. so, good luck. don't forget, some things need action to get them out of your system.  it sounds to me like you have more advantages than many people in your favour.  you know france and you know the language and you have family there.  as the Nike advert says, "JUST DO IT!"

tu i have heard some wine "expert" say categorically that uncorking a bottle and just letting it breathe does not work.  apparently, only decanting will allow the air to properly infiltrate the wine.  have you any thoughts on that? sorry, back to kitchens and faults.  i personally love my old-fashioned pantry complete with cold shelf that i have here in the uk but can't see a way of achieving that in my french property without siting it somewhere in the old ruined outbuilding.

er......yes, OFFICER, but of course!  (accompanied by a bit of forelock tugging, if that's ok with you, officer!)

don't they only give you hard boiled ones?  not ones with runny yolks for dipping your soldiers in.  but, boiling eggs in a kettle; THAT takes REAL skill and a perfect sense of timing

blimey, sd, you're NOT a french traffic policeman, by any chance, are you?

thanks all, for the info.  now, how do i go about fitting a BIGGER glove compartment into my car?

well spotted, cassis!  mind you, what about the apostrophes that shouldn't be there?  am i the only person who sees signs like "potatoe's"?

[quote user="J.R."] I aI am going to ask for tea next time, brew it in the pot and see if I get thrown out! [/quote] jr, but the water would still NOT be at boiling point!  it's almost impossible trying to explain how to make a nice cuppa in a way that would make sense to a non brit.  and, believe me, i have tried in many different parts of the world.  then, there is the matter of the milk.  how do you explain that you prefer fresh (as opposed to uht or sterilised or evaporated or any other type) milk in your tea without coming across as being unecessarily fussy and hard to please? wherever i have travelled in the world, one of things i always miss is a nice cup of tea british style, and this from someone who isn't even native born british!

matelot i enjoyed the story and laughed like anything.  thanks

twinks i like the tan.  is it st tropez?

powerdesal shoes are NEVER just "shoes after all"!  to a mere male like you, shoes might just be for protecting your feet and to make it easier to walk on rough ground. alas, to many women, jimmy choos are ASPIRATIONAL, don't you know.  they denote taste (ok, questionable) and MONEY and RANK. there are, of course, all sorts of shoes with a whole paradigm of semiotics involved.  there are those cloth spanish espadrilles which mean sun, sand, sangria and sex and student days there are your first proper court shoes which mean sophistication (in your own estimation if nobody else's) and female cabin staff on aeroplanes there are peep-toes, sort of flirty and "now you see it, now you don't" there are knee-length leather boots; come here, naughty boy, I'M the dominatrix, ok?  or you belong to the gestapo (at least that's the case in films with goody allies and baddy germans) if you are Theresa May of the conservative party, you wear leopard skin kitten heels (see not off thread, still about cats) to party conferences and thereby get yourself inches of column space in newspapers and set yourself apart from the "grey suits".  VERY useful if you don't have anything relevant to say from the conference platform there are, i believe, and i stress i have no personal knowledge of these, what are called **** me shoes which are sort of alluring and suggestive and save you having to spell it out. would go on a bit more, steve, but have now got to go clean my shoes, which are very respectable brown leather loafers (yes i do love loafing)! regards

twinks you're not making sense.  what's this about your camera in the midst of this forum for women putting the world to rights? catalpa i thought you'd gone to bed!

it's not fair, i'm on the wagon!

that's the ring road, pauline

what that posh totty?

bob t thanks for coming up with some concrete comparisons.  i don't really know that much about it as we haven't moved over yet. apart from the examples you have given, i am now much exercised by tax on investment income.  from advice and answers generously given by members of the forum, i am going to be making comparisons between uk based and france based investment (for capital growth) and see how i can minimise the tax burden of course, inheritance tax is another thorny issue but i am hoping that i'll have some time to think about that one as i hope death is not (yet) imminent!  

that is progress of some sort.  getting the money back from the original contractor will undoubtedly present some difficulty but, as the lesser of two evils, a lighter wallet is preferable to a "pongy" tank (as confucious MIGHT have said) all the best

if money were no object, i'd have TWO dishwashers.  then i'd put dirties in one and, when the things are clean, i'd take the stuff out and use them as and when i need them without bothering to put them away in cupboards.  the dirties then always go in the empty dishwasher.  after all loading and unloading is SUCH a chore, n'est pas?

forgot to say, no charges AT PRESENT on flex account if you keep it in credit or, if you know you might go overdrawn (due to prolonged travels and difficulty managing account by remote control), it's best to arrange an agreed overdraft facility.  the interest rate on an agreed o/d with nationwide is not too bad and at least you are then spared charges for inadvertently going over limit. also, i don't believe you need to inform the bank that you are going abroad (i don't think nationwide "locks" your card like some other banks) but it's best to check with them when you get your card

no charges from nationwide itself.  i am not sure about ALL the atms abroad.  because i also have an account with credit agricole, i used their machine last time. there was nothing on the screen when i took money out to say that i would be charged and, indeed, there are no charges on my nationwide statements

Will is right.  i always use my nationwide debit card at the atms; gives me up to £300 equivalent a day and always at the official exchange rate of the day.  no top-up charges of any kind.  i also have one of their credit cards and use that for petrol, restaurants and supermarkets.  again, the appropriate exchange rate for the day and no further charges if you settle in full monthly

oh, coops, i should SO have loved to have seen the comet on her tapestry!  the mind boggles and i am having SUCH a laugh about it. cassis, the gold lion sounds wonderful but, why don't you do one with a HUGE sausage?  Or even better a whole STRING of sausages.  i am only half joking; you know, i love those comic strips where sausages (eg in a tom & jerry cartoon) always come in a tremendously long string like paper streamers!

are there no limits to the man's talents?  don't tell me you are now going to reproduce the bayeaux tapestry?