Ford Anglia

I've spent a few hours on Bordeaux station, (along with most large stations in France), and have never had, or seen any trouble. French railway police are generally around on large stations, identified by their armbands. Watching of bags and wallets is fairly commonsense in ANY crowded areras, mind, including the UK. As for changing trains, all French trains have a "train number". This will be shown on the timetable posted on most platforms, on any info screens, and on the main info screen at the platform entry. It is then USUALLY shown on info screens on the platform it will arrive at, or by wooden post type signs ditto. Simply look for it's number and then find it's platform. On small stations you're MUCH less likely to have to change platforms because the train did. If you want to experience THAT particular pleasure, I suggest a visit to Birmingham New Street[:@]

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"] Apart from a fly swat this is the only decent thing that gets rid of these annoying pointless pests. [/quote] Annoying? Yes, definitely. Pests? When around humans, yes, I suppose so. Pointless? Not really, what about the job their maggots do getting rid of dead animals? Anyway, Le Bon Dieu put them here, who are WE to argue?[:D] Personally, I HATE to kill anything, but the wife does insist occasionally for flies and bluebottles. We have swats and a couple of those electric tennis reckets, but they are a bit too much like hard work for me....... Also, Screwfix Fly and Wasp killer is almost instant knock down and dirt cheap.

[quote user="pale pink specs"] [quote user="Pickles"][quote user="pale pink specs"]or are there now two twinkles? [8-)][/quote] It certainly looks that way. I think that there is a bug in the forum software (there certainly used to be) which meant that it doesn't seem to register correctly name changes. Hence if you sign up under one name, and then change to a second name afterwards, the software does NOT prevent anyone else from choosing your new (second) name (though it will prevent anyone choosing the FIRST name that you chose). Happened to me. Regards Pickles [/quote] I wonder if the 2 Twinkles know? [/quote] Each other? That there are two of them? Well, we have Twinkle, Twinkle, now where's "Little Star"?

HOW do they work? Simple physics says that if they take the heat (energy) out of the air to cool it, they have to PUT that heat (energy) somewhere else. Like it comes out of the rear of a fridge/freezer. So in effect, the best a stand alone one can do is direct a stream of cool air onto you, while directing a stream of warm air onto someone else? Unless, of course, YOU know better[;-)]

Lavender are probably like foxgloves. Foxgloves come from a little known plant family, known as witekthepis, and will only germinate where THEY want to.[:D] Put as many seeds in as you like. Wait for ever, NOTHING. But then, lo and behold, foxgloves have come up all over your gravel path, in the cracks of the pavement, in pots you didn't want them in, the list goes on. I even had one germinate in a semi-blocked gutter. Imagine if I'd left it[:-))] I've given up, I just enjoy the stupid things WHEREVER they come up.

"Aspect Ciree" means it's a sort of silk finish, a bit like wax, which is "cire" in French. When I've used vitrificateur, it's been with a brush. It tends to be thin, so be ready for any drips.

Thee used to be a feature of the Meteo France website that allowed you to look at microclimates. Our property is in southern Haute Vienne at around 450m, and IS cold in winter. it seems to get plenty of rain too[:(] but gets VERY hot in summer.

Thanks for that. I hadn't thought of chalking on the plan, but it sounds a good idea.

Cutters and crimpers, OK, but what do the trowels and sponge disc do?[8-)]

I've had so much stuff undelivered, lost etc over the last few years in the UK, that I automatically pay extra for special D, recorded, registered, insured etc. I've recently been sending stuff using Special delivery envelopes rated at 2kg.  The envelopes are costed at £7.75 each. This year the PO insisted on weighing them, (they never have before), and found one at 2120g. They wanted nearly £14 extra. I declined and found a second envelope, splitting the contents. I do sometimes wonder if it's a PO scam though?

Agreed, and I promise NEVER to rise to any more insults, veiled or otherwise. Any chance we could have a "smiley" that rolls it's eyes? I find THAT one very useful against keyboard warriors on another forum.[:P]

Overwatered? I don't think so, it did FAR better on a watering can full per day, it was summer that did for it, apparently. The wall it's on faces SE, but is shaded by a walnut tree for part of the day. Possible problem, then if it wants FULL sun?

It's worth a thought. My wife wouldn't want anyone doing it that wasn't ULTRA careful though, as she's one of  "those" gardeners whi INSIST in putting shrubs, wildflowers etc etc in the grassed area, then moans if they get damaged by the mower.

Vaseline? Ugh. I swear by Sudocrem. Waterproofs, protects, soothes minor irritations and seems to promote healing.

[quote user="Ron Avery"][quote user="Ford Anglia"] That's what New Labour have put on the statute books since 1997. And that DOES NOT include any EU legislation. [/quote] So what?? Isn't that what governments do?    Didn't a couple of airpanes hit a building in New York in 2001 and 57 people get killed on the London Underground or have you forgotten about that? So come on, how manyof these  laws in your opinion were unnecessary then? Post edited by moderator in accordance with Code of Conduct [/quote] Forty-three[:P] I can't win. If I refuse to post when I'm insulted, or someone is rude to me, I get pilloried. When I DO post, my posts are deleted.

Chateau Miau: THANKS A LOT! NOT!!!!!! That's all I need, now I have to worry about snakes in the grass as well as cutting it. Oh well, I suppose the wife could do it? (Sighs.) Chris pp: I'm also unsure of your posts re being bitten. All the French I've spoken to about snakebite, say the same thing: get to a hospital asap. And anyway, if I was to be bitten, I reckon the venom would be the LEAST of MY worries. I think a heart attack just might see me off on the spot. The last time I saw a snake fairly close up, I was still shaking an hour later.

I doubt they'd hire a seat without the car, but asking costs nowt. A bit easy to nick.......... They'd probably rightly ask for a HUGE deposit. Have you thought of buying one, using it, then putting it on e-Bay?  

We put one in last February. By Easter it was growing well, and during April, I watered it daily, being in France on my own. It had tendrils for climbing, and I put up some wires to support it. We left the house during summer for 4-5 weeks. When we got back the tendrils had died, the plant looked ill. This year it STARTED to recover, then the leaves yellowed, and NO tendrils, no good growth. The other shrubs we put in at the same time, (Jericho's Trumpets), did very litttle growth last year, but are doing well THIS year. Is it suffering from water lack? It's against a wall, in open ground, but the house DOES overhang, although the o/h is 20 feet up. However, two OTHER shrubs under the same overhang are doing really well. Any suggestions gratefully received.

[quote user="Russethouse"] Crikey, FA - my honeysuckle has always had mildew or blackspot or both [:(] and a  professional gardener of some repute told me this is  common and winter flowering jasmine do better on a north or east facing wall or fence in my experience- lovely though it is....... You may have found differently ............ [/quote] Yep, definitely different. I put two Honeysuckles in, two years ago this Easter, at our French property, BOTH have already had to be trimmed back as they are rampant, and the smell is overpoering even from 10 yards away. Both were weedy little cheapo specimens from a local Briconauts. Our Winter Jasmine faces south and again, has to be cut back regularly or it takes over. That IS in the Uk, mind. On another note, someone else on here mentioned Wisteria (Glycine), and can anyone input for me on the other thread regarding those? Thanks.

Two I'd recommend are common honeysuckle: it'll grow just about anywhere, and Winter Jasmine: good cover in the summer and flowers in the winter.

Thanks all, I'll have a look next time we're over, better to buy French and get an NF mark.

So.............is it plaster skimmed, papered, painted, or what, once up? And if not plastered, how are the cracks hidden? Thanks for inputs so far.

That's what New Labour have put on the statute books since 1997. And that DOES NOT include any EU legislation. Frightening. It's apprently a 25% increase on the previous ten years. But of course, our civil liberties aren't being eroded. Walter Wofgang, anyone? And NO, this didn't come from any newspaper........

Like the ones in chain hotels. My wife wants one for cool-ish nights when the heating isn't otherwise on. I've looked in Screwfix, but they don't appear to do them. Are they a continental type thing?

[quote user="chris pp"] How can speed restrictions be revenue raising,  is it in the same way that making theft illegal is designed to fill the courts and the prisons and spend money?[/quote] Nope, those laws protect people from crimes that WILL affect them. Speeding laws protect from crimes that MIGHT hurt someone, and are arbitrary, so no problem for the local Scamera partnershiop to put in an unrealistic limit and a nice camera to enforce it. A bit like the raodworks in the UK, with 50mph, or even 40mph limits on them "to protect the workforce", but enfoced 24/7, with no evidence of ANY workforce at the majority of sites outside normal working hours. Come on, I haven't had a speeding fine in 40 odd years, lucky maybe or ..... [quote user="chris pp"]From an environmental perspective I  gather that these zones are usually placed in residential areas or near schools where there should be little through traffic, so it should be people coming and going from their homes and saving lives in this instance should be a priority, of course less vehicle use would be a real environmental winner. Chris [/quote] Would that they were all like that. Unforunately, our local authority has chosen the only 20mph limit in town to be on a relatively busy through street, linking one end of town to another, since they cut the access to the High St. And then they sold the land earmarked for a bypass at the south end of town, for housing, ( FAR more income, don't y'know?), and shelved the bypass, which would have taken HUNDREDS of  44 tonne lorries a day off the road that passes a local school........Road safety? Give me a break.