Mauhoum

Not quite sure what it is, possibly a type of May Fly. I've seen them 'chez moi' as well. They shouldn't sting!   Tony

Golden Oriels are quite difficult to see, as they tend to live right at the top of tall trees. Now and then you'll see them flying from tree to tree and occasionally on the ground, as I did once while out on my mountainbike. It didn't notice me until I was about a foot away, such a beautiful bird, very exotic! I work in the vines, and hear them all day long, as well as Hoopoes.   Tony

I've just bought Feverfew seeds over the internet from http//:www.suffolkherbs.com and they seem to be coming on nicely.   Tony

Vines do suffer from mildew, but brown leaves sounds like oïdium. You can buy chemicals to counteract this from garden centers etc.   Tony

Hi Raindog Cool pic, Vitus are a nice bike. Noticed you have the same toolbag as me, Decathlon Rockrider!! Yes the difference in my climbing ability is notably better with the Cannondale (I need it to be!) Went out this evening and hammered up one of my many local climbs, even though I'm fatigued from working on young (very low) vines. I couldn't have done the same with the old bike, can't wait to get back into the Pyrenees. Going to start with a couple of climbs around Jaca in Spain, before attacking the Col de Soulor after the snow has melted! Happy riding   Tony    

OK I downloaded the pics this morning, here's a photo of my new bike. All shiny and new, I'll try and keep it clean, I promise!! [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/Mauhoum/DCP_3164.jpg[/IMG]   Hope you like it   Tony

Yeah they do that every year, they don't usually give you the full detailed route until around May!   Tony

Yes the 'dale finally arrived three weeks after I ordered it (could have cycled it here quicker!) thanks to Evans Cycles making a real mess of my French address. Aluminium frame with carbon forks, black radially aero spoked wheels and a race red paint job. It looks the business, unfortunately I could only afford the Tiagra groupset for it, it functions well, but weighs more than 105. Still, the frame is the important thing, as I can upgrade the groupset as things break/wear out. The bike weighs a lot less than the old Peugeot, and climbs way better. For the same effort I can climb in one gear higher than before, something I'm sure I'll appreciate in the Pyrenees!! Taken a couple of pics, but haven't yet downloaded them off the camera. I'll post one as soon as I get around to it. Tony  

I've a tatty old, but faithful Peugeot, but waiting for a brand new Cannondale to be delivered any day now[:D]   Tony

Hi, looking for fellow cyclists in and around the deps 64, 65, 40 and 32 for weekend or evening rides. Are there any out there?!!!   Tony

Hi everyone The match was on French telly (France 4) I didn't see all of the match, but it looked like Newcastle had a narrow win with a decision going against Brive in the dying seconds[:)]   Tony

Yes I agree that Pau to Liverpool would be fine too. Interestingly, Tarbes airport originally wanted Ryanair to fly from there, and took Pau airport to the European courts when they snatched the deal from Tarbes! I'm hoping that Tarbes would still be interested in a rival company to Ryanair using their airport.   Tony

Is there anybody else on here who, like me, are from the  very North of England/South Scotland and live in the Pyrenees Atlantiques or Haute-Pyrenees? If so do you too have to fly by Ryanair from Pau to Stansted, then fly by Easyjet up to Newcastle? This is the only way I can see family and friends. I just hate paying two lots of tax and juggling flight times. I've been sending emails to Easyjet, putting a case forward for a route between Newcastle and Tarbes. Seems a good idea to me, what with apparently more northerners now moving to France these days, the two departments also apparently being the next property 'hot spots', and both Lourdes and the mountains being on Tarbes' doorstep. Easyjet seemed interested too, so if you are like me, please back me up and send Easyjet your emails too! Tony

Hi Don't worry, I won't be chucking the steel bike away. I'll use it as a winter 'hack bike'. Thing is it's not worthwhile bolting expensive modern lightweight goodies onto that old frame. I've ridden 'Dales' before, although they were mountainbikes not road bikes. I loved my old Cannondale mtb, no suspension and with no lightweight bits on it, it still weighed next to nowt! Handled superbly as well. I have a passion for light aluminium frames, as I own a Klein mtb and a KHS mtb tandem!!   Tony   

Yeah the mountain passes can be killers. I'm not super fit, so haven't yet got the legs for the Tourmalet or the Aubisque etc. I did ride the Col d'Aspin, the Col de Somport, Col de Marie Blanque (easier side) and the Pont d'Espagne amongst others. The Somport is not steep, but starting from a village called Cette-Eygun, you climb for 23kms[:'(] Can't wait to climb the Col de Soulor and the Aubisque next year. For that though, I'll have to get rid of my dodgy old Peugeot (made of lead I think!!) and buy the Cannondale CAAD 5 I've been saving up for[:)]   Tony

Yes I ride a fair bit. Mainly around where I live, north of Pau, near Lembeye. Great roads with good climbs[:)] I started riding some of the Pyreneen cols this summer, hard but well worth the effort. I also mountainbike occasionally too.   Tony    

Living near Pau, we get to see Le Tour most years, but this year should be exceptional. With the Bastille Day stage going from Pau to the ski resort of Hautacam, and then a rest day in Pau the day after. Lets just hope for a cleaner race this year. Not sure if the new format will make the race more interesting though[8-)]   Tony

Hi I get all the British FTA TV and radio channels on the digi box and dish bought from Brico Depot for 70 Euros[:)]   Tony

Even better, buy a French sat dish and box from Brico Depot for only 70 Euros, and get all the UK radio stations, plus all the 'free to air' telly (if you want that too)   Tony

Hi all I'm looking for fellow cyclists, either road or mountainbike, around Pau/Morlaas/Lembeye areas. Nothing too serious, I usually go out for an hour or two and try to include a climb in the ride. I'm not super fit by any means as my cycling tends to be very occasional due to work and other commitments. I go out by myself, but could do with some company from time to time. So if there are any other enthuisiasts out there who are interested, please let me know.   Mauhoum

Hi Shropshire lass Basically any of the restaurants around the chateau will give you what you want. Yes O'Gascon, and it's nextdoor neighbour (I think!) Chez Olive are very good. Enjoy!   Mauhoum

Hi Charlotte, well each to their own. I for one find that at around 33kbps, the speed is frustratingly slow. Coupled with the fact that there is no way I can view sites with either music or video, and if friends send me photos of anything over 300kb then the outlook express blocks. I have better things to do other than sit around waiting for pages to slowly download!   Tony

Hi Charlotte/Aly So you receive emails via satellite and send emails via Orange dial-up? If so, who supplies the satellite equipment/service? I've only seen Sky packages[:@] but surely there must be others.   Tony

Hi, I don't know if this is the same thing that Tiscali offered me or not, but it was dreadful. Basically it reduced the size of the graphics, thus making pages download quicker. Trouble was that the quality of the images was awful, and I reverted to what I had before.   Tony

You're right Martin, although 500kbps is measly, it is still ADSL and much better than the laughable 33.2kbps I'm running at present!! Yeah for the cheapest satellite option you pay for everything you download, and that includes all pages, so although it seems cheap, the costs could run away with you. Yes all the sites, including France Telecom say there is no other option. Actually there is another option, but at a price that would only be covered by the mairie if the mayor thought it would benifit the commune. It is indeed WIFI. The village of Maumusson in the Gers had the same problem as me, they couldn't get ADSL. Most of the top producers of Madiran wine live there, and they needed ADSL to function properly, as I think any business should. The commune paid for a transmitter called Wifi Max to be installed. The good thing about Wifi transmitters is that they apparently run at true ADSL speeds, and don't drop if loads of people in the same area use the net at the same time. Is ADSL2+ what the French call READSL? Tony