Normandie

Dear all Can anyone help me find some good quality broody hens and pheasant eggs for them to sit on please?! Thanks in advance for any suggestions - not markets - breeders preferred - in the St Lo/Coutance area ... Bonne journee!    

Thank Fay & Will You've made it sound even more attractive now - doh! The planes are small - 9 seaters - wonder if they are always 100% full tho? Have emailed them to see if they ever have last minute reductions - well you never know?!  Everyone else has at the moment ... May just have to save it for a very special occasion!  Would save so much time and hassle and could get picked up the other end no problem ...  [:D]

You always try to plan for every eventuality and not get ripped off but sometimes these things are just outside of your expectations and wildest dreams/nightmares! We had a mean relative of our vendor taking away all sorts from our house and outbuildings - when I complained she said that we were lucky they hadn't taken all the trees [:(](from our 9 hectares) as they were worth a lot of money - so always best to clarify!

Hi all Would love to use this airline: www.skysouth.co.uk but bit too expensive for me ... would be glamourous though eh? Has anyone here used it?  Is it new or was it around before the bmi flights stopped?  Maybe useful if I find any well off friends that would like to visit![:D] Thanks  

Any ideas if this is right anyone? Thank you!!! [:D]

Dear all Have seen the suggestion that I try CEDEO for 15 mm copper piping - thanks - and think I've found what I need - copper piping and elbow joints, 15 mm, to be soldered - but I don't want to send my Dad on a wasted journey to Caen - is it the sort of thing that they will always have in stock do you think? (Yes he could phone but not always very easy!). So I can double check does this sound like the correct translation of what I'm after - I'd like to avoid having to buy it in the UK and posting it to France for him if I can (as he assured me that you can't buy it in France?!) ... raccord courbe SUDO 90 degrees Femmell femell pour tube pression diam: 15 2aCu/5002A for the elbow joint tube cuivre demi dur 13/15 barre de 2ML for the piping Merci et bon journee!

I also look at the forum to feel closer to my 'house' in France! It's not habitable so it's a very long term project but it's nice to see so many other people are enjoying their time in France, and of course I pick up lots of useful info along the way. I'd really like a web cam so I can check it it every week and see what's going on with the weather, wildlife, trees, plants and neighbours (and more importantly their goat!) Bonne journee Val et al, wherever you are/whatever the weather!  Keep warm and well ...

Thank you Mrs MDW I've had a look at the websites which are really helpful.  I think TW may be too far for us to travel to but who knows - I'm sure it would be worth the trip! Wishing you and your puppy all the best for 2007!  

Thanks Will & Anton .... Towing would be a really good option for me so I'll look into that. Driving down to the beach with the top down will be fab - one day!  It's a fantastic car - always starts after months of being left idle and pretty fast so takes some getting used to, especially as there's lots of temptation to 'burn them off' at the lights!!!  How sad! Bonne journee

Well you've made my day ... So I only need to be able that I own it and that's it?!  Doesn't sound like enough red tape to me!!! Great - will get that dealt with and off my longstanding list of things to do ... and will def. do it over the winter. Thanks very much for the prompt replies. BTW Will - you may have missed a question I asked last week or so in response to one of your posts about where that dog breeder was - near you - as I may want to contact them?  Many thanks. [:)]

I suspect the answer to this is no ... but ... thought I'd check! I have a Triumph Vitesse but it's in the wrong country! It's in the UK (not roadworthy) - can I bring it over to France to be worked on in this condition (on a trailer of course!) ? I'm loathe to have to scrap it as one day ... after a lot of work ... it will be beautiful again and great to have.  However, in the meantime, it's costing money to keep in a lock up, when it could be sitting in a barn for free if I could transport it to France and there would be more of a chance of it being fixed in France (but no chance while it is in the UK).  Although it would have to join the queue - renovate house first! I guess if the answer was 'yes' I'd need to consider the transportation cost.  Can you take a trailer on the ferries - I've not ever seen one?   [:(]

[:D] Here's another xmas game for you ... take out any aggression or stress on the sprouts!   Attack of the sprouts !    http://www.eyegas.com/xmas05/

Thanks for those replies - the website has some lovely puppy pics - I'll drop them a line ... Will - if you come across that breeders name I'll look them up too.  

I want to buy a black, male, labrador puppy next sumer for my father (he lives in France) - question is do I but one in England and 'export' it or could we find one in France?  (I live in England). I know he will want one that KC registered and got good hip/eye certs, and a working dog (not show) so is there an equivalent to this sort of standard in France, or will I need to buy one in England and then get a passport, microchips, vaccinations, blood tests etc? I presume that I'd need to keep it for a few weeks so that it can have its vaccinations done before it travels and that would be difficult as I work.  Any advice on how long it takes to get a passport in place? Alternatively does anyone know of any links to breeders in La Manche (50)? Not sure where to start!

I've received a reply:   I confirm that your English Will can cover the dealing of the French shares. (ie the SCI)   My understanding is that you all intend to remain UK domiciled with no intention to relocate to France in which case the SCI's shares will pass under UK inheritance Law under your Will. However it is important to remember that the shares will still remain subject to French inheritance tax.   Unfortunately one partner is domiciled in France so this isn't so clear after all - doh!   Will have to see what the English solicitors have to say ...

Yes, I've had the no petrol on a Sunday at a 24/7 unmanned petrol pump problem before ... luckily I paid the person in front of me cash to put some petrol in on their card as mine wouldn't work! I didn't get a cash card with my Credit Agricole account because it's not free, and because I didn't write the minimum one cheque (on my current/cheque account) during the year, I was charged an admin fee of 20 or 30 euros p.a., so I always write one per year now to avoid the charge! Is there a card that I could obtain - for free - that could be used for petrol etc as it would be useful for these occasions even though they are few and far between - but annoying all the same! Otherwise I'll just continue in this haphazard way as my trips are infrequent! Many thanks   Normandie  

Thanks - I'll look up the appropriate vocabulary! and try that next time I need to do an 'expensive' shop!   Normandie

Dear all I had my Barclaycard refused at Le Clerc (Coutances) over the weekend (while visiting for the weekend). Last time this happened I'd rung Barclaycard to advise them I'd be in France but it still didn't work at Le Clerc.  When I got back I rang Bcard to see if there was a reason why and there wasn't. It always used to work fine. Luckily I used cash anyway but it is a pain.  Just wondered if this has happened to anyone else - not sure if I should request a replacement card to see if that's the problem? It seems to work okay in restaurants, petrol stations etc. Kind regards   Normandie

Thanks for your replies. As my property is an SCI it makes a difference.  Also, I am UK resident but the other shareholder is not but we both need valid wills. So ... on reflection I've contacted the office that set up my SCI for some professional advice and - probably after a couple of reminders! they may contact me so I'll post the outcome so's you know! Best wishes   Normandie    

Thanks for that info Will. I think I really do need to take advice from an English speaking French law/tax expert but I've not done it yet due to the expense (and setting up the SCI was a slow painful experience in itself with the company I used in Portsmouth so I don't really want to go back to them). My latest English will solicitor said not to put the French property into my English will but my previous Solicitor (now retired) did so I'll ask them to do it anyway as I think the first solicitor was right. If anyone has a good contact for French law(re wills)/tax advice pls let me know.  I've made a few investigation but so far they want to talk fees before any discussion whatsoever!  Do the Blevins type books cover these issues in great detail? I'd like to get it settled and then forget about it all for a while! Over + out - off home now! Many thanks Bon soiree   Normandie  

Dear all Sorry to ask this if it's been covered before - can't seem to search for it easily ... but I read recently that a French will can be drawn up by hand, signed and dated and is perfectly valid.  (If this is true I guess that it will have to be in French rather than in English or could it be in English and translated if and when it's required?!). Is this really true or should you really see a notaire? I'm sorting out my English one (UK resident) with a solicitor but feel that I should also have a French one to cover my property in France bought as an SCI. Thanks in advance for any advice.   Normandie

Dear Dick, Cassis and all I have two old copies of the brochures to hand - we got them from our Mairie: 1. Creer ou renouver des haies bocageres, les aides du Conseil General de la Manche and 2. Ameliorons la qualite de nos haies Le Conseil General de la Manche helps 'particuliers' and farmers (you don't have to be a farmer) by distributing 30,000 'plants' to maintain the 'bocage'. There is a form attached which you fill in, specifying what hedge type you have or what trees you'd like to order and then you detach and send it to Chambre Departementale d'Agriculture de la Manche, Service Boisement, MM CLERAN et PESTEL, Maison de l'Agriculture, Avenue de PAris, 50009 SAINT-LO cedex. Service boisement au 02 33 06 49 91. On the old brochure the cost of trees (very small!) were 0.20 Euros.  You can buy them in multiples of 5 up to a maximum of 50: Erable champetre, erable sycamore, aulne glutineux, chene pedoncule, frene, prunellier, charme, chataignier, coudrier, hetre, merisier. The form has to be submitted by mid Sept and then they are available mid/late November (or later in other areas). Hope that helps!   Normandie    

Yes - sorry - I thought of that as I was posting but don't have the info to hand (I'm @ work) so will have a root around for the leaflet or pick up another one when I'm over in France this weekend. Will let you know ...   Normandie

In La Manche we are lucky enough to have a scheme where you can apply for different types of trees (very small saplings) during the summer and then we collect them around now for planting in the hedgerows to fill in any gaps.  They are only a few euros each so you can afford to buy as many as you feel able to plant and nurture. The ones we bought under this scheme last year are all doing very well. Hope you can find something similar in your area! Best wishes     Normandie