Rose

Hello... gosh I remember that first thread! Thanks for bringing it back 🙂 I am still walking, Greyman comes with me now too. We retired this year and travelling and walking a great deal; currently in Sri Lanka. I'm glad the forum is still going. So many folks helped us as we started our new life in France and France has been very kind to us. 🥰

Hello boys and girls... its been a long long time since I dropped by but for some reason I thought of you all. How is everyone? We're still in our little corner of France, but currently travelling as much as we can. What's new with you guys 🙂

[quote user="mint"]Rose, great to see you back................and looking as lovely as ever![kiss] [/quote] I wish I could play the piano... I have one and I tinker but I've never learned... one day maybe? I am back from another long walk too... 1006 km this time from Seville to St James.  And I am looking a little trimmer too... I managed to lose 25kg this year... five years cancer free and feeling pretty good! I hope all is good in your corner of France [kiss] [kiss] p.s. I havent baked a carrot cake for ages

I can sing (I sing at lots of weddings and parties here in France) ... and I can also walk a lot

[quote user="grumpyaudeman"]"So I’m not asking for sponsorship with nothing in return. I’m offering you a service and in return I ask that you make a donation" As an atheist "The best of fortune" If this charity is important to you why not forgo the long walk and just donate the money you would have spent or am I paying for your holiday ,admittingly with a good intent[/quote] Hello Grumpyaudeman and thanks for your thoughts. Just to clarify you're not paying for my walk, my walk is mine and always has been... all of the money I raise is being split between the two charities.  And just to further clarify, I was always going to walk, I have been doing this ever since I recovered from cancer... it's a way of making me feel alive.  A number of friends have suggested that I use the opportunity to try and raise funds... I've always been a tad reluctant because it adds pressure to something that is much more personal.  However, recently two events happened to people that do mean something to me, so I thought... why not? And to further clarify... I'm already carrying something for another atheist... your beliefs are your own.

Hello folks... a few years ago Mint and Gemonimo walked the Camino Frances, a voyage of almost 800km across northern Spain to Santiago.  Their journey inspired me to follow in their footsteps in 2014... and then I became a bit of an addict. [:D] In 17 days I leave to walk the Via de la Plata.  Starting in Seville, I hope to walk to Santiago de Compostella and then on to Fisterra and Muxia... a total of 1128 kms. I'm walking with purpose in 2016 and I hope to raise £1128... and I would welcome any and all support.  You can find out more from my blog... Rose is walking with Purpose... which documents my first camino and everything walking wise since then... and I'll make regular updates whilst walking. [:$]

Garden Girl and Mint - meeting up again sounds like a grand idea!  I wont be back until around mid-november; I've given myself 7 weeks to walk.  Hopefully I wont be back early!  I'll be keeping a blog again so I'll let you have a link when I start. I did indeed love meeting everyone with Coops - maybe we could do something like that again - I'll even make another carrot cake [:D] And yes... Bergerac is very lovely too (one of Greyman's favourite restaurats is in the old town L'Imparfait, Bergerac)

[quote user="Patf"]Hello Rose - good to see you again [:D] I remember you being poorly - have things improved now? [/quote] Hello Patf I am really well thank you.  Can you beleive that was 5 years ago!  It took me a couple of years to shake it all off but I really am in very good health. (touch wood!) So much so that in 2014 I followed Mint's and Gem's footsteps across the Camino Frances... to kind of celebrate being here.  I did a part of it again last year and in September I'm hoping to walk the Via de la Plata... and when I'm not doing that I sing in a band... in short life is good. I hope that the same is true for you and yours. [kiss]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]... I am plucking up the courage to go to the Dordogne to see what all the fuss is about. [/quote] For 20 years of holidays in France we did the same as you... and thought it best to avoid the Dorodgne.  We only came to look because of the flights to the SW of the UK.  After a week of driving around we realised what all the fuss was about... there really are some very very lovely places to visit... even if just for a holiday.  Of course there are lovely places everywhere, but the Dordogne has a good share of them. Why not find a hotel in Perigueux, there are lots to choose from and it's a good base from which to explore. Happy travels.

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]Hi Rose Do you live in the Dordogne ? I am thinking of moving there. What is it like ?[/quote] I do indeed live in the very beautiful Dordogne.  We live her by accident, rather than design... indeed it was Bergerac Airport and it's flights to the SW of England that first brought us here... and I'm very glad we came! I'm with Mint, I love this little corner of France and I dont recognise the Dordogne that some folks talk of.  One of the drawbacks of living in such a beautiful place is that you do have to put up with a great number of seasonal visitors but I'm more than happy to share.  Our son has gone through primary school, College and now Lycee here and each school has been excellent.   Sadly I also had my share of hospitals and health care services and they were all brilliant too... and nothing too far away either. There are good transport links, it's not too far from the wonderful city of Bordeaux and there is plenty going on to satisfy most folks.  We've been here nearly 9 years and we have some wonderful friends and neighbours... maybe we're just lucky but France has been good for us.

[quote user="Loiseau"]Well, hello Rose! What a lovely surprise on a spring morning! Angela[/quote] Well thank you... that's very nice of you to say so [:D]

I couldn't sleep and I thought I would drop by; it's been awhile.  I found this thread and I'm rather comforted to see that some things never change... ALBF was new to me though [:D]

Hello fellow walkers and pilgrims... just a quick update to say that I'm walking the camino frances again from Saturday and I'll be trying to keep my blog up to date... if anyone is interested. I'm starting in St Jean and weather permitting hope to get to Roncesvalles and carry on to Burgos.  I can only do 2 weeks this time but may be able to come back and finish in October. [:D]

[quote user="Mandy"]We will be moving to France next year with our daughter who will be 16 years. Can any please give advise on education options please.We live near Confolens .[/quote] Hi - you don't give a lot of information in your post but if your daugther is new to France and isn't able to communicate well in French I would say moving her at 16 to complete her education in a French school would be a mistake.  I say this not because I think the schools are bad, but simply because I feel your daughter is too old. There is the option of Inter High - which is an online school where she could study... I'm guessing she's looking to study a-levels?  http://www.interhigh.co.uk/ Failing this I think an international school is your only other option but I'm not sure if there are any near Confolens?

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[quote user="mint"] All this advice has come at a critical time for me as I now have to decide whether it shall be all drawers and no cupboards at all or to have one or two cupboards.   [/quote] I would say try to think of the drawers as cupboards that you can pull out. [:$] It's not easy deciding on a new kitchen is it... you have to keep it for years and years but use it constently.  I was really nervous when planning ours - it was a room built from nothing so I had total control but I got a few things wrong that are a right pain; I put the dishwasher in totally the wrong place but I have to live with it.  We had an island and I made a mistake with open shelves - stainless steel that always looks dusty.  I thought of replacing them but instead I'm going to move them a little and put an MDF back onto them which I can paint... it will be more of a breakfast bar than an island now. [:$] I choose one small cupboard to fill a gap and I use it to store bowls and pots that I rarely use... but when I do need them I have to get on mu knees and lift everything out to find the thing I want. I didn't use wall cupboards as I dont have a lot of ceiling height and I worried it would make the room look shorter - if I had the extra height I would have gone with them - I love the glass fronted doors but I suspect they'd be a pain to keep clean and shiny.  I have got shelves and fill them with pretty things which I know a few folks would hate... and I have things hanging from the wall too. It is all personal choice and I bet you'll end up with a kitchen that works great for you [kiss]

[quote user="Théière"]... And Rose, only had to ask and she shows hers drawers. [:-))] [/quote] It has been said before [:-))]

[quote user="idun"]Drawers I have a question about not having cupboards and just drawers in kitchens. How on earth do they stand up to having plates and bowls and side plates..... well, all the crockery. It is a very very long time since I only had say 4 of each in my cupboards (I was but a young thing then, and I am not now). I had a few more place settings before I moved to France, but after living there, I just found that I needed lots, so I now have at least 12 of everything all the time, and I use them. (And I do have lots of spares in the dresser next to my dining table too, just don't use them all the time) I just cannot see any drawer being up to having that weight in, and in regular use, so please, do they? I would be very upset if a drawer collapsed, say on my feet, or just collapsed and broke my crockery. [/quote] I don't remember the weight limit for the drawers but it's fairly chunky - they are designed to hold all your kitchen food and equipment.  The great thing about drawers is that you pull everything out and you dont have to scramble around trying to find the thing you want at the very back of the shelf.  Here's one of my drawers... this is an 8 peice set [URL=http://s1299.photobucket.com/user/csims63/media/aacbd5fa-e053-4f57-a46a-c06a82aa0ec7_zpsitesgzty.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag61/csims63/aacbd5fa-e053-4f57-a46a-c06a82aa0ec7_zpsitesgzty.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Years ago I remember never having a draw in the kitchen as I felt they were a wasted of time and then I saw my friends kitchen that was only drawers and it was a revelation to me... now I wouldn't have anything else... but I guess it's a very personal choice. [:D]

Mint my dear worry not as you can have whatever colour you like... well not quite but the METOD is the cupboard frame... I think it comes in white or a dark oak colour.  These are just the frames and you just choose the frames you need to fit your kitchen.. the choice is more tall or wide, for sinks, with drawers, corners that kind of thing... it the structure of the kitchen. You can then choose from their door collections... whites, wood, colours, glass or patterns... and you can choose the handles too. But... I have seen one of their grey kitchens and it does look very nice [:D]

[quote user="mint"]Pommier, another endorsement for Ikea and I have now emailed the installer and told him I had chosen! Can you or Rose please tell me what model (as near the Swedish name as possible[:)]) that you have installed in order that I can check it online? [/quote] Mint - all the cabinets are the same, there is a new cabinet called METOD.  Lots of different widths and drawers or shelves... this is the online area http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/ but their planner is fairly easy to use and lets you try a few ideas.  http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/rooms_ideas/kitchen_howto/EU/plan_your_kitchen_in_3d.html I have one kitchen with their old model FAKTUM (which is now gone) and the utility room in the new kitchen METOD... both good but I think the newer one has more solid drawers. Once you've decided on the cabinets you need you then choose which door front and handles you like .. so totally flexible. I planned both kitchens using the planner and just printed off the shopping list when I'd done and tool it into Bordeaux.

Hi Idun We bought the double oven with pyrolytic cleaning, it's a range style with 6 rings.  It was not a cheap oven and so I was expecting great things.  The fan oven doesn't cook evenly - if I'm baking a quiche I always have to turn it half way through so it is an even brown... it's not a huge issue but I would have expected that to not be an issue. The pyrolytic cleaning was a disaster - we used the setting once to clean the oven before we went on holiday... and I had a friend house-sitting.  The glass door exploded a bit like this https://www.flickr.com/photos/royaltech/4413992813/ When we contacted SMEG they basically said that's unfortunate, you need to buy a new piece of glass and pay for us to instal it.  It's not a unique experience... if you search google it seems to happen too often for it not to be of concern. I've never used the setting since but it was one of the reasons we bought the cooker. Also, the hob rings no longer light automatically.  They stopped one by one and again SMEG say we must have their engineer out to fix them... we were quoted 160€.  The first one went after just a couple of years. The cooker we bought was almost twice the price of our previous range but we thought we were buying new technology and a trusted brand.  We've found the technology to be dissappointing and the customer service non-existant.  But, I am open to just being unlucky?

Hello - it was indeed the Itchy Feet Tour and dear old Coops.  We are all very well thanks ... I've just today finished painting my kitchen... I may even bake a carrot cake now [:D] Maybe we should meet up again in the spring/summer.. when the weather is a bit warmer... I'm happy to make more cake [blink] p.s. hope you and yours are all well too[:D] EDIT - and dont mention my knees... on my last day before Santiago (19km to go) I fell over smack onto my knees and even now 3 months later they are still tender.  I really hope I haven't done any permenant damage as I'm walking again in April... although only 350km this time

Hello - I'm being a bit naughty here as I've not read all of the last 16 pages... but I just wanted to say I've had 2 IKEA kitchens and I love them.  I've used the online planner to organise both which is great when you arrive in the shop with your printed shopping list... the planner is a bit slow and clunky but does the job. Also, I LOVE drawers - I will never buy a cupboard without drawers again. You're welcome to come and visit and take a look if you're passing my corner of the Dordogne  [:D] p.s. I bought a SMEG cooker and paid a small fortune for it and that was a big big mistake... but I have a Liebherr Fridge that I got from Darty and it's great and Darty have also been good. Sorry for being lazy xx

Hi Yonner - so glad to hear you made it ... sorry to hear about the hiccups along the way but glad you got to Santiago! I would do it again in a heartbeat but sadly I just dont have the time in April.  I am going to try and squeeze 16 days out of the holiday for walking and Greyman will join me for the last 6 days.   I didn't start at St Jean last time (I walked from Roncesvalles) so I would like to start there and just see how far I get.  I'm happy walking 20-25km a day so I hope I can get into a routine that means I stay in different towns and villages... I'm confident that I can but I'm not going to plan anything. Interesting about Via de la Plata... someone else has told me its not so pretty. I've got plenty of time to decide... the main thing is for me to plan to take the 6 weeks out... but already looking forward to it. Well done to you both and as you say it is pretty fantastic! p.s.  I was blonde but am now copper... but maybe blonde again in April [Www]

ah Kitty - my blog has indeed gone silent as life and christmas just took over... as it always does! My feet are actually totally fine.  Once I'd got over the initial blisters early on my feet felt good.  The only issue I've had since I got home is from my knee... but from where I fell on the last evening before Santiago rather than the walking.  It is getting better but I still can't kneel... it hurts too much [:(] I've started training again this week... christmas festivites are done and I'm walking again in April.  I cant do the entire path as I dont have the time but I'm going to try and do half of it.  I'm starting in St Jean on the 14th of April (maybe).  Very excited but sad that I can do it all again.  And one of the ladies I met from the US is coming to visit us in September and she and her husband are going to walk one of the other routes. In October me and Mr Greyman will be cycling from Bordeaux to Sete and then in Autumn 2016 I'm going to either do the Francis again or have a go at the Portuguese route or the Via de la Plata (which is 1000km)... I think I'm addicted! So the blog will start again... but it maybe slow in coming... sorry! [kiss]