ThomasD

just off the top of my head two things spring to mind RA: croquet and bus lanes

I may be wrong but I did think there was more than one occassion where JP lashed out with his fists - but I can only think of the incident to which Hoddy refers. Whatever, I am not sure it is an appropriate response who ever you are. It may be an urge we all get when confronted in taht sort of way, but I thought I was taught to reign in urges like that. The real point, however, is that it shows JP acts before he thinks - and we have many, many incidents of that[:)]

I have been using Paypal as a way for my guests to pay for two years now, and touch wood I have not had any problems. On a few occassions people were not able to pay using Paypal because they had gone over their limit, then they did a bank transfer and that also worked out fine.

JP has come a long way, and should be respected for that, and I believe he was once a force for the good. But someone like him can only trade on his roots for so long, there does come a time when you have to be judged on current performances. I used to think he was the only good thing about the Labour Party. I am afraid since 1997 he has demonstrated he can be little more than a common thug. I am not surprised the press have a go at him, he is the most condescending and patronising politician the UK has (and that takes some doing Edit: perhaps I should revise this - just heard the dulcet tones of Margaret Beckett, ok so he is one of two of the most ....). Judging by his performances, he can not answer a question without blaming the media or the Tories, or even throwing a punch. Not a strategy to be encouraged. I detest the way he (and TB is as bad) always tries to dodge questions by saying the country is not interested in that question. And, despite being in power for how many years now, you would think by the way he does respond (if anyone is ever lucky enough to get something that can be called a response) they came to power a few months back. Its been said before - you can only knock the previous regime for so long .... While both JP and John Major are both 'done well' lads, IMHO power did not go to JM's head as much as it has so clearly done with JP.

Twinkle ... no one gets banned on this thread ... they have to do a dance, while 10kgs of prunes get lobbed in their direction[Www] 

Meg can I do the prune minuet while you do that?

[off topic ...my new pear tree has its first blossoms today [B] ] I just do not want to be doing ten dances!!! How long does a minuet last anyway? I know what a kg of dried fruit looks like[6]

Re Meg's warning post, does that mean you have to eat ten kgs of the afore mentioned dried fruit while doing the stately dance or while others do the stately dance in your company? Or is it 1 kg per dance?

I agree with Prasutagus. I have commented on another thread at the seeming randomness of deletions ...so wont repeat those views here (although those posts are sure to be deleted soon enough) ... I find the very notion of a 'conversation' staying 100% on topic bizarre, unreal, unhuman, etc , etc. There is going off topic, and there is going off topic - only a bit of P's suggested discretion can distinguish between the two, and the many shades in between. Conversations that are real have a habit of diverting - that is life!

[quote user="Tresco"] Edit; Especially since you, and I, have both just added off topic comments[;-)] [/quote]  ... entirely intentionaly on my part. Although I take your point, not sure I was being churlish. I was making a straight forward observation that I think the pruning of this thread has been more for expedience than relevance. In which case, why bother pruning?! And I did so all to aware I was off topic, as are the four posts to which I was referring to. [;-)]

There are at least four posts that have survived pruning that have absolutely nothing to do with the topic ... and yet at least one (that I remember anyway) that was at least on topic has gone ... [8-)] ...  the mind boggles it really does ...

[quote user="Dick Smith"] But it's too late now... [/quote] Sadly, never truer words said [:(] [:(]

I want to think along the lines of DS, and others, I had so muh hope invested in Blair. But if he is so politically astute how is it he has filled the cabinet with such loosers. Kelly is surely the worst of the lot - what that woman and her two predecessors did to the education system, under the guidance of Blair, in the UK is nothing short of criminal. Hearing Milliband on R4s 'Any Questions' this last week he is more of the same I fear. [As an aside, and I hope I dont get zapped for going off thread, I have heard so many versions of the avocado mousse story I am sure it is an urban political myth.]    

[quote user="Monika"] Many French people have told me that superficial friendliness is typical of the South, and people will be all over you at first, but just out of nosiness (or curiosity, that sounds less harsh!).   Once they know what they want to know, you won't see them again. [/quote] Interestingly, my neighbour told me this about all the people in our commune in Seine Maritime (Normandy)... and ironically it was most applicable to her [:D][:D]  

From my own, two years worth of experience I think one of the biggest dangers in this topic, either in this thread or in the many many others like it, is that far too many people generalise far too readily. What works for one person does not necessarily (in fact in all probability is perhaps more accurate) work for others. From my own circumstances (why/how I came to France, what has happend to my personal situation once here) by rights, according to some of the loudest voices on this forum, I should have gone bust ages ago and lost everything. I have not. I admit it has not been easy, but I am hanging in here and am giving it everything I have. Given my circumstances I am sure others may very well have fared better, and others worse, and that would be the same for me given other sets of circumstances. The endless 'attempts' to find the perfect list of why some people do not make it in France, so that future people do not fall into the same trap, are futile. I do not believe there are two sets of personal circumstances that are ever going to be very similar. How each person fits in, or not, depends on a whole range of factors and issues, from personal attitudes, values and beliefs to social circumstances beyond their control. But that does not mean that others can not learn from individual experiences - whether of 'failures' or sucesses.

[quote user="Richard and Alex"]  the Car Agent he told me that it will cost the sum of 6,200 EUROS  to supply cars for the clients. ... What are they hiring - Rolls Royces!!!! [/quote]   Obviously your Edward has a better job than Cassis's Alice  

[quote user="Bugbear"] Alice, Alice, who the **** is Alice. [/quote] [:D][:D]At the beginning of this part of the thread I thought of the song ... but I refrained OK ... enough of Alice, its Chaos at the Chateau time [:'(]

[:(] Poor Alice.

V, I planted a row of lavendar - and have also lost a few. I have noticed that the lavendar plants seem to attract the moles. First, I get a few molehills at the base of the plant, and then the plant dies. Some of the plants have a "shoe-sized" hole at the base. I was certain it was the moles. But, I know my cat loves sitting at a molehill for hours waiting for the slightest movement of soil, and then she digs like a dog[:@]

This week, in France, is 'semaine sans pesticide'. France is the world's third, behind USA and Japan, user of pesticide! Anyone with some greener tips? I wind copper wire around the lip of pots a couple of turns to keep away slugs and snails. Works a treat.

I am afraid I am going to join 5-element in the fallout shelter as soon as I press 'post' [quote user="hastobe"] we are northerners too vickybear and I agree we make, absolutely the best fish and chips - fried in beef dripping - non of this namby pamby low cholesterol stuff... [/quote] I have to play the nationalism card and disagree, with at least one point. I agree with the beef dripping bit, but not the 'best chips'. In my previous life in South Africa and then the UK I was an archaeology lecturer. When I took students on fieldtrips to South Africa, the first stop for me straight off the 9 hour flight was the chip shop. I would buy each student a bag of chips (two for me), and defy them to tell me they were not the best chips they had ever had! I think it was only those who wanted distinctions agreed with me. [;-)] Just shows how cultural food is!

I was starting to miss dear Alice ... 

I moved from South Africa to the UK in 1994, and although I am a British Citizen I found that relocation anything but straight forward. I did not have a NI number, and I thought trying to get one was a performance. There are things that you just take for granted, often you could not spell these out even if you needed/wanted to, that make life easy that are done differently in different parts of the world. But it did get better! And then I relocated to France - yes, a sucker for punishment as I had to relearn it all over again. I think what has made it seem worse about relocating to France is the language difference. I speak French quite well, but I still thought sometimes sorting things out was a bit of an uphill struggle. But it is worth it, a hundred times over. Incidentally,  I had my car shipped from South Africa to the UK, and I came to France with a car: I though it was easier bringing a car into France (not the physical movement, the administrative movement). I find dealing with taxes so much easier in France than in the UK.

[quote user="Cassis"] Kathleen Reynolds, 80, Romford Rd, London, E15 4BZ  United Kingdom That differs from the one I got in several respects.  I suppose there's a 60% chance they could be related, though. [/quote] OR, you could check your skills as a statistician and ask if she is related to Kathleen[:D]

[:-))] No surprise there then! Given your contact details are on your website can it do any harm to send the information? I would play along with her before doing what Miki suggests??? As I am sure you are well aware Cassis, from what I have heard from others in this biz, and if this is the usual kind of scam, you will receive a cheque for your costs plus a whole lot more ... in the hope you will rush off to cash it, and while you are waiting for the cheque to clear you will get an email asking to immediately return the difference by Western Union in the hope you will do so before the cheque clears. And, as you know, the original cheque will bounce. And if anyone thinks this does not work, it happened to an old lady in our commune last June. The police here, and in London (the address for the return of the extra dosh was given as a London address), didnt want to know. She lost 1000 Euros. If this is the scam, you could wait for the cheque, 'deposit' it, and then when you get the email requesting an immediate transfer, say you will do so as soon as the cheque clears. Going on others' experiences you will get a few frantic emails asking you to send it immediately for various reasons, and then they will give up. By which time the cheque will have bounced. If you suggest a Paypal payment Alice will certainly say shey can not do one of those, and blame it on UNESCO.