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Gemini_man

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Posts posted by Gemini_man

  1. HaHaHa, good joke - small pool 9ft diameter - we paid over 500 euros last year for water - your pool must be more than 100 mts deep if you are blaming your bill on it  :D

    Sorry, I know you won't see the funny side of that but really - get real please!!!!!!

  2. Unfortunately termites are a fact of life in France especially in the South-West and in Paris.

    Here's a link showing a map of the problem:  http://www.termite.com.fr/donneesbase/cartefrance.php

    To learn more about termite traps this is a very good site even though it is Australian and European termites are different the method is basically similar:   http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/forestry/5040.html

    Our neighbours recently found termites in their house and called out the experts. It cost them approximately 4,000 euros for traps to be set and an anti-termite barrier around the house. My understanding is from a termite inspector that termites are not interested in very old very dry timber. It's cellulose they want and that's more in abundance in relatively new timber. And it's very unlikely you will hear termites at work in a beam unless you have a stethoscope. What you will hear is Capricorn larvae chomping away - they are much more common but much less of a worry or so I understand!

  3. That's really good news Chris and I totally agree with you that if you're straight with them they are usually more than ready to help sort your problem - and I'm talking about MSA here in my case, everyone's favourite organisme  :D

    And if I may give a word of advice: in my opinion, don't concern yourself too much about the people waiting to stick a knife in your back - life is too short - get on with what you're good at and more importantly what you enjoy doing, do it right and let the others stew - just my view :).

  4. JK, motivation is all. If you have a good reason for quitting then you can do it. I gave up smoking 3 months before my daughter was born (first child). I had promised myself that I would do so before she was born. My daughter is now 19 and I don't regret giving up for a moment. However, I know very well that I could easily light up even now and would still enjoy the disgusting taste and smell of tobacco - that's how strong a drug it is. But I feel so much cleaner and sociable now than when I was a smoker and I don't worry about my health because of it. My advice to my children has been quite simply: never start because once you do it's bloody hard to stop!

    Well it sounds like you have found your motivation and I wish you all the strength to ignore the pangs of desire you will feel to "just have one fag" - it's all or nothing I'm afraid. But believe me it is worth it in the end [:D]

  5. Sorry to anyone on a diet but ......

    Something that we have not found a good substitute for until yesterday -

    My OH came back from LeClerc with a tub of Péchalou Crème Douce Epaisse

    well I was forced to stop what I was doing while she opened it for a tasting and yep it has the taste and texture of double cream so it's Blackberry and Apple Pie with Double Cream this weekend [:D]

    It's in a dumpy sort of brown and white pot in the cream section - only telling you all to help create a demand so LeClerc continue to stock it [:)]

  6. Wooly,

    There is little in your last post that I disagree with. I am not a sheep and far more likely to shy away from any popularist redemption theory than be attracted to or influenced by it. Indeed anything Evangelical or Gospelish leaves me colder than cold ie. it would have a negative effect.

    I have cancelled the rest of this post because the thread is moving too fast making it somewhat irrelevant!!

    But I will say: many of us may have a perceived alcohol problem, even if not admitted, simply because we either drink too much or too regularly. This is the point I would be interested in discussing rather than the "how should I best deal with being an alcoholic" point of view.

  7. Some suggestions:

    1) Simply roast in the oven, peel then sprinkle with salt and eat while still hot [:P]

    2) Peel, cook until soft then add to boiled potatoes and mash together

    3) as above then fry in a little oil until browned

    4) Stuffing - but you already know that [:D]

    Just make sure they are actually marrons [;-)]

  8. Wooly,

    I have no problem with you or your views and I would forcefully defend the right for anyone to speak out if and when they feel strongly on a subject.

    My problem is simply that I feel, and it would appear so do some others, that your posts are denying Chris Head and indeed Meg to raise a subject in public that affects many of us.

    I am not saying that you or your daughter are wrong in your opinions but I am saying you do not and should not have the right to stifle discussion of a subject in an open forum because you disagree with it.

    And on the subject of the moderation of these forums I personally am firmly in favour of mods doing their job otherwise any contentious debate would end in a verbal punch up and I'm not interested in that.

  9. Last year we had a ton of apples from our 6/7 year old Bramley that we imported from the UK.

    This year we have none - not one :(

    Apparently if they have too large a crop they can get into a two year cropping cycle so in future if our tree is laden we will reluctantly remove the best part of half of them.

    And thank heavens for freezers - we still have plenty of blackberry and apple mix in store for this winters pies [:P]

  10. [quote user="woolybanana"]Alternative viewpoints not allowed in your world then?[/quote]

    alternative viewpoints should most certainly be allowed in open forums but dominating a thread to the detriment of the original posting simply because you have an alternative viewpoint surely should not be allowed and shows a most selfish streak in my opinion - and it seems pretty rude to me.

  11. [quote user="woolybanana"]I merely chose to doubt the healthiness of public and group approaches to these matters. I am viscerally unable to see why they have to be shared in this way.[/quote]

    simple really - for some people it's the right way or right for them - if it's a problem then don't read it I guess.

  12. possibly celery fly - see here: http://tinyurl.com/2yk6z2

    or

    celery leaf spot - sorry, can't find a suitable pic

    but

    "

    Celery is not an easy crop to grow successfully,

    and its culture is made even more difficult by

    four serious problems which can plague this crop.

    Three of these problems are easily noticed whenever

    they occur – celery fly, celery leaf spot

    and slugs. The fourth problem is shortage of water,

    and here the effects are less obvious but no less

    devastating. Prolonged dryness at the roots will

    invariably lead to the production of plants with

    inedible hearts."

  13. [quote user="woolybanana"]

    OK, I am quite happy with the idea of admitting things to myself but why it is necessary to tell others? Why do these things have to be public?

    [/quote]

    Different people different things - and fortunately we're all different.

    When I first saw Chris's thread I was pretty amazed that he had the ba!!s to come out with it "in public" - I wouldn't have said it but that's just me. Personally I think it's good that Chris feels able to talk about his problem in a way that others can identify with and I think it says a lot about the forum and many of the people in it that he feels able to do so and that so many others have contributed. However, just like wooly I also felt uncomfortable reading his post and the following threads but maybe because it's too close to home. Certainly alcohol dependancy is one of the pitfalls of living in France or Spain and it's an incidious demon (apparently) that can catch you unawares.  But just imagine if Chris had said: "I've been through some battles in my life but that was a toughie. It's

    maybe four months now since stopping smoking and boy how good does it feel!" -  I imagine then that only smokers would have felt uncomfortable - the problem is that most of us drink!

    Good luck with it Chris and I hope you beat it forever :)

    Dammit, beaten by Sweet1è and Patf - nevermind :D

  14. If you can, get some fumier (foomeeay) from a local farmer - the more the better to start with, given that you have poor soil - dig it well in and it's unlikely your dawg will bother too much with it [Www]. Even if you have to pay  a few euros for it  it will be worth it.

    By the way, a nice little Christmas present is a gardening by the moon guide http://tinyurl.com/2kay97 - usually available in your local garden/agricole shop. It will help you plan ahead and give you something to look at on boring wet winter days, even if you don't actually ever do things when they recommend :D - also it will be very good for your French.

    Have fun [:)]

  15. We had the little white bugs on three of our Silk Trees. Sprayed the small ones but not the large tree - they all survived and thrived :)

    The pale green/yellow leaves are probably just a sign of Autumn and them thinking about dropping but it does sound as though your tree could do with some general shrub feed granules - sprinkle a handful or two around the base in early Spring also a mulch of grass cuttings from Spring onwards would be a good thing to help retain moisture. They're not overly happy in poor soil but once established it will be fine especially if you feed it each year. One other thing - in the first few years the trunk is usually rather whippy and the tree becomes very top-heavy when in leaf so it's a good idea to stake the tree well, preferably with 2 meter stakes angled from 3 directions to keep it properly upright.

    Oh, and don't forget to talk to it :)

  16. [quote user="fussy"]can someone tell me what asparagus tastes like, please , similar to what if anything, and how do you cook them. Thanks[/quote]

    Asparagus is like asparagus - it doesn't really taste like anything else tbh, it's pretty subtle but distinctive  :)

    Imo the best way to cook it is to steam it - as soon as the stems can be pierced with a fork it's done but don't cook too long or the heads will turn to mush - better to be under-done than over-done. Then serve on a warm plate with some butter on top plus salt and peppar to taste and eaten quickly before it gets cold. Can also be added to pasta, flan and various other dishes or served on toast with chopped mushrooms. It can also be frozen but is then only good for adding to other dishes and not to be eaten on it's own as it loses it's texture.

    Just found this on the web:

    "

    #163 kerry07 Oct 01 2007 17:11

    Ive never had asparagus - I dont even know how to cook it. Maybe I should try it...what does it taste like?
    #164 stlgirl Oct 01 2007 17:11

    welcome back Kerry.  I was wondering where your ass went to....

    lunch sounds like it was good!

    Missy - asparagus is very good!  

    #165 angiethe1_2005 Oct 01 2007 17:11

    mmmmmmmmm sounds good kerry.

    Im not sure how to explain its taste really. It has a taste all of its own.
    #166 soy_vey Oct 01 2007 17:12

    asparagus is really yummy if you grill it in a foil pack, or if you

    toss it with olive oil, garlic cloves and a little bit of lemon

    juice(and S&P) and then roast it in the oven. yum yum!

    I

    just packed my lunch: WW tortilla, vegan cheese, steamed zucchini all

    wrapped up. Baggie of carrots and celery on the side.  Boring, but I

    have left overs to use up.

    #167 stlgirl Oct 01 2007 17:12

    it tastes like asparagus.. lol

    I cant explain it.  I think either you like it or you dont.

    So, there you are - the universal opinion seems to be that asparagus tastes like asparagus [:P]

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