John Brown

Thanks for all the replies, I'll have a look in Mr Bricolage and see if our local store ( 50km away ) has them John

I've had poor quality plants by post quite a few times from the company whose name rhymes with Wacker. Over priced and poor standard. They all looked worst for the journey in the post and some had gone beyond saving Mind you, when I did complain about only 30 out of 50 young Privit not pegging it within a month they sent me another 25 FOC John

Sorry about the gobbledegook on my last post. I've seen that happen before! I presume its when you copy and paste something you've written in Word I'll know better next time Trap set, wait and see what it gets. I'll let it go in a field far far away ! John

Thanks for all of the replies. I've just tried to photo the raised tunnels in the garden but it doesn't show up very well in a photo What ever it is, appears to be bigger than a mouse but smaller than a mole. It doesn't come up to the surface like a mole does, but every night extends its tunnels more into the lawn by about 2 metres in a random pattern. It repairs were I've trodden it flat as well. Its tunnel is just under the surface with the roof of the tunnel pushed up to form this pattern. I will set traps tonight and cover them with plastic crates so other animals don't get caught. I'm told Macadamia Nuts are irresistible in traps I'll post a photo of anything I catch. We are not having a good time ATM. A Pine Martin took my 2 chickens and killed 14 in one go from next door. It was caught and dispatched against my wishes, but that's Rural French ways it seems! Thanks John

I now have an animal or animals thats burrowing in my lawn. Its forming tunnels that are just below the surface with a result that I've got these patterns that go on for metres randomly across the lawn. They seem to start in the borders. What are they and how do I get rid of them. The cat from next door sits for hours watching these humps forming and now and again will dig a hole into the tunnel but it never seems to get anything. I've tried pressing the tunnels flat but they reappear overnight. Moles I can live with but these are something else Thanks John

Thanks Sue, I've no experience with Brandt, is it a top brand? Obviously they do them at home a lot cheaper but I'll have to consider the price here against having one brought over by the UK / France Shopping Service plus the fact it losses any warranty as soon as it leaves UK soil John

I'm looking for a new Larder Fridge, in France, the one without the useless tiny freezer compartment. Just the standard 50 wide or there abouts, under counter type Anyone seen such a thing here, thanks John

Chancer, you really are a "chancer" testing your electrics like that. Many, many years ago my son got a toy that needed batteries to run it. It was a science kit to make a morse code buzzer The batteries failed so he came up with the idea of using 2 pieces of wire pluged into a 3 pin switched socket to operate the toy It sent him flying about 6 feet across the room at soon as he touched a bare bit of metal He's very careful with electrics now John

Thanks for all the comments and help, I wanted to change to a pull switch because it does not seem right that its possible I can put my right hand in the sink of water and switch the light on with my wet left hand.   I've been lowering the ceiling anyway so it means very little extra work. Moving the switch outside the bathroom involves a lot more work but never mind, just another job! I've heard all the tales about " you can now, with modern electrics, cut through a cable with a pair of scissors while standing in a bowl of water and not be killed" but who would want to test that theory John

I'm trying to find a Pull Cord Light Switch for the bathroom. I've tried the usual places but there's no sign that they stock them. The current light switch is inside the bathroom which seems a bit odd but maybe that's allowed here Thanks John

The battery driven tools that the DIY stores in the UK display in the stores are smashed beyond repair and binned each time the display is changed because its policy not to sell ex display items, even to staff. ( Same applies with corded tools ) The suppliers often give them FOC The batteries however, because they are not handled by Joe Public, are kept by the store. Some go to customers with warranty claims If you need a replacement battery it's worth asking in store if they have any "put away" even for a model a couple of years out of date I ended up with 2 spare batteries for a Bosch drill at a pound each just by asking ( they have no barcode, so no fixed price ) John

The flex pipes I've fitted have a date stamp along their length. I'm guessing they must be replaced at that date even if they look good. I think its 5 years ? If you have gas CH don't ever consider having your cooker connected into that supply. Its a whole new world of regulations. John

I'm told by my French friends that the people who sell firewood for a living, around here, are "not allowed" to sell wood thats not been seasoned for three years but that fact might be being lost in translation. We are also in 23 We pay 145 Euro for a Cord of Oak cut into 1 metre lengths, delivered. 185 Euro for half Metre.  240 Euro in thirds I choose to take it in 1 metre and cut into 2 X 400 with the extra chopped and used for starting the fire The Stove maker says it takes 500 length but I've found its easier and safer to load shorter lengths. It seems to be common practice around here to share the wood 50/50  if you help fell a tree for your neighbour  

Thanks for all the comments. I did a search and didn't see it under Good Samaritan , so sorry to find its been covered before What worried me was I think I would of acted in the same way as my friend in the same situation. "But of the grace etc" Thanks anyway, its a bit clearer now John

A friend of ours has just been questioned by the police in his role in an incident where he was percieved as not being a Good Samaritan He may now face prosecution as it has been refered to the Procureur de la République Whilst I would like to think I would assist anyone in trouble but how far must we go to comply with French Law Are there any basic rules you should follow John  

Its common practice both here and in the UK to note mileage on invoices from garages when services and repairs are done so if you are considering buying a car ask to see all the past invoices and see if the mileages noted make sense as the vehicle got older. The only way I know of to "clock" a modern car is to change the whole of the speedo head / display with one from a scrap car but that involves a lot of work / expertise and you would need to find an exact match of make / model / year. Best of luck John

It is a valid question to ask and because there are bad people out there we need to understand how our personal details are used / sold A few years ago I once mis-spelt my real surname with one letter incorrect by accident, on a form on-line Since, I've had dozens of letters,and emails with this mistake being repeated This proves how often details are sold and passed on John

If I replace my Sky Box with a Freesat+ Box / Recorder, rather than fit a double head and an additional cable down to my TV / Box from the existing Dish, can I fit another Sat Dish elsewhere and run a feed from that to the second socket on the back of the new box. I was thinking of putting the second dish much lower down on my Garage. Thanks John

Useful to know with CA is, if your card does not work in the ATM the Bank there will issue you with a card, which the ATM keeps when you use it, to draw cash. They didn't ask for ID ? and it was not my normal bank but did check the account had enough money in it before handing over the single use card. Due to a misunderstanding I was given a card for 400 euro when I was actually asking to withdraw 40 euro so it appears to be quite flexible John

Unless I'm losing the plot I think this thread has been highjacked by Chancer Back to the subject! I keep the FT line for incoming calls only because I can't rely on the internet phone number I got with the package "goes down at the drop of a hat" Switches off and needs re-activated in the livebox software at least once a month. OH sometimes picks up the FT phone for a outgoing call but that only happens now and again, The Skype phone we had as well for a while was a phone too far I've tried the instructions Norman has given earlier and it works now Thanks for all the help John    

Thanks Norman, I've put my mobile details in my LL phone memory and tried calling the landline and its displays "external call" I've noticed FT have a "Stop Secret" option which seems to offer the same sort of service you describe Is there somewhere on the FT website I can check if my caller display has been disabled Stay warm ! John

Thanks Q, I'm only going to use it to try to filter out Cold Callers. I've put in all our usual callers in the phone's memory so hopefully the name's will be displayed when they call John

Anyone know if Caller Display will work with my newly acquired "BT Aura Answerphone" on my French landline if its activated with FT Will it include overseas numbers or just French numbers If its yes, how do I activate it with France Telecom Thanks John

When we passed through Zeebrugge on the way to the UK at Christmas I bought a lottery ticket ( In case my usual numbers came up big time ) and I've won a couple of small wins with the ticket. Has anyone got a Animal Rescue / Welfare place up in the very north of France that I can send the tickets to so they can nip over the border and cash them in. The tickets are not in the same format as the French Euromillions Loto so I think they can't be cashed in France John

Recently there was an accident in our area with a trailer that came detached from the car. It resulted in a death. Although not a legal requirement on an unbraked trailer it would be wise to make up and fit a run-away cable to keep the trailer with the vehicle if the trailer breaks free at the ball / socket. Wire rope with a max load of 1000kgs ( 2500kg breaking strain ) will be OK for a 500kg trailer John