Chas

If the French use is the same as the English this link gives some info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staddle_stones

Went through in our camper on 31May - about 0830. It was virtually instantaneous, certainly no more than a couple of minutes.

[quote user="Edward Trunk"]There was a programme on telly last night featuring a family who had to live a 1970s lifestyle. No microwaves, no mobile phones, no Ipods, no satellite TV...the horror of it all. I survived the 70s, but I am wondering now how I managed...[/quote] Try the 40's - outside toilet, we had a bath but the only washbasin was the kitchen sink. One radio, no tv never mind satellite. Next door neighbour had a phone. didn't see my Dad between 1942 and 1945.  I think the 70's were luxurious. [:)]

It may be too far out for you but before returning to UK we went to L'Ecluse at Port Maubert for three years in succession and had a really good night out.  Bar-Restaurant L'Écluse Renseignements : Port Maubert   17240 ST-Fort s/ Gironde Tél. 05.46.49.94.78

This link gives info for poitou-charente. I am sure something similar must exist for other regions  http://info.eau-poitou-charentes.org/

  Having watched France/All Blacks and Australia/Italy I am now watching Lions/SA here    http://www.justin.tv/live24live

A lot of hits if you google "B17 297400".  OH's cousin was an airgunner, shot down in a B17G of 214 Sqn in November 1944.

[quote user="Belle"]Chas I have sent you an e-mail[/quote] No mail received Belle. If you want to try again do it today - last day on line for a while.

Thanks for your good wishes. We aim to settle ultimately in the west country - North Somerset or Devon.  Christmas in Fareham, New Year near Cheltenham then house hunting. 

We sign for our house sale on Wednesday and travel back to UK on Thursday, having had 8 great years here. We are pensioners, in our 70s, who have decided that it is time for a new adventure while we are still young enough to have one. So it is a smaller house in UK, convenient for our families when we finally decide to grow up, and a larger camping car and back on the road next year. We managed quite comfortably on our pensions - fortunately not just state pension - by trying to live within our means. So, as far as we are concerned it is a bit more growing old disgracefully and a hope that that the exchange rate doesn't change too much in the next few days.    

Here's one place. Search under housses vetements will give you more  http://www.laredoute.fr/category.aspx?categoryid=32153101

Carrefour in Saintes and L'Eclerc in Saintes and Royan all stock them - you could try locally.

Try these people. They should be able to help. http://www.cartonservice.fr/

managed to go to black and olive green[:)]

We are moving back!  We came in October 2000 more or less on a whim plus a bit of a plan and picked up infomation as we went along. We have lived here just over eight years now and have been really happy in our renovating and also life in general. Language has posed a few problems but none that were insurmountable and being retired rather than having to work has been a real bonus plus we tend to be glass half full rather than half empty. However, itchy feet have started to kick in and it is time for another adventure while we still can. I don't think we ever intended to die in France so would probably have gone back at some stage as really old age arrived - at 70 we think we are just about out of our teens and want to grow old a bit disgracefully with the family around to pick up the bits if necessary. The house sale completes early December and at the moment we have nowhere permanent in England.  It's payback time for eight years worth of visitors while we look for a smaller house and a larger camping car. Then it's on the road again. Good time financially for us both in terms of  UK house prices and the €/£ exchange rate. I guess we are part of a small band who are happy with the exchange rate at the moment but I hope it comes back up for you guys after December. Anyway it's back to the boxes and packing and cancelling services here. OP has a dream and I say go for it. If after a year it hasn't worked then there is a house to go back to in UK and you will always be able to say you walked the walk not just talked the talk. 

The National Anthem may be seen by some to be a dirge compared to those of other nations, but it is the only one we have and as long as it is my National Anthem I will respect it and sing it with pride.

Gordon Brown was visiting a primary school in North Yorkshire where he looked in on one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.  The teacher asked Mr. Brown if he would like to lead the discussion on the word 'tragedy'. So the illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a 'tragedy'. A little boy stood up and offered: 'If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field & a tractor runs over him and kills him, that would be a 'tragedy.' 'No,' said Brown........' that would be an accident.' A little girl raised her hand: 'If a school bus carrying fifty children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy' 'I'm afraid not,' explained Mr. Brown ' that's what we would call great loss' The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Gordon Brown searched the room. 'Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?' Finally, at the back of the room, little Johnny raised his hand. In a quiet voice he said: 'If A plane carrying you and Mr. Darling was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile & blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy.' 'Fantastic!' exclaimed Brown. 'That's right. And can you tell me why that would be tragedy?' 'Well,' says little Johnny 'it has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be an accident either!'

There is lots of info about. Try searching under French ships at Trafalgar.  Admiral Villeneuve flew his flag in Bucentaure at Trafalgar. another well documented is Captaine Lucas in Redoubtable Some links here may get you started http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Redoutable_(1791) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trafalgar#Franco-Spanish_fleet http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/frenchmusterrolls.asp

This my understanding, as explained by our builder whern we put up our shed - albeit some years ago.  It is the floor area that is counted and what is more it is only free of paperwork if under 2 sq.m. Between 2 and 20 you need to complete the declaration prealable and above 20 it requires full permis de construire. Information  at the link will give you a start. http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F17578.xhtml?&n=Logement&l=N15&n=Construction&l=N319&n=Contrat%20de%20construction%20:%20formalit%C3%A9s&l=N320&n=D%C3%A9claration%20pr%C3%A9alable&l=N311

Anyone for the rural idyll? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/2699866/Modern-Jean-de-Florette-exposes-dark-heart-of-French-farming.html

[quote user="sweet 17"] Raining all day here in the southern Charente Maritime. Dog was fed up with the weather, had her usual walk curtailed because it was just too wet. This evening feels cool; OK probably not really cold and probably just a bit of an indulgence; but we have lit our first fire of the winter. Smoked a bit and took a bit of coaxing but here we are, it's dark outside, dog is still fed up and we have a fire blazing in the Godin. What hopes of being careful with the fuel and trying to make the logs last?  It's only early September, for heaven's sake! Anyone lit a fire this evening? [/quote] Meant to post this last night but had to finish fitting tiles instead!  We are W Charente Maritime rather than south but despite the rain it was still really warm yesterday indoors.  25 degrees last night and 22 this morning at 0730. We have very thick walls that really hold the heat and do not normally need to have a fire until late October. 

This is absolutely nothing to do with France, hence its location in the forum.  I know I am not the only ex serviceman on here and hope that, whatever your views on the rights or wrongs of the current conflicts, this Email I received will receive a sympathetic response. I am personally doubtful of the effectiveness of these petitions other than to show the extent, or lack of support! However it gets my vote   "This is a great idea. RMH Haslar at Gosport is set to close, but is still operational and could be made into a great home for our injured service personnel.    Some background:  '2 Para' alone have on their current tour sent back over 50 casualties to the UK, and even that many cannot be accommodated at Selly Oak Hospital. So when all of the casualties from other battle groups are added to this figure, how is ONE ward in ONE NHS hospital going to cope? It cannot, and as a result the individual troops are sent home to recover relying on NHS visiting services which themselves are over committed.   We need a dedicated military hospital if servicemen and servicewomen, who have been committed to hostilities and injured, are to get the medical care they rightly deserve.   A lot more than 5000 names are needed for this petition to survive, and quite cynically, Downing Street has put a time limit of one month - during the summer holidays - for this to be achieved.  Please support it - please copy the link below to confirm your signature on the petition. Please forward this email to as many people as you can.  Thanks. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Wounded/ <http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Wounded/>   The petition was created by Denzil Connick and reads:  'We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Create a dedicated Military & Veterans Hospital within the UK.'    

I suppose the south is anywhere below halfway down - check it out on the map. We are towards the south on the coast in Mortagne sur Gironde where the climate is generally pretty good.  This was in december 2007 but it didn't last very long!  [:)] [IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r98/AIM9M/P1260059.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r98/AIM9M/P1260054.jpg[/IMG]

The first link will give you info for Poitou Charentes and the second, from the prefecture site, for Charente Maritime http://info.eau-poitou-charentes.org/ http://www.charente-maritime.pref.gouv.fr/gestion_eau/f_gestion_eau.htm

Our pages jaunes and pages blanc are delivered about March each year.