Chas

Just came across this site which gives a commune by commune breakdown of the current situation regarding water restrictions in Poitou-Charentes.  Could turn out to be useful later in the year http://info.eau-poitou-charentes.org/

I note the date and all it implies. However if you are serious you will have to choose between 33 - opposite end of the lake from Biscarosse or 09 - NW of Foix. It would be dreadful to move to the wrong place! [:)]

We have always collected water for the garden and after last years shortages decided to try and improve this year. We have five old wine chais in our barn which were earmarked for conversion to shed/toolstores etc. At the end of November last year we sealed one of them and arranged a pipe run from just a quarter of the roof (about 36 square metres) through the wall and into the top. Just to give an idea of how much rainwater you can collect, it filled up last week. That is 19000 litres in just four months that would otherwise have disappeared. All I have to do now is adapt the outlet pipes and we are in business. I know that most people will not have that amount of storage but smaller containers connected in series all help. 

Not quite the same I know but to gain registration with CPAM we, both aged 63 and retired, had to sign an attestation that we would not seek employment of any description in France. 

No sign of an Email Mops. I Emailed you to tell you but no response. Perhaps the system is playing up!Why not try a PM - or a carrier pigeon/message in cleft stick etc.

Been there, done that, got the T shirt, GOT CURED. No, but seriously, try not to let it get you down. I am absolutely convinced that a positive attitude really helps. Mine started in the South Atlantic in early 1982 - caught off a penguin or a passing Argentinian I think - and later in the year diagnosis was confirmed and I was treated in UK. Your friends will avoid talking about it or will try and talk to family without you knowing. Things like "how is he coping", "what's the news etc." Sometimes difficult  but maintaining a sense of humour is important. I think being in the forces with a somewhat "black" humour helped. Treatment is a bit of a bind. Chemo and radio and all they entail  are not really fun but they are doing you good and my greying hair came back sans grey when it regrew! I was declared fully fit - subject to check ups in late 1983 and have had no problems since. PM or email if you think I may be of help.

Not a buff - but I guess that would be 29 Squadron then.

Harraps Shorter - just under 1000 pages has been really good. I don't think we would have managed without it. Backed up with Becherelle "La conjugaison pour tous" and a small portable Collins, which is happily getting less and less use. Oxford mini reference French grammar has also been useful.

Currencies Direct do a monthly direct debit from your UK account and transfer to your French account. Money is in limbo for about 4/6 days- I guess thats how they make their cut. No fees and we have used them since moving over here in 2000 without any problems.

Details for Charente Maritime are on the prefecture website - http://www.charente-maritime.pref.gouv.fr/. Click on the "gestion de l'eau button.

We are about to board our cat for the first time, starting tomorrow. Having previously asked in the forum and got no response  we headed for yellow pages. We found two kennels/catteries locally one in Semussac, between Cozes and Royan, and one in St Georges de Couteaux.. We intended to visit both but having made an unannounced visit to Semussac were sufficiently impressed with the owner, the facilities and the general demeanour of the animals already there that we booked up straight away. I will let you know in a couple of weeks if we made a good choice.

Before you rush out and buy one have a look at the last three replies on you earlier post.

We are currently checking on this having just had a wood burner installed, which qualifies for a tax credit. My understanding is that for a tax credit of this sort the equipment has to be supplied and installed by the same "professional/enterprise". The tax magazine VO, on sale at the moment, gives detailed information and appears to specifically exclude equipment purchased by the (tax) contribuable even if installed by an enterprise. para 558 - Ainsi, les equipements, materiaux et appereils acquis directement par le contrbuable ne donnent pas droit a cet avantage , meme si leur pose ou leur installation est effectuee par une enterprise 

We too had corona delivered - were allowed to choose our own flavour.  I used to help deliver the milk from our milk man's cart. Not many bottles then mainly churns and ladles to dish out the milk.  I also remember that the coal dealer at the top of the road had at least two steam lorries operating towards the end of the war (WW2 that is !).

I obviously didn't realise the significance at the time but at two years old I remember a soldier coming in the front door - and much later finding out that it was dad home from Dunkirk.

Have you tried pages jaunes under "diététique".  We found some locally this way.

I  think the Public Service website is the one you need. The first link gets you to the home page - which has an English version and the second to the "choose and open forms page". Hope it works Ok. www.service-public.fr/index.html http://www.cerfa.gouv.fr/cerfa/vigueur.nsf/HomePart?OpenForm

Hi All In the absence of our usual house/pet sitter I wonder if anyone is able to recommend a cattery in the Saintes/Royan area of Charente Maritime. We have checked pages jaunes and have a couple of addresses but there is nothing like a personal recommendation. Here's hoping

After five years of open fire we had a woodburner installed yesterday.  The open fire threw out sufficient heat and looked good but is not very fuel efficient. Woodburner theoretically reduces consumption by about 50% and produces more heat. Time will tell.   With the open fire we originally had a "conventional" grate but swopped it after about a year as it did not seem to burn very well. It was replaced with moveable supports set at the width of the logs which allow the ash to collect underneath. I think it is important for wood burning to let the ash bed build up. We take out some ash every 3/4 days to keep the amount manageable and light the fire on what is left. A couple of firelighter blocks plus a bit of kindling followed by a couple of smaller logs has always seemd to work OK, but you must have a decent draught in the room. The brochure for the woodburner recommends that it may be necessary to put in an air brick.  

My dad used to say that you prune roses twice a year. In November you pretend that they belong to your next door neighbour with whom you have just had a serious argument, and cut them back viciously, at least halfway down. then in February, you remember that they are really your roses and try to make amends by just trimming them a bit to get the shape you want. 

Our information, having had to move part of a hedge after boundaries were redefined, is that up to 2 metres high it is 50cm from the boundary and over two metres high 1 metre from the boundary for hedges but that fences and walls may be built on the boundary. 

Just tried to edit font size immediately after posting and was already timed out

Sounds a bit like the kit pool we bought from "waterair". The pump is mounted, in ground, at one end of the pool and is removed (easily) for the winter. Filter system is a fabric bag which is changed/washed about once a month. It has an overflow pipe for excess rainwater but needs a separate pump if you need to lower the level. We are pleased with it and have been using for three seasons without major problems. Total price in 2002 about €12000 plus quite a lot of physical effort.  http://www.waterair.fr/waterair/dyn/  

Some info here on the Jotul range http://www.jotul.fr/produit/nav/fr_menu.html

As TU said it was discussed a while ago.The idea is to provide a number plate for "life" rather than having to change if you move departments. The link below gives the detail and appears to make provision for departmental numbers if wanted by the owner      tp://www.interieur.gouv.fr/rubriques/c/c2_le_ministere/c21_actualite/plaques_2003_04_16