PaysBasque

Sorry to have to come back again about this, but even if I take the time to trawl through the different topics and then choose 'Options' and 'Mark as read', the next time I log back on they are all unmarked again and show up again on the Not read button. So, what's the point?

Flipping heck! I've just spent AGES going through all the different headings, reading what I wanted to read, go back to the heading index, down the bottom, options, mark as read, back to the main index, onto the next heading.... It's just too complicated. Why did it have to change? It was great before, especially as one could read the first few words of a post without actually clicking on it as well.

Thanks James, I'll wait and see.

Hi, I can't find a button to mark everything as read. I also don't know how to just get the threads since I last visited. It just keeps showing me pages and pages of stuff I have no interest in and no time to read. HELP!!! I also don't like that the threads are not sorted by heading, when I click for example 'Not Read', so I'm forced to read each title rather than scan the posts.

Depending on what size your business is the micro bic is not very advantageous. However, the only person who can really advise you on this is an Expert Comptable (Accountant). I would suggest you go and find one of them to give you the answers you need.

It's actually a Spanish tune, called 'Paquito'. Hope that helps, Christiane

Good morning all, I thought I would recommend the following book for anybody who is thinking about moving to France, about to move or has just recently moved, and who would like some sort of insight into day to day language and culture. It's called 'Tune up your French' by Natalie Shorr, and my hubby, who has just read it, thinks that it would have been a lot of help when we first came over.

I think the only people who can answer your question correctly are at either your local Chambre des Metiers or Chambre de Commerce. Good luck,

There is no French equivalent to the cheap airlines in France. Airlines like Air France have got such a tight hold on the market that no cheap provider can get in. Your only chance is to find a Charter Airline that will fly to where you want to go.

Maize silage is used here in France just as much as it is used in the UK and most other European countries. The advantage is that the whole plant is used and can be harvested earlier than the cobs. The silage has a very high nutritional value and only a little bit is needed to provide for cattle. The cobs, if they are harvested seperately, are used to make maize meal mainly for chickens, but can be fed to any farm animal as a source of protein. (I feed maize to the horses in the winter) If the cobs are harvested seperately, the rest of the plant is rolled up and used as maize straw. All in all, maize is a very versatile feeding plant, and as it only has a limited season the fields can be used for winter seeds, like wheat, mustard, grass etc.

Chris, I honestly don't know if the sheep/lambs were already dead, and I haven't spoken to anybody but farmers about this. One did admit that the animal in question was between life and death and pretty immobile in the field. Anyway, if I do get the chance to speak to somebody official I will let you know. In reply to WJT: I'm sure that there are exceptions even in the sheep world, but my remarks were actually based on experience with normal farm sheep. Do they grieve? I have no idea, but then again I don't like to eat very young lamb. Regards,

Actually, Chris, that's what I thought. However, there is a place not too far from here called Arguibelle, a phantastic climbing site and bird of prey breeding area. Since they've started to protect this particular rockface the bird population has soared, and now there's a problem with feeding the birds. Consequently, there have been attacks by the, predominantly Griffon and Egyptian, vultures on livestock. The farmers did admit however, that it was mainly sheep that got attacked and, quite frankly, I didn't have a lot of sympathy as sheep are truly the dumbest animals, particularly intent on dying as soon as they are born. There is however a bigger picture, which points out the faults in the protection of species, birds in this case. I am a big bird lover and I live in a particularly interesting area, as we have birds of prey, loads of storks and are on the big migration routes. But I think it is most difficlt to find a finetuned balace between protection and over-protection.

Good thread! Very informative. I've just been watching a whole group of Griffon Vultures circling overhead. Needless to say that I checked on all my animals....

Is your BBQ open or closed? I've got a closed one by Weber and you can't get the meat wrong. Just heat the BBQ up, turn the heat down, put your meat on with a closed lid for 3-5min each side and it will be as you like it. BTW, barbecuing is a male task because men only cook when there is danger involved!

[quote]Having done a bit of research it seems it is probably the actual washing products themselves. I have tried various powders and liquids - eco and not, but it yellows away. The answer seems to be 'washi...[/quote] Hello Di, the French for washing soda is 'Cristeaux de soude'. I tend to use it as a soak for really dirty things. I also use about 100ml vinegar everytime I wash towels at 60degrees, as someone has told me that it a) is good at taking smells away and b) very good against limescale build-up in your machine. I also tend to do a 90degree wash once a month in order to get rid of the residues inside the machine.

Actually, talking about sneaky policemen, something made me laugh this week. When you go towards Bayonne on the A64, after it has seized to be a M-way, and the speed limit is 110 km/h, you will really have to look out for radar controls as there are lots of places for them to hide. They used to park a car just behind one of those huge green plastic things at the exits, but when people got wise to that they moved on to the next bridge which had some trees and bushes very conveniently located, so that you could only see the flic when it was already too late. Well, some enterprising person, who probably got caught from that bridge, went along and cut all the bushes down in the middle of the night, so there is nowhere to hide!

No, sorry, the most interminably boring bit of road in France must be the N10-E5 between Bordeaux and Bayonne! 150km of nothing but commercial pine forests, all at 110km/h, with the only light(!)entertainment provided by lorry drivers who tend to fall asleep every once in a while!

Trisha, have a look on this website and see whether you can spot your caterpillar: http://www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk/

I loved it! And I cried at the end! But then I also cried in book 5 at the 'just behind the curtain' bit, and I cry at 'Lassie', so I'm probably not the person to ask.... I don't think that the-one-who-died should make a magical comeback in book 7, then again, you never know. Whichever way, I can't wait for no. 7 to be written and published, but I will be very sad to say good-bye to Harry and his friends. I think that JK Rowling is an exceptionally gifted writer, capturing all ages with her imagination.

I think it's got a lot to do with where you are. Around here people are very trusting until you get to the bigger cities like Bayonne/Anglet/Biarritz, especially in the season. Deby, was surprised to hear about your 'zoo experience'. I take it you visited La Palmyre. I went there last year on a school trip and thought that the zoo was amazing, even for someone like me who doesn't really like zoos very much. Anyway, good luck to you and your family.

Bardos in the Pays Basque with husband, 3 kids, 1 dog, 1 cat and 3 horses.

I saw a very strange little creature yesterday and wondered if anyone out there knows what it was. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me, but I'll do my best to describe it. It was about 1.5 to 2 inches long and looked a bit like a snake or a caterpillar. The head was more snake-like, but it almost looked as if it had one tiny little eye in the middle of the head on the top. Colour was beige/grey with brown spots and markings in a symmetrical pattern all over. I couldn't make out any feet as such, and when my husband tickled it with a bit of grass it moved really quickly. That is also why I don't actually think that it was a caterpillar, the movement was just too quick. Also, when I first spotted it it was about to dig itself into some dirt. What was it? Thanks for your help,

Hi Judy, there has been a thread about this not too long ago and there are some useful replies. Go to http://forums.livingfrance.com/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=289&MessageID=179749 . I think that you would be better off with a license, but you don't have to have one. Regards,

That is absolutely terrible news for Pau! The airport is only about 3yrs old and no longer having Ryanair there will have a huge impact on its business. What I don't understand is why they can't continue to fly there even without the preferential landing fees, backhanders and so on? They don't have to offer flight prices of 99pence each way, do they? Anyway, I think that the French aviation industry could do with a bit of an overhaul, and like Ryanair or not, they have certainly pushed prices down.

Is it fenced? If yes, why don't you find a friendly farmer who will use it for his sheep in exchange for either a small payment or meat or whatever?