Eos

[quote user="cooperlola"]Having lived in the UK for over 20 years with a woodburner-backed central heating system, as it were, I must say I'm very glad not to have one now.  There was nothing more depressing than returning home after a day's work to have to get the coal in/split logs etc and light the boiler to get the house up to a pleasant temperature....If you run your c/h from a woodburner, as opposed to just using it to make the sitting room a bit more cosy, then you become a slave to it.  It's worth thinking about whether you'll want all the hassle before you commit to a system based on a woodburner.[/quote] Our Hunter stove was lit last October & remained so until May this year!* We found it more economical on fuel to load the stove to it's capacity about twice a day, after the first "getting going" fire of the morning. Then it constantly ticked over, once "closed down" as I refer to it, doing it's thing in the background. Sometimes we'd top it up a couple of times depending on our requirements. Because it never went out though, just very low,  the house was never stone cold or had to be heated from scratch. *Weekends away etc not included.

I can't help with the first part of your email I'm afraid but I can tell you of our experience with one of the larger Hunter stoves. We chose the larger multi fuel burner, capable of heating 14 radiators, for our sitting room having experienced the heat levels from a smaller Jotul multi fuel stove, with no radiatior heating ability in our slightly smaller living room. Initially I was disappointed with the heat output from the stove as it seemed  much less than the Jotul. However, I forgot to take into consideration that a certain amount of heat goes to the back boiler and once that got up to temperature, the heat output raised considerably. It still would not have the same output though as the Jotul but retains heat longer, a feature the Jotul is no slouch at either! We have 17 double rads of varying sizes. Although our system can work without an electric pump to circulate the water, we were advised to have two fitted, one to pump the hot water out and a second to pump the cooler water back. This is because our house is very long and the central heating system was fitted, not by us, well after the house was built 40 years ago but before the benefits of good insulation were appreciated. The rads further away on the circuit were rarely even warm and the cooler returning water was so cold, it lowered the boiler temp too much (Can you tell I'm not a plumber yet?!) and the hot water was cold by the time it had travelled to the furthest rad. All the snow & ice last winter was no friend to the unlagged,  inaccessible or unlaggable pipe! The pumps made a huge difference to the cosiness of the house and it's good  too that we can use the system, though perhaps not as efficiently, if the electricity is down. Anyway the point is, the stove performs well but our older heating system needed tweaking to get the best out of it.

I have no interest in anything less than 4 bedrooms but that is because of the time in our lives we're at with two teenagers, their friends, grandparents visiting from afar etc. When they were in their mid 60s, my parents downsized from a 5 to a 3 bedroomed house. They enjoy being able to accommodate their frequent visitors and, as my children got older, (the only grandchildren) being able to put them in seperate rooms when they stay over night. My PILs opted to remain in their 6 bedroomed house in case all of their children, partners & grandchildren decide to visit all at once (hasn't happened yet!) Another point to consider perhaps is the case of friends of my parents. Both are quite seriously ill but able to remain in their house with some help. This has required both to have a room on their own to facilitate medical equipment and they are delighted to have a third bedroom where one of their children or another carer can have a comfortable night when they stay over. I suppose really what I think is that there is no right or wrong, just what suits. Re resale, I think if you love somewhere, someone else will too. Or maybe choose somewhere with potential for extending.

As far as I know they must, as my friend only deals with Hertz (gold member or whatever the terminology is !) and regularly uses Beziers. I've tried contacting my friend today for confirmation but it seems an all day conference is more important then I am!!  

I know of two gites, both running successfully over the past few years. One is of a higher standard than the other and this difference in facilities is reflected in the rental rates. Normally bookings start to come in from about now, with the cheaper house filling first and last year, there were a lot of one week bookings. This year, most of the peak weeks in the dearer house started filling from November and for mostly two weeks at a time. There are no bookings at all for the cheaper house. Even returning guests seem to opt for the dearer, saying things like their city winter breaks have fallen by the wayside so the family holiday is becoming increasingly important. I think the bookings are mixed between Eurozone and non.      

It's been happening in Ireland too. High spec, high end cars, most on some kind of lease.  

[quote user="sweet 17"] Oh, Eos, that is so touching and so nuts!!!!!!! So, do you also put the sixpence (perhaps the euro) under the pillow from the Tooth Fairy? And I do hope you put out the mince pie and the sherry for Santa and, of course, a carrot for the reindeer! LOL.  Happy Christmas! [/quote] Oh Sweet 17, how I hesitate to add to the "nuts" summation (and so won't even go into the whole Tooth Fairy thing) but, owing to a devoted primary school teacher with odd timing, we bake scones for Santa[:)]. Happy Christmas to you too!!      

My daughter suffered very badly with eczema when she was younger, hospitalisations etc and one of her triggers was tree pollens. Although, thank goodness, she is now much better and has relatively few flare ups, not to take a risk with her skin, we still stick with the artificial trees. As we seem to have built up a collection over the years, this year we have one in the porch, one in the hall, one in the living room, one in the garden room, one in the study and one in the kitchen. I still put these up in the middle of the night when everyone is in bed so in the morning "IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!'

A friend, flying Ryanair, brings her childrens' Wii back and forth to France as handluggage every month or so and hasn't had an issue yet.

I flew into and out of  Stanstead with Ryanair this afternoon enroute from France to Ireland. As it's an airport I don't usually use, I don't know if the lengthy security queues were normal or not but certainly my flights were on schedule.

You can also, which I find most useful, pay it monthly, debited from your account.

[quote user="osie"] What is the purpose of the fan [/quote] My parents used to have something similar to what you describe and in their case the fan was used to boost the draught, as an aide to lighting the fire quickly.

Imo, sometimes you just have to take what I call the Ryanair  Passenger Approach to things. Pick a place, a house and a price that you're happy with RIGHT NOW and then get on with it. Or don't. Either way, don't torture yourself with "might have beens". I sold a house 12 years ago for what was, at the time, the highest price to have been achieved on the street. Even now in these straitened times, it has just sold for about 8 times what I got for it. As I got out of it what I needed, when I needed it, I am not "sick" as one of my acquaintances suggested I might be! Not an "informed" response I know but an attitude that helps me sleep!

[quote user="Will"] For the record, he apparently came from a place called Moneygall in Co Offaly. [/quote] In common with the current Irish Taoiseach who, contrarily, is not enjoying a period of similar good will with his fellow country men!

Toni's link is to the Irish national tv channel's news site, dated March 15, saying that Obama indeed is of Irish descent.