tegwini
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Posts posted by tegwini
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Rob Roy
If you take the trouble to read my post you will realise I said that I could watch only part of Christine's link.
And, Cassis's link showed cows in a field with some silly humans - or whatever you chose to call them, teasing the cows. This made the humans look like fools - not the cows. Your comment about eating monkeys etc I don't get that. Not mentioned by me. An irrelevant comment I believe.
Also, I am entitled to my opinion & to choose what I eat. As a historian I have no illusions about man's potential for cruelty & ability to rationalise this cruelty.
tegwini
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Hi
We bought a trailer - spents hours searching for one (ebay etc) ultimately we got a new one - for not much more than ebay second hand ones- we paid £599 (6x4feet) for it & already it's earned its keep.
4 trips to France so far -clearing out stuff we want to keep & essentials for France, as well as clearing old brick + frame & heavy thick 'concertina' shower enclosure & grim timber & very old insulation which we did ourselves in France to the village tip- great saving we think. Plombier not keen on doing this.
We thought of a cheap van, but decided that a cheap one could become a liability & costly to keep on the road, & uncomfortable to drive the long distance to France too. In between trips the trailer here in Wilts is also working - huge pile to the trip, collecting stuff, even a car boot sale.
We plan to retire to France soonish & will take it with us - strangely it's made in France, many sold in the UK are French made.
regards
tegwini
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I expect that MRSA & other super bugs are all over the world, but in the UK, a first world country, where the (useless) government is spending billions on the NHS there are more than there should be.
In fact, more people are dying unnecessarily from these bugs - dozens of thousands, far, far more than are killed in the war in the middle east. And presumably fewer in France?
Sadly, we are forced to join the NHS debacle whether we like it or not. Using private medical care is an expensive extra which should not be necessary, but it is for many. I have been let down by the NHS & had to turn to private care twice- reluctantly. The cost of the NHS comes from direct tax on employees & their employers whose percentage has increased massively since 1997. The only people who do well out of this mess are the 'won't work' types- many claiming to be unfit to work, but could & don't because they can get away with it in the UK. Foreigners paying tax & working in the UK have a right to the NHS, not so others who see the UK as a soft touch & even arrive for AIDS treatment etc.
Sad to say Gordon has run up huge debts & his spending of £1,229,100,000,000 (over a trillion) = £50,000 per family. Lots also taken from ordinary familes in stealth taxes. I can't imagine how this mess is to sorted & even wonder why anyone would want to take over as the next UK government either!
tegwini
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No Cassis
those of Christine - however your animals were being teased by other animals... at least the cows seemed to have some dignity.
tegwini
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The machine automatically deleted the time in Germany when a certain political party took over led by Adolf .....
Seriously, I could not watch these videos - just a tiny bit was upsetting enough.
tegwini
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Christine
awful, awful -
I stopped eating all meat/flesh in about 1988, initially it was a gradual change, but even the thought of the pigl forced onto vehicles with electirc prodders at my school (Burford School in Oxfordshire, which had its own farm at the time) was enough for me.
But, I am with 2 carnivores, but can't convince them to change, but they get vegetarian food as often as I can. In France it's difficult to find much when eating out even though I am not a vegan - sometimes think I should be though.
I think cruelty has increased in Europe - Halal/Kosher slaughter for example, and sadly the kind of people who do this kind of work do seem to become immume to the cruelty all around them & some even start with a nasty attitude to animals. Animal cruelty us even worse outside of Europe.
Upsetting to see these videos Christine, but I do believe you are right in showing what is happening. The world seemed not to know what was happening in Nazi Germany, some denied it, many did not believe it, and some claimed it could never have happened.
We need to make people more aware of what is happening now & here in 'civilised' Europe.
tegwini
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Husband's wax jacket looks quite grim - never risked washing it - wax/waterproof would be wrecked. Can be drycleaned & re-waxed - in the UK
I did once wash the dog's wax jacket (yes for a dog, but Boxers have short hair & coming from SAfrica felt the cold). It really did pong & in a moment of desparation I washed it, it came out crinkly & strange, was a bit waterproof, but probably not.
The dog didn't complain though.
regards
Tegwini
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Declaration Prealable
Can anyone give me some advice based on their experience of submitting one of these (not a link to a French Gov'ment site please!)
I have just returned from visiting a French teacher friend living & working in the UK & she had to check some of the words in her giant dictionary.
We plan 2 velux windows at the back of the house, we think we are in a conservation area & going thro' the pages of this form, much, she says, does not apply. But, I am nervous to send the forms off with too many blank spaces & wonder if my French is up to it to discuss this on the phone. I am in the UK at present & will only be in France June/July when we hoped to have the windows fitted.
Some questions : How many copies did you submit ? Did you have a drawing of the actual window? & how they will fit into the roof, & how did you list what the window was ? I originally believed that only a photo of the house & where the windows would go.
Lots of confusion here PLEASE is there anyone out there who has managed to get some velux installed/ or coped with these forms?
Many thanks
tegwini
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Puppies :-)
in Pets
Never seen those knickers, but your dog should lick herself clean, we never had mess around the house- or on ourselves.
You can get something, sorry I don't know the name, to disguise/hide her tantanising scent and, there is treatment via the vet for the morning after 'the event'. Left too late it's not a good idea, although doubtless vets perform late abortions - but dogs only take about 2 months. This is for next time - not long either - but, spaying is the best solution.
Hope by now the pups have found good homes- it's a shame to hear of so many strays & so many put down & so many people allowing their dogs to breed & even thinking they can make a profit out of this. Sad to think you got caught here by an animal charity.
regards
tegwini
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Many thanks RH
I'll give it a go- if it's not too complicated- husband has used this, but it was a bit of a mess as we were so desparate to get something & I had failed before, & this time we used both lap tops, he used snipe, & a lower bid, I had a senior moment of panic & we bid against each other!
We did get the item though.
regards
tegwini
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Ron
I have been attempting to buy garden furniture via ebay & have failed in 13 bids- ALL innocent : and caused by: not fast enough; not experienced enough; too timid to fight for something & perhaps at the end rather reluctant to pay the increased price. So I have not 'won' any garden furniture, except for one tiny table set which I know I have overpaid for when comparing with others from the same company. My timing for buying garden stuff is poor, should have bought it last Sept- Feb.
But, it does not surprise me to hear of anonymous 'buyers'.
I have now 20 transactions on ebay & getting the hang of it, biggest problem here, IMO, is the cost of post which has just gone up again.
regards
Tegwini
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Hi Brit
At the bridge at Bonneuil Matours 2 restaurants - Marmite & Bleu, we've tried both, reasonably priced & food ok, easy free parking along the river just across the road.
Sorry to say that we often eat at Flunch/Auchan in Chatellerault, mainly because we're exhausted after a day decorating, etc & we can combine that with shopping. We still live in Wilts & 'holidays' in France are for working - hard!
Not much for vegetarians anywhere though - but that's France.
regards
tegwini
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Thanks for the replies everyone -
we will be joining the BF PO club, it does sound as if it might save money & it does suit us to travel from Portsmouth, Dover is at least a 3-4 hours drive & once in France a really long drive from Calais. Caen is much better for us.
It would be nice to see more competition on the ferry routes & disappointing to see the big increases in LD fares.
Regards to all
Tegwini
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Thanks Cendrillon
Do you know how much on average the percentage saved was?
Regards
Tegwini
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Many thanks Mel
Would use Dover ferry, but live in Wiltshire on Hants border 40 mins from Southampton & OH very reluctant to drive to Dover, and French home is in the Vienne.
I have been doing some searches for a mid June crossing & LD & BF prices not that much different - especially if you add in cabin price for 23:00 crossing with LD, or if minus cabin a night minus sleep, & prefer daytime crossing any time. We have used LD regularly, but their prices do seem to have gone up quite a bit. Gone from Newhaven too, but again more driving on both sides.
Anyone out there using this membership??
Regards
Tegwini
ps even more difficult decision now that diesel in the UK is recently £1.14 to 1.20 per litre!
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We're thinking of joining the BF property owners' club & wonder if it's worth the cost, now £125 (reg/ annual membership fee). France part only.
They talk of up to 30% off - a bit vague, & I wonder how much it is on average. We come to France about 5-6 times pa, Port'mouth - Caen. But, do shop around when booking, but it seems that LD's prices have increased & their night crossings I really dislike.
Any information would be much appreciated,
Regards
Tegwini
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There's also a dedicated Hygena kitchen shop in Chasseneuil, just north of Poitiers, but we looked all over, i& couldn't find what we wanted & brought one out from England.
We have a Hygena kitchen in UK house - limed oak, but what was available in France & at especially at Hygena we didn't like at all - too fussy, very pretending wood, & more pricey. We hired a van & it was still cheaper & also easier.
Strangely, the oak doors are made in Italy & the insides & fixings/hinges in Germany, bought from Homebase UK & now used in France.
Tegards
Tegwini
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Puppies :-)
in Pets
Sandra
Loads on the web about puppy feeding etc
BUT, you should be able to pick them up- if Mum trusts you, we always did, but this dog is new to you, so see how she reacts first! she will feed them for a few weeks, but I always helped with cleaning up the mess- a bit fussy me ...
start weaning about 2-3 weeks (milky porridge, baby cereal etc) them when they get the idea scraped meat/mince -cooked with wholemeal bread & vegs or mixed with puppy meal, about 4x per day. I also used scrambled eggs, rice etc. Mum will have to be fed well too - also I usually gave her a calcium supplement daily.
Worm @ 3-5 weeks & by now the sharp puppy teeth will mean Mum will begin to avoid them
usual dog jabs around this time, but the vet will tell you.
Not easy & you didn't ask for so many dogs either - we were registered with the Kennel Club as breeders but only bred our dog (boxer) once- that was enough for me!
good luck & regards
tegwini
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http://www.bitesizedlanguages.com/
Hi Dee
do try this one - f.o.c., comes daily, small amount to learn at a time, new words daily & has sound you can click into.
I've been receiving this for months & I have learned quite a bit & it's also helped me refresh my french which I did at university - but forgotten lots!
Michael Thomasis pretty good too - was available free not long ago from one of the newpapers - wouldn't be at all surprised to hear of someone trying to sell the cds on ebay etc.
good luck
tegwini
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You're all glued to the tv - n'est ce pas?
Interesting the difference a coach makes- Nick Mallett from South Africa, the coach with Italy (and they scored 19:23 against England), not sure how they'll do against Wales though...
The Italians all look like pretty boys to me, can't see them beating Wales- but, why so close to England, where the game was invented ?? I have never rated the Italians as being any good at rugby- am I wrong ?? Does the coach make such a difference?
regards to all
tegwini
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Hells bells!!!
Haven't yet got bitten in France - Vienne too inland?
Bad enough here in Wiltshire with horses nearby - horsefly, now that's a real bite !
Seriously, I can't imagine mossies do anything more than cause itchy bumps (no malaria I assume), bumps can be counteracted with antihistermines, I expect natural & localised stuff is better. Calomine lotion also soothes.
tegwini
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Thank you W-B's brother & CJR
So much guilt in the western psyche- it surprizes me constantly - often people who have never travelled & have been brainwashed at school & etc (that's certainly the case in school today - as a historian I have had to cope with that!)
We seem to be apologising for everything - slavery for example, and yet the ancestors of the slaves must thank their lucky stars they are not back in Africa , & be aware of the numbers of their former tribes & familes who would give anything to emigrate to the US - or anywhere!
Talking of propanganda Quillan- we get loads of it here - recently the BBC claimed (via a Mugabe crony) that Ian Smith won't be missed - ironic or what? - most of Zim is counting the days until Comrade Mugabe dies - not all will live to see it however.
Lots of ignorence too, the SA press & judiciary was always independent & there was lots of opposition to the SA (apartheid) government so it's quite wrong to say people don't know or didn't know what was going on - this has not been possible for many decades and it beggars belief that outsiders can pontificate on something they have never experienced.
This is it for me also - the brick wall here is a bit hard!
tegwini
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Quillan,
I can see you have researched this a bit, but some errors...
- Black tribes were at war with each other well before thet met any whites- eg in Chaka's time
- Natal, where the Zulus lived was not colonised by the British until after the 1820s & then with only a smal no. of traders - Afrikaners from the Cape had trekked into Natal but in very small numbers
- Parts of South Africa were very sparsely populated - Natal because of the numerous wars, & large Zulu tribes migrated northwards & settled in Matabeleland (now Zimbabwe), in 1652 the Cape had only Hottentot & the San people, the Black tribes did not move westwards from the Fish River until later (late 18th century) and only then did the 2 races clash - initially over cattle rustling by the Xhosa tribes. W-B'brother is quite correct here.
- Even today in Zimbabwe the Shona & the Matebele kill each other- Mugabe is Shona, and most of the hunger is amongst the Matebele- and this animosity pre-dates the white man's arrival by at least 100 years.
-tribal migrations are nothing new- not just in Africa either- our ancestors moved around Europe killing etc - Rome was in reality destroyed by migrating tribes - Huns, Alans, Visigoths ...and of course invasions into England & Ireland by the Vikings & Anglo-Saxons. Brits in France nowadays- what should we call this? Perhaps some French resent this ? Why feel any guilt here ??? We should not have to feel guilt for colonisation either- Africa is better because Whites migrated there- if they had not perhaps constant blood baths, disease & starvation even worse - who knows? Certainly the population has increased massively - the Aborigines have declined in number, but were often hunted for sport by British ex-pats. This never happened in SA. The San/Bushman had a raw deal, but the African tribes even with slavery & warfare have increased their numbers at least 15 fold since about 1850- a rare increase!
- White SAficans have a right to be there- even the ANC accepts that, & most people accept that the Cape was near empty when the Dutch East India Company established a base there in 1652. The British did similar elsewhere & took over the Cape in 1805 & not for altruistic reasons either. SA is the powerhouse of Africa- why? why is it different? It is the only country with a sizeable population with skills, education & a work ethic.
tegwini
ps boar = hairy wild pig with tusks living in forests // boer= Afrikaner- person of Dutch/French/German origins, Dutch word for farmer.
http://www.globalpolitician.com/22880-south-africa (a bit more information here).
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Hi Quillan
Not sure what you mean by 'ex-pats' ...
Last night we watched 'Zulu Dawn' on TV - ancient, and a repeat, but it does show a lot.
The ex-pats in this film were the arrogant upper-class British officers & British colonial officials who made disasterous decisions that brought about the deaths at Isandlwana of nearly a thousand British men & about 450 Zulus. British men signed up to join the army often out of poverty, from the slums of British cities where many were exploited by employers & were often jobless & hungry. Rourke's Drift was on the following day - another disaster. Three months later they brought Gatling guns to Africa & destroyed the Zulu tribes & imprisoned Cetswayo on Robben island near Cape Town.
This was NOT South Africans fighting the Zulus, but foreigners, the only South African (a Boer) in the film gave sensible advice (use the wagons in a laager) but Lord Chelmsford et al insisted on the Brit way of fighting & lost. Lots of examples of incompetance: eg bullets in sealed boxes leading to shortages etc - these ex-pats didn't have a clue!
Not long after, in 1899, the British decided to go to war against the Transvaal & OFS- on very spurious grounds, & again brought out an ex-pat army - as many as 750,000 trained soldiers from Britain & the empire against a max .of 30,000 farmers (Boers) not soldiers.
It took Milner's scorched earth policy & concentration camps for women & children, of whom nearly 30,000 died, to bring about surrender by the Afrikaners. The new government was almost entirely ex-pat - Oxbridge types for Milner's new government in Cape Town and also more decisions made- even some of the groundwork laid for apartheid by these ex-pats from Britain. At this time the Union of South Africa became (unwillingly for many) part of the glorious empire/commonwealth.
Europe & the UK also started with a tribal structure, millenia ago, stronger, fiercer tribes conquered others & ultimately we ended up with a royal family- some of whom might be described as ex-pats too.
Sorry this is a bit long, but this is a complicated topic, but remember above all, that many white South Africans have had family in South Africa since 1652, and they are not ex-pats.
tegwini
New London Mayor
in Other Topics
Posted
Will might also have mentioned your & you're = you are (word contraction) in Quillian's post.
Very frustrating to see this.
tegwini