Clair

[quote user="soupagirl"]No it's not free. It's £10.99. Only free on Kindle. Unless I'm looking in the wrong place. Never mind.[/quote] You're right, it's a free Kindle book, but you don't need a Kindle to read it. You can read it on your PC, laptop or tablet, using a free Kindle Reading app.

This might help (in googlish HERE).

It's not literature, but it's a book, it's amusing and it's free! Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain by George Mahood Price: FREE from Apr 14 – 17, 2013 [quote]FREE COUNTRY: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain The plan is simple. George and Ben have three weeks to cycle 1000 miles from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland. There’s just one small problem… they have no bikes, no clothes, no food and no money. Setting off in just a pair of Union Jack boxer shorts, they attempt to rely on the generosity of the British public for everything from food to accommodation, clothes to shoes, and bikes to beer. During the most extraordinary of challenges, George and Ben scavenge through rubbish bins, search for the Loch Ness monster, wash dishes, clean hotels, sing Christmas carols for food, swim in lakes, descend Cornish hills on children’s bikes and cook a barbecue for 30 old people in a field. They spend the night in a greenhouse, a canal boat, a posh hotel, an empty house, a pub, a tent in a car park and a barn with a bull. Through the course of their hysterical journey they are clothed, fed and sheltered by the generous people of Britain; from llama farmers to onion farmers, students to lifeguards, a former rock-star to a former hit-man… and Michael Eavis in a pair of hot-pants. They blaze a trail of open doors and warm hospitality the length of this green and pleasant land, proving that – both monetarily and opportunistically – Great Britain is undoubtedly a Free Country.[/quote]

She may have a point. See this old post of mine...

Do not fax anything. Did you renew on their website? If not, can you restart the process there? nexway.fr (http://corporate.nexway.com/) appear to be an e-commerce gateway (the merchant uses their software to collect payment?) Question for consideration (it's bound to be asked by someone!): do you really need to pay for AV protection? I have used MS Security Essentials, which is free, on several computers for years, without any hint of a problem.

andyh4, They are synonyms, so you can use either. There is a (very faint and subtle) hint that using second indicates the count stop there (there's no third, fourth...), but you can happily ignore that [:D].

The correct abbreviation is 1er (François 1er) or 1re (1re place) , 2e, 3e, 567e..., using superscript which does not show on this forum! [:D] There is no difference when describing space, rating or any other type of ranking.

The Guardian, as part of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), is running a series of reports linked to "Offshore Secrets": http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/series/offshore-secrets

[quote user="powerdesal"]Some comments on the first half of Labyrinth:- I don't recall the book having an 'evil sister' in it. [/quote] I have not watched either episode yet, but the original storyline does include an older, manipulative sister (Oriane).

[quote user="powerdesal"]I enjoyed it, as did Mrs PD.[/quote] So did I. I have read and enjoyed both Labyrinth and Sepulchre. I'll watch the adaptation tonight, but I don't think the book can be easily condensed. I'm not expecting to be blown away. I just want to enjoy something I haven't watched before (unlike Robin Hood or Shrek!) [:)]

If Labyrinth doesn't appeal, there's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Film4 at 11:15pm [:)]. Film4 are showing the Stieg Larsson trilogy over the next three evenings.

[quote user="Hereford"]I use Firefox and have never had this problem - I thought it checked for all compatible add-ons??[/quote] There are add-ons (sort-off "optional extras" created within Firefox) and plugins (created outside of Firefox), which make things like videos and games run better. Firefox checks add-ons for compatibility and updates, but plugins updates are down to the user. They need to be checked regularly.

Labyrinth Adrian Hodges' adaptation of Kate Mosse's best-selling novel. Channel 4 - 9pm (Part one of two. Concludes Sunday) [quote]Modern-day PhD graduate Alice Tanner and 17-year-old Alais Pelletier from 13th-century Carcassonne experience an adventure that intertwines their lives, separated by time but united with a common destiny. Alice inherits a house in the south of France from an unknown aunt and is haunted by dreams of a woman from the past. Compelled to find out more, she stumbles upon an archaeological discovery that will bear witness to a genocide committed 800 years earlier on European soil, which will lead her to the secrets of the Holy Grail.[/quote]

Do you always keep your watch in the gutter?[blink] Don't you blame me tomorrow if you find you're late for Sunday mass!![:-))]

TONIGHT!!

Sunny - Warm - Blue sky... Trimming lavenders[:)]

Friday's temp here almost reached tropical levels at 21°C! Unheard of in these parts and at this altitude! (well, for March at any rate! [:D])

SUNDAY 31st MARCH The clocks go 1 hour forward at 2 am. [IMG]http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q296/clair46/Spring%20Forward%20Fall%20Back/imagesqtbnANd9GcS7DVc6b6HM8zeaOwrHc_zpsce9855b5.jpg[/IMG]

[quote user="Chancer"]Did you have to ring a premium rate number to contact GLS and then be kept waiting 10 minutes plus?[/quote] No, I didn't call them. I filled in a form on their website. I first tracked the parcle using their ref # (supplied by Amazon), then followed a link on the GLS page where the delivery details appeared. I stated I had not received the delivery and mentioned fraud and theft. They replied by email to say no signature had been required and the parcel had been left with a neighbour. I replied to their email to say no delivery attempt had been made, either with me or with a neighbour. They replied it was all done and dusted as far as they were concerned. Thankfully, Amazon replaced the missing Kindle and refunded the delivery charge almost immediately. I received a replacement (via La Poste, no sig required!) 3 days after I first contacted them.

I had a similar problem as the OP, and with the same delivery firm (GLS). I had ordered a Kindle from Amazon with 24h delivery and I tracked it on GLS's website, right until the moment when the screen showed that the delivery had been made! As I hadn't left the house that day, I knew this to be a lie. I contacted Amazon to advise them the item had not been delivered, contrary to the GLS's notification. I also contacted GLS to advise them that the package had not be delivered and that I hadn't signed for it, that whoever had signed in my name had committed fraud and theft. GLS replied that the item had not required a signature and had been left with a neighbour on Saturday, as "the recipient was not present to receive" it. On Monday, GLS's online delivery notification had been amended to show that the delivery had not taken place because the address was "incorrect or incomplete" (they had the tel number, but didn't use it to find the "correct" del address...) By a strange coincidence, the parcel miraculously appeared in my letter box 2 days later... [Www] I returned it to Amazon, as I had already received a replacement (and a refund for the missed 24h delivery). I suspect that the GLS driver couldn't be bothered to drive all the way to the sticks where I live and because I had requested an overnight delivery, they wanted to show the non-delivery was not caused by them, hence the "left with a neighbour" note.

[quote user="gardengirl "]... We were told that a suitable pair of hearing aids for him would cost between £1,300 and £4,500, and she recommended a middle range upwards for his needs; but she also mentioned several times that a pair at around £1300 would give a good level of improvement if that was the amount we would feel most comfortable with. A pair at that price wouldn't last as long as they could only be programmed over a more limited, but fairly good range. We were also told that a pair of aids that were more technically advanced should last betweeen 5 - 10 years, depending on how well they were looked after, cleaned, serviced etc. The figures quoted included all servicing, check ups at 6-monthly intervals plus however many visits for help were included, just as for specs with them.[/quote] This sounds all very good, and the after-care is very similar to the one the French fitters are obligated to offer. The after-care for Mr Clair extends to 5 years, which is the estimated life-time of the hearing aids he is wearing (according to the manufacturer!) I'm confident they will last longer, with care and attention... Cost-wise, this compares with the upper-range pieces offered here. I have seen the ones Mr Clair is wearing offered for £1800 (± 2050€) each on the UK websites I have visited, whereas they "only" cost 1500€ (± £1300). This is such an important decision to make and, after the last few weeks, I totally endorse what was suggested by Alan Zoff at the very beginning of the thread, which is "Find a trustworthy consultant". If you have found that person, you're half-way there already.

It's been 2 weeks now and I thought I'd give a short update: Mr Clair started using his hearing aids with silicone domes whilst his R.I.T.E. (receiver in the ear) pieces were being made. We had been told there would be a period of adjustment whilst the brain would get used to hearing sounds it hadn't dealt with for many years, but the improvement was immediate, with no discomfort, physical or otherwise. The hearing aids were used only in their automatic program during the first week, primarily for Mr Clair to get used to the ambient noises in various situations (quiet speech, TV, speech in noisy work environment, music...) The hearing aids log all the usage data, from the number of hours of use to the hours spent in any environment. This is a multi-environment learning program, which captures sounds in a direct and fairly narrow field, and it can be tweaked to an unbelievable fine degree by the specialist with software supplied by the hearing aid manufacturer. The second week, the RITE pieces were fitted (small clear silicone vented receivers made to fit his ear canals - totally invisible). The advantage is that no unwanted external noise can reach the ear canal, compared to the silicone domes he had used the first week. The RITE pieces capture the sounds, filter them and render them according to which program is being used. A second program (TV/Music) was also added, but that didn't go quite as well. As I understand it, this program captures sounds much more widely and clearly, Mr Clair's brain did not like this! Too many noises all round, too much volume on the trebles and cutting out too readily. This was tweaked and resolved yesterday, and Mr Clair was much happier when we left. In the meantime, Mr Clair found a source of batteries (same as those supplied by the shop) on Ebay for half the price. They arrived yesterday, with an invoice which can be sent to CPAM for a refund. CPAM allows a maximum of 47.60€ a year for accessories for 2 hearing aids, and Mr Clair paid 48€ for 120 batteries (1 a week for each hearing aid). As far as the two grants are concerned, I have sent off the relevant paperwork and I tried not to laugh/cry when I was told that in the case of one office, payments are issued once a month only... My letter might just arrive in time for this month's payment date, and if not, we'll just have to wait until 20th April... [blink] I've had to leave a cheque with the shop for the whole amount as a guarantee, so I hope the money turns up soon!![:-))] The young guy who does the fitting for Mr Clair is very helpful and he speaks English, too! Despite that, I attend all the appointments to ensure there are no misunderstandings. We nearly had one of those yesterday when Mr Clair's discomfort was almost dismissed with "it's normal to feel overwhelmed when you hear sounds you haven't heard for years", until I pointed out there had been no such problem the previous week. And that's the end of the tale so far [:)]

Excellent film, previously discussed HERE Got the DVD and what a fine performance from Kristin Scott Thomas... I spotted the name Serge Hazanavicius alongside KST's name, and have just realised he is the brother of Michel Hazanavicius, best know for The Artist and the spy spoofs OSS 117 films, all starring Jean Dujardin. PS: I did not type their name. I cheated and used copy & paste! [;-)] PPS: Still haven't seen The Artist...

[quote user="NormanH"]I made a similar recipe a while ago, but did something wrong somewhere because it came out horribly salty. Perhaps it was the fact that both the lemons and the olives have a  lot of salt in them, or because I reduced it too much. I think another time I would add the olives near the end.[/quote] You could also rinse the preserved lemons before adding them to the dish...

Sounds good. Noted, thank you. Re preserved lemons, they are really easy and quick to make at home, though you do need to make them 4-6 weeks before you need them! On the plus side, they keep for months and months... [:)]