Gardengirl

Thanks for that warning, Norman; I didn't know that. There are no children around, but it's best to be aware. The new bamboo sounds lovely, Russethouse. I might well check out the Twyford nursery. We would want something that doesn't get too top-heavy, as the winds can be strong in our part of the Gard. Jo

That's a possibility, Russethouse; thanks for that. I've also just thought of a bamboo. Jo

Any suggestions for a fairly tall-growing shrub we can put in a pot to provide cover between our patio and next door? One spot is overlooked. Our area is very hot in summer and cold in winter. In summer it would only get water from our next door neighbour as and when she thinks about it. I thought of a laurier rose, but as far as I can tell, they should be cut back quite a lot fairly regularly. Thanks, Jo

Thankyou so much to you lovely people; my husband is very pleased to have that knowledge. Our system is an old one; he is changing the boiler and putting it in a different place. Ordering on the internet, he saw these 2 different parts described as doing the same job - confusing! In case anyone is concerned about the safety aspect, our usual plumber will be coming in to join up the gas to the system and test it all when he returns from holiday in September. Thanks again, regards, Jo PS Hope the fingertips have fully recovered!

We gave a lot to a school fund-raising fair. I also put some on freecycle. Jo

Just the actual car parking charge is added to your monthly bill (or whichever months you use the doofer). Jo

If anyone wanting one of these from ASF lives near a Nordauto shop, we got ours from them with no deposit to pay. We took along our passports, proof of address and bank details and took it home with us; no 30 euro deposit or P & P. It not only works throughout the country, but also in Vinci car parks - no trying to find change for the machine! Jo

Could anybody tell us the difference between an isolating valve and a gate valve, please. They seem to do similar things; when would you use one or the other? Many thanks, Jo

Thanks for that tip - i'd never thought of it; assumed it needed a tropical climate. Jo

As someone from UK who has always left properties in a very clean, tidy state, I'm glad of the qualification from Thebiga - 'here anyway'. I know there are many more like us who do this and get owners to check etc. Obviously not all! My only experience of people leaving things in a state was on a campsite in the Alps years ago. We had an adventure by being 'couriers' for the summer for an operator on a small French-owned site. We were responsible for 9 tents and 4 mobile homes, with staggered dates for arrivals and departures, with UK and Dutch guests. The UK visitors were mostly OK to good and the Dutch mostly good at leaving the accomodation clean and tidy. The worst was a Dutch family, who stayed a fortnight, and who were disgusting. When they left it took us two of us 7 hours to clean up after them. We started at the footpath with a shovel, cleaning up rubbish from meals - bones etc. Everything supplied was dirty, and I carried every single item from the tent to wash up - by hand, of course. The cooker, fridge and BBQ were awful. People came past all day commiserating with us, as they had been a totally unpleasant family. The Dutch visitors were ashamed that the family was Dutch. All other Dutch people we've ever met on campsites over the years have had spotless accomodation, with a floor cloth inside the tent to step on to etc. I don't think I'd like your job - not on change over days, that is. I wish you all clean, tidy visitors for the rest of the summer - with just the booked number arriving. Jo

As other posters have said, if a complaint isn't made, a problem can't necessarily be appreciated. If you can't manage to speak enough French, can you perhaps write it in English and get someone with good French to translate it for you. You could then hand a copy to your neighbour, so he will then know about the problem he's causing you, and if necessary you could give a copy to the Maire. It can't make things worse, and might make a big improvement. If you try this, keep it short, simple and to the point. You did sound very upset; I hope there aren't too many other problems you are facing just now. Good luck, Jo

Those friendship bracelets till seem very popular with youngsters. At a recent summer fair they were going like hot cakes. Jo

We've used only Eurotunnel when taking the car for the last few years, apart from after the fire. We just used 8 out of the 10 tickets last year, so thought it wasn't such a good deal as we also had to pay £20/£30 for each crossing (we can't cope with early morning or late night crossings any more). It felt as though we had thrown money away. However, when we looked at prices for crossing this year, we decided that even if we only cross a few times by car this year it could still be a good deal. We know we'll definitely take 4 or maybe 6 crossings during the 12 months. So including £20 extra per crossing it comes to £115 per single trip (4), or around £80 (6) - always on dates and at times to suit us. We'll see how satisfied we are at the end of the 12 months. Jo

... and good riddance!

I love the amended title! Jo

Thanks a lot for that, Teapot; it looks a lot better! Jo

We have an apartment in France and spend time there on and off throughout the year. As it was our first winter there, we started taking electricity meter readings, mainly because we pay 25 euros to EDF for each of 10 months, and I was concerned that we might get a large bill come July (end of year). In fact, we have underpaid, but it could have been worse. Strangely, EDF have left the direct debit at the same level for next year. I don't know about kwh, but we have recorded units used. These averaged 33 units per day in February, 14.3 in April and 11 in June/July. We only have electricity, so that covers everything.We have a washer/drier, hob and oven, heating, hot water and lighting, plus computer. Don't know if units convert into kwh, so don't know if that's any help. Jo The apartment is just over 1 year old, with good insulation and has just 1 bedroom. June/July included use of a couple of fans in the evenings.

Sorry, I don't know what that is. Jo

Cathy, I know that left-handed people can enjoy doing crafts. For knitting she might have to be shown by a left-handed person, though. Many children I worked with did various crafts, and my left-handed SIL has knitted for as long as I've known her. Jo

Yes, I had checked that already, but your reply has prompted me to put it on larger, which is much easier to read. It doesn't explain why it went wrong, but works. Thanks, Jo

Thanks for that Clair; I tried it, but there was no change after refreshing. It's difficult to read, eveb with my glasses on. It's doing the same thing on TA. We use Internet Explorer 8 Jo

Everything was fine this morning,nothing was touched till I switched on just now, and the font is tiny. Can you help? Thanks, Jo

No, it's selected airports; none suitable for us, I'm afraid - better luck for you, perhaps, Jo

Available until midnight Thursday, £5 including all taxes, from that Irishman. Jo

There seems to be only a small chance of being stopped, but the consequences could be nasty. Maybe removing your photo from the forum might be an extra safeguard if you're feeling ultra cautious. Jo