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Gardengirl

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Posts posted by Gardengirl

  1. Thanks for the translation & for the info.

    We would really like one, as we have one in UK, and think it would be v useful in our apartment in France.

    Now we know the words, we can make enquiries at more specialist kitchen shops.

    Jo

  2. Can anyone help with the translation of this, please? It's not in our dictionaries. We are finally getting to the design-a-kitchen stage - seems v hard to do remotely. We've not seen any in our treks round the kitchen suppliers - can you get themgenerally in France? The sort we have here in England has places in Italy etc but not in France.

    Thanks, Jo

     

     

  3. We tried a fish stew recipe last night; printed it out from several weeks ago. Having problems with computer & can't find OP. Just had to say how good it was, & so easy! I put some garlic in it as we mainly had white fish. It would seem that an endless number of variations can be made! I've not been a great fan of fish, other than fairly plainly cooked, but loved this.

    Thanks OP, Jo

  4. I put the message below on the health forum recently. I was sent a a few pms; none of the responders could help, but it was suggested I try again with the above heading. Can you help?

    We are buying a new-build apartment in the Gard region, and were due to fly over on Nov 28th to inspect it. My husband had a heart attack, followed by a stroke on 25th Nov, so obviously all that is in the air now.

    He is recovering well, and is taking walks daily - we are up to 6/10 of a mile today (now 3/4 mile!) - lovely in our local country park with the heavy frost & sunshine here in Berkshire! We have a very healthy diet and a fairly active lifestyle, but he has a family history of both heart attacks and strokes.

    Our insurance company informed us today that he will not be covered for anything at all to do with his heart problems.

    We are not planning on travelling anywhere until after his 6-week check, but if he isn't covered by travel insurance after that time, I wondered if he will be covered for travel to France on his EHIC, provided the medics give the OK.

    Any thoughts would be appreciated.

    Thanks, Jo

  5. We are buying a new-build apartment in the Gard region, and were due to fly over on Nov 28th to inspect it. My husband had a heart attack, followed by a stroke on 25th Nov, so obviously all that is in the air now.

    He is recovering well, and is taking walks daily - we are up to 6/10 of a mile today - lovely in our local country park with the heavy frost & sunshine here in Berkshire! We have a very healthy diet and a fairly active lifestyle, but he has a family history of both heart attacks and strokes.

    Our insurance company informed us today that he will not be covered for anything at all to do with his heart problems.

    We are not planning on travelling anywhere until after his 6-week check, but if he isn't covered by travel insurance after that time, I wondered if he will be covered for travel to France on his EHIC, provided the medics give the OK.

    Any thoughts would be appreciated.

    Thanks, Jo

  6. Redstarts come to us each winter and strip any remaining apples from our trees, and munch all the windfalls; they rarely touch anything else from the feeders, or the garden.

    We buy sunflower seed hearts, I think they're called - not whole ones with seed covers. Nuthatches, robins etc are very keen on them, besides the more usual great, blue and long-tailed tits.

    Jo

  7. Good to hear that, Pads. Yes I've had a look at the other thread; I see there's been confusion over the use of etre/avoir, espeacially when saying your age. Difficult!

    I'm just filled with admiration for people like you who are really keen get down to learning french at perhaps a mature age. I think it's the only way forward, but appreciate the effort it takes.

    Best wishes, Jo 

  8. My sympathies are with you for the problems have had with the fire and those you will face, putting things right and making them safe.

    If you can contact these people who threatened your safety (& pocket!), I would urge you to do so, in a similar vein to that suggested by an earlier poster; telling them what you have been through & will have to do to be secure, and that it will all cost a good sum of money, and threatening to inform the authorities.

    They may or may not be aware that they are causing serious problems to others. If they do know and don't care, it might just cause them to consider. If they don't realise, they might well be horrified. Either way, you will have spoken out for the greater good - for us all, in fact.

    Could you also indicate the area they have moved to on this forum, so that all of us are aware for anyone who might wish to buy in the future.

    Good luck with all the work you will have to carry out.

    Jo

     

     

  9. Just wondering how Pads is doing. I've read the messages above, but no questions about lessons recently.

    How's it going? You opened up a very useful link to sources of help online; I've put them all in to favourites, and my husband has been brushing up his skills using them.

    Hope you're making steady progress - that's often 1 step forwards, but several back I find, as more knowledge makes you realise how much you don't know!

    Bon chance,

    Jo

  10. After visiting the viaduct earlier this year we had lunch at the Château de Creissels, just 2km south of Millau. I saw it in our Routard guide, and was very pleased I did! It was a lovely meal with excellent service. The lunchtime menu cost 23euros, with others up to 48 euros. Not cheap, but a lovely meal. The Château is in the middle of the village, opposite the church, and has views of the viaduct from by the car park and from the terrace. By the way, rooms are available in what are described by Routard as charming rooms from 49 euros!

    Jo

  11. Just to worry you even more, my OH has looked in the French grammar text book that is used in his French class and found 18 pages that refer to different uses of de.  Good luck!!

    Jo

  12. I think the comfrey you have seen, Patf, might be the normal everyday sort. I think the comfrey that's so good for the compost heap & making liquid fertiliser is russian comfrey, with the name 'Bocking 17; I've been growing it for years & years - got it from the organic gardening place at Ryton in Dunsmore. It's great stuff; my OH has just been putting the last lof this year's leaves into the compost bins after turning the compost out on to the veggie patch. This type has not quite such a spreading habit as some. I could pass on some to anyone in the Berkshire area, and maybe in the Gard when we are there next year, if anyone is keen to have some.

    Happy gardening Sweet 17; did you get my pm? Happy gardening to everyone else, too; you all sound so keen; can't do much just now, following a fall a few weeks ago, but managing a little now. 

    Jo  

    Thought I'd just managed my 1st smiley - oh well!

  13. I understand that tax will not need to be paid for the first 2 years after a new house is built. We will be taking possession of our brand new apartment 'in the first quarter of 2008', and will be gradually moving in. So that should take us to the end of 2009. I imagine that means we will have to have a stand-alone TV licence, if we should get a TV. Does anyone know anything about this please.

    Thanks, Jo

  14. It so depends where you come from, where you choose to move to, and what you are looking for.

    We live on the outskirts of Reading - big, rather brash, seems to have a lot of crime (local daily newspaper headlines/articles), with good shopping facilities and very close to lovely countryside, plus good transport links. However, we pay council tax to Wokingham, which is also very close, and is small, quiet, andwith more individual shops - and a Waitrose! (and came top in another league table out last week - not quite sure why, although it's a nice place!)

    We are very contented with our fairly busy lives here, friends and family, but we also spend a lot of time in France each year. So we are buying an brand new apartment (heard on Monday that we go to do the inspection visit at the end of November - 2 months earlier than expected!) - not the roses round the door type of property we would have bought years ago, if we could have afforded it then.

    We will spend several weeks at a time in each house/country; mostly autumn, spring & winter in France, with the summer (what summer, this year, you might ask!) in England. Friends & family will be able to use the apartment in the summer - our sons have already planned their summer holiday there next year!

    We are buying in a small town in the Gard, which we have visited for many years, and which has lots going on all year round, a lovely old town and a spectacular market, with beautiful countryside all around. We already know a few people, and are recognised at cafés and restaurants when we return.

    I always thought we would move back to the country sometime, but it never seemed the right time, and it wouldn't be a good thing for us now - we're at an age when we think about sensible things like being reasonably close to amenities such as shops, doctor, hospital etc.

    I think it all boils down to horses for courses!

    Jo

  15. We generally send a couple of emails to our sons when on holiday, so visit internet cafés. The two young men in the one in our little town we are buying in were very helpful on our first couple of visits; we always have credit waiting for us, too, It's just round the corner from all our favourite restaurants & cafes, so no hardship! We are off to make the inspection visit to our apartment at the end of November, so expect we'll print off boarding passes before we leave there as usual.  It costs very little to use them, & printing off for check-in is so quick - & we don't donate even more profits to Ryanair.

    Jo

  16. When looking for B & Bs we use Sawday's quite a bit, in France and also in UK. One B & B we have visited a lot stopped using them because it was so expensive, even though the updates are every two years. Can't remember what the cost was last year, but sounded an awful lot to us. Having said that, an awful lot of people use Sawday if they want a guarantee of top notch quality ( depending on price, of course). We stay in v. posh ones near Nice & at Beaune, but lots of farms and fairly ordinary homes around the country which are on a more 'normal' level. We prefer to stay with French owners so we can chat in french. Haven't stayed with a lot of English B & B owners, but have for gites; 2 gites so far this year and about 14 B & Bs  for periods between 1 and 5 nights.

    When our apartment is ready ''in the first quartile of 2008'', as they put it, we won't be staying at quite so many - the Gard will be our destination.

     

    Jo

  17. We frequently stay in B & Bs in France. We mostly choose French-owned places, simply because we are in France to enjoy the country & all it offers, and enjoy speaking french .We usually have 2 trips of around 5weeks and 3 weeks each year travelling around 2 or 3 areas. we have always felt welcome, always leave the bedroom and bathroom (& any other rooms there for us to use) as tidy as at our home - which is usually tidy! I can't understand why the poster should have so many problems with guests. Is it perhaps a really cheap place; I can't imagine most people leaving a decent place trashed.

    I know I would hate to stay there; wish I knew where it was, so I could avoid it!

    Jo

  18. I would also choose Colliour. We visited for the first time in March, and loved the place itself, the light and the colours. We stayed in a hotel with lovely views, and loved pottering around,. We thought the little train ride was superb - right up high in amongst the vines - superb views! Don't know if it still runs in Oct.

    Jo

  19. I've been following all the posts - fascinating! I've finally managed to get back to posting; haven't been able to for months - problems with password etc.

    I've had all the usual problems for several years, and tried everything, with various amounts of success. The worst thing now is sweats, which nothing seemed to stop. I've been taking 'Menoherbs 2', from Victoria Health for nearly 3 months, along with a little magnet that goes inside your panties, on the tum. Between them (may be one or both, I don't know!) they have cut sweats down to maybe 3 or 4 a week, instead of loads daily, many of them soaking me! I don't care what has cut them down, as long as it works! It's wonderful!

    Jo

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