Gardengirl

According to the barrister who was an eye-witness, once he’d helped the DoE to get out of the car he asked about the people in the other car. He also said that the DoE said ‘nothing rude’. Hoddy, it concerns me too. I’ve never been able to see well in the dark, so have always avoided that, and I’m much more nervous about driving to places I’m not familiar with now. I’ve had to do that while my husband hasn’t been able to drive but I’ve not been too happy about it.

Earl Spencer? Amazing that the DoE wasn’t injured at all - it’s reckoned that his Land Rover weighs 2 tons, must have been a huge impact.

Loiseau, yes, hot cross bubs are in our little local branch of M&S all year. I get indigestion if I eat any, so I get a bit miffed that I can buy those all the time, plus croissants and other such things that I wouldn’t buy in the UK, yet teacakes are rarely stocked.

Income tax that had advantages for you?

I have respect for Kenneth Clarke. I put parts of what you said earlier on a thread on another forum, a private one, but you’ve put it much better than me. I hope you won’t mind if I take your post to use - is that OK?

Well that was a blast from the distant past! This thread last used in 2011 and the other book thread not used since 2007! Interesting to wonder what everyone who contributed to that thread is doing now. Memories flooded back of the day a group of us met Cooperlola. I bought and read several books mentioned in the thread, includng ‘Empty Cradles’, which I’ve read several times although it’s hard emotionally.

I had my first today; having just arrived back in France on Saturday evening, we were tired and had a late start to Sunday. So our favourite cake shop had very little to offer as they close at noon. So I bought a slice of lovely, flaky galette des rois. Any Deschamps cake is delicious and this was no exception. There’s our AVF galette des rois gathering on Friday, with galettes prepared that morning by a chef who is an AVF member, along with volunteer members - their galettes will be delicious too, I’m sure. I dislike intensely the brioche type; M. Deschamps makes some but the vast majority in the window are flaky pastry. His flaky pastry isn’t the crumbly-falling-everywhere type, but delicious and so light.

Théière said: It’s the ‘plastic-ness’ of them; that mass of bright red colour, which then turns green Maybe ‘really dislike’ would have been better, but I do hate them. There’s really not a lot of things I hate, can’t think of much else at all. Of course there are the thousands of tiny ash saplings that sprout in my garden from the ash trees in the ancient woodland adjoining our garden in the UK; especially those I miss and grow like mad while hiding among bushes then suddenly pop out at the top like truffids........ Edit: we were just talking about next week’s truffle weekend and which restaurant to eat Sunday’s truffle lunch at - my brain managed to combine the two.

Norman said: > Nice, Norman. Ours is a small 11 year old apartment, perfect for our lock up and leave lifestyle of spending half of each year here in blocks of 5/6 weeks at a time. Built with concrete, extremely well-insulated and easy to keep clean, light and airy, overlooking the wooded, shared gardens and far enough away from the noise from the shared pool. Although we don’t spend the overly hot summers here so we miss much of the noise. We also have many excellent neighbours, no nasty ones. The other half of our time is spent in a largish house with a too-big-now garden that seems permanently dusty, but the big compensation is living just a few minutes from our gorgeous granddaughters, the reason we’ve not moved here permanently.

Richard said: That’s what I’ve done, as mentioned in my ‘mixed hedge’ suggestion. I planted flowering deciduous shrubs and various evergreens and allowed them to grow together. They are trimmed once a year or so to keep them from getting too leggy. I hate photinias.

Pyracantha is a good idea, although I prefere a more informal mixed hedge.

‘Like’ has become ubiquitous, would make quite a good amount.

Judith, I find all the sniping off-putting too. A new year truce would be good.

Happy New Year everyone, and especially Hoddy, who does an excellent job - it must be awfully difficult at times with some unruly posters! A light hand on the reins is appreciated.

Loiseau, sorry to hear that you are both having that problem. Another reason for me to refuse yet another update maybe.

Have you chosen the ‘active’ threads option? It’s what I use and I use my ipad.

Happy Christmas everyone, been celebrating from lunchtime at our younger son’s home nearby with our granddaughters and DIL, lots of champagne taken today. Merry Christmas all! ? ?

Well I feel very sorry for those who have had holidays disrupted, one family was meant to be flying to Spain to the funeral of the woman’s father. Gatwick restarted flights after a gap of about 90 minutes, following the sighting of a drone.

Property management is still going strong in our area, I know several people who do just that and several owners who use British property managers.

Does anyone know if renting long-term an apartment/small house would be a possibility? Would that count as a permanent address or doesn’t it work like that? If that works, an off season rental in an area where the OP’s research shows that it’s a possible future home area could work out nicely; owners have a low income rather than no income and the OP could try living as a local.

Loiseau, that’s just what I was taught many years ago. Don’t worry overmuch, eric, once someone has really got it, there’s no need to keep pulling the funny faces!

Gardian, an excellent price. Cendrillon, it can be a very useful site but I find it needs double-checking.

I also find it used by friends who are ‘fed up to the back teeth’ by somebody or something or other. Not overly strong.

An interesting subject. I got to know ras/raz le bol (I’ve seen both spellings) a few years ago when a French friend was clearing out their large shop cellar, filling her car with masses of rubbish from years ago and making several trips to the tip. After 2 apartments were broken into in our apartment block, it was found that there was a weak point in the door handles, which meant that front doors could be broken into quickly and easily. I arranged for a locksmith to change handles for a large group of residents at an ‘interesting’ price and llearned about a poignée blindée - with the mechanism protected/blocked.

That sounds a good idea nomoss - fingers crossed that all goes well getting there and for your wife’s appointment. I did think that the terrible killings in Strasbourg might have given the gjs pause for thought.