Gardengirl

Yes, you can go by train from Narbonne to Avignon town station, then the short shuttle train to Avignon TGV station and the direct Eurostar to St Pancras. Unfortunately it no longer runs all year round as it had become our favourite way to go to and fro.

What rotten luck, Pat. A niece had a similar problem when she returned to London and gave her tenant notice. It took a long time to get a court order and ended up costing a lot, as when the tenant eventually moved out the whole flat was in a terrible state - filthy, with a lot of damage. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t take too long to evict your tenants. Bon courage!

Sorry to hear about being ill and in hospital; sending good wishes for a speedy recovery.

Hi Mint, sorry I’m late to the thread. I’ve been using various Green People organic products for years, so thought you might think of trying their hand and body lotion for sensitive skin. https://www.greenpeople.co.uk/shop/by-concern/body-solutions/sensitive-hypersensitive-body-products They deliver to France - I’m expecting a package from them shortly. The other thing I’ve used for ages is organic Aloe Vera gel but I’m not certain whether or not the small percentage of ingredients other than aloe vera in it would aggravate your skin or not. Good luck with finding something you can use on your skin with no problems.

Judith, you sound to be doing really well, especially overcoming all the diffculties with your house at the same time. We went on a visit today in a mixed group of English, French and Dutch on a private group tour. Over lunch and afterwards, the conversation turned to physios - one had a broken shoulder, a second had been in an accident and the third had been operated on following cancer. All vehemently decried about who just put patients on machines - and were paid the same as what they all called ‘proper’ physios. I’ve had no experience of physios in France, only in the UK, so I know nothing about what’s available. It was very interesting though. Here in the Gard I visited our 84 year old neighbour last week. She’s having 2 months re-education in the local hospital following a fall; her physio has progressed from her arm to her shoulder, where she had 3 screws fitted, and the manual manipulation she’s having is causing her quite a lot of pain, but she says it needs to be done like that to reinstate her movement. No machines are being used on her.

I’ve put on a few pounds, but not due to my smoothies, which I haven’t had since being back in France - keeping my eyes open for a cheapie machine here. At home I usually use lots of vegs, spinach, brocolli and kale with maybe some carrot and a lemon, with almonds or cashew nuts plus oat milk. I rarely add fruit as I eat quite a bit anyway and don’t want to add even more calories. No, my weight gain is due to too much lovely local Gard red wine and delicious cheeses, lots of comfort food while it’s been so chilly plus not walking as much as usual while still needing my stick to get around.

Good luck with your move, Pat.

Thanks, ALBF. I hope that your OH managed to stay warm; I assume that she finally arrived home, as you didn’t say otherwise. I feel very sorry for those stuck yesterday, around 1,000 spent the night at Montparnasse, for those in the flooded areas who now have snow as well.

In Paris today, 6th February 2018 - a report on the weather from another forum: The buses have been pulled off the roads, the RER is not running into the suburbs and trains are being cancelled. Some companies are asking employees not to come in to work tomorrow, as the commute would be too dangerous. I have never seen Paris quite like this before. Anybody know if it really is that bad?

Yes, in February we’re in winter, but looking forward to spring is a treat at this time of year. One of my favourites: Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide. Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again, And take from seventy springs a score, It only leaves me fifty more. And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow. AE Housman

Flocons is just a lovely word - quelques flocons, flocons d’avoine etc. Some pics of snow in Paris, although not a lot of snow, definitely not 10cms: https://www.thelocal.fr/20180205/city-of-white-stunning-images-of-the-snowfall-in-paris-copy

Fun photo while the Seine is high: https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Seine-statue-dressed-in-lifejacket-by-eco-activists

That sounds a dead-ringer for Trump!

I hope that this police video via the local works; video footage taken by the police using a drone: https://www.thelocal.fr/20180129/video-stunning-images-of-paris-flood-filmed-by-drone

[quote user="woolybanana"]New or returning members would be welcome indeed, especially as two of our more useful and elder friends, Norman and Mint seem to have disappeared. Which is very sad.[/quote] Wooly, Norman put a super photo of the Seine on the forum a few days ago, so maybe he’s out and about taking more for everyone’s delectation - probably has a very stable tripod in his barrel - as you so nicely put it!

I didn’t think of it as being sad either - I thought of it as being in the same spirit as those who buy a bit of a wreck in France to do it up so that they can live in a village in a lovely area. The surrounding houses might not look much either, but none of us has any idea what they are like inside. For all we know, they might be like old terraces in many towns, prosperous or not, but I’ve seen a lot in Berkshire that have been updated beautifully and have every mod-con imagineable.

It sounds lovely and not so expensive to renovate it really, according to the estate agent. Belford would be a lovely place to live.

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They even have own-brans organic oat milk! Hope branches near you stock it, can’t see why not. If you have a Biocoop they also stock it.

Good for you, Norman - good luck! In England wehave oat milk on cereals etc, don’t drink cows milk. We can buy oat milk in many places, which is just as well, as 2 lots of smoothies each day as well rapidly depletes our stock. In France I buy oat milk at the little Carrefour market close by or the big Carrefour on the edge of town and the health food shop near it or at Intermarché. They also have oat milk at the little Spar shop. We tried cacao powder in the scond batch today; I liked it but my equally sweet-toothed husband didn’t, although he’s happily drunk all the others we’ve tried. Our elder son (who bought me my Nutribullet along with our other son) phoned last night and while chatting, mentioned that his partner had been given a cheque for Christmas and had bought a Nutribullet with the money, don’t know which one. Not only is his partner using it daily, but our son has started using it too. Quite a surprise to me, as he’s not into trying new ideas or ‘different’ foods etc, although his partner is very into healthy eating.

Norman, fingers can’t be threatened by the Nutribullet I’ve got, don’t know about others, and everything can go in the dishwasher apart from the main electrical unit and the nlade, whch we handwash. It is noisy, but it switches off after 1 minute.

Nick said

You’ve definitely made progress by eating spinach, Grecian, more power to your elbow and smoothie maker! The smoothies we’ve made definitely don’t taste of kale, something I’ve only bought and eaten in the past because it’s supposed to be good for me. Nor does it taste of spinach, which I normally eat hidden in such things as fish pies etc. Some have tasted mildly of banana, so if you really hate them they are best left out. Those with pineapple in them taste of that a bit, but they’ve all tasted very mild.

A bill has just arrived at our home in SE England, posted on December 20th in Marseille - it took a lot longer than normal, even allowing for Christmas and the new year. Happily it was a for a fairly reasonable amount.

Théière, I used my Nutribullet today; it was a Christmas present from our 2 sons, as I had put one on my list. We were away for Christmas and only opened our presents on Sunday, when some of our family were here with us. It’s a huge thing, silver and was a bit daunting at first. I based my first meal, lunch today, on your post: 1 handful of kale, 1 of spinach, 1 of cashew nuts, 1 banana and some fresh pineapple and filled up with oat milk, which is what we normally drink. My husband and I shared the first brew - it was delicious. So we made a second brew, just as good. We both felt pretty full, which I wasn’t expecting. Thank you for your posts on here about healthy smoothies, they were the spur to me having an NB and I hope we’ll both use it regularly, every day I should think. I couldn't find the name of the book you recommended, so please will you post the name/author. Thank you, and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year to you and everyone else on the forum.