DerekJ

We made some enquiries regarding a new Godin from a specialist shop in Cahors. The quotes price was considerably more that we had seen if for on the web but I'm not sure if we were making a correct comparison. As I understand we will get hit for maximum taxation on it... maison secondaire, under 2 years old, ... max TVA.  and of course, no tax rebate. At the moment we've put the idea on the backburner (pun intended) [;-)]

Thanks Clair. We go over to the house next weekend for a couple of weeks so it will coincide with our middle weekend. As we will be working on the house for much of the time it will provide us with a welcome break. The downside is that we are hiring a van to bring stuff over so parking will probably that bit more difficult. I don't know who is riding this year but I saw some photos of Alexz Wigg who was second in the juniors last time and our son used to ride in some of the same events as Alexz when he was a schoolboy.

Clair.   Thanks a lot for tracking that down... and given that the 24th is a Sunday it must refer to 2008.  I say that as pretty much everything else I've searched on has come back with stuff from previous years.  Even the url of the trial club given in that pdf is old stuff and not advertising this year. As an aside, has anyone been? I can only guess that parking could be pretty horrendous.

Does anybody know if this is going to be held this year?  I've googled around but I can't see any reference to it for 2008 so I'm guessing it isn't an annual event? I've been to a few world champoinship rounds and the chance to see the top guys is not one to miss.

I've got the 1150GS and will definitely NOT be changing it for the 1200.  Don't know what I'll get when the time comes but it is probably unlikely to be a BMW.  Don't get me wrong, the 1150GS  is brilliant [:D] and I think it's ideal for my type of riding... lots of backroads. But I don't want to enter into the reliability lottery that is the 1200![:(]

[quote user="Bob T"]Gary, you might want to look at http://www.ukgser.com/forums/ [/quote] As Bob says... have a look at UKGSER website and see if you feel comfortable about the reliability of the 1200GS.

You're very welcome Frenchie. Thanks Albert, to be honest it needs a bit higher resolution image (for my skills anyway) to do anything much better. The version I did was a bit crude and would have been a bit easier with some bigger  areas of the surrounding scene to sample the cloning from.

Here's a bit of a crude attempt to clone the person out, also a slight crop. [img]http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e170/DerekJordan/Sandbox/Loanabateauxf.jpg?t=1217935798[/img]

That's a good explanation Albert. Thanks for that and for taking the time to help.  The answers here have been very useful and put a few things in context

[quote user="Callie"]Another one of those "space fillers" is "alors...." and of course there is "...ben.....".  And I just love "allez....venez...".   [/quote] Callie...  I don't know "ben".. in what context is this used? It's these things that make all the difference in understanding what's being said and being able to communicate in a more colloquial way. I agree about "alors" this seems to get thrown in everywhere.

[quote user="Albert the InfoGipsy"]Going back to the 'to' issue. In English it is really just a stub that really means 'to do that'. The 'bien' in the French version has absolutely no connection with it. You could actually translate 'Yes, I want to' as "Oui, je veux le faire'. I don't know the Thomas course, but my tame French teacher says that it is good for learning set phrases but poor at giving a structure to build understanding on. [/quote] Thanks Albert, but now I'm a bit confused as in your previous post you said... [quote user="Albert the InfoGipsy"] Maybe not quite as strong as the English equivalents, but sort of: 'Oh yes! I'd like to'. [/quote] Which is sort of the context of my original question.  Sorry to be thick but I'm getting a bit confused.  What I'd like to be able to say is just " I would like to" without adding extras like "to do it" or "to go there". That's on the basis the French say something similar.  I thought I'd found it with the MT "bien" bit but perhaps not. As to MT and set phrases versus structure? Well, that's not my opinion for what it's worth. I feel he teaches the basic structures rather well. What he doesn't cover is a lot of vocabulary which is pretty limited. However, the Language Builder course I referred to you is more vocabulary/set phrases biased but not the Foundation and Advanced course.

Callie, Cat.  Thanks for the guidance on "Donc". Again, it's one of those words where I understood the dictionary translation but found it seemed to pop up in places I wouldn't expect to use it in english. Your feedback helps with this... thanks.

Thanks a lot for all the quick responses.... all very useful guidance. The "bien" as a "to" translation was a direct quote from the MT course. Previously I'd have only thought of it as "well" translation in the context I gave. Hence I took particular note of him using it as "to". I guess you could use it in the same phrase to convey a similar meaning, albeit a little stronger than just "to". Albert... thanks for the "je pense" translation/suggestion. I certainly never knew that one. Cat... thanks for that link. It's very useful.  I must admit that "bien" is one of those words that is used in so many ways that beyond the basic use I get a bit confused. The other one that seems to be used all over the place and not always where I would expect to find it is "donc". Thanks again.

I was doing some revision with my Michel Thomas Language Builder course yesterday and found something I hadn't properly absorbed on previous listenings. It is over a particular use of "bien". The particular example relates to this..... These are in the context of perhaps a question like - Do you want to come to the cinema? I would like to - je voudrais bien I want to - je veux bien Now to my question.  If I want to say something like  .... I think so Would I say - je pense bien In other words is bien used to make a similar ending. In this case "so" instead of "to" ? I hope that makes sense. Any guidance will be very much welcomed.

I've just taken delivery of the Graham Robb book and started dipping into it. My first impressions are that it is very readable and full of interest.  Thanks for the recommendation.

[quote user="Maricopa"]Hi All I don't wish to spoil the great Michel Thomas love-in, but as a word of warning to the OP, he isn't everyones cup of tea.  With his heavy germanic accent, and the "stupid" woman who is so frustrating to listen to, it can be hard going. [/quote] I completely agree, and that is why I recommend anyone of thinking of going down the Michel Thomas route to first of all download the freebie lesson I gave the link to in my previous post. This is actually the first of the 8 CD Foundation Class CDs and will give anyone the feel for whether the style of MT is for them. btw, the pupils in the Advanced Class are different and IMO a lot less irritating than the woman in the Foundation Class.  In the Language Builder Class there are no pupils.

[quote user="powerdesal"]I agree Derek, however I do confess to having a vested interest in keeping the troops in Afghanistan as safe as possible, even to the extent of some inconvenience to those at home. [/quote] Hi Steve.   I do understand your point of view as well.... (oh well, that's me sitting on the fence I suppose [8-)])

I think it's very easy to take a righteous standpoint when it isn't happening to you personally.  Constant noise is very stressful and that is why it is used for interrogation purposes.

[quote user="Tandem_Pilot"]OOPS!!!!!! "Barloworld's John-Lee Augustyn tops the Col de la Bonette in first place, but as he screams down the descent, he overcooks a corner, goes tumbling down the side of the mountain, while his busted bike keeps going...and going...and going. Before you watch this video, know that Augustyn re-mounted a back-up bike and finished 35th in today's stage" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPdNfsf4Z5c [/quote] There's no getting away from it... there are some tough lads out there.

SWMBO eh Bob!  I know the feeling [:D] btw, we ended up buying not too far away from you... a little south of Labastide Murat.  Perhaps we can meet up on the bikes when I get around to bringing the GS over.

A great shot Bob and I envy you the very unique viewpoint you had.[B]

Ooooh! I wish you hadn't posted that Pads... it's just reminded me I've go a load of the real stuff in the garage left over from our recent move of things over to France. Now, I feel a little trip to the garage is needed.[:)][:D]

[quote user="sweet 17"]BTW, I once applied for a job where I had to do a test drive with an ex police driving instructor.  Thank goodness, they didn't tell me that before I got in the car or I would have been reduced to jelly. What is it about the police and driving?  I guess the two just don't mix happily in many people's minds. [/quote] I did two defensive driving courses with police instructors. Both of them were excellent and I learnt a lot. The emphasis was on making progress  and you weren't encouraged to potter along below the speed limit (unless conditions demanded). Apart from the individual police instructors skill I found them both really good blokes and very easy to get on with.

[quote user="woolybananasbrother"] Northern Rocki has already been bailed out and the others will be saved or bought up by the banks. Alliance and Leicester is one that springs to mind. [/quote] Just confirmed... Banco Santander to buy A&L.

Excellent [:)][:D][B]