FairyNuff

.....question that is! Has anyone visited a gynaecologist in Indre that they can recommend? I need to find one and personal advice is usually the best. Thanks FairyNuff [:)]

[quote user="Clair"]You pay €14.90 for the SIM card. You get €11.50 worth of credit. You pay 11x €1.50 (€16.50) to keep your credit and your number live for 12 months. Then you buy a €5 top-up to carry your existing credit over the 12 months. You carry on paying €1.50 per month... [/quote]   We have LeClerc PAYG sim cards in old phones. Clair outlines the system above, but for us the E1.50 a month comes off our phone credit. They send you a text message to say it's happened, and we check the amount left by dialling 950. If needed we top-up the credit on-line, but use our French bank's Carte Bleu.  Generally we keep the balance at between 10 and 15 euros. Hope this makes it a bit clearer. FairyNuff   Forgot to say - The first E1.50 comes off a month after you register the phone.

I'm afraid I hadn't checked the opening hours. It is true that most attractions are in hibernation over the winter period. We all need a rest after fetes and brocantes every weekend from Easter to the end of October, if only to do some reading. FairyNuff [:D]

Not forgetting Valençay with it's château and two AOCs, one for wine and one for goat's cheese. Although it's classed as a Loire château, it's a slightly tenuous link! The town is also the site of a memorial to the SOE agents killed during WW2, and has a motor museum, if you're interested in that sort of thing, mainly French vehicles but with a BSA motorbike. FairyNuff [kiss]

A simple way I've found to do this on a lap-top with no numeric pad, instead of toggling between functions is this: If you're in 'Word' go to Tools, then Language, then Select language, you can select French as a second language, provided you can find it on the list of languages on your coputer. After that, when you're typing a document, after a few words it detects than you're typing in French and will underline in red the words that it thinks are wrong. Correct it, and Bob's your uncle! [geek] If it's for a post, copy and paste into your post, easy-peasy! FairyNuff

Thanks for the reply, it's just that they look so similar! (IMHO) [:D] FairyNuff

I've been wondering this for ages now - is Natascha Harry, seen occasionally on France 3's TeleMatin, Debbie Harry's daughter? I've tried Googling but didn't get very far [geek]. Anyone know? FairyNuff    

I've had the same problem with Sun basic dishwasher powder. I assumed it was because I didn't have the salt dosage right and changed that, but the it's just as bad. I'll be buying some branded tablets before the cheap stuff is finished, which as a good Yorkshire lass I don't normally do. FairyNuff

Why don't you ask at the Mairie, or is it the maire living next door? FairyNuff

Ours arrived this morning. FairyNuff

I've a pile of the stuff, thanks to OH thinking that half a row isn't enough. It's good with eggy and cheesy sauces, and is good in a quiche. Just fry the stalks with an onion, add the chopped leaves until wilted down, turn out into a blind-baked case and cover with beaten eggs with a bit of grated cheese in it (I've used gruyere). Bake in the oven until set. It's one of those recipes which isn't too strict, and is a variation on a theme! If you Google "Swiss chard recipe" quite a few pop up. FairyNuff

We've used Etap for many overnight stays, but I'm not sure how I'd cope with a baby in one of their rooms. They're more of a budget option than the Ibis, in the same Accor group, are always very clean, with an en-suite shower "room" and toilet. They are usually outside the town centres, and you won't eat an evening meal there, but there's generally something like a Buffalo Grill nearby. Breakfast is help-yourself "french". Unlike Ibis there isn't someone on site all the time, but generally about booking-in time. In short we've always found them good value, if a little basic - avoid Formule 1 - awful! FairyNuff

This fine fellow spent the night behind our big front door shutters, he was relocated to the nearest ditch, much more welcoming! FairyNuff (image resized by a mod)

Thank you for so many replies. As I only carry it when I'm in uniform for a first aid duty it's hopefully highly unlikey that the gendarmes are going to stop me and search the car (or me!). Generally it stays in my pocket, unseen by anyone. I feel that the whole situation is rather elastic, having seen all sorts of blades and weapons for sale at brocantes and vide-greniers with what seems to be apparent impunity. FairyNuff

Last week's widely predicted storms didn't arrive here until last night, when they were spectacular. We had a very hot dry wind in the afternoon, then about half past midnight paparazzi-like lightening and rumbles of thunder that seemed to shake the rafters. At least the potager won't need watering to-day! FairyNuff

Thanks for all the replies. In fact I only carry it when I'm on first aid duty, so I'm probably fairly safe to continue. It has a small pair of scissors amongst other things, including the all-important cork screw! FairyNuff

Does anyone know the rules in France for carrying a small penknife? I have been told that as long as the blade is shorter than your palm it's allowed, but someone else warned me when they saw it - "Attention aux Gendarmes!" I carry one occasionally, so I'd like to know the possible problems. Many thanks FairyNuff

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"]We saw it arrive at Issoudun last Tuesday and despite getting there about 2 hours before the race ended and it being Bastille Day, we were only 300 - 400m from the finish line and got a very good view of the last corner, although disappointingly there were no crashes. Here's my write up and pics of the day if you're interested. [/quote] I was in Issoudun at 11 in the morning last Tuesday, there were already people installed with picnic tables and chairs near the finish line even then! They were in for a long wait. What is even more amazing is how quickly the whole thing is dismantled, about 3 hours, and the streets are being cleaned of all the plastic water bottles. FairyNuff

We have a combined smoke/CO alarm, which works very well detecting smoke (when OH is cooking), I hope it works as well with CO. A thought occurs to me about the respiratory proplems, perhaps it's because the air becoes too dry with the wood-burning stove. I always find that a very dry atmosphere affects my "tubes" and I sneeze and cough much more, without having an infection. FairyNuff

[quote user="ErnieY"]I wondered what this thread was about and had my bread and salt ready but oh the disappointment [:D][:D][:D] Seriously though I think virtually all trees drip to some extent or another don't they ? Pines must be amongst the worst and what horrible tenaciously sticky stuff their sap is too ! [/quote]   In fact Ernie the stuff that drips off willows is very watery, not sticky at all, and not a bit like the honeydew from aphids on lime trees. FairyNuff

Hi everyone An update -we were back to the same place yesterday, when it was about 30 degrees in the shade [8-|], and the dripping trees do seem to be willows, both weeping and upright. It really is quite bizarre standing under the tree with it dripping on your bare shoulders. The earth beneath the tree was positively soggy compared to the rest of the field. I don't know whether the weeping willows you see in gardens drip or not, these particular trees are close to a river, perhaps that's relevant? Thanks for everyone's input FairyNuff [:)]

Hi, just seen this thread - I have a friend who made thyme sorbet, very refreshing apparently. FairyNuff

There is a large public car park behind the église St Andre, place Voltaire which isn't too far away (@ 100 metres?). Be warned though, you have to pay on entry, so have some change ready. Sorry, but I can't remember the charges. FairyNuff

[quote user="Clair"]Like these? They are used for the private cars of French Forces based in Germany. http://plaque.free.fr/trans/fd_f.html [/quote] Thanks Clair, exactly like those. I find myself very curious about much that is trivial, it makes life more interesting! [geek] FairyNuff

I seem to remember a thread a while ago about red number plates, which I think were for cars registered for export in less than a year. Recently we saw a car with very pretty [8-|] blue number plates. Does anyone know the significance? Thanks FairyNuff