g8vkv

[quote user="woolybanana"]WHEN WILL THIS BUNCH OF MENTALLY RETARDED TOE RAGS STOP MAKING BANGS IN THE NIGHT. FOR THE Nth TIME THIS LAST MONTH OR SO I HAVE A TERRIFIED, BIG DOGGY SITTING ON MY HEAD AND QUIVERING LIKE A JELLY ON A VIBRATOR. IS THERE NO OTHER WAY OF CELEBRATING THEIR STUPID FESTIVALS THAN MAKING BANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote] You should try the UK! Bangs, whooshes, whistles whenever :- - The local Pox Utd. FC gets promotion out of the Beano league - Hubby's got a big sales commission and so we can afford bigger bangs than our neighbours - It's Uncle Charlie's 53rd birthday - It's Chrissy, Easter, Whitsun ..... - It's Sat'day night and we're pi55ed, innit? ... and of course, there are the weeks leading up to Nov. 5th

There are some really geeky cartoons on that site. This one for the mildly geeky .... [IMG]http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee357/g8vkv/wikifriends.png[/IMG] ... and this one for those seriously afflicted ... [IMG]http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee357/g8vkv/sandwich.png[/IMG]

I've been doing battle with mozzies for many years. I've tried everything from citronella candles to mystical herbal repellents. My extensive research on the matter leads me to the deeply scientific conclusion that the only thing that has any effect whatsoever is anything with 50% DEET in it. As for the odd one that gets me after this treatment, I find a sticking plaster over the bump is the most effective post-hit remedy..

Doing fine here, just about to harvest some little ones.

[quote user="Patmobile"]These deaths should not have happened.  The heavy rainstorm was forecast in plenty of time to get people away from areas likely to flood. I even heard the weather girl on BBC Breakfast TV warn that up to 500mm of rain could fall in one day. It was obvious from that alone that flash floods and serious damage would occur. Did the French meteo give a warning? Patrick [/quote] PACA was on orange alert. The severity was a shock - the worst since 1827.

http://www.varmatin.com/

Thanks for all the very useful information. My problem wasn't with the translation - and I'd read about possible reasons, but still couldn't work it out. The reason the two rear tyres are different is that in the car's early life one rear tyre got an irreparable puncture (nail near the sidewall) and it was replaced with the same make, but different tread pattern. As far as I know, these tyres aren't direction and are fitted properly. Your comments got me thinking and I measured the tread depth on both rears. The older one is 2 point something mm. and the other 3 point something. I wonder if they considered this "uneven tyre wear"? This being the case, I wonder also about the "status" of the faults "sans contre-visite". I mean supposed I was involved in an accident caused by a rear tyre blowout, would I be viewed as culpable if I hadn't bothered changing the tyres? I suppose I would, because they're classed as "défauts à corriger" I suppose the bottom line is the older tyre is 6 years old and the newer probably 5 and new boots may not be such a bad idea. Anyway, thanks for taking the trouble to reply.

Hello, My (UK - French registered) car just sat its CT. I got a few things "sans contre-visite", some of which puzzle me. The offending items are ... ROUE: Montage inadapté du pneumatique ARD ARG PNEUMATIQUE: Usure irrégulière ARD ARG Now, I understand what the phrases are saying, but I don't understand what they mean. The two rear tyres are both Michelin Energy - same size and speed rating and quite old but well within the wear limit and mounted with "outside" on the outside. There are no splits or anything dodgy looking. The only difference I can see is that their tread patterns are different. I should have quizzed the guy more at the time, but I was so relieved it "passed" that I just grabbed the papers and ran. I intend to go back and speak to the chap more carefully, but if anyone can place me in the ballpark of what these things mean, I'd be most grateful

Around here we have "Police Rurale", which I hadn't seen before coming to live in the sticks.

Well, thanks for the non-photos, I'm sure they would have been very tasty [+o(] Thanks chris pp - they look like a possibility - gladly, after the plasterwork, they've gone away [:D] Now as for the Sanglier ....

I've not discovered their make - but I now know where they're coming from. The mystery was that they always appeared on the ceiling of the kitchen area - and because they're so moribund, they've shown a tendency to spontaneously drop dead - with the disgusting possibility of landing in the Coq au Vin. However - I've noticed a bit of ceiling falling away in the corner, and this morning I actually saw them creeping out of the crack. Above the ceiling is our Solarium and its drain lies above this corner. It's always getting blocked with leaves etc., so I guess its a nice damp area for these thingies to breed and some are making their way to the warmth/light. So I'm hoping that a spot of Polyfilla + sealant will do the trick. Ta anyway.

We're getting quite a few of these flies in the house at the moment (10-20 per day). They're quite small (2-3 mm) and pretty torpid. They look a bit like a fruit fly and they have a characteristic 'bump' on the rear of the abdomen. They hold their wings 'out' from their body. I'd quite like to know what they are. Any clues? MTIA [IMG]http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee357/g8vkv/fly2.jpg[/IMG]

09 is VOIP

I've been meaning to aim dish2 at French FTA for some time and it suddenly occurred to me that I could use the Hummy as an alignment tool. So, thanks for the confirmation.

Is there any reason that a Humax Foxsat HD can't be used to receive French TV FTA on Atlantic Bird 3 @ 5.0W?

If anyone's worried, they can observe the LHC live test webcam HERE

Shame really, but ...

It happened to us on a 'last minute' booking - I think its something to do with bookings being made under 24 (48?) hours in advance. I don't think there's anything sinister about it. I suppose bookings made further in advance permit more time for security checks.

I guess this has been answered before - but I'm blowed if I can find it - I also once looked at the 'official' regulations, but I can't find those either[8-)] So - does anyone know how close to a boundary can a shed be placed? Shed : max height (apex) - 3m footprint - 4x3m Any info/pointers much appreciated.

[quote user="Scooby"]And all FOC no strings attached! [:D] PS - Another useful tip - a paste made of bicarb of soda is excellent for cleaning stonework. [/quote] ... and smelly fridges.

Blimey - I never realised that there was so much interest in baking soda[;-)] So, given that, here's what I've discovered so far .... Firstly, my measurement of 'Total Alkalinity' (TAC). I've got a Scuba+ which I use as the primary instrument for all measurements. On this particular one, it shows 'Lo' - which, according to the specification, means it must be less than 10ppm. However - the error bar on the TAC measurement is +/- 50ppm - so it could be as high as 60ppm while still showing 'Lo'. I also have some dip-strips which measure (among other things) the TAC. Now I know colour-comparision testing is prone to a host of subjective errors, but this test shows it's at the bottom of the OK range - about 80ppm. So my guess is that it's probably about 60ppm-ish. It's my intention to concentrate some pool water by evaporation and test the concentrate to get a more accurate measure. I had intended to do this today, but got distracted by F1. Secondly, the price/availability of baking soda. It's not widely available - just one of the local Bricos had a single tub, gathering dust, at €50 for 5Kg[:P]. Phoning around indicates that this is about the 'going rate'. It's also available off t'interweb at about €25 for 5Kg, but when you factor in the cost of delivery, it comes up to about €45. The cheapest I've found is at Carrefour, where they have 400g pots (for use in baking) at €2.15, making it about €25 Kg. This is probably what I'll end up using. What _is_ more available is combined pH+/TAC+ (NaCO3 and NaHCO3 at 25€/5Kg) - but raising pH in order to raise TAC and then having to lower pH again seems a bit, well, daft. Finally, does it matter? I spoke to the very nice lady at the local pool shop, who assured me that so long as the pH isn't jumping around all over the place (which it isn't), then don't worry too much about the TAC. So - there you go.

My pH is OK - but my total alkalinity is too low[8-)], so I think I need to add some Sodium Bicarbonate. I don't especially fancy paying piscine-shop prices, so does anyone know where a good supply could be found? Many thanks in advance.

[quote user="lacote0_0"][quote user="g8vkv"]Take special care when .... leaving a garage forecourt/shop car park/picnic area/etc. [/quote] I make it a rule always to use garages and parking spaces on the right hand side of the road. [/quote] Good advice - however ... I once had a work colleague who left a (French) garage forecourt to continue 'right'. However, he was tired and flustered and was heading to turn right into the 'far' lane and looked right in the 'near' lane for oncoming traffic when exiting. Both cars were written off, but luckily nobody was injured.

Take special care when .... turning left at a T junction leaving a garage forecourt/shop car park/picnic area/etc. when setting off at the start of day remember right is your new left! ... also, get used to the feeling of driving in the gutter.

Another possibility could be a very high level of stabiliser - this would tend to stop the chlorine from working. Around here the pool shops are more than happy to check the level - take along a sample (of pool water [:)])