dragonrouge

Of course Robert Maxwell was a council tenant of Headington Hill Hall, Oxford.

Have you noticed how the next two strikes are destined for the end of the following two weeks and which of course are holiday weeks? In this respect and in an attempt to better understand things do the protesters and who are members of the syndacats have to pay 'dues' to the syndacats? Also do they lose 'pay' for the days they do not turn up for work. I wonder how employers legislate and control this by a system of clocking in or what?

May I please take this opportunity of making an open apology in and upon reflection extending this thread to the history of the mining community. It certainly was not my intention so to do simply to make the point that the State (and certainly during the strike) has a role to play but how it exercises that role is a totally different argument. That I did not succeed in doing. Thus sorry: Final point and I will return to 'France' later today is that if you were to go to the Miners Library at Hendrefoilan near Swansea there you will find chapter and verse of all the disputes over the years. Churchill troops did fire and kill miners. Fact. The photographs are there for all to see.

An offer of a cheque in full and final settlement means nothing more (at least in the UK) as an offer to pay something against an outstanding invoice or bill. It it an offer simply that and does not have to be accepted. Anton is spot on

I forgot Betty they also said to rip up blankets and towels and make do as nappies. Again it was Churchill who put the troops into South Wales in the General Strike and shot miners.

I will and without wishing to distract return to Betty's posting a bit later in that I am the son of a Welsh miner know something about Scargill was there during the miners strike of 84/85. Betty I am a lawyer and worked for the NUM during the strike. I do not and will not support Scargill. However think long and hard about this and as I say I will return to the French concept a bit later in the day having hopefully collected my thoughts. In the Rhondda we had someone who had a baby during the strike the Social Services were involved and they asked them for some emergency aid as in nappies and their response 'You should have thought about that before you had a baby' I soon had that particular Civil Servant on his back and not literally. When Russia supported the miners Baroness Thatcher reduced their payments based on what they thought was the value of the boxes of food and the like. I am not left or right I just believe in the difference between what I perceive as right and wrong. But miners have nothing to do with this posting. Of course Betty is was Mitterand who changed from 65 to 60 the age for retirement. No one else.

I give mine either to our Anglican church or to the Cancer Support Vendee. Equally I have started to collect two euro pieces as part of the 'spending money' for holidays next year. Stupid I know. However now have over 300 euros in 2 euro pieces! Our bank is in Normandie and our local bank as we are not a customer will not accept them. Any thoughts

I simply have to get back to the UK on the 25th of this month for a court case and am delaying the decision making until nearer the time. It is said that this week roads may be blocked by the Routiers? Also have to take my wife to CHU at Nantes on Wednesday have enough fueld but if the motorway is blocked then enough said. What to do is I suppose all the back roads but that would take hours and then fuel? The French certainly make themselves felt I wonder what they would do if faced with the Chancellors statement of Wednesday next another revolution like 1787?

I come from the Rhondda Valley in South Wales and witnessed many aftermaths from rock falls and gas and then seeing six month later your friend's Fathers with bits and pieces of skin being attached here and there Then the siren going at the pit and days later miners in black clothes walking behind the hearses. I was also there in 1966 when we lost a generation at Aberfan and that too was an after effect of coal mining. My father died in the mine and they gave us £10 to bury him and then a week later reduced our coal. Again 84/85 strike and whatever the rights and wrongs all gone for ever and I do not mean pits I mean communities. There was nothing but mining in the Rhondda just after the war save for mining to earn money you had no choice but to go down. Nothing would convince me to go down and follow my Father and my two brothers. Wherever they are in the world miners are a tough breed. Enough said and Chile was such a wonderful all round effort and one cannot but be moved by the whole rescue effort. In South Wales in the fifties it was simply wooden pit props and budgies in cages to see if there was gas there.

Hi Tony have sent you a pm

Hi read with interest the article on olives and I once went to a mill was it at Bize something or other near Narbonne. However off track. Supreme is the breast of the chicken but with part of the wing bone? and really is a classic French way of cooking breast of chicken. I holds it better today than simply fillet de chicken. Pierre if you (I cannot send photographs here for I do not know how) but if your Google for photographs of supremes of chicken you will see what I mean. rdgs

Hi we went to Fontenay le Comte(85) market last Saturday and as usual went to one of the local restaurants. For a change my wife had supreme of chicken stuffed with red pepper mousse. Then a thought ten people coming over for lunch shortly supremes! Yesterday Leclerc Hyper U Super U plus our local butchers. Yes chicken legs chicken breasts etc but shrugs of shoulders etc. Yes I know I can buy chickens and do it myself but with ten people coming to lunch? Breasts of chickens do not work so well but I thought that France was the gastronomy capital of the world?

Surely there are much more important issues at this moment in time. It either opened on the 23rd or the 24th does it matter?

Dear Tony hope you have had and will continue to have a good gardening summer. It has been difficult here. Tony please can you kindly pm me with details of the DLA web site. rdgs

My thoughts exactly in that tried to book a return trip Caen Portsmouth and Caen St Malo for September and the cost was over £200 more than a similar journey of two weeks ago thus at the height of the season I am now being forced to go elsewhere but that is voting with one's feet. Simply I do not understand it.

Cathy is it St Illtyd? as in Merthyr Tydfil.

I do hope the weather improves for your Vendee summer for yesterday was awful and today not that brilliant. Ok good couple of weeks not long ago but now miserable. Our UK base is Bristol/Chepstow and our preferred route is always Caen Portsmouth then back overnight to St Malo. Ok cabin but good restaurant on board and a good nights sleep. Last time back in the UK was 2009 so do not know if BF standards are slipping? Hope not. For us Le Havre is ok but hate the drive and to the port is like driving through an oil refinery and then Dieppe Newhaven and then Bristol. No thanks. It would be better to go to Plymouth Roscoff. But of course a matter of personal choice. We have a trip back to the UK in July with BF cabin both ways and Caen Portsmouth then Portsmouth St Malo some £351 with members discount?

Thanks so we will have to put up with olive oil and the wine and good lunches take care and thanks again

Dear Gardian snap as we also had ours delivered to our son in the UK etc etc. Gardian you say lavender is but a week or two away? It is the favourite shrub/plant of my wife and we always try to plan for a June holiday and just so that she can see the fields and fields of it! Sad really. We are leaving the Vendee on the 8th and spending about two or weeks down in the Bouches de Rhone. Will it be out by then do you think? rdgs

We always buy ours from De Jaeger in the UK and this year too just a few are blind as was the case last year as well. Leave them and see next spring before taking the spade to them.

Good morning Grumpy see you have now jumped ship from another forum? rdgs

Thanks NormanH sorry for the delay but have been somewhat unwell. Have taken up your suggestion and we are indeed now staying at Castelnaudary and are truly looking forward to it. Will combine our holidays with looking for another house but without selling here in the Vendee then we will not subject owners in the area to tyre kickers!

We live in the Vendee but are having some two weeks in Beaucaire this June. During our holidays our dearest friend from the UK is flying in to Avignon Airport with Flybe. Is the airport easy to find please? At the same time the flight arrival is 12.30pm does anyone please know of a good restaurant within striking distance of the airport for without a reservation on Sunday we may become stuck! thanks

Ah Grumpy remember ours at Mont Robin where they were needed for the gale force winds even in August. The birds loved them so they stayed. As far as I know the new owners who are also wild life lovers have kept them.

Any bets if Labour lose who will then be the leader of the Labour Party. If anyone has viewed the last few weeks circus try to think of a Labour Minister who has let us say taken a back seat and has not been viewed on TV too often? 'Post' your choice to........... and there is a clue here.