dragonrouge

Hi spiceoflife welcome. As to Gites I do not own one but seriously there is oversupply at this moment in time and when there is oversupply one sees low income and occupancy rates. Some of our colleagues over here do well others not so well and that to is the economics of life. It seems that belt tightening is called for all over Europe so all I would say is to do the research and then do it again and make sure you have an exit route for if not then bites and bums come to mind. Of course and very unfortunately some of our fellow countrymen and women have moved back to the UK and thus there may be bargains to be had on the purchase front. Then of course you must ask yourself 'why did it not work for them?' I do hope I am not being negative but simply and of late have seen and heard of rather sad stories.

I know I have met him.

Once England had a very tough scrum half playing for them and now a good Sky commentator. He was of course born in Wales at Crickhowell and he had a really good English name...........Dewi. Then of course the clowns at Cardiff organised it that a one-time All Black then playing for Newport by way of his Grannie played for Wales. The documents were false!

Of course I presume we will now see the hardy annual raising its particular head as to what rate to use for converting £ into euros for 2009 do hope not. Best wishes to everyone

Of course in the past lots of English guys got gongs for doing things that they are paid to do and somewhat well at that. Nice to see our lads draw the test yesterday at Centurion and cricket is my bag and brought up in the days (yes years ago) when you could only play for Yorkshire if you were born within county borders. Of course yesterday we had four South African born players playing for us. Three are easy who is the other? Will not comment on Ryan Giggs might be biased in that I am Welsh.

Hi #Christine have sent you a pm rdgs

Hi Cooperlola I lived for about 25 years in a house which was on Chepstow racecourse and which is both flat but mainly over jumps. I was sickened by the horse ambulances coming on the course and then taking the horses which were behind green enclosures to the Curre hunt and when the hounds obtain a wonderful evening meal. It is the right of others to support the sport but seriously if you had seen some of the things that I have you might at least think about the consequences. I absolutely support of others to enjoy what they consider a sport but only when all runners come home safely,.

Hi I live near Fontenay le Comte (85) and does anyone please have the address for the refuge at Niort. I have sent a pm to Christine but no response and I just want to go there next Thursday and to have a look at a specific dog before Xmas. I do hope someone has at least rough directions. kind regards

Christine have sent you an email re Niort and directions from say Fontenay le Comte take care

Dear Tony I watched the PM the other day saying essentially that services in future will become internet based and that would be good for both claimants and those who are administering the claims!!! Again he said that it was important to allow civil servants to make decisions and to engage with claimants as against simply processing claims. After the DLA experience I was aghast. This long standing card holding Labour Party guy believes that lots of true socialists are now turning in their graves.

Dear Richard I have read your views and thoughts and equally your comment 'as to educating oneself out of it' Perhaps I should pose you a question? Or questions. What does one do when the basic system of employment as in the valleys of South Wales were destroyed by two bigots one who of whom of course employed the forces of HMG to save her son who was somewhere in Africa and then pleaded to get himself out of jail and is now a tax exile and equally one who is called Scargill and to my mind has no undercarriage whatsoever. Please tell me Richard what you do when whole communities are destroyed and then are you saying that thousands of individuals should re-educate themselves. Tell me Richard when a Civil Servant during the 84/85 strike told a Mother in my presence that she should not have had a child when she made an application for cash for nappies. His advice rip up towels and the like and do not have children. Tell me Richard when the Soviet Union sent parcels during the strike and then Maggie then stopped benefits for they were having food parcels what would you do. Richard my Father and some of my family perished in the mines and we had to have my Father cut up to see if he had dust in his system what would you do. This son of a Rhondda miner was the first to go to University became a Regional Director of a major High Street Clearer when bankers were bankers and then went on to become a lawyer. In your view did I succeed? I also was there in 1966 and Aberfan do you suggest that those families should re-educate themselves. It is a fact that I lost my faith during those days but have now sorted out my brain and I intend to spend the rest of my days supporting those who need help. I may have money assets and the rest but all of this came from the promptings of my late Father who installed in me the work ethics. I do not need or welcome your preachings.

Sweet 17 now you can see the difference between us valley folk and those born on the SW coasts or in the Vale of Glamorgan area in that my musically tastes and in no particular order. Dame Shirley Tom Jones BB King Eric Clapton Rory Gallaher Bruce Springsteen Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen

Hi Sweet 17 As you are well aware I am from the Rhondda Valley and I have not lost sight of my roots never ever will that happen. I am not well heeled and it is simply a case of thinking aloud as to where I would like to live not the fact that I am able to live there. We too are being hit like many others as being paid in £ and then here into euros. When I bought my first house in 2001 the rate was 1.675! I have two brothers in the Rhondda who bought their council houses and would never move from there and they could buy and sell me ten times over. But they are true sons of the Rhondda. I do not think I could move back to the Rhondda or indeed Chepstow where I spent over 30 years of my life. One can dream as to where one would like to live reality is totally another differing thing. Now to the bank to see if it will give me money today so we can have lunch!

Dear Norman Thanks for that. In our case we have lived in France for some considerable time and really 'well' into the system and thus warts and all its our life and we live here. After 35 years of travelling through France we 'think' we also know the South and its not simply weather that is a driver. Here in the Vendee during the winter in our village all you need is Clint Eastwood at the top of the street. I moved so many times in my career that its more than second hand and indeed we may return to the UK. It depends: What we will do though is to take all reasonable precautions before either we move further south or back to the UK. I suppose what would be ideal is a place say outside Aix and then we would have the benefit of what that city offers or Bordeaux who knows. If I cannot sell here then we will simply rent it out terminate the lease on our UK house with the tenant and move back. So lots of opportunities. We used to live in the North and now recognise that had lots of attractions and in part we are sorry now to have left. Still it is life is it not.

Here in the Vendee it is exactly that just leaving veg/fruit on one's wall hanging on the gate and just simply put on the window sill. This year our neighbour just simply crossed the road and left huge bags of figs! Earlier in the year I had given her bunches of asperge. Then she gave me and I gave her....... However one of my most lovely memories of France was this summer when we had a quartier des voisins (is that correct) when we gathered under the shade in our neighbours gardens. Everybody cooked and brought lots of gooies and the men were in competition with their local 'brews' I made a terrine from an old recipe and also a figue and apple compote but jazzed it up with some hot chillies. I now have a waiting list and have made batches labelled them and they are going to be Christmas presents.

to everyone a big thank you. Whilst living in the UK I was able to get my hands on real suet and yes I know! Of late we have been using 'light' and I must say I too found little if no difference. Perhaps the compensation of good quality 'French' rhum is the reason?

we had a parc in Normandie some 6000 sq meters of it. Also we were visited by red squirrels hares deer and like. There was lots of local varieties of trees and the house was called Les Hortensias for huge examples lined the long drive way and due to acid soil the flowers were of course blue. It was a sight to behold and looking at the photographs of the house the other night we questioned why we left? One of the reasons was grass cutting during the summer. However I became good at driving with one hand and a cold beer in the other. We have now as well decided to move from the Vendee and this is nothing new for us for in my career I moved eighteen times!

Hi I always used to make the pudds back in the UK and have at least put the ingredients together and where they will stay overnight. Delia says to steam them for eight hours and that was so very boring back in the UK. Can I please use a pressure cooker and if so for how long please thanks

I dealt as a lawyer with the aftermath of Maxwell some people would have called him a maverick others another word. Risk is always relative to reward

I now understand! Wales were taken apart and even the worse one-eyed Welsh guy would agree. For years and years I continue to say that we flatter to deceive and when we think we are getting somewhere we go back. One would like to think that playing with the red jersey on and in the stadium we have we would at least enter into the spirit of it! However my sport and it has always been such is cricket and I have been fortunate to be involved with such greats as Viv Richards and the like. Or should I now say as I look at the signed watercolour here in my study Sir Viv Richards. On this point I asked the other day when was the last time that England had three South African born players in their side?

I have never ever dealt with these guys and have no thoughts so to do. Way back and using my lawyers head I questioned why these guys were not covered here in France by the FSA? I had doubts then I have doubts now. If anyone receives advice in the UK say from a Solicitor there is fall back from an adviser fall back. None exists here in France. So where do you take the BF advice in UK or France? Indeed most of the article is a re-write of previous articles coming from this source. I am not giving advice but my advice to myself is to stay away.

We are at Fontenay le Comte and it is one of the better things I have done in my life. Simply wonderful

thanks Claire so grateful to you rdgs

We have decided in the Spring of 2010 to sell our lovely home but of course sales depends upon buyers so we are not really thinking positive simply negative and taking into account the present market place. We could be here forever but one thing is certain that the house will be priced to sell. If we sell we probably may move further south but then again there are demands upon our time in the UK and with grandchildren and the like. Whatever. I thought it was on this site that someone posted a link to the range of 'free' web sites that you can list your house for sale. Does anyone please have this link? thanks

Richard of course the toffees also went down the pan. Equally during the greatest years of the toffees they were of course some Welsh players in their side? I wonder whether you had forgotten that.