Renaud

A slightly snobby story about Anglos on the Riviera who lure recently arrived holidaymakers into conversation. They marked the opening gambits with points and "Ot innit" scored very highly.

l'etrangere - if you can find a copy of The P P P Penguin Patrick Campbell, read The Ot Hound.

At least it explains why the French are thought (by certain bad-minded people) to have such francophilia.

"woolybanana" - I always thought that francophilia was a blood disease spread by French soldiers during their invasion of England under Louis the Schlong (1193- 1271 ad). During 1193- 1271 both armies would have been French.

Great bed. I am looking forward to the Narnia wardrobes...

Bugbear - congratulations for leaving the Evil Empire.

My sympathies are exactly with the OP, I have had a neighbour (in London) come at me with a knife after first threatening to 'cut my daughter's head off'. Fortunately the police only took about ten minutes to arrive. So those casually dismissing the OP's concerns should thank their lucky stars that they have pleasant neighbours. Odile, I was at the Isle of Wight festival 1970 too, the Who's set rounding off the previous night was magnificent - great memories. I admit I prefer Leonard Cohen then to now.

We have had a delightful American couple at our house. We had not left wood for them (I could not find anybody to sell it to me) so they set out to get it themselves... they describe their hunt... "Scene today at the Super U in St. Ciers-Sur-Gironde Blaye - Susan (not remembering how to say WOOD in Frech - nor fire, for that matter) is asking, (and unabashedly charading on her knees pretending to light a fire) as best she can, about something that might relate to wood or fire from whomever she can find - finally, she asks (I ask) a manager who can't speak English who asks a checkout woman who speaks some - no, they have none - might she know where (whatever that word for wood is) we might find some? Oh, pitettre (sp) la bah (sp) in the nursery/building supplies place - ah, quel chance! A woman inside directs us to a young man who leads us out back to where piles of that wonderful wooden stuff was stacked - we loaded up the boot (I believe you call it) and paid our 15 E and happily headed down the road in search of moules (I'll never forget that word)!"

Service in the Ikea in Bordeaux is better and more pleasant than either of their London stores.

The communication from all artists since the chequebook was invented and before...

I am indebted to the TV set in a Campanile bedroom for showing Midsummer Murders dubbed into French. It works so perfectly it should be shown like this on UK television with English subtitles. John Nettles, who always seems so embarrassed to be in the main role, shrugs away just as one imagines a fictional Gallic Inspector might and the actress who plays his wife seems suitably bewildered. The programme has always had a huge cast of British character actors, motivated solely by their pension funds and determined to overact as revenge against their agents. Julia Mackenzie and Sam Kelly seemed far happier with their French accents. The plots were always impenetrable, so no loss there and the direction so plodding it gives you time to work out what they might, just might, be saying. At other times in other hotels I have caught glimpses of The Professionals dubbed in some Slavic language - it was perfect for the general fascist behaviour, Dallas in Spanish and a footie international between England and Norway with Arabic commentary by an ultra-excitable Egyptian. I know that they attempted to dub ‘Alo ‘Alo in French, for the continental market, I would have liked to see that. What about The Office in Swedish? …

Dark Side of the Moon - best album ever - in my humble...

http://asithappens.tppr.info/ Worth a read for an insider's perspective.

When my best friend Jumble could no longer go on the vet put him down. They cremated him and we were given a wooden casket with little engraved brass plate. He had always had a wonderful time on a particular beach in Cornwall so we went there intending to sprinkle his ashes. Trouble was I found that the casket was sealed and I ended up banking it on the rocks but it was unopenable. So his ashes in the casket and now buried in our garden. I think that the scene on the beach would have amused him.

Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery. As has been said above, her knowledge and positive advice are amongst the prized assets of this forum.

"If there was an olympic sport in queueing, the French would win gold, silver and bronze. They seem to love it for some reason." Have you ever gone skiing? Sadly the British seems to be losing the the ability to queue. Our local bus station is devised to ensure that queueing is not rewarded, the buses stop at random places and passengers just mob on to the transport.

Secondhand books, particularly those sold of by libraries. By taking a chance on an author I don't know I have found many interesting reads (and as many rubbish ones).

Is this thread correctly titled?

Interesting article in yesterday's telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/08/18/do1804.xml "There is not much we can recall of fondness from the regime of John Major, but when he launched the National Lottery in 1994 not even he can have believed it would result in this weekend's roll call of triumph.... But slowly, the benefits have worked through. Slowly, the governing bodies have learnt how best to use the money coming their way. And it is important to remember, this is all about sporting development: no one is getting rich on this... there is no doubt those winning British sports have spent their bounty wisely. And as you enjoy the colourful cavalcade of gold, silver and bronze; as the fact that, this morning, Britain stands above France, Germany and - sweetest of all - Australia in the medal table produces an extra spring in your step, give a nod to the man who started it all. Grey is the colour of these Games."

Ours were killed-off by frost so I would plant your cuttings where there might be some protection in winter.

In the news today - RyanAir are considering a takeover bid for Stanstead airport if BAA is ordered to be broken up. I thought that Stanstead could not get worse.

I agree with Gardian (a new experience). When we fly Southampton / Flybe / Bordeaux as opposed to Stanstead / RyanAir / La Rochelle it costs over £100 more but is so much more pleasant. All three are way better than their counterparts. Last time we were in the shop airside at Southampton, one till assistant was getting stressed 'Do you know we have got three flights in here'.  

When we moved OH cooked a bowl of fish to be given to our cat at the new house to persuade her that the move might be OK. Trouble was OH left packing the kitchen to the removal team and it was several days until it became apparent which was the lucky tea chest.

I don't think they breed but they migrate which is why I never can find mine.

One of the tactics that New Labour used to come to power was by attacking Tory ‘slease’. Tony Blair promised that New Labour would be ‘whiter than white’. Then Bernie slipped him a million to keep tobacco advertising in Formula One…   From that moment New Labour slid into ‘greyer than grey’ and then sought to excuse themselves by saying ‘well all politicians are the same’.   I think that this is an unfair slur on David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Alex Salmond and a host of decent men and women in public life.