Richard T

It's not completely clear to me whether the objection is to a) her state of dress b) her religious views or 3) her victimisation by her husband and male relatives, but it nevertheless provides a good opportunity for bandwagon jumping by anyone looking for an excuse to practise their own brand of xenophobia. However the thrust of the argument seems to be that she should be excluded from French citizenship primarily because she is a victim of her (French) husband's abusive domination. Surely it is the husband who should have his citizenship revoked. To me this ruling smacks of those islamic laws which punish female rape victims for allowing themselves to get a position where they may be raped. Richard T

[quote user="Bob T"]Don't be so tight! £105 is cheaper than a years road tax so you will save every year. [/quote] True, but £105 is expensive just to look up the vehicle on a computer system, print off and post a piece of paper (and trust me that's all that's involved). I recently needed a CoC for a Kia and they produced it free of charge. Richard T

You may have been better off just re-booking. There's an interesting website dedicated to Ryanair's (lack of) service at http://www.ryanaircampaign.org/ Richard T

Can it just be painted over? Richard T

I have exactly the same problem on a single storey house I bought recently in 87. The stain is on the east gable end and covers the bottom two thirds of the wall but is shaped as if the top of the stain follows the shape of the roof. It's a very shaded area and even on the brightest of days gets no sun due to overhanging trees - in fact the area immediately around the wall remains damp most of the time. There is evidence that this wall was once heavily covered in ivy but appears to have been cleared a few years ago and as the shape of the stain seems to follow the shape that I believe the ivy grew my assumption is that it was caused by the ivy - but I'm by no means certain of that. My plan is to simply paint over the stain and see what happens. Despite being a gable end it's a relatively easy wall to paint and not a huge problem if the stain bleeds through again in which case I guess I'll have to find some other solution - probably use some sort of stabilizing solution and then repaint. Work on this is due to start in a few days so if anyone has a definitive solution I too would be pleased to hear. Richard T

[quote user="Frenchie"]... but be aware, it is a bit sexually explicit. ( in case some of you might be offended, you never know) ... [/quote] Eh? In what way was it "sexually explicit"? Richard T

[quote user="Pads"]But I guess we just have to stick with it..... It will get better and be worth it in the long run ... [:D]    [/quote] If ever you doubt that just think how much more you already know than someone who just couldn't be bothered. Richard T

It's a tricky balancing act getting the chemicals just right. You can get testing strips such as these which test for free chlorine, ph and total alkalinity. You need chemicals which will ajust all of these things and you need to test every day or so. There are now alternatives on the market such as Aquafinesse which are enzyme based and very much easier to administer than chlorine in that it's a single weekly treatment and doesn't need any testing- but they are quite expensive. There's no problem in emptying the tub on to lawns - I always do. Richard T

From the Speed Ferries T&Cs: 6.5 BASIC Ticket A BASIC Ticket is valid for the booked travel dates and times ONLY A BASIC Ticket is non-amendable and non-transferable.  The booked departure can not subsequently be changed You are required to notify us if your vehicle or passenger list changes – a Call Centre amendment fee of £15 will be charged - It is NOT possible, under any circumstances, to amend both the lead passenger name and the vehicle Check-in for travel on a BASIC Ticket must take place no later than 45 minutes prior to scheduled departure time. Should a customer fail to check-in in time for the booked journey on a BASIC Ticket the booking will be lost. No transfers or refunds will be made Richard T

It's not clear from your post but I assume the Audi was originally registered inthe UK and then exported to France and you are now bringing it back into the UK. With a bit of insider knowledge I suggest, if you still have problems with Audi customer services, that  you phone Volkswagen UK head office in Milton Keynes +44 1908 679121 and ask to be put through to the Homologation Department (which is where all Ceretificates of Conformance for all the VW brands are issued). As it's in a different building they may give you a direct phone number to ring. You'll be asked to fill in a form which can be posted or faxed (or maybe even emailed) to you and you'll aslo be asked to pay a load of money for the certificate which I'm fairly sure you can do by credit card. Bear in mind they can only issue a CoC for cars originally imported into the UK by the manufacturer. If it's a personal import (i.e. made for a non-UK country and subsequently imported into the UK) then you won't get one. Hope this helps. Richard T

[quote user="Helen"] My French is not bad though not error-free, and I struggle (and give up!) to include the accents on an English keyboard, so it looks like there are more faults than there really are.[/quote] If you mean you struggle to find the right codes etc for accents - rather than simply not knowing what accents to use - download  the "Type French Characters" application at www.avisoft.co.uk/FrenchChars/TypeFrenchCharacters.htm  . It's excellent and saves a lot of frustration. Richard T

[quote user="Kristine"]My suggestion would be a staffordshire bull terrier .[/quote] This is what one of my other sons suggested. My initial reaction was to confuse it with Pit Bull Terrier (shows how much I know!) but when I researched further it looked like it might fit the bill except there was a suggestion that it needs very firm training because they're likely to be aggressive towards other dogs. Any view on this? Richard T

[quote user="ErnieY"]Personally I have no need of Bluetooth or media players etc. they are a pointless distraction from what a Sat Nav is supposed to do but then it's the same for me with mobile phones, all I ask of them is to be able to make or receive phone calls ![/quote] Don't be too hasty to dismiss Bluetooth. I use it with my TomTom to download traffic information via my phone which, although not always too accurate, is useful on the M6 on a Friday night as TomTom will look for routes that avoid the traffic jams. Obvioulsy not quite such a benefit in France except perhaps during the last weekend in July! Richard T

[quote user="cheryla"]...but they still have to do what the franchisee (is that the right word?) says![/quote] Err no, it's "franchisor" [:)]

If you mean Camping Gaz the brand take a look at www.campinggaz.com which has a search facility. You can specify the size of bottle and the area and it will tell you where you can buy it. Richard T

Thanks for all the help on this. I will be discussing the points raised with my son and hope that he makes the right decision. Richard T

[quote user="Christine Animal"]You still haven't said if the property is fenced Richard.  I would agree with Hoddy and was thinking more of a German Shepherd type adult if your son is not too disciplined about training, they are less likely to go after chickens than a gundog type.[/quote] The property is surrounded by 4000 sq metres of woodland and although technically it is fenced the fence needs major repairs. There are only two other properties within, say, 500 metres  - both used as holiday homes and both properly fenced - and then nothing for at least 2km in any direction. In other words it's a very rural area, mostly forest and little in the way of livestock. A friend of mine has a German Shephard - a magnificent dog but seems extremely demanding. [quote]But you say your son does not have much money and wouldn't want a dog with a big appetite or that may require expensive vet bills.  Noone can tell in advance with any dog what the future vet bills may be.  Any dog will cost something to purchase or adopt, have costs for food and the annual vaccinations, as has already been said.[/quote] Actually I support my son who is, in effect, working for me. So although we would both like to keep the bills as low as possible there would be no shortage of money for essential vet bills etc. [quote]The most important would be your son's motivation.  Is he willing to take on a dog for about fifteen years, is he going to stay in France forever?  If not, is he ready to get the dog passported in case he goes back and not leave him here.  If he wants to go back to England for stays is he willing and able to pay for the kennels here while he is away?[/quote] My son's motivation is that he lives alone in a rural area and, not unnaturally, he would like some companionship. Whilst he may prove not be entirely disciplined when it comes to exercise or training (an that's only my assumption at the moment)  he has been around small animals (but not dogs) all his life so I have absolutely no doubt that he would reciprocate any companionship. It's not entirely clear whether he will stay in France long term but again if there are costs involved in passporting they will be met without question. If one has never previoulsy owned a dog then I guess it's impossible to say for sure how you will cope with the long term comitment. But that applies equally to having children. As a father of  four it's quite possible that with the benefit of hindsight I might have avoided having children altogether but sometimes you just have to go with what your heart says. In the case of children I'm so glad I did. Richard T

[quote user="Magnolia"]Firstly, i'd like to apologise for my email reading so negatively (when I was doing it I actually thought it was quite funny) however, you must appreciate that what you wrote didn't sound too positive from a dog owners point of view.[/quote] Hi Magnolia, Thanks for the serious reply. I'm not sure what I said in my original post that "didn't sound too positive". I was merely trying to set the scene. If I'd just said "what sort of dog should I get" then you'd quite rightly want to know a bit  more detail about it's likely surroundings and the reasons for thinking about getting a dog. I thought I'd try to anticipate those questions. Instead what I got felt like dog owners telling me that only dog owners should ever become dog owners! Whilst my knowledge of dogs is limited (but I can bore you for hours about cats!) I know enough to understand that different breeds have different characteristics: some are more suitable for families, some more suitable as working dogs, some more demanding of attention (and maybe some less likely to eat chickens!) so what I'm trying to understand as a starting point is that, given the scene I set, which breed is more likely to fit the bill. From there we can do some more research and understand the sort of comitment my son will have to make and he can then decide for himself whether he is prepared to make that comitment. Richard T

I'm really disappointed at the negative responses I have had to a simple request for advice. Of course none of you know my son nor how responsible, comitted or otherwise he is but I laid out a number of criteria and asked what sort of dog would be likely to fit the bill. In other words how can my son start thinking about what sort of dog would be best for both him and the dog? Surely every dog owner has to start somewhere but I guess France Forum is not the place! Oh well. Richard T

I know next to nothing about dogs so I am hoping to get some advice here. My son who is 25 has recently moved to France (87) to renovate a house that we have bought. The house is isolated with a large area of woodland around it. He lives alone and has been talking about getting a dog for both companionship and, to a lesser extent, to help him feel secure in the house. My question is what sort of dog would be best for him bearing in mind: - there's plenty of room for the dog to run around - my son probably wouldn't be too disciplined about training and exercise - he is likely to keep chickens at the house in due course - I have a three year old grandson who is likely to be a fairly regular visitor - my son doesn't have much money so I guess he wouldn't want a dog with a big appetite or one that might require expensive vet bills. Also are there French regulations which need to be considered? Thanks for your help. Richard T

[quote user="mooky"]What can I do? [/quote] What have you done so far? Richard T

[quote]Furthermore "pas terrible" means not so good. [/quote] I would tend to translate it as "not fantastic" in an ironic sort of way.[quote]Actually now I look at it I may have always been misusing "pas mal", does it mean good (as in the opposite of mal) or "not so good"? and does the same apply to "C'est pas grave"?[/quote] "Pas mal" translates as "not bad" and is used in the same way as the English. "Ce n'est pas grave" means "It's not serious" Richard T

Just tor revive this thread for a moment, I asked my Swiss-French daughter-in-law about "wish you were here" and her answer was that if you wanted to convey the same meaning as in English then very often even the French (or at least the Swiss-French) would write "Wish you were here" in English! We came to the conclusion that "Wish you were here" really means "I'm missing you" and so "Tu me manque" would we a good substitute. Richard T

[quote user="Tourangelle"]Perhaps it is a cultural thing, perhaps the French don't wish others on holiday with them?! [/quote] I'm not sure the British do either! In English we almost always write "Wish you were here" (without the pronoun). If you wrote "I wish you were here" it would sound as if you meant it. [quote] It is like "looking forward to seeing you", although you can say "j'attends avec impatience de te voir" I have been reliably informed that this is not a very "standard" thing to say at the end of a letter...[/quote] Again, in English we tend to omit the pronoun which indicates a certain informality. The "attendre avec impatience" sounds quite clumsy. I think I would tend to say something like "Dans l'espoir de te voir bientôt" Richard T

There's an interesting explanation (in French and German) at http://www.etymologie.info/~e/f_/fr-kalend.html . In essence "hui" comes from the Latin word "hodie" meaning "of this day". "Hodie" itself seems to be a contraction of "hoc" and "die", the "die" clearly meaning "day". Richard T