Richard T

Collins Robert . See http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Robert-French-Dictionary-French-English/dp/0007221088 Richard T

[quote user="Pads"]Mmmmm yes I think you are all right , I will just put hello and get on with my 10 sentances, Im always being accused of being over enthusiastic with my work, I think I see what she means now !![:)]   By the way how many of you still put 'wish you were here' on your postcards??[Www]  [/quote] No, no don't listen to all those naysayers. Be enthusiastic, even over enthusiatic, and you'll learn so much more. The beauty of learning the subjunctive in French is that you can then recognise it when you see it in English. How many monoglot English speakers can say that? For what it's worth I think the "wish" bit should be in the present conditional tense - "je souhaiterais" -  but  to me "souhaiter" doesn't sound quite right in this context. I would have used "aimer" and, as it's a post card, you would probably be using the "tu" form instead of "vous". Donc, my translation would be "J'aimerais que tu soit ici avec moi". I wish I were there with you [:)] Richard T

[quote user="Rose"]My French has come on in leaps and bounds over the last 7 months but I often feel the more I learn the more I realise how much I don't know! [/quote] I think this is the biggest single barrier to learning French. The more you learn the more you realise what an enormous task it is and for many people the task is just overwhelming. My theory is that after your first language lesson you know 100% more than you did before you started and it makes you feel a real sense of achievement. After your 2nd lesson you know perhaps 95% more than you did at the end of your first lesson - still quite an achievement. After the 3rd it's perhaps 90% more than at the end of the 2nd. After the 4th, the 5th, the 6th etc the achievement become less and as time goes on you often seem to get to the point where you feel you're making no progress whatsoever. This is why language classes are full to begin with because people are optimistic and feel they're achievening something but after a while they start dropping out because their sense of achievement diminishes as it slowly dawns on them how much they still have to learn. I think if you accept the fact that you will never stop learning (as is also the case with your native tongue) and appreciate what small steps you make on a daily basis then you'll crack it. Richard T

There's a nice piece of freeware called WinPatrol which I wouldn't be without. It easily lets you manage your startup programs and if you install some software which drops all sorts of extra applications (such as notifiers, updaters etc) it will ask you to confirm that you want them at startup. Usually I just say "no" and it helps my PC snap into action as soon as I boot up. Richard T

This may sound even dafter but try massaging your joints using Dog Oil. See www.dogoil.co.uk Richard T

Just a word of warning. Some older lino tiles (say pre-70s) are backed with asbestos and need to be removed with great care. Richard T

[quote user="Pads"]J'ai oublié mes clés à la maison[/quote] I checked with my native French speaking daughter-in-law this morning and she confirmed that either oulier or laisser is correct but that oublier may be used where there is a need to emphasise that the keys were forgotten rather than deliberately left. Usually context will make it clear if laisser is used. Hope this helps. Richard T

Thanks for the reply. I did a little more searching and although I couldn't find the "Mont Balnc" model I did find a few french suppliers of the versions I'd seen in the UK. The prices are similar but, nevertheless, expensive. A full size fridge would be about 1000 euros or a smaller table top type about 500 euros. I might just but a second hand camping fridge off Ebay for 50 quid and take it with me! I take your point about fumes etc but I remember as a kid we had a gas fridge at home, not because we didn't have electricity but because it was not particularly unusual at the time. My dad recalls it being "a suberb little fridge" that never gave any trouble at all. I also understand that compared to electric fridges they are very fuel-efficient - perhaps another reason for getting one! Richard T

Hi Thanks for the advice but almost all of the results related to caravan fridges although I found through one web site the same two models as I'd found on UK sites - and they're more expensive in France [:(] I had thought that they may be more popular in France but perhaps not. Oh well, maybe I'll make do with a caravan fridge. Richard T

I am in the process of buying a property which does not have mains electric. Power will be supplied by a mix of generator and solar. In order to help keep power requirements as low as possible one possibility is to install a gas powered fridge. In the UK there are a couple of models available made by Domestic (used to be Electrolux) but they're quite expensive. The same company makes caravan fridges which run of 12v, 240v or gas but they're likely to be too small and over-engineered as I wouldn't need the option of powering by electric. My question is, are gas fridges available in France and does anyone know of manufacturer and/or web site? Thanks. Richard T