petra

What a love you are!! Well, I can tell you now that in Gigny-sur-Back-Of-Beyond-Middle-Of-Nowhere-Suran the nearest main town is Lons le Saunier and their Casino hasn't even got those products, except for porridge! Quakers Oats. They do have salted butter, mind...but not quite as tasty as melted Anchor on a crumpet, or muffin at 4pm tea time!!! Baked beans? Not a bean around here except gourmet flagolets a la 'this & that!' But never mind! Oh dear! I'm not really all that bothered! If I had to have English or French fare...French would be my choice every time! Yeaahhh! Bring on the frogs legs (and Branston pickle!!) hehehe

I miss muffins and Anchor butter. Yorkshire tea. Cheddar cheese, Robinson's marmalade, cheese & onion crisps, mince pies at Christmas. But then again, I didn't miss those foods half as much as French foods! There's a really good tea from Norma...granted you need 2 teabags for a decent mug, but there you go!! I can't find baked beans here. My son loves porridge! Wish we'd had the foresight to bring half a trailer-full!

I miss muffins and Anchor butter. Yorkshire tea. Cheddar cheese, Robinson's marmalade, cheese & onion crisps, mince pies at Christmas. But then again, I didn't miss those foods half as much as French foods!

Ahh work! How I miss a proper job! I'm more telling my kid's/Grandkid's when I was a lass. Although my daughter has got me reading a chapter a night of The Golden Compass trilogy. Yeah, my divorce was quick and easy (I let him have the lot rather than cause stress to our children). We married when I was very young, they're grown up's now. I had my 3rd with Philip when I was 29, then came the 4th at 30, then finally #5 at 32. I call 'em the Wham-Bam-Bam kids, LOL Happy too !

Thank you Clair. Didn't think to check out a French site!! Also, erm, I can't seem to delete a post here, so 'scuse the double-post.

Thank you Clair!

Join the club Gastines! Give me a Stephen King any day! My husband is reading that Zola feller, he likes it enough. Too much for me. His mum keeps giving me French books, translated of course, to read. I must admit I didn't go much for L'Etranger. I know, I know!! I liked one though, about a priest taking in a very poor blind girl. Oh I wish I could remember the title.

ACT wrote: "Thank God birds tend not to drive them or there would be carrnage.." Nice!! No offense taken! :o) I see them a lot around here too, especially on a Sunday avo after the Sunday lunch get-togethers! I was behind one coming back from a day out and it was all over the shop, so I dared not overtake it; we were driving down a mountain...well at least I was driving, dunno what the car in front was doing. After 5 or so minutes, the person must've noticed me and so drove as much to the side as they could and stopped (well, it was going only a wee bit faster than motionless!!) and as I passed, there was an old man, clearly pisse* out of his skull trying to smile casually as I went by. There are more gendarmeries about on Sunday afternoons and evenings than any other time. I also saw a very sobre old 'bird' in one last week who looked like she ought to have been in bed, or having her last rites. She drove so dangerously...worse than the drunk! We were on a path and had to jump a wall, just in case!! OK, I exaggerated that bit!

I mentioned earlier we used to run a farm and we too reared our pigs like pets really. My kid's adored them and played with them, gave them names! Then come the day they had to go to slaughter.... We had Gloucester old spot, Welsh whites and Tamworth's. After a few years, we had a mixed herd of Gloucester, Tamworth and Welsh....the meat won True Taste awards twice, and we were on the map for a bit. Then hubby got bored with it and we came here, for an adventure and warmer summers. *sigh* I miss having hens too, I thought I'd have found a free-range egg farm hereabouts. I think the reason the meat tasted so good was because they were treated so well and were never stressed...except when they arrived at the slaughter house. But we made sure they didn't have to wait. Off the trailer and straight to their deaths! Blimey! Sounds rather melodramatic eh? Sorry!!

Wow Cat! You lucky, lucky, thing! My husband found some once when he was 10 and since then and whenever we were in France in Spring, he would go look for them....yeahh! Sometimes dragging me and the kid's along. Amazing that they were in your garden. He found 4 this year and ate them fresh in an omelette too. Then promptly had a bellyache for a while, so I doubt they were morilles? We used to have a farm in Wales and I miss our own Welsh black beef. Your steak in Banyuls sauce is making me hungry.

I never touch instant, rather have a weak tea. I agree with Clair too, Lavazza is nice. But I found a Fair Trade (oh don't get me started on Fair Trade...no seriously!) one in my nearest Norma store called Etre Bio and it's organic too, luverly! I have this filter holder thing which sits perfectly on a cup or mug. Perfect for fresh coffee without waiting ages! You simply put a filter in it, whatever amount of scoops of real coffee you fancy and pour boiling water in it half way, wait till it's gone and pour again till you have a mug/cupful. Only takes a tiny bit longer than instant! I'm the only coffee-drinker in my home, so it's handy!

Cheers me dears! I love artichokes, and they're very healthful for one's liver! Considering my wine consumption has gone up a bit since I came back here, an artichoke a day will keep the cirrhosis at bay eh?

Hello, I'm very new here! I've browsed around other France Forums but never felt the urge to join. This site appears very informative and above all, friendly to boot. So thanks. My question is is there an English/Corsican dictionary available anywhere? I have looked, but not for too many hours. I have a feeling the answer's no. Failing that, perhaps a German/Corsican one?

I'm miles away Catapala, but I'm dying to know if you finally got rid of them? Petra

Hello Ceejay! When I first came to France with my then feller, we lived up on a mountain, middle of nowhere. I had no driver's licence then and so stayed home most of the time in that big house in the Jura. It's my husband's parents house and we were looking after it for a while. So, while he was working all hours, I was there BORED out of my mind! Then I checked the book shelves and saw this old row of battered Wheatley books. "Hmm? Wheatley? Never heard of him! Seems Phil's dad has, he's got them all!" Loads of them he had. So, I started reading the Roger Brook ones first and that was it! Ceejay, it was heaven sent. I was about to up and leave, go back to Blighty, start again with my sister, even though I didn't really want to, but anything was better than the tedium of a no-life! Those swash-buckling adventures got me through a mind-numbing phase of my life I can tell you! I couldn't put the books down, much to Phil's chagrin after a week of this! LOL Well, after I finished the first one, he started on them. Cheers for the reminder! Petra

Hellooo, I recently downloaded it and you can't go wrong! Very simple, ideal for a simpleton like myself, hehe! I had Photoshop and Abode, but my friend cleaned up my virus-ridden machine recently and now they've gone, but no worries, luckily all my photies are on Picasa2 : o ) Petra

Cathy, that was funny! Cheers for the laugh!

Hello Jura and everyone, I had 3 in France in a general hospital. I came here especially to have them. It was great! The first 2 were in Lons-le-Saunier and my son was born in Pontarlier. I had my own room with a shared changing room for the baby. There was a midwife who was learning English, so she'd come by my room and we'd have very nice conversations in my broken French and her excellent English. The food was outstanding! I couldn't wait for meal times. I didn't want to go home!! The one in Pontarlier is next to a Nestlé chocolate factory so I had the gorgeous smell of chocolate wafting in my room. My son was my 5th baby and the midwives left me pretty much alone. Except the time I was 'caught' sleeping with my son in my bed. I believe in having your newborn next to you almost all the time for the first few months, bit like how African mothers keep theirs on them in a baby carrier most of the time. This is what I wanted and at first it caused some hoohar with a few nurses, till they finally turned a blind eye. I know why it caused a bit of a stir, so no lectures please? : o ) I was married before and had a baby in the UK and my other in Germany. Both were fine, but not nearly as good as my French hospital experiences. Frenchie, I'm 41 and was actually considering for one more, but common sense prevailed. I shall have to wait for grandchildren then?

Hello everyone, I moved here (in the Jura too) on Christmas day. We used to live in Pembrokeshire, on a farm too. I loved it. My husband's half French and was brought up here till he was 14, then went to Kenya. So, he loves to up sticks and move...a lot! My 3 children (7, 8, and 10) go to the village school and are bullied every day! This broke my heart as my French is sadly still awful, so I couldn't sort it out. (I dislike relying on my husband all the time, it's simply not my style! My son is small for his age and that doesn't help. I'm afraid they aren't learning a thing. Their behaviour has turned a bit violent too. We've had a word with the teacher and things have calmed down a little...but still! Now we are moving again because I was cracking up; don't get me wrong I love the Jura, but not to live. We're going to give Corsica a bash! I love the locals here too, everyone has been very helpful. But after 2 non-summers in Wales, I am looking forward to a warmer one this year. And I hope the children's new school will be less traumatic. Petra