Callie

We still have British driving licences and use my parents' address as the point of contact. We have the credit card size one which has to be renewed every 10 years because of the photo. I wish to have a Permit Bleu, obligatory for driving an ambulance and they will not accept a UK licence. So as my licence is shortly due for renewal, it is time to consider changing. Many thanks for the info on this thread - I was going to ask various questions, just trying to think how to word it. So, everybody,in fact, your helpful posts have sorted it out in my mind. I didn't know you would have to show a medical certificate to keep your Permit E...... I WILL HAVE TO EXCHANGE MY LICENCE ! ! !

A lot of tziganes come to this area for seasonal work. There are some very nice sites set aside for them. I don't know how big a commune has to be to provide space but there is a small site in a neighbouring commune which is always extremely well kept and there is never any trouble. Incidentally, when approached by a woman selling baskets, I smiled at her and the first thing she said was "vous n'êtes pas française". I didn't buy a basket, but she was no more pushy than some of the shop assistants I have come across ! In any community, there are troublemakers, and I have often felt sorry that the gypsies are all tarred with the same brush.

Hi Fairy Nuff - the system has changed a little bit - I did PSE1 and PSE2 as one course. And yes, it was hard work and long days for two weeks. I think the idea of splitting it into 2 is better. I'm not quite sure how they have divided the 2 courses up. You'll probably find that the PSE2 will include some of what you have already done - particularly in the concrete cases ! We had a recyclage last year and found that quite a lot had changed - presumably for the better. Some material and techniques are no longer used and, of course, the major change was the RCP. Did you do brancardage in PSE1? The new hard plastic boards are not as nice to hold as the 'splitting saucer' particularly if you have a hefty victim ! Cat, I LOVE what I do and envy you the chance to be a Pompier. As I said before, give it a go so you never have to look back and say "I wish I'd given it a go when I was younger and FITTER" ! Having been in a job in the UK which required me to attend accidents etc, you will find that good training takes over any squeamishness and you just get on and do the job. There are plenty of good moments too, and laughs ! biggrin.gif

Flying and lifts to the top of a high building. Funnily enough I don't particularly mind heights.

Hi Cat - like Fairy Nuff, I'm not a pompier but a secouriste equipier for Protection Civile (like French Red Cross). We have the same diplome as the pompiers for working in a team (stretchers, oxygen etc) and can get called on to help if they're short-handed. If you're fit and enjoy meeting and helping people, then the Pompiers is just for you ! If i were younger, I'd certainly do it ! ! No, just don't ask. It's a brilliant way of putting something back into the community and really broadens your French knowledge. Go for it !!!!!

Ooops, sorry Berlioz.....and Cendrillon.... I would be surprised if the fabric was as fine as quilting fabric - but I will certainly let you know, Cendrillon. I wonder if they would send samples for colour etc?

Something I have come across recently is a "pompe à chaleur" which although expensive to install, is much cheaper in the end. I know several people who are in the process of installing these but ..... can anyone explain what they are (in simple language, please) ? We, too, are on oil CH. We have a large house and often there are only 2 or us. Our bathroom and downstairs loo hot water are supplied by the 150ltr tank in the boiler, and in summer, we have run the boiler just for our hot water. BUT we have just put in an electric water heater (150L tank) and hope that with heures creuses it will dramatically reduce our oil consumption...and fuel bills. The longères that are the style of our region are one room deep, very long long buildings which are difficult to heat economically. Perhaps if we had known then what we know now we would have done things differently....... underfloor heating in the bathroom etc....

Dave, you could ask a biking shop, they're bound to know. You could also try your Mairie, or even the prefecture in Niort.

Cendrillion, it was thanks to your query that I did a search and just stumbled on their website. I wouldn't have thought of looking on line - I know where I'm going to get my fabric now!

Thank you Clair - for sorting out my messy quote. Also for explaining the ins and outs of voting. I still reckon it's a bit pre-ordained. How do you explain the 3 tours ?? Mind you, although a lot of people complained, I wonder how many of them actually voted for one of the new candidates ?? A bit like when Chirac got in for his last run - I bet most people voted for him in the first tour - and then felt compelled to vote for him rather than Le Pen. When people said "It was terrible, I had to vote for Chirac to stop Le Pen getting in3 When I asked them, tongue in cheek, who they voted for in the first tour, they remained silent !

Okay, why didn't my quote come out as planned???????

[quote user="Ian"]Our village has a population of about 250 (I guess about 200 of whom are eligible to vote) and elected a new mayor just recently.  There were 22 members of the community up for election, 2 rounds of voting, masses of campaigning, threatening letters, arguments, gossip, rumour and other dirty tricks.[/quote] Our commune has about 850 people and the last elections (not the most recent), there was a punch up outside the Mairie and the voting went to 3 tours, unheard of for a small council election. It even made TF3. Mind you, I think it was a bit of a fix this year because we were given a list of names of existing membres of the conseil, and if wanted to change anything, we could cross off a name and write in a new name. No other names had been listed despite the fact that several others had presented themselves as candidates. Hardly democratic ! If you don't get the result you want, just keep revoting until you do (a bit like ratifying the EU treaty...?)

Hi Everyone It’s funny, the word « integration ». We moved a fair amount because of the armed forces, and have learned to fit in anywhere - we have never had any difficulty, either abroad or in the UK. As far as France goes, it was a definite plus being able to speak French when we arrived. When we came here over 10 years ago, there were only one or two people from the UK in the area. Working helps, as does owning horses – they really did help us get to know people (French). As previous posters have said, joining a club or association can really get you started – and it’s fun being with people with a common interest. We have done various courses for work and pleasure, all in French, which has opened all sorts of doors. We have never stopped trying to improve our French and it has always been a pleasure to learn new expressions ! Do we feel integrated ? Yes, completely. Neither of us feels in the slightest bit like an outsider, nor, indeed, like a foreigner. Yes, they laugh at some of our idiosyncrasies but then we laugh at some of theirs ! We have friends of several different nationalities but one of the common links is generally the French language. Perhaps that is the secret. That and the fact that we are both used to settling in quickly and feeling at ease in our new surroundings.

Hi Big Ben We belong to a dog club in Saumur which does obedience, agility, tracking, attack and all sorts of other things. Agility is BRILLIANT and any dog can do it. The dogs all seem to love it. Some obstacles, such as the ramp and plank which is about 1m50 off the ground, need to be taken slowly at first. Then there are the tunnels which, once they get the hang of, just race through. It's all about giving your dog confidence so that he, and you really have fun, which is what it's all about. Our dog club is very active - you can do tests and competitions, or simply go along and join in. It's really friendly and there are some members who don't speak French, which no-one minds. I haven't laughed so much in ages at some of the antics of the dogs - and the owners ! And there are breeds of dog I have never seen before. Give it a go, you and your dog will love it !

I have just found a BRILLIANT website that does mail order provençale fabrics : www.fayence-tissu.com WONDERFUL collection of fabrics and accessories. Fabrics that I looked at were around 10 to 11€ a metre/150cm wide.

I was working with my tractor when I realised that there was a nest in the cab......with babies in it. When I returned to tractor to its shed, Mrs Redstart came back to the nest. None of them seemed very bothered by the experience, so the next time I needed to use the tractor, mother flew off and I nannied the babies. Once they were big enough to leave the nest, I did have to check carefully that they did not go under the wheels. A few weeks later, a second lot of eggs appeared...and hatched...

Printemps in Paris do them. They have their own brand and do 2 versions. There are also plenty of other sections of the bedding department (the price goes up rapidly if you want designer ones !)

Thank you Cathy. I Googled it a while back and read that they had brought out a new formula which, as all the old customers didn't like, they withdrew it. I believe the intention was to go back to the original. I did e-mail a supplier but never received a received a response. I will try the site you recommend AND I will write to Boots.

Has anyone ever found anything similar in France? It seems to have disappeared off the shelves in the UK as I have been unable to find it in Boots or anywhere else. My tub has now run out......

I have used aqueous cream for years as a hand cream - by far the cheapest and best. I have never found anything that is quite the same here in France.

MADURA is good - branches all over France. They do different sized throws in different fabrics and colours. They also do various fixings so they give the look of being fitted.

I went to a pharmacy in Paris with a lost voice and sore throat and the pharmacien recommended suppositories. Well.....! He said he realised the Brits were a bit tight***ed about that sort of thing, but there was a good reason for it......apparently medicaments get absorbed into the bloodstream without passing through the stomach. Therefore the medication acts more quickly and no more upsets !

I've no idea what they are really called, but they are perfectly harmless. They patrol the walls of the house just below the roof and make a great deal of noise. We've always called them Lancaster Bombers !

Hi Frenchie If you want to feed him, cat food is what the vet recommends. Otherwise, there is a vet's practice in Challonnes sur la Loire where they take in injured birds. Let me know if you would like more details.

Ooops, meant to put in a smiley face but got it wrong....