Callie

Dragonrouge, I haven't read the paper today, and I couldn't find anything on Ouest France's website. However, I have seen the way foie gras geese are kept and...erm...fed.........

Dragonrouge - I think you and I share the same sentiment. It is not something I would try to argue about, but I just wouldn't serve or eat it myself. I suspect a lot us would rather not know too many details......

Hello Puzzled, I thought I'd answered this but...... Here is a site which is worth looking at. They supply all sorts of stuff to do with genealogy. I got a brilliant family tree software for my Mac - Reunion for Macintosh - from them. Unfortunately there is very little available for Macs. But for PC there is much more choice. www.GenealogySupplies.com In the end, I think you probably get what you pay for. I think Roots Magic and Family Tree Maker are very popular and easy to use. And they don't have any naff trees ! But you can always add a phoney coat of arms yourself !!!

Are all modern TVs sold in the UK really set up for SECAM as well as PAL ?

Jean-Jacques Goldman writes superbe lyrics and good French ! He has been singing for years and also writes songs for people like Celine Dion.

Tawny owl, long term letting can be complicated in that there is a difference if you let furnished or unfurnished. In the past, a furnished property could be furnished simply - a bed, a bedside table, a table and chairs etc etc. However, after a tenant took his landlord to a tribunal, a precedent was set in that a tenant could insist that you provide cutlery, linen etc. But I believe that is rare. First of all I would talk to a local etate agent. Some may not be interested in doing letting so don't be disheartened. They should be able to explain the difference and how you should go about it. If they aren't helpful,try another agent. It is important to understand what you are undertaking. But whatever you do, be sure you have a proper contract drawn up by a notaire. I have read all sorts of sob stories on other forums about people who have let out their property to their compatriots without a formal contract..... You could look at the website www.laymyhat.com which has all sorts of helpful information about letting property.

If you want to let long term, I would strongly advise you to go through an estate agent who will do the necessary contracts. Whilst you will pay a fee, there are far fewer problems with tenants who come via an estate agent. Are you intending to let furnished or unfurnished ? You might be lucky and find someone from the UK who is looking for a long term let while looking to buy. You will find that the rents are a lot lower than holiday letting, and tenants can go to a tribunal if the rent is considered too high.

We have been with Cred Ag for years and pay for 2 bank cards as we often shop separately. Beware of sharing a card unless you are both there ! The French are less keen on cards and use cheques - because at the moment, they are still free. I find my card very useful on motorways - particularly at night on the unmanned ones.

I should pour yourself a large gin, BaF. People ask questions but never listen to the answer. Nor are they capable of looking places up on a map !

I assume your neighbour doesn't leave his mess on your land! Is your house semi-detatched? What sort of untidiness qare you talking about? Does he have old rusting cars and the like? When you bought the house, was his mess there then? If you ask your neighbour nicely and he refuses, perhaps you should ask the Maire to put some pressure on him. Is there a hygene risk ? I think it would be madness to consider paying him to clear up his mess. He could hold you to ransom ) and don't forget, once you have handed over the money, you don't have a leg to stand on - no guarantee that he will keep the place tidy.

You do not state whether these signs are mandatory (with a red circle round them) or advisory.

Quand même can mean "even so" or sometimes "despite that" ("that" refers to something which has gone before)

BP - where did you see the polished cement floors you are talking about ? I must say, in 20 years I have never seen one here. However, we had our tuffeau windowsills redone in white cement which is far harder wearing than replacing the damaged tuffeau. (the French often cover tuffeau sills with zinc which we weren't keen on). The finish is very fine and certainly doesn't crack in the cold and I assume your inside heat is generally above freezing ???! Provided you have a damp proof membrane under the cement, you should have no problem with a damp floor. Then there are all sorts of sealers available to stop the dust that cement inevitably makes. The I imagine you can just polish over the top. You can also buy stains to colour the cement, or you just try to find one of the coloured sands. We used a red-gold sand with lime and a dash of white cement in our grouting and the colour is stunning and matches the old render on the outbuildings.

It's still worth going to your local Mairie to ask if there are commune tracks, Thibault, which would normally be open to the public. The Mairie would also be able to tell you if there was any sort of local walking group. I have sometimes heard horse riders bemoaning the lack of tracks to ride on in their area and am surprised that they bought a house without checking whether it was a good riding area first. A visit to the Maire should reveal that sort of information. There is also your local sous prefecture who may have a leisure and sport department - I know Saumur haas one. They would be able to tell you about any association or walking group in the area.

You are unlikely to get a response to an email, particularly in France. It would be better to send a recorded letter with avis de reception. You could try the equivalent of the Citizens Advice Bureau who could at least point you in the right direction. They have a website which will tell you your nearest branch. We have used them and found them to be extremely helpful as regards legal advice. www.clcv.org

Look at the gendarmes in summer - short sleeved shirts, nylonny jodphurs and those gorgeous leather boots ! Then of course it's cool in the summer to wear flip flops and shorts........

Like Mel, I've only just realised that this thread is old....

Like IAN_S, I ride along tracks where there is no sign or barrier indicating that the track is private. In the forest, there are sometimes signs to the side of the track and this normally means that the land on either side is private, but not the track itself. I cannot understand the mentality that drives people to want to tramp all over other people's land - particularly in France where there are so many public rights of way. These can easily be found by purchasing a blue series IGN map and then checking with the local Mairie which tracks are commune tracks. The deliberate ignoring of signs indicating private property seems rather disrespectful to the owners. Val_2 - your farmer friend probably has an arrangement or knows the people who own the back gardens you walk through. Otherwise, would you be happy for people to walk through your garden without so much as a by your leave ? (assuming you have one !) I agree entirely with Scarlett - it doesn't matter what the legalities are, it's a matter of respect for other people and their property. If you are so anxious to walk on someone else's land, why not have the good manners to ask them if you may ?

If people really want "French cuisine", why don't they go to a French chambre d'hotes ????? I wonder how they would react if you said that there was tête de veau, joues de porc and the starter was gesiers....!!

It might get more women out on bikes.......if they can afford it....

Beris - have you got a mobile phone signal there because we have found that all our guests bring mobile phones. I don't know any gite owner round here that has installed a fixed line in their gite.

What a lovely story, but just imagine how shocked we would have been if they had been ours !!!! But it's interesting that the children weren't at all frightened to go on their own - such confidence too.

I agree Cat, it's just a question of getting used to it. I had the same problem when i went to live in Germany. I had a shorthand and typing test (in English), didn't even think to look at the keys, and, blow me, perfect except for the inversion of some letters. It didn't take long to get used to it, though. What would be difficult for me would be to have to keep changing from one keyboard to another.....

Crazy.....

Hi Lenny I've sent you a PM....