odile

LOL - well we just couldn't overtake and just had to drive behind for miles until they turned off to go and sleep it off ! (or kill themselves or somebody else, we will never know). I think honestly it just depends on where you are - rural UK and the big motorways - or rural France and the peripherique - are v. different matters. All our European friends visiting the UK always said just how much nicer, patient, polite, etc, UK drivers are. Grass - other side - greener - and all that! Ever been on a French motorway at the beginning of school holidays - people overtaking from all sides without signaling or even looking, regular stops fuelled by booze, cars barely drivable filled to the brim with kitchen sinks, screamibng kids and mother-in-laws!

well this will cheer you up! In the Jura today it is ....... 4C and raining. Oh b....other! but it has been lovely for past 3 weeks - temp bet 15-20C. C'est la vie.

we many a time had to follow French drivers in the middle of the night totally pis**d and driving either in the middle of the road or hitting one side and slowly swerving to the other and back again. Like the 50s in UK indeed!

There are literally 1000s of kittens needing re-homing both in UK and France. Any extra kittens mean that others won't find a home = they will be killed or dumped - or will live in a refuge behind bars for the whole of their life. Sorry - if you care for animals, no excuse.

my superb book on Swiss flora is just amazing - the best I have ever owned. It is in A BOX SOMEWHERE among the 20 boxes of books we brought over a month ago.

just googled it - VERY pretty - never seen one.

Rob, please get her spayed. Thank you. there are just too many kitttens without good homes. Please.

a cat flap which only opens to your cats' microchip?

Not on your own WJT.

Well done for re-homing those poor creatures. B....tards! Who are those people!?! Our cats were found in a taped cardboard box by M69 - 10 kittens and 2 adults. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. If I got hold of the culprits I would .... not printable.

yes - we all learn new tricks everyday! well done and bonne chance for the future!xx

Well Norman, I am sure that was a great help! But maybe Norman has a point. Which does not mean you are in the wrong business - just that you need to be more careful in the future. I am not sure what i would do/ Have they paid in advance? Bonne chance, thinking of you. Tell us how you got on and how you resolved the situation?

it does seem so incredible ... and very sad. Hope all is done to get to the truth and avoid it happening again, blaze what do you think with all your experience?

Hi, my future veg plot looks about the same. It also used to be a veg plot before. Now all weeds and nettles with roots the size of my little finger and 6 ft long! I have decided to cover the whole lot with tarp for a couple of months to kill off as many weeds as poss. then will have to pull out all nettle roots (and NOT compost them! and book my shiatsu treatments before starting) - and other weeds before I borrow rotivator from one neighbour and beg a whole trailor full of well rotted manure, both cow and horse to mix in. It will therefore be a late start this year- but never mind - will catch up soon. Bonne chance

we are very fortunate that the Swiss Church is also in financial trouble - we were able to buy a very wonderful vicarage dating 1587 - with space for a few stuffed elks and lions - but none will be passing through these doors. Love to watch the wildlife from the old (first floor) barn - deer, chamois, red and black kites, buzzards and lots of birds - all very much alive. Hurray.

isn't it time  to stop making animals travel huge distances for competitive sport?

The first woman maçon is France was in 1882. 30 years ago, 11% of maçons in France were women. Currently 22% of Free maçons are female.

LOL -Join the club!

agreed Sweet - leftovers are often more fun!

not quite! I actually know a few nice ones!

I know it is partly a generational thing - BUT ... (I am fully aware some will not be happy with this, but here goes) also very British! When we lived in Staffs in the 70s, I just could't believe the 'carry on' each meal time at my next door neighbours'! Each kid would march in to the kitchen and asked by mum what s/he wanted for supper (tea!) - mum then prepared what was requested by each, who then went to lounge to it their plate in front of TV. She was a teacher and dad owned a sports shop (ie not particularly 'working' class- whatever that means) - and if she cooked spag bol or lasagne, some ate it, some not - and had to be accompanied with chips. Same happened next door in East Leics - and you wouldn't believe how hard it was to organise French exchanges with kids who were soooooo fussy - French families tried so hard to please, but just couldn't believe the stuff our (GB) kids ate, or rather didn't! Little grandson, 3 next month - is being brought up to it all (in UK) and does! Bless his little cotton socks.

Thanks for reassuring me Chris. Not easy I know - but the decline is huge and people need to know the facts and the legal aspects too. Too easy surely to say 'oops I didn't know, sorry'. If we ever decide to convert the barn, we will provide plenty of protected artificial nests under the eaves (with removal planks underneath to catch the mess and clear every autumn) and start the work as soon as the birds have left - (but before the snow!)  It should be possible in most cases to do this and strike a balance between people and bird needs.

keep of the weed Dog!

in French we have 'pates de mars' (for great big snowflakes in the Spring) but in German they say 'Aprilwetter' (april weather) for the same. We had 2 hours of snow 3 days ago, after 2 weeks of warm, sunny weather - today lovely again - and black skies tonight! Until the last 'Saint de Glace' at the end of May, anything can happen - and not just in the Jura!

LOL Jo! I know a few of those beasties! Chris I am surprised. All the web sites I looked at advise asking their local LPO for support in prosecuting and state that the LPO plays a big role in preventing destruction and adherence to the Law. Your message seems to say it is not too bad to destroy nests as long has you don't do it repeatedly all over the place. Are you really saying this?