odile

.. and charge them for postage I hope! I used to be on management committee for a Timeshare exchange company in UK- 5 star resort. You cannot believe the stuff that went missing- but the cost was much smaller than having to employ dozens of staff to go and inspect villas. Wedgewood plates, low energy bulbs, whole setts of heavy copper bottomed pans- replaced by cheapos from Tesco (how deliberated is THAT), dozens of travel cots, etc, etc. Sadly it is the majority of great, honest, owners/swappers/renters who ultimately pay the price- as usual. It was a real eye opener!

et moi aussi    LOL

have not read through the whole thread, so not sure if already mentioned. Make sure you visit the area in every season - many here have complained about the severe weather in winter and how very boring it is once tourists have gone. No evening classes, culture, people to meet, etc. Also from posters here, neighbours make a huge difference. Being next to barking dogs or unpleasant, rude, noisy people - especially if they hate the 'Brits who take over' etc- can be a nightmare. If you have pets or are sensitive to animal rights, you may also find that hunting activities in the autumn in particular, could make your life miserable. Many have had pets trapped or poisoned too. You definitely have to take the rose spectacle off before making up your mind.

with the proper guidelines in place - that should not happen. Personally, I would hate to be a burden to my daughters- beyond the time when I can laugh with them and enjoy their company. I would also find it obscene to cost HUGE sums of money to he health service - knowing (I have lived very close to the medical profession all my life) - that that time and money could be used for young people with families, children - people who still have the prospect of a good quality of life. When I visited my parents and mother-in-law in the old peoples homes- I so often wondered for some of the people there, for my mil and my mum - why, what is the point. I would HATE HATE HATE to become a vegetable, sitting like my mum, unaware of her surroundings, just hanging her head and dribbling day in day out. And my mil, washing her teeth in the loo, wiping faeces around her rooms, swearing and shouting, or in a torpor, not knowing who we were. Knowing that both these wonderful Ladies had clearly requested for that never ever to happen - and making it VERY clear that should this happen, they would like to be 'got out'. And knowing that kids out there are dying of luck of transplants, and young mums and dads leaving their children to death - who could possibly be saved were the money available.

This is a topic very close to my heart- I feel that not allowing a person to chose, because of their handicap - is an extreme form of discrimination. The various hospices do an absolutely wonderful job, and I so admire them - but it would not be my choice. My mother, who lived in Switzerland- made advance directive when she was in her forties, very strong and fit- it was countersigned by 2 doctors and her solicitor. I was quite shocked at the time when I received a copy in the UK from her sollicitor. In the end though, she lived the final 5 years of her life totally dependent, exactly how she didn't want to - because she lost the ability to ask. My mil at not made a directive, but had told all her children to 'snuff her out of it' (her words) if she ever went gaga (her words). She got Alzeihmers and lived the last 3 years of her life in a terrible, terrible way. Because we lived in UK, and because Alzeihmers robbed her of her will, we were unable to help her. Of course, strict regulations need to be in place - preferably with an advance directive with 2 doctors and a sollicitor. And of course 'patients' need to be interviewed alone so that any outside pressure can be evaluated. How can we have Laws which require us and society to provide sick or handicapped people with access to as normal possible a life, re. transport, education, leisure, etc - and then deny them the most important thing. I am so happy for Debbie and her husband. She would have had no choice but to take her own life much earlier than possibly required. Now she can truly enjoy the rest of her life, and may well die peacefully at home without the need for any help, which is what I wish for her. How sad that she might have to travel to a foreign country to die, rather than stay in her own home, surrounded by all those who love her. How sad that her husband will have to be alone after her death, in a foreign land, without his family and friend to help him. I was born and bred in Switzerland, and after 39 years in UK have come back to live here with English OH. We are going to our Sollicitor next week to make our advance directive.

= pipework/plumbing! LOL alors c'est près de Soufmousse et pas trop loin de WoRcesterre!

Nice to see you Cheesfou. Can you pronounce 'tuyauterie'? Hope all is well. xx

the old guy who died the other day probably had a very simple diet, where meat was a luxury and was respected as such, just like my dad who was as fit as a fiddle until he died at 96 recently.  I am not a vegetarian, but I do think people generally eat far too much meat, without a care for it's provenance or the way it was reared, fed, killed. Nobody here is advocating being vegetarian- but have one day a week without meat (as well as taking more care about the above).

I went to a lovely medieval village called St Ursanne (in the Swiss Jura) and bought a fantastic large, heavy, fluted pewter dish for ...... CHF 5 = about 3 quid, a perfect match for a larger dish inherited from parents which dates from 1720s. Recently at a troc shop a large, heavy, wonderful shape pewter jug, about £8. I love pewter, and am so pleased nobody else seems to do!

andouillette is disgusting - so you are not missing anything! YUK

My daughter had a friend whose surname was Thistlethwaite and she lived in Theddingworth! This, that and the other - is also a bit of a mouthful!

I am so relieved and happy for Debbie Purdy - I think about her situation often. As all of us, she has the right to chose what happens in the end. I wish I knew where to write to her to tell her how I feel in person.

De Montfort is now the largest University in the UK, I heard recently! But what on earth are they CELEBRATING/  up to a million people where killed in south west France - Christians killing Christians, in the most fanatical way that can be imagined.. How can that be celebrated? It was a dark dark time for the area. 5 mins later, self edited. Ok, having read the link - it is great that the town wants to celebrate the way their population refused to give in the Cathars living among them. I was not aware of that, sorry.

be careful with eucaliptus near the house as they contain oils which can be a real fire hazard.

How good is your French? You would have to be aware of all the laws, rules and regulations - and know inside out the different (so-called) pests- which can be VERY different from the ones you have come across in UK. Mairies (Councils/town hall) are unlikely to contract out to anybody outside their area, let alone a foreigner- especially one who does not speak the language.

when we were kids, we used to really giggle about this sport      'sport matelas'!  ou 'faire la bete à deux dos'.

So happy to hear things all all getting better. We came back to Jura last week after birth of our little grand daughter Cara, in Surrey, on 9th July, 7lb 8oz- a beautiful little sister for Fearghas (3+2months). So 2 very happy grannies here on the forum. xx

tu me fais rire woolllie  LOL la mer ce n'est pas tout à fait la meme chose que la mère!

WHY, WHY WHY      killing such a fantastic beast!

I am quite sure you know the answer! but here goes con  = twit with a vowel change putain = a whore et voilà

A tandem is ...... un tandem! it's a big ask                 c'est la mer à boire we're up for it              on est partant

oh, so sorry - I woould be hopping mad with myself too - but it wasn't your fault. Arghhhh. it certainly would do no harm to put the nest back - perhaps a few inches away where it won't come to any harm. the owners will probably do the natural thing and lay again, still early enough. Bonne chance

Oh, so sorry Frenchie - hope you all feel better soon. A high temperature is the only symptom that could indicate the flu - so if no high temp. you hopefully will all feel better soon. I have been coughing like mad for 10 days - started in the UK which was worrying as we had a little boy and a new born baby, as you know. Bonne chance. Sweet17 - are you truly on the mend? I really hope so. Only joking about Mégève - it's a lovely place BUT most of the shops do not show prices on articles in window - I once went in a shop and asked about a jacket - the way the 'vendeuse' gave me the info definitely meant 'If you have to ask- you obviously can't afford it'. It is a really old resort where the 'crème de la crème' of Paris have been going over a Century, like St Moritz- very 'old money'.

the first and only time I made jam, I was so shocked about the amount of sugar- it put me off forever!

I love to give plants - and also 'beg' for them! If you have good neighbours, why not ask them if they have bits and pieces? For veg with good colour, why not sow some Swiss chard with multicouloured stems. I used to grow lots of sedum on clay in the UK - and great for autumn colour and for the bees. I have brought some over to the Jura and they are doing well here too in limey soil.