Rodders

Definitely not Enteridium lycoperdon as this is a slime mould (gelatinous, not hard). I still think it's a bracket fungus from your description.

If it helps, does the fruiting body come out of the trunk - if so, it's a bracket fungus. If it comes out of the soil it's something else.

Looks like a bracket fungus. Normally it is a sign of a dying tree (that may be caused by the fungus). From RHS website: Bracket fungi cause decay and rot in the heartwood of trees and produce bracket-shaped fruiting bodies on the trunk or main branches. These fungi usually lead to the weakening and eventual breakage or fall of affected trees. Jump to... What are bracket fungi? Symptoms Control Biology What are bracket fungi? Bracket fungi are the fruiting structures of many different fungi that cause heartwood decay in standing trees. The fungal bodies – or brackets – appear in spring, summer and autumn, but weakened trees can topple at any time. Note that there are other fungi which also cause decay that are not bracket fungi. There are many different types of bracket fungi, many which are specific to a particular host and often of little importance in gardens. Symptoms Some of the symptoms you may see: External symptoms: the first external symptom of bracket fungus infection is often the appearance of the bracket-shaped fruiting bodies on the trunk or main branches. These can be up to 60cm (2ft) in diameter and may be annual or perennial. This may be preceded by visible crown thinning and die-back, but not always. By the time a bracket appears there will usually have been extensive heartwood decay. Since decay weakens the wood, another symptom may be falling branches. Internal symptoms: these fungi may cause either white or brown rot in the heartwood; both are structurally weakening. In some cases, the tree becomes hollow and may remain stable, but decay usually leads to weakening and eventual breakage or wind throw. Foresters distinguish top rots which affect upper parts from root or butt rots which affect the roots and base of the tree. Top rots, such as Meripilus giganteus, are particularly damaging because the whole tree may fall.

I had the same last year with my leeks. It's at that point that I staged war against the moles. Before I had been trying various methods unsuccessfully to disuade them from various areas in the garden. I now don't have any on my lawns nor potager. I do get the occasional one venturing on to my land but they don't last too long. It may sound cruel, but things can get bad with moles.

Hi You may not need a CoC if your V5C has a long code (mine is 15 characters excl * and /) for section K (type approval number). The prefecture accepted this and did not need a CoC ( benefit of EU conformity) . This may vary from prefecture to prefecture. It may be well worth checking with your prefecture before paying for a CoC.

Having spent a week or two trying to get to grips with the process of obtaining a Carte Grise (and succeeding today), I thought I would update this thread with my experience. Car : Volvo V70 Controle Technique obtained using Volvo plastic headlamp converters. Quittas fiscal obtained at the appropriate Hotel d'Impots (but not our closest one!) Carte Grise obtained when we went in to our Sous-Prefecture to ask whether we needed a Certificat de Conformite - the helpful lady at the desk looked at our Carte Grise Anglais (ie the log book - form V5C) - checked - and then said that the Type Approval Number (item K on the V5C) was all that was necessary. I just had to hand over the necessary documents as per the above sticky and partly fill out the form "Demande de Certificat d'Immatriculation d'un Vehicle" with my name, address etc. - she did the rest on the computer using the logbook details thus saving me the problem of filling out all the various car details. The only shock was the amount I had to pay (€312) and they wouldn't accept an English visa card! I must say that it was easier than I thought it was going to be.

From a microbiological point of view, the harmful bacteria (eg E coli) are not very likely to be a problem as they should remain in the fosse. As the liquid from the fosse percolates through the spoil it is purified. In a good treatment process, theoretically the liquid becomes drinkable (but I prefer beer!).

....and not too far from each other!!

Poplars here are felled after about 20 years. Rumour has it that some children are gifted a plot with poplars at their christening which will then provide them a nice lump of money when they come of age (21) and the poplars are felled. It's a very "popular" crop around here!

Think you are right in that it is a Rhinocerus beetle grub after checking on internet. We have seen a Rhinocerus beetle by our front door a couple of years ago. Many thanks.

We have removed 2 dead Acacia stumps from our garden. When I split one stump before removal these grubs/caterpillars dropped out with lots of wood dust. Is anyone able to identify them? Picture width edited by a moderator.

I spoke to my local mower centre in UK about mowers earlier this year. I have to mow about 8500 sq.m. of grass including a field. He recommended a Stiga. An alternative he suggested was the Husqvana which he thought almost as good. I tried to source a Stiga here in France but the nearest was in Bordeaux. I bought a Husqvana Rider which automulches as it mows. I find this extremely good producing a good finish with no need to collect grass cuttings nor are they left on the surface! The mower also cuts long grass (12-18") with no problem.

Hi Does anyone know of a seller of Stiga sit-on lawnmowers in the Lot et Garonne region (other than Leroy Merlin).  I have tried the Stiga website, but unlike in the UK, this is no help. I am really looking for a shop rather than a hypermarket with a limited range of mowers. Thanks