ventodue

"J.R's gone native" wrote: Ah well if it was printed in Viz it must be true [:D] -------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm not sure why I'm replying to this as it's an obvious troll remark; but, just in case anyone would like to know more about cod and the Newfoundland fishery, one source is: "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World", by Mark Kurlansky, ISBN 10: 0224051040. Amicalement Craig

[quote user="Frenchie"] <snip> ... but there are fishermen who respect international rules !![/quote] Yes, Frenchie, of course there are.  And these fishermen are very often the best source of information about those fishermen who don't. However, it is also true that international fishing is very difficult, verging on impossible, to police.  If we can't manage it here in the Mediterranean or the North Atlantic, we should not expect it to be better in waters that lie off-shore countries which have far fewer resources - Panama or Somalia, for example, when it comes to tuna. As consumers, one step we can take is to select fish which is locally caught and processed.  But that can be very difficult to ascertain - I mean, who do you believe?  Your local super-market?  Really? Having a simple knowledge of what swims off our shores is a good way to start :-).  But we should also seek to inform ourselves about species that are widely recognised as being over-fished - cod, haddock, tuna, shark (including dogfish), swordfish, sole, plaice, eel, wild salmon, toothfish etc. For more examples, go http://www.endangeredfishalliance.org/news/2007/20071218B.htm http://www.greenpeace.org/international/seafood/red-list-of-species But I feel sure you know this already, so I'll shut up now! Amicalement Craig

[quote user="Ysatis "] Hopefully I won't look too much of a dumbo. [/quote] No chance.  None of us, not even David Attenborough, came out of the womb knowing any of this stuff!  We've all had to learn it, one way or another ... Enjoy your garden [:)] Amicalement Craig

Thanks for posting the photos, Ysatis. Looking around, I found this site which shows the difference between Red Cabbage Shield Bug (Punaise rouge du chou), Eurydema ornatum and Gendarme Bug, Pyrrhocoris apterus - which is what yours are, it would seem. http://alisonashwell.blogspot.com/2007/04/red-cabbage-shield-bugs.html And, apaparently, their diet consists primarily of seeds from lime trees and mallows. So, as Dog said, entirely harmless (unless you happen to be a seed from ...).  And, also as Dog said, they're not a beatle - 'Coleoptera' in scientific talk - as Ladybirds are; but a true bug - 'Hemiptera'. More here http://www.cwgsy.net/private/gsybiorec/entomology/files/pyrrhocoris_files/Pyrrhocoris.html http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhocoris_apterus Amicalement Craig, always happy to learn something new every day ...

[quote user="Clair"]It's a well-known awfully bitter wine and you should send it to me straight away so I can get rid of it for you... [/quote] Ooh, you're quick, Clair :-) Respect! Craig

[quote user="Jim Smith"]  I am trying to find a supplier of peanuts in moderate bulk for a bird-loving friend living near Gourdon. Can anyone help?  Jim Smith[/quote] Hi Jim, Don't forget, you can always get them from the LPO, so helping bird conservation twice! Go http://www.lpo-boutique.com/catalogue/jardin-d-oiseaux/alimentation-et-eau/ Craig Edit: Blimey, two typos in my original, one-line reply.  Must have been late ... [;-)]

[quote user="Maricopa"] Here's a report with a map of average radon levels across France that may be of help. [/quote] Thanks, Maricopa.  Think I'll stay here (Hérault ...) :-) (Like you, I see ...) Amicalement Craig

JR wrote: There's plenty more fish in the sea my son" ----------------------------------------------- Oh, so untrue JR!  Viz. the cod fishery off the Newfoundland Banks .  The fish used to be so abundant, it was said you could walk from boat to boat across the backs of the fish and never get your feet wet!  Closed in the '70s due to over-fishing and has never recovered since, and possibly never will ... Btw, there was an interesting piece in the Midi Libre last week.  It concerned the owner of a couple of Sete tuna boats who had been killed in a small plane accident in Panama.  Nothing of especial note there, you might think ... presumably he was just on holiday. But no.  He was actually out there scouting for new places to send his boats now that the Mediterranean fishery has been closed because of repeated violations of catch limits and because the tuna boats can't go fishing in the Indian ocean because of the Somali pirates.  Just a single example of the attitude that it's ok to expoilt one natural resource to destruction and simply move onto the next ... But then again, I don't simplistically blame the fishermen.  I'm always amazed by the number of people who express concern for the natural environment, but consume tuna (and other pelagic species like swordfish) without a passing thought ... Hey ho Craig  

Hi Abi, For professional help, search under curage or assainissement in Pages Jaunes etc. Btw:  it's good practice to rod UP a drain, not down.  This is stop you simply pushing whatever has caused the blockage further down the pipe ... and it blocking again.  Also, so that you can prevent it happening again, you really need to discover what has caused the blockage. HTH Craig

That's the beastie, Jan.  The French name - Buse variable - is really a better description than the English one ... Cheers Craig

Hi Âme, Still Marbled Newt, methinks - just more yellow than the previous.  Have a look here, for example: http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=&enlarge=0000+0000+0704+0092 Can you see yours has a crest on the lower half of the tail?  That marks it out as a newt, and Marbled is what you have around you (apart from Palmate, which it's not). Colour isn't very important in amphibians - Common Frogs, for example, come in a range of colours from deep olive green through yellow green, to reddish/orange and occasionally albino. Anyway, it's not what I posted earlier (Fire Salamander) which has no crest, is almost exclusively nocturnal and, critically, doesn't hang around in ponds ... Amicalement Craig

Something like this Jan? [IMG]http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/Ventodue/Palebuzz.jpg[/IMG] P.s  Bonelli's Eagle DOES occur in France, but only around the Mediterranean. It lives on the causses, in woodlands and the garrigue, typically close to cliffs where it breeds.   It's rare and declining - fewer than 30 pairs in France and fewer than 800 pairs  in the whole of Europe - and is threatened by disturbance (not least, by climbers), collisions with power lines (a consequence of its hunting technique), and the loss of habitat of a couple of its key prey species, namely rabbits and partridges. Amicalement Craig

[quote user="Âme"]<snip>Some of them are bright yellow and black. [/quote] Ah, you may have something else there ... Do they look like this, by any chance? [IMG]http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/Ventodue/firesalamander.jpg[/IMG] Or maybe this? [IMG]http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/Ventodue/firesalamander2.jpg[/IMG] Amicalement Craig

[quote user="Âme"] I haven't seen any yet this year, but here is a photo from last spring. This one isn't a baby! I'm told they can live for 25+ years.[/quote] What a super beast, Âme!  A male Marbled Newt, Triturus marmoratus, I believe.  Most handsome ... Reckoned to be endangered in France, I see - and yes, 25 years in captivity. Amicalement Craig

[quote user="Clair"]Article in the regional press in French: Crise : les Anglais cherchent à repartir[/quote] Love the reader comments (at the bottom)! [:)] Craig

[quote user="Frederick"] <snip> Seems they will eat just about everything they can get down if the stomach content list is anything to go by ....[/quote] Yeh, well, when you're hungry, what ever happens along, eh ? [:)] Amicalement Craig

[quote user="ventodue"] <snip> ... but is generally declining in Europe. [/quote] Btw, instructions on how to make a Hoopoe-friendly nestbox here (along with plenty of other excellent stuff on Chris Luck's Planete Passion site) http://planetepassion.com/INFORMATION_FILES/Hoopoe%20box.pdf Amicalement Craig

[quote user="Frederick"]We get plenty in the Vendee I never knew they eat lizards ... <snip>[/quote] Hmmm ... well, lizards aren't really their main prey, to be honest [;-)] Have a look at the bill.  Then you can see how it's much better suited to this diet: The diet of the Hoopoe is mostly composed of insects, although small reptiles as well as some plant matter such as seeds and berries are sometimes taken as well. Common diet items include crickets, locusts, beetles, earwigs, cicadas, ant lions, bugs and ants. These can range from 10 to 150 mm in length, with the preferred size of prey being around 20-30 mm. Larger prey items are beaten against the ground or a preferred stone in order to kill them and remove indigestible body parts such as wings and legs. It is a solitary forager which typically feeds on the ground. More rarely they will feed in the air, in pursuit of numerous swarming insects, where their strong and rounded wings make them fast and manoeuvrable. More commonly their foraging style is to stride on relatively open ground and periodically pause to probe the ground with the full length of their bill. Insect larvae, pupae and mole crickets are detected by the bill and either extracted or dug out with the strong feet. In addition to feeding in soil, Hoopoes will feed on insects on the surface, as well as probing into piles of leaves and even using the bill to lever large stones and flake off bark. Source: the Wikipedia article referenced previously. Amicalement Craig P.s  National bird of Israel, I see.  Good to learn something new every day, eh?

Hi splishsplash, Summer visitor in France, mainly in the south; migratory birds winter south of the Sahara, but also resident populations in southern Spain and north Africa.  Doesn't normally arrive in France before April. It's a widespread species worldwide, including continental Europe, but is generally declining in Europe.  Rare breeder in the UK, more usually seen on passage. For more info, go (for example): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoopoe http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/huppe.fasciee.html http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/BirdsInEuropeII/BiE2004Sp984.pdf HTH Craig  

Hi SD and Ernie,  (I guess this thread has gone somewhat off topic now, but 'such is life' [8-|] ...) Yeh, thanks both - I kinda suspected that the Attestation had to be the same thing as the CoC à un type national, just under another name.  Thanks for the confirmation. A quick check reveals that M-G is, as I vaguely thought, now part of the Piaggio Group (http://www.piaggio.com/).  {I see Laverda isn't even listed as one of their marques - but then I guess they've nothing to sell under the name, so ... [:)] } And good point, SD, about the DRIRE not issuing attestations for bikes. So it looks like Ernie is going to be writing off to that Moto-Guzzi address you found ... Bon courage! Amicalement Craig

[quote user="ErnieY"] Thanks for the comprehensive reply Craig I'm not sure you are completely right about CoC's for pre 1992 (94, 98 or 2003 !) vehicles though as I got one for my 1976 MGB but at least I'm gathering some good info to start the job.[/quote] Ah, fair point, Ernie.  I did wonder whether I was being too casual using the 'CoC' short-hand [8-)]!   I was using it in its most commonly used sense,* i.e. 'Certificate of European Conformity' - Certificat de conformité européen. (* As here, for example:  http://www.eurococ.eu/en/?gclid=CLD8uqqA2pgCFQsJ3wodRUEsdQ.).  I've edited my previous post, btw. However, it's also true that 'CoC' can also be used to refer to a 'Certificat de conformité à un type national français'.  (Which pre-date the Euoropean CoC regime.) But I'd be interested to know what your MGB's is called: is it a 'Certificat de conformité à un type national français'' or is it called an 'Attestation d'identification? Ta Craig Btw, another good reference site is this one: http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F19222.xhtml The relevant direct quote from there goes like this: "Certificat de conformité   Le certificat de conformité communautaire dispense de la réception à titre isolé (c'est-à-dire du contrôle de conformité du véhicule aux normes techniques CE). Pour savoir si votre véhicule a obtenu une réception CE, il faut consulter la documentation du véhicule ou celle délivrée par le constructeur.  Si le véhicule a obtenu la réception CE, le certificat de conformité qui l'accompagne et qui est délivré par le constructeur, est valable dans tous les Etats membres.     

[quote user="ErnieY"]One step at a time they say so now having successfully sourced a RH dip headlight for the bike next on the list is the C of C. I've found the French club site which is all a bit beyond my French I'm embarrassed to say so does anyone know where to go for a CoC or maybe even some kind French speaking member could enquire on the club site on my behalf [Www] The bike is a 1991 Californian <snip> [/quote] Hi Ernie, Have just been thru the loop with my 1998 Laverda.  To begin at the beginning ... [:)] You won't get a (EDIT: European) CoC for a 1991 bike - the bike was made before the introduction of the legislation (1992), let alone its implementation (in theory 1994, in practice Jan 1998 for cars and not until June 2003 for bikes). So, if my experience is anything to go by, what you need is an 'Attestation d'identification pour véhicule importés conformes à un type communautaire'. But see ** below, too. And you get this from the French importer.  Now, I don't know who the M-G importer is, altho' there is a phone number here http://www.motoguzzi.fr/new/ for the Service Client: 008 00 12 23 37 00.  You need to speak to someone in the homologation or service technique department. It may also be worthwhile dropping by your local M-G dealer and seeing if they can help (partly worked for me, in the sense that they were able to confirm what I thought I already knew). Otherwise, I've a feeling that Moto Guzzi was bought by Aprilia?  Which was then sold to Piaggio?  If so, I can give you contact details for the guy who deals with these things at Piaggio.  Won't be fast or cheap, mind - 2 months and 152 euros in my case. ** You may only be able to get an 'Attestation d'identification pour véhicule importés NON conformes à un type communautaire'.  As you suggest, this is typically delivered because of a headlamp dipping to the wrong side.  If you get one of these, the Prefecture is meant to tell you where to take your bike to get it inspected, after you've rectified it. HTH, but feel free to come back with any queries. Edit: Ernie, this is the best - i.e. simplest and original - explanation that I have found of what is required: http://www.drire.gouv.fr/national/demarches/dem_vehicules/Fiches%20RTI%20a%20jour/INF01.1_15102008_importation_vehicule.pdf Craig

[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"] <snip> Conversely, we've just had a problem caused by a faulty fitting in our loft ... which was dealt with very speedily and very efficiently by our local CA/.Pacifica people, [/quote] Also:  "J.R's gone native" <snip> It is interesting to note that nobody yet has posted saying that they are happy with AXA, normally there as as many 'fors' as 'againsts'. We've had 2 claims, both minor: 1.  For vandalism. Settled quickly and efficiently by CA. 2. For leaks.  Settled by Axa, but handled in a generally unhelpful and obstructive way, e.g. insisting on sending the same expert to view the damage (which was minor) twice.  The second time, he didn't know what he was there for either, so we had a chat and sent him on his way ... Amicalement Craig

[quote user="odile"]I have recently made many enquiries about birds of prey's hunting skills as used in falconry. <snip>[/quote] Interesting points of comparison, Odile - thanks for the post. I think it strengthens the contention that the DebP has little to fear for her cats from any birds of prey.  But I find your note about the risks of poisoning - and, as discussed on other threads, traps - to be well made, unfortunately. Amicalement Craig

[quote user="DebP"] Could do with knowing  ...  if there are birds of prey in the south of France which could attack domestic pets[/quote] Hi Deb, The only bird of prey that might go for something as large as your cats is an Eagle Owl.  Go http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3340123/Eagle-owl-terrorising-village's-pets-and-children.html.  Size of a small house and, as you can tell from his/her eyes, absolutely fearless  [:-))] [IMG]http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/Ventodue/eurasian_eagle_owl.jpg[/IMG] Now, Eagle Owls do occur in l'Hérault ... but they are rare, and they normally only live in rocky, mountainous areas, especially places with cliffs - this where they nest.  That said, they may come down to flatter land and wooded areas in the winter. However, the chances of an Eagle Owl bothering one of your cats is very, very, very small ... HTH Craig - in Montpellier, btw