ventodue

[quote user="Patf"] But also Eric's mistake with Craig and Graig - we had friends here, now returned to the UK, and he was called Craig. He told us that the locals couldn't pronounce his name. It came out like Ggrrrraig, with the gutteral "r".[:)] [/quote] Nah, I think it's really asking too much to ask the locals to get it right.  I gave up expecting that a long time ago ... [:)] Mind you, being called Ggrrraig is a lot better than some of the things I've been called in my life ...[Www]

[quote user="ericd"][Graig, get back to her quickly and get her to change that phrase to " Je me murmure que les mures sur LE mur sont mures"......!!! [/quote] [:D]!  Nah, that's an error entirely of my own making [:$] P.s  Btw, it's Craig, not Graig [:D] [:D]

Here's one for you to savour, Patf - a little sentence that my niece had to practice when she was in school here in France ... [:)] "Je me murmure que les mûres sur la mur sont mûres." A+ Craig        

Hi Jan, It's a young Sparrowhawk, Épervier d'Europe.  See the little bit of white over the eye, the little bit of white in the wing, the irregular spotting on the breast and the barring on the tail.  Here's a link to a photo for comparison : http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oAhlCXJR_cQ/SC6Ht7nl0_I/AAAAAAAABoY/s31VDoRT7Cc/s1600/Sparrowhawk-1s.JPG (He/she shouldn't be on the patio, of course, so is in need of some TLC.) Amicalement Craig

Hi Louise&Gary, On the face of it, yes, you have a problem, I'm afraid ...  [:(] 1.  If the bike is over 100hp, yes, it will need to be restricted by a Honda dealer. 2.  As to the registration paperwork:  First off, strictly speaking, you're not asking for a CoC because CoCs only apply to bikes registered after June 2003.  Instead, what you need is an Attestation d'identification pour véhicules importés conformes à un type communautaire.  Normally, these are issued by the importer, Honda France. However, Honda France will most likely not give you an Attestation, because, for one thing, being a UK-sourced bike, your headlamp dips the wrong way.  So what you will most likely get is a different document called a Certificat de conformité partielle aux normes françaises.  (Also, please note that Honda France will also not give you any documents if the model of bike was never imported into France.) Once you've got this Certificat you will then have to get the bike modified, normally by a Honda dealer, to bring it into full conformity with the homolgation standard of the time.  You will then need to go to the DREAL for a vehicle inspection, called a Reception à titre isolé, before getting your full Attestation.  After which - and armed with a few more documents including a TVA declaration - you can go get the bike registered. For more info and other bikers' expereiences, you might want to join Bike Club France: http://bikeclubfrance.com/forum/index.php HTH Craig

Hi Scorp, Have just pm'd you, so let me know if you don't get anything. Cheers Craig

[quote user="jetlag"]Hi everyone, I have had visiting my garden over the last few days a pair of birds which at first sight are similar in colour/size to female blackbirds. <snip> [/quote] Which is just what they are, given your description, where you see them, the time of day you see them and their behaviour.  Females in breeding plumage often appear lighter brown underneath than they do on top. Have a look here, for example http://www.aves.be/images_aout08/turdus_merula_juv_ombret_300708_jfouarge_MG_2701.jpg As you've probably worked out [:)], that ain't no mating dance, rather a territorial display - it's that time of year, after all! [:)] A+ Craig

Sounds like wooly aphid (there are several different species).  These are small insects which feed on the tree's sap and, for protection, cover themselves with a white fibrous material that looks like cotton wool. They don't do an enormous amount of damage to the tree, but to get rid of them, there's no need to resort to chemical warfare.  Try hosing them off first, using a mixture of washing-up liquid and water applied with a hand sprayer.  Otherwise, tap 'wooly aphid' into your favourite search engine and you'll find some other suggestions. The word your friendly gardener was using was "cochenille", a generic term for any form of sap-sucking insect. P.s  In English, 'Cochineal' is normally used as the common name for a particular species of scale insect, Dactylopius coccus, from which a red dye can be made.  It is native to Central/North America and feeds on Opuntia cactus. There is a similar insect in France which can also be used to make a red dye.  It's scientific name is Kermes vermilio and it lives on Kermes Oak, Quercus coccifera, which grows around the Mediterannean basin.   HTH Craig

[quote user="Judith"] If only ... without damp courses and no "proper" heating ....  [/quote] Ah yes, fair point.  The absence of one or either would tend to make matters more ... challenging [:(] [;-)] A+ Craig

Aka, dry rot Serpula lacrymans, Judith.  It grows on wet wood and can be serious, not least because of its ability to grow across brickwork, stonework etc to reach a new food source.  But keep your building dry, light and airy and you won't have a problem with it. Wonderfully hysterical web-site here, tho'  http://www.consoglobe.com/ac-habitat-ecologique_3386_merule-fleau-maisons.html It's the end of civilization as we know it, you know ... A+ Craig

Nice, BugBear.  Thanks.  Will give that serious consideration.  I could take my little 350 Ducrappi ... Btw, I don't think you're on the Bike Club France forum, are you? A+ Craig

I don't know, just john ... As a biker myself -  and someone who 3 years back, on a bend, hit a small but very deep pothole in the Auvergne which spewed me off the bike - I know where Sunday Driver (also a biker, of course) is coming from.  Potholes, diesel spills, squirrels, white Peugeot 205s - you just have to hope you see 'em all [:)] Fortunately, in my case, the gendarme who happened to turn up wasn't so stupid as to do me for the equivalent of 'lack of due care'.  After helping me put the bike back on its wheels, he went back to look at the hole, offered his sympathy ... and we went our own ways. P.s  But no, getting back to your original point, I'm not overly surprised that the police chose to remain silent about the existence of the pot-hole ... A+ Craig

[quote user="NormanH"]The idea that a Mutuelle would give a discount for the fact that one has an ALD is laughable. My premiums went up 12% in the year my first ALD was accepted. Of course there are the paperwork people, and those of us who live here and write from first-hand experience.. [/quote] Why so rude, NormaH? A+ Craig

Ta John. Amicalement Craig

[quote user="Clair"][quote user="ventodue"]Yeh, somehow very Australian, that one. Posted to a biker forum, btw - 'nuff said ? Btw, I can't get the quote function to work, neither. Nor the 'Post Icon' function for smilies ... Have to enter the code instead [:(][/quote] Try the IE8 tip here: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1758955/ShowPost.aspx [/quote] Thanks Clair and Théiêre.  Right, I'll give it a go ...  First a random photo [IMG]http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/Ventodue/Rollie_Free01.jpg[/IMG] And now an appropriate smiley ... [:-))] Edit:  Yeh!  Works!  Thanks again. Amicalement Craig  

Altho' I see that doesn't work either - again, the smilie shows in Preview, but not when posted to the thread ...

Yeh, somehow very Australian, that one. Posted to a biker forum, btw - 'nuff said ? Btw, I can't get the quote function to work, neither. Nor the 'Post Icon' function for smilies ... Have to enter the code instead [:(]

Hmmm ... I'm using IE 8.0.6001

Excellent Clare - thanks! So tell me, what was I doing wrong? Amicalement Craig

I must be doing something wrong ... I've just tried to load a photo as part of a posting and, altho' it showed up fine in the preview page, it shows as code when posted to the message string. Which is kinda weird ... Here's the IMG code [IMG]http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/Ventodue/Ceiling.jpg[/IMG] And the thread is http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/ShowPost.aspx?PageIndex=3&PostID=1917016 Any help appreciated! TIA Craig

Hi WJT, Going from your photos, I agree with other posters: I can't see the problem, except that it's more work than putting up a simple flat ceiling and needs a bit of planning .... (I was doing this kind of thing 30 years ago as an apprentice carpenter in Dorset, btw ...) Show the guy this rough sketch and see what he says [IMG]http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/Ventodue/Ceiling.jpg[/IMG] EDIT: I appreciate the image isn't showing properly. It does in 'Preview', but not when posted to the thread. Guess I'm doing something wrong ... have asked Technical to put me - or it - right! A bit of explanation ... Working left to to right: Situation 1 is where the plank is already at the level you want the new ceiling. In which case, simply fix a batten to its side and screw the placo into the batten. Situation 2. Here the bottom edge of the plank is little higher up the joist. So fix a wider batten to the plank and carry on as before. Sitaution 3. Here the bottom edge of the plank is some way above where you want the ceiling. So fix a batten to the beam itself (and fix the placo to the batten ...) Sitaution 4. Here the bottom edge of the plank is below where you want the ceiling. So saw or chisel an amount off and implement either 1, 2 or 3 as previously described ! HTH and Good Luck! Amicalement Craig

And another tip - for Superglue, not 'Start Ya Bastard'. Before replacing the top, wipe the end of the spout with acetone, aka nail varnish remover, on a piece of paper towel ... (Bit sad that I know this kinda stuff, really ...) Craig

Re. Chris' post (the quote function on this Forum doesn't seem to work properly, does it ?) Notice how short the grass is? (ref. my earlier posting about how short grass favours rabbits). Presumably the same at Charles de Gaulle ... Amicalement Craig

IMO, you're right to be thinking of getting someone in to do it 'cos once b****ed up, terrazzo can be difficult, i.e. expensive, to put right. (In a former life, I used to build quality office blocks often with acres of marble and terrazo floors. Not surprisingly, all the best installers were Italians, either living in the UK or who used to come over specially from Italy. And they were normally VERY secretive about how the work was done, with screens all round the work area to protect it from prying eyes ...). The critical words you are looking for are 'ponçage, 'polissage' 'artisan' and 'marbre'. Type a combination of these into you favourite search engine - or, even better, go talk to your local quality tile shop, i.e NOT Brico Depot :-), and you should find someone who can bring your floor back to its former glory. HTH Craig

Hi Steve, Have you tried Cardy? http://tinyurl.com/yjtul9v Amicalement Craig