Duckalaronze

Thanks for that Perlats...but where do you get Ecover? I used to use it in England but haven't seen it anywhere here. Gill

Thanks for that Perlats...but where do you get Ecover? I used to use it in England but haven't seen it anywhere here. Gill

Thanks for that Perlats...but where do you get Ecover? I used to use it in England but haven't seen it anywhere here. Gill

I've been using the cheap stuff from carrefeour ("1" brand). It doesn't get things particularly clean but smells ok. I've also been using "eau ecarlate" for stain removing and that seems to do the job even on a cold wash. Has anyone found an eco-friendly washing powder that doesn't smell like the inside of a hoors (mispelt on purpose) handbag? I'd like to be environmentally friendly, especially for our foss septique's sake, but am allergic to perfumes. Gill

There may well be regulations on certain plants - pyracanthas for example as they can spread fireblight, but on the whole, nobody checks a few plants in pots. You could try Defra as a starting point. Please don't bring any Japanese knotweed or bracken - that's just about all that grows in this area! Good luck, Gill

I had a something similar which was the control for an old, disconnected well pump. Not having the pump connected to the well (another story!), I just cut the power, disconnected the box...and now wish I'd bought a pump that I could fit to the well-pipe! Do you, perhaps, have any such pump/well thing? If so, it could 'well' be the controller for it. Alan

"Anyway, I now wear slippers in the house, and even round to the neighbours, so I think i'm very well integrated indeed." My OH was 'invited' to help the neighbour move some wood. What he didn't realise was that this was from the local woodyard a mile away...in the snow...in his slippers. We have standing jokes with our neighbours, have had aperos and lunches with all (three) of them, haven't invited them back because we live in a hovel (at the moment my OH tells me). We volunteered to 'observe' at a local 4 day international motorcycle trial, great fun - and the Brit competitors were very surprised to see us! We got married in the local Marie last year (half French, half English guests )- we even managed to smooth over an old feud by inviting both parties to our wedding!!. We also bought a French car (from a Morrocan!!) and use French artisans. We always try to speak French, no matter how abysmal our attempts are, and invite them to correct us. So yes, I think we are sufficiently 'integrated'. although we will never be French. What happens when the novelty of 'les Anglaises 'wears off? I don't think they see us as 'English', just as good neighbours. By the same token, we are more integrated here than we were in England. Trying is everything! PS - Already got my big knickers! Gill & Alan

We have a locally purchased Sat dish + cardless digital receiver - which works ok with UK free to air (or is it free to view? Beeb/ITV3/CNN etc..). Now is it possible (& how do I?) connect this sat dish to a Sky box so that my MIL can watch Sky in her part of the house while we can continue to watch our choices? Is it just a case of splitting the cable (with a t-piece or splitter box) - or do we need an additional dish/LNB/dishwasher.....? Probably been asked & answered before but can't seem to find any references. Any help really appreciated. Alan

When we immatriculated our Nissan RHD pick-up, we asked at the Nissan garage about this, but they said it didn't matter. The pick-up then passed a CT with no problems. If it's illegal, nobody here seems to know that!

Plan on bringing my 'mobility challenged' mother (+ dog!!!) over to France. According to Eurostar website, they don't allow dogs - only guide dogs. How can I, rather than drive to London, then spend (at least) three days driving back to Creuse with a party that will require stopping and watering (or de-watering!) every 15 minutes? Others seem to be able to get pets etc. through the tunnel - how do they do it, please? Any advice appreciated. Thanks Alan & Gill

Plan on bringing my 'mobolity challanged' mother (+ dog!!!) over to France. According to Eurostar website, they don't allow dogs - only guide dogs. How can I, rather than drive to London, then spend (at least) three days driving back to Creuse with a party that will require stopping and watering (or de-watering!) every 15 minutes? Others seem to be able to get pets etc. through the tunnel - how do they do it, please? Any advice appreciated. Thanks Alan & Gill Sorry about spelling 'mitakes' . . . will post again!

Sadly, Abi - NO! The regulations state each burner has it's own independant chimney (due to the gases given off in burning being heavier than air) and they must be ducted seperately. Good luck Alan & Gill

We bought a Godin wood burner from our local Gamme Vert (and got a discount because I asked for a 'poule de bois' - a wooden chicken!).. Gives out 13 kw heat, isn't too hungry - but make sure you have a good supplier of wood nearby, all the same. Depending upon the area you need to heat, you can probably find lower rated ones - just make sure you get the correct flue for the size of cheminee/stove. Best of luck Alan & Gill

Hi You could try logging-on to www.helpx.net. They post Hosts & Helpers pages. We've recently had a succession of Helpers from their site who were great in assisting us (unlike the 'helpers' who came from WWOOF!). Give it a try - we don't need anyone at the moment (besides which, we are in Creuse!) but you may find a Host who needs assistance. Good luck Alan & Gill

Hi We've been using Telerabais for about 6 months with no problems (apart from the irritating blurb at the beginning of each call - we know it off by heart now!). From our last bill (France Telecom) a call of 51m31s cost us 0.81 euros. In comparison a local call (via France Telecom) for 42 minutes cost us .65 euros We find it saves quite a bit. Good luck! Gill & Alan

Ignore that...I'm wrong! It's as previously mentioned... Gill

It looks like euphorbia peplis or chamaesyce - purple spurge. It's an annual, so providing you 'get' it before seeding, it shouldn't be a problem. Gill

Judging from the number of peach, chestnut, walnut, hazel and cherry tree seedlings that appear every year, I would think that just sticking them in the ground is a good way to go! I should imagine that it would take some time for the shell to break down, particularly with walnuts and peaches, so perhaps cracking them gently before planting might help (this is just a guess!). They probably need to be exposed to the cold before they will germinate. Apple (etc) pips will just grow if you plant them, though depending on variety, you may not get such good fruit. Melons etc, let the fruit ripen as much as possible, dry the seeds and plant them in the spring (probably best to start them off indoors as by the time it warms up enough outside there won't be enough time for the fruit to develop and ripen). I'm in 23 (Creuse) and growing melons outside for the first time this year - time will tell if they succeed! Last year I started everything off indoors, but this year courgettes, squash, sweetcorn, haricot, runnerbean, carrots, onions and parsnips have all been sown straight into the ground. I save most of my seed (sweetcorn, beans, courgettes, broccoli) each year but you have to be careful that they're not from F1 hybrids or you could have unexpected results, on the other hand, rules are for breaking... I'm in the same boat - growing all my shrubs & flowers from seed - anyone want to swap anything? If you want a peach tree, I can let you have a baby one...but perhaps it's more fun growing your own Gill

tasteless definitely seems to win over authenticity - our immediate neighbour had a genuine full size ancient cartwheel which we managed to scrounge from her (actually, she begged us to take it away) - she has two mock cart wheels to hang her geraniums from. Her son-in-law across the road has a wolf-whistling gnome (of which he is suitably proud), a plastic stork, and not two, but four fake cartwheels. And in the next hameau there is a giant snail which glows in the dark owned by the chef de chambre de metiers! Some of the French have taste though - we got a very nice cast iron horse's head as a wedding present from a local foreigner (he's from the champagne region) Gill & Alan

In answer to various peoples worries on this subject - we've just immatriculated a Nissan pick-up. The attestation de conformite from Nissan in Paris was free, and, discounting the fact that it failed the controle technique the first time, we completed the rest in one day. After getting the pick-up back from the Nissan garage, we immediately took it for it's free return CT (which it passed), went to hotel des impots for the certificate de dedouanement, no probs, from there went to the prefecture with all the paperwork - and voila - 10 minutes later a carte grise. Straight round to Carrefour where they have a get-your-numberplates-pdq-here place, and that was it - all in one day! PS - we only had an export certificate, not the original V5. The moral is... do your homework, get the paperwork together (unlike the English couple in the next booth to us), smile, use lots of monsieurs and madames after the bonjours, and don't believe that you can't do it without the V5. Watch out for a French reg right hand drive blue pick-up!! Gill & Alan (in gloat mode)

"pouvez-vous parler lentement, s'il vous plait" is a useful phrase as the French invariably gabble at a million kilometres par heure. It seems to work for us (for a few seconds anyway) Gill

The sound like Fire Bugs (pyrrhocoris apterus). They like to congregate in large groups - in our garden they're found around the base of a silver birch and the bottom of the barn walls. I don't believe they do any damage to anything or anyone. They're not too keen on swimming (when you water the garden). I think they brighten the place up! Gill

I'd recommend Desiree as a good allrounder - not good for salads but great for chips, baking & mash - it also seemed a bit more tolerant of the colarado beetles. I tried Ratte last year for new potatoes and they were awful. Anyone know where I can get some Jersey Royals? Gill

At the risk of being proved wrong, and without resorting to searching the darkest depths of my 'filing system', I'm pretty sure that when I signed on to Wanadoo, they said I could cancel at any time (this was the integrale fidelite 72hours option). You could always go in to France Telecom and ask...they are generally fairly helpful in our local office in spite of gabbling at an incomprehensible speed. Have had no problems in a year of subscription. regards, Gill

Castorama do a range - we bought an approx. 4m x 3m one for around 200€ - not without a struggle though. It took 3 months to get it, numerous letters and emails and finally the French consumer association writing to them, but it's cheap and so was the motoculteur we bought at the same time (same delivery problem), and we did get a 100€ voucher for our trouble. So on the one hand they're cheap but on the other I wouldn't recommend them if you're in a hurry! Gill