Polly

On the sugar shelves you'll see bags of sugar 'spécial confiture' or 'Confisuc' and the like, look at the pictures on the packets and you'll see when they talk about setting the jam, but I always use the cheapest granulated plain & simple. I have never used pectin with mirabelles & the jam has been fine. You could always use lemon juice which aids setting. I do the basic jam: weigh the plums, halve & stone them, cook in a bit of water until tender, then add a bit less than an equal weight of sugar (depends on your taste, and how runny you like your jam) and the stones tied in a bag or in tea infusers. Don't boil until sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly until set.

Pickle them as soon as you can after picking. First you need to get off the 'duvet' or soft fluff, either by rubbing the dry gherkins in tea towels or using a soft nail brush. Rinse & drain them. Then salt them with gros sel, as for pickled onions, overnight, then rinse, strain & pat dry with new clean tea towels (!) Put the gherkins into your sparkling clean sterilised jars For 'plain' pickled gherkins, use either the cheap colourless white wine vinegar or a white tarragon vinegar, and just add a few peppercorns, a bay leaf or 2 & a sprig or 2 of thyme You can add feathery fennel tops to the basic recipe, for example, to vary the flavour I like mine a bit spiced up, so I add various selections of : mixed pepper berries, a couple of small dry red chillis, cloves, peeled garlic cloves, thyme, bay & coriander seeds. Leave to mature for a few months. they should stay crisp and munchy for a couple of years, but sometimes for no apparent reason they god flabby - in which case tip them in the bin!

The guide dog school, Centre Aliénor, in Mérignac on the outskirts of Bordeaux, has a number of young dogs seeking permanent homes. Why? Well, some dogs just don't have the right attitude, despite their upbringing, and sometimes the school has too many pups for their training programme. There are currently 4 black one year old male labradors, a 9 month old lab/golden cross and a gorgeous 4 month old black female lab. The one year olds and the 9 month old have all been brought up in puppy walking families so are well house-trained etc.. if you are interested, pm me with your phone N° and I'll call you

If it's on your own land the worst that can happen is that someone tells you to take it down, so why not do it? People put signs up everywhere without asking anyone for permission You can do an A3 sign and get it plastified at an office supplies shop as a first cheap attempt. However.... in making these comments I assume that your business is registered in some way, and that you declare the income generated to the French tax authorities. Your advert could generate some fiscal or other administrative enquiries.

The costs are not hidden, anyone can check them online. It's a tax on vehicles, that's the way it goes.

[quote user="chrish"]I was told a single family Gite will not be counted as public. chrish [/quote] yes the rules are quite clear, but once that pool is shared with an owner living next door, say,  it's 2 families using it and so it's 'public' within the definition If the said owners don't use the pool whilst their gite is let, well it's a one family pool so non-public

Chris this is exactly what I was told by the same people in 2006 and by the DDASS in 24 too Unfortunately many people won't believe you - or them! There are rules, they may not be strictly enforced but they exist. Too few pool companies when asked to quote to build a pool ask what the usage will be. Those decent guys who do may well be ignored by the prospective client in favour of a cheaper non-compliant option

Serious reply, this one: go to this link http://www.spa.asso.fr/648-les-pages-qui-acceptent-les-animaux.htm from the Fr equivalent of the RSPCA It may not be bang up to date, in which case work your way around the website

[quote user="chris pp"]I thought that was what Brits liked about France, that it was quaint and how the UK used to be, that's what they tell me anyway. That and the fact that they come here to integrate and live like the French. Chris [/quote] Oh Chris I love that comment!

Our commune (in the Lot) and adjoining ones charge per adult per night in high season, and they admit it's really aimed at the big campsites, but they try to catch the b&bs & 'gite's too. I manage holiday accommodation for absentee owners, and their booking contracts simply say that any additional local daily taxes blah blah blah will be collected by their local agents - which we do. We leave a polite note, say how much it is, and an envelope. Never had any problems at all, over umpteen years. Come October, I fill in the forms, pop them into the Mairie, and the Trésor Publique (or Trevor Pubic as we call him) eventually sends a bill to the clients, which I duly settle up with envelopes of accumulated coins and a giggle with Trevor's cashier; As the deemed Senior French Speaking Brit Resident I have been asked about various Brit owned houses, whether they are let or not. I'll answer honestly on behalf of our clients, but for those who don't have a management contract with us I just say 'no idea, you'll have to ask them directly'.

Yep, I have that too - they have been too short-staffed in Cahors to worry about tiddly shared pools so far....

I don't think anyone is bullying anybody, those like Chris and I are merely making information available. I do hope you are not implying that I am seeking to 'line my pocket' - please clarify As to what I do for a living : I have chosen not to disclose that on this forum in detail. For your information neither I nor anyone else in my close family sell or build swimming pools, neither do we own gites or a B&B.

So Mick, your pool used as you describe it will be a public pool and the advice given by chrish and Andrew is correct - whether you like it ot not, and whether or not you (or anyone else with a pool used by more than one property) complies with the law The fact that few people are aware of a law does not make it go away Go to http://baignades.sante.gouv.fr/editorial/en/controle/reglementation.html and you'll find useful references in English. I would particularly draw your attention to Article L. 1332-1 of the Code de la Santé Publique, and to Article D1332-1 You will find that a public pool is defined as one which is used by more than one family. Public pool normes and rules apply to it. You can download a useful leaflet at http://aquitaine.sante.gouv.fr/download/piscam24.pdf, the rules are the same throughout France There was an article in FPN some time ago, written by a Chartered Surveyor, you could ask the editor for a copy

Good luck, but I doubt that troubled waters will be 100% clear at the end

There was an article in FPN on this subject, PM me your email address and I'll try to find it for you

What are you seeing them about, 'public' pools or other matters, & which dept DDASS?

I know nothing about the tecchie ways of trying to circumvent the system, I just know I can't use it. I get very annoyed every time the IPlayer adverts pop up on the TV - shouldn't they have to put in a disclaimer about not being able to access it from certain IPs, like car insurance adverts used to say 'not available in N Ireland'? What about those who pay a BBC licence fee, but can't 'catch up' when they are at their French second home? Maybe someone should take up the issue with the Advertising Standards Authority www.asa.org.uk ?

Yep, and I'm going to be the one to say it : read YOUR policy, or the terms of any prospective policy you are thinking about taking out, the terms of any other policy are not relevant to you. The limitiation concerning those with newly acquired licences or who are not insured on a vehicle themselves is logical: it prevents young people driving a car in mum's name to get cheaper insurance, and uninsurable folk with a bad driving record from sneaking into the driver's seat on someone else's policy. We have 3 vehicles insured with AXA. 2 are due for renewal shortly, so I clicked into Assurland to look at other prices: I found some cheap-looking deals, until I went into the small print. I shall do what I do every year, pop in to see the lovely lady who has looked after us for over 15 years, through floods and hailstorms, and see what she can do. I have never yet paid the price on the renewal letter

Do it through the UK, you need someone to get a form for you (you can't download for UK applications) I renewed mine by post via a UK address, and the new passport came within a week. The passport cost £72 plus about £5 post, as opposed to 145€ plus 24€ delivery charge through the embassy in Paris (http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/passports/passport-fees) The application info says that it usually takes 2-3 weeks, maybe the quick turnaround is due to reduced demand as folk aren't renewing their passport unless they really need it straight away?

Look for a Mondial Tissu

[quote user="hoverfrog"]thank-you! Forum still doesn't "do" Safari - and I'm not giving up my Mac for anyone! lol[/quote] Switch to Mozilla Firefox - for macs, and compatible everywhere