Strimming on a Sunday

[f1steveuk]

Just had a long conversation in which I was told, albeit by an Englishman, that the use of petrol strimmers/chainsaws etc, on a Sunday, although not illegal, is frowned upon, especially in the morning.  Is this true?

I can see it could be annoying, but if after a week of rain, Sunday dawns with the perfect weather to catch up, it seems odd!

[Théière]

You should be watching the Grand Prix anyway! [:P]

[Chrissie]

Each commune sets hours during which noisy activities, such as using garden machinery, are permitted.  It also often depends how "rural" you are.  A typical set of times in a village might be 9.30am to 12 noon, and 2pm to 5pm, on weekdays, with shorter hours Saturday and only 2 hours on Sunday.  Check with your Mairie.

Our neighbours are usually very good about not making noises at anti-social times.  I know they stop strimming or sawing, even on a weekday, if they see we have several cars here and know we will be outside (how lucky we are!).  We try to reciprocate, and avoid using the mower or strimmer at weekends at all, unless the weather conditions have been awkward and it is the only chance we are going to get - in which case all of us are doing the same thing anyway.  It's mainly just a question of being thoughtful.

Chrissie (81)

[Tony F Dordogne]

Steve, ask Laurence!

[JohnRoss]

"It's mainly just a question of being thoughtful." I agree, in our area the official line seems to be no machinery after 7pm and only a couple of hours Sunday morning. Local farmers seem to stick to this more or less except when they urgently need to bring the crops in for some reason when they have worked to gone past midnight using headlights on their tractors. Likewise our only neighbour within a kilometre or so does mow his field sometimes on a Sunday afternoon but not often. I always check to see if he is having a barbie of an evening and avoid mowing the lawn if he is. If I start mowing my field, some distance away from both houses, then I might carry on to get it done past 7pm but frankly nobody is likely to complain as they won't hear it. If I need to mow the lawn and I hear his mower running then I will do the same regardless of the time. Seems to work with no complaints in the last 9 years. Different situation in towns and villages I guess...........................JR

[Just Chris]

Nobody seems to give a toss around here. We were at pains not to do anything noisy on Sundays when we first arrived, but when the few neighbours that we DO have continued to mow, strim, talk noisily, and allow their dog to bark all day, we thought sod this, and we now do as they do. (Apart from talk noisily, that is - and we don't have a dog...)

And as an aside, what's wrong with the word s0d? it's a perfectly legit word - isn't it?

[JohnRoss]

Know what you mean about dogs! Our neighbour has five of them, hunting dogs, in a kennel well away from his house but quite close to ours. They start up at night if something is sneaking around his chickens or if we put our outside light on but hey he was here first! All part of life in the countryside I guess. His cocks are the worst what with their lustful crowing in the early hours, early for us that is and not the farmers! After a time a selective filter kicks in. I guess until one adapts eye pads, sun comes up too early at this time of year, and ear plugs might help!.............................JR

PS One of the problems of watching UK TV is that one goes to bed a bit late!

[Cendrillon]

JohnRoss

[:)]

You describe country life in France very well and a lot of people think they want this when they choose to move to somewhere rural be it France, U.K. or elsewhere. Factor in the U.K. T.V. watching and it's a bit of a non starter isn't it?[8-)] It's a bit like people who buy a house next to a church and then complain about the bells being rung.[Www]

[Swissie]

Well France is still a traditional Catholic country - especially rural France. if you have elderly neighbours they are more than likely to find any noisy activity a form of disrespect. Same with hanging clothes out to dry, etc. In our hamlet- nobody would have dreamed of doing this on a Sunday until my parents died last year (aged 94 and 96) - since then, anybody does what they want. It isn't that dad would have said anything - but the neighbours knew how older people would have felt, and automatically respected it. Even now though I wouldn't do noisy work on a Sunday before 10- and of course living in the old Vicarage behind the Church - not until church service is over.

[f1steveuk]

I will Tony! I'll test your strimmer and mower on a Monday!!!

[Swissie]

Some people from Geneva bought a house as a holiday home around here - and came most week-ends as well as hols. They actually asked the Mairie if they could ask the farmers to remove cow bells, as they found them too noisy! The Maire told them they should go back to Geneva! Our house was the Vicarage (1587 -2007) so we get a peal of bells every lunchtime, at 10pm, for services, and Friday and Sat nights - lovely.

[BIG MAC]

Never gave it much thought.......I thought they were all shy

[Swissie]

The cows around here are NOT shy - and people from Geneva have big mouths and big egos - just a tad smaller than Parisians.[:P]

[JohnRoss]

Oooh dear I wish you had not said that! The French side of my wife's family live in and around Paris. I will try and hide this post from her!  Mind you the only time a French person has been rude to me was a bus driver in Paris!.....................JR

[Swissie]

Come on - the whole of France knows about the Parisians!

[pachapapa]

Scratch a number 75, summer past time.[:)]

[Etoile]

We run a B&B in the Charente and had a guest's Bentley scratched down both sides last summer. I was worried that it had happened outside our house, but it had been done on the Ile D'Oleron! Of all places, 75 reg. unfortunately. They were nice people, but the Parisians are not always nice and there is definitely an attitude to them in the rest of France.

[JohnRoss]

Maybe a clue in the results of this survey....... http://www.marianne2.fr/Les-Francais-et-leurs-Parisiens-l-autre-french-paradox_a189571.html  ................JR

[Swissie]

And no strimming or any noisy work on Saturday pm either - and no washing on the line. 'Our' church is very cute and there is a wedding almost every Saturday in Summer - no Law of course - but couldn't spoil their day with noise or our undies of the wedding photos! Bells will be ringing soon.

[Swissie]

[quote user="JohnRoss"]Maybe a clue in the results of this survey....... http://www.marianne2.fr/Les-Francais-et-leurs-Parisiens-l-autre-french-paradox_a189571.html  ................JR[/quote]

So, there you are - not just moi - and the Swiss think the same about 'les Genevois' et leur grande gu***le.

[JohnRoss]

Ah but the question is: Is it all of them or only Parisiens of a certain socio-economic-intellectual group?.......................JR 

[pachapapa]

Nice parigots-bentley story.[:D]

Maintenant, malheuresement les jours de soixante-quinze sont limités; les têtes de veaux se cachent avec plaques de plouc.[:(]

[Théière]

Well you may as well strim tomorrow because the British GP won't be worth watching, two car race and their both on the same team unless one sprouts wings again!