betise

Who heard Attal's speech this lunchtime? Do you think that the measures he announced will be enough to appease the farmers?

I make them at least once every year, I nicked these recipes from the Guardian, they are pretty much foolproof.

Ours is not a Super U, but a U Express. I can't bring myself to say the full name in French, so it's just our U

Yes Mint, I've seen our first lizard here too, and the first fly in the house, and the daffodils are in bud too. It doesn't feel right, and I'm sure it will come back to bite us in the bum!

No bananas to be had at our U this afternoon!

It's a bit of a minefield. When I was at school, many moons ago, it was obligatory, for both boys and girls, to do one term of home economics, needlework, woodwork and metalwork. After that term, we could choose our curriculum. Nowadays we have sadly lost a lot of these skills.

Agree Norman, Grenoble itself is probably not the best choice to live, but within 45 minutes there are plenty of more acceptable villages and towns.

Yes, my brother lives on a farm 30 minutes from Voiron, a very nice area.

Damn, due to dodgy finger/key coordination, it sent itself before I had finished. What I meant to say, in full, was ... I am 100% with the farmers, but it is also the fault of the consumer. We (not us, them) expect to pay as little as possible for our food, often prioritising "our" budget to stretch to flashy mobile phones and contracts, TV streaming services, fags, and other things that are in no way necessities. We must agree to pay a fair price for French produce, and so must the supermarket buyers.

I am 100% with the farmers, but it is also the fault of the consumer. We (not us, them) expect to pay as little as possible for our food, and given the choice between

Thank you Mint! I was never a believer in this type of thing, and scoffed (behind the backs) at people who did. And then I got a really bad case of shingles, even my doctor was "ooh la la, that's huge, it's really going to hurt"! He prescribed antibiotics and antivirals. I slathered myself with aloe-vera gel and hoped for the best. My husband insisted that I see a coupeur de feu, who is also a friend, and head of the local hunt. I told him (the coupeur de feu) that I didn't really believe in it, he said it wasn't necessary! I had 2 sessions with him in person, and 2 more over the phone. Whether it was the gel, the drugs, or the magnetism I have no idea, but I hardly suffered at all. I would use it again, especially as it costs nothing (they are not allowed to take payment) although i did give him an especially nice bottle of wine afterwards.

ALBF, we know someone who claims to swallow the fève rather than have to be king!

Nope, due to always visiting French family in the North over the new year period, and being offered it at every opportunity (even if just popping round for apperos or a coffee) I now view it as something to avoided if at all possible. We went away to Scotland this new year, got off scott free!

As from today it is.

If you know where and when you were born, and the names of your parents, you can apply for a birth certificate.

Apparently, the date the new system goes live is from the 16th January.

This now appears to be the way to go, you will need your NI number and last UK address... https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Mint, if you have had chemotherapy in the past you may have been prescribed this, to prevent mouth ulcers.

They deliver free for orders over 65€ . https://lepetitberet.com/en/

???

Yes, that was one thing I forgot to add to my dislikey list, transport strikes! I feel for everyone who was stuck, or had loved ones stuck, due to the strike yesterday. And, if French air traffic controllers find a reason to strike over the New Year, I shall be incandescent with rage!

It has yet to be published in the Journal Officiel, it will have to be passed by the Conseil constitutionnel, as Crabtree has said above.

Try passing your driving test here. No one could correctly answer enough of the questions to pass, unless they had studied the code beforehand.

Agree with nearly all of that Noisette. I still buy whole ducks to process into magrets etc, but the price has rocketed. Our friend is a medium sized producer and seller of duck products, and says that avian flu has forced him to up his prices, due to the problems of sourcing duck when he was prohibited from using his own. Your confits would be good with cheese though, go on, surprise those Frenchies!

Where do I start? The 85% crap TV, awful comedies or tele reality, transmitting episodes of series in the wrong order, thank god for Arte! The lack of courtesy on the roads, step boldly onto that zebra crossing, ignore those glued to your bumper. The obsession with la rentrée. Christmas decorations that stay up until Spring. No plates for breakfast! But really they are only small annoyances, which I accept with (I hope) grace, as this is my chosen country, where for me the good outweighs the bad. And anywhere else may well be the same, with just as many dislikeys.