Ken

Yes it does go downhill. i.e. away from the house. Over the years I had put several layers of gravel down, Mostly due to weeds and looking grubby but also storms that sent the gravel disappearing down the drive and eventually ending up in the valley! I did put in a drainage system the remains of which are on the right as you look at the photo. that took care of the storms but , obviously, not the weeds! The cats are a little 'peeved' at the work as they liked to roll around on the gravel then bringing it into the house of course!! Well I can't work today, or tomorrow due to the 'no noise' rule on Sunday and bank holidays so I shall enjoy the rest!

Three photos better! I still have about ten metres to go then all the joints to do!! I will probably be brain dead by then!! The first photo is taken from the top; The second is the 'dug up gravel, well some of it anyway! and the third is the paving looking up the drive. That's Jake sitting on it giving it the once over!!!!

You can wiggle all you want. The eternal and childish plaintive cry of innocence! " Where am I blaming anyone in particular?" Your first sentence plants drug use on people who are disaffected and abandoned and it is not the case. If that is not what you meant then perhaps you should write more carefully. Perhaps now you know 'what I'm on about'? Oh and incidentally, suggesting I took drugs is quite insulting. Or was that just another careless example of your writing or an attempt at a snide dig?

Actually it's a BMW X5 and the French don't do personalised plates. Shame that but there you are!

As it's raining and I'm redundant (and bored!) because laying concrete in the rain isn't a great thing to do I thought I would share with anyone interested to read it the work( so far) I'm doing renewing my drive. For the last 22 years it has been gravel. I have added gravel to it several times over the years but it has become too 'weedy' and grubby. So, I decided to pave it with stone. Not blocks but rather in the fashion of crazy paving; can't think what the French call it! The drive is 27 metres long and 5 wide. First remove all the gravel: 44 trips to the tip with a trailer load of gravel each time. I estimate around ten tons of the stuff I dug up with a mini pell and by hand. It still had to be loaded and then unloaded at the tip. 3 cubic metres of stone delivered and so far 8 cubic metres of ballast, 108 square metres of reenforcing metalwork and , so far, 32 bags of 35kg cement. This all started just over a month ago. I would add that I am doing all the work myself with the aid of my other half who is also working like a slave shovelling ballast and cement into the cement mixer. And no, she hasn't threatened a divorce; Yet!! To date I have completed around two thirds of it and that doesn't include grouting the joints which will probably take a week or so on its own! I estimate probably another two cubic metres of ballast and around another ten bags of cement before I'm done. In terms of time, weather permitting, I should have it finished in about a week. Then the grouting! I won't tell you how much this little lot costs, you would think me crazy! So, once the sun comes back and it stops raining those of you having a G-T in your garden; spare a thought for me aching, cursing and covered in cement working like a slave on the drive.

Yes, I did read it. You wrote it, read what you have written! I doubt market traders 'and the like' feel abandoned by society! So that leaves the the druggies on the streets. I have already said they don't feel abandoned so just what and who, are you talking about? You suggest the root cause is feeling abandoned and disaffected, who then? absolute tosh! You were looking to have a 'pop' at the rich and government. My hobby horse isn't blaming others. I leave that to people like you.

As a kid and young man living in the east end of London many of my friends were on drugs, nothing too serious!!!!! Just black bombers and the like. Some were into hard stuff. As I recall not one of them felt 'disaffected' and abandoned' by society. they would have laughed at such nonsense. In fact, just like today they would have taken advantage of such a 'woke" attitude. They took pills and drugs because they liked it, peer pressure my have helped and as has been said just starting on the mild stuff often leads to the hard stuff. Disaffected and abandoned!! What a load of woke crap! It's always someone else fault isn't it! It's always the fault of the rich and of course the government.

I doubt this will be received well but I have always thought that shifting the emphasis completely on to drug pushers was a huge mistake, in all countries. Prosecution of those using drugs should, in my view be almost as severe as those pushing the stuff. One literally feeds of the other. The cheaper the drug the more it is used. The more it is used then the more it is suppled. Making users 'victims' is absolute nonsense. Drug users are responsible fro an awful lot of crime. They aren't victims the poor slobs who are robbed and attacked by these people are.

Well, if your initial post was to enliven this forum the it has helped tremendously. I was totally fed up reading about flowers though now it seems it's going to be Turkeys!! Some people like their comfort zones I suppose!! As for comfort zones: Leigh on Sea, yes I know it. Southend is just down the road and that is the posh part of the coast with Leigh on Sea being a nothing place to visit. As a young cockney kid Southend always had its attractions; the Kurzal, whelks and kiss me quick hats. Leigh on Sea, just another retirement home on the coast! Now a quick ad. for the Pays Basque: Very few Brits, in fact I don't know of a single one so I don't get to hear any whinging apart from here! No fish and chip shops or pubs (there is an Irish one in Bayonne though!!) Fantastic scenery and a frontier with Spain that offers very competitive shopping. The language can be a little bit of a problem at times given that Basque is usually spoken by most 'natives' though most are bi-lingual. I often have to repeat like a parrot when talking as my cockney accent still dominates! A great place to live.

He doesn't give me the impression of being an attention seeker or even have a 'Mussolini' feel. Of course his views won't be popular with the 'left' It is almost a given that anyone with views regarding controlling immigrants is automatically viewed as a 'Mussolini' or 'Hitler'. It is the default position every time and of course stifles serious debate.

You don't sound a happy bunny at all! My son and his family all live in the U.K. and are perfectly happy with 'their lot'! Many of the things you are complaining about also exist in France. Just one example: Marseille is like a Wild West town on drugs!! Killings are fairly normal and the suburbs of Paris are almost a no go area for the Police. As for prices; well anyone here can tell that prices for everything is rocketing; from food, heating and petrol. Perhaps you should read the papers and listen to the news, particularly the French nows and you would realise that 'La belle France' like Britain is raising taxes and is having a tough time of it. I still have many friends and family in Britain and your picture of a 'rapidly declining society' isn't shared by them. Most of the problems you quote are as much a product of a 'tolerant' society as anything and the problems are as a result. That is a world wide thing too, not just Britain.

Well the latest poll puts Zemmour in the final round with Macron. I doubt he would win (should he declare that is!) and unless he does so it is probably Macron-V- Le Pen again. He should put us all out of our misery and declare; must be good for his book sales anyway! I hope he does declare and furthermore hope he becomes President!! Politics needs a good shake up.

Well, he has an opinion; as we all do! As he hasn't declared it is irrelevant regarding the Presidential. I hoprhe does declare and further I hope he wins!! Hope springs eternal!!

I think Zemmour, should he ever become a politician (he still hasn't declared), is the only plain speaking person around. Definitely correct regarding his '1000 year enemies of France' comment. I do like his style. I use to listen to him speaking when he was on the panel on TV. Not particularly impressed with his personality but he does have a certain charisma that demands you listen to what he says rather than just thinking he is 'far right'; whatever that is! He reminds me a little of Enoch Powell actually. I'm also cynical enough to believe that all this 'political campaigning' is just a front to sell his books; which are selling very well and he has no intention of running. I hope thats not the case.

So, now the Brits are Frances greatest enemies for a thousand years!!! According to Zenmour anyway. As it happens I tend to agree with him. Despite all the "happy happy' tourist stuff since when has Britain got on with France? At last someone saying it as it is!!

Anyone, with sense anyway, who saw the 'offending' pointing of a rifle would have known it was meant as a joke. The left want to make capitol out of it of course. With firearms the general rule is that a weapon, loaded or not, should never be pointed at people and if Zenmour is guilty of the 'heinous crime' of doing so then point it out but to suggest some other motive is just ridiculous. This pandering to to the left has to stop. Hopefully the coming election will do so but I doubt it.

Well, no more grue. In fact we haven't seen any for weeks which at this time of the year is unusual. Probably the very warm weather is keeping them in the north. The small flight I saw several weeks ago had almost certainly come from Germany to claim the best spot in the south!!!!!

As we live just 5 minutes from the frontier (About ten seconds if you are flying!!!!) I feel sure they do also overnight in Spain. Every year I spend a great deal of time watching them try and cross the mountains against a strong, and warm, southerly. In a way it's heartbreaking to see their formations broken up by the strong winds as they are pushed back into France. They never give up of course and reform and just try again until they succeed. It is when the strong southerly is blowing that they often come down very low and I would estimate that sometimes they are only several hundred metres above the house; the noise in incredible when that happens. In actual fact we saw our first flight this year about three weeks ago, quite early. The earlier they migrate then the worse the winter will be (that's the folk lore anyway!!)

Living in the Pyrenees they are a regular feature here and often overnight in an adjacent field. The row is incredible when they come into land. Often they wake us at night if the wind is strong (against them) so they fly very low to avoid it. Love to see them each year. I bet you never see them going back!!!!!! They do of course but don't make the same row as heading south so people don't look up and see them on the return trip!

I would agree about Macron using Britain as a whipping boy and also his reach for the vote of the right. The E.U. army thing is virtually dead in the water as a couple of the nordic countries have already stated that NATO is too important to break up by having a European army. What Macron has already done though is sign an accord (outside of NATO and the E.U.) with the Greeks that is giving concern to many countries. I can't say that I agree that Zemmour 'is a thoroughly nasty piece of work' Reading what his conviction was (his only one) it wasn't a particularly racist point at all and he was fined. As for unsavoury candidates on the right, well whom may they be? Zemmour hasn't declared himself a candidate though It would seem he may well do so given that he is just behind Macron in the polls. Should the polls be right and Zemmour declare then it would be Zemmour and Macron in the final round. In effect another presidential term for Jupiter! As for Phillipe, apparently he is 'looking' at starting his own party with an eye to the election after next! Personally I would like to see Zemmour win this election but my head tells me to prepare for another term of Macron.

If it helps: I had a delivery in August 2021 = Price 1.11€ per ltr. Before that: December 2020 = Price 1.19€ per ltr. Before that: March 2020 =Price 1.10€ per ltr (that is in total, tva etc) You can see from that the price varies according to market forces. Generally though over several years, as you would expect, prices go up. I have had a 'warning' recently that gas prices will increase considerably soon!!! Obviously the company want me to fill up but as I only had a 're-fill' in August I don't need to. My own view is that (LPG) gas will be considerably more expensive in the coming months and if I had the opportunity to 'top up' I would do so. I have found in the past that the company have been quite fair and warned me of price increases to come which gave me the opportunity to 'top up' before I needed to so saving a few 'bob'! There is an energy crisis on the way, manufactured or otherwise. It means gas, electricity and oil will all become more expensive. What I'm always a little bemused by is that when there is a shortage, increasing the price always solves it!!!!!

Now it would appear that we can travel again without too much hassle I'm looking forward to a holiday next year. The problem is cat care! I won't subject them to a cattery and will only have 'live in' people to look after them. In the past I have had some smashing people come and stay to look after them and at the same time enjoy a holiday in the Pays Basque. I know I could probably get 'professional' sitters but really prefer someone who loves animals rather than 'loving' money. Should there be anyone out there who does fancy a stay in the Pays Basque, any time of the year, and is prepared to look after 4 cats please get in touch. The only expenses that would be incurred would be how much you spend on delicious Basque cuisine and wine!!!

There may be only two French nationals here;. The point is that no one has championed the u.K. The criticism is for Macron and his Ministers. Not for praising the U.K. If you support Macron, no problem. You sound like Macron: Condemning the U.K. without justification, just pique! As for the exchange rate, no problem.

France has called off free trade talks with Australia, this despite it's the E.U. that does the talks!!!! Who's running the E.U.? No don't bother replying I think everyone knows. I just wonder what the other countries think about France calling the talks off!! In addiction a French Minister has said "keeping ones word is a condition of trust"!! Yes; a French Minister actually said that!! I think his name is Pinocchio!! What will Jupitor do next I wonder!!