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DL, thank you very much for rooting out that useful information.

We are fortunate enough to be able to name our friend for voting on our behalf. The postal votes do not appear to arrive on time. Also, we trust our named person absolutely to vote as we wish. I think it's important to stress that we do not know how he himself votes or where his political sympathies lie but we do know we can trust him!

Lehaut, can you please clarify if this 5-day delay is universal to all house insurance policies or just in particular cases with particular companies? Would be useful information in case of future problems. Wools, your quandary about your buanderie would depend on you and how you feel about any potential mess. Some people are quite laid back about things and "stuff". Me? I'd be rushing about, hand wringing and trying to get home tout de suite. A couple of years ago, I was on holiday with a some French friends. On the second day of the holiday, there was a freak storm where we lived. Once people had rung neighbours, family, the dog sitter, etc, they all booked out and rushed off home in their cars.

Yes, will vote if allowed. Last year, when I tried to register as usual, I did not get a reply. My 15 years were up and so I didn't argue about it to the Council bod in charge of overseas voting.

ET, there are a couple of Sur la Dalle here at 5€ https://www.leboncoin.fr/recherche?category=27&text=Sur la dalle Fred Vargas This is the site I use for secondhand French books because I nearly always find what I want there.

That was really funny, ALBF😄 Actually, I wouldn't mind his piano. It's becoming increasingly expensive to find and pay an accordeur and I hear the new electronic pianos, though not cheap, are very good.

Arms Park! My dear Wooly, it's been the Milennium Stadium since, well, the millenium. Anyway, it's not a good time for Welsh rugby. I only hope they are not too embarrassing. Roll on February, 6 nations starting ....hip, hip...

I feel lucky and guilty at the same time. Lovely and peaceful where I live and I went for a walk between showers. But the news from Ukraine and Gaza makes me feel very sad indeed.

Happy Birthday, ALBF. Are you playing "Happy Birthday" to yourself on your piano?

From me too, I join in the messages posted before me Happy 2024 to everyone!

Hi ET, lovely to see you back. In fact, was just thinking about you the other day as I came acrosss my small stack of Fred Vargas when sorting out some book shelves. Didn't realise I still have "Sous les vents de Neptune". You were also a fan like me😄 Blwyddyn Newydd dda!

Woolybanana says " Meanwhile off to the National Gallery for my regular visit to one or two particular and much loved paintings, NOT ones with hideous naked charubs." Wools, thought you might like this one and I don't mind if you enjoy it in private and ban my post! The old woman watching her grandchild being bathed, asked what its sex is.....It's not my eyes, but my memory that's so bad. Bonjour to Loisseau!

Oh Lori, that's an interesting story. At least, besides the inevitable, it didn't cause any damage. I understand they could be pretty dangerous animals. I have never seen a sanglier in real life, not living or dead.

Wools, I seem to remember that some time ago, you committed sororicide? But sometimes, I think I see the ghost of poor old Randy. Still, I daresay she had a nice old time before she passed😫

DL, he did sell up and moved back to the UK. He'd post now and again but I suppose that, after a certain amount of time, and you have returned and rediscovered old friends and places and affection for the previous life, you feel your time in France no longer seems relevant. Thus, after we, people or things, become superfluous, we fade away?

I believe they are "affectionally" known as slebs?

Of course, it's not the numbers of users that matters! Surely it's the quality of their contributions? But I agree to a certain extent about this forum. Both numbers and quality have fallen🤢

Poor Rosco! Happy New Year, Henry, and many happy hours making Rosco's bowl🙂 I wish you could have been on the forum when we had Jonzjob. He used to make the most beautiful and useful things from wood and treated us regularly to pictures of his creations.

Yes, the New Year concert from Vienna, so lunch is always early or late. This year, there will be a small glass of bubbly even though I drink hardly any alcohol these days. But 2 small bottles plus the usual chocolates, biscuits, patés, vollaile (in jars) were presented to us oldies from the mairie in 2 beautifully packed gift boxes.

So...there was NO accident, was there?

Wools, grape or grain? Er...what about potato peelings? Sorry, just been reading a biography about Ireland during the last world war. No, no mention of poteen yet but I am only on chapter 2. Oops, am I even allowed to mention our friends across the water?!

Please keep the words coming, folk! It's dreary as anything here and I'm wondering whether to go off somewhere for the day. "Challenge" and "good" are both right up there!😫

Yuck! THAT is seriously nasty, Loiseau. Did you use that word to the people at the train strike a few days ago when you were waiting to come over to France? No wonder they gave in and started running the trains again the following day. Are you now in the PdC? Joyeux Noël to you and the Wooly Wonder and less said about the er....fur-thingy the better!

I thought their favourite word was "absolutely". Now I can't say absolutely even when I can't find an equivalent word!

It's about the time of year when they tell us what is the latest buzz word to add to dictionaries. Mostly these are words I have never used because, living in the depths of the French countryside, where would I come across these latest social media fashionable words? Nevermind words, my neighbours are still wearing woolies made by their grandmothers! So fashion in anything is practically non existent. So what I suggest is a word you don't like and will never use. In order to enable everyone to have a chance of telling us their least favourite word, I am limiting everyone to er....just the one word. If you have at least half a dozen candidates, I respectfully suggest that you just choose the one you dislike the most, OK? I'll kick off with "gift" used as a verb as in I will gift my husband a new phone for Christmas. Actually, I won't, I will merely GIVE it to him.