Lori

Yes, it looks terrible. And to make matters worse, we could see drought warnings come Summer.

I had not read that. I've not read all the articles. If that is true, that is extremely out of the norm of behavior. In this day and age, I thought everyone knew not to touch bones or anything remotely suggesting a possible crime scene. I agree with you ALBF, the story is just beginning.

They said the area where the bones were found had been searched multiple times previously. If true, seems odd they are just now finding this. Sad.

3 days !! I think I can count on ONE HAND the sunny days we've had since OCTOBER. Floods all over. Rock slides have closed several roads. Ground drenched in water. Yesterday was part sun, part rain, so that was nice. Woke up to some sunshine with clouds, but storms are in the forecast for this afternoon. To say we're all sick of the rain around here would be an extreme understatement.

That sounds vaguely familiar Betise. I didn't know she created her own forum. She was one of the few (at least that I knew) Americans that posted on the forum.

It looks like my last communication with Idun was at the end of 2021. I'll try to send her a long overdue email today. I hope she and her family are okay. I remember Possumgirl. I wonder how she is doing.

Cute !

I don't remember the exact year I joined, but I'm pretty sure it was either 2003 or 2004. I know I joined shortly after we bought our house in Bédoin and that was in 2001. The forum had a pretty large group of members at that time and it was very active.

Geez ! They couldn't wait a few more years. I'm gonna guess the girls didn't get on well with him. Terrible.

That's certainly a new one on me.

I know. She'll get a real hoot out of the question, no doubt. And, I suspect, the answer might be 'what the He** Mom, I have no idea !' If she actually knows, that could be even worse !!

In our last purchase in France, the Notaire was not involved until the the agent (who was representing the seller and in this case the seller was paying the agency fees) had prepared the written offer (which was a good bit less than the asking price) and submitted it to the seller. Our first offer was accepted by the seller. A compromis was then prepared, signed and an appointment for 3 months out was taken at the local Notaire's office. We had to pay a portion of the Notaire's fees about two or three weeks after the appointment was taken. The remainder was paid the day we signed the Acte de Vente. The agent preferred to give the seller a written / signed offer as opposed to verbal conversation as it was seen as much m ore serious. There was a second couple very interested in the house and had made a third visit the day we were preparing our offer. We really wanted the house, so put in the written offer and it was accepted the same day.

I think I've heard it before. I'm sure there is a slang French phrase for it somewhere. I'd have to ask my daughter, but she is in London to celebrate her birthday. Back on the 16th, so I can ask her then. 😀

No, no no no no... 😷

Understatement of the day ! 😒

Good Lord where are you getting your dictionary ?

Our latest experience in Dec. 2022 was that the offer had to be in writing (on paper, not email) and signed by the agent and prospective buyer before submitting it to the seller or his/her agent. If you don't read/speak French, I would ask someone to accompany you through this who does. Your agent will likely do their best, but you really need to understand every word of every document - and they are plentiful. The diagnostics can be 100 pages long and are very very important. Things can vary from department to department and in many departments (such as where we live) appointments with Notaires can have long delays. That is what delayed our purchase to be 3 months (cash sale). Notaires round here were overloaded. We could have closed in as little as 30 days as it was a cash sale, but the Notaire's office took a long time to process and the required documentation. Good luck to you.

Eeek. What would ear hair be ?? No, don't tell me..

I'd been meaning to look up the term for pot holes as a part of my driving lessons. So, thank you for providing that answer Lehaut. What an odd term.

In French, as you say, Bonjour generally works, unless it is a formal letter and then there are a million and one formal options, depending on the circumstances. And again, in a casual French contact, I sign off with Cordialement. Formal letters, the same million and one options apply. In English, I usually type Dear Sir/Madame (although these days, that might be considered politically incorrect...). Although I'd have a hard time typing Dear Sir, Madame, He, She or It. I'll sign off with Sincerely in most cases. Regards in some.

Oh Lehaut ! Fresh steamed artichokes are one of our favorites. And we don't use butter, just steam them with some slices of fresh lemon tucked into the leaves and a touch of salt and pepper when eating. And when you reach that exceptional heart, what a reward. 🙂 I love fresh kale also, raw in a salad or cooked. It is just very hard to find round here. As to plantains; I've tried frying them and adding a touch of salt afterwards. They were okay. Not really sweet. I bought them firm. Not sure if that was correct, but I can't imagine they would fry and stay solid if they were soft like a banana. We are not really fans of frying foods and the plantains were not tasty enough (to us) to make a second time. And we love celeriac steamed and beetroot and I buy tons of fresh spinach when it is in season. We enjoy pureed cauliflower and also the florets sauteed in a bit of olive oil with a bunch of fresh mint added. I think we must be easy to please when it comes to vegetables..

I have to agree. I love the taste, but can't deal with the resulting gas...

Yes, annoys the hell out of me. In most cases, when I see this on a label, there is no information as to where the contents of the package came from. Of course, I do care where the package holding the contents was made or where the contents are stuffed into the container, but the actual source/location of the contents itself is even more important (to me). SOL there, it ain't noted.

We went a few years ago and loved it also. I was surprised at how easy it was driving in the center of town.