That is a big slab for a first go (DAMHIK….) my ex wife wanted stables and we ended up pouring about 8m3 of concrete in one go – not the first time I’d done it BUT I had to rope in about 6 neighbours to get it done before it went off! Don’t underestimate how well the shuttering needs to be supported either – as others have said, get someone in or you could end up wasting a lot of £££

I didn’t see a C50 on my way through so here’s a picture of mine! Mostly Dura-Ace, Mavic Kysrium Anniversary wheels. It’s been well used so isn’t pristine. It’s by far and away the best handling road bike I’ve ridden in 40+ years of pedalling around :-)https://photos.google.com/u/1/photo/AF1QipOW2j1fCDQvgZfX-OI2xYb7DGdzr5wtjCPnaEgG

Damned if I can get Google Images to work with this :-(

They should also make sure that there is sufficient tread depth remaining, as well as making sure that they carry a spare wheel (Which must also be in a good condition).

Which is interesting when you have an S-Max that was supplied by Ford in France and is French registered….it is however a mighty PITA not having a spare wheel and relying on the jizz when theres a split 8cm long in the inside sidewall 8O

Clearly not!

We looked at Purple Bricks about 18 months ago – apart from the guy being straight out of the cast of “White Gold” his valuation was £10k less than the High Street agents. We sold after agreeing a £2k discount to the purchaser and paid about £3.5k in commission and VAT – end result was we were up by around £5k before anything was knocked off his asking price….

That looks like a swarm of bees. They’ll probably disappear in the next day or so as that looks quite exposed. They are looking for a new home – phone your local beekeeping association who will be happy to come and take them away. BTW they aren’t particularly aggressive when swarming so be sensible and you’ll be fine. D’oh – beaten to it while I was typing! If I was close by I’d come and get them myself!

IMHO these indemnity policies are a complete scam – the solicitors get a commission on the policy sale and no one claims on them – Chancel Insurance being a prime example. I’ve had issues where a buyers solicitor has asked for a policy – we’ve told them to either read all the documents properly or buy their own and on buying my solicitor has suggested one may be necessary – we’ve told the vendor to either provide a policy or resolve the issue – usually get the issue resolved – either way I wouldn’t provide profit for any of these chancers!

You’ve got a fair margin for wind and snow loading, don’t worry (IANAE!)

Stihl, Husqvarna or Echo, all good. The ergonomics on cheap strimmers are carp! OK for 10 minutes occasionally but for prolonged & regular use get something proper or get backache, sore hands and mightily pi**ed off when you have to change the cord or disconnect it from the harness. DAMHIK :-)

There’s an NCP in St James – it’s a bit spendy though – £28 for the day about 15 years ago! Driving after the Marathon isn’t a good idea . However, nor is sitting on a train with no legroom for 2 hours…. I’ve done both.

We had them at work – the suspension is uncompromisingly hard and consequently the handling on-road is diabolical. Fuel consumption in the 1.3 petrol is awful but off-road they are surprisingly capable – don’t go for wide, alloy wheels, the narrow steel ones are what you want. I’d buy one! I’m 5’11” and could get comfortable. The back seats are useless.

We showed our Chocolate Lab as a pup when we first got him – it soon became clear that all the judges knew all the breeders & owners and if you weren’t “in” then you were never going to win – the prizes all went round in a circle and that’s at two bit local shows! Don’t get me started on the behaviour of some of the owners towards their dogs…….grrrrrrr I agree with Sandboy

First up, you have my sympathy (not that that’s any use!) – my wife has suffered from CFS for close to 10 years, sometimes she’s good othertimes it’s miserable. We’ve tried all sorts of stuff including acupuncture which seemed to provide some benefit for a period of time. GP’s love a diagnosis of ME/CFS – means they can shoo you out the door as there’s very little provision for treatment – the only thing NICE recognise is Graded Exercise and CBT and the jury is very much out on whether that’s appropriate or not (the research paper they relied on is arguably very flawed). In answer to those above who suggest that it is “mental” we would say that there’s a fundamental medical issue underlying the condition – see this link http://www.meassociation.org.uk/news-too/ but the maifestation can be partly mental usually borne out of frustration at the lack of cures and inability to carry on anything resembling a normal life. Unfortunately the internet is full of information ranging from improbable to incredible and all sorts of bullshit inbetween. Here in France it doesn’t even register on the medical radar….

Having in a previous life been royally screwed by the press (Sunday Times) as a relatively junior member of staff I was sent on a media handling course (horse, stable, door, bolt….) – the first thing you are told is; get your ducks in a row – deal with the bad news comprehensively and early and move on and DON’T TELL FIBS because you will get found out. FFS Brailsford, Cope & Freeman need to be run out of town now. It smells like doping, it sounds like doping – IT IS DOPING.

Make sure you check the available payload in the ‘van – some are pitifully small like less than a 100kg. Soon eaten up with gas bottles, food, clothes etc. Bikes & Canoe kit will need to go in the car!

While Annuity rates are poor at the moment compared to Drawdown products, don’t (as my Actuary friend reminded me) underestimate how long you or your spouse/partner etc. may live for – the upside is they keep paying out until you/they croak it!

Cheers all. I’ll have a play tomorrow when our guest leaves and I can get back in the Gite.

We moved (to rural Brittany) in July last year – brilliant timing! Buying a house and setting up as an Auto-Entrepreneur has been relatively straightforward – the demand for odd documents and your Mothers maiden name on everything is weird but that’s how it goes! We’ve generally found everyone helpful & cheerful although the receptionist at the Maison Medicale was the perfect stereotype this morning :evil: we’ve found that stuff is generally more expensive than the UK, particularly building materials and that’s not just an exchange rate quirk. Having said all that, as we get into life here we’d not change the decision which has been kicking about the household for 10 years or so.

BiL had one done on Monday – off work for 3 weeks, no driving for 2 and NO lifting for about a month! Mind you, he’s a tad on the hefty side for his height :lol:

It’s like these Range Rovers / Discoveries that need the body lifting clear of the chassis to change a

Same for the fuel pump belt which is a service item at 100k miles 8O although it can be done in situ if you have the hands and arms of a baby with the strength of Hercules!

Have you tried the Forums at http://www.thebmwclub.org.uk or bmriders club? There’s loads of advice there.

I’m ever so glad mine was done under a GA! I really didn’t want to know about any of it but pissing barbed wire for three days afterwards reminded me of the fun the surgeon had 8O

Well, I’m finally in and 15% through the return….

It’s much easier if you do it in June

I know! I’ve been nagging for their P60 since the 6th April :evil:

No & Yes! – or there’s a sweeping port in the portion of flue between the stove & register plate :-) HTH

So, today we got notice to complete on our house purchase in France, in Euros 8O holding off on the money transfer as long as I dare hoping that last nights “fat finger” trade washes out over the weekend and the £ recovers a bit over the weekend/monday.

Try Micks Garage DOT Com – well priced alternatives – no connection other than as a satisfied customer!

So, back from the vets! 120 Euro lighter :-( couldn’t find anything specific wrong after much manipulation. Weight is now 38 kg which is fine, one slow release pain killing injection, Metacam equivalent (38,60 Euro) and a course of Flexadin (40,60 Euro)so we’ll see what happens. Consensus of opinion is that he’s strained a muscle(s) jumping off a wall and lying on it curled up in bed it stiffens up and causes the limp when he gets up.Thanks for all your suggestions.

Such Big Feet

He had big feet as a pup. We were as concerned as any one when he headed for 40kgs but his siblings and parents are all a similar size. Now, that may be a bad thing but at 40kgs he’s not carrying any excess. He is VERY strong.

Here’s a pic of the lad!

Doesn’t appear to like Google Photo links :-(

Thanks. He’s a big framed dog, bred for show rather than working – there’s barely any fat on him, you can feel & see his ribs and he has a pronounced waist. We are off to the vet here in France tomorrow so I’ll report back.

FWIW, his weight/size relationship has never been an issue with the vet either in the UK or here in France….

Thanks. He’s a big framed dog, bred for show rather than working – there’s barely any fat on him, you can feel & see his ribs and he has a pronounced waist. We are off to the vet here in France tomorrow so I’ll report back.

You could get one of the last Freelander 2’s

Don’t expect to buy N+1 bikes on the strength of it! Depending on where you are and what accommodation you have you’ll either just about keep the lights on and pay your social charges & tax or make a moderate living. We are just embarking on the odyssey, moving in on the 10th October, we’ll have a 1 bed gite which, on current numbers will keep the lights on and pay the rates etc. The rest of our income will come from other work, savings and pension – we aren’t expecting to retire anytime soon! The French love paperwork, seemingly for its own sake and the need to register with multiple organisations is mind boggling – we are in the midst of it. Having said that, we have wanted to do this for a long time and ultimately, the worst that can happen is we return to the UK skint and embarrassed. If you have dependent children think long and hard – its a big leap – (we don’t). HTH

There are a few LHD dealers in the UK – The LHD Place being one in Berkshire who have a range of previously enjoyed motors available and seem to get good feedback. FWIW I’m looking at the same thing in France – to re-register my Freelander 2 its about 350 Euro for a set of LHD headlights, 60 Euro for the Controle Technique (MOT) and roughly 1500 Euro registration tax based on emissions – and a load of faffing about. I can source a perfectly serviceable large estate from the classifieds Le Bon Coin) for between 6 & 10,000 Euro and return the Freelander to the UK. I’d expect trying to register a Japanese spec vehicle in Spain or France would be a real PITA given the fuss they make about Type Approval here.

Does the mint smell nice when you walk on it though?

Sort of. The sheep that live there now are ready sauced!

bear… – oh yes, and probably more! The plan is for a bout of self-sufficiency in France, largely organic and we’ll be growing some of our own meat as well. The septic tank soakaway has been earmarked for a wildflower “meadow” for the bees (apologies for the slight hijack!)

We’ve just agreed to buy a house where the current owner has rotovated a large patch of mint and spread the soil over about 1/4 acre! Consequently it has a lovely grass/mint lawn which we want to convert to a vegetable patch – apart from Roundup any tips for getting rid?

Unfortunately the knuckle draggers on the other side of the pond think that behaviour that was enshrined in their constitution a couple of hundred years ago is still appropriate in the 21st Century (see also 2nd amendment!) – one day they will catch up with the civilised world!

They can’t back bill for anything over 12 months old. If this is the case tell them to do one!