French resident here….. I use Expressvpn on our Firesticks and Cube and whilst it works for all the different streams, you do have to change VPN locations on the Express app for different providers. For some strange reason Discovery+ thinks I’m in Germany when I use the Midlands server and Disney will only launch if I use Docklands (iirc). Likewise Iplayer hangs on one server location but works fine on another.

Last winter we took the camper down to Portugal and the Firestick and VPN worked superbly on 4G.

@savoyad Sadly (last time I checked) the UK site is cheaper than the French one. We live in France so I always book as a UK resident and pay with a UK card.

We did what the OP wants a few years back, so it may well have changed. For the past few trips we have booked one way tickets each time as we didn’t know when we were returning.

We’ve done the same thing before and nothing’s been said. If you’re worried don’t book with your reg number, just your make and model. If you’re super worried book each trip in different names? Don’t worry about getting one over them, they will fleece you if they can. (£50 to change a booking when they’ve got a 5 hour delay!)

We use the Tunnel a lot but it has become extremely expensive and the service has got much worse. Usually they will put you on an earlier crossing if they can, as it helps them in case there’s a problem, for that reason, it’s always better to go to a manned booth if you’re early. I did notice on one trip this year, when we used the automatic check in booth, that they were charging to go on an earlier crossing. Good luck with getting on early (or even on time) when it’s close to any sort of public holiday though.

Also, as soon as your train is called, get going! Despite what the Daily M*il says it’s UK customs/passport control that usually causes delays. The French usually can’t be ar*ed to stop you.

I would try to find a good physio and ask them to check you out. After a knee op this year, I rehabbed carefully but then had a big relapse. My physio couldn’t come up with an answer, so I had an MRI which showed a degenerative meniscus tear.

Off to see the surgeon then a very well recommended physio. One look at me and the physio diagnosed a problem with my ankle. Two sessions of manipulation (torture) later and my knee has improved incredibly.

Still got work to do but I’m hoping to back on a bike soon.

Good luck with it.

I stand to be corrected as a damaged knee has stopped me riding in the area, but from what I have seen there are more trails in Ainsa. We live about 40 minutes from Loudenvielle and whilst the town is lovely, it’s smaller in comparison to Ainsa.

However, as ocrider has pointed out the Louron valley area has been pushing it’s trails so it’s certainly worth researching.

Spekkie of this parish lives just outside Ainsa and would be well worth pming, as not only is he a nice guy, he knows the area very well.

@Kramer thanks again, I’ve contacted Neil Bradbury but sadly can’t get an appointment in London any time soon.

@bentandbroken thanks and have replied

@susepic thanks I will check them out. My physio stopped me doing most exercises as she wasn’t happy not knowing exactly what I had done. I can certainly feel (and see) the difference not exercising your quads makes. Hope you’re well on the road to recovery.

Thanks for the replies, please keep them coming folks.

@Kramer your thinking is pretty much where I am at the moment. I realised yesterday it’s been 2 years since I’ve ridden my trials bike and many years since I last did a long ride on my road or mountain bike. I’m fed up with my knee stopping me doing the things I love. I thought my op in February would sort it all out.

I’m happy to ignore the pain, I’m not a fan of pain killers, but knowing you’re not doing more damage is always good. I don’t want a knee replacement right now, I know two people that have had it done and neither would do it again.

What I need is some expert advice, not from someone who just wants to shove a camera in, chop some bits off and leave me hoping that it works. I’m happy to do the exercises, take it slow, whatever, if it means I get to ride. When you’ve ridden bikes all your life, stopping is harmful. Equally if my only option is an op, I can then make an informed decision.

@bentandbroken Thanks but most of your recommends are quite a distance, if I don’t find any closer, I’ll give them a go however. Your experience sounds the same as mine, surgeons want to cut, which is fair enough if that’s the only answer but I’m reading a lot of stuff that suggests it’s not always the best option on a degenerative tear. My last tear was a flap, so it had to be trimmed. I also had problems with ligaments and folds and arthritis.

How’s your knee now?

@skippy Mr Chissell has retired apparently….. We’ll never know.

I had FESS surgery for a totally blocked left maxillary sinus (the one on your cheek). The blockage was caused by a back tooth that had part of a root inside the sinus cavity, this then caused an infection that filled the cavity.

Treatment started off with a camera up my hooter (nothing to worry about) and then steroids, which just made me feel worse. Finally I had an op (FESS) to clear everything out.

The operation was a day visit and consisted of a general, then the surgeon drained and washed out my sinus. I woke up from the anesthetic, completely off my face thanks, apparently, to the coke they shove up your nose to constrict the bleeding and swelling. I was very lucky and hardly bled after the op and was pretty much back to normal within 48 hours. Virtually no pain and no bleeding.

My best advice would be to find a good consultant, who you can trust and who knows what they are talking about. Make sure you get a good CT scan and don’t be fobbed off with antibiotics.

Good luck with it.

The reason the tories and the media are upset is that someone with nearly 9 million followers is exposing the lies. Without shutting down twitter they can’t silence him. Unless he takes a chauffeured drive along the Seine, of course.

Thankfully Lineker appears to be untouchable, long may that be the case and long may he keep exposing the evil ‘people’ that run the country.

Spekkie can give better info on the weather that side, we’re over the other side and our weather can be stinking hot in late June/early July but usually only for a few days. Being in and around mountains means the weather can fluctuate massively in a day, let alone a week.

My favourite time of year is September/October, as the weather is cooler and usually more settled. Although the last time the EWS visited Ainsa it was a very hot September weekend, as I remember. Great time to travel though, which is why there are usually a lot of MHers on the road after the summer season.

Early June can even see some mountain passes with plenty of snow beside the road, although they should all be open.

For a bit of reassurance, we were thinking of buying a MH and so hired one last September and drove along and over the mountains into Spain. We had no trouble with the height or length of our vehicle on any of the roads we used, although we did keep to main roads.

Sounds a great trip you’re planning, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

This mighty help, a couple who did a MH trip in and around the Spanish side.

Spekkie is around and about, might well be worth pm’ing him to see if he can help out with riding around Ainsa. He will know the guys at the camping ground too.

@b33k34

Not sure where you’re getting the 16 euro a year from? BipnGo charge 10 euros activation and 10 euros for delivery outside of France.

Then it’s 1,70 euros a month but only for the month you use it.

Not sure on the registration number but we have used ours in at least 3 different vehicles, only one of which is registered with them as far as I can remember. Perhaps just use a different UK plate?

edit…. just spotted it, you’re looking at an annual subscription, much better to use the pay as you go one. Also if you know you’re not going to use in any 12 months, cancel it as they can charge for non usage.

Another BipnGo user here, very easy to set up, only get charged when you use it, works in Spain, Portugal and Italy too. There’s an english website and an app, also in english, where you can check out how much you owe.

We live in France and have been using ours for 2 or 3 years now and never had a problem with billing.

We have a LWB DCIV Transit, which is used for dog transportation, road bikes, mtbs and moto trials bikes as well as airport runs when visitors come down. We also have a Discovery Sport, which is not always used in preference to the van, even for running around locally. We are about to drive from the SW France to the UK and back, over the course of 4 days and both of us prefer to do it in the van. More space (not that we’ll be carrying much), comfier seats and a better driving position being the main attractions.

The van is a little juicier, a little noisier, a little slower but with heated seats, heated screen, excellent mirrors, cruise control and apple car play, it is a better drive on motorways and A roads. We’ve used it to go to Portugal, Italy and the UK over the four years we’ve had it.

Headlights are truly awful and there are worries over the cam belt but I would buy another tomorrow.

We are currently looking at buying a motorhome and one vehicle will need to go. At the moment the Disco will be up for sale rather than the van.

I have a yearly PSA test, after being diagnosed with chronic prostatitis 3 or 4 years ago. I had all the tests going at the time, including a camera where the sun rarely shines and none of it hurt, so guys there truly is no reason to not get it checked.

I now take saw palmetto tablets and my PSA has been dropping slightly year on year.

I seem to recall there is a good chance there will be a new test for prostate cancer soon.

Get checked out guys.

@blokeupthroad good luck and I hope it all goes well for you.

100% rent before you buy, test drive the area you think you might like. It could avoid an expensive mistake and/or a lot of soul searching. Do a ton of research too, decide what you really want to spend your life doing and find the area to look at.

As for ‘brits abroad’, they truly are a special bunch, in 8 years here I’ve met a handful who are ‘alright’, the rest are either barking or dangerous to your health.

An exit plan is also worth considering, life changes, rules change, so having a way of getting back to the UK (however bad it might be), could very well be a necessity in the future.

We use Bip&Go as it covers more than just France, has an English section on their website and after 3 years they have been superb.

You do pay a subscription for having a tag but only in the months you use the tag.

Not sure if you can use them if you have a UK account (we live in France), I tried checking but the website kept logging me in to my account.

As for being charged the wrong amount, with Bip&Go you can check charges using the website or their app and then challenge any mischarges.

Whilst I’m sure the problems were caused by passport checks I have a feeling Eurotunnel didn’t help the situation any.
I have no idea what they have done but the service has changed since CV. Whether they have reduced the number of staff, cut back on trains, or economised in other ways, they are a totally useless bunch of money grabbers now, with no consideration for their customers.
We have to use them a lot, as The Better Half hates ferries and we have been back to the UK four times this year. The prices have doubled but the service has got worse.
Recently there was a break down in the tunnel, which caused 5 hour delays. We were caught in the queue on the M20 but were able to travel back the next day. We rang them and said we could swap days, which will help us both. Certainly sir that’ll be £50 for the late change! No amount of yes but it helps the current situation worked, as the ‘computer says no’
We complained and were told they would report back to us…. 5 months later we’re still waiting.
As for it not being Brexit, we recently crossed over into Spain, no queues, no hard border….

Jabs are great but they will always be a short term fix, as the doc who looked at my MRI said, ‘you have sand in your engine, I can put some oil in there (a jab), or we can get rid of the sand’
As I understand things, if your meniscus is removed to such an extent that it exposes bone where there should be meniscus, you stand a very good chance of arthritis and then replacement.
My current condition (a lateral tear in the same spot I tore 13 years ago) means I can ride short distances on my road bike and ride motorcycle trials if I don’t push things too much.
I want to speak to my previous surgeon to try to judge if I can get away with another trim, or whether it is so bad that I will risk arthritis. If the latter, I am happy to forgo the op until I can’t handle the pain (if I push too much) any more. I’m 61 and still have a few goals in mind however.
From experience, good pre op physio work is very worthwhile, as it really helps recovery. As does following the advice of the surgeon and physios after the op.
Recognising what has caused the damage, as well as making sure you work to build stability and strength for the future, goes a long way to avoiding future problems.
Good luck with it, if it is just a quick trim, you should be fine.

We had one, a D5 auto with all the whistles and bells on it, same year that you are looking at. Absolutely lovely car for A roads and motorways, went very well, extremely comfortable and very nice to drive.
Wasn’t keen on what seemed like a lumbering engine and slow gearbox but that changed the more I got used to it.
The safety aids, toys and comfort were the best bits, together with a feeling you could drive all day and get out feeling like you’ve just nipped to the shops.
Long story short, we sold it (not because we wanted to get rid of it) and now have a Discovery Sport which is half the car the Volvo was.
We didn’t have any problems in about 18 months use.

The incumbent president is never popular in France, it’s a tradition to hate them regardless of whether they have done well or not.

The parent I heard bragging in the pub was the father of a lad that I had coached and had showed real promise. His father came to speak to me one evening and told me that a lower league club had approached him as they wanted to sign him. I explained that whilst his son wasn’t ready to move up to the full academy, if he was patient, I was sure this would happen. I also explained that should his son sign for the lower league club it would be unlikely that any club higher in the league would be interested in him, should he be released. Obviously if he went higher to start with, the lower league club would be very interested should he be released however.
The following coaching session the father sent me a message to say he had signed with the other club. I was also told that the father was a huge fan of this club. A few months later I was at an event and purely by chance bumped into the father. Despite (or maybe because) me standing there he delighted in telling all around that his son played for X club, how much they loved him and how one day he was going to play for the first team. The lad was 8 or 9, as I recall.
It can be very hard to talk to coaches at academies, some are too busy, some too full of themselves. But I would thoroughly recommend trying to get a feel for what is going on at any visit. Maybe try to talk to other parents, although they can be very ‘cliquey’ or not want your child taking their child’s place. Try to notice if the coaches seem friendly towards the children, or do they walk off the coaching area on their own.
Above all else though, remember it’s a business, there’s money to be earned. To some, your child is a commodity.

I used to work for a Premier League academy as a coach and sadly the world of big business (which football is) and children’s (and parents, sadly) dreams don’t mix.
There are good and bad academies and good and bad coaching schools but they all play on the promise of stardom and riches. Some, like the first one I worked for, around 15 years ago, are more responsible but it has to be remembered that it is a business. There are some very good guys in the academy system, who have the children’s best interests at heart and the overall FA system is fairly well thought out.
However there are still a lot of people who are in it for themselves. Either because they are pursuing their own coaching careers, or because the (irresponsible) club is putting pressure on them.
Two examples. The first was a boy who I had scouted and then coached, who was signed by a Premier League club, at the age of 11. The signing process was done by an ex pro, who ran the academy and was a genuinely nice guy. The family liason/welfare officer, again a nice guy, was very hands on, knew all the parents names and constantly made sure they knew he was available for any problems. The lad was released after two years but it was done with care and concern and his parents told me at no point did he feel like he had failed.
The other side was a case where a lad, who had been at a different club, (who I would never work for) and was released after 4 years, at age 16. I used to coach him before he went to this club and one day ran into his father, who told me that he had been released with no real explanation. The father had spoken with the lad’s coach later and was told that it had been a choice between 2 players, as to who had to be released. Whilst his son was the better player, the other boy had a grandfather who offered to sponsor the club by paying for the cost of tracksuits for the team.
I stopped coaching at that level a few years back, as I couldn’t rationalise the hopes and dreams of a child with the business of pro football. Whilst my job sounds glamorous, I was paid a pittance and often had to chase payment for my expenses. My coaching kit was usually either secondhand or ‘liberated’ from a different section of the club before they stole it to sell to fans. I was lucky enough to achieve my dream of coaching, at a good level, at a pro club. I left totally disillusioned with that dream.
The only way to survive the experience of an academy is for the parents to understand their child, to keep their child grounded and fully aware that they probably won’t make it. To accept that they (the parent) cannot live their dream through the child (or just to brag about it down the pub, which I experienced myself). That they should just enjoy the experience and see it as just another part of their life. Gain from the coaching, the new friends, the whole fairground but not see it as another route to fame and fortune.
The football club, or these days so called private academies are, for the most part, only interested in money. How much they can sell your child for, or how much you are willing to pay them to coach your child. True story. A local lad was scouted playing in a local boys league, he was signed, went on to play for the first team, then transferred for millions, played for England and later became a manager in the Premier League. The original club earned millions, in original and sell on fees. The guy who scouted him received £150 after he played for the first team.

We retired early to France nearly six years ago.

My best advice would be to try before you decide. We bought our house as a holiday home but then decided to retire a couple of years earlier and moved down. Whilst we both love the area and the house, had we known then what we do now, we would have likely chosen somewhere else. For me, it’s far too quiet and lacking in like minded friends. It’s all very well having other brits around but not if they are older in age, interests and attitude.

We live in a very rural area, 15 minutes from the nearest shop. Our neighbours are mostly french and are incredibly welcoming and kind. The attitude here is one of respect for each other, belonging to a community and ignoring what car you drive, what clothes you wear, it’s all about you as a person. So very different to the UK we knew.

Someone mentioned Portugal has good tax rates, but sadly that changed a couple of years ago. In comparison to there, Spain (afaik) and France, France wins on income tax. We pay a lot less (as retirees) than in the UK.

Having our time again we would have tried southern Spain, Portugal and SW France, where we are now. Renting for at least 6 months should give you a good idea of what each area is like and whether that suits you.

Calling Spekkie of this parish….

Tony lives just outside Ainsa and aside from being a lovely guy, is also a guide. There’s a thread on here all about his adventures.

Heard from two sources that there may well be a ‘firebreak’ around the time of the October half term. What that will mean, who knows, but cases are now a lot lower in Europe compared to the UK.

Perhaps a reintroduction of the farcical 10 day quarantine and testing/homecoming tax?

Dog cage secured with four trailer straps in the back. Our pooch is pretty safe, in the event of an accident he should only hit the side of his cage, rather than anything solid, or even us.

25/30kg of dog suddenly being propelled at any speed isn’t going to end well.

Our hound loves travelling in His van, leave the door open and he’s inside.

Had a Leon FR dsg a few years ago and absolutely loved it, great car and I still miss it. Great fun to drive and the gearbox was superb. We moved abroad so had to sell it but would have another tomorrow.

I wouldn’t buy a diesel, however, having spent nearly 2000 euros replacing a DPF on another VW.

Merry Christmas Gnusmas and especially the MIni Gnusmases

Hope next year is better for us all.

Merry Gnusmas everyone

I’m amazed that rescue centres don’t have dogs that they would recommend for young children. I wonder if it has anything to do with possible litigation?

We’re in France but rehomed a dog that had been in the refuge for 5 years. He has been a superb dog, not giving us a moments trouble. He’s a Braque Francais, (basically a French german short haired pointer.) a loyal, intelligent, gentle dog that just loves to have fun. Other than being a big dog, he is great with kids. I researched the breed first and then found him on the internet at a refuge 4 hours drive from us.

I’m out of touch with rescues in the UK but if possible could you research a breed that is good with kids and then search for one of them in a rescue centre?

I would thoroughly recommend getting a rescue, it’s been so rewarding on both sides!

@DezB

Sadly never been in the right place and time to see them

David Bowie. My first ever gig, at Wembley on the Station to Station tour. 15 years old and as I remember it, the first song was the title track, a 10 minute intro building and building, before he strolls on stage, cigarette in hand. He looked so incredibly cool, totally commanding the stage. An amazing gig, which I can’t imagine will ever be bettered by anyone.

Springsteen at Roundhay Park a four hour party.

Thin Lizzy at Wembley

Live Aid

Any Flaming Lips gig.

Modest Mouse for sheer musicianship

Smashing Pumpkins in a small venue in Brussels

I would advise everyone to never buy a thing from Evans. All will be fine until something goes wrong, then good luck getting your hard earned cash back.

I’m owed £300 by them and until I return back to the UK, they are refusing to give it back to me. Originally it was no problem, then the shop said ‘hang on we’re getting a new system installed’ now it is impossible to refund me because there are no secure phone lines thanks to everyone working from home apparently….. Funny, the shop manager seemed to be real, the shop seemed to be real, when I returned my goods.

I’ve offered to give them my bank details, offered that a family member comes into the shop, even pay me via Paypal. They aren’t interested in anything other than keeping my money.

Thankfully I paid by credit card and so I have a case, hopefully, to claim my money back that way.

We had a nightmare last year trying to pay our tolls on the A22 motorway in Portugal. The machine at the border wouldn’t accept our cards, we tried buying prepaid cards and registering them, but that didn’t seem to work. After three different attempts at registering prepaid cards we gave up. No doubt there’ll be wanted posters at the border for us this winter.

We now have a Bip & Go tag, which has an English website, you can check your usuage online and it can be set up to work in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. We live in SW France so it’s very useful for us.

As others have said a lot of motorways have toll booths, so it might be worth researching the ones you’ll be using.

Hope the move goes well, we’re still debating if we should head further south.

Not entirely sure of the law but I’m guessing that if a court decided they have to repay you, then the shop can no longer decide how this is done and must pay you by a certain date.

I’ve taken someone to the small claims before and it was a time consuming but painless process.

I have recently returned a faulty Tacx trainer to them and was later told that they would issue a refund as Tacx didn’t have a replacement.

Before the store manager could ring me to do a refund over the phone, they suddenly had a ‘systems update’. After this they decided they couldn’t refund me unless I was in store.

As I live in SW France this is a little tricky. Evans are happy to refund me when I eventually return to the UK (I bet they are!) but are refusing to say why they can’t either issue a card refund over the phone, credit my bank account, send me a cheque, or try to solve the situation. In fact after one email from ‘customer service’ they’ve stopped talking to me.

They are trying to hide behind ‘our procedures’ rather than their legal obligations. So looks like it’s time for the small claims court.

It never ceases to amaze me how a company cannot see that good customer service equals future sales. Equally poor customer service usually means never dealing with them again.

I’m still using an Air that I bought nearly ten years ago, during which time it’s seen off 3 windows laptops that have been supplied by my employer.

My Air is on all day, every day, writing reports, browsing, listening to music, streaming TV and PP presentations. I use Office (although I hate Word) and if wasn’t for the fact that some of the educational institutions don’t support Apple with their testing software, I would never use a PC.

For the first 5 years of it’s life it was thrown into a laptop bag and carted around the country. It always boots up in seconds and rarely crashes. When I had a problem with the keyboard it was replaced FOC despite being out of my warranty period.

Yes it cost 4 figures, but nearly ten years use out of a laptop that has had so much use is a bargain to me. Apple’s back up has been superb too. If it died tomorrow I’d be buying another a few hours later.

As others have said the Air is much nicer to type on than my neighbours Pro.

@sparksmcguff

I claimed nothing more…..

However if there’s Independence I’ll be claiming lots!

I’m a Grant and my father was born in a house in the main street of Grantown-on-Spey, the Grant clan ‘town’.

As a family, we’ve always pronounced it Craig-a-lacky when mentioning the clan motto of ‘Stand Fast Craig Elachie’ However as we have all lived in England since my dad enlisted for WW2 as a teenager, we could have it totally wrong.

Thanks to suffering with chronic prostatitis, I’ve been using a Spesh Power saddle on the MTB and a Bontrager Aeolus on the road bike, for the past six months.

Both have been good but the Power edges it on the MTB as it’s flatter than the Bont. I’m now trying the Power on the road bike and so far it’s not as comfy again because it’s flatter.