A little inspiration! For those gardeners faced with the task of converting
weed infested abandoned allotments or gardens into productive land or flower
beds, take heart that it can be done! Before and After photos of our garden
at:

http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

Half of the 1 acre garden had been completely untended for around 15 years.
It was lost to an impenetrable tangled jungle of 6 feet high brambles,
nettles, bindweed, self set trees, rubbish and hundreds of discarded wine
bottles. It was completely impenetrable - even with a machete!

It has taken a year, a JCB, a chainsaw, a petrol strimmer, a pick, spade,
fork, secateurs and lots of weedkilling, lots of rotovating, blood, sweat
and tears, numerous insect bites, numerous cups of tea and lots of
back-breaking work collecting rocks dug up in the process.

If we can do it, anyone can, it just takes a clear vision of the desired end
result - and a really bad memory (to forget the hard graft done yesterday so
you can go out and do it again today!)

David & Lillian (in Normandy)... ready for a well earned rest!
Next, we've got the house and derelict barn to renovate.

On Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:13:59 +0100, David \(in Normandy\) wrote
(in article ):

A little inspiration! For those gardeners faced with the task of converting
weed infested abandoned allotments or gardens into productive land or flower
beds, take heart that it can be done! Before and After photos of our garden
at:

http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

Quite fascinating David. Thanks for the link.





--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

"Sally Thompson" wrote
On Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:13:59 +0100, David \(in Normandy\) wrote
(in article ):

A little inspiration! For those gardeners faced with the task of
converting weed infested abandoned allotments or gardens into
productive land or flower beds, take heart that it can be done!
Before and After photos of our garden at:

http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

Quite fascinating David. Thanks for the link.

You've certainly put in a lot of very hard work. It's all looking great.
The house and garden as well the blog!

--
Sue

On 1/10/06 21:58, in article
ws.net, "Sue"
wrote:


"Sally Thompson" wrote
On Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:13:59 +0100, David \(in Normandy\) wrote
(in article ):

A little inspiration! For those gardeners faced with the task of
converting weed infested abandoned allotments or gardens into
productive land or flower beds, take heart that it can be done!
Before and After photos of our garden at:

http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

Quite fascinating David. Thanks for the link.

You've certainly put in a lot of very hard work. It's all looking great.
The house and garden as well the blog!

I agree. I enjoyed all of it very much! But I'm really sorry about the
cheese..... ;-)

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Sacha" wrote in message
...

I agree. I enjoyed all of it very much! But I'm really sorry about the
cheese..... ;-)
Sacha


Don't mention that cheese - I've been trying to forget about it - over £20
for a small piece! Ironically the other day the same lady was at the cheese
stall and as I walked past she offered me another sample (of the same
cheese). I politely declined. It makes you think though - one of those big
cheese 'rounds' must be worth over a thousand pounds!

We've still got lots more to do to the grounds, but it is great to see
everything gradually falling into place how we want it. Most of the work
we've done so far hasn't been that expensive either - provided we don't
count our own time, just a lot of backbreaking work. Well worth the effort
though. Certainly beats being stuck in a stuffy office all day dodging
office politics writing software to improve the marketing of giants like
McDonalds - we used to "joke" that we'd rig the code so they would never
build a take-away anywhere near our home towns!
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

On 2/10/06 15:55, in article ,
"David in Normandy" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...

I agree. I enjoyed all of it very much! But I'm really sorry about the
cheese..... ;-)
Sacha


Don't mention that cheese - I've been trying to forget about it - over £20
for a small piece! Ironically the other day the same lady was at the cheese
stall and as I walked past she offered me another sample (of the same
cheese). I politely declined. It makes you think though - one of those big
cheese 'rounds' must be worth over a thousand pounds!

Well, they do say the French take their cheese seriously......

We've still got lots more to do to the grounds, but it is great to see
everything gradually falling into place how we want it. Most of the work
we've done so far hasn't been that expensive either - provided we don't
count our own time, just a lot of backbreaking work. Well worth the effort
though. Certainly beats being stuck in a stuffy office all day dodging
office politics writing software to improve the marketing of giants like
McDonalds - we used to "joke" that we'd rig the code so they would never
build a take-away anywhere near our home towns!

Tell me how! Please! I think the house looks beautiful, such a pretty
building and you must be very happy there. There are other things like the
medical care which seem to be fantastic. A friend of ours lives in another
part of France and when her husband was ill and dying, he received
absolutely wonderful treatment.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Tell me how! Please! I think the house looks beautiful, such a pretty
building and you must be very happy there. There are other things like
the
medical care which seem to be fantastic. A friend of ours lives in
another
part of France and when her husband was ill and dying, he received
absolutely wonderful treatment.
--
Sacha

How to which bit?

Yes, we like the rural setting. It's not to everyone's taste, but for those
who like a quiet life it is perfect. The French health service is supposed
to be the best in the world. Unfortunately it isn't entirely free like the
UK one. Typically you are reimbursed 90% (approximately) of most medical
expenses, but you are left with a proportion to pay yourself . Most people
get private insurance for the remaining 10%, but it can be difficult to pin
down exactly what you are and aren't covered for even with this and there
are a lot of rules, regulations and get-out clauses for the insurer. The
premiums increase as you get older - pensioners pay the most! It can also be
a nightmare to join the French health system - you wouldn't believe the
amount of forms and documents involved and the endless delays and cock-ups
made by the bureaucrats processing them. After a year we are still not
'fully' registered into the system.

Overall we are pleased with the move here, but like anything else there are
good and bad things. People from the UK tend to find French bureaucracy a
major irritation. Inheritance laws are also a big issue - in the UK you can
leave anything to anybody, but here in France the law dictates who you leave
things to. Spouses also have to pay death duties unlike the UK. There are
also big differences in the tax system here which can hit those on low
incomes or those trying to set up their own business very hard. In fact I
remember someone quoting figures something along the lines that France had
only 10% the number of business start-ups compared to the UK, with around
the same population!

I've always fancied starting up and running a garden centre or plant
nursery, but to attempt it here would be extremely difficult - not only do
the bureaucrats stand in the way of anything and everything, I would have to
pay more in taxes than I'd receive in income - at least for the first few
years while it became established! As though starting your own business
isn't hard enough - the French taxation system bleeds business start-ups
dry.

The wine is cheap though!

Despite the 'whinges' we love it here. French people are generally friendly
and good humoured, and the countryside is great. And of course - the houses
are also much cheaper than the UK :-) French people generally like new
properties and dislike older ones - they find a certain amusement in the
fact that us Brits move here and renovate their heritage at our cost - and
believe it or not they also tax us for the privilege - there is also an
extra tax to pay if you renovate an old property!
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

On 2/10/06 17:28, in article ,
"David in Normandy" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
Tell me how! Please! I think the house looks beautiful, such a pretty
building and you must be very happy there. There are other things like
the
medical care which seem to be fantastic. A friend of ours lives in
another
part of France and when her husband was ill and dying, he received
absolutely wonderful treatment.
--
Sacha

How to which bit?

The MacDonalds bit!

Yes, we like the rural setting. It's not to everyone's taste, but for those
who like a quiet life it is perfect. The French health service is supposed
to be the best in the world. Unfortunately it isn't entirely free like the
UK one. Typically you are reimbursed 90% (approximately) of most medical
expenses, but you are left with a proportion to pay yourself . Most people
get private insurance for the remaining 10%, but it can be difficult to pin
down exactly what you are and aren't covered for even with this and there
are a lot of rules, regulations and get-out clauses for the insurer. The
premiums increase as you get older - pensioners pay the most! It can also be
a nightmare to join the French health system - you wouldn't believe the
amount of forms and documents involved and the endless delays and cock-ups
made by the bureaucrats processing them. After a year we are still not
'fully' registered into the system.

This friend has been living in France for about 12 or more years now so I
thinks she's well 'in'. She did tell me that she had to pay for doctors'
treatments but was reimbursed most of it. Jersey has a similar system,
there is no public health care there unless people can prove absolutely that
they cannot possibly pay.

Overall we are pleased with the move here, but like anything else there are
good and bad things. People from the UK tend to find French bureaucracy a
major irritation. Inheritance laws are also a big issue - in the UK you can
leave anything to anybody, but here in France the law dictates who you leave
things to.

Again, Jersey follows the Norman law of partage, so I'm accustomed to that,
too. It's a third to the spouse, a third to the children and a third where
you wish.


Spouses also have to pay death duties unlike the UK. There are
also big differences in the tax system here which can hit those on low
incomes or those trying to set up their own business very hard. In fact I
remember someone quoting figures something along the lines that France had
only 10% the number of business start-ups compared to the UK, with around
the same population!

Recently, a newspaper article stated that many English are returning to
England because they find the bureaucracy in France so tiresome. However,
it was written by a Briton living in France who says the majority learn to
cope with it and find the quality of life more than makes up for it.


I've always fancied starting up and running a garden centre or plant
nursery, but to attempt it here would be extremely difficult - not only do
the bureaucrats stand in the way of anything and everything, I would have to
pay more in taxes than I'd receive in income - at least for the first few
years while it became established! As though starting your own business
isn't hard enough - the French taxation system bleeds business start-ups
dry.

I think that's where a lot of the social services money comes from? Higher
taxation and social payments?

The wine is cheap though!

Despite the 'whinges' we love it here. French people are generally friendly
and good humoured, and the countryside is great. And of course - the houses
are also much cheaper than the UK :-) French people generally like new
properties and dislike older ones - they find a certain amusement in the
fact that us Brits move here and renovate their heritage at our cost - and
believe it or not they also tax us for the privilege - there is also an
extra tax to pay if you renovate an old property!

AIUI, the French rent a lot, too, especially in the cities. Owning
property, except in terms of farming, seems not to mean what it does here.
I know/knew a few French who rented apartments in e.g. Paris but had a
'maison secondaire' that they owned in the countryside.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
How to which bit?

The MacDonalds bit!
Sacha

I have to be careful what I say as McD are notorious for launching legal
action.
I will just say that a major company that I worked at for a while did a
substantial software and data project to further McD's plans of world
domination. Essentially it cross referenced vast amounts of data from
numerous sources and was able to generate street maps with pinpoints (of
most of the developed world) where it would be a good place (financially
speaking) to open a store. It even predicted the turnover of each projected
store! We used to "joke" that we would hard code our postal code area into
the software to ensure no stores were ever opened anywhere near us! As
project go I can't say I had my heart in it - increasing McD's world
domination is not high on my motivation list! Interestingly McD vetted
everyone on the team to ensure there were no know "McD subversives" amongst
us. So if you get a McD near you it may well have been suggested by the
software! Please don't blame me though :-(
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

On 2/10/06 18:14, in article ,
"David in Normandy" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
How to which bit?

The MacDonalds bit!
Sacha

I have to be careful what I say as McD are notorious for launching legal
action.
I will just say that a major company that I worked at for a while did a
substantial software and data project to further McD's plans of world
domination. Essentially it cross referenced vast amounts of data from
numerous sources and was able to generate street maps with pinpoints (of
most of the developed world) where it would be a good place (financially
speaking) to open a store. It even predicted the turnover of each projected
store! We used to "joke" that we would hard code our postal code area into
the software to ensure no stores were ever opened anywhere near us! As
project go I can't say I had my heart in it - increasing McD's world
domination is not high on my motivation list! Interestingly McD vetted
everyone on the team to ensure there were no know "McD subversives" amongst
us. So if you get a McD near you it may well have been suggested by the
software! Please don't blame me though :-(

It's a running joke between Ray and me that whenever we go anywhere he
promises me breakfast, coffee, lunch in a Little Chef. "If you're *REALLY*
good" etc. etc. I deliver the raised eyebrow and the dirty look and we
proceed on our way. However, we have remarked many times on how well LC has
worked out its distances in terms of location of a pit stop. These people
are not in this business as a hobby!

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
Inheritance laws are also a big issue - in the UK you can
leave anything to anybody,

Not all parts of the UK. Scotland has a separate legal system.

Janet

I forgot Scotland has a number of different laws.

Things get even more complex when you own property in country but are deemed
"resident" in another. Then there are subtle differences between resident,
domiciled and habiting in terms of the law in different countries.
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/

On 3/10/06 12:13, in article ,
"David in Normandy" wrote:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
Inheritance laws are also a big issue - in the UK you can
leave anything to anybody,

Not all parts of the UK. Scotland has a separate legal system.

Janet

I forgot Scotland has a number of different laws.

Things get even more complex when you own property in country but are deemed
"resident" in another. Then there are subtle differences between resident,
domiciled and habiting in terms of the law in different countries.

In Jersey you have two wills if you're a property owner. One is for the
disposal of property and the other for 'personalty' meaning goods and
chattels. In terms of property a spouse had the right to occupy a third of
it which is why one sees so many Jersey houses with a little 'granny'
cottage tacked onto the end. I think those laws have been somewhat amended
now.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
In Jersey you have two wills if you're a property owner. One is for the
disposal of property and the other for 'personalty' meaning goods and
chattels. In terms of property a spouse had the right to occupy a third
of
it which is why one sees so many Jersey houses with a little 'granny'
cottage tacked onto the end. I think those laws have been somewhat amended
now.
--
Sacha

The French inheritance laws have led to some bizarre properties here too.
With forced succession rules many farms have gradually got chopped up into
smaller and smaller pieces of land each with houses on them and a maze of
rights of way to get from public highway to house to land. Land and gardens
are often no longer attached to the house that owns them but up the road!
I've heard there are plans to change the inheritance laws here to strengthen
the rights of the spouse, but knowing the way things change (or rather don't
change) here in France, such changes are probably a long way off. It is not
infrequent to hear of cases of one spouse dying and the surviving spouse of
40 years or more being left homeless, or in dire poverty due to death
duties.
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/