Today I shall be Mainly...

[Big Kev]

...sitting in the office with headphones on listening to Dark Side of the Moon. I'd forgotten how good that album is.

[Stanley]

I'm glad you slept Sue..... Kev, I'd like to do that......
I shall be digesting good news I got yesterday. I can't say anything beyond the fact that it has completely distracted me..... I will come clean in a few days.... Don't try to guess, my lips are sealed and I shall ignore all speculation, just be patient!

[Marilyn]

...perhaps an overseas trip, Stanley.
Though far be it from me to speculate

[Sue]

Today Bob is putting up a new temporary fence at our house here in Brittany. It's a long story but we had a boundary dispute with our neighbours. ( well our neighbours who rented the property removed our boundary by taking our hedge out and the official marker posts when we were at chez Rochdale!). We had a government official in to remeasure back in July and he put in new boundary posts. The house is empty at the moment so we are taking the opportunity to put this fence up along the boundary indicated by the official. The land lady has refused to comment and we think she is afraid we will ask her for money to replace the boundary fence. We also understand the house may have been sold so we need to work quickly. A lot can happen in 4 months....before we return.

If the landlady objects we could end up with a legal battle, but we are sure we would win. It's just the hadtle of it all.

[Marilyn]

We had a spare block next to us ( both sides) when we bought our home.
Lovely new neighbours one side now, though we had to move our fence, trim our pergola three inches along 6 metres, and cut concrete too. Neither our fault, or their's. Previous owner of our house had taken liberties. ( and I sensed that at the viewing, but of course the agent looks at you blankly when you question boundaries!) we paid the lion's share of the new fence after trimming our pergola and cement path.
Now the block on the other side of us is sold....and I am praying the pegs are in the right spot. They should be...but as we get a bit older it is more hassle to move fences and concrete paths.
( I can't tell you how many times we have paid for fences in our time. Our last house, the neighbour refused to pay as they hadn't built yet ( and claimed they couldn't afford it) so we paid. Then they built a house 3X bigger than ours! I think we have paid for fences in just about every house we have ever owned. You would think that effort and cost would lead to happy neighbours... But not always. There are always folk that take advantage!)

[Sue]

Yes it's the cost. The official cost us 900 euro and the new permanent fence will cost over a1000euro, all because some one took a dislike to our hedges and removed them without asking.

[Tripps]

Spooky time again. I spent some of yesterday morning arguing about my boundary with the next door owner. He wants to put up a fence, and had measured where he thought the boundary was. I thought he was mistaken. We surveyed it my way, and agreed to move his mark about 1 metre (in my favour). Vigorous discussions, but quite civilised. There was time pressure on his side, since he was flying to Spain after lunch for a game of golf. Globalisation?

Later got a second opinion from my other neighbour - he said he thought it was a few inches out, and he may be right, but within the tolerance of the width of the fence - so it'll do.

[Tizer]

Do the Land Registry not have accurate data for the position of boundaries?

[Sue]

It works differently in France. Each plot has the measurements on the house plan when you buy it. There are concrete posts embedded in the ground at the appropriate places positioned when the land was officially divided up. Each plot is numbered and measured carefully It is illegal to remove these concrete posts. The commune has a cadastral plan with the measurements on . It is these measurements that the government official used to replace the concrete posts that had been removed. He used GPS measurements to replace them they are now as accurate as they can be i.e. Within 5 cm... As our down pipe and part of our house wall is in next doors plot at the moment then we know that the boundary had been moved. The GEOMET official put a metal marker in the wall plus two more on the ground which we have used to place our new fence.

We know who moved the markers and when but we cannot legally prove anything. We are saying it was an accident when the hedge was taken out. It wasn't an accident, it was to make their garden wider. Ours is wide theirs is narrow . Long story but their plot was cut into two when the owner lost half his house and garden in a poker game. I suppose they thought WHAT IS A METRE. Unfortunately a lot, because if the boundaries aren't right technically you can't sell. Also we cannot maintain that part of our roof as we cannot get access to it.

[Tripps]

Do the Land Registry not have accurate data for the position of boundaries?

Yes - we had the large scale map from the LR. His ground measurement was done differently to me. I did it another way, and he has accepted it. It was all done in a reasonable manner.
I don't envy your situation Sue. Time for a bit of 'entente cordiale? I hope it works out well for you.

[Stanley]

I feel for you Sue....... Mind you I like the bit about losing half the house in a poker game!I had to look cadastral up..... "(of a map or survey) showing the extent, value, and ownership of land, especially for taxation.".
Thank God I have no such problem......

[Sue]

Entente cordiale, I wish , Tripps.

The owner of next door is not a very nice person. We have met her socially but she treats us like complete strangers. She is the niece of our very good friends Roland and Chantal, who also live in the hamlet. It is very apparent that they do not have a very high opinion of her. We decided we would just ' go by the book' and be very polite.


We have taken a lot of advice mainly from our builder friend and wife who are English but have lived and worked in France for nearly 30 years and from the local Mayors office. They know the legislation on fencing, land ownership etc. It was they who advised us to get the GEOMET official to sort it out. We don't pay him till it is sorted and he does all of that. Our neighbour has never replied to his letters and she has to accept or challenge what he has done. If she accepts that's it, end of. If she challenges we will have to go to a tribunal. The GEOMET spent 3 hours in July doing all the official measurements and putting in the new markers. We decided to put a temporary fence up just in case we have new neighbours when we return in March, then we don't have to start explaining it all again.

The fence will be as temporary as it needs. If after a year it is not challenged we will put a permanent fence in its place.

[Tizer]

Sue, ask around in the village for Monsieur Trump. He's an enthusiastic builder of walls and fences and will do it for you for free - he'll make your neighbour pay for it!

[Sue]

Sue, ask around in the village for Monsieur Trump. He's an enthusiastic builder of walls and fences and will do it for you for free - he'll make your neighbour pay for it!

[Stanley]

Why do people have to behave like that? Don't bother answering..... I wish you well with it.
In the shed doing things with very small pieces of bronze.....

[Sue]

Nursing a cold today, must have caught it on the ferry!

I was going to spread the goat manure on the veggie patches but will have to wait and see how I feel. It's a sunny morning, the first we have had. It's been misty damp and cold since we came.

Yesterday we went to La Gacilly where it was the Fete de la Soupe. For once the sun came out for a couple of hours.
You buy a bowl for 4 euro and wander round the town and taste a variety of soups made by associations, restaurateurs, and individuals. There are 50 in all. We managed about 20. You got a small ladle full, sometimes with toppings croutons etc. There were thousands of people there, live traditional French music and if you had room after the soup BBQ sausages, frites, crepes.

You vote on your favourite. We liked a fairly traditional beetroot and carrot topped with cream. Loads seem to have used coconut milk and curry powder. Not nice, but I think this is the French expanding their culinary tastes.

The French know how to have a good time even in the winter. It was good to see whole families, even teenagers enjoying the festivities

[PanBiker]

Traveling to Derbyshire, rucksacks and walking gear and all the other stuff sorted for our stay in a small cottage in the Dark Peak area. It's my birthday today and our 40th wedding anniversary next Monday so a double do so to say. We intend to get out on to the fells and would like to do the Kinder Scout mass trespass route while we are there. Lots to do, our cottage is on the edge of the village which has 3 pubs who all serve food, the cottage owner rang us to say there will be Victorian Market and street fair on our anniversary day. Should be a nice break. I know Derbyshire is a big county but reading the good news in another thread we may bump into Stanley and the progress.

[David Whipp]

Trying to inform discussion about the taxi "strike" with as many facts and reliable information as I can.

[Wendyf]

Happy Birthday Ian, sounds like a good break.

[Tizer]

Have a great birthday, Ian. I hope you get the sunshine we're getting today!

[Cathy]

Happy Birthday Ian and Happy Anniversary:)

[Sue]

Yes, happy birthday and anniversary. Have a good stay in Derbyshire

[LizG]

Happy birthday Ian, and a happy anniversary to you and Sally. Sounds like a lovely trip. Enjoy.

[Stanley]

happy birthday and anniversary.... Marmalade Cottage is in Winster so you never know....... Latest intelligence is that I shall be there on Friday, I have fingers crossed hoping Janet has a good trip, she will be installed there tomorrow night if all goes well. Margaret has had a good sleep, is in Clitheroe and will be visiting today so I have put a clean shirt on! Despite Xmas starting early I shall be in the shed watchmaking......

[Sue]

Not much going on here. Bob has finished the fence, green 'chain link ' wire netting fencing. I am still nursing my cold, and coughing well. I shall do some washing ready to pack and set off home tomorrow.i like to leave everything clean here I shall take home anything I can't get washed and dried such as our bedding. The ferry is Thursday morning but we shall drive to St Malo tomorrow. Roads aren't gritted much over here so an early morning drive to the port in freezing fog is not very desirable. We shall take the opportunity to buy a couple of Christmas presents in St Malo

We have a couple of visits to make before we go. Roland's wife Chantal is in the local retrement home as she is inclined to lose her balance and this can be dangerous in her own home. We shall take her a box of chocolates. We also have some sewing patterns to deliver that our friend Joanne bought in an online sale in England.

Our next trip will be after Claire's wedding in March...not so far away now