MooN

Oi! I resemble that remark! I can actually remember failing the Eleven Plus... just like my sister before me. ( we both went on to A -Levels or more though) and I definately read Lord of the flies, though possibly not in school. What the UK need to help them out of this "crisis" is to join a club or group of other likeminded countries where they could share manpower or costs and benefits as well as losses and problems, this would smooth out the short term ups and downs of the economy by allowing free movement of labour within the group or Union giving a huge and mobile, Labour Pool. We could call it a Union of European or maybe the European Unio... Oh, wait a minute...

I voted Sofia cos Ilike the pic...and its a trumpet...

Hello, make youself at home, put your feet up. Don't feed the inmates after midnight...

and who cares?

4! i'm onviously far too young to know about any of the others

what do you get if you throw a hand grenade into a 1970's french kitchen? Linoleum blownapart

If a vegetarian only eats vegetables, What does a humanitarian eat?

If a werewolf is a bloke that turns into a wolf at the full moon, What's a warehouse?

in '93 I move to a different country. in '99 get married. in 2015 (ish)my wife's 20yr old cousin Mael decides he wants to learn how to make guitars and signs up for a School in the UK. His main tutor there is... my cousin James. WTF!?

you're not going to keep it then?

Hey Tango, mostly good advice above I think. Age is certainly a factor but it's likely a combination of all the above, the time off, age, the bike etc. I would suggest doing a one or 2 day refresher riding course. If you can afford it cos the good ones aren't cheap and you need to find one adapted to your needs ( ie not a GSXR competition rider training day) but a " stage de reprise de guidon" done by a professional.

Illegal to ride without certified motorcycle gloves in France now. Even when it wasn't I still always wear gloves, jacket boots and lid. I will admit to still riding in jeans when it's hot.

helloo.

hello and welcome.

When I first got involved with the bike club here there was a guy from Avallon who, at the age of 55 had never been further a-field than Dijon. he came with us to Strasbourg, to the Jura mountains, to the atlantic coast, the Puy de Dome, and so on and so forth. Each time he was like a little kid with a new toy, had no idea the country was so big or so varied...

'tis. but the point ia that I don't OWE it to anyone . if you think that's massive, wait till you see the ride report, the more I write the more pompous sounding and long winded it gets

well the doc says that with modern drugs they can control it pretty well, and when they can't, they can control the pain. The job I am currently expected to do will rapidly become untenable though and that's going to be the problem.

Dunno mate, I've been away for 10 days and my phone is switched off... When I left on the 23rd, the US booking we had for september were cancelling. the UK bookings were cancelling as well as it is just too complicated and expensive to get back into the UK once you've been away. ( i wanted to go back for my Mum's 90th birthday last week with the kids but with 5 people the cost of the testing alone was approaching 800€ !) The French holiday season ends abruptly on the 1st weekend of september so unless something has radically changed I imagine it will be quiet when I go back on monday. wht's going to happen this winter is anybody's guess.

no idea. possibly. so far i have recieved confirmation of the social security's acceptance of my doctors request for a 100% cover of all costs linked to the disease. most medical bills here are riembursed between 60 and 75% by the social security, the rest being reimbursed by your private health insurance. Certain pathologies are takin in charge 100% by the social security. This does mean that I can be reimbursed any and all costs directly linked to treatment for the disease. even travel expenses to and from Dijon. I haven't yet claimed anything, but it's good to know I can if I need to.

having got back from a wee road trip up north on wednesday I'll mostly be putting out tent and sleeping bag to air for a while before being put away again properly. I need to take the bike for a wash so I'll get out a bit and then replace the rear left indicator which, having tried 4 different repair techniques, only 1 of which lasted more than a few hours, I can now change out in about 10 minutes with my eyes closed, Oh Yeah, kids have started back to school yesterday so there's a whole pile of paperwork to fill in... twice

longer term yes. I still don't really understand exactlyt wht it is cos it's not simply arthritis. if i've understood right, rhumatoid polyarthritis is an auto-immune disease of some sort that causes, during flare ups, swelling and pain in joints.Long term it can cause paralasis of said joints by creating holes in the bone or cartilege. Hands and feet are usually first to suffer which is why i've been having batteries of scans , echos and x-rays of those, which will serve in the future as a basis for comparison. I don't really suffer from it yet but discovered it following a consultation for pains in lower legs, specifically knees and feet. blood tests revealed the specific chemical makers for the disease were off the bloody scale! not yet a real physicle problem, but the rhumatologist and the medical imaging place that i need to use are in Dijon so there's a lot of time spent on the road to and from there. I'm back there again on the 7th for the rhumatologist and again on the 14th for cortisone injection in my left wrist for carpal tunnel syndrome... I'm waiting for some concrete or quantifiable information before telling work that i'm fucked.

Not that I owe any of you lot any sort of explanation, but; work went bonkers and we had endless technical problems ( but then there has been no maintenance done for 2 winters on the trot so not wholly unexpected but excacerbated by being forbidden from spending any money on parts) Discovered that I have rhumatoid poly-arthritis and have spent most of my spare time driving or riding to and from Dijon for x-rays, echographies and numerous other medical exams of hands and feet. then I was given 2 weeks off at short notice and the computer crapped out completely, refusing to recognise it's own innards. 'putor went to the repair shop and I buggered off for 4 days with bike and tent, leaving everything technological at home. ( 'cept the camera) I got back yesterday, picked up the repaired 'putor this morning and here I am again. If you're very good, i will regale you with tales of motorcycling exploits and derring do over the next couple of days.

showing yer age there Buck. Hi Wiliam. welcome in.

Hi Parker, don't mind the locals.