EPISODE 10
YouTube - linkLloyd and Mark talk about how the French appear to be embracing DIY and give some travels tips including a demo if an Apple iPad translation app!
Here in the studio and pleased that Lloyd is again here in person and we don’t have to deal with Skype issues. Welcome Lloyd.
LA - Great to be here...... I see more tech been added to studio again
MJ - Spike is still alive and we are again joined by our producer Peter.
We have had some positive comments about the last episode and that people like this format so it’s good to be able to do it this way again.
LA - I put a link to the video on my website..... and also had some nice comments from viewers.
MJ - After the last episode where you talked about your visit to the house can I assume not much has happened during vacation season?
LA - That’s right, I don’t expect to hear any more news until the children have gone back to school in September a major event called le rentree. The start of a new academic year With most of France taking their annual holiday in August you cannot traditionally get any work done on your house, unless you are using ex-pat builders. According to recent reports the French have made change to tradition and have started work on their property. While we in the UK are all too familiar with the DIY on a bank holiday weekend the French have embraced the idea of DIY.
Not quite on the same scale as say B&Q and Homebase, Leroy Merlin and Mr Bricolage are busy not just with foreign property buyers.
Hopefully this will encourage the price of DIY products to be more competitive.
Although a friend of mine in Sweden told me that a tin of plain white paint that you can buy in the UK for £10/12 cost the equivalent of £75.00 in Sweden.
MJ - Brico Depot appears to be the most competitive chain in France with some great pricing. Many prices better than in the UK. Except paint if course. I did hear one discussion on why paint is so expensive in France but am yet to be convinced! apparently the Brits are strange wanting thick paint to reduce the number of coats you need.
LA - With most of France take their annual holiday in August. That said be wary if you are driving through France then roads can get somewhat congested. France is a big country so make sure you plan your route ahead and if you are using the many motorways there are lots of service stations or as they call them Aire de Service along the way. Ranging from basic picnic areas to fully serviced with fuel, shops and even accommodation. A problem that I found is that after many hours searching I could not find a anything on the web that actually shows where they all are.
One of the projects I recently started is one using Google maps. Whereby anyone can join the collaboration to map out all the service areas across France.
http://aire-de-service.blogspot.co.uk/
If you want to join me in this send me an email at lloyd@ttfn.tv
MJ - You mentioned service stations. One of the great unanswered questions is why do most UK houses have more toilets than a French motorway service station?
LA - There are some questions that shouldn't be answered, discussions on French toilets is one area I think we really should stay clear of!
I did ask some locals in my village as to why don’t French people spend time on DIY, the answer was “they do, but its on the inside” they don’t want the tax man to think they have any money
MJ - Some of the Property taxes are based on habitable living space, so if you convert an attic or a barn your taxes will go up. Of course you do have to tell the authorities. In our area of France there are many new DIY self builds. Done at weekends and it appears that like a lot of things in France it is a social activity with many people coming to help and food and drink being served. There are two properties within a few kilometer of us that have gone up in this way in the last couple of years. And yes they do have entrance gates out of proportion to the size of the house!
SECTION 2 - Useful Tools
MJ - Many useful apps for mobile devices to help when traveling. Some work standalone, some have to be connected to the internet. The dictionary on my iphone is particularly useful but I also have a translation app on my iPad which has proved very helpful.
Thought we would do a quick demonstration.
The app is called iTranslate and there will be a link in the show notes.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itranslate-free-translator/id397730127?mt=8
LA - That looks very useful etc etc.Being an HTC user, if your French isn’t good and a handy tool you can download from the HTC market or indeed from their web site is VINCI autoroute, we’ll put a link in the website also. This shows congestion and road works etc.
Section 4 - Our websites for this episode:
MJ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France
LA: - Bison-Fute is a real time traffic information web site. Showing road works, congestion areas focusing mainly on city, national routes and motorways
http://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/diri/Accueil.do?langue=en
http://aire-de-service.blogspot.co.uk/
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