As for Free, my switch wasn’t at all normal (I don’t go into detail because it would be boring and long — in short the line being used by my predecessors, was not their line, and was reattributed to another person afterwards — like I said it would take a while to explain!!). They do indeed have a spotty record, but in my case, in the eight years I’ve been with them, I’ve never once had a problem that wasn’t solved *very* quickly. They have online assistance now, who replied to my requests within the hour, so you could send them an email via that site about your Freebox. (I’m off to work in two minutes so don’t have time to find the link; they updated their site just last week.)

Free is pretty good, as long as whatever your doing somehow falls into their normal sphere of doing things. It’s one huge, giant machine. Woe unto you though if there is something weird on your end (some loose wire, etc.). I’m getting a new Freebox, although I did not ask for one. They are unhelpfully sending it to me now, while I am out of France. So it should arrive at La Poste and be held for 2 weeks. Afterwards, La Poste will send it back to Free, since I will still be in the U.S. (I’m still trying to figure out how to prevent this series of events).

You know, you have a kitchen garden, right?… expanding into a terrace garden. Have you ever considered growing Tiger Nuts… the Chufi nut (or “Chufa”). My ex-girlfriend was half-French from the Oise and half-Valencian. Her Valencian family took me to an Horchateria, where I had Horchata made from the “nut,” really a root tuber.

Anyway, in the U.S. (in California and Texas, at least) Horchata is becoming quite common, but made with rice, and it has been common in Mexico for many years, but again made from rice. The drink originates in Valencia, so it certainly has some claim to being authentic. Whenever I ask the Mexicans in South-Central Texas (where I am at the moment) about Horchata de Chufi, they give me a blank stare. So it’s origins have basically been forgotten.

Finding the seeds for the Tiger Nut are pretty impossible. But apparently, it’s perfect for a kitchen-cum-terrace garden. And the Valencian climate ought to be close enough to your climate in the South of France. Here’s some info…

http://www.howtodothings.com/home-garden/how-to-grow-tiger-nuts-chufa

I was wondering, do you have any experience with growing shiso leaves? I was considering it, but heard they are difficult to germinate from seeds. On the positive side…I haven’t killed my little African violet yet.