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No matter how complicated you find operating instructions having a guide - albeit harder to comprehend than a work by Escher - is often better than having nothing at all. As I found when I recently had to replace the film in a rather old, back-up, fax machine who's manual was long gone. I didn't have the first notion of where to start.  www.usersmanualguide.com is a great site where you can download, or view online, manuals in PDF form for all the major makes and models of household appliances. What's more they are free .

Foraging around the vide greniers and brocantes of the most south westerly part of France, we found few antiques but unearthed a few fascinating facts. Bruno Brocante, as we call him, sat us down one afternoon and shared his passion with us for on of the world’s most celebrated items of French furniture. I had always understood that the term armoire was somehow derived from the French word for love, and was therefore offered as part of a dowry or as a gift to newly weds. It is amazing both how far from the truth and spot on my notion was. Dating back to the Middle Ages, the armoire was in fact originally built to house a nobleman’s arms and armour or armure . After the end of the 100 years war, and during the relative peace that ensued, this colossus was decommissioned and became an item of domestic furniture. The more modern, post 15th century, armoire was used to protect the home’s most valuable items; namely documents, fine linens, silver and glassware. Being the most important item...