etcetera magazine July 2021

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YOUR COMPANION FOR LIFE IN THE FRENCH COMMUNITY

HEALTH Probiotics in The Kitchen Mindfulness & Mental Wellbeing

JULY 2021

Beautiful Botany

BBQ Survival Tips

GARDENING How To Be Water Wise

WILDLIFE

The Colourful World of Birds

The Wonder of Nature

Smallholding Ethical Farming

PLUS

ANGLING ASTRONOMY EXPERT ADVICE And much more…

PARLEZ FRANÇAIS • CLASSIFIED • RECIPES • CRAFT

hello & welcome

Contents 3

A note from the editors

4

What’s on

CONTACT US: Tel: 05 17 36 15 32

email: editors.etcetera@gmail.com website: www.etceteraonline.org 17 rue des Chaumettes 86290 St Léomer

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Craft

10

Latest News

11

Opinion

12

Food

16

Language

18

Business & assistance

22

Health

Welcome to the July edition of etcetera magazine.

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Garden

36

Farm life

38

Animal

39

Angling

40

Free time

This month we say a very warm welcome back to the businesses who haven’t been able to open for a long time. We’re noticing an increase in new advertisers, a sure sign that things are starting to pick up. Now that summer is well and truly here (assuming the storms have moved on?!) we hope that everyone is finally able to get out and truly enjoy this beautiful part of France, with attention turning to trips, socialising and a welcome dose of warmth and normality.

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Nature

46

Astronomy

48

Home & Specialist

51

Getting connected

54

Artisans

61

Motoring & removals

63

Property

65

Classified

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Continue to keep safe, keep well.

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A Note from the Editors

Code APE 5814Z Edition de Revues et Periodique Siret 80903463000016. La Présidente G. Feasey Registered. Le Bourg, 87360 Verneuil Moustiers. Impression: Rotimpres. Pol. Ind Casa Nova. Carrer Pla de l’Estany s/n. 17181 Aiguaviva (Girona) Espagne. etcetera est gratuit.

While we always do our best to ensure the content in this magazine is given in good faith and businesses are reputable, we accept no liability for any errors or omissions and do not endorse any companies, products or services. Articles written are the personal opinions of the original authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of etcetera magazine.

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MUNITY

SAMU (Medical) Gendarmes (Police) Pompiers (Fire and also trained in medical emergency) 114 Text-message emergency number for deaf/hard of hearing 119 Child abuse 115 Homeless 113 Drugs and alcohol 112 European emergency not always English 1616 Emergency- Sea & Lake 3131 Last incoming call, key ‘5’ to connect Orange English speaking helpline 0033 (0)9 69 36 39 00 Website in English: www.orange.com/en/home Technical assistance for landlines (French): 3900 (+33 9 69 39 39 00 from abroad) SFR 1023 or 00336 1000 1023 (Not English) EDF 0810 333087 EDF breakdown 24 hours +33 (0)9 69 36 63 83 EDF Helpline in English 0033 562164908 (From UK) 05 62 16 49 32 Fax E-mail: simpleenergywithedf@edf.fr CPAM - 09 74 75 36 46 Veolia Water Emergency No: 24h/24 et 7j/7 05 61 80 09 02 (press 1 for urgent problems or 2 for a technician) S.E.P Du Confolens (Water) 05 87 23 10 08 Emergency 24/7 Aéroport Int’l Limoges 05 55 43 30 30 SNCF (train times, buying tickets etc) 36 35 Alcoholics Anonymous For contact details of meetings in your area including those conducted in English, visit www.aafrance.net

Please download the pdf from this link now: www.paysruffecois.fr/sante/guide.pdf

HOSPITALS 05 55 05 55 55 Limoges (CHU) 05 55 43 50 00 St Junien 05 55 47 20 20 Bellac 05 49 44 44 44 Poitiers 05 45 24 40 40 Angoulême 05 49 32 79 79 Niort 05 45 84 40 00 Confolens Counselling In France Counsellors, psychotherapists, NLP, CBT etc offering therapy in English to expatriates all over France on www.counsellinginfrance.com SSAFA France 05 53 24 92 38 email france@ssafa.org.uk French Health Insurance Advice line.

CPAM English speaking Advice line: 09 74 75 36 46 (from France) 0033 974 75 36 46 (from other countries).

The line is open from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

NHS website : www.nhs.uk/using-thenhs/healthcare-abroad www.ameli.fr No Panic France Helpline: No Panic UK helpline: 0044 1 952 590 545 11h - 23h (French time) 7/7 www.nopanic.org.uk /nopanicfrance@orange.fr English-speaking Crisis Line SOS- HELP 01 46 21 46 46 3pm-11pm 7/7 British Consulate in Paris 01 44 51 31 00 British Consulate in Bordeaux 05 57 22 21 10 www.ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/ Credit Agricole English Speaking Helpline Charente (residents only) 05 45 20 49 60 Anglofile - Radio for British in Charente www.rcf.fr Tues 20h (repeated Sun 11h30). leme 96.8, Chalais 96.9, Confolens 95.4, Ruffec 95.4, Char. Limousine 104.1, Cognac 89.9

Print 2 copies - one for your home and one for your car - it could save a life.

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listing

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listing

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event Advertising Feature

~ Celebrating Their 10 Year Anniversary

S

aint-Mathieu is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, whose inhabitants are known as Mathuséens. The name of the commune does not originate from the apostle Mathieu, but more likely from the Hebrew name Mathias, as attested to by the current Occitan pronunciation "Samatia". It was mainly in the Middle Ages that the town of SaintMathieu developed with the construction of the fortified castle, located behind the present-day church, and was part of a defence zone on the border of the Limousin, Charentes and Périgord regions.

Today the town still thrives, having a supermarket, 2 boulangeries, a tabac, 2 bars, a café, a bank, post office, insurance company, hairdressers, a garage, a pharmacy, medical centre, a sports hall and stadium, a depot vente clothes shop, and a beautiful gift and furniture shop!

Just outside the town centre is a lovely lake with camping and a bar/restaurant.

10 years ago me and my wife were shopping in Saint-Mathieu when we saw that one of the shops in the main street was available to rent. We had been thinking of running a shop for a while, as we both love ‘things’ and ‘stuff’. We love buying unique items, and we love transforming tired items into something beautiful. We decided to go ahead and rent the shop, and give it 12 months to see if we could make a success of it. We called the shop coeur et étoile.

We set the shop up with some unique decorative household items and some refurbished furniture pieces. Looking back now it is surprising how empty the shop looked, but we did have some lovely products for sale and were hopeful that they would sell.

July 6th this year is the 10-year anniversary of our opening. We must have done something right. Over the years the focus of the shop has changed slightly and the customer mix has gone from mainly British to a good equal mix of French and British, together with a good sprinkling of Irish, Dutch, German, Belgium, Portuguese, American and Antipodean.

We became a stockist of chalk paint in 2018 and that has added to our range of offerings, enabling us to give advice and to help others who enjoy renovating furniture and creating decorative effects. We are now stockists for Autentico paint, Iron Orchid Designs (IOD), Redesign With Prima, and Salt Wash. We offer craft and furniture workshops in-store, and are pleased to offer unique hand-made items from a number of local artisans.

Our development over our 10 years in Saint-Mathieu has been exciting for us, and it has been fantastic to be able to serve and supply so many loyal customers.

It is a privilege to be part of the SaintMathieu culture. Although things have been difficult over the past year, due to Covid, when things return to normal, Saint-Mathieu can get back to doing what it’s done before. It has hosted festivals, vintage car days, re-enactment of the Richard the Lionheart route, weekly farmers markets in July & August, firework displays, music events and so much more. All of this is just what SaintMathieu needs to continue to thrive for the surrounding community, and particularly the Mathuséens.

You can visit Alan & Julie in the shop at 17 Rue Principale, 87440 Saint-Mathieu, or see their Facebook page, coeur et etoile, or email coeuretetoile@nordnet.fr

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craft Sarah is the author of craftinvaders.co.uk where she blogs about her original craft tutorials, recipes, foraging, and developing wellbeing through being By Sara h Whit ing creative, spending time outdoors and connecting with nature

Kokedama Moss Balls KOKEDAMA IS THE JAPANESE ART OF GROWING PLANTS IN MOSS BALLS. TRADITIONALLY, KOKEDAMA IS FORMED BY WRAPPING THE ROOTS OF PLANTS IN CLAY BEFORE TYING MOSS AROUND IT. THE RESULT IS A BEAUTIFUL BUT HIGH MAINTENANCE LOOK. THIS ‘CHEAT’ IS A GREAT ALTERNATIVE!

TOP TIP! Old tennis balls Adhesive sheet moss String (optional)

1. Mark a circle guide on the top of the tennis balls and use a knife to carefully cut that part away.

2. Cut out all the pieces of moss following the pattern (see TOP TIP!).

Since the moss is quite thick, I chose to use an 8 piece pattern, but you can create different numbers of pieces to suit your own need.

3. The moss sheet I use has an adhesive backing and sticks down really well. I stuck the excess moss around the cut edge to give a neat finish.

4. To keep the moss clean, line the opening of the Kokedama balls with some plastic before filling them. This part is optional, you can fill them carefully, just try not to get any of the soil on the moss, you want it inside!

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To get a neat finish to the Kokedama moss balls, use a ball pattern generator to calculate the number and shape of the moss pieces to ensure a perfect fit.

www.templatemaker.nl/ en/sphere

5. Add some gravel into the moss balls.

The gravel should help in two ways.

The Kokedama don’t have drainage holes so the gravel will help prevent the roots of the plants sitting in water and rotting. The gravel also helps weight the Kokedama balls encouraging them to stay upright as the plants grow.

They can be hung using string or left freestanding as they are here. They look just as beautiful as traditionally made ones, but don’t need twice daily watering and drip drying.

craft

‘New’ 2nd Floor Unusual Gifts Furniture ‘New’ Boutique in the Picturesque Town of Magnac Laval 87190 Located in the centre of town Easy parking in the square opposite

Email: rruss1@hotmail.co.uk

Soft Furnishings Autentico Paint & more, at affordable prices!

Open Tue-Sat 9.30am-4.30pm (2pm Sat)

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news

RESIDENCY CARD EXTENSION

UK DRIVING LICENCES Just as we were going to print, the British Ambassador Ed Llewellyn announced: “I’m delighted to be able to reassure those with valid UK licences that they can continue to drive in France without taking a French driving test. I know this will be welcome news for so many people throughout France who rely on being able to drive to get to work, attend medical appointments and see friends and family. For those with an expired UK licence, there is now a clear route to exchanging it for a French licence, which will allow these people to get back on the road.” If your licence was issued before January 2021, you can use it in France until it expires. The plastic photocard versions have an expiry date, so make sure you check that. The old paper ones are usually valid until you are 70. When your licence has less than six months’ validity or if has already expired, you can exchange it for a French licence from Monday June 28 by applying to the Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés (ANTS) via their online platform. When you apply, you will receive an attestation (attestation de dépôt sécurisée) which you can use to drive in France until your new licence has been received. For holders of a licence that was issued after January 2021, your licence will be recognised for 1 year from the date of issue on your carte de séjour.

Again, just as we were going to print, and days before the 30 June application deadline, France has extended the cut-off date to apply for your carte de séjour. It is believed that over 13,000 British nationals living in France are yet to apply, which risks them losing access to healthcare, employment, pensions, rent and mortgages etc. While at the time of writing no official statement had been given (and the application

website still states the 30th June), it is looking likely that this extension will happen.

If you, or anyone you know hasn’t applied for their residency card yet, please apply now. If you or they are concerned about the application, it is far better to apply than not, as it will get much trickier once the deadline for applications has passed. You can apply online here: https://contactsdemarches.interieur.gouv.fr /brexit/brexit-demandetitre-sejour

PRESCRIPTION RENEWALS Some pharmacists in France are now able to deal with repeat prescriptions, saving you a trip to the doctor. It will only apply to pharmacists who have an agreement with the doctor, and will be for conditions like asthma, diabetes and hypertension. It will make the procedure of getting your new prescription simpler for you, as well as free up appointment times for GPs. 10 etcetera

VOLOCOPTER FLYING TAXI SERVICE The first test of a new electric flying taxi has been successfully completed in Paris. The German company, Volocopter, hopes to be able to provide this new service for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The test flight lasted 3 minutes, had a speed of up to 30kph and flew at 30 metres altitude.

opinion

Brian White lives in south Indre with his wife, too many moles and not enough guitars precise details). Again, it was the allure of a self-created mirage.

Often, we simply throw doubt on things beyond our understanding. A work colleague once confided his belief that the 1969 moon landing was probably faked.

Wow. I knew such folk existed but had never imagined encountering one, especially in the banal surroundings of the staff restaurant. It was like glimpsing a snow leopard in Carrefour.

The Truth Is Out There A

quarter of a million years ago – anthropologists generally agree it was a Thursday – a human-like figure of dubious personal hygiene shuffled about in the African gloom, gathering branches for a shelter whose design he hadn’t quite determined. With a hideous belch he gazed at the canopy of stars studding the night sky and wondered to himself, “What’s that all about?”

from her car to say she couldn’t find the house. I will always find that hilarious.)

Although the pertinent question regarding the universe is not ‘why’ it’s there, but ‘how’, our quest to find meaning is hardwired. In the gooey bit of our brain lies a network of interconnected neurons called the ‘Reticular Formation’ which oversees lots of what neurologists term ‘cool stuff’.

For example, it helps us to spot patterns in nature, which reduces fear. It’s why newly pregnant women suddenly notice other expectant mothers everywhere; our sense of vulnerability recedes when we see we’re not alone in our situation. It’s a primeval survival tool, although it’s not infallible.

Some considerable time later, a good friend tried to persuade me of the merits of astrology. Dismissing the newspapers’ daily horoscopes, she studied instead what she referred to as its ‘serious’ side. Laying out a series of celestial charts that would baffle We can also delude I knew such folk existed but ourselves because an NASA, my friend had never imagined explanation, no declared that the encountering one, especially in matter how alignment of various stars and whatnot at the the banal surroundings of the implausible, is soothing. For moment of my birth had staff restaurant instance, in 1997 the pre-determined certain death of Diana, facets of my character. Or my destiny. Or Princess of Wales, triggered dark rumours something. My face probably gave me about the involvement of the Secret away. She was supremely undeterred, “Of Service or even the royal family course you’re sceptical”, she beamed, themselves. Believing her demise was “You’re Sagittarius. That’s exactly what ordered – i.e., someone in control had you would say.” Ah, I see. By rejecting made it happen – was, for many, astrology as baseless, I merely proved its preferable to acknowledging the universe’s authenticity. Genius. scary randomness. Twenty years earlier it (Similarly, a neighbour of ours in the UK was Elvis who, distraught fans were once had a home ‘reading’ by a visiting convinced, must have faked his death to clairvoyant and booked the lady again the escape fame and was actually living following year. An hour after the anonymously on a tropical island or in the Swindon branch of Lidl, (I forget the scheduled appointment, the mystic rang

Intrigued, I noted the thousands of people necessary to pull off such a gargantuan hoax - studio designers, the astronauts and their families, the entire Mission Control team, the US Navy, tracking stations around the world etc. He didn’t waver. “Exactly”, he responded, “they were all in on it”. It was a dispiriting conversation; by the end of it I couldn’t feel my toes.

Much of the above could be filed away under “eccentric but harmless”. Today, however, the online world turbocharges the spread of unhinged conspiracy theories and fake history; the fanatical, the gullible and the plain loopy in a call-andresponse where everyone has a megaphone. One example: there are quite genuinely - people out there who question the existence of Finland.

The agitators and the charlatans now raise the stakes again, scaring others into eschewing a life-saving vaccine. I’m not talking here about the extremely small number of real and distressing problems associated with certain vaccinations. I mean the propagating of groundless paranoia – unencumbered by evidence involving plots by the CIA/China/Microsoft (insert the villain of your choice). It’s a theatre of the absurd in which the world’s most respected scientists and researchers compete for the public’s attention against Some Bloke on YouTube.

Because history turns on what we are persuaded to believe, objective truth is under constant attack. There’s a reason why billionaires take ownership of newspapers.

Our ancestors may have searched for meaning in the night sky but Shakespeare grasped it: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves . . .” It’s both a rebuke and a lesson that, in 2021, we still struggle to absorb.

There again, I’m Sagittarius. I would say that.

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food

Keeping Cool In the Kitchen THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT THINGS ABOUT SUMMER, BUT FOR MOST OF US, PUTTING A HOT OVEN ON WHEN IT’S 35 DEGREES OUTSIDE IS NOT ONE OF THEM!

Belinda, the ‘Accidental Chatelaine’ loves to cook at any opportunity and is delighted to be able to share that love with you

By Beli n

da Prin ce

www.chateaumareuil.com

Tomato Gazpacho Soup

Few drops of Tabasco or other chilli sauce 150ml tomato juice Salt & pepper for seasoning Method 1.

Put the tomatoes into a large shallow dish and scatter the onions, lemon zest and chopped basil on top.

2.

Blend together the oil, vinegar, 1 garlic clove, sugar, vodka, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco and season to taste.

Pour over the tomatoes, cover and leave to marinate for 2 hours at room temperature.

3.

Whiz the tomato salad and tomato juice together in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl and leave to chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Ingredients (Serves 4) 700g ripe tomatoes, sliced 6 salad onions, trimmed and finely chopped ½ lemon, zested 2 tbsp basil, freshly chopped 125ml olive oil, extra virgin, if possible 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2-3 garlic cloves Pinch of sugar 60ml chilled vodka* 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

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Serve with a garnish of your choice.

Subscribe to the Chateau Mareuil channel on YouTube

food Tuna Sala Nicoise

Ingredients (Serves 4) 8 baby salad potatoes 120g French green beans, trimmed 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges ½ Romaine lettuce, cut into large bite-size pieces 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered 100g black olives, unpitted 250 – 300g good quality tuna in oil, drained and broken into large chunks Dressing 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed ¼ tsp salt 1 tsp Dijon mustard Pinch of black pepper Method 1. Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and leave to cool, then slice in half.

2. To make the dressing, place all the ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake well until amalgamated.

3. Boil the green beans until just tender, drain and refresh under cold running water to cool quickly. Drain and pat well to dry.

4. Now assemble the salad; arrange the lettuce on a large platter, scatter and layer the remaining ingredients tastefully around the plate, finishing with the eggs, olives and tuna chunks.

Drizzle over the dressing and serve!

Caesar Salad with Prawns Ingredients (Serves 4) 600g cooked prawns, shell on 2 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 thick slices white bread (boule or similar) 6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan 1 cos lettuce or similar, chopped Dressing 4 tbsp mayonnaise 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 2 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped Salt & ground black pepper Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan), gas 4. Put the oil, garlic and bread cubes in a bowl and toss together well until the bread is well coated. Tip onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, turning half way through.

2. Sprinkle over the parmesan over the croutons and cook for 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the bread cubes are golden.

3. Put all the dressing ingredients into a bowl, season with salt & pepper and

mix, or alternatively shake together in a screw top jar.

4. Shell the prawns (you could reserve a few with shells as decoration).

5. Put the lettuce and prawns in a large serving dish, pour over the dressing and mix, top with the croutons.

Enjoy!

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food Cheesy Chicken Waldorf Salad Ingredients (Serves 4) 350g cooked boned chicken, skinned and chopped 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced 50g Emmenthal or Gruyere cheese, grated 1 firm red apple, halved, cored and chopped 50g black grapes, halved and pips removed 100ml vegetable oil 1 tbsp white wine or white balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp crème fraîche 2 tbsp mayonnaise 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley 40g toasted walnuts, chopped Salt & pepper, green salad to serve Method 1. Put the chicken, celery, cheese, apple and grapes in a bowl. Make a dressing by shaking the oil, vinegar, crème fraîche and mayonnaise in a screw top jar. Add the dressing to the chicken mixture and toss together well. Adjust the seasoning, sprinkle over the walnuts and parsley, cover and chill for at least 10-15 mins. Serve with a green salad. Enjoy!

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4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly then whisk in the lemon juice 5. Transfer to a glass jug and pour into serving dishes 6. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight)

Mary Berry’s Lemon Posset This is a really simple dessert to make, it’s light and refreshing, perfect for a hot summer’s day. Serve in glass jars or in chic martini glasses!

Ingredients (Serves 6) 3 lemons 600ml double cream 150g caster sugar

When you're ready to serve - you can sprinkle over the remaining lemon zest.

You can add blueberries for a splash of colour if you prefer. If you are looking for an extra crunch to go with this delicious dessert, serve with shortbread or almond biscuits.

Method 1. Zest and juice three lemons 2. Pour 600ml double cream into a large saucepan and add ¾ of the lemon zest and 150g caster sugar 3. Bring to the boil stirring continuously then simmer for 3 minutes

Le Chalet du Bois

Restaurant-Cafe-Bar

Parc Verger 6 le Poteau Champagnac la Riviere 87150

Serving - Light Snacks, English Plat du Jour * and Plat du Soir * English Breakfast, Sat & Sun 9-10.30* Sunday Roast Dinner 12.30 & 7.00pm* Wednesdays Events Held in July:- 7th at 7pm Quiz Night 14th at 7pm Karaoke Night - 21st at 2pm Afternoon Tea and Craft fair 28th at 7pm Live Music with “Les Compares” French and Folk (See Facebook for details) food available advance bookings required.

Le Chalet du Bois

T:05 55 01 22 83

Email: lechaletdubois@parcverger.com

*Booking Essential

New Disabled-Friendly Covered Terrace

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language & advice

language & advice

Parlez Français

Language School Secretarial and Administration Services Certified Legal Interpreting & Translating Coaching 15 Place d’Armes 86150 L’Isle Jourdain Tél. 05 49 84 17 73 Email: isabelle@continental-horizons.com www.continental-horizons.com siret 483 146 353 00014

French conversation, vocabulary & traditions with Isabelle

Au camping !

Les Français sont très friands des vacances en camping. Faire du camping, c’était pouvoir partir en vacances en famille à moindre coût. Mais de nos jours, il y a toutes sortes d’établissements de camping, du camping municipal au camping 5 étoiles de grand luxe.

David parle de ses projets de vacances à son ami François.

François : Oui, mon amie et moi allons aller à l’Ile de Ré. Ce sera nos premières grandes vacances d’été ensemble. Cela va être génial.

François : Bonjour David. Comment vastu ? Tu es bientôt en vacances ?

David : Bonnes vacances alors !

David : Bonjour François. Oui, ça va. Je vais être en vacances la semaine prochaine pour deux semaines.

François : Merci. Tu m’as dit que tu allais faire du camping, vous allez dormir dans une tente, une caravane ou vous prenez un camping-car ?

François : Ah, super ! Tu vas partir quelque part ?

David : Oh oui ! La deuxième semaine de mes vacances, ma femme, mes deux enfants et moi allons bouger. Nous allons faire du camping à Royan, au bord de la mer. Après une année difficile avec la Covid et les confinements, nous avons tous besoin de prendre l’air. Cela nous fera un plus grand bien. Et les enfants adorent la mer. Et toi, tu bouges ?

David : Ma femme aime le confort maintenant, alors nous avons réservé un mobil-home. D’habitude, nous dormons dans une tente, sur des matelas gonflables.

C’est moins confortable qu’un vrai lit !

Puis il y a beaucoup de travail, il faut transporter tout l’équipement de camping et puis installer tout : la tente, les tapis de sol, les matelas gonflables avec les gonfleurs, les sacs de couchage, les chaises, la table, le réchaud à gaz, la

FRENCH LESSONS FOR FREE

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Groups - Private tutoring - E-learning Contact Alain 05 55 32 14 76 / 06 37 76 54 98 alain.rio@hvformations.org Siret: 824417364 00018

http://hvformations.org

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ONE-TO-ONE / GROUPS PLUS

or ONLINE CLASSES

Translations & Administrative Assistance Sandrine Durand Siret : 488 296 450 00015 05 55 78 16 21 / 06 83 07 66 98 r.sandrine.durand@orange.fr

Broaden your horizons with CONTINENTAL HORIZONS! Bon courage ! Et à bientôt !

Isabelle Broaden your horizons with CONTINENTAL HORIZONS! Mob. : 06 20 10 34 49 Email : continentalhorizons@free.fr Isabelle works for CONTINENTAL HORIZONS Language Centre in L’Isle Jourdain and teaches French as a Foreign Language every day in their many classrooms. Do not hesitate to contact her on 05 49 84 17 73. www.continental-horizons.com

language and assistance le camping the activity of camping or the campsite

un réchaud à gaz a gas stove

le terrain de camping the campsite

la vaisselle the dishes

être friand de quelque chose to be fond of something

une valise a suitcase

les vacances (f, pl) the holiday / holidays

sans compter without counting

à moindre coût as cheap as possible

une balade a walk / a ride

quelque part somewhere

faire une balade to go for a walk / a ride

bouger (verb) to move

un emplacement a camping pitch

faire du camping to camp

droit straight

au bord de la mer by the seaside

planter (verb) la tente to pitch the tent

une caravane a caravan

démonter (verb) to dismantle

un camping-car a camper van un mobil-home a mobile home vaisselle et les valises, etc. pour quatre personnes. Sans compter les vélos que nous aimons bien prendre en vacances pour faire des balades. L’année dernière, l’emplacement dans le terrain de camping n’était pas droit et c’était difficile de planter la tente et de la démonter à la fin de notre séjour. Donc, cette année, nous avons choisi de réserver un mobil-home et nous avons trouvé une bonne offre. Aussi nous avons une salle de douche avec une douche dans le mobil-home, donc pas besoin d’aller au bâtiment des sanitaires du camping.

François : Ah, et bien cela va vous changer.

Nous, nous préférons la bonne vieille tente. J’aime entendre la mer la nuit à travers la toile de la tente et les oiseaux chanter le matin, cela m’aide à me réveiller doucement et de bonne humeur, c’est ça les vacances.

David : Quel bonheur !

François : Oui, vivement les vacances !

réserver (verb) to book d’habitude usually un matelas gonflable an inflatable bed un lit a bed transporter (verb) to transport l’équipement (m) de camping the camping gear installer (verb) to install un tapis de sol a ground sheet un gonfleur an inflator un sac de couchage a sleeping bag

Get the voc Appren ab e vocabula z le ire !

un séjour a stay une bonne offre a good offer / a good deal une salle de douche a bathroom une douche a shower le bâtiment the building les sanitaires (m, pl) the shower block à travers through la toile the canvas se réveiller (verb) to wake up doucement slowly de bonne humeur in a good mood Quel bonheur !

What a joy!

FRENCH COMMUNICATION SERVICES Comprehensive administration, translation and support services for English-speaking people in France…to make life easier.

Call Jenny 06 79 85 58 84 Mail: jenifer@wordsmithcoms.com www.facebook.com/frenchwordsmith Siret 504 587 924 00011

● Assistance with all admin needs ● Professional efficient & confidential service ● Competitive rates with flexible & friendly support Remy Hickman-Reed 06 37 76 56 51

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etcetera 17

business FINANCE

HELEN BOOTH INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVISER deVere France

Cryptocurrency T

esla announces it has bought $1.5 billion in Bitcoin. This comes after recent positive tweets by Tesla CEO Elon Musk about Bitcoin and Dogecoin which caused a surge in cryptocurrency purchases.

- Institutional adoption has caused a major surge in digital currency (major global financial firms started diversifying into digital currency as part of their investment portfolios) this includes Tesla, Greyscale Bitcoin Trust 2.14%, MicroStrategy Inc 2.85%.

What is cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency is a digital virtual currency secured by cryptography which makes it virtually impossible to counterfeit. They are decentralised, meaning they are not issued

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or controlled by any central authority, making them immune to government interference or manipulation. No banks, cash/fiat currency or theft to worry about. *

-

The Crypto market has breached the $1trillion market cap

-

Dogecoin is up by 1380%

Benefits include:

-

Bitcoin is at an all-time high and broke the $20 000 price in Dec 2020 and smashed through $40 000 at the beginning of Feb 2021

▪ Easy transfers – no more middle-man or lots of admin and paperwork.

▪ Confidential transactions – no centralised bank records of transactions.

Identity and security is protected, and you decide whether to disclose any transaction information.

▪ Low fees – transaction fees are minimal and lower than banks and brokers.

▪ Easy access to credit – whilst most people have access to the internet, many do not have bank accounts. It’s easy to carry out transactions and asset transfers.

▪ Strong security – with strong encryption, once a transaction is done it cannot be reversed.

▪ Value of cryptocurrency has increased significantly over the last few years.

"The richest person in the world just told you he does not believe in holding dollars as a long-term store of value. We have heard from the smartest investors in the world and now we have heard from the richest people in the world, they all agree that having 5-10% of your net worth in BTC is a critical part of a well-diversified portfolio." - Alex Mashinsky, CEO of the crypto lender Celsius Network A well-diversified portfolio is key in helping to mitigate the risk of your investments.

This includes a percentage of cryptocurrency. Chat to your financial adviser today about adding cryptocurrency to your financial portfolio.

* www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cryptocurrency.asp

business

How to Stay Motivated as a Business Owner

R

unning and managing a business is challenging at the best of times. And the last 12 months or so, have added to those challenges. Lock-downs, working from home, working with the public under strict guidelines, restricted social interactions have become monotonous and draining, especially when you take away cultural and leisurely activity from our day to day living.

We are now in a place where the easing of confinement has opened up across France.

Some business owners have had to wait a lot longer than others to re-open, while other industry sectors have not been impacted so severely. And yet here we are, halfway through the year, and it’s feeling like an uphill struggle and tiring with motivation totally out of the window.

Having our lives upturned both personally and professionally can zap our joy, but we know we have to carry on, which can be emotionally draining. Hardly surprising!

If you feel robbed of motivation, perhaps now is an excellent time to take stock; look within to see how you can rejuvenate your

MARKETING

MICALA WILKINS ALACIM SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

motivation to carry you through the second half of the year.

Remember why you are doing this. You started your business for a reason.

Remind yourself of your why and how you got yourself going. Be inspired by your past successes.

Re-evaluate your goals. What were your intentions at the start of the year? Are they relevant now?

joy, and have nothing to do with your work, can enhance motivation levels.

Keep focused. It’s easy to get distracted from what is essential. Know what your distractions are and seek to eliminate them or reduce them.

Connect with other business Having a routine keeps us owners. At some point on the self-employed journey, we Shake things up if on track, but sometimes are going to lose our you have to or want the same pattern can be motivation. And there are to. Having a routine as dull as hell times when you cannot fire keeps us on track, but yourself up. Get support from sometimes the same others. Just by sharing your pattern can be as dull as hell. What could thoughts/concerns can feel like a weight you do differently? Can your daily routine has been lifted. Hearing ‘we’ve all been be revamped? there’ means you are not alone, especially The mental and emotional well being of a in these current times. small business owner is paramount.

Finally, resist the urge to just carry on.

Running a business can, at times, be quite Give you and your business what it needs consuming, and every business owner to rejuvenate your motivation. You will must switch off. Just spending 15 minutes thank yourself at the end of the year. on the simplest of things that bring you

TONY FARRELL INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ADVISER The Spectrum IFA Group, with over 20 years’ experience advising expatriates throughout Europe on all aspects of financial planning T: 05 55 89 57 94 E: tony.farrell@spectrum-ifa.com TSG Insurance Services S.A.R.L. Siège Social: 34 Bd des Italiens, 75009 Paris. R.C.S. Paris B 447 609 108 (2003B04384). Société de Courtage d’assurances. Intermédiaire en opération de Banque et Services de Paiement. Numéro d’immatriculation 07 025 332 – www.orias.fr Conseiller en investissements financiers, référencé sous le numéro E002440 par ANACOFI-CIF, association agréée par l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers

Join Our Online Community Let’s talk currency

- EVERY MONTH www.etceteraonline.org

Sue Cook Regional Coordinator Centre Ouest 87600 Rochechouart +33 (0)555 036 669 +33 (0)689 992 889 E: sue.c@currenciesdirect.com www.currenciesdirect.com/france Siret: 444 729 008 00011

Advertise Your Business Contact Sam or Gayle: editors.etcetera@gmail.com etcetera 19

business

INSURANCE

ISABELLE WANT BH ASSURANCES

A

Campervan Insurance

top of the one you already have if it was s it is coming up to summer, I decided to do an article on campervans (or not a named driver that crashed the car motorhomes, if you prefer that (with Allianz, 750 euro on top of your terminology). Let’s face it, what can be normal one). better than pootling around the French It is a legal obligation to have a motor countryside or the rest of Europe stopping vehicle insured even if you don’t use it. If and travelling where you want! So, what is someone steals it the difference and kills someone between campervan with it, you are and car insurance?

In France, it is the campervan responsible, so that is insured so everybody 1. Who is insured you must insure it can drive it as long as they have and where: This is for at least public the same as car liability. a valid driving licence and have insurance. In France, authorisation to drive it Campervan it is the campervan insurance also that is insured so automatically covers trailers up to a everybody can drive it as long as they have certain weight (750kg with Allianz). a valid driving licence and have Caravans and trailers above 750kg must authorisation to drive it. But note that if have their own number plates and someone else drives your campervan and insurance (and registration paperwork). crashes, it is YOUR no claims discount Finally, your campervan insurance in that is affected and not theirs. On some France does not cover you to drive policies, there is an additional excess on

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someone else’s car in the UK! Your campervan however is insured everywhere in Europe and beyond. The list of countries is on the back of your green proof of insurance.

And we don’t need to know when you are going abroad! So please stop telling us!

2. No Claims discount/Bonus malus: In France, you need to have 13 years without a claim to be entitled 50% discount. 50% is the maximum discount. If you had 50% bonus for more than 3 years, you keep your maximum discount after an accident that is your fault (a little thank you for being so good for so long!).

We accept no claim certificates from the UK. We also have protected bonus. You need to have been at 50% for 3 years and it is transferred if you change your insurance company.

3. Excess/Franchise: Like most insurance, you can choose to have or not

business have an excess (affects your premium). If the accident is not your fault and the culprit (third party) is identified, you have no excess to pay. If your car is stolen, you have an excess. The excess can be different depending on the claim (always check your contract).

4. Fully comprehensive/Third party: Fully comprehensive is the same as in the UK, you and the campervan are insured whether it is your fault or not. Third party means that your campervan is not covered for an accident (only public liability) if it is your fault, and it has different levels of cover. Some include glass breakage, theft and fire, some don’t. Check your contract.

5. Glass breakage/Bris de glace: The excess is less for glass breakage, and it covers windscreens, windows and headlights but does NOT include wing mirrors and backlights.

6. Breakdown cover/Assistance 0km ou 25km: You can have breakdown cover (recovery up to 180€) from 0km (your front door-home start) or from 25km, meaning if you break down only 5km from your house, it is not covered (with Allianz). For the recovery, the campervan is taken to the closest garage (not always the one you want). If the repair takes less than 2 days, the insurance pays the hotel, otherwise, the insurance pays to take you home or where you were going with your campervan. The insurance then pays for you to pick up your campervan (only one person) once it is repaired.

7. Replacement vehicle: You can have this option added to your contract. With Allianz, it’s about 6 euro more per month.

There is a limit on the length of time for the replacement and it depends if it is breakdown, theft or accident. For campervans, the replacement vehicle will not be a campervan but a category C car which is like a 3008 Peugeot.

8. Content: Content for campervan insurance is obviously important as you will have much more than what you have in car! (Cutlery, clothes, toasters, etc!).

Therefore, it is automatically included.

With Allianz, for a 50 000 euro campervan, content is 15 000 euro, down to 5 000 for theft without theft of the

campervan itself. Equipment (like an awning) is also covered but it is included in the value of the campervan.

9. Claims/Sinistres: In case of an accident, make sure that you fill in an agreed statement of facts on motor vehicle accident (Constat in French). Make sure you always have one in the car and don’t sign it if you disagree with it. I strongly advise that you prefill it with your personal details and insurance details so that it is easier when you have an accident (usually people are a bit stressed and panicky!). Also, always fill one in even if the other person involved tells you that they want to do this amicably or have no insurance. DO NOT TRUST PEOPLE! And take pictures. We all have mobile phones that have a camera.

have to pay for the compensation and damages you have caused to others! So, do not drink and drive! Basically, the insurance won't work.

10. UK number plates: Under European law, you have 1 month to change your number plates to French ones. With Allianz, we do insure on UK plates but you have to follow the law and change your number plates to French ones within 1 month. But we are very lenient (let's face it, it is impossible to do it within 1 month with this new ANTS system!). However, note that if you go back to the UK in a campervan on UK plates with French insurance, you will get fined as not having insurance as our system is not recognized in the UK by the Automatic Recognition Plate System.

There is an emergency helpline (they 11. Premiums: It is calculated taking lots speak English) for breakdown, accident, of different facts into account: The model etc. but also make sure you have the of the campervan but especially its value, number on you price of replacement even if you are not bits, horse power, using your car as the date it was first I strongly advise that you it includes on the road, prefill it with your personal repatriation. The nationwide statistic details and insurance details number is written of theft, what option on your green so that it is easier when you you chose (third paperwork proof of party, fully have an accident insurance. Note comprehensive, that the breakdown replacement car, fee will not be excess, etc.). You can reduce the premium reimbursed if you do not phone them if you do less than 9000, 7000 or 4000km (unless it was organized by emergency per year. services due to an accident). Neither will If, like my lovely English husband, you the replacement car be allowed (if you think French drivers are dreadful (OK I took out the option) if you don’t follow the drive too close to the campervan in front proper procedure. Just phone them before but it is only because they are too slow!), you do anything. then make sure you are properly insured Compensation for death or injury is and check your options on your contract. decided by the French code of law and the And remember to check out our web site amount is calculated in accordance with www.bh-assurances.fr/en for all my the level of importance of injuries or grief. previous articles and register to receive E.g. the death of a father of 5 children will our monthly Newsletter. You can also be better compensated than the one of a follow us on Facebook: “Allianz Jacques 100 year old without any family.

Boulesteix et Romain Lesterpt” Note that you will not get compensation And don’t hesitate to contact me for any for death or injury or for the other information or quote on subject such car/campervan if you took the vehicle as Funeral cover, inheritance law, without permission of the owner or if you investments, car, house, professional and were under the influence of drugs or top up health insurance, etc… alcohol before the accident. And you will

Isabelle Want 06 17 30 39 11 Email: isabelle.want @bh-assurances.fr

N° Orias 07021727/16005974

22 rue Jean Jaures.

16700 Ruffec Tél:+33 (0)5 45 31 01 61

102 Avenue de la République 16260 Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure Tél:+33(0)5 45 39 51 47

10 Bd du 8 mai 1945 16110 La Rochefoucauld Tél:+33 (0)5 45 63 54 31

2 Avenue de la Gare 16270 Roumazieres-Loubert Tél:+33(0)5 45 71 17 79 etcetera 21

health

GOING WITH PROBIOTICS, MEANING ‘FOR LIFE’, ARE THE FRIENDLY BACTERIA THAT LIVE IN OUR BODY. BUT HOW CAN WE ADD THIS GOOD BACTERIA TO OUR DIET?

T

hey are on our skin, in our mouths, A little known fact is the human body is they colonise our gut and live in made up of ten times more probiotics than harmony with our bodies. Highly cells, called your microbiome – a balance beneficial, the lack of them can be at the between good and bad bacteria. A healthy root of many illnesses. Sadly, our friendly microbiome is an essential part of staying bacteria are susceptible to depletion due to on a healthy journey. our lifestyles causing many health issues Conditions such as such as indigestion, irritable bowel depression, syndrome (IBS) and anxiety, digestion diabetes have been linked As a relatively new field of issues and to a lack of good bacteria, science, research into chronic fatigue. so many illnesses may be probiotics is unveiling their As a relatively preventable simply by importance to our health new field of having a healthy science, research microbiome. Diet is one of into probiotics is the ways we disrupt the unveiling their importance to our health. balance between the good and bad But luckily, improvements to our gut bacteria in our gut. When we eat too many health are easily made and I am here with starchy carbohydrates like white bread, regular articles to give you some easy life white pasta and sugar, bad bacteria and hacks to lift your spirits and improve your yeasts like candida overgrow and flourish gut health. because sugar and starch are their food.

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Antibiotics can also cause gut damage and while they can be an important way of killing off the bad bacteria that cause illness, they also kill off the friendly bacteria and this damages our immune system at the time we need it most, leaving us even more vulnerable to illness.

So what can you do to promote wellness?

If you are prescribed a course of antibiotics, add in a probiotic supplement a few hours after taking your antibiotic dose to support your gut while you recover. Once you have completed your course of antibiotics, take a daily probiotic supplement for a short time to give your gut a health boost. (You can ask your pharmacist or doctor for advice.)

Good gut habits Probiotic rich food daily will help boost your microbiome. Reducing the amount of white bread, white pasta and white sugar

health

YOUR GUT is a good start. Avoiding antibiotics unless absolutely necessary is another. Why not try making your own probiotics? An easy way to start fermenting is with Sauerkraut.

White cabbage is a source of natural bacteria called Lactobacillus. By fermenting it we create a process that uses the naturally occurring yeasts or bacteria in plants to preserve them. Traditionally, fermentation was used to improve nutrients in diet and make food last longer.

Sauerkraut is rich in probiotics, minerals and Vitamin K2 (essential for blood clotting). It is a delicious, crunchy accompaniment to many dishes, can be sprinkled on salads or the brine can be added by the tablespoon to warm soup for a probiotic boost and extra flavour.

Sauerkraut can be made for a fraction of the price of a probiotic supplement and the fibre in the cabbage will improve your digestion at the same time.

Ingredients: - One medium white cabbage (about 1kg)

- 2 tbsp sea salt - Filtered water Equipment: - One or more glass jars - Square cloth to cover the lids of the jars - Rubber bands or string - Mixing bowl - Sharp knife/chopping board Instructions 1. First make sure everything is cleaned thoroughly with soapy water and rinsed in filtered water. Leave to air dry.

2. Finely slice/shred the cabbage, leaving out the stalk. Place the cabbage into the bowl. Massage the salt into the cabbage for 8-10 minutes. The salt will bring liquid out of the cabbage.

Leave for 30 minutes until a pool of brine forms in the bowl.

3. Transfer the cabbage to the jar, you need to pack it in tightly and you can use a ladle or spoon to push the cabbage in. Pour in the brine, adding filtered water until the cabbage is covered. Don’t overfill.

Amanda lives near Ruffec and is in the

By Am anda King final year of an Advanced Diploma in Naturopathic Nutrition with the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London. She holds a BSc in Human Biology and Counselling/Psychology.

Amanda is passionate about living in harmony with nature and innate wellness. www.amandakingnutrition.com

4. Place the cloth or muslin over the top of the jar lid and secure with a rubber band or string.

Each day check that the cabbage is still under the liquid, if it has risen, push it back down again. You will see after a day or so that bubbles of gas appear - this will slow down after a week or two. Once in the fridge your kraut will last for a long time as salt is a natural preservative.

Warning, this tastes so good you may need to make a bigger batch!

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health

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health

The Call of the

By Louise Cotton

Louise works with the Fit for Life Association as a Clinical Weight Loss Coach. She is also a Hypnotherapy Practitioner Specialising in Hypnotic Gastric Band Therapy email: louise@fitforlife.one

THIS IS THE NATIVE CALL OF THE MALE FROM THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. IT STARTS AS THE SUNNY DAYS ARRIVE.

T

hey feel the urge to take up the reins of cooking during the summer. They do not cook for the other 9 months of the year, they have little or no idea where the cooker is or how to use it, but when the sun comes out, they become ‘King of the BBQ’. Sorry gentlemen, this is totally unfair to many of you, but others, you know who you are!

For us who continue to monitor our weight the BBQ season can be a nightmare.

is the key here, not just going back to a bowl of crisps time and again until you have no idea how much you have eaten.

salmon which you feel obliged to eat as your hostess tells you it was added specially as she knows you are on a diet.

Before you know it, the traditional summer BBQ has turned into an all you can eat buffet. Your eating plan has gone out the window, you have ‘pigged out’ on the nibbles and you have drunk too much.

After all, home is only a short walk away.

Does any of this sound familiar?

5. Ask if you can help your host. Doing something distracts you from eating and drinking.

6. If you are a group of like-minded people who are trying to change their long-term eating habits – plan together. You can always throw in a few things to keep ‘non-dieters’ happy.

It doesn’t need to be that way. Here are some survival strategies for you to use in these situations without avoiding BBQs completely.

Let me rewind a bit first. Picture the scene.

A cold winter day. The wood burner is blazing. Friends are awaiting our arrival for lunch. Starter, main and perhaps dessert and/or cheese. Let us assume, a 1. NEVER go out hungry – I would say main course of coq au vin, potatoes and a this of any social situation that selection of vegetables. (Vegetarian option involves food/drink. If you starve available!). Taking yourself before care to be mindful of going, all restraint our portions, perhaps goes out of the You arrived hungry and dipping out on a window with the course and moderating need some packing for first sight of food. At our alcohol intake by the wine you have been a lunch time do, being the driver. Home have your usual drinking whilst waiting and a nap. breakfast. Drink some water, coffee Now back to the scene or tea about 30 of the crime - the BBQ. minutes before leaving the house. If Hot day, refreshments, nibbles ongoing you are the host, do the same. whilst the cooking starts. A choice of salads has replaced the vegetables and 2. Be honest with your host and ask then it all starts to go crazy. them not to over cater for you or Rather than offering a choice of meat or would it be possible for you to bring chicken or fish there is suddenly a need to your own contribution to be cooked. offer everything! Perhaps pork chops, With the current price of food steak, burgers, with buns, onions, cheese, nobody wants any waste. mayo etc. Then comes sausages, kebabs 3. If you are contributing a salad or and finally some salmon. dessert, take something light that you The ‘King of the BBQ’ lit it a little late, can eat, you will be surprised how even ‘after being nagged by the wife’ or has others appreciate this too. got the timings wrong. Food comes off in stages. You start with a sausage as they 4. If there are nibbles or small snacks are the first things ready. You arrived whilst the food is cooking, ask for a hungry and need some packing for the plate. You will be able to keep a track wine you have been drinking whilst of what you are eating and how many waiting. Followed by chicken and finally times you go back. Conscious eating

7.

If you are the host, perhaps send out feelers to people about what they would like and cater accordingly.

Rather than just putting 6 of everything on to cook, even if the ‘King’ thinks it is a good idea, ask people what they would like and hold the rest back. Fresh meat can always be frozen for another time, but there is not a lot you can do with a cold burger!

The summer BBQ has always been a fun tradition and a challenge against the weather, but it does not need to be a challenge when it comes to weight loss. A little bit of planning ahead of time can make all the difference.

etcetera 25

health

Turning off Auto-pilot MINDFULNESS IS NOT A MIRACLE CURE. IT DOESN’T PROTECT YOU FROM LIFE’S PERILS OR SUDDENLY CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE. IT IS SMALL MOMENTS EACH DAY, WHERE YOU PAUSE, TURN OFF YOUR AUTOPILOT AND NOTICE YOUR WORLD

‘‘T

here seems to be much mention of mindfulness in the news young padawan. May the force be with you.’’

“It’s a mind trick master Obi Wan, part of a lucrative franchise, pay it no heed……..’’

Whilst we are all at the centre of our own ‘universe’ we are rarely (if ever) at the centre of anyone else’s, and this often leads to misunderstandings and divergent/convergent paths with others in a seemingly random and chaotic game of chance. This is all very difficult for the human mind to process with the desire of most people to find order and equilibrium from chaos.

Of course, there are no midi-chlorians to help us access a universal force for the benefit of our own health in real life.

26 etcetera

time gone or had a conversation with a We can however learn to take stock of our situation and find a measure of calm in partner who says “what have you done the maelstrom of life with a form of selftoday” to not know that answer, not able discipline familiar to to actually many and central to remember what many religions (as well you have been This is all very difficult for the as Star Wars fans): doing or have human mind to process with Mindfulness. not noticed So, what is mindfulness?

the desire of most people to find order and equilibrium from chaos

Paying attention to your own thought and feelings, Professor Mark Williams (Oxford Mindfulness Centre) says “Mindfulness means knowing directly what’s going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment”.

Have you ever been for a walk, drive, or shopping go home and said where’s that

anything or very little around you?

To be aware of things as they happen moment by moment, taking note of how you’re feeling. Sometimes thoughts can flood your mind and we find it hard to make sense of them or too many thoughts come into our head and we struggle to silence them.

health To be mindful is to immerse yourself in the ‘here and now’. To accept the situation, you are in and examine it in detail without judgement. Mindfulness will not help you straighten curly hair for example, but it will help you understand and accept your curly hair, perhaps even allowing you to consider alternatives to curly hair without undergoing feelings of anxiety or stress. The fundamental point of mindfulness is to allow yourself to become aware of the causes or sources of angst in your life by paying attention to both your mind and body in the context of daily life experiences.

and better understand your own physical and mental state.

He went on to say that when we better understand and know ourselves, we are better positioned to challenge our thoughts. We can place ourselves in a better position to manage anxiety and stress by challenging and removing unwanted or intrusive thoughts. We learn to take control of ourselves.

Acceptance is the key to change, the key to healing and the key to sustainable personal growth. Mindfulness allows us to become aware of our minds impulses and when we recognise them for what they are we can choose to observe them and let go or to notice them and let them be.

Cultivating a non-judgemental awareness of the present moment in time requires patience. An understanding that time will Practicing yoga for example, not only tell even if we cannot see it at the gives your body a workout it can help you moment. By trying to see things just as to follow your they are permits new breath, perspectives to become clear.

Cultivating a nonbreathing in Trust in yourself is essential judgemental awareness of positive and as valid as any external the present moment in time thought, healing source. Do not strive. the body as we Acceptance of yourself implies requires patience imagine the that at this moment in time you flow of oxygen are fine as you are. It is not the into our lungs and outwards to every same as not making an effort. It is simply extremity before feeding our mind. a willingness to see things as they actually are right now. To see your immediate If you’re reading this and thinking this environment with clarity, taking in what isn’t for you, just try it. If you feel you get beauty lies before your eyes. caught up in life’s troubles and feel stressed or anxious on a regular basis, Whilst recently chatting with a friend who practising mindfulness will help you deal practices hypnosis, I was eager to learn with these emotions. It allows you to see his thoughts on Mindfulness, he situations as they are, without being explained that to be in a mindful trance judgemental. If it’s a hot humid day, was very similar to hypnosis to deepen

By Jill M

artin

Jillian Martin Msc of Roots Counselling is a qualified and accredited counsellor. Jill started her counselling career in 2006 for the charity MIND & IAPT (NHS) - She is an experienced mental health practitioner and counsellor living in the Vienne

rather than thinking how uncomfortable you feel, accept that it’s summer and that summertime is hot. If you practice this daily, you will start to find that your stresses and annoyances will slowly start to dissipate. Stop preparing yourself for the worst-case scenario in any given situation, simply note what is happening, how you are feeling, don’t judge, just be.

Couples Counselling • Mental Wellbeing • Addiction Initial consultation FREE Face-to-Face or 86150 Queaux

Jill Martin MSc Counsellor Tel. 06 48 96 02 07 Email: jillm@rootscounselling.fr Siret 88116179800015

www.rootscounselling.fr

etcetera 27

health BY

MICHAEL WILLIAM PARK

Ian Scott - Coiffeur anglais

Hair designer with many years’ experience, including the Vidal Sassoon team.

My salon is based in the heart of Le Dorat in the Limousin.

19 Place Charles de Gaulle. 87210 Le Dorat

T. 06 47 43 01 66

�Covering many areas within dept 86 & 87 �32 plus years’ experience �Professional colouring and cutting services READ REVIEWS ON

!

www.facebook.com/mobilecoiffeur

Fontfaix le Haut 16260 Cellefrouin 05 45 84 91 79 / 06 47 24 34 61 www.underthelimetree.com email: nikki@underthelimetree.com

Spa days / Spa Nights: hut tub, massage + lunch / supper + b&b. Gift vouchers available.

Specialist in Hot Stones Massage, Indian Head, Reiki, Facelift Rejuvenation, Shiatsu

Chez Beautique Estheticienne/Beautician Situated near Chabanais Visit my website for full details:

chezbeautique.fr or contact me on

07 69 83 17 76 Swedish Massage Sports Massage

Reflexology Myofascial Release

EFT

siret: 85160551900012

Mobile Service from 87440

well-beingtherapies emmajhodgson@hotmail.co.uk 0656 872967 (Fr mob) 07870 667159 (UK mob)

28 etcetera

Veggie/Vegan lunches & dinners ‘pop-up’ Cooking classes with Nikki Digital Photography & Knife-making workshops with Sean

garden Cosmos, members of the daisy family, the outer petal like structures are modified flowers, the inner flowers having no petals

The Language of Flowers By Caroline Wright

Caroline has been a lecturer in horticulture for 20 years and is now running a nursery and 'garden craft' courses in the Haute-Vienne at Le jardin creatif Lejardincreatif.net

DID YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU GIVE SOMEONE FLOWERS YOU ARE PRESENTING THEM WITH A BUNCH OF REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS?!

W

hen you gaze out on a beautiful flower garden, you are looking out over a sordid scene of promiscuous activity.

are borne on the same plant such as a courgette – the female flower bearing the ovary (the young courgette) on the male flowers this structure is absent, whereas in others they are produced on separate All gardeners love flowers, and we can be plants, the plants themselves having either fooled to think that plants produce them for our benefit – in fact, they are packed male or female gender. Holly is an with highly complex example of this, it is They are packed with highly only the female that structures arranged in ingenious ways to ensure complex structures arranged will bear the berries – that successful in ingenious ways to ensure and only if there is a reproduction takes place. that successful reproduction male holly nearby to Many flowers are provide pollen. hermaphrodite, bearing A hermaphrodite flower in its simplest both the male and the female sexual form will have the ovary at its centre. organs. Some plants produce flowers with When the flower is fully open the stigma a gender, so there are two different types, will emerge, this is an extension of the one bearing the female organs the other ovary - often with a sticky flat pad at the bearing just the male organs. In some species the two different types of flowers tip – to capture the pollen that is bought

to the flower by unsuspecting insects or the wind.

Arranged around the ovary in one or several rings are the stamen, the male organs that produce the pollen from their anthers – the swellings at the tip of the filament – that burst open when ripe to disperse the pollen.

Sitting around the outside of the stamen are the petals, they play an important part in the reproductive process, enticing the insect to visit the flower by several cunning means. First, flowers produce scent - this travels far and wide on the air on a sunny day and is a signal for insects to come and collect nectar. Nectar is a sweet, sugary substance produced by the flower for the sole purpose of attracting insects. The nectar glands are usually situated down at the base of the petals so

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garden

Composite flower showing stigma protruding from the outer ring of the tiny flowers

Nectar Guides on a wild geranium

Tubular flowers of Kniphofia, some of stamen protruding tubular flowers evolved foe bee pollination

Piet Oudolf style prairie planting scheme

Stigma in the centre with a ring of ripe stamen around it

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garden

are compatible the pollen grain germinates, producing a microscopic tube (known as the pollen tube) that grows down the style and into the ovary where it inserts itself into the tiny ovules (miniature ‘eggs’ that will eventually develop into the seeds), the nucleus of the pollen grain travels down this tube and fuses with the nucleus of the ovule, this is the moment of fertilisation and from this the seed develops. Some plants have only one Many flowers are specifically adapted to ovule per ovary – for example an attract a particular insect, the wide tubular almond – where others have several flowers of the foxglove are just the right such as peas and beans, others have size for a bumble bee, the stamens many like a poppy. Each ovule situated inside the tube at the top so that requires an individual pollen grain to pollen is brushed onto the bee’s back as it develop into a seed, poor pollination enters the flower, when it visits another can lead to misshapen or undeveloped flower with a ripe stigma, the pollen is fruits. Pollination is essential for fruit transferred onto its sticky pad. Flat topped formation, if weather conditions are or domed flowers make ideal landing pads bad at the time when the pollen is ripe for butterflies, in fact all flowers in the – such as high winds daisy family are and heavy rain when composed of a whole insects are unable to These flowers may be group of many tiny fly, you will get a poor attractive to look at, but the reproductive flowers harvest. arranged on a flat disc lack of pollen and nectar Botanically speaking surrounded by sterile means that they are not good the term ‘fruit’ refers flowers posing as for the insects to the structure that petals, the tiny forms from the ovary individual flowers after fertilisation has taken place. often lacking showy petals but composed Fruits can be sweet and succulent like of tiny tubes which require a long grapes and apricots, but the term also proboscis to reach the nectar which the refers to dry fruits such as poppy seed butterflies possess. heads, and vegetables such as peas, Double flowers occur when some or all of courgettes, tomatoes, pumpkins etc. The the reproductive organs have mutated into fruits themselves have evolved all sorts of petals. These flowers may be attractive to different mechanisms to disperse the look at, but the lack of pollen and nectar seeds. For example, when you throw an means that they are not good for the apple core out of the car window on a insects, however they are good for hay country road, don’t be surprised to see an fever sufferers. apple tree growing there in a few years Once the insects have successfully time, you have been tricked into transferred the pollen from the stamen of distributing the seeds. Tomato seeds have one flower to the stigma of another, if they to pass through the digestive system of an that the insect must get right into the flower to reach it. The petals often give the insect a clue as to where to find the nectar by decorative patterning known as ‘nectar guides’ on the petals that act like a map for the insect to find the treasure. On their way into the flower the insects inadvertently brush past the stamen, taking passenger hundreds of tiny pollen grains, which are then transferred to the style of the next flower they visit.

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garden

This Month In our gardens…

By Ronnie Ogier

JULY ALREADY, WHERE IS THE YEAR GOING?! BY NOW WE HOPEFULLY WILL HAVE MORE FREEDOM TO GO OUT AND VISIT FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND ENJOY OTHER PEOPLE’S GARDENS. HOWEVER, IF THE MONTH RUNS TO THE SAME PATTERN AS IN RECENT YEARS WE WILL BE SUFFERING VERY HOT WEATHER AND POTENTIALLY, WATER SHORTAGES

B

y now the planning, preparation and planting have been done and we can enjoy the ‘fruits of our labours’. The seasonal hot weather will put different demands on our time and energy and many of our plants do require additional help by way of watering. Water is a scarce and valuable resource, but it is necessary for plant growth. This gives us an issue to balance – do we water our plants or do we conserve water?

In the height of summer some of these will need watering at least once, and sometimes, twice a day. But do not use grey water on salads or other crops which will be eaten without cooking.

Save water by watering plants correctly. Established garden plants really don’t need watering except in periods of prolonged drought, so concentrate your efforts on the more needy younger newly planted perennials.

Newly planted trees and shrubs do need I feel this is such an important topic for careful watering during the first year to consideration that I am repeating some encourage the roots to establish things I have previously written about, but themselves and for the plants to grow. also expanding on some suggestions.

Always water the roots NOT the leaves, There are several ways in which we can this way you will direct the water to where use water wisely, safely and sustainably in it is needed and lose less water through our garden. evaporation. New trees can benefit from Let’s start with water butts. These tree-watering bags which wrap around the provide a useful and valuable way of tree with small holes at the bottom for saving excess water from the winter, and water to percolate down to the roots. Use a from summer storms, to use similar in the spring and summer. method for Lots of different types and Don’t dig your garden in thirsty styles are now available vegetables the summer – firstly it’s too small ones to collect runoff and drill hot and secondly, and from a greenhouse or holes in the perhaps more importantly, polytunnel; those to attach to bottom of downpipes from guttering; digging causes water water, clean 1000litre stand-alone ones milk and fruit evaporation into the air which need filling from an juice bottles, alternative source, or sink them perhaps by collecting some rainfall into the ground next to individual plants through a large funnel in the top opening; and fill with water from the top. The water and finally, very large underground does disappear quite quickly, but it is storage systems, as one of my neighbours going to the roots of the plant. For plants has. This has been plumbed in to collect in pots, it is better to stand them in large all the rainfall that touches the house. The trays or saucers filled with water and allow only word of caution I offer is that them to absorb what they need. whichever system you prefer these butts Avoid the need to water. Don’t dig do need cleaning at least once a year, your garden in the summer – firstly it’s perhaps in the autumn before the winter too hot and secondly, and perhaps more rains arrives, to remove any build-up of importantly, digging causes water debris and pests. evaporation into the air. Keep on top of Grey water from the house, washing the weeds, they compete for water, so hoe up water, or even bath water which may regularly during the morning on a hot contain soap but must not contain any summer day and the plants dry out in the bleach. Bowls of this water can be used for sun. Fill your borders with plants; their container plants, hanging baskets and leaves will provide cover for the soil, newly planted shrubs, perennials and reduce evaporation and even give less space for weeds to grow, or at least be bedding plants that need to be kept moist.

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Ronnie is a passionate gardener and now loves sharing her years of experience of success and failures in her own garden and sharing it with you. Also a keen runner, having been bitten by the ‘Couch to 5K’ bug!

seen! Even now it’s not too late to mulch your ground – if you have your own compost that’s perfect, as it will not only prevent evaporation but also rapidly provide additional nutrients to plants and the soil. Plan ahead to mulch your garden during the ‘closed season’ when the soil is moist, this will reduce evaporation and add organic matter to the soil improving the soil’s ability to retain moisture in the hotter days. Please don’t waste water watering your lawn, or in my case green area. This does waste a lot of water and can also make the grass less resilient to drought. Take a rest from mowing, let the grass grow a bit longer and encourage deeper rooting.

Another topic I am very keen on is controlling pests the natural way, using items we have at home. Most natural remedies will repel attackers without automatically killing them and used alongside organic gardening you’ll encourage natural predators – birds, frogs and beetles, which together will fend off the worst. I’ve previously mentioned using garlic, nettles and borage so here I’ll offer a few more ideas.

Chilli pepper spray. This will reduce the populations of aphids, spider mites and whitefly by coating the eggs and preventing them from hatching. The hot, vicious sting in the taste can also deter larger potentially more destructive animals including mice, squirrels, rabbits and deer. Start spraying as soon as you can as a preventative measure, and reapply after rain. The leaves of the plants absorb the pepper spray so, unless you desire spicy lettuce avoid using it on leafy vegetables! Take a handful of fresh chillies, the hotter the better, chop or blitz and put into a 1 litre Kilner jar topped up with water. Leave for a week, strain through a muslin, then add a tablespoon of savon noir. Decant into a bottle and LABEL – as you won’t remember what it is! Use the spray neat.

Tomato leaves. Tomato leaves carry toxic alkaloids that can kill sap-sucking insects. Chop 500g of tomato leaves, steep

garden overnight in a litre of water, then strain and spray to treat aphids and red spider mite.

Happy Gardening !

Collect rain water rather than using the mains supply

Rhubarb leaves are full of oxalic acid, toxic to us and sap-sucking insects, but it can also be harmful to beneficial insects so use with care. Boil 500g of chopped leaves for half an hour, strain and spray, but only on ornamental plants!

Chemical free weed busting. This is the easy approach – put away your spade and stop digging. Turning your soil exposes annual weed seeds and encourages them to germinate. Instead cut off the heads of the weeds with a hoe.

Boiling water will scald most weeds to death almost instantly. They will grow back but it’s an easy way for a quick remedy. Mulching over cardboard deals with most weeds, over time even couch grass, ground elder and bindweed. Take off the plant’s top growth and cover the area with a double layer of cardboard.

Spread 10-15 cm of compost on top and plant. Easy as that. You may need to repeat the treatment more than once but in the end the weeds will give up. To clear an area BEFORE planting try Mexican marigold (tagetes minuta). This annual gives off powerful chemicals from its roots

Container plantings can add a splash of colour to areas in your garden

Mulching over cardboard deals with most weeds, over time even couch grass, ground elder and bindweed that ‘sort out’ potential competitors – including perennial weeds such as bindweed and ground elder. Sow under cover and plant out once it’s growing strongly. BUT take care - it will stop nearby garden plants from growing, so only use it to clear ground before planting.

Hot pepper spray is one of the go-to formulas used by organic gardeners

Having suggested this is not a hard month in the garden I’ve gone on to suggest many things you can get on with, but there is still time to sit down in the sun or under a sun umbrella, relax and think about what you could be doing. Your hard work has paid off and you probably have a garden that you’re proud of. Enjoy your garden and congratulate yourself on your success, but don’t forget to take photos so that you can remember, in the depths of winter, how good it looked in the summer! Now is a good time to order perennial plants for autumn planting and catalogues for next year’s spring-flowering bulbs, while you are sitting enjoying your garden.

Also take the opportunity to visit other gardens to get ideas. Open Gardens/Jardins Ouverts encourages gardeners to share their gardens with others and at the same time raises money for French charities supporting children and young people with life impairing illnesses and conditions. Go to our website www.opengardens.eu and see what’s opening near to you.

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farm life

Farming without Slaughter SMALLHOLDERS IN FRANCE ARE FINDING KINDER AND LESSINTENSIVE WAYS TO EARN A LIVING FROM DAIRY FARMING

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farm life

O

ne thorn in the side of dairy farmers has always been the slaughter of unproductive females and excess males.

Some females do not produce enough milk to be profitable in a high-yield dairy, and production drops off as they age, whereas only a few males are required for breeding.

Some of these excess animals may be sold off to the public, but the majority end up at the abattoir. Could it be conceivable to live in France without eating cheese?

Several goat farmers have found feasible alternatives that provide sufficient income from kinder and more sustainable farming methods.

What are the issues?

Ethically-minded farmers are not only finding ways to avoid slaughter, but task themselves with finding alternatives to damaging farming practices, such as separating kids from their mothers, crowded barns without outdoor access, high-cereal diets, environmentallydamaging practices, and loss of hardy traditional breeds.

Tamsin Cooper is a smallholder and writer with a keen interest in animal behaviour and welfare

of gestation and the start of lactation. Now he rarely has any vet bills. Having reduced his herd to 14 goats, they have plenty of grazing land, requiring minimal purchased feed. With his investment costs paid off, he can live comfortably enough by making 30 to 40 cheeses per day.

He much prefers this new way of life, and comments, ‘I no longer feel like I’m producing, but rather sharing my life with the animals and exchanging services with them.’

Artisan cheese products fetch better prices Low-intensity farming that respects goats’ needs and biology within spacious natural pastures results in a higher quality product. When farmers transform the milk into cheese themselves, they can produce a more desirable and marketable product, which attracts a higher price.

Agricultural engineer Alexandre Dupont started her dairy in Nouans les Fontaines, Indre-et-Loire, in 2011. She too breeds goats only once, when they are fully grown between two and four years old. Kids are Solutions involve an unavoidable drop in kept with their mothers until two to four production volumes due to less intensive months old, when they are weaned. Then practices, but are accompanied by families are kept together as much as methods that inherently reduce costs and possible to respect the social bonds that create higher value products. are known to exist between goats. Retired Long lactation reduces costs milkers and their neutered sons live out their natural lives on the farm, partly In 2019, Breton farmer Jean-Yves funded by charity donations but mainly Ruelloux was interviewed on France from farm income. Her view is that ‘we Culture. You can still listen to the cannot recording on their website reduce goats (see link below). For 15 to Low-intensity farming that years, he followed production conventional methods of respects goats’ needs and machines. breeding high-yield dairy biology within spacious natural They are goats every year. Not only pastures results in a higher really did this make for hard work individuals quality product during and after the kidding with needs season, it pained him to send and their male kids to the own slaughterhouse every year and to hear the personalities. They are living, sensitive distress of their mothers as they left. He beings, and we cannot ignore this on the noticed how milk production quickly pretext of milk or meat production.’ dropped after the third year, resulting in females being sent to the abattoir from as Alternative markets allow lower yields young as four years old.

Another way to increase value from a On hearing of a 15-year-old goat that lower output is to change your market or continued to produce milk after kidding product. Some farmers choose rare breeds only once, he wondered if this would work to combine conservation efforts with with his herd. He started by not breeding a distinctive products. These goats generally few lactating females one autumn and yield less milk, but of richer quality. This found that they came back into milk the richness provides a greater yield of cheese following spring. It was such a success that or soap. Traditional breeds and outdoor he has only bred each nanny-goat once forage provide distinct flavours since 2005. He has seen little reduction in and qualities. overall annual yield. One of his goats, in Valérie Corrège and François Garnier her eighth year of lactation, produces up to wanted to help save the threatened breed 4.8 litres per day, totalling around 900 ‘Chèvre de Massif Central’ in the Cévennes litres per year, which exceeds the regional mountains of Lozère, while sticking to average of 720 litres per year. Some of his strict ethical principles. To allow mothers goats have continued producing for 12 to raise their own kids, they remain years and are now enjoying their together full time until kids are six weeks retirement on the farm. old. Then kids sleep overnight in a stall Using traditional methods, his main within the maternal enclosure, so that veterinary costs were due to birth mothers can be milked before the kids problems and issues that arise at the end rejoin them. Valérie explains, ‘goats have a

By Tam s

www.goatwriter.com in Coop er

highly hierarchical social structure which is organised in families: we respect that, so we don’t separate kids from their mothers.

Obviously, that yields less milk (since the kids suckle until eight months old)—it’s difficult financially, but we don’t want to do otherwise. Another example: within a herd there are always some obsolete goats who give very little milk or not at all. It doesn’t matter: they are here; we keep them, and no-one is going to the slaughterhouse.’

When producing cheese, the farm needed a lot of milk, so they switched to making high-quality organic soaps, which requires less volume. As females breed less often, male kids find homes as pets, landscape grazers or breeders, and retired females stay on the farm.

This herd follows an ancient pastoral tradition of daily outings up into the mountains. The goats are taken out whenever the weather is good to browse the seven kilometres of isolated wild valley of mainly chestnut and oak. When conditions are right, the goatherds slip away secretively, leaving the goats to browse free range. Here they slip seamlessly into the stunning natural landscape (you can experience it yourself from their shepherd’s cabin www.airbnb.com/rooms/18422417).

Multiple solutions These are by no means the only examples.

Organic ‘AB’ or ‘Nature et Progrès’ labels encourage ecologically-sound and higher welfare practices. Many producers aim higher than the label standards, and I would recommend a visit to the farm or their website to discover their priorities.

More and more are finding ways to respect our growing understanding of farm animal sentience, while providing a basic income and a happier, healthier life for themselves and their herds.

Sources: ▪ Jean-Yves Ruelloux’s radio interview: www.franceculture.fr/emissions/lespieds-sur-terre/changer-le-monde-34se-relier-aux-animaux-delevage ▪ Alexandre Dupont: www.lafermedescroqepines.com ▪ Valérie Corrège/Sorène: boutique.chevrerie-sorene.fr

etcetera 37

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angling

HOLIDAY SEASON AT THIS TIME OF YEAR OUR RANKS ARE USUALLY SWELLED BY THE ARRIVAL OF HOLIDAYMAKERS AND AFTER THE RECENT EVENTS MANY OF US WILL BE AGAIN WELCOMING FRIENDS AND RELATIONS.

By Clive Kenyon

I

covered with the formalities of obtaining a licence to fish, Carte de Pêche, in last month’s article. This month we can look at places to fish where our friends and family can practise the noble art of angling.

The first place to look is the website of your departmental fisheries office. You can find this quite easily by typing the word “pêche” followed by the departmental number into your favourite search engine. From the home page follow the links to Parcourse de Pêche to find the official fishing locations. These are easily accessible areas alongside lakes or rivers where you will usually find picnic tables and other amenities as well as areas suitable for disabled anglers.

Fishing in France is more laissez-faire than in the UK and in most cases fishing is possible anywhere except where specifically prohibited by signage. In many cases if you can safely access a river bank or public lake then you will be able to fish there just with a CdP. For bait and things that might be missing from your tackle box you can find some basic items of tackle in supermarkets and some bricos. For specialist baits and tackle then look up the larger chains such as Pacific Pêche or Decathlon. Also consider mail order with companies like Pecheur.com or Amorces Brand for bulk or specialist baits. On the subject of baits; remind any visitors from the UK that post Brexit rules have resulted in angler’s baits being confiscated by French Customs officials. New regulations prevent many baits being imported to France.

Except in specific locations night fishing is not allowed and where night fishing is allowed it is usually marked with signs saying ‘Carpe de Nuit’. Night fishing can only be carried out using cereal baits, i.e. boilies and pellets, not fish baits.

In the event of an emergency use sweetcorn or Frolics dog biscuits. You will catch just as much as if you were using the latest Milk Protein / HNV / TutiFruity / Chocolate / Squid / Monster Crab Boilie / Pellet / Pop-up / Wrap* * delete as appropriate Mullet At this time of year mullet can be found in most French tidal rivers and harbours.

They tend to arrive in coastal waters around the end of May in the southern parts of the Côte Sauvage, as the Atlantic is called, and a few weeks later in northern parts including Brittany and Normandy. The nearest places to fish for this enigmatic species are in the rivers and drains around Marans in CharenteMaritime where mullet can be found in the many drains and canals surrounding the town and also in the town centre itself.

that I have discovered for canal mullet is to look for a weed raft or overhanging cover such as under trees, and feed small pieces of bread so that some rest in or against weeds on the surface and other small pieces sink through the weeds.

Once the fish are seen to be feeding on the bread introduce your hook bait.

Fishing bread flake on size 12 hook set 30cm under a small float is a good method. Also try free lining bread just on the edge of a weed raft by casting beyond the weed then drawing your bait back so the bread is touching the weed and your line lays across the top of it.

Marans is an inland port much like Boston in Lincolnshire and the surrounding area was reclaimed from the sea by monks in the same way that East Anglia was drained. The town quay in Marans was built using stones that had arrived from Mullet are known for Canada as being exasperatingly ballast in ships Fishing in France is more difficult to catch, but bringing furs laissez-faire than in the UK sometimes they throw from the French and in most cases fishing is away the rule books and Dominion. At fall to anglers fishing possible anywhere except Marans the ledgered baits for carp ships loaded where specifically prohibited and bream. You never with heavier by signage know your luck and cargoes - grain, should you need any help salt and wine in fishing for mullet so discarded the stones they had used as there are guides employed by the ballast on the incoming voyage. These commune at Marans. You can find details stones were then used to build the Quai on the town’s website. de Cheveux or Quay of Hair (Fur).

A canal links the town with La Rochelle and this canal as well as mullet also holds carp as heavy as Walker’s record, tench and rudd. Night fishing is allowed along its fishable stretches. There is also another canal just outside the nearby town of Marennes in an area called Le Lindron that is renowned for mullet and carassin, a small carp that resemble crucians but are more likely to be hybrids of goldfish, gibel carp and crucians.

Whatever their parentage they provide good sport.

Mullet can often be seen cruising just under the surface of the water like grey ghosts. They have white lips and their pectoral fins are situated higher than most fish making them resemble flying fish. Their diet is mainly small crustaceans and weed. Their digestive tract is one of the longest of any fish in order to be able to process this meagre diet. If mullet have a weakness it is in bread. They love bread! The best tactic

Talking of mullet; I read on a French fishing forum that grey mullet had been spotted in the River Loire at Saumur which can be found just downstream of the confluence with the river Vienne. That is around 200km from the Loire’s mouth at Saint-Nazaire. Incredibly these fish are known to ascend The Loire as far upstream as Gien, over 400km from the sea. Normally mullet will be found in saline waters although in winter they do tolerate fresh water if it is warmer than salt water. In some Mediterranean rivers they can be found above waterfalls that by nature must be 100% fresh water. But 400km inland? I am still trying to get my head around it.

For real mullet head-cases the European Mullet Championship is to be held locally at L’Etang de la Naute in Champagnat near Aubusson on 26th June where France will defend their title from all comers. This is nothing to do with fishing but promises to be a hair raising event.

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free time

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free time

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nature

A pair of Scarlet Macaws flying in open woodland. You can see how "flying rainbows" is an apt description!

A close view of a male Peacock in full display. Most of his colours, including the blue of his head and neck, are produced by diffraction of light A Flamingo with plumage rich in carotenoid-derived pink pigment. Very much in good breeding condition!

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nature

Flying

By Mik

e Geo r ge

Mike George is our regular contributor on wildlife and the countryside in France. He is a geologist and naturalist, living in the Jurassic area of the Charente

THAT WAS WHAT MY OLD FRIEND DON RISDEN USED TO CALL THE MACAWS THAT REGULARLY FLEW OVER HIS BIRD-GARDEN IN SOMERSET

A

nd startlingly colourful they were. But why should birds – or any animals, come to that – go to the trouble of adding colour to their bodies?

For be assured, there must be a reason for it. Colour – any colour – represents an expenditure of valuable energy from the creature’s metabolic quota, and therefore must confer an advantage. What can that be?

The natural colour of a bird’s feather is white, and indeed some birds are content to be white and seem able to exist in that state. However, the most common colour we see in birds and indeed most animals is brown. Brown in nearly every instance is provided by a substance called melanin.

This is a pigment that occurs in almost all animals to a greater or lesser extent.

Humans are particularly aware of its effects. There are several types of melanin, but the two that concern humans the most are eumelanin, which is dark brown to black, and pheomelanin, which imparts yellowish or reddish colours to tissue and hair.

Ebony and ivory ...

Eumelanin is the pigment that makes black people black and whose near-absence makes white people white. In fact, the concentration of melanin in human skin is increased by exposure to ultraviolet tight, which accounts for suntan in whiteskinned races (although black skin tans, too). It is also melanin that gives a brown colour to the iris of the eye – its absence allows blue and grey irises to show those colours.

Why and how the split between black and white-skinned humans came about is still something of a mystery. The presence of melanin is generally considered to be a protective mechanism to reduce damage to the exposed tissue, but it also prevents ultraviolet light from producing vital Vitamin D in our bodies, which is the only way humans have of making that vitamin in their own bodies.

Of course, in humans, as in other creatures, the concentration and distribution of eumelanin produces varying shades from light brown to black.

However, apes (our nearest animal relatives) have light-coloured skin under their abundant hair, so the melanin content of human skin seems to be linked to our abandonment of hair.

Eumelanin also accounts for hair-colour in such hair as humans have left. Very low melanin concentration gives blonde hair, while brunettes are more liberally supplied with the pigment. However, the production of melanin in hair decreases with age, which is why we turn grey as we reach later life. Redheads owe their colour to pheomelanin.

Why are there so many little brown birds?

that look like melanosomes (the structures in cells that produce melanin), and even of melanin granules, in feathers that were attached to birds as far back as the Jurassic period 180 million years ago. The thoughtprovoking thing is that there is evidence that some dinosaurs may have had feathers, and indeed some of the feathers studied may have come from dinosaurs.

Does this have implications for their appearance?

Surely there are other colours as well?

Certainly there are. In fact, melanin is by no means the only pigment that can be added to feathers and hair. The class of pigments called carotenoids impart red, pink and yellow colours. Carotenoids are only produced by plants; no animal can make them, but must get them by eating plants (berries, seeds, leaves etc.) or by eating animals that have themselves fed on plants.

As far as birds are concerned, there seems little point in patterning the feathers with brown, but in fact there are two good evolutionary reasons to do it. One is concealment. A white bird is very visible if it is in most land environments. Those A feather coloured dark birds that are brown or black by melanin For example, certain shrimps predominantly white that feed on carotenoidtend to be watertends to be stronger than containing algae are in turn birds, high-flying a non-coloured feather eaten by Flamingos and birds and birds that Roseate Spoonbills. These live in snow. The rest, those that live in birds transfer the pigment into their forests, open country, rocky and stony feathers. It has been found that places etc., tend to go for brown to reduce parenthood will deprive a female Flamingo their contrast with their surroundings. Or of its pink pigment (probably drained as a at least, the females do. It is noticeable that source of energy) and the Flamingo cannot bright colours are in many cases the breed again until she has regained her pink preserve of the male bird. The females tend colour, which requires about a year. to be surprisingly low-key in their choice Male Flamingos are not attracted to of colour. white females!

The other advantage that melanin confers is strength. A feather coloured dark brown or black by melanin tends to be stronger than a non-coloured feather, and also some 40% more resistant to abrasion. This may well be why, whatever the colour of the rest of the bird, the flight-feathers are often dark brown or black, since they take most stress and move through the dusty, abrasive air most rapidly.

Melanin in feathers is apparently nothing new. Of the fossil feathers that are coming out of the fossil-beds of China, which in some cases preserve specimens in incredible detail, scanning microscope studies have revealed traces of structures

Two other groups of pigments are met with in birds: porphyrins and psittacins. These are predominantly red and yellow.

Porphyrins occur mainly in the Turaco birds of Africa, whose startling red underwing patches flash through the deepest jungle when the bird takes flight.

They are also the only dye family that can produce a green colouration.

Psittacins, as the name suggests, are mainly found in the parrot family, and among other things are responsible for the astounding red of the Scarlet Macaw.

All of the above are pigments that colour the feather or hair like a dye. Dyes work by

etcetera 43

nature

A Broad-billed Hummingbird displays his iridescent breast-feathers.

The Magnificent Bird of Paradise (Diphyllodes magnificus) of Papua New Guinea. This male is fully displaying his iridescent blue tail plumes.

This Robin looks adorable to us, but he is actually in threatening mode. His red breast is saying, "I'm fully grown up. Come on if you think you're hard enough!"

A male Pheasant in full breeding plumage displays before a rather less colourful (but better camouflaged) female.

The startling blue panels on the European Magpie's wing owe their colour to light interference

Sparrows rely on their pigment colouring for camouflage (using counter-shading - dark above, pale below) and to strengthen their plumage

44 etcetera

nature

This Australian Rainbow Lorikeet is replenishing his supply of red and yellow pigment by eating flower buds containing carotenoids

absorbing certain wavelengths of light and reflecting others, thereby colouring the feather. The alert among you will have noticed something missing. I have not mentioned blue. That is because there is no dye available that can be metabolised to produce a blue colour in either a bird or an animal.

“What?”, I hear you cry. “There is blue everywhere in the bird world. The Magpie’s wing is blue, so is the Jay’s. Even the little top-knot on the Blue-tit that pinches my milk is blue. And then there’s the Kingfisher. You’re having a laugh!”

Structural colour

zones on the plumage of these birds that some can direct the colours towards their paramour and away from prying eyes elsewhere.

By careful arrangement, many different colours can be produced by the structural technique (as in any good opal) but for the most part, they are used to replace the missing blue – and, of course, green, which is made by shining the blue structural colour through a yellow pigment – probably the most complex way of producing a colour in the animal kingdom!

This even works in humans. If the iris of your eye is blue, that is because it is unpigmented and a structural effect is producing blue. Other iris colours owe their presence to melanin, swamping or altering the blue colour

The thing about blue, which I agree is abundant in the bird world, is that it is produced by a totally different process to the other colours. Pigments absorb all but Insects tend to use these structural colours a few wavelengths of light, which they to good effect. The tiny blue butterflies that reflect. Structural colours destroy the charm us throughout wavelengths they do not want and refract out only If the iris of your eye is blue, the summer months owe their colour to a single wavelength, that is because it is unstructures in their though that may vary. pigmented and a structural scales, as do the great The effect is produced by Blue Morpho effect is producing blue structures in the feathers butterflies of South that are on a size-scale America. The iridescent green of the Rose that is hard to imagine. They are of the Chafer beetle is due to a yellow dye colour order of the size of the wavelength of light through which shines a blue structural itself, and are measured in nanometres colour. In fact, there have been instances of (ηm), which are one thousand millionth of fossil beetles found that have retained their a metre (10-⁹ m). They cannot be seen, but iridescence over millions of years. their effects can. At that size-scale they can What about Woad? interfere with the light, causing one wavelength to be reflected in phase and Strangely, as far as is known no vertebrate thus strengthened, while the other creature has a pigmented blue colouration. wavelengths interfere with each other and Where it seems to appear it is usually in are destroyed. They do this either by fact a form of grey contrasting with having layers of different refractive power another colour. The Ancient Britons are in a sandwich which acts like an oil-layer reputed to have coloured themselves with a on water reflecting colour (layer-colour), or preparation of the plant Woad (Isatis they can be tiny particles of different tinctoria) which started off yellow-green optical power arranged in patterns that and oxidised to indigo-blue on exposure to scatter the wavelengths of light, rather like the air. No less an authority than Julius an opal does (scatter-colour).

Caesar mentions this in his account of the invasion of Britain in 55 BC. The woad dye These structural colours are recognisable is a strong anti-inflammatory, and may as they become more intense the more have been intended as a protection against strongly the light shines. In a dark the pain and infection of wounds. These environment like a jungle, structural days a blue colouration is a serious dangercolours tend to be muted, but pigmented signal, as it indicates that oxygen is not colours can still be seen clearly. For this reaching the blueing tissue. reason, the Birds of Paradise of the islands around Borneo and New Guinea have to But what is all this colour for? find sunlit spots to perform their displays, As we can see, the energy expenditure in so that their colours, most of which are producing colour can be considerable, and structural, may be seen to best advantage. in birds, generally speaking it is the male Indeed, so finely-tuned are the colour-

who makes the greater expenditure. Where striking colour and display are concerned the idea is simply to prove to one or more females that he is the strongest and, genetically, the best choice. His colours are best, his stamina is high and he will produce the best chicks. After mating, his job is often finished, so if his colourful display leads to his falling victim to a predator, it is not a loss as far as his continued line is concerned. The female, who is to raise the brood, is protected by her relative drabness. Where the two parents are involved in raising the brood, and the absence of either will be detrimental, both tend to be lower-key in appearance.

Sometimes the colours are a warning. The red breast on Robins, coloured by carotenoids derived from berries, marks them out as aggressive defenders of their rights and territory. The size of the red patch increases with age, showing newcomers that this is a successful and an experienced old-stager.

Among invertebrates, bright warning colours can indicate a species that is toxic or otherwise harmful. Once a predator has learned the reason for the warning, he will avoid the prey. One clever trick that other less harmful species can try is to mimic the warning in the hope of borrowing the safety.

But of course, colour is only of use to you if you and your fellow-creatures can see it.

Birds, and many invertebrates, have a very strong colour-vision – in many cases covering an even greater range of wavelengths than can our eyes – so colour is very important to them for sending messages, creating confusion, defending themselves and so forth. Mammals, generally speaking, have poorer colourvision, so colour is less important to them.

Humans and some apes have evolved good colour vision, possibly because it proved an advantage in recognising ripe fruit among the leaves, and this enables us to enjoy, as a bonus, the colours used by other creatures.

This is a complicated subject, and I have only skimmed the surface. Much is not fully understood, and a great number of questions remain unanswered. A lot of good work is done by amateur observation of behaviour. So enjoy the beauty, and keep your eyes peeled.

etcetera 45

astronomy Claire Wardlaw, originally from Edinburgh, lives in the Charente with her husband. Since their move nearly 6 years ago, Claire has become passionate about astronomy.

By Clair Wardla e w

The Night Sky Join us Facebook group Astronomy and Astrophotography France We’re very excited to have started up this group, a place to share experiences of the night sky in France, for English-speaking residents.

46 etcetera

astronomy LET’S GET OUTSIDE AND LOOK UP AT THE NIGHT SKY!

N

ow that we have, it seems, more and more of our normal freedoms returning to us, July is a month when the special astronomy event 'On the Moon Again' will be able to happen once more around the world and - regulations allowing - here in my own village in the Charente too. The nights will be lengthening a little again this month, which is always welcome for those of us who stargaze. One of the most easily found features of the summer skies - 'The Summer Triangle' - is stunning and very prominent throughout the summer months. Find out more details of where and how to see it below. Looking towards the north and south it is still possible to view much of our Milky Way as it stretches out through the constellations of Perseus, Cepheus, Cygnus, Aquila and Sagittarius.

During a warm summer evening, catch four of our planetary neighbours - Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - as they orbit our star.

is not very bright at the moment, but from the 11th to the 13th it may be easier to find as it will be very close to Venus as they rise from around 11pm. The bright and beautiful Venus shining away at magnitude -3.9 is also known as the Evening Star. Venus will be outshining Mars by 200 times. A thin crescent Moon and the star Regulus will also be close by.

Jupiter, the gas giant, and Saturn will be seen rising in the south east from around 11pm. The Moon can be observed passing close by these planets from the 24th (when it will be full) to the 25th.

Meteor Showers

Meteor activity will be increasing in July as a few minor annual showers return to our night skies. The Capricornids will be active throughout the month, peaking towards the end of July. Although it only has an hourly rate of about 5 it can often produce very bright fireballs. They can be slow, yellow and blue meteors. The famous Perseid shower begins later in the month, #On the Moon Again 21 around the 16th -23rd and lasts through to the last week of August. This is a very In July 1969 man took his first step on the active shower with perhaps 90 meteors per Moon. In 2019, to celebrate the 50th hour. There can be many bright meteors anniversary of this with trails so I astounding part of our This apparent change of think I will be history, the first #onthemoonagain was direction is caused by our view of setting up my launched and was enjoyed by the planets from Earth as our cameras to try and 'catch' a few hundreds of thousands of speed of orbit changes our line of throughout the people attending more than sight over the course of the year night. (I will 1300 events in 77 countries. make a wish if I This year #onthemoonagain see any!) The Moon will be bright during is back. It will be an opportunity for these dates but it is still possible to .....' stargazers young and old to look through catch a falling star'! a telescope and wonder at the stunning details of our natural satellite. On the 16th, Object of the Month: 17th and 18th of July, many astronomers The Summer Triangle throughout the world, myself included, This month brings the asterism known as will be setting up telescopes and looking 'The Summer Triangle' back to through binoculars to share the Moon with prominence in our night skies. It is called the public. If you have never looked at an asterism as it is made up of three stars the Moon through a telescope, this is from three different constellations. Firstly, a great opportunity. It is a truly stunning Vega in the constellation of Lyra. It is the sight. To search for events near you or, for 5th brightest star and is 26 lighta warmer, indoor experience of the 24 years from Earth. Next we have Denab hour Lunar Marathon, go to the which is in Cygnus. This is the 19th website www.onthemoonagain21.org. brightest star and 1,500 light-years away.

The Moon and Planets this month And thirdly there is Altair in the constellation of Aquila which is the 12th The month of July begins with a last brightest star and 16.8 light-years from us. quarter Moon. The New Moon will be on It is amazing to me that we see them as a the 10th and as always the days either side linked pattern in our skies while in reality of this will be the very best for making the they are so very far apart. The Summer most of the many other objects in our Triangle can be found after dark by skies. The 16th, 17th and 18th will see the locating Cygnus, or 'The Swan' as it travels Moon entering its first quarter phase. almost overhead from the north east These are the dates mentioned above when towards the south through a brightening the #onthemoonagain events will offer Milky Way. The tail of the swan is marked some spectacular views of many Moon by the star Denab and the head of the swan details. The Full Moon will be on the 24th.

by Albireo. Once you have located the stars In the early morning of the 7th a thin of the triangle it is possible to 'starhop' crescent Moon will be seen close to from there to many other constellations in Mercury low in the east north east just before sunrise. Mars (The Planet of War) our summer sky. It is one of the first

things I look for when I head outside on a warm evening as it helps me to orientate myself. It is also like seeing an old friend again. As the summer triangle and the swan arrive in our skies it is a real marker of the seasons moving from spring to summer. As they continue on their journey towards the south this marks the move from summer to autumn.

Shining a Light on Astronomy Jargon: Retrograde Motion If you observe the position of a planet over the course of a few nights it will seem to move further east compared to the position of the stars. At various times through the year the planets will seem to change direction and move in a westerly direction... before heading east again. This is known as 'Retrograde Motion'. This baffled ancient astronomers for many years. I have found it tricky to get my head round, I must admit. It was, however, brilliantly and simply explained to me while watching Episode 1 of the recent (lovely!) Brian Cox series 'Adventures in Space and Time' on BBC 2. I recommend a look at it. All he used to explain this planetary magic was a stick and some stones! As Brian said, this apparent change of direction is caused by our view of the planets from Earth as our speed of orbit changes our line of sight over the course of the year.

Constellation of the Month: Sagittarius Sagittarius or 'The Archer' is to be found towards the south during this month and sits in a beautiful bright area of the Milky Way. When looking towards the boundary between this constellation and Scorpius you are gazing at a point which marks the very centre of our Milky Way. Within this area it may be that scientists will discover a supermassive black hole.

Sagittarius (Sgr) is ranked 15th in size and covers 867 degrees of the sky. It was one of 48 to be named by the ancient astronomer Ptolemy around AD 150.

Because the Milky Way is so rich with stars here it can be a little difficult to identify this large constellation, or to recognise an archer but you can spot more easily a 'Teapot'! The teapot asterism is easy to find and the star Nunki helps to form the teapot's handle. Nunki is one of the main stars of the archer's body. The star Gamma Sagittarii is the spout of the teapot.

Sagittarius is rich with nebulae and star clusters. With binoculars and clear dark skies it may be possible to observe The Lagoon Nebula, also known as M8 and one of the largest nebulae in the sky. It will appear as an oval, grey shape with a brighter area to one side. The dark lagoon area of dust can be viewed using a larger telescope. 'The Sagitarius Star Cloud' or M24 is a rich starfield appearing three times the width of a full Moon. I have found this with binoculars in the past and it is a really beautiful part of the Milky Way .

etcetera 47

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Why Chimneys Smell Bad in the Summer

By Kris Jenningtian s

Kristian of Jennings Chimney Sweeping specializes in Chimney problem diagnosis and is a member of the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps

AS THE WARMER WEATHER ARRIVES, OUR FIRES GO OUT. WE EMPTY THE ASH PAN FOR THE LAST TIME, RELOCATE OUR KINDLING AND FORGET ABOUT THE PLACE WE’VE BEEN HUDDLING ROUND FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

F

or some of you, this may be the time that your chimney starts to smell a bit.

I should start by saying a smelly chimney isn’t common place and can almost certainly be rectified by hiring a qualified chimney sweep to find out what’s really going on. Here are 5 reasons why your chimney might smell over the summer: 1. Creosote and soot There is no way to completely prevent creosote and soot deposits from forming in your chimney.

Soot, as most people know, is the black or brown powdery substance made of unburnt carbon particles and ash. It is easily removed but can build up over time.

Creosote can be dry and brittle, thick and flaky, bubbly and black or can even glaze over to become tar and comes from cooled and condensed wood smoke.

These substances build up over time and should be removed at least once a year to keep your chimney in good working condition, to reduce the risk of fire and to prevent sooty oders and smells like a barbeque gone bad.

2. Moisture Moisture can enter your chimney either as rain water if your chimney is upcapped or from condensation. Moisture in the chimney doesn’t only cause undesirable smells but when water and creosote react, an acidic slurry is formed which could corrode your liner or eat away at the

mortar in your chimney. All chimneys, even decommissioned ones should be ventilated and should be capped to protect them from the elements.

3. Negative air pressure

fire to burn, it requires sufficient oxygen, in fact all open fires and almost all woodburners require an air vent to be installed into the room with the fire for this exact reason.

5. Nests and pests During the winter, your chimney benefits from a natural draw caused by an It’s no secret that some animals love to imbalance in temperature between your build their homes inside chimneys. Many home and the cold air outside. Any light of you may have experienced a sparrow debris will be lifted up and out of your tapping on your stove glass asking to be let chimney, never to be seen again. In the out. Some of you may have had twigs summer however, this imbalance is appear in your fireplace only to find that a switched, causing the Jackdaw has decided to natural draw of the nest and become your new chimney to work against Any home improvements housemate. A few of you you. This is often solved you’ve made could lead may even have been by assuring sufficient unlucky enough to host a to complications with ventilation into the wasp or a bees nest in your room, which any room your chimney chimney. Droppings left by hosting a chimney these visitors or the should have anyway. remains of a nest can all be quite smelly.

If you suspect your chimney 4. Home improvements is being used by someone (or something) Following on from the point above, any other than yourselves, ask your home improvements you’ve made could professional chimney sweep for advice or lead to complications with your chimney. I to come and have a look. occasionally receive phone calls from All of these issues will often be identified homeowners explaining that all of a during your annual chimney sweep. Your sudden, their woodburner is behaving qualified sweep will most likely equip differently and is struggling to light. The themselves with the latest chimney first question I ask is “have you installed camera equipment to see exactly what is double glazing recently?”. Home happening inside your chimney. Seeing improvements, such as weatherising, and knowing what is happening inside installing extractor fans (even in other your chimney is paramount to safety as rooms) or even installing a new roof can although chimney sweeps are lucky, we all affect the way in which air can enter don’t take risks. and moves around your home. For your

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world that may not normally get coverage’. to France. So, that’s not really that much Read into that what you will. If your Freesat use. Another seller is Currys/PC World, An hasn’t increasing amount TVs have a to box picked it up, of donew a ‘Freesat scan’ who also don’t deliver here. satellite tuner alreadylist. built into them. get the latest channel This means that you do not need to use a STUART Don’t forget your ‘red button’. you have a seperate satellite receiver (SkyIfbox, And, it’s still not the same as Freeview.

WALLACE Sky box or a Freesat then whilst on Freesat box etc) for receiver UK TV reception.

You BBC red button will channels know if ityou has can onepress by a) the looking for THE FRENCH HOUSE on your remote control. Sometimes it’ll only DVB-S on the specifications or, more A little late to the party, as I wasn’t likely, looking to seeCeefax if it has a give youb)a by barely updated service. but unless the after dish is rusty or warped, notified until last month’s articlethen had threaded other male connection to However, times it willpoint have next live events the chances are it’ll been submitted, butbeatfine. present, there are the traditional aerialfrom socket.

If it as sports orpush evenfitaction events uly? Already? I’ve only just put away the such no new domestic (satellite And finally, pleaseTooway remember that I’ve has, you’re good to go.They are sometimes like Glastonbury.

For those of you with a electric blanket! Maybe that’s why I’m internet) activations.

This isindue to the moved.

I’m no longer based Dept 87 so a little less user friendly than something generic FTA receiver, don’t worry, whilst fact that Beamthe 15, so hot in bed (snigger)? Anyway, I hope this have changed like a Freesat box, but which finds you well and hopefully able to get out you can’t press the red areas Icovers cover. our I’m now you canyou’ll create a the button, find entire region of Hello and welcome.

How are you all and about a bit more. Add to the fact it’s Whilst you can’t press the on the Deux-Sèvres favourites list to make same streams France, is at border full doing?

Well,for I hope.

Surviving still difficult people to come the andheat visit and Vendée so life easier. Do not the be red button, you’ll find the somewhere within capacity.

If you have and the requirement to wear from the continuing UK means it could be a perfect for many of you, I’m a told you have to buy a same streams somewhere list of your Tooway system, you (if masks? I’ve actually told that see summer!

Don’t let mybeen mother-in-law no longer your man seperate receiver box, downloaded channels. within the list of your may well have noticed wearing a mask makes me She more attractive. this.

Actually, don’t worry. can’t read.

I ever was). If you live you don’t. it slower I’m not sure if that's in a '50 Shades of downloaded channels Don’t forget that if you inrunning 87, 23, 19, 16 or 24 No matter the season, Freesat is not the during the lockdown Grey' scenario, or, more likely, it’s an purchase a property with then please call one of same asStill, Freeview. and subsequent insult.

I don’t care. I’ve got thick aThe satellite dishFreesat+ already receivers in place, you the other satellite TV firms who advertise new 4K (the ones school holidays. Business tariffs remain skin.

Which guess, is another Did you knowI that Freesat offersdownside a channel probably don’t need tonow change it. Many in etcetera. If you live in 79 or the north or that record stuff) are available from available but these cost more money and to my‘SportyStuffTV’? features. called No? Me neither people like to have a new dish but often it’s very west of dept 86 then I’m happy to help Amazon UK. However, they won’t deliver until recently. According to Freesat, the really not necessary. If it’s been there a long if I can. The full list of areas I cover is detailed in my advert. channel ‘highlights sports from around the time then maybe it might need a new LNB,

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All other aspects of building, joinery, dampproofing & timber treatment still available

Tom Turnbull

ODD JOB TOM 1 HOUR RADIUS 86400 CHAMPNIERS Siret 8423761 3900015

Pool Maintenance - Tree Felling & Stump Grinding Grass Cutting & Odd Jobs - Garden Machinery Repairs Antique Clocks Maintenance - Car Mechanics

T. 05 49 87 84 52 / 06 85 98 24 76 Email: tturnbull80@yahoo.com

Read the digital version every month

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artisans

H TAYLOR KEITARTISAN

Petits travaux du Batiment

Stuart F Park Painter Decorator

Depts 79, 16 & 86

Javarzay 79110 Chef-Boutonne

Building - Renovation - Carpentry

Siret: 489 199 661 00013

Painting, Tiling, Wallpaper hanging all types of decorating undertaken Confolens 16 and area 25 years experience.

Fully qualified stone mason with 25 years’ experience

House Renovations • Barn Conversions Roofing • Masonry • General Building Competitive rates, high quality & reliable workmanship guaranteed

Contact 05.45.85.78.30 / 06.04.49.04.10 stuart.park@hotmail.fr

T. 05 17 30 18 35 / 06 33 85 65 66 Email: ktaylor.renovations@gmail.com www.ktrenovations.com Siret: 478 608 105 00029

AC Kitchens & Bathrooms

Imajica Joinery

Charente / Haute-Vienne / Vienne Specialist Fitter, over 15 years’ experience PLUMBING - CUSTOM WORKTOP FITTING - CARPENTRY TILING - WOOD & LAMINATE FLOORING - DESIGN SERVICE

Free quotes

Superior finish in wood Tiling - Plasterboarding - Flooring Door & window fitting - Kitchen fitting

www.ackitchens.fr

Email: antschapman1971@gmail.com 05 17 36 17 74 or 05 55 48 27 17 / Mobile: 06 40 08 08 81 Siret 834026437 00022

05 49 87 09 63 Siret: 48115588500017

ADRIAN AMOS SPECIALIST CARPENTER/JOINER BESPOKE JOINERY & RENOVATIONS DOORS-SHUTTERS-STAIRS-FLOORINGKITCHENS FULLY EQUIPPED WORKSHOP & 40 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE LOTS OF SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR REQUIREMENTS REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

05 45 31 14 58 / 06 63 20 24 93 adrian.luke.amos@gmail.com SIRET : 508 248 747 000 18

ARCHITECT Siret. 500 835 189 000 16

John Hartie B.Arch. A.R.I.A.S, R.I.B.A ORDRE des ARCHITECTES no. 073326 Based in La Rochefoucauld for over 12 years 14 Rue des Bans 16110 La Rochefoucauld T: 05 45 91 73 90 / 06 81 90 18 87 Email: john.hartie@orange.fr Eco-Buildings - New Build Renovations - Barn Conversions GLEN VINEY

Plasterer

With over 20 years’ experience (8 in France)

Monique PEYNAUD

French Architectural Designer

Plasterboarding; stud work; rail; skimming boards existing walls; rendering; floor screeding; tiling floors and walls

Permis de construire Déclaration préalable

T: 06 45 18 86 10 Email: anitaviney1@btinternet.com

monique@dessinarchi.fr www.dessinarchi.fr

Decennale insured

Siret 527 736 326 00010

06 30 91 81 84

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section artisans

M C SCAFFOLDING Siret: 80025145600011

Steve’s property maintenance

Full English Scaffolding Service

ALL TYPES OF ROOFING, RENOVATIONS, CONVERSIONS, PLASTERING, STUD WALLS, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS

Safe, secure, adaptable. Meets all safety regs.

Covered by full public liability insurance.

Delivered, erected, and dismantled Over 20 years’ experience. Free Quotes.

FULLY INSURED

T. 05 55 50 52 02 E: lowe.steven@orange.fr

Depts 16, 87, part 24, 17, 79 & 86 Day: 07 85 44 26 66 / Eve: 05 45 66 49 87 martin.clare6@gmail.com

Siret 84223310800013

BUILDING / MULTI SERVICE

Troy Davey

All aspects of building work undertaken: 3 Renovations 3 Barn Conversions 3 Plasterboarding / Plastering 3 Brick/Blockwork/Stonework/Repointing

05 55 60 47 78 06 10 49 49 57 troy.davey@orange.fr siret: 49895173000015

Advertise Your Business Contact Sam or Gayle on 05 17 36 15 32

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Andrew Hadfield Based 87330 References Available

One Builder

05 55 60 72 98 07 81 53 71 91 dandahadfield@aol.com siret: 53229047500013

Tout Batiment

www.timhartley.fr Lathus - Le Dorat - Bellac - La Souterraine Dompierre-les-Églises - Saint-Léger-Magnazeix - Magnac-Laval

Registered in France 2001 05 55 60 86 62 / 06 71 78 94 34

Siret 434972303RM87 tim_hartley@hotmail.com

section artisans

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artisans

artisans

TRADITIONAL REPOINTING - HIGH PRESSURE REPOINTING - COLOURED SPRAY RENDERS EXTERIOR PAINTING AND FULL MOBILE SANDBLASTING SERVICE Find us on Facebook: Propoint facades Email: paulchester@club.fr T. 07 81 297 420/ 09 67 351337

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artisans Siret 489 815 258 00012

artisans

Sun Terraces (traditional joinery),

Roofing, Carpentry, Stonework, Renovations & Restorations 30 yrs’ experience

Kitchens & Bathrooms Dry Lining - walls and ceilings Tiling - walls and floors Painting and decorating Wood and Laminate flooring

Siret: 49411778100018

Depts 16, 24, 87 Tel: 05 45 21 63 96 Email: wesley.halton@orange.fr www.facebook.com/wezconstructions

Fully insured with 10 year guarantee Based in Dept 16 but will travel

Tel. 05 45 31 60 68 / 06 72 90 24 90 Email: aghearmon@gmail.com

M&M CONSTRUCTION Siret 82184631800011

3 ton Digger Dumper/Tipper & Driver Demolition Cherry Picker Hire Hydraulic Concrete Breaking For more information and a quote

please contact Matthew or Mandie Farraway 05 55 63 58 85 / 06 42 23 38 57

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artisans

Roofing / Renovatio Roofing / Renovations

ROOFING SPECIALISTS Insurance guarantee on all work. 15 years’ experience

Fully registered and insured Trading in France since 2007

Call Mark for a free quotation: T: 05 55 44 71 44 / M: 06 78 60 96 16 mumford.toiture@gmail.com Siret no. 493 159 412 00037

ALL ASPECTS OF ROOFING / RENDERING & POINTING - Zinc / PVC guttering - Anti-moss - Insulation & Plaster boarding - Interior / exterior renovations

CONTACT: PAUL CHARLESWORTH T: 06 77 90 08 60 E: pmcbatiment@yahoo.fr

For a free quotation please contact: Howard (fully bilingual, living in France since 1990, 10 yr décennale Insurance)

Based Saint-Junien. Covering Depts 87-16-24

Tel: 05.55.60.23.70 / 06.85.43.13.58 Email: rcc87@live.fr

Siret : 531 655 231 00 11

Depts: 87,86,16 & 23 Siret: 799 894 860 000 11

South West France Fosse Trained-Approved-Recommended

by SPANC

Etudes * Conception * Surveys Maintenance * Service * Remedial

See all our work on

southwestfrancefosse

I’m free…. but I could be yours Advertise Your Business From just 35€ ttc per month

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Siret 8234 2070 800013

motors & removals

motors & removals

Typically 40% cheaper than French prices

Tyre fitting, inc balancing : 12€ Tracking/Alignment : 35€ Car/Van servicing : 75€ + parts E: dixontyres@gmail.com T: 0545 306707

siret 53821341400013

Depts 16, 86, 87 & 24 (Car & van servicing, Towbars & LHD lights) Any make of Car or Van Fully mobile service at your address

REMOVAL & STORAGE

UK & INTE INTERNATIONAL REMOVAL

60 DAYS FREE USE OUR ONLINE EN ENQUIRY NQUIRY R PA RY P PAGE GE FOR A NO OB OBLIGATION BLIGAT A ION QUOTE AT QUO

WWW.WATSONEUROPEAN.CO.UK WWW.WATSONEUROPEA ATSONEUROPEAN.CO ATSONEUROPEA TSONEUROPEA .C . CO.UK .CO CO K CO

OUR SPEC SPECIALISED VEHICLES CAN ACCOMMODATE FULL OR PARTIAL ACCOMMO CARS, CARAVANS HOME REMOVALS, REM AND MUCH MUCH MORE.

CALL TO TODAY

OFFICE: 0044 (0) 1522 569 099 ANDY: ANDY DY: DY Y: 0044 (0) 7876 504 547 DAVE: A AVE: 0044 (0) 7515 722 772 EMAIL: ENQUIRY@WATSONEUROPEAN.CO.UK

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motors & removals Walton Coachworks 87600 Vayres Nick Walton CARS MOTORCYCLES LIGHT TRUCKS

CHABANAIS WORKSHOP Free courtesy cars - Valeting - Car storage with free airport drop offs - Cambelts - Diagnostics - Welding Electrics - Tow bars - Tyre-fitting/Punctures - A/C CT Prep - Garden Tools & Chainsaws Sharpened Email rmbservicesfrance@gmail.com Tel. 06 01 59 60 75 Siret: 815 114 7720 0016

MECHANICAL WORK ON ALL MAKES & MODELS IRRESPECTIVE OF AGE • Welding • Servicing • Diagnosis • Stereo & CD installation • LHD lights & tow-bars fitted • Wheel alignment • Replacement tyres & balancing • Interior & exterior valeting

NEW

• Pre-Controle Technique check • Top quality tyres (within 48 hrs) • Parts available same day or in 24hrs - less common cars 3-day delivery walton-coachworks@hotmail.com Tel: 07 87 65 53 11 / 05 55 78 67 02

siret: 48252490700011

TRANSITION REMOVALS Full and Part Loads Relocations in France

Siret 502 021 660 00019

Packing & Storage Options

Tel: 05 49 07 24 85

Family run business based in France which prides itself on a personal professional service.

7 tonne truck to and from the UK and Europe, we also have a box trailer for larger loads.

Our highly experienced staff provide a door to door service with packing and dry secure storage We are a professional furniture removal company NOT a man and a van.

Please call Phil and Jean Evans....

Phone (+33) 05 55 34 19 46 Mobile (+33) 06 80 75 87 14 Email p.evans@orange.fr Visit www.transitionremovals.net

Franglais Deliveries

A Family Run Storage Firm in the Heart of the Limousin

Brexit-busting Super Low Prices!

Secure, dry, insulated storage Established 2007

Now storing cars, caravans and camping cars Call Karen for a quote on

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● ● ● ● ● ●

Weekly United Kingdom � France � Spain United Kingdom - Kent & Home Counties Storage La Souterraine / Canterbury / Lincolnshire Very competitive rates Fully Insured Call Matt on: 0044 (0)7506 457225 Email: ma.europeanremovals@gmail.com 20+ years’ experience

property

I Need Your House to Sell!

Due to high sales figures over the past 18 months, I am now looking for new and exciting houses to replenish my portfolio Contact Cathe Bower Cabinet de France SAS Email: bower@immoboulevard.com 0033 (0) 6 09 60 60 82 (Mobile)

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listing

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DO YOU USE

OR

FOR HEATING?

DO YOUR BILLS KEEP RISING? HERE IS THE SOLUTION

Installation of an air to water heat pump * Are you eligible for the new "prime CEE coup de pouce pac" (3500€ or 5000€)?

IT is now deducted straight from your quote AND combinable with the grant MaPrimeRénov*

(up to 4000€)

*please note the MaPrimeRénov grant depends

upon approval from MaPrimeRénov, not New Wave Energies

REDUCE YOUR HEATING BILL

BY UP TO 70%

Visit our facebook page to see customer feedback and get tips on energy saving.

WE TAKE CARE OF ALL THE ADMINISTRATION

ENERGY SAVING (Heating)

Return form to: New Wave Energies, 51 Rue Descartes, 87000 Limoges

FAST RESPONSE

www.newwave-energies.com New Wave Energies • Siège social : 51, rue Descartes 87000 Limoges Tel : 0 981 324 237 • S.A.S.U. au capital de 50 000 euros • N° de Siret 800 247 274 00035 66 etcetera

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