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Welcome
With summer well and truly in full swing, it’s time to make the most of all the festivities in this region. From vibrant local festivals to outdoor concerts and the local marchés des producteurs, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Don’t forget, as you embark on your summer adventures, to stay mindful of the ongoing water restrictions in place. Please keep up to date with your local guidelines to ensure responsible water usage!
Wishing you all a wonderful month ahead.
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Sarah is the author of craftinvaders.co.uk where she blogs about her original craft tutorials, recipes, foraging, and developing wellbeing through being creative, spending time outdoors and connecting with nature
BySarahWhiting
Choose your theme and gather items needed. If you’re adding succulents, remember to add gravel, moss and soil
Glass jars (the square ones are ideal if you want to lie them on their side)
IF YOU HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN WITH YOU THIS SUMMER, THIS IS A GREAT ACTIVITY TO DO TOGETHER!
These little gardens are great fun to make (and if you don’t have children or grandchildren, just make it for yourself!). It’s a perfect chance for children (and you!) to let your imagination run wild. Pick a theme (it can be anything you want) and then start gathering supplies. In the example I’m sharing with you this
Steps
month, my daughter made a terrarium called “Guinea Pig Heaven”! Succulents can be added, just keep in mind that they will need water (or misting) from time to time do they don’t completely dry out. So the first thing you need to do is decide what you’re going to create and gather your supplies.
1. Once you have gathered all of your chosen items for your ‘theme’, it’s a good idea to have a rough idea of how you would like it to look. Think about the end product, which way round it will be displayed, and which order you should place things in the jar or bottle.
2. Start filling the base with your chosen materials. My daughter choose some bright green gravel from our local garden centre, which is very effective. (There are also hidden ‘gems’ under the green grass, but you have to look closely for them!)
3. If using succulents, add the gravel (good for drainage), soil and moss while carefully placing the plant/s inside. Bear in mind these will need a misting every now and then so don’t add anything that can’t handle a bit of moisture from time to time.
4. Arrange all the other items as you wish, keeping taller, larger items at the back, and smaller ones at the front.
That’s it! Such a simple craft, but brilliant for children’s imaginations. My daughter keeps going back to hers and adding bits, it’s an ongoing project!
Former BBC London Tuner Complete piano renovations (grands specialist) TUNING & REPAIRS
Never throw away your treasured piano, until we have seen it! We have repaired and reconditioned pianos in England and in France for over 40 years, from mini pianos to concert grands. Many years of experience.
Telephone: 05 45 21 16 13 Email: mr-piano-man@hotmail.com
Browse our selection of unique gifts, enjoy a meal from our new menuindoor & terrace seating available. BESPOKE by Denise can also be contacted directly on 06 75 89 95 55
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Encadrement d’Art 1 Rue du 19 Mars 1962 87150 Oradour sur Vayres
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Conseils et informations - Tips and information
Nombreux d’entre nous conduisons en France et puisque l’été est là, nous allons peut-être recevoir des amis, de la famille, des visiteurs en notre belle France ; ou vous êtes visiteurs vous-mêmes.
Connaissez-vous les réglementations de la France ? Voici quelques conseils et informations qui pourraient vous être utiles.
Many of us drive in France and as summer is here, we may be having friends, family, visitors coming to see us in our beautiful France; or maybe you are visitors yourselves. Do you know the regulations in France? Here are some tips and information that may be useful to you.
Le Permis de Conduire
The Driving Licence
Pour les visiteurs : Si vous séjournez en France pour moins de 90 jours, vous pouvez utiliser un permis de conduire valide de l’Union européenne pour louer une voiture et conduire en France. Si votre permis de conduire provient d’un pays en dehors de l’UE, il est recommandé d’obtenir un permis de conduire international (PCI). Il faut utiliser le PCI avec votre permis de conduire local, alors assurezvous d’apporter les deux !
For visitors: If you’re staying in France for less than 90 days, you can use a valid European Union driver’s licence to rent a car and drive in France. If your driving licence is from a country outside the EU, getting an International Driving Permit (IDP) is recommended. Take
note that the IDP is only valid when used with your local licence, so make sure to bring both.
Quels documents avez-vous besoin avec vous quand vous conduisez en France ?
What documents do you need with you while driving in France?
Si vous êtes arrêté par la Police ou la Gendarmerie, vous avez besoin de leur montrer ces documents. Ils vont vous demander « les papiers du véhicule, s’il-vous-plaît ». Dans certains cas, il vous faudra l’ensemble de ces documents : If you are stopped by the Police or Gendarmerie, you need to show them these documents. They will ask you for "les papiers du véhicule, s’il-vousplaît” (“The vehicle papers, please"). In some cases, you will need all of these documents:
- Votre Carte d’Identité Nationale (pour les Européens) ou votre passeport (pour les non Européens), et votre Titre de Séjour (si vous en avez un).
- Your National Identity Card (for Europeans) or your passport (for non-Europeans), and your “Titre de Séjour” (Residence Permit) (if you have one).
- Votre Permis de Conduire
- Your Driving Licence
- La Carte d’Immatriculation (aussi appelée « Carte Grise ») pour un véhicule français ou son équivalent étranger (exemple : log book V5 pour les véhicules britanniques).
- The “Carte d’Immatriculation” (also called “Carte Grise”) for a French vehicle or its foreign equivalent (example: V5 for British vehicles).
- Le Certificat d’Assurance du véhicule : c’est un document de couleur verte de la taille d’1/3 de page qui doit toujours être avec vous avec la Carte d’Immatriculation du véhicule et votre Permis de Conduire. Ce sont les trois documents obligatoires qui sont demandés systématiquement par la Police. S’il vous en manque un, vous pourriez recevoir une amende. N’oubliez pas aussi de coller sur votre pare-brise la vignette verte à jour de l’assurance !
- The vehicle’s Insurance Certificate: it is a green document of the size of 1/3 of a page that must always be with you with the Vehicle Registration Document and your
Driver's Licence. These are the three mandatory documents that are systematically requested by the Police. If you are missing one, you could be fined. Don't forget also to stick the up-to-date green insurance sticker on your windscreen!
- Le Constat Amiable en cas d’accident : très important. Demandez-le à votre assurance ! Je vous conseille de le lire et de le comprendre dès aujourd’hui, vous pouvez demander à votre assureur ou à votre professeur de français de vous aider au préalable. Il vaut mieux savoir comment le remplir dès maintenant, car en cas d’accident, avec le stress et le choc, c’est bien plus difficile. Il est important de bien le remplir car l’indemnisation des assurances dépend de comment il a été rempli et signé par les deux parties !
- The “Constat Amiable” (Accident Report) in the event of an accident: very important. Ask for it from your insurer!
I advise you to read and understand it today; you can ask your insurer or your French teacher to help you beforehand. It is better to know how to fill it now, because in the event of an accident, with the stress and shock, it is much more difficult. It is important to fill it in well because insurance compensation depends on how it was completed and signed by both parties!
- Le Rapport du dernier Contrôle Technique : Ce n’est pas souvent demandé par la Police lors d’un simple contrôle mais il sera demandé en cas d’accident.
- The Report of the last “Contrôle Technique” (MOT): This is not often requested by the Police during a simple check but it will be requested in the case of an accident.
- La vignette Crit’Air doit être collée sur votre pare-brise et est nécessaire pour circuler dans certaines villes. C’est une vignette qui attribue une note correspondante à la pollution de votre véhicule. Certaines zones sont interdites à la circulation pour certaines notes de véhicule. Il est obligatoire pour les véhicules français mais aussi les véhicules étrangers. Vérifiez Learn
Élargissez
votre trajet à travers la France et voyez si vous en avez besoin d’une. Vous faites votre demande en ligne sur https://www.certificatair.gouv.fr/, cela peut prendre quelques jours à vous parvenir par la poste, alors planifiez à l’avance !
- The “Crit'Air vignette” must be affixed to your windscreen and is required to drive in certain cities. It is a vignette that assigns a corresponding score to the pollution of your vehicle. Some areas are closed to traffic for certain vehicle scores (restricted traffic areas). It is mandatory for French but also foreign vehicles. Check your route through France and see if you need one. You apply online for it at https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/, it can take some days to come to you by post, so plan ahead!
Autres choses obligatoires à avoir dans sa voiture : Other mandatory things to have in your car:
- Des gilets jaunes ou fluorescents, préférablement autant que le nombre de places dans le véhicule. Ils doivent être rangés à portée de main, exemple : dans la portière, car vous devez les mettre avant de sortir du véhicule en cas d’accident ou de panne.
- Yellow or fluorescent waistcoats, preferably as many as there are seats in the vehicle. They must be accessible (for example: in the door) since you must put them on before leaving the vehicle in the case of an accident or breakdown.
- Un triangle de signalisation de danger
Marjorie Barboza- A hazard warning triangle (breakdown triangle)
- un set d’ampoules de rechange
- A spare set of bulbs
- une roue de secours ou un kit de réparation rapide de pneu
- A spare wheel or a tyre repair kit
- Si approprié : un siège rehausseur pour enfant (entre environ 3,5 ans et 12 ans) ou un siège bébé
- If appropriate: a booster seat for children (between around 3.5 years old and 12 years old) or a baby seat
- Des pneus neige ou chaînes de pneus dans certaines saisons et lieux. Vérifiez !
- Snow tyres or chains in some seasons and places. Please check.
Conseil important : Important tip:
Il est fortement recommandé par la Police de ne jamais laisser dans votre boîte à gants : la Carte d’Immatriculation, le Certificat d’Assurance du véhicule et votre Permis de Conduire.
Vous devez les avoir avec vous quand vous conduisez, dans votre sac-à-main ou votre sacoche.
La raison est qu’en cas de vol ou d’incendie, entre autres, vous n’aurez plus les « papiers du véhicule » et il sera alors très difficile de faire les démarches auprès de la Police et de la compagnie d’assurance et de prouver que le véhicule vous appartient. Sans compter toutes les difficultés à faire refaire ces documents ! Aussi, si un voleur s’empare des « papiers du
véhicule », il pourra mettre le véhicule à son nom en quelques minutes !
It is strongly recommended by the Police to never leave these documents in your glove compartment: the Registration Document, the Certificate of Insurance of the vehicle, and your Driver's Licence. You must have them with you when driving, in your purse or bag. The reason is that in case of theft or fire, among others, you will no longer have the "vehicle papers" and it will then be very difficult to start the procedures with the Police and insurance company and prove that the vehicle belongs to you. Not to mention all the difficulties in having these documents redone! Also, if a thief takes the "vehicle papers", he can put the vehicle in his name in a few minutes!
Petit rappel :
Reminder :
- N’oubliez pas d’apposer une étiquette au derrière de votre véhicule si celui-ci est étranger. Par exemple, l’étiquette « UK » pour les véhicules britanniques (et non plus « GB »).
- Don’t forget to affix a sticker to the rear of your car if it comes from abroad. For example, the sticker “UK” for British vehicles (and not “GB” any longer).
- N’oubliez pas de mettre des déflecteurs autocollants sur vos phares, si besoin, si votre véhicule est à conduite à droite, par exemple la plupart des véhicules britanniques.
- Don’t forget to apply headlights deflector stickers to your lights, if needed, if your car is a right hand
drive, for example most British vehicles.
Pour plus d’informations ou si vous avez des questions sur ce sujet, vous pouvez me contacter par email à continentalhorizons@free.fr. Cela pourrait faire l’objet d’un nouvel article pour le magazine etcetera.
For more information or if you have any questions on this topic, you can contact me by email at continentalhorizons@free.fr. This could be the subject of a new article for etcetera magazine.
Comme un petit rappel ne fait jamais de mal, revoyons aujourd'hui comment s'engager dans un carrefour giratoire (ou rond-point).
A little reminder never hurts, so lets revisit how to navigate a roundabout. Avant d'entrer dans le rond-point : Before entering the roundabout :
Pour aller tout droit ou en face, pas de clignotant.
To go straight on, do not indicate.
Pour aller à droite, positionnezvous sur la droite et allumez le clignotant droit.
To go right, position yourself to the right and indicate right.
Pour aller à gauche ou faire demitour, positionnez-vous sur la gauche et allumez le clignotant gauche.
To turn left, or make a U-turn, position yourself on the left and indicate to turn left.
Avant de sortir du rond-point, quelle que soit votre sortie, allumez le clignotant droit une fois que vous avez franchi la dernière sortie avant la vôtre
Before exiting the roundabout, whatever your exit, turn on the right
indicator once you've passed the last exit before yours.
L'usage du clignotant n'est pas optionnel ! Indicators are not optional!
Le non-usage du clignotant entraîne une perte de 3 points sur le permis pour une amende forfaitaire de 35€.
Not using your indicators could result to losing 3 points from your licence and a fixed fine of 35€
Ensemble, respectons les autres usagers de la route.
Together, let's respect other road users.
Source: Gendarmerie de la Charente
INDULGE IN THE DELIGHTS OF HOMEMADE ICE CREAM AND SORBET, PERFECT FOR BEATING THE SUMMER HEAT AND SATISFYING YOUR SWEET TOOTH!
It’s that time of year again, when the heat takes its toll on our appetites, and yet, ice cream always seems to slip down so easily…
I do have an ice cream maker, and it’s a very useful summer kitchen appliance, however, it does take up quite a chunk of freezer space and requires assembly, and washing after use, so I’m all for ice cream or sorbet recipes that I can make with or without one. Home-made ice creams and sorbets are delicious, and we know exactly what they’re made of, so why not spend a few minutes whipping up these summery treats?
Ideal for using up ripe bananas and so easy to make!
Ingredients (Serves 4)
4 ripe bananas
3-4 tbsp milk
Method:
1. Chop up the bananas into chunks and pop them into the freezer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Freeze for a few hours, or overnight, if
not using straight away, place the frozen chunks in a lidded freezer container and return to the freezer for up to a month.
2. Add the chunks to a blender or ideally a food processor, and process until smooth, adding the milk as required to achieve the consistency you require.
3. At this stage, you can either leave plain, or add any of the following ingredients: -
ByBelindaPrinceBelinda, the ‘Accidental Chatelaine’ loves to cook at any opportunity and is delighted to be able to share that love with you
www.chateaumareuil.com
Chocolate hazelnut spread, chocolate sauce or chocolate chips
Vanilla extract
Peanut butter
Honey
Chopped up fresh fruit
Or use your imagination!
4. Now, either serve and eat, or return to the freezer in a lidded container to firm up and eat later.
Cool off with the tropical sweetness of this simple mango sorbet recipe. Adding lime brings a touch of acidity to the sweetness of mango and honey. Also great served with a sprig of fresh mint.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
4 ripe mangoes, diced.
170g honey
120ml water
Juice of one lime (optional)
1. Chop the mangoes into small cubes and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for a minimum of 4 hours.
2. Add the frozen cubes to a blender or ideally a food processor together with the honey and water (and lime, if using) and process until smooth. Place in a lidded freezer container and freeze for an additional hour before serving.
Savour the taste of summer with this homemade cherry ice cream, a sweet and fruity treat that will delight your taste buds!
Ingredients (Serves 4)
170g frozen cherries stoned
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
2.5 tablespoons cherry juice taken from the frozen cherries
150ml whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1. Place the cherries in a medium-sized bowl and allow to thaw for around 2 hours. At the same time chill the condensed milk.
2. Once thawed, drain the cherries and reserve the juice.
3. Take a handful of cherries and set aside.
4. Roughly purée the remaining cherries with a blender. Don’t make them too smooth – they should still have a little texture.
5. Whip the cream until it holds its shape, then mix in the powdered sugar.
6. Fold the whipped cream into the cherry purée, cherry juice and reserved cherries with the condensed milk.
7. Pour the mixture into a lidded freezer container and freeze for at least 5 hours.
8. Remove from the freezer 15 -20 minutes before serving.
Experience the tangy and creamy delight of homemade lemon curd ice cream—a refreshing and citrusy treat for sunny days.
Ingredients (Serves 4 +)
400ml ready-made custard (crème anglaise)
500ml Greek yoghurt
120ml lemon curd (citron de Corse)
Method
1. Whisk the ingredients together and pour into a shallow lidded freezer container.
2. Freeze until the mixture begins to harden around the edges, then mix up with a fork to break up the crystals and return to the freezer until solid. This can also be churned in an ice-cream maker.
Indulge in the perfect combination of sweet strawberries and rich Crème de cassis
Ingredients (Serves 4)
500g strawberries
85g honey
2 tbsp Crème de cassis
Method
1. Wash and hull the strawberries and cut in half if large. Semi freeze the strawberries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until hardened.
2. Process the fruit together with the honey and crème de cassis in a blender or ideally a food processor until smooth.
3. Place in a lidded freezer container and freeze until completely frozen. Delicious served with almonds and biscuits, like Spéculoos or Digestive
Elevate your dessert game with this homemade boozy ice cream, a delightful blend of indulgence and spirits!
Ingredients (Serves 4+)
1 tin of condensed milk (le lait concentré sucre) – 397g
2 tbsp booze of your choice (rum, whisky, gin, vodka etc.)
1 tsp vanilla essence
¼ tsp salt
500ml double cream (crème entiere)
Method
1. Whisk together the condensed milk, spirit of your choice, vanilla, and salt until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until thickened, then whisk in the condensed milk mix.
3. Spoon into a lidded freezer container and freeze until solid (6-8 hours) You could add other flavourings, e.g., chocolate, coffee or some chopped up dried fruit to make Tutti Frutti ice cream!
The velvety smoothness of homemade custard and cream ice cream—a dessert that never disappoints! With just two ingredients, this is such a simple recipe and can be whipped up in no time. You can make this in an ice cream maker or by hand, both methods are included below.
Ingredients (Serves 4+)
500ml ready-made custard (crème anglaise)
300ml double cream (crème entiere)
Method - Ice Cream Maker
1. Simply whip the custard and cream together and churn until scoopable.
2. Transfer to the freezer in a lidded container until required.
1. Whip the custard and cream together and freeze in the bowl for about 90 mins, until it starts to freeze around the edges.
2. Stir with a fork to break up the ice crystals, then repeat the process twice more until smooth.
3. Freeze in a container until required.
4. Add flavourings of your choice before churning or freezing.
We all need each other
The taxation of your rental property can have an important impact on your property investment strategy.
UNFURNISHED
The income perceived from an empty rental property (unfurnished) is declared as revenus fonciers. In this type of rental income, you have two possible regimes: micro-foncier and foncier réel.
Micro-foncier
This is ideal for small revenues. To stay on the micro- foncier regime, the total rent perceived must not exceed 15 000 € / per annum.
For this calculation, we need to include all rental received during the year (Jan-Dec). This includes equally:
▪ Exceptional payments: insurance compensation of unpaid rent
▪ Accessory rent: for example, advertising board rental.
Within the micro-foncier regime, you need to declare the rent hors charges locatives in order to benefit from the 30% exoneration. Tax is applied therefore to 70% of the rent. For example, if you have received 10 000€ of rent hors charge, taxation is applied to 70% of this sum i.e. 7 000€. This is particularly interesting if you have low running costs.
Hors Charges
The charges locatives are paid on top of the rent. They are to cover the cost of certain maintenance.
The tenant is responsible for the maintenance of and small repairs to the rental property. Therefore, if the washer in a tap needs replacing then this is at the tenant’s cost. If the tap however needs replacing, then it is at the owner’s cost. This is mainly for properties where there are shared areas, such as in a block of flats, e.g. for the maintenance of a lift. If the property is a simple house, there are no shared areas, so the only cost that can be passed onto the tenant is possibly the dustbin bill.
Unlike the micro-foncier régime, réel foncier permits the calculation of a real profit. It allows for certain costs to be deducted from the annual rent, in order to reflect the real gain.
You can therefore deduct, before tax, the following expenses, without limitation:
▪ The costs of repairs and maintenance
▪ The cost of management, administrative, and legal fees
▪ The insurance
▪ Taxe foncière
▪ Mortgage interest
However, you can not deduct any of the cost of the property purchase or the fees.
For example, if you have received 10 000€ rent, and have spent 2050€ (1150€ on maintenance work, 400€ on taxe foncière, 100€ in insurance and 400€ on management fees),
Your taxable rental income will be 10 000€ – 2 050€ = 7 950€.
One of the advantages with this régime is that you can carry forward losses.
If, for example, you make a loss in your first year due to expensive improvements, then the loss can be deducted from next year’s net rental income.
If you receive less than 15 000€ annual rental, it is imperative to calculate which régime is more advantageous to you.
All rental income is subject to two taxes in France; income tax and social tax. Income tax is defined by your family situation and includes other incomes. Social tax is applied at 17.2% of the net taxable rental income. In terms of accounting, this is just part of your personal tax return. You can change from one régime to the other every two years.
The income perceived from a furnished rental property is declared as revenus de locations meublées non-professionnels. The rent perceived from this must be lower than other forms of household income (salaries, pensions etc..). With this type of rental income, you also have two possible regimes: micro and réel. You must register for a siret number with the tax office for these types of income.
Again, this is ideal for projects where the real costs are lower than the tax allowance. To stay on the micro non-professionnel régime, the total rent perceived must not exceed 23 000 € / per annum. For this calculation, we need to include all rental received during the year (Jan-Dec). This includes again;
▪ Exceptional payments: insurance compensation of unpaid rent
▪ Accessory rent: for example advertising board rental.
Within the micro non-professionnel regime, you need to declare the rent hors charges locatives in order to benefit from the 50% exoneration. Tax is applied therefore to 50% of the rent. For example, if you have received 10 000€ of rent hors charge, taxation is applied to 50% of this sum i.e. 5 000€. If your rental is less than 305€ par annum, then you do not pay tax.
Unlike the micro-régime, réel régime permits the calculation of a real profit. This version of réel allows for a wider range of costs to be deducted from the annual rent. The big difference between this and the réel foncier is that you can include the purchase of the property and the fees related to the purchase. The accounting for this is run like a business and we separate costs into annual expenses and depreciable assets. This means that certain costs, that we call assets, are spread over their ‘life span’.
For example, if you paid 100 000€ for the purchase of the property under fiscal rules, we would depreciate the cost over 15 years. This means that 6 667€ would be deducted as an expense every year, thus reducing your net taxable income. You also have the option on this régime to be TVA registered.
As above, all rental income is subject to two taxes; income tax and social tax. Income tax being defined by your family situation and other incomes and social tax being applied at 17.2% of the net taxable rental income. There is a lower rate of tax for S1 holders from 17.2% social taxes to 7.5%. In terms of accounting, it varies as to whether you have chosen the micro or the réel option. If you have chosen the micro, this continues to be just part of your personal tax return. However, if you have chosen the réel régime, then you are required to keep full accounts, complete a professional tax return as well as including this on your personal tax return. Depending on the area your property is situated in, you may be subject to business premises tax (CFE). You can change from one regime to the other every two years.
The structures mentioned above are for the personal ownership of a property. You can also create a property company, this is called a Société Civile Immobilière (SCI). There are advantages to this, especially for inheritance or group ownership. It is however more complicated and therefore expensive to run. Talk to your accountant about this. Unlike in the UK, holiday rentals are grouped in with furnished rentals, this is a separate type of rental income. Always seek expert advice if you are unsure.
If you make a loss in your first year due to expensive improvements, then the loss can be deducted from next year’s net rental income
This is Swiss Life’s most flexible and popular assurance vie savings account/investment product. It is an assurance vie so it has all the advantages regarding French inheritance law, death duties, and income tax.
Who can invest in it: Anybody who is a French resident (and Monaco) and above 18 years old.
How much can you invest in it: The minimum is 3 000€, no maximum. How is it invested: As you wish, all secured or all risky or a bit of both, it is up to you. The secure part is called Fond Euro and the interest of the secured part is given on the 31st of December each year. The rate on the secure part is around 0.8% and pretty much the same for every company. Shares/funds can go up or down! You can decide how much you want on shares so it could be all of it if you so wish. This assurance vie has more than 400 funds/shares available so loads of choices on investments.
Socially responsible investment: Swiss Life has a variety of funds which are classed as ISR which mean they have to follow some criteria based on 3 factors ESG:
Ecology: Management of waste, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, prevention of environmental risks.
Social: Prevention of accidents, training of employees, and equality of opportunities, respect of employees’ rights and social dialogue, respect of subcontracting chain.
Governance: Independence of the board of directors, quality of the governance of the company, remuneration of directors, effort in anti-corruption.
So, you can either choose some funds yourself that are ISR or choose the Gestion piloté which means that it’s Swiss Life who choose and manage the ISR funds for you.
Guaranteed death extra: This contract includes an insurance so that if you die before you are 80 years old, Swiss Life gives to your beneficiaries at least the amount of the value of your contract when you invested (minus the amount you withdraw yourself and a maximum of 1.5 million euro). This is automatically included in the contract. Eg: You invested 200 000€ in your account in 2018 and only have 174 800€ when you died (because your shares lost money), then Swiss Life will give 200 000€ to your beneficiaries (minus fees and social charges) thus reimbursing the missing 25 200€. So, if the market crashes, you are sure that your heir will get at least what you wanted them to have.
Options available:
Securisation des performances: This is a very good option that means that when your shares/funds go up by 1 000, this gain is automatically transferred to the secure part of your assurance vie. You can choose between 10% and 100% of gain but the gain has to be at least 1 000€. This is very good and some of my customers appreciated this option when the market crashed back in March 2020 (Covid). Indeed, the gain they made the previous year had been transferred to the secure part of the assurance vie so the loss was less.
Dynamisation progressive du capital: Some of you might not be too keen to invest all your eggs at once in case you are investing it all just before a crash (so at its highest) so Swiss Life has come up with an option in which your capital is invested over a period of your choice: 6, 9, 12, 18 or 24 months, so that you are investing at different stages of the stock market value. This option is also available when you make another deposit, not just when you open the investment. This is free.
Arbitrage: This is the French word for switching from one fund to another. With Swiss Life you are entitled to one free per year but can do as many as you want. So, if
you are not happy with a fund, you can switch at any time you want.
Gestion piloté: If you are not willing to trust me or yourself to choose your funds, you can let Swiss Life manage it for you. You can choose between 6 types of investment from very low risk to high risk. Swiss Life adjust the investments following their own expert advisers, so you have nothing to do. You can also choose to have both, meaning part of your investment on “gestion piloté” and some on “gestion libre” (as you wish).
Securisation du capital: You can choose to make sure that your beneficiaries will get at least the amount you have invested to start with so 100% or 120% of what you have invested. So, if the market crashes, you are sure that your heir will get at least what you wanted them to have or more! You invested 100K but lost 10K, you die, then your beneficiaries still get 100K and not 90K.
Stop loss option: This is an option that means that when your shares/funds go down by at least 1 000€, the fund is automatically transferred to the secure part of your assurance vie. You can choose between 10% and 100% of loss but the loss has to be at least 1 000€.
Fees:
Entry fees: The entry fee is normally 4.75% of the amount invested but I am very nice, so I negotiate. If you invest at least 30% in shares, there is a 0.5% entry fee! If no shares at all, 2.5% entry fee. Obviously, if the amount is really big, I can take a 0 entry fee.
the market
you are sure that your heir will get at least what you wanted them to have
Management fees: 0.65% of the investment per year on the secured part (Fond euro). And 0.96% on the investment made of shares/funds.
Option fees:
-0.70% per year for the Gestion profile option (0.70% of the shares amount).
-0.1% of the amount transferred + 15€ administration fee for the securing of the performances.
-0.1% of the amount transferred + 15€ administration fee for the stop loss option.
Adding money to it: You can add money to it at any time but a minimum of 1 500€.
Regular withdrawal: You can set up monthly, quarterly, twice yearly, or yearly automatic withdrawals which go directly to your bank account. This is free.
There are no penalties for taking your money out, but tax may apply if you have made a capital gain
Regular deposit: You can choose to make regular deposits (monthly, quarterly, twice yearly, or yearly) so the amount you choose to add to your assurance vie is taken automatically from your bank account. The amount is 100€ min per month.
not only because of its advantages but also for its flexibility. But even if assurance vie investments offer the same package with every company (same advantages in regard to French inheritance law and tax and income tax), it is important to notice the little differences and therefore shop around before making a decision. They can be different from one company to another and not just the entry or management fees!
Don’t hesitate to contact me for any other information or quote on subjects such as funeral cover, inheritance law, investments, car, house, professional and top up health insurance, etc.
-0.20% of the value of the shares/fund for switching shares/funds + a 30€ administration fee. Note that you are entitled to one free per year, so the fee is only taken if you have done one already.
Guaranteed death extra: The fee is calculated monthly (end of each month) and it is a percentage (depending on your age) of the capitaI loss. Let’s take the same example as per paragraph 4 - you have a capital loss of 25 200€, you are 50 years old, then the fee is 25 200 x 0.69% divided by 12=14.50€. This fee is then taken at the end of the year. This fee is only taken if the capital is at loss. Please refer to the percentages per ages (see table, right).
Availability: The present amount on your assurance vie is always available. So, the money is never blocked. There are no penalties for taking your money out, but tax may apply if you have made a capital gain. Note that there is a 30 day cooling off period when you open an assurance vie (same for every company) so no money is invested for the first 30 days.
French law: When you open a new assurance vie, there is always a 30 day cooling off period before your money is invested.
Conclusion: The advantages of the assurance vie savings account are well known and it is no secret that it is the preferred investment for French people
18 - 39 0.19%
40 - 44 0.30%
45 - 49 0.49%
50 - 54 0.69%
55 - 59
0.97%
60 - 64 1.39%
64 - 69 2.13%
70 - 74 3.29%
75 - 80 5.14%
Making Saving Easier
Saving is probably one of the most difficult things to do. It is practically coded into our DNA to spend, spend, spend. Inheriting our parents’ bad savings habits, combined with the increasing cost of living and pressure from modern society telling us that instant gratification is the new normal, is what sabotages our best efforts.
We are also under the misconception that to save, we need to put away large sums of cash every month. A small amount every month is a good way to start our savings journey without feeling too much pressure, instead of overcommitting large amounts that ultimately lead to failure. Here are my top tips, so for those who don’t save already, let’s get started!
1. Start with a small amount and work on creating a habit.
2. Open a separate account into which your savings can go.
3. Schedule a direct debit on the day your salary gets paid into your account, so you don’t feel it in your pocket.
4. Every time you get a bonus or increase, commit to putting a portion of it away into the savings before spending it, e.g. 10%.
5. Adopt the 10% mindset and make it into a habit. This will help you stick to your savings goal.
6. A savings pocket can round off purchases and transfer the difference into your savings. You won’t feel it in your pocket, but your savings balance will thank you at the end of the month.
7. It is important to set savings goals for yourself. It could be for a rainy day fund, a deposit for a house, or that dream holiday.
8. The trap is that if the goal is a large one, it is easy to get discouraged in your saving endeavours, or lose sight of the huge end goal, and use the savings.
9. Turn savings goals into smaller bitesize chunks.
10.Try to commit to three months at a time as opposed to a whole year.
11. Reward yourself for small milestones. Like every 3 or 6 months, spoil yourself with a small reward. Positive reinforcement helps keep saving on track.
Your financial advisor can help get your savings on track and create good savings habits.
Please note, the above is for education purposes only and does not constitute advice. You should always contact your advisor for a personal consultation.
* No liability can be accepted for any actions taken or refrained from being taken, as a result of reading the above
Helen Booth works as a financial adviser for deVere France S.a.r.l and has lived as well as owned property in the Deux-Sèvres region. Having worked in the financial services in the UK for over 15 years, Helen prides herself in being fully diploma-qualified for the services that she provides. Helen has lived and worked in France for over 8 years and enjoys being part of deVere France S.a.r.l., a division of one of the world’s leading independent financial consultancies, deVere Group.
With over $10 billion of funds under its advice and administration and with more than 80,000 clients around the world, deVere Group truly offers a myriad of unique products and notes that are not available anywhere else in the market. This, as Helen puts it, gives clients the pick of the crop when it comes to investing.
deVere France S.a.r.l. are regulated by ANACOFI-CIF and ORIAS which will only recommend French regulated products.
deVere France can advise you on ways to help safeguard and increase your wealth, as well as helping with HMRC-recognised pension transfers to a Qualified Recognised Overseas Pensions scheme (QROPS) to give you potentially more flexibility in your pension plans.
If you would like to know more about how deVere France can help you, contact
Helen Booth DipPFS , EFA : +33 (0) 77 171 2879 : helen.booth@devere-france.fr
Word of mouth is a powerful form of marketing for tradespeople, and many trades rely on word-of-mouth referrals and see no reason to change, particularly the more established trade business. It is wise for tradespeople to recognize its limitations and diversify their marketing efforts. Word of mouth should be one of many ways you bring in leads or work.
Here's why…
It's great when the economy is buoyant and a trade business has plenty of work. But when the economy changes, word-of-mouth referrals can quickly dry up, as cost becomes more of a driving factor than reputation and being a great trade. A referral may not necessarily guarantee work.
Sustainable businesses need leads, whether you are a one-man band or you have employees. Some enquiries will lead to work on the calendar, and others may not. Better to have too many enquiries than not enough to convert into scheduled work that keeps your business profitable.
Many word-of-mouth recommendations are only traceable if a potential client says, 'Joe Blogs referred me to you'. You have no control over the conversations about you when you are not in the room.
but not all recommendations are authentic
While it is inexpensive, you are subject to the whims and fancies of the customers marketing for you. We see trades being referred to across social media, but not all recommendations are authentic. And in current climes, potential customers will still seek to research you online as it helps with the overall buying decision.
If you have moved regions and had an excellent track record in your previous region, word of mouth will be a slow burn. What proof do you have to back up your reputation and credibility in a previous region? It may take time for wordof-mouth referrals to generate significant leads.
Tradespeople should proactively expand their marketing strategies beyond word of mouth to stay competitive, reach new customers, and showcase their value. There
are many proven ways of attracting and securing new customers and work. Marketing is the process of bringing in leads and enquiries. Marketing is vital, no matter how small or busy your business is.
The thyroid gland is a small butterflyshaped gland in the neck, just in front of the windpipe. One of its main functions is to produce hormones that help control growth, cell repair, and metabolism — the process whereby your body converts food into energy. A number of nutrients play a key role in maintaining thyroid health, so you are able to support your thyroid with the dietary choices you make.
Several different disorders can arise when your thyroid produces too much hormone (hyperthyroidism) or not enough (hypothyroidism).
Four common disorders of the thyroid are Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (underactive thyroid, autoimmune), Graves’ disease (overactive thyroid, autoimmune), goitre (swollen thyroid gland), and thyroid nodules.
Foods alone won’t reverse thyroid disorders, but a combination of the right nutrients and medication can help restore impaired thyroid function and minimise your symptoms.
Tyrosine: Needed for thyroid hormone production and conversion
Iodine: Needed to make thyroid hormones
Zinc: Helps the body activate thyroid hormones
Unrefined salts such as Himalayan or Celtic sea salt are rich in iodine and support the transport of iodine into the thyroid gland.
Avoid goitrogens
Goitrogens are naturally-occurring substances which can interfere with the thyroid’s iodine uptake. They can encourage the growth of the thyroid tissues leading to the development of a goitre. Found sources include:
Unfermented soya products (soya milk, tofu, soya mince etc. )
Cassava
Maize
Millet
Peanuts
Almonds
Walnuts
Pine nuts
Broccoli
Avocado, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, Brazil nuts, bananas, tuna, chicken, prawns, salmon, herring, eggs, oats.
Sea vegetables (kombu, wakame, arame, dulse, hijiki, nori), sea fish, shellfish, sardines.
Seafood, shrimps, shellfish, oysters, fish, ginger, lean red meat (esp. lamb), nuts (esp. pecans, Brazils), peas, egg yolk, whole wheat, rye, oats, seeds (esp. pumpkin), rice, lentils, pulses, molasses.
Amanda is a registered Naturopathic Nutritionist and Nutrigenomics
Practitioner. Gut, Digestion and Microbiome Specialist
www.amandakingnd.com
Email: nutrition@amandakingnd.com
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Horseradish
Kale
Mustard
Swede/Turnip
Avoid fluoride
The thyroid needs a good supply of iodine to function. Fluoride competes with iodine reducing the amount available to make thyroid hormones. Fluoride is found in many toothpastes and mouthwashes, so it is a good idea to swap your usual brands for natural dental care products made without fluoride.
Avoid chlorine
The same can be said for chlorine, which also competes with iodine, reducing the amount available to make thyroid hormones. If you swim regularly, eat seaweed or take your iodine supplement prior to swimming to block the uptake of chlorine.
Eco packaging
Iron: Needed for thyroid hormone production and conversion
Selenium: Helps activates thyroid hormones so they can be used by the body
Copper: Closely linked to optimal thyroid hormone levels
Magnesium: Involved in thyroid hormone conversion
Seeds (esp. pumpkin and sesame), parsley, nuts (esp. almonds, cashews, Brazils, walnuts, pecans), prunes, raisins, dates, cooked dried beans, shellfish, fish (esp. sardines), lean red meat, cocoa, leafy green vegetables.
Tuna, oysters, molasses, eggs, mushrooms, cottage cheese, herring, courgettes, tomatoes, cod, chicken, nuts (esp. Brazils), onions, garlic.
Shellfish, lamb, pecans, sesame, hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazils, sunflower seeds, avocado, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, plums, yeast, mushrooms, cocoa.
Buckwheat, nuts (esp. Brazils, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios), cooked beans, lentils, garlic, raisins, apricots, dried figs, bananas, peas, potato skin, dark green leafy vegetables, avocado, poultry, fish, seafood, cocoa.
Reduce consumption of food packaged in plastic, cans, and Tetra Pak. Plastic bottles and the lining inside cans and Tetra Pak contain a compound called bisphenol-A which has been shown to interfere with thyroid function.
Natural sunscreen
Many commercial sunscreens contain chemicals (such as 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor [4-MBC]) which can interfere with thyroid function. Instead opt for a natural sunscreen e.g. Green People Sun Cream.
Avoid smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke
Tobacco is known to decrease secretion of thyroid hormone and block its action, making the symptoms of hypothyroidism worse.
Limit or avoid alcohol
Manganese: Facilitates thyroid hormone production
Watercress, pineapple, okra, endive, blackberries, raspberries, lettuce, grapes, lima beans, strawberries, oats, root vegetables (esp. beetroot), celery, eggs, nuts, wholemeal bread, fish, meats.
Alcohol changes thyroid function and reduces the levels of thyroid hormone. With a good diet, exercise, stress reduction, and proper medical guidance, individuals can actively support and maintain optimal thyroid function.
‘Our Healthy Kitchen’ is the new weightloss choice
From just 6€ a week (5€ if you commit to 6 months)
Ran by trained coaches with years of experience.
Weds 9am & Thurs 10.30am
- Contact me for full details
What you get: A starter pack - Weekly recipe/inspiration card - Simple calorie counting Cooking demonstrations - EXCLUSIVE Facebook access - Milestone certificates
Contact Michelle on: +33 (0) 7 84 83 78 13
+44 (0) 7712235151 or email: michelle@rosequartzceremonies.co.uk
Chez Martin 16150 Pressignac
For an appt please contact: 05.45.71.56.02 06.50.23.61.37 annette.vanes@orange.fr siret: 518 364 989 00013
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
Veggie/Vegan lunches & dinners ‘pop-up’ Cooking classes with Nikki Digital Photography & Knife-making workshops with Sean
MICHAEL WILLIAM PARK19 Place Charles de Gaulle. 87210 Le Dorat T. 06 47 43 01 66
WORK
As the temperature cool at the end of the day, you can wander around in the fading light surrounded by the heady scents of perfumed plants drifting along on the warm night air.
Many plants that produce perfumed leaves and flowers are most scented during the daytime when the sun warms them up and increases the release of essential oils in the foliage and flowers, but some plants release their scent mainly in the evening. Evening or night scented plants have evolved to attract the insect pollinators that usually fly at dusk such as moths and even bats. Their scent is usually enhanced by receiving some afternoon sunshine so for best results plant these flowering plants where the flowers will get some direct sunlight in the late afternoon.
Evening or night scented plants have evolved to attract the insect pollinators that usually fly at dusk such as moths and even bats
It is tempting to plant a variety of evening scented plants all together near to your patio or seating area but they may all compete with each other. If you have the space, it is best to plant them separately in different areas of the garden (if you are like us we have several seats and stop off points around the garden!) so that you are enticed to take a late stroll around the garden, as the light fades and the blackbirds start singing their evening song, and take in the balmy summer air.
Many evening scented plants will have a clue in their common name such as ‘night scented stocks’ for example, but some are quite a surprise. Here are some of my favourites:
Caroline has been a lecturer in horticulture for 20 years and now runs a nursery and ‘garden craft’ courses in the Haute-Vienne at Le jardin créatif
Caroline
Wright Le jardin créatif
Shrubs and Climbers:
Philadelphus cvs (cvs = cultivars) Their common name is the ‘mock orange’ because the flowers have a very similar scent to orange blossom. The perfume is very potent so they can be planted a fair distance from your seating area. The bees love it too!
Pittosporum cvs. A genus of evergreen shrubs usually grown for their attractive variegated foliage but also produce small, chocolate brown flowers close to the stem in late summer and early autumn (it is not easy to see them – you have to look for them so the scent comes as a surprise!).
Trachelospermum jasminoides The ‘Star Jasmine’, this evergreen climber is not actually a true jasmine but it has very similar flowers and scent. It does have a perfume in the daytime, which becomes more intense in the evening. Plant against a south or west facing wall for best effect.
Wisteria are also very fragrant in the evening and early morning, so are perfect to plant over a pergola where you have your morning coffee and evening drinks. It does need some training, but if you prune it correctly twice a year it can be kept neat and well behaved.
Herbaceous perennials and annuals: Dianthus cvs. (often known as ‘pinks’) actually range from deep red through all shades of pink to white depending on the cultivar, they have the most delicious spicy perfume. My favourite is Dianthus superbus which has pale pink, frilly edged petals and in my opinion, the best scent.
Oenothera sp (evening primrose) is a biennial or perennial plant with yellow or pink flowers emitting a delicious scent in early summer. The flowers last for one evening only; they open at dusk and each one takes just a few minutes to open. It is lovely to watch and makes excellent evening entertainment!
Salvia Many of the salvia species have highly aromatic foliage, in particular the Salvia elegans cultivars, ‘pineapple sage’ and ‘tangerine sage’ . Plant them close to the path so that you brush past them to release their aroma.
Nicotiana cvs. (flowering tobacco) These are mainly annuals that can easily be grown from seed. Some varieties are very tall but dwarf ones are available. Lovely sweet evening scent and many will self-seed freely.
Hesperis matronalis (sweet rocket) another annual plant with potent sweet scented flowers, they are easy to grow from seed. Equally if you grow cultivated rocket as a salad leaf, if you leave some of these to run to seed then the scent of the flowers is almost as potent. I always leave some of my rocket and lettuce plants to go to seed, they seem to choose their own
place to germinate where they grow best. I never know where they are going to pop up, but this has been more successful for me than planting them in rows!
Matthiola bicornis (night scented stock) another annual, related to the sweet rocket, easy to grow from seed and delicate, pretty scented pink flowers. These annuals can all be sown from late March through to early July. The later sowings will obviously flower in the late season.
Our garden and nursery are open on Saturdays 10am – 4pm, offering a wide range of aromatics and perennials.
www.lejardincreatif.net
I always leave some of my rocket and lettuce plants to go to seed, they seem to choose their own place to germinate where they grow bestDianthus superbus Pittosporum Evening primrose
As time went on, they watched and noted the influence of the phases of the moon. When I first moved to France, I was surprised to see how many French people followed the policy of gardening by the moon, there were pamphlets on the counters in gardening centres and magazine racks were full of gardening and general interest magazines - but it was all in French. I have followed the practice for several years and as I have also studied astrology, I use both the phases of the moon, and the signs through which she travels throughout her monthly cycle.
The cycle begins at the new moon. She moves through the signs, increasing in light to culminate at the full moon and then wanes, moving through the remaining signs until the cycle starts again at the next new moon. It is not a tidy cycle that fits standard monthly calendars as the dates of the new and full moon will move through the signs over the course of the year.
The gravitational pull of the moon has a measurable effect on what happens on Earth, from the tides of the oceans to our own bodies – and the way plants draw
water from the ground. This is why the periods leading up to the full moon, and the week following, were understood by tradition to be the most fertile times of the month, and the best for planting.
The first weekend in July will not be a good one for planting anything. The moon will be in the fire sign of Sagittarius, which is not a fertile sign, and the weather is probably going to be pretty hot and dry.
Monday the 3rd of July is the day of the full moon at 12:36 CEDT in the earth sign of Capricorn. This is a good time for planting anything below ground. On the 3rd and the 4th you will also be under the positive influence of the full moon. For the rest of the week enjoy the summer weather and activities until the moon goes into the fertile water sign of Pisces on the 7th and 8th. On the 9th and 10th when the moon goes into the fire sign of Aries, it will be a good time to cut the grass and do what you can to get rid of the twigs and leaves that might be a fire hazard.
On Tuesday and Wednesday the 11th and 12th, the moon will be in Taurus, another earth sign. The moon enters Gemini on the 14th and moves into the fertile sign of
Stephanie Hunt-Crowley
Stephanie is a freelance writer who puts her knowledge of astrology together with her love of gardening. British born, then living in the USA, she now lives in rural France
Cancer on Saturday evening, heading to the new moon.
The new moon in Cancer on the 17th occurs at 19:31 CEDT, and traditionally not the best time to plant things, but if you were given a plant as a gift and you need to repot or plant it you have nothing to lose!
The following three days, the 18th 19th and 20th, while the moon is in Leo will best be spent on summer activities, or working if you must. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the moon will be in Virgo and will begin to feel the influence of the next full moon. On Monday with the moon in Libra you may be tempted by some beautiful flowers to display in your home. This would be a good time to enjoy them.
On the 26th and 27th the moon is in Scorpio. This would be the time to take those plants that need to be transplanted into bigger pots, and get the job done. Scorpio is very good for transplanting anything. On the 28th and 29th we come full circle back to the fire sign of Sagittarius. The weekend of the 29th and 30th will be for relaxation and entertainment, and on Monday with the moon in Capricorn you can get down to business, and planning what you want to do for the next month, Capricorn.
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS HUMANS HAVE FOLLOWED THE SEASONS, PLANNING AND HARVESTING THEIR CROPS
It is not a tidy cycle that fits standard monthly calendars
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!
We’ve had some good weather already, and judging by the forecasts, it’s going to be another hot summer. July is still a busy month with all the watering (hoping you have your water containers in use!) and dead-heading to be done. But do make time to sit back and relax so that you can enjoy all the hard work you’ve put in to achieve such a beautiful display!
Although this is a busy month find time to look at your garden, and congratulate yourself on your successes. When you walk round your garden take your camera and a notebook and make a note of your garden’s pros and cons to remind you of changes you
● Cut back hardy perennials to encourage new growth and more flowers.
● Dead-head bedding plants, sweet peas and roses to encourage further flowering.
● Inspect lilies for the scarlet lily beetle whose larvae can strip plants in days.
● Mulch borders to retain moisture and keep down weeds. A really thick layer of mulch (5-7.5cm/2-3in) works best.
● Baskets and containers may need watering twice a day during hot weather. Remove faded flowers and feed regularly to promote flowering.
● Divide clumps of Bearded Iris so they will form roots and flowers buds for next year.
● Prune wisteria by removing the whippy side-shoots.
● Keep tomatoes watered and fed. Pinch out side shoots regularly. If leaves look pale and yellow, feed with Epson salts.
● Apply a high-potash fertiliser on peppers, cucumber, aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes.
● Pinch out the growing tips of aubergines, squashes and courgettes.
● Young, small vegetables are much tastier then large old ones so pick them regularly, they’ll go on giving more vegetables.
want to make for next year. The garden year never stops and now is the time to order perennial plants for autumn delivery and bulbs for next spring.
Take the opportunity to visit other gardens to get ideas. There are so many beautiful gardens under the Open Gardens Scheme (www.opengardens.eu) and all the money raised goes to wonderful causes, so it’s a win-win!
● Thin out the fruits on your fruit trees to produce good sized crops.
● Prune gooseberries, redcurrants and white currants.
● Maximise your fig crop by pinching out the tips of side shoots when they have five leaves.
● Check tree ties as tree trunk girth increases.
● Reduce the cutting of your lawn but keep the edges tidy.
● Do not allow new lawns to dry out. However, you need to adhere to local water restrictions in your area. Check with your mairie if you are unsure.
● If your lawn is infested by ants, brush out the nests on a dry day. (Although the woodpeckers love them!)
● Open vents and doors daily to provide adequate ventilation and damp down the floor to increase humidity.
● Check plants daily, particularly those in Grow Bags. Water first thing in the morning or in the evening to reduce water loss through evaporation.
● Use blinds or shade paint to prevent over-heating.
● Hang sticky traps to catch flying pests.
JULY IS HERE, SUMMER IS PROGRESSING AND YOUR GARDEN WILL BE FULL OF COLOUR AND PERFUME
Inanefforttohave200,000 homes renovated by 2024, France's environmentallyfriendly home renovation program, MaPrimeRénov', has received an additional 300€ million in funding. Theallocatedfundswillbe utilized to increase the current level of financial assistance provided for most renovations from 1,200€ to 2,000€. The
objective is to encourage more households to transitionfromusingfossil fuelboilers,suchasoiland gas,toalternativemethods. As of June 2023, approximately 90,000 homeshavebeenrenovated with the assistance of MaPrimeRénov'. The government aims to more than double this figure by thefollowingyear.
To reduce its budget by €500 million annually, France's social security fund Assurance Maladie will be reducing the refund it gives for dental treatments. Starting from 1 October, their contribution towards dental bills will decrease from the usual 70% to 60%. As a result, individuals with top-up health insurance will see an increase in coverage from 30% to 40% for their dental treatments. After the October implementation, the majority of costs will be shifted onto health insurance customers next year, except for those who have supplementary health insurance through their workplace, pension, or government-provided top-up healthcare, as they will continue to be fully covered.
The route for the Olympic torchduringthe2024Paris Olympic Games has been revealed by the event organisers. The closest pointsinourregionwillbe Périgueux 22 May 2024, Bordeaux 23 May, Angoulème 24 May 2024, Grand PoitiersFuturoscope 25 May 2024 and Châteauroux 25 May 2024. Full details can be found on the official Paris 2024 Olympics website: www.paris2024.org/en
According to French government, recent rainfall has been absorbed by the soil without significantly affecting groundwater levels, which remain below normal for around two-thirds of France. Despite recent rain, the levels were so low thanks to the summer drought, and little rainful in autumn and winter, the reservoirs are not replenished. To check for up to date guidance on your area, please visit www.propluvia.developpement-durable.gouv.fr. Here you will find a map of France, with each area allocated a code. If you missed the full details in last month’s edition, you can read the June edition online at www.etceteraonline.org.
What an intriguing cluster of contradictions we humans are: intelligent but savage, curious, intrepid yet determinedly artistic. Our evolutionary origins as herd animals demanded a level of communication and so the ape’s howl developed into language. Yet despite functioning within the pack we remained individuals and nurtured a consciousness, a unique inner life. We evolved ‘feelings’ enabling each of us to respond to the world differently. But do we still?
This conundrum lurched across my addled mind recently in a conversation about music, a topic for which I travel with my own soapbox. Music relies entirely on our emotions to work its magic and how it does this has been a lifelong fascination, often at the expense of more important stuff, I confess. Back in my college years I amassed a gargantuan collection of vinyl LPs and would devote more time to studying a Melody Maker interview with the bass player from Jethro Tull than to my coursework. It was wonderful. But despite being little interested in pop music, the launch of the video channel
What’s the impact on the real ‘us’ when “YouTube Influencer” is an actual job?
MTV in the 1980s still struck me as significant. It saw the mutation of music from an aural treasure into a distracting visual medium, intimacy neutralised, its heartbeat stilled. Whether it’s Shostakovich or Taylor Swift, we each absorb music through the prism of our own feelings. Videos, it seemed to me, trashed that notion, barging us aside and insisting, “Never mind how personal these lyrics feel to you; forget where this sound transports your imagination – THIS AND THIS ALONE is what the song means”. No longer free to immerse themselves in the music, the listeners’ role was now simply to witness it. Don’t stray from the herd.
This hijacking of our personal space has become ubiquitous. I have a theory (of course I do) that our reactions to almost any given situation are now shaped by a lifetime’s exposure to TV and cinema. Vision will always override our other senses - think of those giant 3D cinemas which convince us we’re skiing down an Alp. Popular culture is image-driven so our response to a situation falls prey to the fictional portrayals of that same situation that we’ve watched a million times.
Brian White lives in south Indre with his wife, too many moles and not enough guitars
I’m convinced we’ve developed a sort of internal template of what people do in different circumstances, simply because we have seen actors doing it so often. Our behaviour, once natural and instinctive, becomes performative and self-regarding.
We are saturated by modern media at every turn. In place of actively living our lives, we fall to merely playing ourselves in the movie version; we subconsciously mirror responses we have witnessed countless times on screen. It’s unsettling, this notion of life as a continual rolling selfie.
An example…. Last year, back in the UK, I was having lunch with my son in Llandudno at a restaurant which had once, long ago, been a cake shop. I had a flashback of the 13-year-old me on his Saturday morning job, cycling around the town collecting supplies for a small hotel. I recalled myself, clutching my shopping list, in the very spot where we were sitting. It felt momentarily poignant until I realised there was nothing remotely sad about it. This was simply somewhere I’d been years ago and now was again. My imagination was painting the memory with a sepia tinge to turn it into something, I suppose, more cinematic. I was subconsciously creating how such a moment would have been presented on screen.
This warping of our natural behaviour is these days turbo-driven by social media (the herd rides again?). A tsunami of video clips instructing us how to deal with life’s hassles - with the obligatory (and mostly fake) “inspirational” quotescircumnavigating the globe at the speed of light. What’s the impact on the real ‘us’ when “YouTube Influencer” is an actual job? In navigating life’s day-to-day trials, can we still locate our own instincts to guide us? Or do we, when called upon, simply retrieve a response we already have ‘in stock’ for just such an occasion? How would we even know?
In his 1991 song “Walking In Memphis”, Marc Cohn referenced this paradox as he described his delight at being on the city’s hallowed Beale Street. In the last line of the chorus, he wonders if his euphoria is genuinely heart-felt or simply conjured up by what he believes is expected of him on such a visit. He poses the question which even Cher’s bombastic cover version couldn’t obliterate: “But do I really feel the way I feel?”
I wonder - do any of us? Ever?
Everyone has heard of Izaak Waltonsome believe that he wrote the first book on angling. This theory has been debunked several times yet old Izaak’s legacy lives on especially in the United States where he is even more revered than in England. As is Dame Juliana Berners who is supposed to have written another book that was even earlier than Walton’s. We at least know that Walton existed, but the supposed Prioress of Sopwell Priory cannot be confirmed.
Because of the hard work of people like John McDonald, Prof. Willy Brakeman, and Dr. Richard Hoffman we now know that Dame Juliana Berners’ ‘Treatyse of Fysshing With an Angle’ was actually a compilation of older manuscripts put together by the printer of the second ‘Book of Saint-Albans’ Wynken de Worde. These manuscripts were added to the chapters on heraldry, hawking, and hunting ten years after the book was first published in 1486. The manuscripts probably were dated around thirty or forty years earlier and appear to be from several different writers. Between 1496 and Walton’s book over 150 years later there were at least four other books on angling published. Two were slavish copies of the ‘Treatyse’ and supposedly written by Gervais Markham and Leonard Mascall. A book by John Dennys ‘The Secrets of Angling’, first published in 1613, often gets overlooked yet that book offers the best insight into how our forefathers fished in the day. All that is missing from Dennys’ equipment is the fishing reel. Another book is even more obscure. In the 1960s a man engaged in house clearance in the Birmingham area came upon a small book about angling. It was written by William Samuel in 1577. The book was passed to a collector of antique books who had it verified by the British Library as being genuine. It was then sold to a philanthropist for a small fortune and now resides in an American University museum. ‘The Arte of Angling’, of which only one copy is known, was written by the Vicar of Godmanchester who had to flee to Switzerland to avoid persecution during the bloody period of Mary Stuart’s short reign. Samuel returned to Godmanchester and became a freeman of the town and was on the board of governors of the town’s school. Samuel’s book must have been quite rare even in the 16th century as it avoided both Mascall and Walton’s plagiarism. We now know that Walton copied Mascall who in turn had copied the ‘Treatyse’. Walton also copied John Dennys and Thomas Barker, an associate of Walton’s.
From the stem of angling literature we discover that anglers could purchase fishing tackle by the 16th century. Hooks were a side product of needle manufacturers in Spain, Italy, and of course Redditch in the English Midlands. Rods and ancillary pieces to make them could be purchased from iron mongers and items like line, floats, bait pouches, and landing nets could also be bought from local suppliers. The thing that was missing was the reel which allows for running rather than fixed line fishing. The first mention of a reel or winch came from Thomas Barker. He described a means of storing line and an iron hoop at the top of the rod allowing the line to be let out or taken in at will. The next reference to a reel came from Robert Nobbes, another vicar, who practised ‘trolling’ for pike.
In 1682 Nobbes spoke of ‘trolling’ as throwing a dead bait out and retrieving it by hand in the same way that trout anglers retrieve line. He had a spool with a ring on the end allowing it to fit on the fingers of his rod hand and he wound the line around the spool when he had finished fishing. Nobbes did not always use a rod. He preferred simple hand lining.
It took us until the next century before reels as we know them today began to be manufactured. Once they were, it took angling to a new level and the running line method of fishing took off in England if not on the Continent.
Reels allowed anglers to cast lines beyond the distances that could be fished with a fixed line. Initially the end tackle would be thrown out and retrieved by hand and the reel only used to recover line when a fish was hooked. Line could be coiled on a coat or piece of newspaper laid on the ground to prevent tangling. This method remained in use in the southern counties, particularly the Thames, way beyond the times that northern anglers developed new means of casting.
Then Nottingham style started with anglers pulling loops of line from between the guides and progressed to casting heavier baits using the weight to pull line off the reel. This was also used by sea anglers fishing with huge Scarborough reels. Around the 1850s two Nottingham anglers, William Bailey and a champion prize fighter who went by the name of Bendigo, developed a method of pulling line off the reel and setting it in motion in order to cast lighter rigs further. This was perfected by F.W.K Wallis into what he called ‘The
Modern Light Float Cast in the Nottingham Style’. Today we call it the Wallis Cast. Using the lighter and better made reels of the early 20th century anglers could cast float tackle up to 40 yards using this method.
Sheffield anglers fishing the Lincolnshire drains using small quill floats developed their own method of casting whereby the float was switched to and fro as in flycasting whilst line was pulled off the reel to allow the ultra-light tackle to reach the far bank ledge.
Behind the scenes the fixed spool was being developed by the textile magnate Alfred Holden Illingworth. Illingworth’s Threadline reels inspired many copies with serviceable reels being produced all over Europe by the mid 1930s. Lines too were being dragged into the modern era with synthetics replacing silk and other textiles that had superseded horse hair and cat gut.
Anglers fishing the Thames and Trent for barbel would use several thousand lob worms in a pre-baiting program lasting several days. Bulk containers of worms could be ordered in Nottingham and delivered by rail anywhere in the country. Maggots had become popular around the turn of the century, but many roach anglers still used stewed wheat.
By the 1950s anglers could enjoy the fruits of the Industrial Revolution with fishing tackle available to suit all budgets, maggots readily available over the counter without having to breed your own, and increasingly exotic ground baits. Many coarse anglers would typically have two or three rods depending on where they fished and what for; a light float rod, a heavier general purpose rod, and a heavy rod used for pike fishing. The most popular rod of the period, an Allcocks Wizard, produced from 1931 until the mid-60s, was deemed suitable for dace, roach, bream, tench, and carp. The designer used it to equal the barbel record with a 14lb fish, had salmon over 20lb, as well as several 2lb roach.
By the 1960s specimen hunters predominated the angling press and anglers increasingly became specialists as opposed to generalists. Tackle followed suit and rods through to the end tackle became more specific to particular types of angling. The carp boom accelerated this and shows no signs of slowing down. I am just grateful that there are still possibilities to get away from the arms race and enjoy fishing how it should be – simple.
It took angling to a new level and the running line method of fishing took off
Private pens, each with inside and outside space. Peaceful garden setting. Open 7 days a week. Viewings welcome by appointment. Recommendations available. Situated in Montemboeuf (16)
"Cats don't have owners, cats have
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
But it is that rather unsettling period when the weather tends to get hotter but the nights start drawing in. Summer is certainly in full swing, but the approach of autumn – if not winter – is subtly being signalled.
However, it is the time when nature is at its most frenetic, and there are boundless things to watch out for.
Insects seem to dominate in many ways. Flies are very active – everything from huge black creatures to tiny aphids. Beware of horse-flies, which are surprisingly large striped flies with long legs and a desire for blood. Sadly (for them) they don’t have a nice hypodermic system for collecting it as mosquitoes do; horse-flies have to saw through your skin to get to it, and that can hurt!
For me, it’s always the butterflies and moths that are worth watching. The Swallowtail Papilio machaon should be around this month, fitting in between the two annual appearances of its cousin the Flambé Iphiclides podalirius. Watch out too for the Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum, a small, dayflying hawk-moth that spends all its time flitting from flower to flower. It has the curious habit of hovering, wings a-blur, in front of each blossom and pushing its impossibly long tongue deep into the nectar-sac to drink without otherwise touching the flower. More rarely seen is the Bee Hawk-moth, again small but distinctly yellow, which also hovers but rests its front feet on the lower petals of any plant from which it drinks.
To see the larger hawk-moths you will have to do some night exploring. A streetlamp sometimes attracts specimens. Occasionally you may find a Large Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephilla elpenor resting on a tree-trunk in late afternoon. This beautiful moth, like other hawkmoths, folds its wings down into a triangle across the top of its body, and is a lovely mixture of pink and olive green. It is named for its caterpillar, which has a distinctive way of pulling its narrow forebody into its main body and thereby inflating a pair of false eye-marks on its 5th segment, thus resembling a snake. The French call it Le Grand Sphinx de la Vigne. Sphinx is their name for any hawkmoth, which is not surprising; the approved scientific name for the family of hawk-moths is Sphyngidae.
combination of the River of Sorrow in Hades (Acheron) and Atropos (she who cannot be turned), the Fate who severed the thread of life that her sisters spun. One thing the moth is bad news for is potatoes; its huge, yellow, blue-striped caterpillar feeds on the leaves of Solanaceous plants, particularly the potato!
The wingspan is between 80 and 120 mm (up to 5 inches in old units), and the moth can squeak audibly if disturbed
The largest is the Death’s Head Hawkmoth Acherontia atropos (Fr: Sphinx têtede-mort). This nocturnal moth is quite frightening in appearance. It is not highly coloured, as many hawk-moths are; it has a large, furry abdomen; and on the thorax is a dark marking that many consider to look like a skull. It doesn’t, if you study it, but at a quick glance it might be so considered. The wingspan is between 80 and 120 mm (up to 5 inches in old units), and the moth can squeak audibly if disturbed. You can get some idea of the awe it inspired even in scientists, when you realise that its scientific name is a
Unlike most of the hawk-moths that use a long, narrow, flexible tongue to seek nectar deep in flowers, the Death’s Head is equipped with a very short, strong tongue. With this it can pierce the skins of rotting fruit to drink the fermenting juices, but also it can pierce the wax capping of bee-combs to get at the stored honey. To do this it enters the hive, protected by its sheer size, its thick coat of fur, and certain signals (including its squeak) that somehow fool the bees into accepting its presence.
In the world of butterflies, the “Brown” butterflies start to make themselves known. The ones you are likeliest to encounter are the Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria (Fr: Tercis), the Wall Lasiommata megera (Fr: Mégère ou Satyr), the Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus (Fr: Amaryllis), and the Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina (Fr: Myrtil). These can be quite tricky to tell apart at a glance. The first two look quite similar in France. In the UK there is little problem, as the ground-colour of the Speckled Wood is distinctly yellow. In France it is orange-
brown, similar to that of the Wall. The Gatekeeper and the browner specimens of the Meadow Brown can also be confused, but there is one distinguishing point. The Gatekeeper has a double-cored eye-spot on the upper corner of each fore-wing, while the Meadow Brown’s eyespot is single-cored.
More out in the country, keep an eye open for the Marbled White butterfly Melanargia galathea (Fr: Demi-Deuil = halfmourning). This attractive brown-andcream chequered butterfly flies about a metre off the ground, with a fairly determined flight. It likes open fields and well-grown grassy areas in particular.
The Roe deer produces a discreet bark, rather like a dog bark or a heavy smoker’s cough
will soon be thinking of returning to their winter grounds. Often it is the falling-off of insect prey that makes the decision. The cuckoo, of course, has no children to raise; there are children, but the cuckoo’s cunning form of brood parasitism means that the cuckoo has passed the responsibility of raising them to others, so there is no reason to stay. The rascal will go in late July or early August. The hoopoe, being a proper parent, will stay longer. So will the swallows, swifts, and martins, who usually stay around until September.
You may be fortunate enough to see the Purple Emperor Apatura iris (Fr: Grand Mars changeant). The male of this species has a stunning purple iridescence that moves over the upper wings as they move in the light, as the colour is a diffractive effect caused by fine ridges on the wingscales. The poor female has no such glory! In Britain the only place you are likely to see one is in open woodland, but in France they seem a bit more parochial. I have even seen them in gardens!
Our resident birds are busy raising families. They will stay to the end of the season, but some of the migratory birds
A walk by the waterside is always rewarding at this time of year, as the Odonata are busy. That’s the damselflies and dragonflies. A dragonfly can be a startling thing to meet if it decides to fly by your head, but the chance of it becoming enmeshed in your hair is very remote; their eyesight is too good. The damselflies are simply charming – look out for the electric-blue Calopteryx splendens, the Banded Demoiselle, which I have seen in England, but which seems much more common in France. The male sports an iridescent blue colour over most of its wing-area. The Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo is similar, but with a smaller colour patch. One odd happening in July is the rut of the Roe Deer. These deer are very common in
France, and will even wander into gardens. However, July is the time they choose to mate. This presents a problem. The gestation period for a small deer is about 150 days. This would produce fawns in January, which is not a good survival strategy, even in mid-France. To avoid this, the eggs are fertilised, but then are retained and not implanted in the uterus wall for about 3 months. Thus, the fawns are born in spring.
The Roe Deer rut is a quiet affair. Red Deer males yell their heads off to attract females. The Roe deer produces a discreet bark, rather like a dog bark or a heavy smoker’s cough, which it uses when disturbed or frightened. In the Roe Deer, the attractant sounds are made by the females, who produce a high-pitched whistle that the males find most alluring!
THESE ENCHANTING INSECTS GRACE THE COUNTRY'S WATERWAYS AND MEADOWS, SHOWCASING THEIR VIBRANT COLOURS AND INTRICATE FLIGHT PATTERNS, ADDING A TOUCH OF WONDER TO THE SUMMER LANDSCAPE
These exquisite creatures are familiar to us all, especially at this time of year when a walk along any stretch of good water will be enlivened by their beauty.
Dragonfly folklore
However, they have not always been viewed with such pleasure. While the inhabitants of some countries (Japan for example) have always revered them, the British have come up with some chilling local names for them, such as Devil’s Darning Needle, Horse Stinger, Water Witch, Hobgoblin Fly, Devil's Horse, and even Snake Killer. Probably it is the generally tapering shape that put our forebears on their guard.
First and foremost, these creatures do not sting! They are totally unequipped to do
so. If they are seen flying near animals like horses and cattle, it is probably because that is where the best and juiciest flies are to be found.
Also, they are incapable of sewing up your mouth, your eyes, or any other part of your body. This was a threat used by unscrupulous adults to frighten children into silence, “Stop talking, or the Devil’s Darning Needle will sew your mouth shut!” A fine way to encourage an interest in entomology!
This was a threat used by unscrupulous adults to frighten children into silence
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
The Dragonflies have been on Earth for a very long time – something in excess of 300 million years, which puts them ahead
of the dinosaurs in origin! The remains have been found of several undoubted dragonfly species – admittedly a bit more primitive than our modern representatives – which flew through the giant fern Coal Measure forests of the Carboniferous Period. They were of an astounding size –wingspans up to 30 inches (75 cm) which in size would have challenged a large seagull of today. How insects of that size functioned is a mystery. It has been suggested that the atmosphere must have been richer in oxygen then than it is now, to allow the creature’s lowpowered breathing-system to deliver sufficient oxygen to its muscles.
Today these beautiful insects are a closely related group, being arranged into the order Odonata (toothed-jaw). They form two sub-orders, the Anisoptera (unequalwinged) dragonflies, whose front two wings are marginally narrower than the hind pair, and the Zygoptera (similarwinged) damselflies, whose four wings are approximately equal in breadth.
The other chief difference is that dragonflies never fold their wings but hold them always horizontally and at a right angle to the body, while nearly all damselflies fold their wings when at rest, parallel to the body.
Dragonflies have two main body shapes: needle-shaped (the “hawkers”) and flatbodied (the “darters”). They are strong fliers and can travel considerable distances. Damselflies are long-bodied and are smaller and more delicate than dragonflies. They are weaker fliers and are usually found on or near the water they developed in.
Dragonflies have huge eyes that actually touch on top of the head and bulge out sufficiently to give a good all-round viewthey can even see what’s happening behind! The number of separate lenses in a dragonfly’s eye is astounding – up to 30,000. The facets of these compound eyes are very fine, and experiments have shown that their vision is outstanding. They are easily capable of catching other, smaller insects in full flight, and their rearward vision makes them very difficult to take by surprise.
Damselflies have smaller eyes, which do not meet on top of the head but protrude slightly to allow for some rear vision.
Getting it together, Dragonfly style Mating takes place throughout summer. It is quite unlike any other mating! In order that the transfer of semen may occur, first
the male must transfer his fluid from the true exit of his male system at the end of his abdomen to a secondary “delivery organ” - a bit like a water-pistol - situated near the top of his abdomen where the female’s organ can reach it. To couple successfully, the two insects must meet in a certain way. The male grasps the female just behind her head (his ability to do this is very species-specific, to ensure his claspers will engage with the grooves with which she is equipped), and she brings her abdomen up to reach his delivery organ just behind his thorax. This causes both insects to assume a hoop or looped configuration (which the incurable romantics call “The heart arrangement”). The mating may take some time, as the male also has to ensure that any deposit from a previous mating with another male is removed; he is equipped to do this! After mating, the male dragonfly will probably leave the female to get on with her laying, but the male damselfly usually stays with his female, continuing to hold onto her behind the head with the claspers at the tip of his abdomen even while she lays her eggs. This ensures that he is the father of her offspring, and that no interloper takes his place.
quite astounding
Eventually, during late July or early August, the nymph (which is now a much larger creature and, in some species at least, spectacularly ugly to the human eye) climbs up a water-plant stem for a halfmetre or so. The back of the nymph splits, and the dragonfly or damselfly does a very slow back-somersault into the world, finally grasping the plant-stem below its former incarnation. It uses this purchase to pull its abdomen free of the nymph-case.
The empty nymph-case can stay clinging hollowly to the stem for days afterwards. If you examine this case carefully, you will see dried, yellowish filaments traversing the thoracic area. These are the linings of the breathingtubes that the nymph developed to allow the dragonfly to breathe air, and which are now fulfilling their function in the emerged insect. When you think about it, this change from aquatic to aerial existence, all in one leap, is quite astounding.
Most of the life of the developing dragonfly or damselfly is spent in water. Hatching from the egg (usually injected into a water-plant leaf or into rotting wood near water-level) the small nymph begins a strongly predatory life, lasting up to two years for larger species and involving several moults. The nymph of a damselfly can be distinguished from that of a dragonfly because it tends to be a bit more delicate in appearance and has a small fan of gills at the end of its body.
Now the adult inflates its wings and allows them to harden. The whole process takes an hour or two, and the insect is totally vulnerable throughout. I have even seen cases where a dragonfly lost its grip while drying its wings, fell into the water and drowned.
When it feels sufficiently hardened, the dragonfly or damselfly will depart to start its adult life. Not quite fully, however; for a few days it will still be fairly soft, and be rather vulnerable, not least to other dragonflies. This stage is known as a teneral dragonfly.
The colours displayed by these teneral dragonflies and damselflies are not fully developed; they will strengthen over the next few days and can become spectacular
This change from aquatic to aerial existence, all in one leap, isClose-up view of the head of a dragonfly, showing the large compound eyes A dragonfly emerging from its pupa-case. Note the undeveloped wings Small hawker dragonfly resting on a bamboo stem
and very variable. As old age approaches, the insects can show “pruinescence”, a powdery blueing or whitening of the body colours. After death the colours fade, and collections of dead dragonflies are usually very drab exhibits - far better to photograph them!
The adults feed on smaller insects, trapping them in the “basket” formed by the legs in flight. They have serrated jaws which enable them to deal with the hard skeleton of their prey. The dragonfly’s jaws
The insects can hover, fly backwards, change direction very quickly
are incredibly strong, but they are not equipped to bite a human or even a mammal like a horse.
Although the dragonfly’s flight system developed very early, it is amazingly adaptable and robust. The insects can hover, fly backwards, change direction very quickly, and in fact have control of each of their wings separately; a very sophisticated flight mechanism. They can fly at a remarkable speed; dragonflies can reach 30 km per hour for a short while (damselflies quite a bit less) and they can fly for long periods.
Adult dragonflies can live for several weeks if they make it past all the hazards of the transition to an aerial existence. They should not be confused with “Ephemeraceae”, creatures such as Mayflies, which emerge similarly from an aqueous existence but have a very short adulthood – less than a day. However, dragonflies usually end up as a meal for a larger dragonfly or a largish bird. You can encourage dragonflies and damselflies to your garden with a wellbuilt wildlife pond. (No fish though! They will eat the developing nymphs.)
Close view of the head and wing-bases of a large hawker dragonfly
A pair of damselflies mating in "heart" loop. Male blue, female green
Two specimens of the Darter dragonfly Libellula depressa Male (blue) and female (yellow)
Close-up view of the head of a dragonfly, showing the large compound eyes
This is the perfect time of the year, since the nights are so short, to look out perhaps for a few daytime atmospheric anomalies in our beautiful summer skies. You could be lucky enough to spot some 'Sundogs', 'Sun Halos', 'Upper Tangent Arcs' and so much more. Read on to find out more about these amazing sights. If you are further north in the country, or perhaps making a trip to the UK, the beautiful phenomenon of 'Noctilucent Clouds' will continue to be visible, and the
most prominent summer constellations become very easy to observe after midnight.
Using your sky app to help with locating each constellation you will be able to find the brightest star in 'Auriga'. Capella can be seen rising on the northern horizon after dark. 'Cassiopeia' and 'Persius' will be easier to find as they reach a more
ByClaire WardlawClaire Wardlaw, originally from Edinburgh, lives in the Charente with her husband. Since their move nearly 6 years ago, Claire has become passionate about astronomy
prominent north easterly position each night. You may also be able to spot, with the naked eye, our closest neighbour 'The Andromeda Galaxy'.
Using binoculars or a small telescope this will be a beautiful sight
Using binoculars or a small telescope this will be a beautiful sight. This is the best time of the year to observe 'Scorpius' and of course 'The Summer Triangle' sits high and proud towards the south with the three stars of Vega, Lyra, and Altair
pointing the way to many other constellations.
The Full Moon - 3rd just after midday
Last Quarter Phase - 10th at around 2:50pm
New Moon Phase - 17th at 7:30 pm
First Quarter Phase - 25th around 11pm
This month you will be able to look out for two close encounters with the Moon. First up on the 12th, from around 3am onwards, a thin waning 29% crescent Moon can be found close to the planet Jupiter as they rise in the east and journey across the skies. With 7 x 50 binoculars it will be possible to observe both objects together as they are only a few degrees apart. On the 13th of the month, again in the early hours of the morning, 'The Pleiades' (a stunning cluster of stars) will be seen close to the crescent Moon as they seem to rise together on the eastern horizon.
Planet activity this month
Mercury - the planet is low in the westnorthwest now so is best observed as the night eventually arrives.
Venus - which is showing a thin phase now will be best viewed during the start of the month.
Mars - for the first week in July you will find Mars close to Venus as they set just after sunset.
Jupiter - returning to our night skies as the month progresses and best observed in the last week.
Saturn - again an 'improving' morning planet and best observed at the end of the month.
Uranus and Neptune may be found with good binoculars or a small telescope. Search in the morning hours before daylight and towards the end of the month.
These delicate and at times elusive cloud formations are active during the month of July and for a few months afterwards. The further north you travel the more chance you will have to spot these wispy white clouds. Look towards the north after the sun has set throughout the month. The paler sunlight at that time will light up the upper atmosphere where these clouds are found.
Sun Dogs or 'Parhelia' appear when cirrus clouds are present near the Sun. The Sun's light is diffracted to form ice crystals which results in two beautiful bright and colourful patches , 22 degrees or more on either side of the Sun. They do look to me like tiny rainbows. (Moon Dogs are a much rarer phenomenon forming around a near-full or full Moon.)
The 'International Astronomical Union' is set to recognize 62 additional moons of Saturn, giving the ringed giant 145 moons — eclipsing Jupiter’s total of 95. Observing all of these Moons would not be possible from here on Earth, but we can, with a large enough telescope, spot a few of them! Even binoculars will reveal the four largest Moons in orbit around Jupiter.
we can begin to see the effects of the constant volcanic eruptions which occur on the surface. Our view from here, in orbit around the Moon Io, clearly shows us the largest of over 400 separate volcanoes which is named 'Loki'. We will not get too close as we must avoid the violent activity which is chucking out sulphuric gas and forming an amazing, but dangerous, atmosphere all around this world. You will also be able to see many lava flows all over the surface. The lake of lava you can now see below our craft is known as Loki Patera, resembling a shield form. It may look very inviting but with geysers and at times 2000 degree temperatures we will keep a safe distance within our spacecraft, take some holiday snaps, and continue on our journey….
Noctilucent Clouds - or Night Shining Clouds - when viewed from space are named Polar Mesospheric Clouds, or PMCs!
Noctilucent clouds are composed of tiny crystals of water ice up to 100 nm (nanometre) in diameter and exist at a height of about 76 to 85 km (249,000 to 279,000 ft), higher than any other clouds in Earth's atmosphere. So beautiful.
Sun Halos can be seen at times in the summer and will form a circle around the Sun and will pass through these two Sundogs.
Upper Tangent Arcs Tangent arcs are sometimes seen on the outside of the 22° halo. These arcs touch the circular halo at its highest or lowest points (upper tangent arc and lower tangent arc, respectively). These arcs have a form that varies with the angular elevation of the light source i.e. the Sun.
It is crucial when observing these atmospheric phenomena close to the Sun that you take great care and never look directly at the Sun.
Virtual Space Journey No. 4. The Volcanic world Of Io - 43.7 lightminutes from Earth
The largest of the four Galilean Moons orbiting Jupiter is called Io. These four moons were discovered by Galileo during the seventeenth century. As our virtual spacecraft arrives at this amazing world
The Capricornids are active from the 3rd of July and into August. The peak of activity will occur on the 30th when the maximum number of meteors could be only around 5 per hour. Looking towards the southern horizon, the constellation of Capricornus is located low and to the left. This is where these meteors will seem to emanate from. Fireballs are often produced from this shower. The other shower for this month, and the more active one, is the Southern Aquariids. These are active from the 12th to late August and the peak date will be the 30th. The maximum hourly rate can be around 25 per hour. With a bright Moon present during these dates, observing will be a wee bit of a challenge... but, I think, going outside and gazing up at the night sky is always such a grand thing to do, particularly on a warm summer night. We look forward again this month to the amazing spectacle that is 'The Perseid Meteor shower'. Although it will be active from the 17th of July, its peak of activity will be in August.
Well hello there! How are you doing? Keeping healthy and busy I hope. July, eh? It really is true that time seems to go faster as you get older. What it’ll be like when I hit 35 is quite a worry. Did anyone watch the coronation? I didn’t. Without wishing to come across as a bit of a know it all, I knew what was going to happen at the end so thought it a bit of a waste of my time. It was also a Saturday and I needed to go shopping. But, if men in frocks and big hats are your thing, I’m sure it was spectacular. I felt sorry for the demonstrators who were chastised for demonstrating on the day of the coronation. When else were they supposed to do it? Coronations don’t come around very often. Still, I’m sure it was a nice day out and lots of people can say ‘I was there’, even though they were actually at a street party in Morecambe.
Like Charles has, I hope that you’ve had a good start to the summer. By the time you
read this, the Ashes will be in full ‘swing’ (little cricket joke there!) and many of us will be glued to Test Match Special (TMS). Or maybe you won’t because you don’t think you have access to it? Well, it’s your lucky day, because you can get radio channels through your satellite TV box. Nearly every satellite receiver offers both TV and radio channels. Of course, your dish needs to be aligned to Astra 28.2° (or Astra 2 as it’s also known) for that is where you’ll find Radio 5 Live Sport and TMS.
It would seem that some people are still catching up to the BBC going HD only. If you have an old style, non-HD satellite
receiver, all you need to do is upgrade to a new high-definition one. Nothing else should need doing.
For those just entering the world of Freesat, remember that when it asks for a postcode, it is wanting a UK one for the regional BBC One. Do not put in your French code postal. Freesat is not the same as Freeview. Do not buy a Freeview box for UK TV reception. I’m trying to let this go, but….
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