The Herault Times Issue 8

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAGAZINE FOR THE HERAULT

The Herault Times Issue 8

www.theheraulttimes.com

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MUSIC* WINE* GARDENING* NATURE* HISTORY *EXHIBITIONS* ART* FOOD ISSN: 2261-561X

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THT January 2013

Contents THT

Never Miss An Issue: Visit www.theheraulttimes.com and subscribe now

Every Month

This Month

04 Editorial

Articles

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05 Letters 06 My Place 07 And Another Thing

Los Ecos de España

Up to a third of Languedoc residents have their roots in Spain. How do they feel?

09 Apicius Dines Out

16 Slow Food

22 Guillaume Leblon

11 Business / Legal

13 GTBY

14 Robotics in the Hérault

19 Earl Grey

10 Wine Times

12 Garden / Nature

08 Los Ecos de España

23 Camille Descossy

24 Learning Another Language?

It’s never too late?

24 Never too late to learn 25 The tools of communication

17 Lifestyle The Herault Times supports

18 What’s On 20 Subscribe

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21 Looking Back 26 Recipe Times 28 DIY 28 E-Male 31 Sport

Hérault

At the forefront of unmanned robotic vehicles

Cover Photo

“Seascape Hérault Med” Barry Beckett 2013 All rights reserved dharmacamera@googlemail.com 3

The Herault Times 1 Grand Rue, St Thibery,34630 Publisher: Gatsby B Editor : Emma F Director : Robin Hicks Advertising Director: Chris L Art Editor: Daisy B Art: L.A. EDITORIAL EDITOR@THEHERAULTTIMES.COM SUBSCRIPTIONS www.theheraulttimes.com/subscribe or contact us on info@theheraulttimes.com ADVERTISING For display advertising, print classifieds please call 0624 63 63 77 or mail advertising@theheraulttimes.com For online advertising please visit http://classifieds.theheraulttimes.com www.theheraulttimes.com PYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER

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END

ISSN: 2261-561X

January

Editorial

H

ave you brushed off the streamers, got all the pine needles out from the back of the sofa and unplugged the fairy lights as we step into another year?

An auspicious one we all quietly hope. So conditioned are we by the notion of the ‘new year’ beginning in January that it is difficult to resist the barrage of brain-cluttering ‘shoulds’ and ‘shouldn’ts’ we believe are the ingredients for a proverbial ‘clean plate’. After all, up until 700 BC ‘January’ didn’t even exist – until Pontilius added it, along with February, to the 10 month Roman lunar calendar.

If you are fond of this time of year then ‘All Hail’ Julius Cesar who introduced a new solar based calendar in 46 BC decreeing January 1st as the New Year… and so the merry making went on until… the Council of Tours in medieval Europe decided that the New Year festivities were too pagan, so they banned it. At various times and in various places throughout medieval Christian Europe, the New Year was celebrated on Dec. 25, March 1 and March 25th, until Pope Gregory XIII created the Gregorian calendar in 1592 and restored 1st January as

the New Year.

Meanwhile, late 18th century France, apparently plunged into a parallel universe that defied the time continuum of the rest of catholic Europe, created a new Republican calendar marking the days of freedom won by the Revolution and as an expression of the radical change within the state. The poet/actor/ dramatist Fabre d’Eglantine - whose verbosity didn’t prevent his head from being dramatically severed from his body - created poetic names for the new months, (Vendemière (vintage month), Brumaire (fog month), up until Fructidor (Fruit month), which were based on a decimal system of units: a year was divided into twelve months of three decades each.

However, the new system was eventually abandoned and the Gregorian calendar reintroduced on 1st January 1806.

The moral of this tale is that there is really no time like the present to get on with life, be it January or June - plans can be changed, entire calendars altered. Whatever names we give to the days and months we owe it to ourselves to live each one of them to our best potential. Today, for example,

could be the day that you decide to begin or improve your French. If you are using your age as an excuse not to then perhaps have a look at Hugh MacCamley’s article on learning a second language, which argues there is no scientific evidence that it is ever too late for the brain to effectively learn, and Trish Walker’s helpful hints about how to approach learning.

Culturally the calendar is always full here. If you are a musical lover now is the time to book your tickets for the Broadway show ‘West Side Story’. More than fifty years since its appearance on Broadway, the current cast will be treading the boards at Domaine d’O in Montpellier.

Folies D’O have successfully secured Montpellier a place as one of the three French towns selected to host this all singing, all dancing NY production in July this year.

Tickets are available at 30-40% less than any other country staging the show

(http://www.domaine-do-34.eu/)

And if you can’t make up your mind then meet the latest additions to the HT, There’s Earl Grey and his outspoken views and Michael D’Artag and his factual and occasionally opinionated business column.

The writers and contributors are the stars of this magazine and without them I would have all of my hair and would not be drinking gin at 9 am every day.

Having said that, you should know more about them. All their bios can be found at www.theheraulttimes.com. Please read them, they deserve to be recognised for their fantastic contribution and for being patient and generous to me.

IMPORTANT:

T

his magazine is intended for the use of the individual(s) who picked it up.

This magazine may contain information that is helpful, opinionated and can at times be unsuitable for overly sensitive Persons with no cultural credibility.

If you are not sure then may we politely suggest that you pass it onto someone else as to continue reading is not recommended and may constitute an irritating social faux pas.

No animals were harmed in the making of this magazine, and believe it or not one single opinion is definitive- period.

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Letters Lerab Ling What a superb article to put in a Christmas magazine. A way of life and a refreshing example that December is more than consumerism. Congratulations Dave - Aude Classifieds Dear Sir, I have just found your classified website. How good to see a site in English. I purchased the Citroen through it. Thanks.

Tim Giving It was with great joy that I read your magazine and saw the page given to charities (HT Issue 7). I have for 4 years volunteered after my son left home and for a while had the help and kindness and support of the Salvation Army in England. These are worthy and just causes but please ask your readers to remember the rest of the year. Margaret - 34000 Vodka I had to share this. My wife in a fit of urgency wrote all the ingredients down for the recipes in your magazine in December.

She then went to make Oysters with Pastis and the roulade but burst into laughter when she realised she had bought the ingredients for the Vodka Christas Cake. It is now a party piece in our family. Brilliant Gerald Vodka Laughed out loud at the Vodka xmas cake. Read it twice thinking you had been sampling the cake as you wrote it. Keep it up.

Gemma - text Bobbie Trickett Love these word plays and the

Tommy Soderstrom, Stockholm Comments Your comments (letters issue 7) to David offering directions to the nearest airport were rude and unnecessary. You either have a god complex or think you are funny. I suggest neither!

seriousness of the articles. You are a breath of Fresh air. Here’s to more in 2013 JW - Agde Not a negative Sir, I would like to offer an opinion. Is there a chance that you could expand on the business section of the magazine. You appear to be a serious publication and the Spectrum pieces are informative and factual but a little more on business practices and finance would be appreciated. I like many here are still active in this way and am not retired. Here’s hoping.

Charlie - Nimes

Oh dear, I am sorry. No, thinking about it my cat worships me and I think I’m funny..next!

Lifestyle Practical common sense at last but I must berate the author of the piece who suggests we don’t kiss upon meeting someone. It is a highlight of my day.

Me too Pierre, but then again you could get up, do some exercise, wash and get a real girlfriend if you wanted!

Valid Charlie and we are expanding these areas with professionals writing and discussing online and in the magazine from next month.

Ryanair So now the Scots are coming I see as Beziers airport is opening a route to Edinburgh. Heavens above. We’ll be like Spain soon.

Duncan - Serignan

Bike Lanes My wife and I just love the area around Etang de Thau. We would however urge the local politicians to take the oppurtunity to make safe bike lanes while it is still possible. Take a warning from the French Riviera, where there is no chance to find space because it is overcrowded and with heavy traffic. The beautiful scenarios no longer can be appreciated.

Take advantage of the present possibility to make something important for the region and prolong the existing stretch from Sète to Marseillan Plage and extend it to Marseillan. Meze and via Balaruc and Sète. The surrounding cities and villages can attach bike lanes to “Bike de Thau” if they want to be part of something good for the environment and for peoples health.

No we won’t . Duncan? Are you hiding your scottish roots? Go on, buy everyone a drink I dare you!

India Holiday Greetings from India to The Herault Times. Having your magazine arrive in my letterbox since July has been really nice.

I’ll be over as usual in March for 3 months and it is great to keep in touch the rest of the year. Jan Language I have to ask now that you are established whether you have any plans to include French in

The Other Letters A selection of excerpts fom letters that we post anonymously.... (..so I hope you have a ice day..)

Béziers? Tram? Hellooo!

Did you forget the ‘n’ or is there a chill wind approaching!

(..And for my Christmas treat to myself I would like santa to wake me up and poke me..)

(...and drivers really do need to think of others with all the water on the road during heavy rain...)

Nothing gets past you does it? I prefer dry roads when it’s raining (..due to the new tramways Béziers is quickly turning into..)

Ok, totally out of context but come on.....inappropriate! (..why print those letters, the writer obviously just wants to see his or her name in print.)

Thank-you Marian from Séte 5

the Herault Times? There is so little of any substance for the ‘not quite’ there amongst us that like to read a little French but like the help. Tracey - Beziers Tracey, valid point but as a friend of mine oft points out, “We don’t write in French and Midi Libre doesn’t write in English.”

Also there are many options for French and we believe that if we did a bi-lingual magazine (we do: www.lartiste.com) that every article without exception should be translated.

Driving Dear HT, is it me or are the roads getting worse. My village is now so full of potholes and speedbumps that it is like a rollercoaster going to the boulangerie. I am sure it is getting worse. Mags - Bédarieux Choices You wrote on the letters page last month that you were looking into the homophobia that is appearing more and more in our Département. This is a serious issue that should not be ignored and we have first hand knowledge of it. Jenny and Alice We will have commentary on this very soon.

Cover The picture on the front cover of your last issue was fantastic.

Where was it taken from please.

Beatrice 15 Hello Beatrice, Isn’t it wonderful? We are very lucky to have a great photographer working with us. If you can work it out we’ll send you a print of it.

My Place - Saint Saveur Jean-Gilles and Patricia Blondel

J

ean-Gilles, an only child, was born in Normandy in a charming house next to the Seine. He spent the large part of his life in this region, near Louviers (Eure) in the fog, the gloom and the rain, knee deep in slush nine months out of twelve! (You will understand this description to be that of someone who doesn’t like Normandy!)

I saw the light of day in Algiers in a large house situated on the heights of this

magazines such as Marie Claire Maison). I spent my time assisting at lavish fashion parades, headed by top designers and on photo shoots with the best photographers of the time. I felt like the queen of the world!

I got married and had two daughters, Laure and Noémie. Everything was going really well and we could have continued with our respective lives, however destiny had other plans. François, my first husband, died within

My Place magnificent, bright and luminous town. The fourth of six children, I spent my childhood in the sun, on the beaches of the Mediterranean.

You know how this period came to an end;

it is pointless describing a subject that has already spilled so much ink…

So you see, Jean-Gilles and me had little chance of ever meeting. And yet…

My family returned from Algeria in 1965 after Independence (there also is another story). My parents chose to live in Paris and we finally bought, during the 70s, a second home… in Normandy! Now, now, is this not the beginning of the story of Patricia and Jean-Gilles?

Yes, but first we must allow several years to pass, during which Jean-Gilles finished his studies in applied arts and obtained a diploma as an interior designer; married for the first time and had a little girl Sophie; by the time he had divorced he had established a professional career in P.R. and communication as the director of the creative studios RSC&G Normandy in Rouen.

As for me, I lived in Paris, having thrown myself along a path of fashion and design journalism, initially as an employee (Condé Nast, Vogue, then Vogue Men) and later as a freelancer (working on different fashion

7 months of being diagnosed with cancer…

Laure and Noémie were 4 and 18 months…

It was a very difficult time, during which I gave all of my energy to my children, supported by my exceptional parents. Until 1983, during the spring school holidays. My daughters needed a change of air. I took them for a few days to my parent’s house in Normandy, telling myself that they would be able to spend time in the fresh air, go cycling and I could play golf. We found ourselves deluged by heavy rainstorms and so were trapped in the house. I was on the verge of packing our bags and returning to Paris when a friend called with a dinner invitation. I accepted with pleasure, you can guess the rest..! An unforgettable evening which we are reminded of every time we enter our kitchen in St Thibéry: the bench by our table is the one upon which we sat during that famous dinner, given to us by our friend when we moved. We love it and wouldn’t part with it for anything in the world.

Together we had two more girls, Hortense (26) and Amélie (23). We brought together this little world in Normandy to create what one might call a family ‘recomposée’; we call it our tribe of five girls!

Together we set up a P.R. and communication agency, the desks for which were installed in an annex in our house. JeanGilles took care of the commercial and creative side, whilst I dealt with the writing.

The children grew up in the country side, free as air in the wide open spaces. The house was always gay, the atmosphere festive – although it was like that in our hearts it was not always so outside in the wet Normandy 6

countryside. So, to find the sun which we missed so much, every year we rented a large sailing boat in the Mediterranean and took our tribe to discover Corsica, Sardinia, the Island of Elba or Porquerolles…

We are all marked by these wonderful memories –the boat always bigger … more frequent escapes to the Med… until the day when I was 50 and had had enough of Normandy. I wanted to rediscover my Mediterranean. If we did not realize our dreams it would be too late, we would not have the energy again to pack our bags and start over.

But where to go? The Mediterranean covers a vast area and we needed a place where Amélie would be able to continue with her studies, where Jean-Gilles could pursue his first love of interior design and where I could continue writing. The ‘Hérault’ stood out for us, all the more because we had childhood friends there.

Et voilà that is how we landed in Saint Thibéry, in a large and beautiful house with which we fell in love on our first viewing.

Jean-Gilles set up his workshop in a large 80 m2 garage; Amélie pursued her photography studies in Montpellier and as for me, I was quickly forgotten by the Parisian press, since I was now based too far away.

Life was not always easy. Our children were far away, we had little money, the house seemed sad and empty, the girls visiting from

time to time, but not often. Yet the sun shone brightly, the Mediterranean opened its arms to us, which for that reason alone made our being here worth it.

It was then that the idea to open a chambre d’hôte struck us. We were living in a touristic

And another thing.......says Abse New Year’s Resolutions

H

ere we go again. Another new year.

They keep on coming, don’t they?

One after the other, year in, year out. 2012 gone, here’s 2013. Before you know it it’ll be 2014, and then what? 2015? How original!

And every year you are expected to come up with a new resolution: give something up, start something new: “This year I’ll give up smoking/stop drinking/lose 20 kilos/learn how to play the guitar/learn French/not kill anyone”. All these unreasonable demands… But not just demanding changes, but demanding them on a specific date, too. Why on January 1st eh? It’s just a date isn’t it? Why not May 12th? February 22nd? November 3rd? Bloody date fascists.

Oh, I know what you’ll say: it’s a New Year! A chance to start again with a new slate! Well I’ve got news for you – no one is using slates any more, we gave them up around the time of Queen Victoria! We’re all using tablets, now. Like Moses. Thinking about it, working 9 to 5 is a thing of the past, we’ve embraced flexi-time. So why not flexi-days? If I want to give up smoking I’ll do it when I please! And when I please is about 8 years ago, in June 2004. And when I give up drinking it will be a very special day, known to most people as A Cold Day In Hell.

Actually, this is the real problem with resolutions. They are promises to do things that you don’t really want to do at all, at any time, but believe by applying an arbitrary

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date to the promise you make to yourself, you will somehow manage to achieve something that will make you feel good about having achieved that something, if not actually pleased about the end result.

I suppose if it works for you that’s fine, but the truth is that

by January 31st every year 93% of resolutions will have failed. And no I’m not going to make a resolution that I will stop making up statistics.

According to research 95% of my readers like it.

Some very real (but not very surprising) research shows that the top ten New Year’s resolutions are: Spend more time with families, lose weight, give up smoking, get fit, cut down on drinking, learn something new, help others, get organised, travel more and get out of debt. Although the last one sounds like a hope or a wish rather than a resolution. The thing about a resolution is it is supposed to be something you can do yourself, rather than have to rely on some idiots in the US not driving us over a fiscal

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cliff.

If you can make resolutions which are in fact wishes then in 2013 I am going to win the lottery and become a multi-millionaire

without even buying a ticket. In 2013 I am going to gain some really cool super powers including the power of invisibility, flight and super-strength. In 2013 I am accidentally going to stumble across the secret of the universe. No I’ll tell you what I am really going to do in 2013: I am going to keep writing this column, and keep drawing silly pictures of cats. There. At least that will keep the editor happy.

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A wide selection of English books.

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area, we had a large house full of charm and we loved being around people. Without any hesitation we put on our overalls, armed ourselves with paint brushes and made our house more comfortable and welcoming.

Today we have four rooms available for guests who come from all over the world.

Meanwhile, our passion for the water has led us to buying a boat which Jean-Gilles is in the process of restoring so we can offer our

clients trips and picnics at sea, on the étang or the canal.

For both Jean-Gilles and I, it is our large and wonderful family, bound together like a strong and indestructible knot that is by far our greatest achievement and the source of all our pride. Each member has flourished according to their temperament, needs and desires. We are so proud of our five daughters, and of our six grandchildren and 7

of those who have yet to arrive and make the circle bigger!

To learn more about Jean-Gilles and Patricia’s chambre d’hôte visit www.homesaint sauveur.com/

Los Ecos de España A

s many as a third of the Languedoc’s inhabitants have ancestral links to Spain.

The influence of centuries of Spanish presence is evident in many areas of life, from names, culture and cuisine to language

and local accents - Spanish is the second language taught in schools after English (it is also worth noting that French is the mother tongue for a small number of Spaniards, particularly in the Valencia region of Spain) Immigration from Spain has been continuous, brought on by various critical periods of famine and most particularly the end of the civil war which was won by Franco’s usurpation of the army with help from German and Italian fascists. The dream of a republic with a democratic parliament crushed. I remember hearing a radio interview with the late Spanish writer and politician Jorge Semprún (1923-2011) talking about his life in Auschwitz. A Spaniard, forced out by the civil war, and a communist, he became

a French resistance fighter. After his capture he survived to become a writer, publishing predominately in French (La litérature ou la vie?) Because of the emotional pain he endured, it was only towards the end of his life that he was able to tell the story of his time in the Nazi camps –where some 10,000 Spanish Republicans died.

Text by Richard Fowler

Later, many Spanish immigrants came to supply the phenomenal demand for seasonal labour due to the expansion of the region’s vine industry, especially harvest time.

Spain has always had its own problems with past wealth based on freeing up the wealth of colonised countries, thereby ignoring investment in its own industrial development. Home remained a very rural affair until very recently. The pressures for change caused the misery to become intolerable and forced many to emigrate.

Only recently a Le Monde headline stated that Spain has again become a country of emigration, 25% of able bodied people have no job; a situation which is particularly poignant for a society whose collective spirit is often described as being very ‘home-based’. Sadly, once more, there is migration north.

Switzerland. Henri says it was mainly political people who went to the Spanish speaking countries of Latin America. A distant uncle of his worked in the Argentine consulate.

Perhaps less of an adventure than some of his contemporaries, but Henri remembers his journey to the South of France, his father on a motorbike, with the rest of the family travelling by bus; he remembers them all meeting and swapping drivers at different points along the way. In 1970 his parents became naturalized French citizens.

Henri has just retired after many years running a successful electrical enterprise. He is typical of other Spaniards who rose to the challenge of a new country and a new career.

Thérèse Rubert In January 1939, nine year old Thérese Rubert lived in Barcelona with her mother Lucie, her brother Jean and sisters Marie Rose and Louise, who was still a baby. She describes it as a comfortable and secure life in the family furniture business. However when the nationalist forces under General Franco overcame the republican army, where her father Henri was serving as lieutenant, Thérèse, Jean and Marie Rose were thrown on to a bus heading for France. There was no place for her mother or baby sister.

The bus was heading for Saint Cyprien beach, an ill-prepared concentration camp

“Yes, I am completely bilingual. It’s a bit schizophrenic really, going from one to the other, and I can’t say like the German writer Thomas man: “My homeland is language”, because I have two homelands.”

Jorge Semprún (1923-2011)

I have talked to three people from local Spanish families: Henri Roca, Thérèse Rubert and Emmanuel Villanova. All three illustrate the deep connection that Languedoc has with Spain.

Henri Roca Henri Roca moved to Servian with his family in 1957. His father had been coming to work the vendange at the Domaine of La Marseille Basse. Home was Tortosa in the Ebro delta not far from Taragona where they left behind many of their relatives who continued to mind the land planted with olives. It was not enough to sustain them, so they were forced to find additional incomes to enable them to hold on to their birthrights 300 olive trees was just not enough.

For the emigrants the proximity of France was the catalyst. Some travelled to 8

(the connotations with the likes of Auschwitz were yet to be drawn). With no protection from the wind and sun, the only shelter available had to be dug out of the sand.

Barracks were built, but they were intended only for the sick and the wounded. There were no toilets, no privacy.

With little tidal movement the shoreline became indescribable. The lack of sanitation and succour meant that many died of starvation and disease, children and the elderly being the most vulnerable. Even though the French authorities were forewarned of these Spanish exiles, they were ill-prepared for the numbers – by January nearly 465,000 Catalonians had arrived in the Pyrénées Orientales, 90, 000 of whom were sent on to Saint Cyprien.

Fortunately for Thérèse a Monsieur Pouzin, who owned a railway repair shop in Antibes, arrived at the camp to adopt a child.

Immediately attracted to Marie Rose, he wished only to take her. Insisting that she couldn’t be separated from her two siblings Thérèse stood her ground until M. Pouzin agreed to take all three home with him to Antibes. From there they spent three months at an experimental state school in Vence, Ecole Freinet ........ (continued next page col 1)

Restaurant Review

Apicius Eats at..... La Maison, Tourbes

A House with a Shaky Foundation La Maison 9 Ave. de la Gare Tourbes Tel: 0467.988695 (closed Sun-Tues eve. & all day Wed.) Located in the cheery village of Tourbes, just outside Pezenas, La Maison is trying to be more than just a local brasserie but has not quite made up its mind how high it wants to go and how it perceives in getting there.

The overall atmosphere is very informal. There is a small terrace with garden furniture that is used for lunch and mild evenings and an indoor salon with chairs that must be in the running for the most uncomfortable of the region.

Prices are in keeping with the atmosphere. There are several lunch formulas starting with a plat du jour for €8.48 and going up to €13.98 for a 3 course meal. In the evening there is a €26 menu and if you include cheese, one for €30. At prices like these you can’t be too severe or can you?

The sad truth of the matter is that the food is rather mediocre at best. Having eaten there on three occasions I have never had a meal that even comes close to what good cooking is about. It’s not that everything

(continued) (still an experimental state school to this day), opened by Célestin and Elise Freinet in 1935,whose principles rested on the philosophy of the American John Dewey.

In September 1939 a law was passed stating that all refugees were forbidden to reside near the Italian frontier, including Antibes. The Pouzin family also wished to decamp to the Drôme in order to escape the approaching Italian army. Thérese knew she had an aunt somewhere in the Languedoc, but could not remember the name of the village where she lived. Finally, she remembered La Liquière,

on the plate is awful, but there is always something on it that is. If it’s not a dish of undercooked poultry, then it’s one of overcooked fish or an overly dry red pepper tart. I suppose the most damming thing I can say is that the ice cream, which comes from

another source, is the most constant in quality. This is all terribly unfortunate because looking at the menu can be very inviting. There are lots of interesting items, for example, on the current one such as: -Bone marrow with filet of red mullet in meat stock

and wrote to the mairie enquiring after her Aunt Carmen. The letter she received in response informed her that her mother and sister Louise were there with her aunt and her father was in a camp at Agde.

On 14th July 1940 the whole family was reunited at Aunt Carmen’s house. A day never to be forgotten after 19 months of terror. For the remainder of the war her father worked for the Germans in Bédareiux, who were kind to them, supplying them with ‘gros pains’ despite the small pay. It enabled them nevertheless to survive their ordeal.

For Thérèse, now 82, the painful memories of Saint Cyprien remain as present as if it had all happened just yesterday. She explained to me how the family worked long and hard in the vineyards; saving, buying, or renting their own vines. It was an endless toil, working for others as well as tending their own plants.

She was given dispensation to leave school at 13, rather than the standard 14, so that she would not lose the valuable chance to earn.

Nonetheless, despite leaving school so young she still came top in the region’s French exam – she, a Catalan!

Emmanuel Villaneuva Emmanuel Villanueva, Maire of Cabrerolles, was born in Margon in ’39, the 9

-Scallops with Jerusalem artichokes in 2 different ways -Casserole of venison in red wine sauce with cepes and new potatoes The problem is that the transformation of what is written to what is served is haphazard.

I don’t know if there is too much pressure to get things to the pass quickly, not enough of a budget to buy qualitative supplies or simply lack of technique but the results are not what one expects from a good restaurant.

Fortunately, the wine card has some well- known mid level regional houses such as Saint George d’Ibry and la Croix Belle promoting the Cotes des Thongue with a touch or two of producers outside the Languedoc. The prices for bottles tend to be friendly enough starting at €14 and going up from there. There are also pitchers on offer for those who prefer more modest drinking.

As for service, the young male waiter, Danny is cheerful and quite pleasant but unfortunately the female server, Adeline, who is the chef’s wife and is the owner is not up to the mark. It’s not that she is necessarily nasty or rude but I always have the impression rightly or not, that dealing with the public is not the high point of her day.

In conclusion, one does not pay much for a meal but this is one of those times when one gets what one pays for.

Apicius son of a windmill owner from Terruel. The windmill business lacked the means to install modern machinery to remain competitive, so his father came to work in a biscuit factory in Bédarieux in 1920. Later, his father became régisseur at Domaine St George in Margon, an important and trusted position.

When he was old enough, Emmanuel got into film projecting, showing everything available round all the towns and villages - starting with ‘cine muet’, to Jean Gabin, Fernandel and De Funès. They would set up outside in summer and inside in winter. He chuckles with the memory of it!

Today, Emmanuel and his son run over 100 hectares of vines together, with much contracting work for other winegrowers.

Although Emmanuel’s heart is well embedded in France, his Spanish roots remain with him always - he knew and respected Henri, the father of Thérèse. scan for:

Bruno Mansé Guitarist Flamenco based in the Hérault

Wine

Rosemary George

Old Carignan T

he classic blend of grape varieties for red wines from the Languedoc has undergone something of shift in recent years, with a big increase in plantings of Syrah, and also Mourvèdre and Grenache Noir. These were considered the cépages améliorateurs or improving varieties, at the expense of Carignan and Cinsaut, which were deemed to be inferior in flavour. But what goes around comes around, and wine growers are now beginning to reassess and appreciate the qualities of Carignan, especially from old vines.

In the past the yields tended to be pushed to extremes and the wine making was less than meticulous, but with lower yields and careful wine making, the results can be quite delicious. Sometimes a technique is used called carbonic maceration, whereby whole bunches are fermented in a vat full of carbon dioxide so that fruit, rather than rough tannins, is extracted from the grapes. And even better is Carignan from older vines, at least fifty, if not centenarian.

One of the pioneers of old Carignan is Sylvan Fadat at Domaine d’Aupilhac in Montpeyroux, with his wine Le Carignan. As a pure Carignan, it obviously cannot be an appellation, so is the local vin de pays du Mont Baudile. When Sylvain first acquired the vineyard in the 1980s, people expected him to pull it up, but he didn’t as he had so few vines, and now he is really pleased that he kept these old

vines, as he really likes his Carignan. And so do I; it has some lovely brambly spice and fruit. And perhaps surprisingly, will age really well. I tried the 1999 not so long ago and it was leathery and intriguing. The current vintage is 2011 and 17.00€..

Amélie d’Hurlaborde at Mas d’Amile in Montpeyroux has a hectare of old Carignan that came from her grandfather, with which she makes a deliciously spicy Carignan, with brambly fruit and some elegant rusticity. A small part of the wine is aged in barrel which softens some of the tannins.

The current vintage is 2010 and costs 10€.

Peter and Deborah Core at Mas Gabriel in Caux make Les Trois Terrasses. Current vintage 2011 and 10.00€ at the cellar door. Again there is some barrel ageing and also some carbonic maceration, which brings out the fruit and softens the tannins, so that you have a mouthful of ripe blackberry fruit balanced with supple tannins. It’s just the thing for a chilly January evening.

Rosemary George / 2012 www.tastelanguedoc.blogspot.com

Word Play with Bobbie Trickett Une Angine

HERAULT TIMES ADVERT v2

23/5/12

15:16

aBSE 2013

The other day a friend told me that her daughter was off school with “une angine” What? A 16 year old with heart trouble?

Not at all.

A course of antibiotics and it’s sorted because une angine is nothing other than tonsilitis. (There is une angine de poitrine which equates to our ‘angina’ and the French word for tonsils is les amygdales A happy and healthy New Year to all.

Page 1

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With the global crisis France takes the spotlight but not always for the right reasons Michael D’Artag

Banking

F

rench Banks still have work to do. They have made a valid effort to cut their debt holdings in Europe and have reduced them by nearly 35% since the start of the European financial crisis.

French bank holdings in Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Spain were reduced by $294 billion in the last 3 years but they still have $540 billion in these economies.

Moody’s stated at the end of last year that France was “still exposed in peripheral European countries such as Italy in a disproportional manner”.

Last month saw the unveiling of the French banking reform with the outcome that very little changed. Widely acknowledged as a victory for the banks it was left to French finance minister Pierre Moscovici to state: “As a statement of intent to President Francois Hollande’s campaign pledge to get tough with the financial sector it is also laughable”.

“I did not want to weaken the French banking system. I want it to be strong,” Well you certainly did as the banks wanted, they have maintained their ability to keep the combined commercial and investment banking in house. In fact, as a statement of intent to President Francois Hollande’s campaign pledge to get tough with the financial sector it is also laughable.

What next?

Realistically nothing. France has stagnant growth, a leverage of over 40:1, credit rating problems, and is perceived to be doing nothing apart from plastering over the cracks. **

France - Closer to Spain han they want

When the global economic crisis hit, the French were confident and at times overly so.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy stating that the UK and US were involved in an ‘Anglo Saxon’ made model did not go down too well but the French seemed to be riding out the storm tongues were held.

Their belief in the ‘state’ system instead of

92.7 million euro to be spent on social housing in Hérault in 2013 ACM (Office public de l’habitat de la communauté de l’Agglomération de Montpellier), the major social-housing provider in Languedoc-Roussillon will invest 92.7 million euros in 2013. The majority of the funds will provide new, rentable housing (64.5 m for 42 projects), as well as the construction of new builds destined for rent-buy schemes.

the free market adopted by others appeared at the time to be with some substance.

Amusing really when you consider that two of the largest derivitives desks in London (oft attributed as a major part of the global crisis) were run by BNP Paribas and Societe General.

But was it all smoke and mirrors?

Greece and Spain are references to start from and the question some ask is whether France is next.

The French economy was in areas in a worse state than Spain’s prior to the crisis.

France’s GDP growth had been around the 2% mark with a best of 2.7% up to the crisis.

Spain’s 3%. Spain’s finances were stronger too. GDP in 2007 was 36% and France with 64% loses out again.

However, Spain did put most of its money into construction and we can see where that led.

So France has been treated well and its debt is furnished and aligned closely to Germany, the ‘dominant’ European player in this drama.

But its future is worrying due to those pre-crisis numbers we mentioned.

Unemployment is at its highest since the introduction of the euro and President Hollande’s populist vote keeper of taxing the rich really does need to work, although history shows the rich always pay less than you imagine. So if this materialises then austerity measures will have to feed back down to the rest of the population.

Historically this was not a problem.

Before the euro a devaluing and hey presto growth appears and the competiveness across borders reappears, but this is no longer an option.

In 15 years France has seen itself go from current account surpluses of nearly 3% of GDP to being over 2% in deficit.

France is not Spain but it should be noted that with its credit rating being cut by both Moody’s and Standard and Poors and it’s property market looking at falling, it is safe to say that a border may not be all France shares with Spain.

Market Reflections

A

s one year finishes and another begins, it is always a time for reflection.

For some, 2012 will have been a more eventful year than for others. For all of us living in France, there has been uncertainty, as the Eurozone debt crisis rumbled on.

The Eurozone crisis is only one of the global economic issues that we are faced with today. Lack of economic growth in developed countries, combined with budget deficits and a European banking crisis have increased the overall complexity of the issues that exist.

Some governments appear to think that austerity budgets are the answer to resolving its country’s deficits. France itself is a prime example of this and details of the latest round of tax changes that affect us can be found on our website at http://www.spectrum-ifa.com/Frenchtaxupdate.shtml The end of the year is always a good time to look at investment markets. Not only to judge the performance for the year that has passed, but also to try to gain some insight into what might happen in the year to come.

The big question that arises for 2013 is could this be the first post-crisis year for markets? Is this a year when the risk of a Eurozone break up fades, even as the recovery and rebuilding of Europe and the US continues for much longer?

To read more on this, the full article can be found at http://www.theheraulttimes.com/#/ the-business-pages/4571116275.

So for now, I wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope that 2013 is a year of peace for all.

If you would like to discuss your situation, in confidence, please contact me by e-mail at daphne.foulkes@spectrum-ifa.com or by telephone on + 33 (0)4 68 20 30 17.

Daphne Foulkes SIRET 522 658 194 00017 Numéro d’immatriculation ORIAS 10 056 800

Vote for me and I’ll try to do some things

F

rance now has a state reach of 57% of GDP, the highest in Europe.

Allied to crippling work and labour regulations and high taxes, where does the change come from?

Mr Hollande. Now is your moment.

“Reform France” many say, which he claims to be doing and even admitted that “state spending was excessive” but....

So far he has put in place a 75% top earners income tax; increased the tax that companies pay; reneged on a pension increase; and increased taxes in other areas 11

including capital gains and dividends.

In reform terms the race has begun and France started strongly but has been overtaken by such questionable competitors as Italy and Spain! (Oh dear!)

Time stands still for no man or country and it may be time to test the resolve of France by reforming first and worrying about the voters later or it may be too late! **

Business / Legal / News

Business and Economy

Gill Pound

Colin Trickett

Nature Notes

In The Garden W

e think of January as a quieter time of year in the garden but there are plenty of jobs that can be tackled that will give you a head start for the gardening year.

• Remove piles of wet dead leaves from flower beds as the damp can encourage rot, if possible add the dead leaves to your compost heap • General weeding of flower beds • Turn some organic material (compost, rotted manure etc) into your flower beds • Ornamental trees can be pruned for shape • Check on any plants which are staked to make sure that the stakes are firm against the winter winds • Prune ivies and ornamental climbers, start pruning roses.

• Sprinkle some slow release fertiliser, preferably organic or ‘bio’ at the bases of hedges.

• Continue to protect tender plants against the cold.

• There is still time to plant trees and shrubs, including hedging, except if the ground is frozen.

• If you haven’t yet done so then it is time to winter prune wisteria, cutting back to two or three buds on this years stems.

• If you have a greenhouse or conservatory you can start to take cuttings of tender plants such as geraniums that you took in for the winter.

Naturally there are fewer plants in flower during the winter months but the Loquat (Néflier du Japon) or Eriobotrya japonica will perfume winter days, it is an attractive small evergreen tree.

Winter interest is still coming from berries; the birds seem less

keen on myrtle berries than some others so there are plenty around.

Myrtle (myrte in French, not to be confused with myrtilles or blueberries) or Myrtus communis is one of my favourite shrubs.

Lovely white scented flowers in June, aromatic evergreen foliage and glossy blue black berries in autumn and winter, although some forms have white berries. There are plenty of culinary uses for myrtle, the leaves are used to add flavour to pork and game dishes, berries can be used fresh or dried in a similar way and can also be used to make jellies and liqueurs.

The taste is reminiscent of rosemary or juniper.

The more attractive garden task when the weather is cold and damp is doing some reading and

Eriobotrya japonica

planning for the warmer weather!

If anyone is interested I have a list of books relevant to gardening locally and would be happy to email it to you. Another particularly useful reference is the website of the Mediterranean Garden Society: www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/mcgttw.html .

They do have an active Languedoc branch.

Very best wishes for 2013 from La Petite Pépinière!

For further information and gardening queries contact Gill Pound at La Petite Pépinière de Caunes (shrubs and perennials, unusual plants and plants for dry climates), 21, Avenue de la Montagne Noire, 11160, Caunes-Minervois. Tel: 04 68 78 43 81, email Gill@lapetitepepiniere.com www.lapetitepepiniere.com Opening times during 2013 will be 1st March to November 30th, 10h – 18h Fridays and Saturdays, 10h – 12h Sundays, or by appt at any time, including during the winter months.

12

Winter World W

e humans adapt to winter with its vagaries of cold, rain and snow plus the shorter days. We almost certainly spend more time inside, we have fires or put on the central heating and wear warmer clothes. We probably spend more time sleeping, watching television, reading and any other hobbies and pastimes we indulge in.

Likewise, animals , insects and plant life adapt to the changes in their environment. Most plants and trees go into “hibernation“ mode. Some shed their leaves whilst others simply suspend all growth activity. So no rising sap, no new shoots and no flowers.

Of course there are, thank goodness, exceptions, those winter flowering shrubs and plants which thrive in the cold and damp conditions. They provide us with the welcome splashes of colour across these months.

For many of our insects it can signal the end of their short lives but for lots of others it is simply a case of finding a secure spot to rest out the winter in their “hibernation” mode. Outbuildings, derelict Mazets, walls, old tree trunks and piles of wood, all become “Chez Nous”.

It is a similar situation for many of our reptiles, the lizards and snakes. They will normally go into a full hibernation, finding a suitable hole in a wall, in the ground or in a tree trunk and simply let the world go by!

Most small mammals follow suit, either into part or full hibernation, however our red squirrels here in Hérault, unlike their more northerly grey relatives, do not tend to hibernate, they just do less! As for our larger animals, rabbits, foxes, sanglier, deer etc., they follow more closely the habits of humankind. Less active, less time outdoors and doing what all animals do!!

Our animal friends can do with the occasional helping hand.

Our wonderful birdlife does appreciate a bit of human intervention: *Their primary need is water, so no matter how small your plot, a little bowl of water, regularly refreshed, is so needed. * If you also wish to provide some food, the supermarkets and brico stores almost all sell wild bird food and “fat balls” * If you have a large garden then the addition of a larger water vessel would be very much appreciated by the squirrels, rabbits and even Sanglier!

A very happy new year to all HT readers and to all those others who share life in our lovely Herault!

Good Be To Young

Listening to right now:

Locked out of heaven - Bruno Mars Don’t you worry - Swedish House Mafia Skyfall - Adele Should I stay or should I go - The Clash Lovecats - The Cure Try - Pink

Yes I Am Up Guess who’s back, back again? May I be eternally grateful to the spirit of Christmas bringing me inspiration for this piece and the encouragement of my nagging parents.

I hate winter. I never know what to wear in the morning without looking frumpy/pregnant, the wind blows my hair into shapes I didn’t even know it could go in, and due to sniffles and the cold my lips are so dry I cant even smile properly and my nose is all red, and to add yet another depressing element to this depressing wintry theme there are used, scrunched-up tissues everywhere; however my room is where clothes and nick-knacks come to die.

Another thing is watching all the derogatory, sexist Christmas day commercials on TV in which a stereotypical, white suburban super mama puts together a kick ass Christmas day where Dada is nowhere to be seen or if he does make an appearance he’s dopey and clueless, so I don’t

know who this is more discriminating against, the man or the woman? Is the aim of these adverts just to stress all the yummy mummies out even more, thus how can it be perceived as a positive time of year where no co-operation from the rest of the family is involved?

But hey ho, society has evolved since the 1950s; may be its just TV that is deluded in its nostalgia Its funny, my sister and I must be the only kids I know that have never actually believed in papa hohoho-ing obese Christmas commonly known as Santa (and yet I still believed in fairies and mermaids). We went along with it to humor our family and our naive little cousin, but we both figured that if Santa really did exist parents would definitely know it while saving a hell of a lot of money.

Parents aren’t good actors and kids aren’t

“My Passion: To share dance”

A BIG BOOST to help You with your projects.

Help with your driving license

Benefit from financial help for your permis B and permis A1. Commission meets monthly. (Montpellier residents only)

Grants for initiative (BIJ and BAJ) For financing your project in the areas of cultural, social, artistic and humanitarian activities that help reinforce social cohesion.

The next selection is end of March 2013; applications must be handed in before 15th February, 2013. (Montpellier residents only)

Grants for the BAFA (Brevet d’Aptitude Aux Fonctions d’Animateur)

Grants up to 200 euros available.

Next session meets 23rd February to 2nd March. Applications must be received by 18th January, 2013. (Montpellier residents only) For more information on any of the above: http://tiptop.montpellier.fr/2113-aides.htm or visit Espace Montpellier Jeunesse, 6 rue Maguelone, 34000 Montpellier

Did you know that approximately 15% of children in France attend Private Schools against approx 7% in the UK, 6% in Canada and 9% in the US

stupid, so they can definitely detect the sarcasm in mamma and dadda’s voices when they loudly exclaim, “Oh, where did all these lovely presents come from?” Ha, yeah good one, from your wallets! So what makes me chuckle, was when old ladies would ask my little sister in the most patronizing voice ever, “What’s Santa getting you for Christmas then?” And then look and me, unsubtley wink and nod so as to let me know I was in on the joke. One Christmas aged 11, I got taken to a Santa’s grotto in Ireland, got plonked on Santa’s lap, and feeling embarrassed asking for something extravagant I asked for the first thing that popped into my head which was a tennis racket, even though I’d never played tennis in my life, but hey I didn’t actually think I’d get it. And then come Christmas day, ‘Santa’ bought me the damn racket so I had to be all like, Ooh yay, I’m so happy, let me just swish this about. I felt like such a moron. So despite all the bitterness I may have portrayed towards this consuming time of year, I have a boyfriend now so I’ve gotten my stocking filler. I guess I’m on the naughty list, tee hee.

Florian Berdequer

CAP Jeunes Project grants

You live in Hérault and would like to organize a project, on your own or with others? But you need the financial means and support to make it happen? Applying to Cap Jeunes could be the difference between a dream and making a project come true.

Whether your project concerns sport, culture, solidarity, environment, mobility or events CAP Jeunes offers grants and guidance to young people between the ages of 11 to 26. www.lheraultsebougepourtoi.fr/cap-jeunes

13

At 20, Florian Berdequer is a dancer and Hip-Hop teacher. What does he love? To show young people that there are “other ways to express themselves than through violence”. In 2012 he applied to CAP Jeunes to create a workshop for 8-16 year olds in Fabrègues. “In the MJCs (Maison des Jeunes – youth cultural centres) there always has to be a show at the end of the year…” But Florian wants to do better than that. He is organizing an alternative: “No more pressure for a show, but a workshop every Wednesday afternoon where they can learn to dance Hip-Hop, we visit expos and watch documentaries, etc.” Inspiring idea.

Ahead o for ocean e Montpellier is home to a research and technology center which designs highly sophisticated underwater robots for ocean exploration, including one, which has explored the Titanic wreck.

Excerpt from the daily Gainseville Times, June 22, 2012: “In the fourth day of the search on Lake Lanier [near the town of Gainesville in Georgia,USA] for Griffin Prince, crews began using a robot with cameras and lights that can search the deepest areas of the lake.”

Notwithstanding the tragic incident (Prince had been missing for 3 days since a boating incident), there is something noticeable here: the use by the police of a robot, a mini submarine on a tether searching for the corpse 130 feet deep inside the lake, with little visibility and a dangerous underwater forest. A tireless electronic worker, the small robot can dive deeper than man and work around the clock; it’s called a ROV or Remotely Operated Vehicle.

ROV can perform a variety of tasks, from

police searches and scientific missions to inspections of dams, pipelines, offshore oil platforms or ship hulls, not to mention harbor security, hazardous objects inspections, etc…

A ROV was used to recover a nuclear bomb lost in the Mediterranean Sea in 1966 after a B-52 crash and another rescued the pilots of a sunken submarine off Cork, Ireland, in 1973, saving their life minutes before they had no more air left. Just a few dozens firms in the world produce and develop ROV, one of which is in Montpellier!

Working there is anything but boring: “It’s exciting to work here”, says Pierrick Serres, an electronic engineer for ECA-Hytec, the firm in Montpellier that develops and produces ROVs. When I tell my friends I work for a firm which produces and sells robots all over the world, they are surprised “. And he is not the only one to be enthralled by those underwater state of the art devices, “they are fascinating, they have a noble task”, says Jean-Michel Eloy, a co-founder of the firm.

ECA-Hytec in Montpellier has created the

14

small ROV weighing just 4 kg called ‘Robin’ which explored, in 1987, the wreck of the Titanic, 3780 meters deep in the North Atlantic Ocean. Robin was designed especially for this mission. It was operated from a manned, small submarine called the Nautile through a cable 100 meters long. Robin successfully explored the Titanic, going up and down the stairs and along the gangways, using powerful searchlights, recording thousands of still pictures and hundreds of hours of video footage with its 3 cameras.

ECA-Hytec has designed a variety of models and sold them all over the world - for instance to India, Malaysia and Singapore if we look to the Far East. Much closer to here, the French navy has recently ordered a ROV which can dive 2000 meters deep, equipped with 2 manipulator arms - a perfect tool for searching a plane or its black box on the sea bed after a crash.

Mine killer robot Eca-Hytec, where Pierrick develops the next

of times exploration generation of underwater ROV along with about 40 other co-workers, belongs to ECA Robotics whose headquarters is in Toulon.

Among many other robots and drones, ECA produces one of the most surprising underwater vehicles - at least for somebody not knowledgeable about undersea warfare: a mine killer shaped as a torpedo, with the capacity to find and detonate subsea mines.

You can find this device aboard mine hunter vessels. When one of those vessels identifies a mine it sends the mine killer in order to destroy it. Aluminum made, non magnetic, it won’t trigger the mine. It carries an explosive charge and a TV camera or a homing sonar which sends an image to a command consol on the vessel. Guided from there through an optical fiber, it navigates toward the mine in mid-water or at a constant altitude above the seabed, leaving an explosive charge by the mine before returning to the vessel. Then the explosive is triggered and the mine is de-

stroyed. Interestingly, one of them produced

by ECA (PAP 104) was used by the Royal Navy in 1982 during the Falklands/Malvinas war. 500 units of a more recent one (PAP MK5), have been sold to more than 20 navies all over the globe. More efficient and less costly, the last generation of mine-killer is a kamikaze drone, just 2 m long, called K-Ster.

When it detects a mine, it aims, just like a marksman with his gun, and fires at the mine and then explodes with its charge.

ECA produces land robots too. Some of them are tiny vehicles on wheels equipped with cameras designed to operate in hostile environments, especially for pipe inspections inside nuclear facilities. In France some of them are in use at Cadarache and Marcoule.

Cobra Mk2 is also a land robot on wheels produced by ECA. Less than 40 cm long and remotely piloted with a joystick, it can easily be confused for a toy. According to ECA it’s a “tactical first response UGV [Unmanned

15

Ground Vehicles] for urban warfare and homeland security”.

In a situation of war or terrorism, sent ahead of minesweeper engineers, through its cameras and sensors it inspects any suspect objects, without exposing human life. It’s of great support to soldiers searching for “improvised explosive devices”. The French army has bought 29 of them and used them during the second semester of 2012 in Afghanistan to protect its troops.

True, as underlined by ECA on its website, its devices are dedicated to “the protection of lives … be it in the context of conflicts, terrorist threats, nuclear power industry or deep offshore”. Nevertheless unmanned vehicles (whether for under the sea, on the ground or up in the air) can be turned from defensive to offensive devices. Drones already play a role in warfare, and it’s not always a peaceful one.

Text copyright Patrice Victor 2013

The Convivium

“Slow Food Languedoc” original text by Ginette Lopez

“A non-profit, international, member-supported association, Slow Food was founded in 1989 to counter the rise of fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.” http://www.slowfood.com/ Created in 2000, Slow Food Languedoc visits vineyards and garrigues from the Cévennes to the lakes and sea. With over one

hundred members from the Montpellier area, the west and east of the department, our slogan is “good, clean and fair”, a philosophy which we express through our actions.

The convivium organizes tastings of local produce. Over the years, participants have learnt to comprehensively appreciate produce such as chocolate, cheeses, cafés, beers and strawberries, not forgetting the art of complementing dishes with wines.

We focus close attention on traditional produce (pélardons, olives, honey, chestnuts…) and identify quality producers.

Over the last few years we have also supported the revitalisation of the production and commercialisation of the black turnip of Pardailhan, a produce classed as a ‘sentinelle’

by Slow Food. Forays into the countryside are privileged opportunities to meet producers - wine growers, agriculturalists, artisans and livestock farmer - who open our eyes to their practices, share their passion with us and introduce us to their products and land.

Our trips are also open to non-members, offering them the opportunity to share with us moments of conviviality, which are in harmony with the values of the Slow Food movement.

conviviums in the region (Narbonne, Perpignan, Hauts Cantons of Hérault); which allows our members to take part in activities organized by the four local conviviums.

Our ambition is to become responsible consumers - “co-producers”.

For more information : www.sflanguedoc.fr or contact@sflanguedoc.fr

Good, Clean and Fair Slow Food’s approach to agriculture, food production and gastronomy is based on a concept of food quality defined by three interconnected principles: GOOD a fresh and flavorsome seasonal diet that satisfies the senses and is part of our local culture;

CLEAN food production and consumption that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health;

FAIR accessible prices for consumers and fair conditions and pay for small-scale producers.

We are also actively involved with other

ESCF prove where there’s a will there’s a way

The English Speaking Christian Fellowship (ESCF) came into being in 2007 as a result of the need felt by a group of committed Christians. Our ecumenical group is both multi-national and multi-denominational. We currently have nearly 50 members from a variety of Christian backgrounds. Weekly meetings swell in number with visitors. The common link is faith and fellowship.

2012 was a very exciting and busy year for us. In July we collectively purchased a building

visitors have donated money while on holiday. Meanwhile individual members have bought items for the building:lights, heaters, the lecturn, dishwasher, cooker, toilets and sinks. The fundraising will continue until the loans are repaid.

The building is held by an SCI (Société Civile Immobilier) which is independent of the ESCF, like a UK holding company. The SCI is responsible for the building, so that the church doesn’t bear the brunt. Summer was a time of a great deal of renovation and refurbishment.

We received help and encouragement from a wide range of sources including the Homps mairie, as well as forging links with the local French church and community.

We participate, by invitation, in the Remembrance Day parades through Homps and Pépieux and

in the centre of Homps (Aude) to serve as a permanent home for the fellowship. The process has taken a long time; we had a lot of hoops to jump through – change of usage, surveys, an agreement from the Mairie, fire safety, etc – before we dared to sign. The building was formerly a café which closed in the ‘90s.

It used to cater for the barges on the canal. Sadly some of the original wall-signs have washed off with time. There used to be an “Arêt des Cars” on the Mairie side, but that’s gone, as has the painted name “Café du Centre”.

To raise the funds for the purchasing the building, two families each donated a 1/3 share, fellowship members provided interest free loans and we held fund raising events for the remainder – a Canadian couple held a fundraising dinner party on their return to Canada, other 16

lay wreaths at the War Memorials. The display and offering from our Harvest Festival service is given to various local charities such as Resto du Coeur, Secours Catholique and the Central Food Bank. Things are definitely moving ahead for us. We invite you to make contact by visit, telephone or email. All are welcome.

Services start at 10.30 am. A Communion service takes place on the first Sunday each month, and a prayer meeting is held before the service on the third Sunday.

ESCF, 19 Rue du Stade, Homps 11120 Homps Tel: 0468 24 78 28 or email caroline.gorst@marmiflet.com or palmer@orange.fr w: www.christiansinaude.org

Lifestyle

Proven!

Anger Can Damage Your Health I

have been linked to habitual anger : Headache, Digestion problems, Insomnia, Increased anxiety, Depression, High blood pressure, Skin problems, Heart attack, Stroke.

Anger often arises out of not getting what we want, and from not being recognised as important as we think we are....when our ego is in the driving seat. How can we turn our mind around to see things not as a threat or a challenge?

A while back I used to get very angry when other people did stupid or dangerous things. So I tried to become more spacious by making up stories about them.

Try things like this. The next time that young guy in a sporty car pushes in front at the jammed auto route exit (Grrrr.), assume he’s rushing to the hospital to see his baby being born (Ahhhh...).

When someone jumps the queue at the supermarket (Grrrr..), assume he desperately needs to get to the bathroom (Ahhh...).

And when someone bumps into me in a crowded street without even apologising! Well! I assume they are only partially sighted. There but for the Grace of......

Reframing these daily situations helps to keep my mind calm, my adrenaline down, blood pressure stable. Ultimately if more of us become less reactive, more of us can join the low risk category of artery and heart disease.

And live a longer and happier life.

Or as my son says, “Chill out.”

t is remarkable that this mind of ours, developed over millions of years, and like no other on our planet is capable of the most subtle understanding, the deepest emotions of love, compassion, empathy and forethought. Yet it can suddenly get lost in a vortex of the

negative emotion of anger.

According to a recent study it seems that our own anger is potentially one of the most damaging agents to our own health and safety. To quote,

“Some scientists think that chronic anger may be more dangerous than smoking and obesity as a factor that will contribute to early death.”* Amongst 13000 people studied, those with the highest levels of anger had twice the risk of heart disease and three times the risk of heart attack compared to those with the lowest levels of anger.

What happens when we get angry?

Anger triggers the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response. The adrenal glands, positioned on top of the kidneys, flood the body with the stress hormones of adrenaline and cortisol. The brain directs blood away from digestion and towards the muscles in preparation for physical action. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, in readiness to respond to confrontation and danger, or in evolutionary terms, murderous tribes and hungry tigers.

But many people habitually live in this state of anger just below the surface, which means the body never has time to come back to neutral. The self made stimulants then act against the body, causing long term damage.

Here are some of the health problems that

* http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/anger.htm Barry P Beckett qualified in Structural Integration at the Rolf Institute, Colorado USA. In practice in Berlin since 1992 with his osteopath wife Annette Beckett D.O. Now in Lodève at the Centre d’Ostéopathie et Structurelle Integration (Rolfing) motionpresent@gmail.com, tel 0686 940904

Introduction to Thai Stretch Yoga Massage 26th January 2013 - 9am - 5 pm Yoga Studio, Cazedarnes

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his one day workshop will teach you the basic stretching and relaxing techniques used in Thai massage which you can use on family and friends.

Perfect for individuals or yoga enthusiasts wanting to know more about Thai massage.

Course will be in English and French Fees: 80 euros Thai lunch included.

To register Please contact Susannah Cartwright on 0652 75 24 45 17

ith W n O ’s What

www.heraultwhatson.com What’s On Where

For an up to date guide to what’s on in the Herault please visit Wow or The Herault Times websites Saturday 12th January - 24 Jan Roujan - Exhibition - Marie Ossorio ‘Le Contour et la Peau’ Vernissage : Friday 11th January, 18h30 : Maison Sans Fiche 29 avenue Henri Mas (route de Neffiès) Roujan.

Open hours: Monday/Tuesday /Thursday 10h30-16h // Sunday 10h-13h Information: 06 08 45 29 29 ** Tuesday15 January Montpellier 1900hrs ‘La Femme dans tous ses états’ ‘Les Droles de Dames in all their states (soprano, mezzo-soprano and harp) Contact and enquiries: 04 67 33 08 93 / 06 85 51 98 52 Francine Bassetto 06 28 06 33 16 ** 13th / 14th / 15th / 16 January Lodève - Entry:5€ (13th) Concert -Malika – songs and music from Brazil 19h30 (14th) Fabulous comedien and story teller, Charles Caunant Charles Caunant met “les bougies doubles…”

19h30 Entry:5€ (15th) Musician-singer, Senegalese Meissa M’Baye: A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED EVENING! 19h30 Entry:5€ (16th) « Irish Session » Festive, FREE evening for amateurs 19h30 Inexpensive, original, good food available. Expo by local artist Ahmed Djelilate Entry:5€ L’Art en Poche 40 , Grand Rue, Lodeve ** Friday January 18th Lamalou-les-Bains Literary event Pierre Barthe, President of Lectures Vagabondes will be interviewing Lionel Duroy, author of “L’Hiver des Hommes 18h30 Free Entry Centre Ulysse Lamalou-les-Bains Tel : 06 77 48 30 57

Saturday 19th January 20h30 Béziers - Salle Zinga Zanga Traverse de Colombiers - Montfloures Patrick Bosso ** Thursday 24th January Lodève - Dinner and Concert with Trio Borsalino 19h30 onwards Reservation recommended: 04 67 88 50 35/ www.restaurantminuscule.fr Le Minuscule Café 27 Grand Rue, Lodève **

Sunday 20th January Clermont l’Hérault Concert “Duo Jatekok”: First winter concert of the Festival Musiques et Passions, with pianists Adelaide Panaget et Nairi Badal (Debussy, Schubert, Dvorak, Rimski-Korsakov – graduates of the Paris Conservatory 1800hrs Price: 12€, 8€, 5€ Reservation 0467 96 3163 reserv.theatredeclermont@wanadoo.fr Théâtre de Clermont l’Hérault - allées Roger Salengro 34800 Clermont l’Hérault www.theatreclermontlherault.fr ** Thursday 24th and Friday 25th January Clermont l’Hérault - Theatre L’Attentat : based on the novel by Yasmina Khadra, performed by the Humani Friday 19h/ Saturday 20h30 Price: 12€, 8€, 5€ Reservations 04 67 96 31 63 / reserv.theatredeclermont@wanadoo.fr ** Thursday 24th January - 27th January Creativa Montpellier - Parc des Expositions t: 0467176717 www.enjoy-montpellier.com **

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Saturday 26th January Béziers - Music: Les Filles Electriques 7 20h30 FREE Zinga Zanga Béziers, Traverse de Colombiers, Montfloures **

Sunday 27th January Film – Montpellier The first showing of the documentary ‘Les Terroiristes du Languedoc’ At the Cinema Diagonal, 5 Rue de Verdun 34000 Montpellier Entry FREE but only limited availability After the movie the producers invite you to taste the wines.

Please note it is a ‘first come, first seated’ showing. Info: Louise Hurren T: 06 17 66 02 53 ** Friday 15th February – 24th Feb Ecrans Britanniques/British Screen Nîmes, France 16th Festival of British Film and Cinema, Contact / Info Bob Davis, Secrétaire-général. +33 466 219803 **

Earl Grey

- More controversial than Piers Morgan on gun control - More outspoken than Ken Livingstone on tax avoidance More male than Brad Pitt talking Chanel No 5

The Herault Times (in association with the Tea Council - (application pending) is pleased to bring to you the wonderfully frank and charming Earl Grey.

Available on:

Rejected by Rupert Murdoch, we negotiated long and hard to agree on the 3 bottles of wine that Earl Grey asked for, but who are we to argue so we bring you a monthly podcast (and regular videocast) of the Earl and his musings on.......everything.

The Podcast Available to listen to now at www.theheraulttimes.com/#/earl-grey/4572140286 Herault Times: What gave you the idea to grow tea in the South of France?

Earl Grey: What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?

Herault Times: How does it differ from China or Indian tea?

Earl Grey: Are you going to sod off or do I have to set the dogs on you?

Herault Times: Do you have any favourite restaurants in the area?

Earl Grey: Right! That’s it! Don’t say you haven’t been warned. See off boys, see off!

Herault Times: OK I’m going. Please call them off. Help. AAAAH!

We sent off one of our young reporters to interview Earl Grey.

Herault Times: What made you decide to do a blog for the Herault times website?

Earl Grey: Get off my land!

Herault Times: Are you really an Earl or is Earl your Christian name?

Earl Grey: If it’s religion you’re selling I’m not interested.

Herault Times: When I looked you up on Wikipedia it says you were born and raised on a tea plantation in India.

Earl Grey: Are you calling me a liar?

Herault Times: Before being sent off to Eton and then Cambridge where you read French and Tea Earl Grey: So it’s tea you’re after is it?

Herault Times: But tragically your university studies were cut short by a near fatal hit and run accident Earl Grey: I was not drunk – I got away with it Herault Times: Nevertheless you served your time in Wandsworth prison Earl Grey: Some of the best years of my life in Wandsworth, too bad I was locked up inside at the time.

Herault Times: On your release you found yourself with no friends, a reputation in tatters, a criminal record and to all intents and purposes unemployable. Why the move into politics?

Earl Grey: Because no other bugger would have me. And I needed to make money fast. It was either that or pornography Herault Times: My sources tell me you were the principal architect of the expenses scandal offering expert advise to other MP’s on how best to exploit the loopholes in the system.

Earl Grey: Oh I can’t take all the credit. The legislation was already in place I just maximized the advantages. Mind you the old house flipping scam – that was one of mine.

Herault Times: By the time the affair hit the headlines you had left England for a new life on the other side of the Channel Earl Grey: Hold on. Where did you say were from again?

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Saving the Mediterranean

HIDDEN TREASURES A true treasure of Hérault, Ghislaine has just retired after 30 years working for the Bureau de Poste at St Thibéry.

Always patient, helpful and reliable… just a few of the qualities Ghislaine brought to all the people she served every day.

Do you have a hidden treasure?

Let us know and we’ll publish our favourite.....talk@theheraulttimes.com

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he Med covers an area five times that of France, and represents 1% of the oceans’ surface. A tideless, fragile sea, whose waters take more than a century to renew, and which experiences 30% of all maritime traffic!

Led by 36 senators and deputies and 200 scientists, an investigation has concluded that “the high levels of pollutants are threatening the ecological survival of the Mediterranean.”

Senator Roland Courteau stated, “If we don’t respond quickly, in 20 years the sea will be dead….we need concrete commitments from all the Mediterranean coastal states, particularly in the fight against ‘maritime hooligans’ who dump nearly 200 000 tons of hydrocarbons into it every year.” The10 point proposal for saving the Med. will be delivered to a public hearing at the Assemblée Nationale on 20th February, 2013.

WIN

Lunch for two at L’Ambassade in Beziers: Q: What nationality is Gérard Depardieu? *** The 34 ‘T’ shirt - we have his ‘n’ hers ‘t’ shirts in white or black with the Hérault 34 logo.

Q: What date do the sales start this year? *** 2 tickets to MUSE - The 2nd Law Tour 26/06/13 NICE Q: Who sang ‘Somebody that I used to know’ All entries to: competition@theheraulttimes.com

WINWinners Issue 7 *****

Skyfall - Gillian Lagre iTunes vouchers - Christiane Leclair David Bowie duet - Simon Plant

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he twice yearly sales that take place in France started on the 9th January and will last for 5 weeks

Fou D’Anglais Clermont L’Herault

8 Ave Maréchal Foch (opp Clermont Medical Centre)

Grocery Shop Tea Room www.foudanglais.fr 04 30 40 29 54

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What’s in a name....

Sue Hicks continues her look into the history of Street names

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speaking both French and Provencal, a dialect of Occitan.

In his memoirs, he explains how he was given his name in memory of a “poor small fellow who, at the time, when my parents were courting sweetly, ran their errands of love and died shortly after from sunstroke”. At boarding school, one of his teachers named Roumanille recited the home sick Mistral some of his own

rederic Mistral, poet and passionate advocate of the Occitan language, was born in 1830, the year of the July revolution when the citizen king Louis Philippe replaced his cousin Charles X. Mistral lived through the 1848 revolution which finally ended the French monarchy and led to the Second Empire of Louis Napoleon, felt the effects of the Franco Prussian war with the loss of Alsace Lorraine and died shortly before the outbreak of the first world war. Mistral became the leader of the Provencal renaissance while nationalism was on the march. What a time to promote Occitan, a romance language mainly spoken in southern France and some parts of Spain and Italy with a variety of dialects and pronunciations, by then a regional language.

In 1539, the language of the French court, of Northern France, the langue d’oil, (‘oil’ meaning ‘yes’) had been imposed as the language to be used in all French administration by the Edict of Villers-Cotterets. The langue d’oc (‘oc’ meaning ‘yes’) continued to be spoken in southern France. At the time of the revolution when the idea of national unity held such great sway, a report by Abbe Gregoire in 1794 advocated the suppression of the some 33 recognised dialects spoken throughout France and the use of a single French language.

Frederic Mistral was born into this complex world where French, langue d’oc and a rich variety of dialects could be used depending on where people lived and their level of education. Mistral’s family were yeoman farmers and lived in Maillane in the Bouches du Rhone,

Provencal verses and “filled with delight, I listened feeling that here was the dawn for which my soul had been waiting to awake to the light”. After university, Mistral studied law but never practiced and instead devoted himself to poetry. A good looking, charismatic man of independent means, he came to fame in 1859 with his long poem Mireio, a tale of thwarted love which was published in Provencal with parallel French verse. It was a huge and immediate success much aided by Lamartine and Daudet’s praise and Gounod’s adaptation of the poem for the libretto of his opera Mireille.

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www.l-artiste.com

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elcome to the art pages of The Herault Times. All articles are taken from the bi-lingual Visual Arts magazine L’Artiste or

the L’Hérault Art website. Please visit us at www.l-artiste.com or www.lheraultart.com If you have an exhibition or art event and would like to see it on these pages please drop us a line at info@theheraulttimes.com. All exhibitions are online at www.lheraultart.com

GUILLAUME LEBLON AN APPROPRIATION OF NATURE

Until February 24 - MUSÉE RÉGIONAL D’ART CONTEMPORAIN LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON

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RAC in Serignan is currently showing on 2 floors the work of Guillame Leblon.

An artist who is still influenced by conceptual art of the 1960’s, this is a positive to many and should in no way detract from those that believe they have ‘seen that, done that, been there’.

Leblon trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, he continued at the Rijksakademie Amsterdam and exhibits internationally.

His work is a true concept from start to finish and you can choose to see the finished work as the finale or look a little closer and feel the discussion that takes place within in regard to materials, space, finality and the construct of the work.

To quote from the programme ‘Between nature and culture, reality and fiction, seriousness and lightness, area and density, interiority and exteriority, artist installations and media protean, he creates a footprint of some melancholy and a touch of mystery.’

The ground floor is given over to a plaster floor. An area for you to feel his ‘second skin’ but more than that it allows you to immediately become part of an experience or a part of the exhibition.

Leblon is to some a constructionist.

He uses man made materials and natures

22

materials.

When I visited I was told that he was more of a landscape artist offering points to stop at and admire as if you were on a journey.

“Do not walk around the exhibition” he intoned, “meander, walk and be engaged by what you find on the journey”.

I walked the journey as stated and the result?

Many more questions than answers but for me that made the journey more enjoyable, more vibrant and most importantly to me...... my journey with a guide to ensure I missed nothing.

MRAC 146 avenue de la Plage – BP4 – 34410 SÉRIGNAN +33 (0)4 67 32 33 05 www.mrac.languedocroussillon.fr

Images left and anti-clockwise Chrysocale # 3, 2005. Cuivre, étain et zinc, 50 x 23 x 16 cm. Photo : François Doury. privée Chariot, 2012. Céramique et peinture, 70 x 45 x 35cm. Photo : Galerie Jocelyn Wolff.

Guillaume Leblon, Vue d’atelier, 2012-2013.

www.l-artiste.com

Camille Descossy 1904-1980

Until 17th March, Espace Dominique Bagouet-Montpellier

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he newly renovated Espace Dominique Bagouet situated behind Montpellier Tourism Office is currently showing a painting collection of Camille Descossy.

Former director of the Ecole des Beauxarts of Montpellier as from 1939, Camille Descossy spent the first 10 years of his life at Prats de Mollo (Pyrénées-Orientales).

Later, as a student at the Beaux-arts school of Montpellier, then studying at the Beaux-arts de Paris and the School of Decorative Arts, he would meet Germaine Richier, Georges Dezeuze and Albert Dubout.Descossy exhibited as early as 1926 at the Grand Palais, the SociétéNationale des Beaux Arts, and at the Autumn Salon.

At the origins of the Frédéric Bazille group, Descossy together with other artists was inhabited by the same passion for landscapes, light and Southern atmosphere. In this group we also find Gabriel Couderc, a painter today recognized as one of the major artist of modern painting in the Languedoc Roussillon area. Numa Hambursin, artistic director of the Espace Dominique Bagouet states “The South painted by Descossy reveals itself very different from that which inspired so many artists, in particular in the twentieth century, summery, sunny and smiling. Our painter who knows it so well isn’t duped by its charms and its apparent bonhomie. Thus, Collioure takes under his brush a severe style, somber, mysteriously heavy under a cloudy sky.”

Deeply anchored in his Catalane soil, his teaching reveals artists as varied as Claude Viallat, François Rouan or Pierre Soulages who explore through a creative process, support

restructuration towards informal painting.His brush stroke is large and confident expressing a strong rigor. He uses a limited palette of earthly tones recalling the arid Aspre: ochres, rusty browns, deep autumnal redsand a variety of greys, beiges,vibrant blues and black as seen in his Rocher des Aspres painted in 1971.

Descossy plays with layers, materials, simplicity of lines, using thick and rough touches, playing with textures and giving them life as showed in ‘Baie de Collioure’, 1960. Being a passionate hunter he also immortalizes his prey: rabbit, cat owl, flamingo with outspread wings and a slightly sentimental outlook.

Numa Hambursin mentions the painting ‘Hommage à Zurbaràn’ as his work of art best susceptible to make us understand his debt towards Spanish painting: mixture of ‘sobriety and gravity, and this silence which is that of meditation.’

The intention of the Espace Dominique Bagouet is to give to the public a better knowledge of regional masters who have not always had recognition or posterity that their talents deserved.

Also, it offers a more contemporary look, rid of prejudices and freed from the layer of dust which stops objectivity and free a-priori judgment. Taken in its entirety the exhibition is a lesson of sincerity robed in colours and textures.

Therefore, a visit to the Camille Descossy exhibition is worth making.

Text by Dominique Aclange

Baie de Collioure 1960

Rocher des Aspres 1971 23

© Hugh MacCamley 2012

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ne of the most significant aspects of the Carolingian Renaissance was the development of an early education system. Its chief inspiration was Charlemagne (745-814) whose respect for learning was such that in his support for acquiring languages he is recorded as saying, “To have another language is to possess another soul”. He meant we could understand another culture through the knowledge of another language.

In contemporary society, there has been an abundance of research about not only the importance of language but also in the manner of its learning or acquisition or, as the great Emperor himself described it as “having” or “possessing”. This particular view of how we become competent in second language usage takes us into the finer understanding of the distinctions to be made between “learning” and “acquisition” but it is not our brief here.

At a more practical and mundane level is the notion that once we go beyond a certain age we become less adept linguistically. Is this true?

Is it too late for older people to learn another language?

Among recent theories is Dr Paul Sulzberger’s (2008) in New Zealand which proposes the best way to learn a language is through frequent exposure to its sound patterns - even if you do not have a clue what it all means. He bases this idea on the receptivity of brain-tissue to repeated sounds and their eventual memorisation. He advocates, among other features, exposure to songs, films and listening media using the Internet. This perspective reminds me of the earlier methods used in the 1970s including the so-called “Natural Approach” in which students listened and read in real life situations as well as in the classroom. The “Audio-Lingual” approach also uses this idea of repetition but is more rigid, structurally.

In addition to the small sample of theories and methods above, is the question of who among us learns languages better? For many years now we have been told by linguistic experts that children learn or acquire a language faster and more effectively than adults. As a teacher of almost all age groups over the years, I admit to being unconvinced by this idea since I have worked with some exceptional adults on English Language courses. Motivational factors have to be considered. Furthermore, experience with learning French tells me that working and living in France did more for my francophonic progress than apparently

fruitless years in a classroom or laboratory in language schools.

In the light of linguistic research, therefore, can we find any encouragement for those of us who left the language learning efforts of childhood behind many years ago?

Sara Ferman of Tel Aviv University and Avi Karni from the University of Haifa, Israel (2010) devised a comparative experiment

using 8 and 12 year olds together with an adult group applying a new fabricated language rule to a set of pronunciation and spelling procedures. In educational terms we call this implicit learning where we apply a rule to a specific set of words: in this case animate and inanimate objects and their application to particular noun-verb pairs and extensions of these. This was conducted with a two-month interval as a memory test.

Unexpectedly, contrary to accepted findings with this genre of language acquisition, a five-year-old group was omitted as they had performed very poorly with the same experiment.

Additionally, the adult group performed at the highest level out of all the groups.

Can we conclude from such an experiment that adults are better at language learning than children? Catherine de Lange, in New Scientist states, “Surprisingly, under controlled conditions adults turn out to be better than children at acquiring a new 24

language skill.” (July 2011) Thus, age is no excuse for not learning a language.

However, not everyone would agree with this relatively generalized view. For example, Robert DeKeyser (2011) of Maryland University rightly concludes that artificial experiments (ones done under controlled laboratory conditions) cannot be automatically applied to real life situations.

This is because we are manipulating variable factors such as real world language spontaneity and variety of use which are characteristic of daily oral discourse. We are also using a fabricated linguistic structure not a genuine one.

Another more positive perspective on this research comes from David Birdsong (2011) from Texas University who thinks that such research outcomes are exciting ones since they illustrate the weaknesses demonstrated by children with regard to pronunciation in comparison with adults’.

In other words, there are areas of language learning at which adults display greater potential than child learners.

This last point brings the discussion back into the world of adult language learning. I suggest that by probing further into the world of linguistic realities older language learners may find adequate grounds for optimism and hopefully, the intrinsic desire to learn second and subsequent languages.

Speaking fluently 38 languages and with a profound knowledge of over 50, the Italian Cardinal Joseph Caspar Mezzofanti (1774-1849) never once left Italy and also pronounced each language to perfection.

We know he used his time with immense precision and energy. He persevered in his study of language. Among other techniques, he used dictionaries, lexicographies, catechisms (scholastic method), reading materials, conversations with visitors who spoke the languages being studied, association techniques where items from one language compared to another as an aide-mémoire. Also, he developed the ability to think each language as a mental exercise as well as isolating and learning core vocabulary with expressions from each language. He pitomizes the model par excellence for any aspiring adult language learner.

Aristotle reminds us that “the energy of the mind is the essence of life”. Cardinal Mezzofanti confirms this and demonstrates (continued on next page...)

Communication: Finding the Key and Unlocking the Door

Text by Trish Walker

person. At least half the lesson time should be devoted to the students doing the talking, often in small groups amongst themselves, with the teacher adopting a listening role. If the teacher appears to make little attempt to make the tasks interesting and absorbing, if there are prolonged periods of teacher talk, if as soon as a student makes a mistake the teacher stops the discussion and launches into a complicated explanation of what was wrong - avoid this class. It would be like taking driving lessons with an instructor who does most of the driving and stops the car every time you make even a minor error!

There is a lot you can do to help yourself, even at an early stage of learning:

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ife in France can sometimes be quite difficult for Anglophones who speak little or no French. There is a common fallacy - before moving to France - that there is no need to worry about being understood since most French people speak English. This is simply not the case - a survey carried out in 2012 by the European Commission found that only 39% of French people consider that they are able to speak any second language well enough to hold a conversation. The second nasty surprise comes when people find out that you do not just naturally absorb French simply by living here.

This difficulty with language not only makes life here a lot less enjoyable and relaxed for some people, but it can lead to real difficulties with potentially serious consequences, especially in dealing with officialdom in the areas of health, financial matters or the legal system. A sensible way of avoiding language difficulties when first in France is to find, where possible, professionals who do speak good English who can guide you through the settling in period. It is also a good idea to swallow your pride and enlist the help of friends who have lived here longer and will be able to help you with your French. There is no way however to postpone the inevitable indefinitely - if you are to avoid that feeling of missing out on the full pleasure of living in France, if you want to feel fully comfortable and settled here, you need to make strenuous and sustained efforts to learn French.

One French lady with extensive experience of guiding her clients through the complexities of French formalities gives some good advice. She says it’s a sensible idea, when trying to communicate with French officials, to behave in what she calls a “very British way”, by which she means remain calm, quiet, very polite and above all, smile.

Another good tip is to get a friend to help you to prepare the French, starting with a list of questions you want to ask and show this to the person you are talking to. This will be a good starting point for your discussion since your concerns will be clear.

It almost goes without saying that as a first step you need to take lessons. However, choose your teacher and your course carefully since a great deal of time will be wasted, and you may lose heart (if not the will to live) if you go to lessons with a teacher without proper qualifications. Find classes with a teacher who has a recognised qualification and experience in teaching French as an additional language. If possible, ask if you could attend a sample lesson or perhaps or have a chat with someone who has been taught by this

* Every time you come across a new word or phrase which seems useful, make a point of using it as often as possible in the next 24 hours. When I first learned phrase for “I’m fed up” (j’en ai marre) people became very worried about me since I seemed to be fed up with just about everything. They were getting fed up with me in fact! * People who have diligently learned the words for lots of things still find themselves frustrated because they can’t speak in sentences. To speak a language you need to be able to use a few basic verbs - the verbs “to be” (etre), “to have” (avoir), “to want” (vouloir) and “to be able” (pouvoir) make a useful starting point. Once you know how to use these you will find that you can begin to express coherent ideas.

Do not, for example, worry too much about using the correct tense since the present tense will be perfectly adequate for most purposes. * Learn a few basic colloquialisms or conversation openers, such as “Ça va?” (“How are you?”). The answer to this would be perhaps, “Très bien, merci” (Very well thank you) or “Pas si mal” (Not so bad). Not great conversational gems but at least it gives the clear impression that you are friendly and open to starting a chat. * Beware of “faux amis” (literally “false friends”), words which in French are almost exactly the same as well-known English words but which do not mean the same. There are many of these but two good examples are “actuel” which doesn’t mean actual, but means “present” or “current”; and “eventuel” which means “possible”.

Most importantly of all, remember that nobody expects you to speak perfect French, especially when you are just beginning and you will not look silly when you make a mistake. Your efforts will be applauded and in general French people are happy to help those who are making an effort to learn their language. Bon courage!

Learning Another Language?

It’s never too late? Continued from previous page continued..... that linguistic immersion is vital whether or not ewe live where the target language is spoken. While research shows adults and children may have different learning preferences and capacities, both 25

can take advantage of the various methods and approaches currently available to them. The remainder is sheer will power. I conclude, therefore, it is never too late to learn another language.

“Seasonal and Fresh” Recipe Times

with Bassie Scott

New Year resolutions are made with all good intentions and mine is to lose the stone that lurks around my middle. However, it’s so difficult to do this when there is so much wonderful food around to tickle the taste buds, not just at this time of year but any time really. So good luck if you have made your resolution and I shall try to stick to mine, whatever temptations may lay in my path. Happy New Year!

I have written recipes with a Spanish influence this month. The rustic chicken dish is one I have done time and again, constantly adding to it. This latest version, where I have added chilli and cumin, was highly praised by my brother and his wife who are amazing cooks so I feel I have now just about got it right now! It takes quite a lot of preparation but is absolutely worth it I can assure you.

Crema Catalana with orange and cinnamon There is some confusion between crema catalana and the classic French crème brulée. The main difference is the distinctive spicing used in crema catalana of citrus peel and cinnamon and allowing the custard to set by chilling. The crema catalana is apparently Europe’s oldest dessert and the Catalan Institute of Cooking has declared this simple speciality as the national dessert of Catalonia. It is, however, eaten throughout Spain and is traditionally served on St Joseph’s day (the equivalent of Father’s Day) in March.

Ingredients

600 ml crème entier (30%) Zest of half an orange 6 large eggs yolks 75 g caster sugar 20 g caster sugar mixed with ½ tsp cinnamon for topping

1 cinnamon stick, broken

Method

Place the cream, orange and lemon zest and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Bring to just below boiling point then immediately remove from the heat. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes to infuse.

Strain through a fine sieve.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Gradually add the cream mixture, whisking until it’s all combined.

Return this mix to the saucepan. Place over a very low heat and stir continuously without boiling, for 20 minutes or so until the custard has thickened.

Pour the custard into 6 ovenproof brulée or ramekin dishes. Leave to cool completely at room temperature, then cover and place in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours until firm).

When ready to serve, preheat the grill to high. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mix over the custard.

Place the dishes into a deep roasting pan, filled with ice and cook under the hot grill for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar bubbles and caramelises. You can use a cook’s blowtorch if you have one.

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“Seasonal and Fresh” Catalan Chicken

Serves 6 Pre-heat oven to 190 c, gas 5

Ingredients

12 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on 1 pack of raw chorizo sausages or 1 chorizo salami (horse shoe shaped one) 2 teaspoons paprika (piquante preferably) 1 white onion, sliced thinly 1 red onion, sliced thinly 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely 350 g potatoes, cut and par boiled 2 red peppers, cut into strips 1 large jar white haricot beans, drained 1 medium jar red haricot beans, drained 1 can anchovy stuffed olives, sliced 2 oranges, zested and juiced 2 glasses of dry white wine 2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds 2 tablespoons dried oregano Glug of olive oil Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Aioli

Method

*Take the skin off the chorizo sausages, chop roughly and put in frying pan with some olive oil, chilli flakes and paprika. Gently sauté for 4 minutes.

Remove and drain but keep the oil in the pan, which should now be a good red colour. *Place chicken thighs in red oil, skin side down for 5 minutes. Turn and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. *Place onions, garlic and red peppers in oil and sauté for 4 minutes. Remove and set aside. *Place potatoes in oil and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. *If you have a lot of oil left in the pan, pour most out leaving just a tablespoon or so. Pour in the white wine, orange juice and cumin seeds and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. *In a large roasting pan, place the chorizo, potatoes, onions, garlic and peppers first, followed by the beans and anchovy stuffed olives and mix them all up well. *Put the chicken thighs on top of this mix and wedge them down a bit so they are nestling in amongst the vegetables and beans. *Gently pour the white wine and orange sauce into the roasting pan. *Sprinkle the zest of the oranges and the oregano on top of the chicken. *Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. If the chicken skin is not crispy at the end, place under a hot grill for 5-6 minutes. *Sprinkle fresh parsley on top Serve at the table from the pan with aioli and pan con tomate. A green salad with watercress also works well with this dish.

2 egg yolks 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard Lge pinch salt Grind of pepper 1 tablespoon lemon juice Grapeseed oil Olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed *Whisk the egg yolks with the mustard, salt and pepper. Start adding the oil, bit by bit until it emulsifies. Half way through, add the lemon juice.

Add more oil until it is thick and won’t fall off a spoon. At the end, add the garlic and mix well.

Adjust seasoning to your taste. *I haven’t given amounts for the oils as it’s really done by eye and I never seem to use quite the same amount twice. Using half grapeseed oil gives a lighter aioli.

Pan con Tomate

This is served at table for guests to play with themselves. Find a boule loaf at the bakers, slice it, toast it and give guests each half a tomato, a garlic clove and some olive oil. The idea is to grate the garlic onto the toast, smear with the tomato and drizzle olive oil over. It goes particularly well with Catalan Chicken but is a great summer favourite with us when doing barbecues.

Cook’s note: If you have any of the bean and potato mixture left over it can be turned into a lovely warming soup by adding chicken stock and then liquidising.

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PORT - EMERGENCY - DIY - TECH SUPPORT - EMERGENCY - DIY -TECH SUPPORT - DIY - TE

The Art of the Bricoleur

Wiring in an outside socket

F

Hugh Scott

irstly thank you to André Goddard who wrote in pointing out my mistake in the October article. It is not good practice to do as I have done and join copper pipe directly to steel.

This will increase the risk of corrosion in your plumbing system.

I should have used a dielectric coupling, (raccord isolant diélectrique) that isolates the two metals from each other.

About 3 metres of cable was needed to get from the nearest junction box to the planned socket so it was easy enough to pull the three individual 2.5mm cables through a length of corrugated plastic gaine (20mm diameter.)

It is obviously important to use an socket that is designed for external use. They usually have waterproof rubber seals and Wiring in an outside socket a spring loaded Our garden boasts eight outside cover. Remove taps, I am not sure why. You the cover, line the would imagine box up vertically/ horizontally, and that all those then mark the taps were wall for the fixing nstalled to screws. Plug the holes as best you water can - fixing things to French walls something is a topic that will get an article rather special all of its own! Waterproof socket but the plants boxes have rubber seals or grommets that survived through which the the years of neglect whilst cables pass. They the house was need to be cut, carefully to fit unoccupied show few signs and the gaine or conduit must pass of being special or needing eight through to appear utside taps to keep them watered. on the inside.

Whilst the house has a surplus of The electrical outside taps it is totally lacking in outside electric connections to the sockets (prise socket are straightforward; live/red to the right, de courant) and this is how neutral/blue to the left, and an earth.

The internal connection was made I installed its into a newly installed junction box, first. again taking the gaine through the Getting an grommet and into the box. electrical The connections were made with supply to an outside socket connecting blocks or dominos after requires drill- I had made sure that the relevant ing through circuit was the wall. Our walls are 500mm disconnected thick rendered stone so a fairly from the mains hefty hammer action drill (marteau perforateur) and masonry bits (foret supply. à maçonnerie) are needed.

e-male - The TECH Column THE FUTURE

‘Tis a time of dark nights but I take time off to write to you all in the Hérault and beyond. The internet and communication advances are wonderful aren’t they? Do you know that this magazine is read (and delivered) to 23 countries in the world? And that our world is shrinking even more due to technological advances? So to 2013 and what is (or maybe) coming to your hand and home this year.

Software Microsoft still rule the world. Oh you Apple fiends believe differently I know ( and I am a user so understand the aesthetic fix and the graphics video editing movie making love affair we have with them) but Microsoft are dominant and will remain so. Windows 8 is now live and worth having so expect Microsoft to be strong and grab a (minor) better hold on the smartphone market. Apple are still the high end heroes but the ‘new’ products are drying up. Since it was disclosed that iPhones are built for a 12 month shelf life they have been overtaken by Samsung who will be bigger than ever in tablets and phones this year. Linux on your phone is heavily talked about but will remain the popular yet unused geek conversation filler (in the corner of the room as we don’t ask girls to dance.)

Manufacturers Laptops will still be the mainstay of the connected world.

Simple really. Got money? Apple. Budget? The rest.

With the demise of HP (sad) someone can step in and ... drumroll please...Lenovo take a bow. Well built, innovative and price friendly this company will get stronger once they sort their advertising campaigns out. Dell will shock a few people this year as they showcase some forward thinking.

Tablets will dominate the press and the hybrid market will push sales again. Apple are the undisputed kings until the 2nd quarter when Samsung, and Acer and maybe Asus show their hands. Apple need USB working and a new product instead of another reboot.

Connectivity across all devices is THE word for this year.

The cloud is the place for all storage this year and as this becomes used then smartphones can get smaller and more powerful. Shop, turn the heating on at home and start the car from your phone this year.

Apps are history?

I’m afraid not. A trawl through google play or the Apple store shows us that there is so much junk around but we keep downloading it. Voice activation is still weak but the Koreans and the Americans may surprise us in the 3rd quarter.

Entertainment.

X-Box continue to dominate and interactive televisions will become the norm/ Shop, play games, surf , email and communicate through the tv is all here now but will be the big thing. Netflix and spotify will grow as 4G hits the world in a big way.

Am I right.....find out in 12 months.Ciao for now, I have a harddrive to hack!

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All rugby, Gaelic and Hurling shown live. Guinness & Bulmers Plate of the day 10e with a glass of wine.

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OPPORTUNITIES

Women’s International Club, Languedoc- Roussilon Meets in Saint Chinian, 1st Thursday of month , 2.30pm., at Salle de L’Abbatiale.

Our meetings are conducted in French and English. info@wic-lr.com www.wic-lr.com

Babysitting

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Contact Trudi: 0499570589 trudi@ppm34.fr www.perfectpropertymanagement.com ** Roquebrun Property Management Personalised services for holiday homes and seasonal rentals. Full or ‘pay as you go’ service. Homes available to rent for 1- 15 people. Call Sue on 0652752445. www.househunterslanguedoc.com ** For All Your Propety Care Needs Complete pool care inc. winter shutdown, gardening inc strimming, changeovers, general painting interior and exterior, varnishing, oiling shutters etc.

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JEWELLERY

Makes an ideal gift.

New consignment of over 150 designs just arrived from India.

Excellent quality and wonderful prices.

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WELL-BEING

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Centre d’Ostéopathie et d’Intégration Structurelle (®Rolfing)

Recently opened in Lodève Annette Beckett qualified osteopath since 1992 cranial osteopathy for adults, children, babies annette@beckettosteo.com Barry P. Beckett Certified Rolfer, Rolf Institute 1993 Structural Integration, Postural Improvement, Osteopathics. motionpresent@gmail.com 06 30 64 88 40

TAXI

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TO RENT

Stunning River/Mountain View Village House Roquebrun 4BR/2Bath FOR LONG-TERM LET. 850 euros per month. Weekly or short-term lets also considered.

Beautiful house in Roquebrun. Available January 13, 2013, possibly sooner This house is just gorgeous with stunning views from 2 incredible terraces.

Situated in the village, above the Mairie, nestled in the picturesque rolling hills and vineyards of the High Languedoc Natural Regional Park. All mod cons. Huge new high-quality wood-burner in living room.

Renovated/finished grenier with high ceilings and views. Original character features throughout including gorgeous original Languedocienne floor tiles and fireplace in kitchen. Many more photos and details available upon request.

Phone Claire on 0467893821 or mail info@theheraulttimes.com quoting RQ425

Stuart Turpie

The Highlight

A

fter winning the ligue 1 title in football last season for the first time in their history, Montpellier has not found things so easy this term. The champions’ league campaign for an inexperienced side was a bit of an ordeal. Losing star scorer Giroud to Arsenal did not help the cause and a run of disappointing results started the season.

Before the midterm break however the Montpellier club has shown improved form with a rise up the table to a more confident spot well clear of relegation fears. If this continues a European qualifying place is not out of the question, though perhaps unlikely. The festive season was celebrated by Coach René Girard. The 58 year old who joined Montpellier in 2009 was chosen by the very influential and respected magazine, “France Football” as the coach of the year in France. This was a well deserved honour. René has achieved success with a young side with a small budget based on teamwork and youth development. “Chapeau” ** Three other local clubs have reached the break with a spring in their step. Olympique Ales was once a respected professional club in the second division of football. They have slumped to the D. Honneur, in reality the regional league of Languedoc. Now at least they are proudly at the top of that league. FC Sète, champions of France twice during the 1930s, is also on the up and is top of their pool of the CFA2. Beziers, a club reformed recently, but once a pro club in the 1980s, is doing well in the CFA1. Good to see these famous names on the rise.

Centre of village. Walking distance to all amenities. Large house in need of total renovation. Huge potential for family home, rental or re-sale. Large courtyard and off street parking. Offers in the region of €44,000 0624 63 63 77 m: info@theheraulttimes.com **

Online classifieds available

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Some fixtures Foot 26 Jan Montpellier v Sochaux 20.00 2 Feb Montpellier v Reims 20.00 26 Jan Béziers v Marseille Consulat 18.30 Rugby XV 9 Feb Montpellier v Biarritz 14.00 27 Jan Béziers v Massy 15.00 20 Jan Agde v Aubenas 15.00 27 Jan Pézenas v ES Catalane 15.00

ENGLISH BOOKS AND CARDS

FOR SALE - OPPORTUNITY

Caux

I have been asked to explain why the names of sports clubs here can be so complicated.

Partly the answer is simple. Clubs combine for economic reasons and to boost their playing, financial and municipal backing.

Hence the Paulhan/Pezenas link up in football or the Union Sportive Olympique Florensac-Pinet. Rugby clubs do the same thing with Vendres-Lespignan and Servian-Boujan coming to mind. I prefer it when the clubs put their minds to the fusions in a creative way. L’Avenir Bleu et Blanc is more like a title. This is the rugby XV from Capestang, Quarante and Puisserguier. Mind you using those 3 names would be a mouthful.

I also like Plages d’Orb and Rives d’Orb who are XVs in the Orb valley. Equally interesting is a group of villages north of Pézenas who formed the football club, Coeur Hérault. ** The Montpellier Handball club betting saga goes on and on. Finally the Federation of Handball and the Ligue National have set up an enquiry after a delay of 2 months. This will report in 3 months time. Conveniently after the world championships in February! The authenticity of the enquiry is being challenged and Rémy Levy, Montpellier President, has declined the invitation. To be fair the problem is a delicate one. **

www.opticaldiscount.com (10% reduction if you show this ad) **

BOOKS

Le Bookshop Librairie Anglophone / café 8 rue du Bras de Fer - 340000 Montpellier Tel./Fax : 04 67 66 22 90 contact@lebookshop.com www.lebookshop.com ** 31

available at the English Bookstall at the following markets: Monday- Bedarieux, Tuesday - Marseillan Ville, Wednesday Clermont l’Herault, Saturday - Lodeve.

Contact Kerith Biggs 04 67 96 68 87 **

English Books at the Bourse ,Pezenas.

The Café de la Bourse is next to the Hotel Moliere in Pezenas. All books are 1Euro or less . Excellent coffee and company . Want to book a table ? Call Carole on 046790591 **

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