The Herault Times Issue 10 by Gatsby L'Herault

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAGAZINE FOR THE HERAULT

The Herault Times Issue 10 April 2013

www.theheraulttimes.com

Free Monthly

ISSN: 2261-561X

MUSIC* WINE* GARDENING* NATURE* HISTORY *EXHIBITIONS* ART* FOOD 1

THT April 2013

Contents THT

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

In Each Issue

04 Editorial 05 Letters 06 My Place 07 And Another Thing 09 Apicius Dines Out 09 You REview 10 Wine Times 11 Business / Legal 12 Garden / Nature 13 GTBY 17 Lifestyle 18 What’s On 19 Looking Back 25 E-Male 25 Subscribe 26 Recipe Times 28 DIY 28 E-Male 28-31 Classifieds 31 Sport Fun Times

“Amuse Bouche”

This Month - Articles 08 The French View Horsing Around

16 Le Tour de Dopage

20 Pip Benveniste British Modernist Painter

14 Marseille Mysterious City

24 English For Expat Children Work Times

The Herault Times

06 My Place Simone Hérault All The Time

CSF is a self-funded and voluntary organisation doing wonderful work in the region. If you can help or donate to this important charity please do.

The Herault Times 1 Grand Rue, St Thibery,34630 Publisher: Gatsby B Editor : Emma F Advertising Director: Tom Buchanon 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

The Herault Times The Herault Times is owned and published by L’Herault Art L.A. Publishing (51926616300010). The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights in regards to copyright of their work. No part of this work covered by the copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written consent of the publisher. No person, organization or party should rely or on any way act upon any part of the contents of this publication whether that information is sourced from the website, magazine or related product without first obtaining the advice of a fully qualified person. This magazine and its related website and products are sold and distributed on the terms and condition that: The publisher, contributors, editors and related parties are not responsible in any way for the actions or results taken by any person, organisation or any party on basis of reading information, stories or contributions in this publication, website or related product. The publisher, contributors and related parties are not engaged in providing legal, financial or professional advice or services. The publisher, contributors, editors and consultants disclaim any and all liability and responsibility to any person or party, be they a purchaser, reader, advertiser or consumer of this publication or not in regards to the consequences and outcomes of anything done or omitted being in reliance whether partly or solely on the contents of this publication and related website and products. The publisher, editors, contributors and related parties shall have no responsibility for any action or omission by any other contributor, consultant, editor or related party. END

ISSN: 2261-561X

Editorial April “A strong breath of life rose from Marseille and its ports, an insistent call towards distant horizons, like a subtle and irresistible magic spell. For the first time Orschanow realised that the universe did not end here on this quayside, that out there, beyond the soothing sea, were lands of sun and silence: Africa.” (‘Vagabond’, Isabelle Eberhardt)

henever I visit Marseille I think about the strange and moving life story of Isabelle Eberhardt whose travels to North Africa began looking out across its teeming port. A 19th century Sufi and libertine, she spent much of her short life dressed as a man so she could travel freely. Says Isabelle’s biographer Mazolli, “I was struck by the universal themes of her story – how much her struggles, her questions, her passions, mirrored those of women throughout the 20th and 21st century. Isabelle made a great effort to define herself as an independent woman under extreme circumstances.” With these thoughts of travel and discovery, it is with great pleasure that we share David Crackanthrope’s passion for this city through his article on Marseille with ‘its secret life and scarred beauty’ and hope it will inspire you to set out…it is also the European city of Culture for 2013. Still on travel, this time by train, thank you to national treasure Simone Hérault, the

voice of SNCF, who gave up some of her time to talk to the HT. Next time you are in a train station and hear her dulcet tones you will be able to conjure up the woman behind the voice, who lists the things she loves as “sunshine, love, humour, friendship and chocolate… like everyone!” and hates “discourtesy, injustice, indifference, self-importance and herbal tea… almost like everyone!” The Days of April– a title also appropriated in French history to describe a series of insurrections at Lyon, Paris and elsewhere against the government of Louis Philippe in 1834 – bring us: The long awaited stirrings of spring. Timetables for implementing improvements in nuclear power plants in 14 European member states after the EU decided to reassess the level of nuclear safety following the accident at Fukushima in 2011. Across the Atlantic, the Major League baseball season begins with an opening game between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. The aftermath of Easter, which for many

means a vow to cut back on chocolate, a timely decision since the World Health Organisation is focusing on raised blood pressure for their annual campaign day on the 13th. A flourishing of brocantes and flea markets in the department (see http://vide-greniers.org/ agendaDepartement) and of course Festivals… the Festival d’Humour, 17-28 at Cap d’Agde, Printemps de la Zatte, 13-14 and TheaviDA, 4-10, both in Montpellier (see http://34.agendaculturel.fr/ festival/)...the list goes on. And if that isn’t enough then consider a ‘View From France’ this month which suggests that it’s not only French food processing plants who need to stop horsing around; while Millard Baker, founder and editor of MESO-Rx.com, a website that provides information on the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids, considers the French response to doping in the light of the Lance Armstrong scandal.

WRITERS

he 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 9am 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:

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. 4

Letters When Hello HT.....I am keeping up with my New Year Resolutions - well one any way......they were to wear a skirt more often but I am still pulling on my jeans in the mornings. The other is to attend Rugby matches...I advertised in HT for someone to let me join them at matches and Graham kindly answered....I have seen four matches so far and I even saw my HERO Jonnie Wilkinson playing for his team Toulon. Many thanks to Graham for puttting up with my screams of enouragement to players Penny Apicius Apicius. Can I politely suggest you get a life, reality check and your own ego out your ass. Kelly Kelly, please write again and this time tell us what you really think... And another...... I have come across a review in your January issue. Clearly the critic was not impressed and that is his right. I do however object to the way in which he expressed himself. The article was nasty, supercilious and plain rude. I quote a few terms he chose to use: most uncomfortable in the region... the sad truth....mediocre at best.... never had a meal that even comes close.....terribly unfortunate....haphazard....lack of technique...female server (sic) .....not necessarily nasty or rude....dealing with the public is not the high point of her day.... I cannot resist mentioning that all this was in an article littered with simple mistakes in English; if he wants to deliver a damning

Bob, you make me so happy. I was worried that bigoted, narrow minded people were fading from my life but then there you are..... substitute English for other topical nationalities and you could be misunderstood for being a racist.

message he should first learn to spell “damn”. Stephen Bull Spain I read your article Echoes of Spain in issue 8. My great grandpapa was a refugee from Franco and came here to the Hérault with no money and no means of survival, just a belief in people to do the right thing. Myself and my father and my brothers are the proof that this is a good and generous country who helped and allowed us to work and live and have a home here. My father still speaks Spanish in the home and it was me who read your words to him. He is a proud man and he was emotional by your writing. We thank you for writing your words and wish you happiness from these Spanish French people. Xavier

Front cover The front cover (Lodeve Issue 9) Magnificent. Stunning, beautiful and inspirational. I congratulate both your photographer and you. Michael French Opinion I really liked reading the piece about Mali (The French View). I think that like a lot of other ‘foreigners it is sometimes easy to forget that we may come with our own opinions, stereotypes and even prejudices. So Alison, thank you for breaking down some of my own ‘set’ ideas. Mark Thank you Mark, it is always good to see the other ‘side’.

The English Sirs, I read your articles on communication with a sense of dread. As a Canadian living here I am proud of my attempts to communicate in the language of my adopted land. And my friends and acquaintances who are Dutch, American, Spanish, Argentinian and Scottish (I only list ex-pats you notice) are all attempting at various levels to learn the language as they say. But I miss out the English. In general I find the English to be lazy and self-serving and arrogant to the point of obnoxious. You come here and expect the French to adopt the choices, language and systems that you want. Ridiculous. Shape up or go back to England.Bob

French Opinion 2 What a good idea. French views on war, Hollande, Gay marriage and more. And almost a surprise to see a sense of humour, sarcasm and a mocking of politicians. I thought the French were meant to be serious. Marianne (text) Thank you Marianne. Appreciated French Opinion 3 Sir. Is there a point to ‘knowing how the French think?’ I live here as I would in my own country. Quietly and keeping to myself. Your efforts at pushing politics and controversial subjects at me are a continuing sign and example of a meddling press

HT Cover The Cover Story We are proud to have the talents of Mr Barry Beckett producing the wonderful covers that you see every month. And this month we preview the annual double spread. Once a year we will produce a double page issue to show in even more detail the beauty and diversity of the Hérault.

dharmacamera@googlemail.com 5

who have an inflated opinion of themselves. Please stick to stories of interest. Thank you. Robert. Ganges Thank you Robert, it is with pleasure and frankly amazement that we read your letter. We often ask ourselves if these mails are real or just to please me as you my good fellow are the one with the inflated opinion of oneself. Nobody is interested in politics or human issues? Robert, this letter is embarassing....why don’t you go and have a cup of tea and a tablet. And give my best to Bob (see earlier) you must be friends! Real Are your letters real. Do you not upset lots of people? Sally Yes, all real, even the awful ones. And be assured I am gentle and kind and BORED now. I’m sexy and I know it 3 Can we have a picture of you to see who writes these wonderful comments that make us laugh? Vicky, Montpellier Vicky, here I am, just for you......

I’m (not) sexy? You are a bit smug aren’t you? Your comments are not funny, just childish. Pauline, Agde Moi? Smug? Ah, you mean gorgeous, witty and sophisticated....see pic above!

Simone Hérault

Interview by Alexandra Thevenet

The voice of SNCF, often referred to as an icon, her ever present voice making the announcements throughout train stations across France have led her to become a beloved travelling companion… Simone Hérault talks to the HT…

My Place What are the key points from your professional and personal bio?

I joined the ranks of the Baby boom in 1950. I love having been born in 1950 – it’s easy for me to remember how old I was in 1959 or in 1962… it means I can tell you straight away that I was 18 in 1968, a legendary year for all those who are in their 60s today! I was never a very good student, except in ‘recital’. Makes sense – I dreamt of being an actress. A destiny that wasn’t meant to be, seeing as I trained to be a secretary…and then…never became one! But it was during a work placement as a secretary at the Maison de la Radio that my ‘career’ really began. Inter Service Jeune, Radio Ile de France, France Culture… small jobs for a big emerging passion. I was finally lucky enough to successfully audition for FIP (France Inter Paris) where I stayed, comfy and cosy, from 1972 until 2000. How did you come to be the voice of the SCNF? One day the SNCF decided to renew its voices (as they do for their railway lines all the time!) and they had the excellent idea of arranging a casting for the female presenters from FIP, where I’d been working for almost ten years by then. Two of us were chosen: Sophie and me. It was 1981 and the first TGVs had just embarked on their brilliant career. For several years, the two of us recorded thousands of announcements for the summer and winter services, on all sorts of reels: big ones, little ones or enormous magnetic strips And then one day his highness, the affordable computer, arrived and we began only recording groups of words, or individual words and numbers which would be strung together to make up sentences (a process called concatenation). From then on only one voice was needed so that all of the little parts of sentences would sound right when pieced together. I was lucky enough to be chosen. With even the SNCF adverts referring to you by your first name, you’ve become a real icon: do people ever recognise you? How do they react? Do you have any related anecdotes in particular that you’d like to share with our readers? I’d never dare call myself an icon…but if

you say so, I’m more than fine with it! I’m flattered and I find it funny, but completely disproportionate because there are some types of fame that are so much harder to achieve! (I’m not looking for a cure for cancer…and I don’t risk my life fighting for human rights, either!) People don’t recognise me. Maybe when they hear me they say to themselves ‘hmm, that voice reminds me of someone’ but they won’t make the link. A voice that comes out of a loud speaker or that you hear on the radio is disembodied in essence. It’s magical; a creator of fantasies…and it’s good like that, because you’re the voice ages a lot less quickly than the rest! I don’t really have any stories to tell, because I’m hardly ever in the station next to the passengers when the announcements are broadcasted. But what I can tell you is that throughout their childhood and their teenage years, my two sons felt like I was always watching them when they went places! I also know that my friends are often happy to hear me, whether they’re on a platform

job and what are the aspects that particularly excite you and on which you thrive, for whatever reason it may be? I don’t think there are any difficult aspects in this job. But I do think I have to take care to regulate the tone that I use. I mustn’t ever lose sight of the end purpose of the announcements. It’s not just about getting the words out. These words have a meaning, and even if it might seem a little pretentious of me, I believe that if I pronounce them a kind tone they will better serve their purpose. In short, I love what I’ve been doing for the SNCF for such a long time! And to be honest, I get something good out of it! On every one of my visits to the station employees who work alongside my voice every day, I’m treated like a queen, with such kindness that I always come out feeling very touched. What are the questions that people often ask you? “How does it make you feel hearing yourself everywhere?” My ego squirms with pleasure! Do you still have things to record? There are always new words, messages to pass on, towns where we have to correct the pronunciation, servers to update or new services to put in place, like the services for the blind, for example. What other activities do you do? The same as all women! Meaning ‘lots of things’! And professionally speaking, I’m still lending my voice to films (recently for a film version of Boris Vian’s Froth on the Daydream, by Michel Gondry, which will come out at the end of April), for institutional films, adverts and less frequently, for dubbing.

at Lille, Marseille, Brest or Strasbourg, and that they say hello to me from in amongst the other bemused passengers who must think they’re crazy! What do you like the most about being the voice of the SNCF? I like being the mother, the big sister who accompanies, informs and reassures those who are travelling and who are not always comfortable in the sometimes stressful and noisy world of the station. I like wishing them bon voyage as they get onto the train and welcoming when they arrive at their destination. What are the most difficult aspects of your 6

You are the founder of Lire Autrement? What is it all about? I founded Lire Autrement with the precious help of Jacques Pagniez, because I had a huge desire to meet an audience. I had been an anonymous voice at FIP, a voice coming out of a loud speaker at the SNCF – I wanted to look my listeners in the eyes! So I decided to bring my childhood dreams to life and I became a ‘reader’. You can say it’s one side of acting. It’s about sharing my enthusiasm for literature with all sorts of audiences. I structure readings around an author from the past or from today or around a theme. We perform just as much in libraries as we do in theatres or in concert halls, as well as in museums and in gardens. We regularly support the promotion of the French language abroad, in Algeria or even in several countries in Central Asia. Another of... (continued col 1 next page)

And another thing.......says Abse Come on Spring, hurry up! The wind was freezing this morning when I took the dog out. After a couple of games of Frisbee™ (other flying discs are available) my hand had frozen off. Fortunately the dog

brought it back with the Frisbee and all was rectified with some superglue and masking tape. But that’s not the point. The point is it’s nearly March and its bloody cold and I’ve had enough. This happens every year – by the time spring arrives I am more than ready

Simone Hérault continued...... our assets is a collection of a dozen CDs on the lives of characters as fabulous as Georges Sand, Chopin, Jules Verne and Victor Hugo. In short, you can do anything with the endless cultural material that is literature! You can find out more about Lire Autrement by going to our website: www.lire-autrement.com Do you ever target an Anglophone audience? We do sometimes offer bilingual or even trilingual readings. We will be doing a reading of French poets in French, English and German at the Printemps des poètes poetry festival in March, for example. What is your favourite French dish and why? It’s impossible to say! I love Alsacian choucroute just as much as potée from Auvergne, Kouignamam from Bretagne just as much as fondue from Savoy, saucisson from Lyon just as much as pissaladière niçoise… and I could go on! I love everything that doctors say is bad for you!

for summer. I want to get my shorts on and one of my Hawaiian™ shirts (other shirts are available – but not with the right designs). At this time of year I notice that some of the wealthier French people I know (who have also had enough of winter) have taken holidays – during the February “winter” school holidays – in Guadeloupe or Martinique. Lucky buggers. I look at the online travel opportunities and look at the beautiful sandy beaches, the swimming pool bars, the girls in bikinis and I realise that actually I can’t afford such a break and anyway I haven’t got anyone prepared to look after the cats and the dog. I suppose I could leave the wife behind - but somehow doubt I’d get away with that. Mind you look at all those girls in bikinis on the beach. Hmmmm. Maybe one of them could look after the pets.

What is your favourite mode of transport? Guess?!!! And it’s true! What is your favourite book? It’s like for the culinary arts…I can’t just choose one book. There’s several authors I’d like to mention: Guy de Maupassant, Baudelaire, Jean Tardieu, and two remarkable women from nowadays: Maïssa Bey et Sylvie Germain What is your favourite quotation? It’s not really a quotation, more of a motto. The motto of the Republic: Liberté, égalité, fraternité. Those three words say everything. It’s the only ‘religion’ I trust. Do you have any other messages to pass on at all?

It would be rather pretentious of me to pass on a message, so simply: Dear Anglophone friends, I send you all my love, and we’ll see each other virtually on your next train journey.

I came to the med to take in the warm sun, not to carry on freezing my arse off like I did for years in London, but every winter something awful happens…. winter.Cold, wet, windy winter. Bloody hell, that doesn’t seem fair! This is the south of France!! “What are you, a lizard?” one of my England-based friends said to me recently. I suggested that perhaps he’d been reading too much David Icke (other nutters are available) but admitted that perhaps I was. But without any of the lizard benefits (power, influence, money) David Icke seems to think exist, and without a beautiful queen in a spaceship like in V. I’m just someone who feels the cold. Feels it bad. I don’t like it! Of course while writing this I am aware that by the time this appears in print in mid-March the weather might well have turned, and you could be reading this wearing shorts and a T shirt sitting in an outdoor café sipping a glass of cold rosé. On the other hand you might already have had your break in Guadeloupe and are saying, “Actually I find these cool breezes quite refreshing, darling”. In which case I might have to kill you. No court would ever convict me. So come on spring, bloody hurry up!!!

Junk Food and Romanian Horse Meat Translation by Alison Reid

The French VIEW _ Horsing Around

those who seemed to have the healthiest diets were not in fact those who spent the most on their food. Today, the increase in food prices is higher than during the crisis of 2007-2008, a period in which the number of people suffering from famine in the world rose to over one billion for the first time. We have abandoned control over our diets for too long, and with it, our right to shape agricultural politics. Politics which, with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), have contributed to the development of intensive farming – something which, given the harm it causes to society, the environment and to countries in the South, can in no way justify the 50 million euros attributed to it each year.

omanian horse meat is today almost as renowned as English Mad Cow Disease. It seems a bit unfair really, given that it is in fact the whole of Europe, affected all over by the scandal which began with Findus and their now infamous lasagnes, that should be shouldering the blame. Every country is guilty, all at the same time. Including us. s it really so difficult to take some pasta, to add a bit of meat chosen ourselves at the butcher’s and then to add some tomato sauce and the herbs we like? These days we want everything to be pre-prepared, quick, frozen, microwavable and above all, inexpensive. From one end of the process to the other, we want to make savings.

nd as if we have learnt nothing from what was one of the most serious food industry crises in the history of Europe, the European Commission, with impeccable timing, announced on Friday the return of animal meal to the menus of fish farms. As if, in fifteen years, all the memories of the ‘Mad Cow’ crisis have been forgotten: prions, BSE and scrapie…

ut the prize for greediness must go to the industries who do not hesitate to transform their meat into ‘ore’ (the designated term, as we now know!). Cows and horses have become globalised objects that must churn out maximal profits, because to the food industry this ‘ore’ is like gold. Gold made from lean meat, from fatty meat…and from collagen. Spanghero almost certainly has an employee whose job it is to locate the cheapest ‘ore’ for use in lasagnes. One day Romania, the next, elsewhere.

t is this whole system of commercialised junk food that is being questioned now that food has become industrialised. A comparison was published in Time, looking at the family budgets of inhabitants from all over the world. The photos of these families showed that

Written by Jean-Marcel Bouguereau www.larepubliquedespyrenees.fr

The Freshwater Pearl Mussel F

ound on both sides of the Atlantic, from the Arctic and temperate regions of western Russia through Europe to northeastern North America, Freshwater Pearl Mussels were once the most abundant bivalve molluscs in ancient rivers around the world. However, numbers are now declining in all countries and this species is nearly extinct in many areas. Freshwater Pearl Mussels have been protected in France since 2007, where there are only approximately 100 000 left, a 90% decline since the beginning of the 20th century. Today this mussel survives in around 80 French rivers, of which only about 10 have healthy populations. To thrive, the freshwater pearl mussel needs to live in clean, fast-flowing streams and rivers, where it lives buried or partly buried in fine gravel and coarse sand, generally in water at depths between 0.5 and 2 metres, but sometimes at greater depths. Capable of living for up to 130 years, the freshwater pearl mussel begins life as a tiny larva, measuring just 0.6 to 0.7 millimetres long, which is

ejected into the water from an adult mussel in a mass of one to four million other larvae. This remarkable event takes place over just one to two days, sometime between July and September. The larvae, known as glochidia, resemble tiny mussels, but their minute shells are held open until they snap shut on a suitable host. The hosts of freshwater pearl mussel larvae are juvenile fish from the salmonid family, which includes the Atlantic salmon and sea trout. The chance of a larva encountering a suitable fish is very low, and thus nearly all are swept away and die; only a few are inhaled by an Atlantic salmon or sea trout, where they snap shut onto the fish’s gills. As the name indicates these molluscs sometimes produce pearls, although they are not of a sufficiently high quality to be harvested. They grow extremely slowly, inhaling water through exposed siphons, and filtering out tiny organic particles on which it feeds. In Northern Europe freshwater pearl mussels as old as 200 have been found!

Restaurant Review

Apicius Eats at..... La Tour Sarrasine

Dining Along the Canal du Midi

La Tour Sarrasine 27 Bd. Paul Riquet tel: 0467.770697 closed Mon all day. & Tues. lunch Poilhes

s the Canal du Midi meanders its way south towards the border with the department of Aude it first passes through the picture postcard village of Poilhes. Situated along its banks in the village center is the

restaurant La Tour Sarrasine. It has a nice deck for dining outdoors when weather permits, with a view of the canal, but the salon inside will not disappoint. The color scheme is one of soft grays and chartreuse with tables spread out spaciously and comfortable chairs. It’s an atmosphere of

casual elegance that is warm and inviting. There are several formula menus starting at 17€ and going up to 29€ depending on whether one wants 2 courses or three. The amuse bouche of foie gras and raisin bread was superb. It was melt in your mouth delicious and heightened my expectations for the coming meal. My starter was a brioche filled with snails in a saffron sauce accompanied by a salad of mixed fresh lettuce leaves. The snails had a bit of chili added to them, which gave them a spicy pungency, the salad was well seasoned with balanced vinaigrette but the brioche, I felt, was a bit too bready and made the dish a bit heavier than it needed to be. Another s uccessful opener was the fricassée of lobster surrounded by vegetables, with a sauce derived from boudin or blood sausage. The plate looked great and the combination of tastes and flavors was refined and hearty at the same time. A real winner! Next up was a breast of duck à la Thai that had been marinated in ginger along with some oriental spices. It was accompanied with Lyonnais potatoes and some broccoli. The result was really satisfying not only because the duck was of an excellent quality, but the spicing had been done very deftly. It

was zesty without going over the top. Other main courses possibilities of the six on offer are filet of beef or a duo of veal kidneys and lamb sweetbreads. Desserts tend to follow a traditional route with such sweets as profiteroles and coulant au chocolate or sorbet. I chose tiramisu. It was nice and creamy and more than hit the mark in that it was rich while still remaining light. The wine card is well chosen and while not encyclopedic there is enough to satisfy most palates and most wallets. Not surprisingly given the location their choice of Minervois is especially interesting and the one I had from Chateau D’Oupia- Nobilis at 3O€ was a lovely accompaniment to the meal: full, plenty of deep berry flavours and a long finish. Service is another positive point. Our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable and even funny in both French and English. Eating here may not be haute cuisine but that would be missing the point. It’s basically better than average classical French cuisine done with an assured hand and all the more satisfying because it doesn’t try to be anything more than a comforting place to get a good meal. The lack of pretension, however, doesn’t mean modest and certainly not in the size of the portions; they are meant for hungry people. Moreover, it’s the market that decides the menu. Whatever Madame Viel sees that is fresh and available is what is chosen. That’s the reason everything is on blackboards and not on a printed menu as it changes from day to day. Add easy to find parking and the fact that they are open on Sunday evenings for dinner, a rarity in better restaurants and you have some worthwhile reasons to try it out.

Apicius

verb “se retrouver” e.g. “Où est-ce qu’on se retrouve: au café?” 3. If the meeting is by chance then you would use the verb “rencontrer” e.g. “Tiens, j’ai rencontré Patrick sur le marché” 4. If you go and meet someone at the airport it’s none of these but “aller chercher” e.g. “Je suis allé chercher mon fils à l’aéroport” The trick is to think of using the right one on the spot!

with Bobbie Trickett

Well Met

Confusingly, there are different ways of talking about meeting people. 1. You can arrange to meet simply by saying: “Rendez -vous “ at such and such a place / time 2. Another way of talking about meeting by arrangement is to use the

The 3 minute review. Restaurant Name: Effet 7 (Mer) Where: 9 rue du Lieutenant Panis, 34350 Valras-Plage Date Visited: 14th February 2013 Your review: The 15 euro 3-course lunch is very good value. The dishes are imaginative and original, particularly given the inexpensive ingredients used. Wine is only available by the bottle 50 or 75 cl, so this bumps up the cost of eating here, but the wines are well-chosen and local. The decor is sophisticated for a sea-side restaurant, the staff pleasant. In all a place we’ll return to. Price (per person) : 11 - 19€ Out of 10: Food = 9 Service = 8 Value = 9 Sent in by: Jan Davison Send us a review by visiting www.theheraulttimes.com 9

Wine

Rosemary George

here are some brilliant and talented wine growers in the Languedoc, but there is a world of difference between making delicious wine and knowing how to sell it. That sadly is one of the key problems of the region. Some wine growers realise that there is strength in numbers when it comes to marketing, such as the Vinifilles, an energetic group of women who play a key role in the running of their wine estates. They may be a lone vigneronne or they may have the support of a husband or partner. And they form a diverse group covering the whole of Languedoc-Roussillon from Mas

Seren outside Anduze to Domaine Piétri-Gérard in Collioure, and taking in Limoux, Minervois, St. Chinian, and several areas of the Coteaux du Languedoc. Pascale Rivière of Domaine la Jasse Castel in Montpeyroux is their president. I asked my friend Caryl Panman from Château Rives-Blanques in Limoux how you become a Vinifille and she said it was quite simple. ‘I was invited to a meeting and they asked me if I would like to join, and I thought; why not’. It would seem that your face has to fit. Their website www.vinifilles.fr will give you the full list of the members. They regularly host some highly

enjoyable tastings, of which the most recent was the evening before Millésime Bio, in the new Hôtel de Ville in Montpellier. Here are a few highlights from that tasting: 2010 Mas des Dames, Languedoc, la Dame. A blend of 50% Grenache Noir, 30% Carignan and 20% Syrah Lidewij van Wilgen’s vineyard is just outside Murviel-lès-Béziers and just outside the ppellation of St. Chinian and she makes lovely wine. This is rounded with elegance and warmth, and beautifully balanced. 9.00€ www.masdesdames.fr 2010 Mas Thélème, Pic St. Loup, Carpe Diem A blend of 50% Syrah, with Grenache and just 10% Cinsaut. The nose is quite solid, and not so forthcoming, but in contrast the palate is beautifully perfumed, ripe and spicy. 10.00€ www.mas-theleme.com 2010 Château Coupe-Roses, Côtes de Brian, Viognier Delicate nose, especially for a Viognier, and on the palate ripe and peachy, with a rounded finish and also a touch of elegance. 7.60€ www.coupe-roses.fr 2010 La Grange de Quatre Sous, Pays d’Oc, Chardonnay I am not usually that keen on Chardonnay from the Languedoc, but it is always good to have one’s prejudices upset which Hildegard Horat does with her Chardonnay. It is ripe and leesy, rounded and fruity, and remarkably Burgundian in style. She ages it in old oak barrels. Hildegard’s vineyards are outside Assignan, on the edge of the appellation of St. Chinian. 10.60€ 2011 Château la Dournie, Pays d’Oc Blanc Roussanne is the main grape variety and it is fermented and aged in 400 litre barrels, which gives some lovely texture and a certain mouth feel. Good balance of fruit and acidity. 9.50€ www.chateauladournie.com Rosemary George MW / February 2013 www.tastelanguedoc.blogspot.com

No flowery prose, just did you know......

April 2 - Hans Christian Andersen, Danish writer of fairy tales, born 1805. - Emile Zola, French novelist, born 1840. April 10 HERAULT TIMES ADVERT v2 23/5/12 15:16 Page 1 - Newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer born 1847.

April 11 - Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated the first time, 1814. April 12 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt died 1945. - Yuri Gagarin, Soviet astronaut, became first person to orbit the earth, 1961. April 15 - Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany, born 1889.

April 21 - Rome founded, 753 B.C. - Novelist Charlotte Bronte born 1816. - Hippolyte Taine, French historian and critic, born 1828. - Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, born 1926. April 25 - Oliver Cromwell, English general, born 1599. - Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of wireless telegraphy, born 1874.

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Business and Economy

Michael D’Artag

The truth about business in France. The working week, SARL and the working state.

he Dow is at an all time high, the banks are paying bonuses across the world (including Spain and Ireland. Why? How? Hello?) and Facebook think that by applying make-up to their visuals their share price will go up! And they are the smart ones? My point being that there is no such thing as a sure bet, a surefire business plan and I don’t believe in gift horses..... Running a business in France Ok, let’s start with the negative. Being a business person in France is not easy. This beautiful country is set up for fonctionnaires or as Francois Hollande puts it (and I may be paraphrasing here) “The people who work for the state or state owned or funded bodies that are strangling my personal ambition to be loved and holding back the economy of France”. But if the fact that France has been as accommodating to entrepeuneurs as Obama has been to leaving drones on the ground doesn’t put you off, then here goes.......and we’ll start with .... The working week Mitterrand had 39 hour weeks and in 2000, then Prime Minister Lionel Jospin’s government brought in the 35 hour week. 35 hours is the length of the working week in France and you cannot work more than 10 hours in a single day (unless your employees all agree). The idea was good; increase employment (the shorter week forcing employers to employ more people to do the same amount of work; and also to give more quality time for workers to be with their families.

Unfortunately, companies just expected more from the workforce in a shorter period of time and France has paid dearly. Breaks, night work, pregnancy and holidays are all geared for the individual and not the business.My point being, you must be prepared much more than you would be in your home country. The French are trying to encourage entrepeuneurs but so far it is a slow and laborious process. SARL (Société à Responsibilité Limitée). I start with the SARL because it is like a Limited company that many of you will know. In the UK these can be purchased ‘off the shelf’ from 50 to 100€, here it will cost around 2000€. What is a SARL? A French SARL is the French version of a limited liability company. Recommended for small and medium sized companies. Easy to set up requiring 2 people (no more than 100) and you don’t need to be French, you jus need capital in cash or kind starting from 1€. 20% of the initial capital must be paid before company registration in France. Company founders are liable for the total of their investment. The shares can be transferred between shareholders freely. Accounting Audits apply if sales are in excess of €3.1m, assets are above €1.55m or if you employ 50+. There you have the basics. Now, as anywhere in the world I seriously ask of you to take legal advice before embarking on a financial or business venture.

Tourism gives rise to hope holiday in their own country. European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, said: uropean Tourism is “With 75% of Europeans expected to continue planning to go on vacation growing in 2013. in 2013 the outlook The tourism sector is of the sector’s one of the few sectors contribution to the European Tourism expected that has continued to economy is very to continue growing in 2013 grow and create jobs, promising. This despite the crisis. is good news, as Seven out of ten to take the economic this important Europeans travelled in 2012 sector with its many small situation into account. (the same proportion as in Holiday plans for 2013 enterprises can send a strong 2011). And of EU holiday closely resembled the signal to other industry makers, as many as 88% destinations chosen in 2012: sectors that we can get out of spent their vacations Spain (12%), Italy (8%) and the economic crisis.” somewhere within the EU, France (7%) are still the either in their own country or most preferred destinations, in another Member State. and 51% plan to take a The industry’s robust and

resilient performance is expected to continue in 2013: three quarters of respondents to a recent EU survey (75%) are planning to go on holiday this year, although 34% will adapt their holiday plans

AVOIDING FRENCH TAXES

ow for those reading one of my articles for the first time, you might be forgiven for thinking that I am about to tell you how to do something illegal. In fact, this is not the case. Tax evasion is illegal, but tax avoidance is not. That being said, many tax authorities are now targeting so-called ‘tax avoidance schemes’. However, these tend to be complicated arrangements with layers of financial transactions, where one transaction negates the other, resulting in an end ‘on paper result’ that there are very little profits to tax. So to avoid any confusion, what I am writing about this month is how to avoid paying unnecessary French taxes on your investment income. I often find that people are surprised that they have to declare income and gains from financial assets that they have outside of France. However, this is because French residents are liable for French taxes on all their worldwide investment income and gains, even if the assets are held within structures that are tax-free in another country. Tax savings directly increase the net income to the household. Whilst tax should not be the overriding driver to the investment decisions that anyone makes, why pay unnecessary taxes when an alternative legitimate solution is available? To read more on how your investment income and gains are taxed in France and how to reduce your tax bills, please see the full article in The Business Pages section of The Herault Times website. If you would like more information about investing on a tax-efficient basis for France (whether for investing an amount of capital and/or saving on a regular basis), or any other aspect of retirement and inheritance planning, please contact me by telephone on +33 (0)4 68 20 30 17 or by e-mail at daphne.foulkes@ spectrum-ifa.com to discuss your situation in confidence. Daphne Foulkes

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

Read this article in full and previous articles online now at www.theheraulttimes/business

fter many delays work has started on the new high speed line around Nimes and Montpellier. It will start where the existing high speed line finishes at Manduel north east of Nimes and go to St Jean de Vedas where it will re-join the existing line south to Béziers.

Business / Legal / News

Banking

Gill Pound

In The Garden T

he end of February has brought a spell of cold and snowy weather to many of us. Overall it hasn’t been a bad winter but most areas have had a lot of rain; good news after several years of dry winters the water table is now back to more normal levels which should help our gardens come through the summer drought better. March really is a month in which we start to get warmer days and there are plenty of jobs to get on with in the garden. •start to remove winter protection from plants to start hardening them up, but remember to replace protection if frost is forecast •start to clean up the foliage on perennials, sub shrubs and deciduous grasses, cut back many plants to the base, sub shrubby sages such as the microphylla cultivars, perovskias, gauras etc will shoot up much more vigorously following a heavy cutting back •compost or an organic soil improver such as “Or Brun” can be put around the base of shrubs •aerate the soil of your flower beds and keep ahead of the weeding •think about planting trees, shrubs and climbing plants If you buy plants at this time of the year check to see if “ils ont été sorti d’une serre” i.e. brought out of a greenhouse. It is usual for a grower to protect young plants in a greenhouse over winter but they will need some hardening before planting. •prune roses •prune summer flowering shrubs which flower on the current season’s growth •if you have a lawn scarify it to remove moss and dried grass

March is a month in which there will be many bulbs in flower as well as perennials such as hellebores and a number of shrubs in flower. We tend to think of buddleias as summer flowering shrubs but there are a number of buddleias that flower much earlier in the year. Buddleia officinalis is evergreen or semi evergreen with grey green foliage and scented pale pink flowers from mid February until early April. Buddleia salvifolia is similar but with perfumed, creamy white flowers in March and April. Both will grow to two or three meters high but can be pruned back after flowering.

Above: buddleia salvifolia Below: buddleia officinalis

For further information contact Gill Pound at La Petite Pépinière de Caunes, 21, Avenue de la Montagne Noire, (route de Citou) 11160, Caunes-Minervois. Tel: 04 68 78 43 81, email Gill@lapetitepepiniere. com We re-open on the 2nd March and will then be open March to November 10h – 18h Fridays and Saturdays, 10h – 12h Sundays, or by appointment. www.lapetitepepiniere.com

Rêve D’Intérieur

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Visit Réve D’Intérieur 400m² of tiles, parquet, bathrooms and kitchens Professional service at affordable prices “English spoken, Free quotes.” Ask for Cedric 12

Rêve D’Intérieur 8 avenue Maréchal Foch 34800 Clermont L’Hérault (next door to Fou d’Anglais) 04 67 44 67 05 Monday to Saturday 9am- 7pm (Saturdays 6pm)

Good Be To Young

Listening to right now:

When I was your man - Bruno Mars Harlem Shake - Baauer On se connaît (feat. Ayna) - Youssoupha Movie(s) of the week Silver Linings Playbook

Young HT journalist ELLA KARAKAYA (9) visits HARIBO in Uzès

t all began when mum told me I was going to be able to write in a real newspaper. I thought: « Cool ! » but the only problem was I didn’t have a clue what to write about ! Then mum told me that we were going to visit the Haribo museum on my big sister’s birthday and so I decided to write about that. Did you know that HARIBO comes from the name of the person who invented the sweets and also from where he was

entrance gives you, and you can see sweets coming down like a huge rainmaker, then fall into little bags and then you get 4 of the packets! At the end, there is a shop with LOTS of ENORMOUS bags of sweets, but I was only allowed to get the little ones….

born: ‘HAnsRIegelfromBOnn’. I didn’t know the sweets were German! The first « bonbon » he invented was the « dancing bear » which then became known all over the world as the « golden bear ». Gummyyummy I also found out why my friend Laëla from school can’t eat some sweeties: it’s because some of them are made with pork stuff – yuk !- and because my friend is Muslim and Muslims don’t eat pork, she’s not allowed to

special 2 day Voice, Movement and Drama Workshop for children ages 6-16 A 2 day workshop run by The Cabaret Club for children in the creative arenas of singing, vocal expression, percussion, dance/drama, acting & creative writing and culminating in a final performance show piece. Designed to explore creative expression & artistic talent at the same time as having fun, building confidence & focusing on team work which are skills for life. Dance/Drama - Physical expression, movement, choreography & dance from around the world. Acting - Exploring all theatre genres from Panto to Shakespeare. Singing - Large & small ensemble singing,

I loved it – it was super mega génial!!!

eat them. I’d always wondered about that. In the museum, there is an area with games which I really loved: stuff to smell and touch to try and guess a hidden « bonbon », and there is also an area where they show machines and how the sweets are actually made. My favourite was the machine where you put a coin in which the lady at the

development of every child’s unique voice. Solo & choir. Percussion - Different percussion instruments & performance in a rhythmic ensemble. Creative Writing - Putting pen to paper with written self expression using a variety of exciting methods. Then watch our scripts come to life in performance on the stage. The Teachers Paola Bottomley is an experienced teacher and vocal coach, trained at Trinity and Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London, specializing in Voice and Jazz Music. Masters Degree at The Royal Academy of Music in London. Experienced in coaching children and adults of all ages, having worked specifically with primary and secondary school children with English Pocket Opera in London. Sarita Cameron has a degree in English Literature and Theatre studies and has studied at the Royal Academy of Dancing. 13

Museé du bonbon Haribo Pont Charrettes 30700 Uzès 04 66 22 74 39 www.museeharibo.fr

Experienced in coaching children ages 5-10 through their Lamda examinations (The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). She has also directed and worked in Theatre with Children with Special Needs in London. Venue: Marseillan Price: 40€ Wednesday 24th - Thursday 25th April To reserve a place for your child contact: Heather Baker on momofliberty@gmail.com

Next Month. The HT Art Competition All ages All Levels All Free

Marseille

European Capital of Culture in 2013 and it is so close....

Marseille Words: copyright David Crackanthorpe 2013

arseille is among the most mysterious cities in the world and one of the hardest to decode. Blaise Cendrars

ogether with Provence, Marseille became part of France in 1481 but the union, on the Marseille side, has never been wholehearted and the benefit, if any, never counted as much of a blessing. Between their shield of hills and the open frontier of the sea, the Marseillais have watched the mainland state and its centralising policies with a sceptical eye. “We are a separate republic,’’ declared the leading industrialist and député Jules Charles-Rouxin 1907, “neither national nor French.’’ Recognition of this feature of Marseille history is essential to any understanding of the city and empathy with its people. They are stamped for good with the mark of independence and their guard is seldom down. The Pagnolesque stereotype of the Marseillais as extrovert, loquacious and superficial is a smokescreen designed, in the words of the historian Richard Cobb who interpreted the city so well, to conceal the reality of this “very complex, very hard-working, and rather austere city.’’Any first-time visitor to a bar on the Vieux-Port will hear not stentorian volubility as in Pagnol’s caricature, but what has been called a talkative nonchalance, open and with the easy warmth that implies. So Marseille seems preserved by the extraordinary mix of its people as a contradiction and an enigma - one that not even so ardent a lover as the novelist Blaise Cendrars claimed to solve. “My God,’’ he wrote, “how difficult this town is,’’ adding that the people were insolently happy to be alive, but secretive and hard. Even the city’s beauty, scarred and sometimes disfigured from 2,600 years of careless use, seems enigmatic. It took a native-born writer of great talent to find the key: “Marseille is

beautiful in its humanity,’’ explained Jean-Claude Izzo, author of Total Khéops and other best-selling novels set in his home town, “in its familiarity like bread to be shared by all.’’ This beautiful image is the best antidote to all the clichés and unexamined assumptions that France’s most ancient city has for long suffered. In contrast to those, the writer Joseph Joffo described the reality of the town as he found it when he first came from Paris during the Second World War, “… a sense of joy, a quick, living air that took my breath away. Marseille that morning was for us a great laughing fête …’’ Marseille is certainly the most cosmopolitan of Mediterranean towns; with fourteen per cent of its population having immediate overseas origins and perhaps three quarters of Marsellais descended from immigrants - Italian, Greek, Armenian, Spanish, African among others ̶ it remains more open to the outside world than any other town in France, and despite a powerful and exclusive bourgeois caste notoriously turned in on itself, has preserved a freedom from

the stereotypical attitudes and values of the mainland and above all of the capital. This exceptionto the rule of the pensée unique, that trodden pathway of French thought, becomes the more evident to visitors the longer they stay and is one of the city’s most refreshing aspects: the young Gustave Flaubert wrote, “Marseille is now what Persia must have been in antiquity, Alexandria in the middle ages, a … babel of all the nations … you hear a hundred unknown languages.’’ The sound of languages unknown to northern ears in a babel-like crowd would across the ages feed suspicions of vice, crime, enviable sexual licence, and propensity to political corruption. All these are systematically ascribed to the Marseillais as part of their practice of life in a city whose magnificent surroundings and climate, and fascinating history of pleasure and rebellion since its foundation by Greek colonists from the isle of Phocaea combine to make it the object of metropolitan envy. By Parisians, Marseille has long been seen as an enticing forbidden city a few hours away on the train.

But it is true that licentiousness, in a port where prostitution, delinquency and drug dealing have always flourished, is permanent although much less than it was when the harbours were crammed with the world’s shipping. Now the cruise ships, container vessels of idleness, bring with them an international blandness which on the whole keeps passengers and crew on board and not roaming the narrow streets of Le Panier, formerly the centre of a world of brothels where all languages were one. Until 1660 when its walls were demolished by order of Louis XIV the Panier, with tortuous streets and stairways and dark crowded houses was all of Marseille; for

ways been careless of its inheritance, building without regret on the demolished remains of what stood before, regardless of historic value. Visitors must search for what is left, the magnificent baroque workhouse called the Vieille Charité high up in the Panier, the Château Borély, the Opéra, the Cours Pierre Puget, the abbey of Saint-Victor above the vibrant Vieux-Port and

twelve hundred years the population of all classes lived packed side by side at night and in the daytime found open air on the sea or in the fields and woods of their hinterland hemmed in by tall hills. Only recurrent plagues reduced the overcrowding and until the Nazis blew up the streets nearest the Vieux-Port in 1943 the city continued its seemingly immutable existence as amaze of alleyways down to the water’s edge. But after 1660 a new and elegant town was laid out to the east of the Panier and this first extension has ever since grown and spread in every landward direction until much of the territory of the commune with its scattered villages has been eaten up. Within all this development are many fine streets and handsome public buildings but Marseille has al-

much else half-hidden in the random spread of a mercantile city valuing the advantage of the geographical site above its historic heritage. However, the spectacular outlying parts of the commune (by far the largest in France) are prized and preserved. The unique beauty of the calanques, deep fjords mostly approachable only on foot, bathed in a liquid maritime light and clothed in Mediterranean

Marseille by David Crackanthorpe is published by Signal Books of Oxford.

By train:

Marseille is the European Capital of Culture in 2013 and it is so close....visit this remarkable city. Getting There: By car: From Béziers – 2hrs 20mins (233 km) From Montpellier – 1hr 44 mins (169 km)

WIN

vegetation including many rareties is part of Marseille’s secret life, not much known to visitors from outside. Perhaps the best approach to this joyful world, largely unchanged since the Phocaeancolonists first discovered an idyllic land, is by paths leading over the hill from the university campus at Luminy. And to experience something of the impression these adventurers perceived as they approached in their fifty-oared ships, it is enough to take the navette to the arid, rocky and roadless islands strung across the bay. From there, and especially on the return journey, all Marseille and its amphitheatre can be seen laid out mountains, towers, docks, masts, and overlooking all to dominate the sea reaches, the iconic basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. You may come back to the ceaseless activity of the Vieux-Port with the sense, if only for a moment, of having possessed Marseille almost entire.

There are regular trains running from both Béziers and Montpellier train stations. Journey time varies from 2hrs to 2hrs 45mins. Ticket prices start from 17€. For more information and reservations go to: www.voyage-sncf.com

We have a signed copy of this wonderful book to give to a lucky HT reader. To enter please see the question on page 24

Marseille by David Crackanthorpe

avid Crackanthorpe explores the striking architecture of Marseille’s monuments, the remains of Greek and Roman docks and wall, the islands of the gulf and the magnificent coast, the city’s distinctive language, food and popular culture. With all the disfigurements it has suffered, Marseille remains

one of the world’s most unique cities and its site among the most splendid. (ISBN: 9781908493118, InnerCities Guides £9.99 paperback) David Crackanthorpe is author of several novels. He lived until recently in the South of France.

Lance Armstrong

Text: Millard Baker

and Le Tour de Dopage

“Leave me in peace; everybody takes dope.” Jacques Anquetil, five-time Tour de France champion (1965) Doping in the Tour de France is nothing new for the French.

ance Armstrong finally admitted using banned performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. The confession came only after the American cyclist was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and suspended for life by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). While many Americans were surprised by the revelations, the news largely confirmed long-standing speculation in the French media that Armstrong cheated.

he expressed his shock at Armstrong’s domination amidst the 1999 Tour in his column for Le Parisien. Armstrong verbally confronted “Monsieur Propre” during the race in full display of television cameras. It was the first of many vehement doping denials made by Armstrong. The skepticism of Armstrong was apparent in virtually every French newspaper. The sports daily L’Equipe pejoratively referred to Armstrong as

“No generation was exempt or ‘clean’. Not Merckx’s, not Hinault’s, not LeMond’s, not Coppi’s, not Gimondi’s, not Indurain’s, not Anquetil’s, not Bartali’s, and not mine.” Lance Armstrong, deposed seven-time Tour de France champion (2013) Doping in cycling is an old story in France. The Tour de France will celebrate the 100th edition later this year. Doping predated the very first Tour in 1903. It was widely accepted until the 1960s when the first anti-doping rules were instituted. Doping has remained a constant in cycling. The only change has been the effectiveness of the drugs, the rules against them and the efforts made to conceal their use. The year before Armstrong won his first Tour, the extent of doping in the peloton was spectacularly exposed during what became known as the Festina Affair. French gendarmes raided team hotels, detained numerous cyclists and arrested team personnel. The entire Festina cycling team was dismissed from the 1998 Tour. A police investigation revealed that practically everyone on the team was doping. The only Festina rider who wasn’t arrested was Christopher Bassons. He became known as “Monsieur Propre” for his anti-doping stance. In the aftermath of the Festina Affair, it became acceptable to say in public what the French had known for a long time – longdistance cycling was practically synonymous with doping. The year following the Festina scandal was intended to be the rebirth of the world’s greatest cycling race. Armstrong’s performance during his first Tour victory looked anything but “clean” - at least to the French. The French cyclist Bassons summed up the sentiment of the French public when

“l’extra-terrestre” implying that his otherworldly performance was due to doping. The daily newspaper LeMonde was the first to reveal that Armstrong had failed and covered up a drug test for cortisone in 1999. “L.A. Confidentiel: les Secrets de Lance Armstrong”, one of the earliest books to chronicle Armstrong’s doping,

Contador

was co-authored by French journalist Pierre Ballester and Irish journalist David Walsh in 2004. It was published in French but not English. The allegations that appeared in L’Equipe, LeMonde and L.A. Confidentiel didn’t reach most Americans until years later with the 2012 USADA report. Instead of investigating accusations, the English-language media blindly perpetuated the mythology of Lance Armstrong the cancer survivor, a hero. Armstrong’s U.S. public relations team aided by effectively suppressed international doping stories. His legal team used tactics, such as England’s stifling libel laws, to keep his critics quiet. Who wanted to bring down a hero? The downfall of Armstrong has shocked and angered the American public - a myth shattered. In contrast, cycling has long been a part of French popular culture. And doping is what cyclists do. The fact that Armstrong doped is no surprise to the French. Their knowledge, pragmatism and acceptance of drug use in cycling have prepared them for this reality. ‘C’est le métier’ as the French would say with a shrug of the shoulders.

‘It is the job.’

Rasmussen

Armstrong 16

How do I build ecologically?

ou dream of an eco-house constructed of wood? CAUE (Conseil d’architecture, d’urbanisme de ’environnment) will help make your project happen…

Lifestyle

Architects and architectural/building contracts Ordre des architectes du Languedoc Roussillon Les Echelles de la ville Place Paul Bec 34000 Montpellier Tél. 04 67 22 47 13 www.ordrearchi.com

CAUE provides reliable information, guidance and advice free of charge in order to ensure high quality eco-constructions that are in harmony with the environment, urban or rural. To build an eco-responsible house isn’t always as simple as it seems – origins, suitability and long term preservation of the wood have to be considered for example. In short, you have to know how before beginning construction. The heart of CAUE’s mission is to offer everyone professional, independent advice in order to help people avoid making what can sometimes be costly mistakes. At each stage of the build, there is an expert at hand to advise on the implications of every choice made.

Advice and financial help linked to environmental protection Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie (ADEME) 119 av Jacques Cartier 34000 MONTPELLIER 04 67 99 89 79 www.ademe.fr Information on the protection of the environment Centre d’Information et de Documentation sur le Bruit (CIDB) 12, rue Jules Bourdais 75017 Paris Tél. 01 47 64 64 64 www.infobruit.org

Practical info

Consultation with a professional from CAUE is free. Meetings can be arranged by appointment and take place in Montpellier and Saint-André-de-Sangonis at the Maison des Entreprises (tel: 04 67 57 01 01). Individuals, agriculture specialists or artisans can be consulted on all building projects, renovations or land

World Health Day, April 7. The theme for World Health

Day in 2013 is hypertension, also known as high or raised blood pressure. Hypertension increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. Uncontrolled hypertension can also cause blindness, irregularities of the heartbeat and heart failure. In the last few years there has been a 22% increase in raised blood pressure in France, 26% in Germany and 23% in the UK.

development. Numerous examples of architecture using wood can be found on the CAUE website under “Aperçu expo bois”. Consult CAUE as early as possible with your plans and documents about the project (photos of the land, cadastre, etc.) Address : CAUE de l’Hérault, 19 rue St-Louis, 34000 Montpellier Contact: Tel :0499133700 or email :caueherault@caue34.fr www.herault-caue-lr.org

Useful contacts:

Building permits (questions, rules, procedures,forms) Direction Départementale de l’Equipement (DDE) 520, allée Henri II-de-Montmorency 34064 Montpellier Cedex 02 04 67 20 50 00 www.herault.equipement.gouv.fr Improvement grants for private dwellings ANAH Agence Nationale pour l’Amélioration de l’Habitat 520, allée Henri II-de-Montmorency 34064 Montpellier Cedex 02

04 67 20 52 61 www.anah.fr Housing advice, legal, financial and tax Association Départementale d’Information sur le Logement (ADIL) 4 bis rue Rondelet 34000 Montpellier Tél. 04 67 555 555 Mail : adil34@adil.org www.anil.org 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 Friday 15th March to 13th April Montpellier - Exhibition

Elisa Cossonnet presents her new show ‘Tete à Tete”. Vernissage Friday 15th March, from 18h. Galerie de l’Ancien Courrier 3, rue de l’Ancien Courrier 34000 Montpellier 04.67.60.71.88 www.galerieanciencourrier.com ** Thursday 21st March Pézenas -‘Ildebrando Biribo ou un soufflé à l’ame’ by Emmanuel Vacca 20h30 “A hymn to happiness and to theatre. He tells stories, mimes, spins, dances, plays and interacts with the audience…. “ THEATRE DE PEZENAS 7bis rue Henri Reboul Info and reservations 04 67 32 59 23 – 06 07 31 18 26 ** Friday 22nd March Saint-Jean-de-Védas - Classical music Concert of the Montpellier Conservatoire’s trumpet quintet ‘Trombamania’ 19h FREE Chai du Terral, Château du Terral Saint-Jean-de-Védas ** Saturday 23rd March Quarante - Prestigious Charity event at Chateau Les Carrasses (organised the club Kiwanis Béziers-Riquet) The evening, with musical entertainment by the celebrated Jazz manouche group “Los Buenas Sombras” is a wonderful opportunity to experience a culinary tour around the region with special dishes created by our chef. Monies raised will be donated to Enfance en difficulté du Bitterois (tax receipts will be issued for all donations). Charity dinner: 60€ (including wine and coffee) Places are limited, so reservation is recommended on 06 30 11 67 78 (contact Olav Solberg). Kiwanis France Monaco : www.kiwannis.fr Château Les Carrasses : www.lescarrasses.fr

Château Les Carrasses, Lieu-dit Les Carrasses, Route de Capestang, (D37) 34310 Quarante France. Tel: 04 67 00 00 67 ** Sunday 24th March Mons-La-Trivalle - Carnival: costume parade, food, drink, face painting… 15h Salle Polyvalente 34390, Mons-La-Trivalle tel: 04 67 97 76 55 ** Thursday 28th & Friday 29th March Bayssan - Theatre ‘Quartier Lointain’ (D’après Jirô Taniguchi Mise en scène Dorian Rossel Avec Rodolphe Dekowski, MathieuDelmonté, Xavier Fernandez-Cavada, Karim Kadjar, Delphine Lanza, Elodie Weber, Patricia Bosshard, Anne Gillot, Production Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne) Théâtre sortieOuest Domaine de Bayssan le Haut, 34500 Béziers 04.67.28.37.32 or www.sortieouest.fr **

company of a young, sensitive woman…” Théatre Historique, Pézenas Information and reservations : 04 67 32 59 23 ** Tuesday 2nd April to 24th April Clermont l’Hérault As part of the ‘Biennial of Engraving and the Artist’s Book’ (organised by P.A.R.C.): “Impressions Graphiques” – exhibition of engravings by Joan Beall Vernissage: Saturday 6th April, 11h Workshops and demos on engraving 23rd and 24th April, 14h30 Bibliothèque Max Rouquette, Clermont l’Hérault clermont. bibliotheque@wanadoo.fr or tel. 0467964253 ** Friday 5th April to 27th April Le Caylar As part of the ‘Biennial of engraving and the Artist’s Book’ (organised by P.A.R.C.): Exhibition of the Engravings of Jutta Fricke Friday 5th April – meeting with the artist, 18h Médiathèque, Le Caylar mediacaylar@gmail.com or tel. 0467962042 ** Friday 12th April to 27th April Fontès As part of the ‘Biennial of engraving and the Artist’s Book’ (organised by P.A.R.C.): Painter-engraver Ian Hopton (www. ianhopton.com) Vernissage: Friday 12th April, 18h30, followed by a theatrical reading by Patrick Hannais from Noa Noa – Notebook of Gaugin’s voyage” Médiathèque, Fontès mediathequefontes@orange.fr Tel. 0467896781 ** Monday 22 April to Friday 26th April VIAS-PLAGE CIRCUS WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN La Cie Balthazar will be running circus workshops for children in front of the Office de Tourisme, Vias Plage for one week during the April holidays:: juggling, monocycling, balancing ball, rolla bolla, trapeze, etc. The circus art discovery sessions will take place as follows: the mornings are dedicated to children between the ages of 3 -6yrs. Balance, juggling, acrobatics, improvisation and rope work will take place between 14h -17h for older children. There will be a performance on the Friday on stage. Four circus artists, all qualified teaching

Saturday 30th March Béziers - Theatre One Man Show: Arnaud Tsamere 20h30 Béziers - Salle Zinga Zanga Traverse de Colombiers – Montfloure, 34500 Béziers Tél : 04 67 36 44 45 zingazanga@ville-beziers.fr ** Thursday 11th April Pézenas Amore – Stéphanie Marc 20h30 “An invitation to be gently lulled by lyrics which awaken the mechanics of the heart. A musical journey in the

specialists, from the Balthazar team will run the workshops. Office de Tourisme Vias Méditerranée Avenue de la Méditerranée 34450 VIAS-PLAGE Telephone: 04 67 21 76 25 www.ot-vias.com ** To celebrate international Women’s Day Friday 8th to 29th March Montpellier - Photographic exhibition “Insoumises, combats de femmes aujourd’hui” – The 12 photographic panels put the spotlight on the lives, struggles and achievments of 12 “independent spirited women”. Place XXe siècle, Odysseum FREE performances in all the Montpellier Agglo médiathèques throughout March in celebration of International Women’s Day: ** Thursday 21st March Villeneuve-les-Maguelone “Iles et Elles de Méditerranée » with P. Rouquette 19h Reservation required: 04 67 69 97 17 Médiathèque George Sand Villeneuve-les-Maguelone www.montpellier-agglo.com/mediatheques **

Saturday 23rd March Mosson - Screening of Algerian film « Nahla » and meeting with the director, 15h30 Médiathèque Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Montpellier – quartier Mosson) www.montpellier-agglo.com/mediatheques ** Saturday 6th April Près d’Arènes - “Femmes en Voyages” performed by the company “Les Fourmis rousses” – extracts from women explorers and voyagers (Rebecca Solnit, Karen Blixen, Laurence de la Ferrière, Ellen MacArthur…) 17h Médiathèque Federico Garcia Lorca Montpellier – quartier Près d’Arènes) www.montpellier-agglo.com/mediatheques

What’s in a name....

Sue Hicks continues her look into the history of Street names

journalist from the Manchester Guardian wrote that he was dining at the Cafe du Croissant in Paris on 31st July 1914 when Jean Jaures arrived. The two men had a brief conversation about the prospects of war and peace. At about half past nine, two pistol shots suddenly resounded in the restaurant. Mr Jaures, who was sitting with his back to the open window, had fallen sideways and died without regaining consciousness. The murderer was handed over to the police who had to protect him from the crowd. The government called for calm. And what a scoop for the journalist. Jean Leon Jaures was born in 1859 into a modest family who had a small farm near Castres in the Tarn. An intellectually gifted student, he obtained scholarships which lead him to the prestigious lycée Louis-Grand in Paris where he topped even Henri Bergson at the final examinations. While a student, he would go to hear Ferry and Gambetta debate at the Chamber. Jaures first posts were in teaching philosophy in Albi and Toulouse but his further studies lead him to read Hegel and Marx and inspired by these new ideas, he began to pursue his political career first locally and then nationally. Described as a sloppy dresser who scoffed his food, Jaures was warm, kind and affectionate, and a spellbinding speaker. He became socialist deputy for Carmaux, a town of glassmakers and miners where he became concerned about working conditions and supported the workers in strike action. Jean Jaures was a supporter of the army captain Dreyfus who had been falsely convicted of spying for Germany and this may have cost him his seat for a while but he spent his time writing philosophical and historical works until he was re-elected. In 1904, he was a founder member and editor of the left-wing newspaper L’Humanité. For many years, French socialism had been torn by different factions and strong personalities from those who sought revolutionary change to those who preferred parliamentary means. Jean Jaures worked tirelessly to find a common path and there was the added impetus of an instruction of the Second International that French Socialists should speak with one voice. In 1905 the French Socialist Party, the French section of the International Workers Party, (FSIO) was formed under Jaures leadership. At the Arenes in Béziers, an assembly of 15,000 celebrated the formation of the party and Jaures spent a joyful 1st May at one of the first wine co-operatives at Maraussan. By 1914, FSIO was the second largest single group in parliament. French Socialists were not alone in fiercely debating how best to respond to German militarism. Some wanted to revenge the loss of

Alsace-Lorraine at the end of the Franco-Prussian war, some sought to extend international agreements and others, including Jaures, suggested reaching across nationalistic boundaries and linking together with German workers in a general strike to oppose war. Jaures was a leading opponent of the proposals to extend conscription for two to three years and was denounced in the strongest terms as a traitor in debate and in newspapers. Jaures’s earnest pacificism earned him widespread criticism including an article in Paris-Midi which stated, “Any general on the eve of war who orders four men and a corporal to put Jaures against a wall and shoot him will surely have done no more than his

elementary duty” Raoul Villain was the assassin and was incarcerated during the war but acquitted by the jury at his trial in 1919. L’Humanité blazed, “Workers! A monstrous verdict brings in that assassinating Jaures is not a crime.” Jean Jaures was buried the morning after Germany declared war on France. His ashes were transferred to the Pantheon in November 1924 and when Francis Mitterand became President, he laid a red rose on the tomb. The name of Jean Jaures is celebrated throughout the country in 2406 street names. The 54 year old Jean Jaures was described by the Guardian as having “died a victim to the cause of peace and humanity”.

Earl Grey The Podcast Available now at www.theheraulttimes.com - 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 19

British Modernist painter,

PIP BENVENISTE 1921-2010

From post-war landscapes to 21st Century rug designs Text by Louis Duluth

ip Benveniste was born in 1921 into the artists’ colony of Newlyn in Cornwall, a centre of British Modernism. Her mother, Kay Earle, was a painter of the Newlyn School and her father, Alec Walker became a painter after he married Kay and settled in Newlyn in the early 1900s. Together, Pip’s parents established Cryséde, a successful and innovative company producing high quality, wood block, hand printed designs on silk for fine clothing in the 1920s and 1930s. Alec Walker was the sole designer with the business side run by Tom Heron (father of the artist Patrick Heron). Cryséde had 28 retail shops across England and Scotland in its heyday and its products are now museum pieces, with some in the Victoria & Albert in London. Throughout her 60 years’ work, the natural world was a constant companion for Pip Benveniste. It became the key source of inspiration for a wide-ranging creative output in oil, acrylic, watercolour, etching, black and white photography, 16mm art films and rug designs. As a child in the 1920s, this elder daughter of bohemian parents was allowed to roam freely across the Cornish landscape, absorbing shapes, colours and themes, which would remain part of her artistic sensibility as she

moved between figurative and abstract art. Shortly before her death she wrote, ‘It is the creative energy of the doing that has the value; the finished object is the manifestation of this energy and that is how it acquires a value.’ Benveniste’s art has been favourably compared to the early work of Paul Klee who wrote ‘The Thinking Eye’ in 1956. She was both entranced by and respectful of the surrounding natural environment. Her paintings were influenced by the landscapes in which she lived - the mountains behind Menton in Alpes-Maritimes in the 1940s, Kentish farmlands, Tunisian desert towns, craggy English coastlines with granite rock formations, Dorset landscapes, and the special quality of the Cornish light. Brought up among a range of artists, writers, actors, designers, pacifists and conscientious objectors, Benveniste had very little formal education. Radical is a good way to describe my mother’sBenveniste’s ideas about art, colour, society, education, relationships and work, and it’s a good description of the eclectic range of mediums she employed to deliver her art. Rozemin Keshvani, a London based curator, writer and researcher, says: ‘Benveniste’s involvements and collaborations with contemporaries place her among an elite group of avant-garde and often radical British artists searching for new ways of responding to the geopolitical anxieties experienced by the cold-war generation.’ Professor Andrew Dewdney, at London’s South Bank University wrote last year: ‘Pip Benvensite needs to be part of the story of 20th Century British art. When we think of Modernist Britain, we think a long list of men such as Lucien Freud, Richard Hamilton, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Victor Pasmore or John Piper. Benveniste was all the more singular within her generation in committing herself to being a full time artist. The price that all artists pay for their singular purpose is, I suspect, visited more painfully upon women artists.’ In the late 60s Benveniste added to her working apparatus to make 16mm films, both for herself and for other artists, producing groundbreaking results, quite avant-garde at the time. In 2004, her then 40 year old film ‘Eventual’, which included the work of artist John Latham, was honoured in Tate Britain’s exhibition ‘Art and the 60s: This Was Tomorrow’ as well as on BBC4 television. In making ‘Poet’ (1966) she filmed ten of the 20

most avant garde poets of the day, though ironically they were all male. Not before time, her legacy of art films, now restored and digitised are currently being re-assessed by Tate Modern and the British Film Institute in London. Benveniste’s long-standing affection for the east – particularly Tibet, as well as the ancient philosophies of India and China - steadily deepened over the years. Living largely alone in Norfolk in the 1970s, she was able to widen the use she had previously made of the ‘I Ching Book of Changes’ to a meditation/study of the whole book as well as reading extensively. She declared her own ‘joyous release from the seriousness of being a modern painter’. Now she was seeing how to play with line and colour, and listen to her intuitions more closely. Paintings at this time were about isolated moments of meditation; staring at reflections on a canal, a change of season, the wind across a Yorkshire landscape, or the power of a storm ... colour, always colour. She saw each painting as an experiment, minor or major, but necessary, investigating which colours ‘float’ convincingly, or which ‘move and breathe’. Many of her paintings still create a feeling of distance

in time and space, as well as looking more locally through different aspects of nature, trees, fields and so on. In an entrancing series titled ‘Near and Far’, the viewer might not know if he or she was looking through a copse or around it into the valley beyond. The ground was being laid out for the later explosion of colour and abstract design found in her beautiful rug compositions. She moved to her final home and studio in West Dorset in 1996 and alongside an extensive portfolio of watercolours on handmade paper, she began the rug designs. Together with her son Mark Vaughan she set up Land Rugs 15 years ago, originally using weavers on handlooms in India, but now using traditional weavers in Katmandhu, Nepal, where they use longer-lasting Tibetan yarns from the Himalayas, a region of the world that resonates more deeply with Benveniste’s spiritual ancestry. Land Rugs is the sole trader promoting Benveniste’s beautiful designs.

Mark Vaughan says: It has been a rewarding journey for me to make such good use of the large art legacy left to me by my mother. I know the rug designs so well but to unroll a newly woven piece from Nepal and see my mother’s ideas unfolding on the floor is very moving. You can smell them, touch them, run your fingers through the pile – they’ve been transformed into something with a life and energy of its own, whether the rug is on the floor or hung on the wall like a tapestry. The deeper I delve into the collection and her journals the more I discover about my late mother, about her art and her writings. And it becomes clear that she was an artist ahead of her time. Pip exhibited and sold widely over the years. My vision is to bring her work back into the public domain with further exhibitions and sales of Waterfall The rug 213 x 152cm Waterfall original artwork her art and artist-designed, hand-woven rugs.’ Images: Top to bottom previous page: Land Rugs clearly has good prospects for a creative future that will hopefully ensure the sharing of an important British Modernist artist with a wider audience. *

Pip Benveniste 1985 Image: Tony Ward Mexico II Fishing Boats This page right: Meridian Background Image: Strike Six Original artwork

www.l-artiste.com

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

The Modest Furniture of Alain Fornells

oet and cabinetmaker, Alain Fornells welcomes the visitor for a ‘modest furniture tale’, a kind of unexpected tour to the museum of reality and dreams, useful and useless, a place where furniture has its own story to tell, in a colorful and squeaky way. Alain Fornells began his creative journey and passion for constructing over 10 years ago, by collecting and salvaging old wooden merchandise crates and turning them into an assemblage of boards, often printed with topographical signs: “words, like drawings and signs, existed here like a rare persistence. Words suggest orientations. They can become the names for pieces of furniture or as on a boat: Avoid heat and humidity, Fragile. (…) Many long hours of searching, browsing for these materials; hours of waiting during which chance and associations of ideas take place and open a new space for expression.” The beginning for a new piece becomes an individual story, whilst the original wording gives Alain a spurt of creative inspiration for the design as well as inspiration for the tale to emerge. A nurse by profession, Alain Fornells describes his passion as a painter’s dream. For him, every item of furniture is similar to a ‘bookshop’, a kind of living and sensitive object which refers to order and method.

The Modest Furniture is a universe of fantasy which mixes childhood memories with deep reflection on sometimes dramatic events of the past: Le KoursK (Russian submarine), La Loba, (from La Ramasseuse, a South American tale by Clarrissa Pinkola Estés), L’Impraticable (doors which open inward and take up the entire interior space), La Livreuse de Chocolat (an allusion to Marcel Duchamp and his Broyeuse de Chocolat. As well as a space conceived to create surprises full of sounds, movements and inventiveness. For Alain Fornells this is about working on a kind of memory lane; bringing a souvenir back and freeing the past; time is reversed, history is today. By narrating his furniture’s lives, something unsaid is being heard and a real depth of emotion unveiled. Indeed, Alain Fornells has invented a ‘new corporation’: that of the ‘talkative furniture makers’. These once wooden boards assembled as crates to carry products have become vehicles: cars, boats, submarines, or cupboards, marquetry and idiosyncratic elements. The original look of the wood has been carefully kept, as well as the touches of colours, sometimes red or blue is added to the piece, but only occasionally. Other elements are part of the story, old petrol or oil cans, parts of metal bended or welded, and of course hinges and nails. One day, a lot of forgotten marbles rolled down from the top of a chest, the sound they made was like the clapping of thunder. Our artist recalls his father deconstructing objects on top of a buffet. Tales were born in draws as we soon discover as we listen to him: “I make so many pieces of furniture that I forget them. Then, later I come back thinking about something else, then I find them again and I am surprised. At night time I am sometimes under the impression that someone sneaks in and places them around to help me, he gives them to me. This one? Open it! (the doors open inwards). This furniture is almost useless, but it is useless for it to be practical! It is impracticable like an abandoned path passing the borders: Mancha, 22

Dominique Aclange

Catalonia, Occitanie. It keeps your flints, your spear and your paddle here in a hidden place.” Alain welcomes families or small groups (maximum 8 per visit), and by appointment only. He tells his tales in French in a clear loud voice, so even if you aren’t completely fluent you can easily follow each theme and story, but in any case don’t worry; his Modest furniture is louder than he is! A beautiful and unique, poetic detour to the center of Bassan that is absolutely worth making. Meubles Modestes, Alain Fornells 2, rue des Remparts, 34290 Bassan (center of the village next to the bar-tabac) Tel : 04 67 36 11 91 Group of minimum 3 people : 3 € each, from 4 onwards : €2,50 each / children 2 €

Artist Lucy Raverat Interview by Sophie Reynolds

always made art. It was a normal thing to do in my family. I found out when I was quite young that this was a place where I could be at ease. The first paintings I remember were by Rousseau and Picasso. I was about 8. They kind of gave me permission to do what I wanted. I remember deciding that I was going to follow this impulse to paint and that I would dedicate all the time, materials and space that it needed. Later it became my refuge from the demands of family life and grew from there into a way of being in the world and being a ‘proper’ person with a ‘career’. The process continues as I go deeper into

exploring what pleases me. That this somehow pleases others as well, tant mieux! I think painting has always been an essential part of my way of understanding about what is going on and what am I doing here. I feel really lucky to have discovered this so young. It’s a way of going into the unknown, unarmed and naked, with no idea where to put my foot; I can’t even see the ground. Yet somehow, as I take that step forward, magically the ground appears and

in that way I advance. It’s like I have no idea what I’m looking for, but I know when I find it. Before I begin a painting there is a void I find myself in that is totally scary. It’s the beginning that’s the most difficult. I kind of create accidents to start with and hope for the best until the painting begins to direct itself, then I just follow… Sometimes a painting practically does itself and sometimes I have to really work at it… doing, undoing and destruction process we discover we don’t doing again. As long as I’m clear about the need all the layers of our constructed selves. vibration it produces I don’t mind. In fact this This is linked to the art of Zen brush process has become quite an essential part of painting, where just one stroke communicates the end product as I often destroy a work and the whole. It takes years to get there, but that start again with more layers, and then destroy is what all the years of work are about – the again. It’s really about remaining true to this getting to the place where your personality no invisible something. I use paint stripper, sand longer dictates what you do. Art, for me, is paper... and I play with them a lot. making visible the invisible. I hope that the What I like about this process of destruction more I’m able to find that place for myself the is that it de-personalises the work. Just as age more it will enis a great leveler “For Lucy Raverat the pursuit of painting able others to go - everyone is there for them– an activity she has always seen as equal before age selves, which is instinctive, natural, as essential as - so all paintings why I want to ‘walking the dog’ – is still anchored in are equal once paint abstract the rhythms and rituals of her everyday destroyed, so now. Maybe it life in Southern France.” what comes is because with through from the Francis Kyle gallery, London age one is less remainder has a concerned with certain distilled outer visible forms as the inner, invisible quality and purity which is its essence, world becomes more and more beguiling. It’s because all that had been constructed around important for me to keep it as light as I can. it has been destroyed. We spend so long constructing ourselves and our characters, until www.lucyraverat.com we think, “God! I can’t get rid of this!” But if ‘Night River’ 200 x 200 cms (above) we go through this ‘Standing Alone’ 130 x 162 cms (left)

‘Revisited’

Once the workshop of respected French painter Henri Delanne, the new gallery and art space Inspiré in Azille presents the work of Libby Page in her new show ‘revisited’. This word is the flavour of the moment in the cooking world. With our next exhibition we take a new look at the Canal du Midi. Libby Page uses this well known subject as a starting point for her vibrant paintings. “The architecture of the canal enthralls me. The gentle curves, hewn by man with respect to nature, the majestic plane trees arching over us cathedral-like, the light dappled through 23

leaves. I want to present the experience of the canal. Glide, relax, be in awe.” Hovering between what can be seen with the eye and what is experienced, Page creates works which hang between realism and abstraction. She asks us to look again, to experience the canal as never before. At this historic moment in the life of the canal we hope you can come and experience this exhibition, revisited. Exhibtition on Until the 20th April More information see www.inspireazille.com

English for Expat Children An indispensable guide Laura Smith

ith many years in education, both abroad and in the UK, Laura Smith has a BA (Hons) in English and a background which includes nannying, running ‘arts’ groups for children, supporting early readers, teaching English as a foreign language in Spanish and Italian schools and examining children for the Cambridge Examining Board.

elcome to ‘English for Expat Children’ with the Herault Times! I hope this regular feature can become an indispensable resource for those of you living in France with school aged children. The project itself began as a response to issues facing parents with children in French schools and extends to multi-lingual families everywhere. Since living outside the UK, I have found that many parents are worried when it comes to the English skills of children living in a non-English speaking country. Whilst spoken English is something that is largely taken care of by an English speaking parent or carer, reading and writing can become intimidating obstacles: Obstacles which may seem larger when contrasted with your child’s advances in French. Bi/Multi-lingual children will inevitably develop different languages at different rates and that is nothing to worry about. We will consider multi-lingual issues to varying degrees in future contributions, but my priority is to bring you practical solutions and ideas for you to adapt to your own approaches and interests. Whilst this month’s slot will act as more of an introduction to who I am and how I function, the upcoming articles will focus more specifically on materials, resources and their uses. Pleasure is an aid to learning! It will hold your child’s attention and make their developing skills a happy by-product. The relaxation resulting from

enjoyment will make learning a great deal easier and relevant to the child’s needs as you’re more likely to be in the frame of mind to follow their lead. In order to create this dynamic we need to relax. Adults with an inflexible agenda may struggle as children frustrate their expectations. Try to keep the mood light and child-focused and

don’t pressure yourself as to your teaching role. Pressure will muddle the comfort levels and make all concerned anxious about making mistakes. Mistakes are a very positive, fundamental part of the learning process and they require a great deal of confidence to risk making them. When your children are making mistakes praise their attempts; children are extraordinarily attuned to what they believe their adults want. It might sound silly, but try not to say “no” to their attempts at a right answer; cocking a head or making a ‘thinking’ gesture or face gives them the cue to keep trying without leaving them feeling crestfallen. Reading is a very positive way to form early relationships with words and build vocabulary. It’s great if you can make time to read regularly with your child. Giving children easy and independent access to books allows them to derive their own pleasure from stories. Bedtime stories are excellent for winding down, but don’t underestimate the power of the book as an activity in itself. Books can spark lively debates and build your child’s empathy and discussion skills. Children will pick up a lot about reading just by watching you read. I hope this has whetted your appetite; I’m already looking forward to writing the next installment! My aim is to create a forum for support with home-schooling whilst abroad, to help build the confidence needed to take teaching matters into your own hands and help you navigate the natural development of language. Since you already have a key role in the education of your child, a few new ideas and some reassurance can enable you to kick-start a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding process or maintain an already thriving one. I’m hoping for lots of feedback to help develop momentum towards a self-supporting group. I’ll also be able to address specific issues and offer case-relevant material for you to work with, so please do contact me with any queries or questions. englishforexpatchildren@gmail.com Blog: www.englishforexpatchildren.wordpress.com/ Facebook ‘English for Expat Children’ www.englishforexpatchildren.webs.com Get involved and contribute in any way that pleases you! 24

Prize Column Issue 10

WIN

We have 10 pairs of tickets to

Quartier Lointain on the 29th March at sortieOuest Beziers q: What colour shoes was the previous Pope known for? *** Win a signed copy of

‘Marseille’ by David Crackanthorpe

WIN

q: In what year did Marseille become a part of France? ***

Win a Haribo Sweet Collection We have 5 Haribo collections to give away. Send us an email with your name and we’ll draw the winners. All entries to: competition@theheraulttimes.com

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www.pezenas-immobilier.com agenceguy@wanadoo.fr tel 0467983777 mob 0622343056 “Quality Assured”

Talk Tech and IT with the Geek we call ‘E-Male’

and their efforts to rule the world.....again!

nd on the horizon, like a monolith rising from the deep came the future according to Microsoft. Office 2013 is here, lean and ready to compete with Google and Apple and so internet-ready it makes you cry. Or does it?

We have all had the chance to use the new Office and if you go to the Microsoft website you can still download it for free for a little while longer. But do we get excited by this? Let’s have a look. This version of Office moves forward in two big ways: its visual design and it’s compatability and synergy with the cloud. Major updates have been given to Word (now capable of opening pdf documents and you can edit them), Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Publisher.

For those who don’t like change you may be disappointed but that would be a little premature. Office looks very different. It is sleek and ‘cool’ to look at. You can’t mess around with it too much putting stupid effects onto it. Like Ford you can have it in any colour you want as long as it is white or a version of grey! (For those of you who have or have seen a windows phone it is the same). But the reason for this minimilist and uncluttered look is simple: Touch. You can go between touch and keyboard mode very easily. The functionality is superb and there is a slight tweak on the layout between modes that although subtle is showing attention to detail that has been lacking from many companies recently. Save - This is going to be the selling and fail point depending on demographics and ability. This Office loves the Cloud. When you use Word, Excel or any other software in Office it saves by default to the Cloud using Microsofts Skydrive cloud storage. The advantage of this is obvious. All of your data available on any device: Laptop, desktop, Mac, phone, Android. Which Version You will be able to buy standalone versions of Office 2013, in other words just like you have now that you install on your machine and off you go. But there is a (dare I say) better way by buying Office 365. It is obvious that Microsoft want you to buy ‘365’ and their price and options are structured to make this the attractive option. And I agree.....for $99 a year home users can use Office on five machines. Should you buy it? If you are going to buy a touchscreen device then yes and yes and did you get that...yes. If not then go and have a look. Some people will be wary of the concerted push into the Cloud but if you use Facebook, Gmail, Picassa etc then you are already there. Others won’t like the ‘feel’ of it and the press haven’t

been totally convinced by Windows 8. Pricing is very attractive and 20gb of cloud storage is a good start with the subscription package. I think Microsoft have turned a corner and can take a pat on the back. Why shouldn’t I buy it? Android and iOS users are not currently supported for editing much. I personally use all three (Android, iOS and Microsoft) and this is an issue......we are promised more though. As usual it’s the Apps! Microsoft need more 3rd party developers onboard now.

La Poste now offer mobile phone contracts that are well worth looking at. Contract and pre-pay, which to buy? We’ll have a look next month.

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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“Seasonal and Fresh” Recipe Times

with Bassie Scott

Roquefort and roll!

a process that occurs as the cheese ripens is good for a healthy gut, helps slow arthritis and can slow the signs of ageing, such as cellulite, according to a Cambridge based bio-tech company Lycotec. So all to the good in my book and not such a guilty pleasure perhaps! With spring well and truly here thoughts turn to eating lighter and having aperos with friends and family. So here are two recipes using Roquefort to start those taste buds tingling for spring/summer entertaining al fresco.

Legend has it that the cheese was discovered when a young man, eating his lunch of bread and ewes’ milk cheese, spied a beautiful girl in the distance. He hid his cheese in a nearby cave and ran to meet her. When he returned a few months later, the mould had transformed his plain bit of cheese in to Roquefort! There are just 7 producers of this fine cheese in the small village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, up in the Aveyron. Scientists have now discovered that Roquefort has anti-inflammatory properties which could help guard against cardiovascular disease. Also

Roquefort and poached pear salad I made this with quinces at Christmas time after my step son, Jamie, was poaching quinces in Muscat for our champagne cocktails! There were so many left over I didn’t want to waste them and this was the result. I’ve since made it with pears and it’s just as delicious. Feeds 4 Ingredients 1 pack Roquefort 1 pack smoked lardons, fried until crisp in a little olive oil 2 pears, slightly under ripe, peeled, cored and cut into 8 pieces each ½ an Endive lettuce 1 Oakleaf or green lettuce 1 head of chicory A good handful of walnuts, chopped A good glug of muscat 100g caster sugar 100g water Dressing 2 tblsp Walnut oil 4 tblsp olive oil 1 tblsp raspberry vinegar 3 tblsp Muscat syrup 1 tsp Dijon mustard Pinch sea salt and grind of fresh pepper Method Place Muscat, caster sugar and water in a pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is melted. Simmer for 5 minutes so it becomes a syrup then add the pears. Poach for 7 - 10 minutes or until tender but not falling apart. Drain the pears and leave to cool. Keep the Muscat syrup Wash and tear the lettuce and endive and place on a large flat plate or salad dish. Chop the chicory and sprinkle this over the lettuce. Add the walnuts and the lardons, then the pears. Either cut the Roquefort into cubes or just break it up with your fingers and lay it over the top of the salad. Make the dressing by placing vinegar, Muscat syrup, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisking the oil slowly into it. You can serve the dressing separately or drizzle over the finished salad.

Cook’s note: The Muscat syrup that is left is lovely in a glass, topped up with a dry white wine (or, indeed, champagne!) 26

“Seasonal and Fresh”

I happened to have some Roquefort and some puff pastry lurking in my fridge one day and came up with these little delights. When I came to serve them for aperos they disappeared in a matter of minutes!

Roquefort and Walnut Palmiers Makes about 20 Pre-heat oven to 200, gas 6 Ingredients 1 pack puff pastry, ready rolled 1 pack Roquefort 100 gr walnuts, crushed 50 gr crème fraiche Method - Mix Roquefort with crème fraiche. Add walnuts. Put in fridge to ‘set’ a little if slightly runny - Unwrap puff pastry. Spread Roquefort and walnut mix over the whole sheet, to the edges - Start rolling one side of the puff pastry, tightly, to the middle, then roll up the other side to meet the first. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for a good hour to firm up (this will help with cutting them) - When ready, cut into approx 1 cm pieces and place on non-stick baking paper on a baking tray - Place in oven and cook for approx 10-12 minutes or until crispy and brown - Best served warm although I doubt they’ll have a chance to go cold!

HT Recommends: Monsieur Cadlac, a cheese specialist in Sète, is the son of a 4th generation Roquefort producer. His shop carries cheeses from approximately 72 hand selected producers across France, as well of course as the best Roquefort you can buy. Lou Pastrou. 5 rue Gambetta. Sète.

Wine Recommendation by Rosemary George The Languedoc is spoilt for choice for sweet Muscat wines, with four appellations, Muscat de Frontignan, Muscat de Mireval, Muscat de Lunel, which are all close by, and Muscat de St. Jean de Minervois, on the edge of that red wine appellation. They all entail the addition of alcohol to the fermenting juice and are called Vin Doux Naturel. Frontignan is the biggest and best known, with Château la Peyrade on the outskirts of Sète the leader. I like their Cuvée Prestige and they also experiment with sweet wines from late picked grapes, so no fortification and lower alcohol. Château de Stony, also from Frontignan, is another good producer with a lovely late harvest wine Lumière d’Automne 2007 (50cl for 15.70€) It is described as Vendanges Surmûries and has been aged in an oak barrel, giving some wonderfully rich and intense honeyed fruit. Domaine de la Rencontre in Mireval is a new producer, with 2010 their first vintage, and the wines promise well. 27

The Art of the Bricoleur

Lightning never strikes.......

Lightning never strikes...............

that fits into the tableau électrique alongside the other circuit breakers. ave you ever been unfortunate Fitting a parafoudre is perhaps best left enough to have your house struck by to a professional unless you are an experilightning? enced DIY electrician. And did you know that Hérault is a I purchased mine, the black module in the high risk zone according to its niveau photograph, together with the required 20 kéraunique, or Nk level calculated by the A disjoncteur bipolaire from bis-electric. numbers of days per year when lightning com for about 80€. is seen? It has only been in place for a couple of Quite apart being a hell of a shock (hope- months and has yet to be tested against a fully emotionally rather than physically) a Mediterranean storm. lightning strike can make a mess of all sorts of electronic and electrical equipment. When our house in the UK suffered a lightning induced power surge, my computer was damaged badly. The power supply was fried, the hard drive failed, and the electrical surge melted the power connection to motherboard. Does rebuilding a computer count as bricolage? So can you protect your electronics from potential damage? Multi-socket extension leads with built-in surge protection are a step in the right direction but do not provide a complete safeguard. A better solution is to fit a gadget called a parafoudre and to use surge protected sockets as additional security. The most recent French wiring regulations NF C15-100, which have to be met by new buildings and buildings that are completely rewired, make it obligatory, in high risk zones, to fit a parafoudre (type II) unless the electrical supply to the property is It is worth noting that your phone line completely underground. can be protected in a similar way if you A parafoudre works by directing the want to provide additional insurance for lightning induced electrical surge towards your internet router. the earth and away from your electrical circuits. The most usual type is a module

Classified Adverts ASSOCIATIONS

Hugh Scott

The Tuesday Club A lively group of English speaking people from all nationalities meet to hear talks, exchange ideas and socialise. www.tuesdayclub.eu tuesdayclub.fr@gmail.com **

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 **

Anglophone Group Languedoc Roussillon (AGLR) Adults & childrens’ activities including bridge, golf, French conversation, cooking, excursions in convivial atmosphere www.anglophone-group-languedoc-roussillon.com/ AGLRSete@yahoo.co.uk **

Classified Adverts The Church of England at St. Pargoire, Holy Communion 2nd Sunday each month at 10 am. Everyone welcome. Details achstp@gmail.com **

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SERVICES

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** NEW service in Pézenas FLODESMOTS For you : a bilingual French / English PUBLIC WRITER All types of writings Help in translating Work at home or on line - Flodesmots Contact : 04 99 43 88 84 flodesmots9@gmail.com More information on www.flodesmots.fr ** Commercial Cleaning Machine for hire. Cleans soft furnishings, rugs, mattresses, sunbed cushions, car interiors, etc. Contact Trudi: 0499570589 trudi@ppm34.fr **

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PERSONALS

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** ENTERTAINMENT

Shenanigan’s Irish owned and run, family pub and restaurant. All rugby, Gaelic and Hurling shown live. Guinness & Bulmers Plate of the day 10e with a glass of wine. Taxi available. Open all year. Vias centre – 0430178387.

TAXI

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** PROPERTY - FOR SALE

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Les Chambres du Canal Capestang

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Tel: 0033 (0) 467 21 72 38 e-mail: agenceviastaxi@free.fr Any Distance - Up to 8 Passengers E-mail Reservations welcome Estimates Given All enquiries welcome

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PROPERTY TO RENT ANIANE - Furnished three bedroomed

** 30

Bed & Breakfast in Cessenon sur Orb, 10 kms from St Chinian. 2 luxury King Sized rooms, 1 min walk to river & town centre. Wifi/Internet access. Chris & Susan. Ph 0033 (0) 9 80 39 94 33. lovesy.huston@gmail.com ** Maison De L’Orb, Beziers Beautiful five bedroom bed and breakfast overlooking Pont Vieux and river. Private garden, bathing pool, fantastic breakfast. Book now: www.maisondelorb.com info@maisondelorb.com **

FOR SALE

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Renault Twingo Cordini 1.2 Bought from new in Feb 2011. Hardly used 8,950 Euros Metallic paint, alloyed wheel, blue tooth Contact Jim 0044 (0)7715570518 0044 (0)1420563889 ** Large collection GWR books (many now out of print) available following death of owner. sylviambarnes@gmail.com +33 467 95 06 13 **

Leaving France, selling up.

Large Garden Table and parasol 100 sofa bed 60, Various Persian carpets, small wardrobe 75, antique coffee table 100, 2 bicycles 60 each, 2 Silk and brocade bed cover sets 100 each. Email: donvikki@yahoo.com (04) 67900245 **

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sually the big towns in Hérault are the centres of sport but Pézenas seems to be emerging as a rival. With the rugby club, the Stade Piscenois, now playing in the Federal 2 there has been renewed interest in the violets. In bitterly cold and windy weather recently the club put on a good performance to beat convincingly, Thuir 26-0. With the strong gale behind them in the first half the locals rattled up a 21-0 lead and Duchein’s fourth try just after the restart was enough. The Catalan visitors could find no answer. A typical Sunday afternoon at the stade municipal with a decent crowd of 500 and the buvette as busy as usual. Unfortunately the Piscenois have found the level of play in the Federal 2 just slightly too much for them and a drop back down to the Federal 3 is likely. The game showed how popular local town and village sport is in Hérault. * week or two earlier another match had been played at the stade municipal. On that occasion the home side battled hard and held Ales to a draw. Again the crowd was around 500 and the ambiance and off the field refreshments were similar. A pleasant Sunday afternoon for local fans. The difference this time though was the sport itself. The score was 0-0 and the game was football. Just what has been happening in Pézenas? The local football club, not the most successful in the department, has combined with Paulhan to form the Etoile Sportive Paulhan-Pézenas. The Paulhan club was promoted last season into the Division Honneur, the highest level of regional football. Most matches are still played in Paulhan but the Stade Municipal offers a bigger venue as well. The team is

BOOKS

doing very well and is in a promotion position of second place behind Ales. The side followed up with a strong 3-0 win away to Argeles. The size of the crowd and the on field success seem to indicate that the fusion of the clubs has at least been a smart move in the short term. Well done to all concerned. Some big games against Agde, Sète, Nimes and Montpellier perhaps to look forward to in the CFA next season? * ocal footballs Coupe de Hérault is in its interesting phase. Starting with well over 100 clubs the cup has reached the quarter finals. Paulhan-Pézenas play at St. Clement Montferrier, Agde travel to Montagnac, Fabregues are at home to M.Petit -Bard while Canet meet Pignan. On paper Agde can put out the strongest side but in the cup anything is possible. *

Some fixtures are:

Rugby XV April 13 Montpellier v Toulouse 14-00 (always a big draw) April 7 Carcassonne v Beziers 15-00 April 7 Pézenas v Mazamet 15-00 Football April 6 Montpellier v Valenciennes 20-00 April 20 Agde v Marseille 2 18-00 April 13 Sète v Anglet 18-00 ( could decide the title ) April 13 Béziers v Monaco 2 18-30

English Bookshop - Pézenas Please call in for a chat plus your favourite English foods. Delightful & unusual gifts for family, friends and you! A wide selection of English books. Rue St Jean

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

** MAD MARCH SALE: All books at the English Bookstall EUR2 or 3 for EUR5 throughout March. New spring range of cards now also in stock. Monday - Bedarieux, Tuesday - Marseillan Ville, Wednesday - Clermont l’Herault, Saturday Lodeve. Contact Kerith 04 67 96 68 87 **

** English Books at the Bourse ,Pezenas. First Sunday of every month from 10 to 12. The Café de la Bourse is next to the Hotel Moliere in Pézenas. All books are 1 Euro or less. Excellent coffee and company. Want to book a table? Call Carole on 0467905910