The Bugle Dordogne - April 2019

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Local slippers granted geographic protection The iconic pantoufle charentaise, produced in the Dordogne, has been >> Page 3 granted protected status

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November 2016 - Issue #85

Dordogne

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Permanent summer time for France which more than 80% voted to ditch daylight saving, it looks all but certain that France will remain permanently

I

London to Bordeaux in just 4h30 - pg 3

The French factory behind the cassette comeback - page 10

Following a huge national survey, in

Brexit brings back the booze cruise - pg 5

on summer time from March 2021 people took part in a recent survey. Launched by the Committee on European Affairs, the non-binding consultation “received 2,103,999 replies between February 4th and its closure on March 3rd at midnight”, the committee said, highlighting that this was a massive response for this kind of consultation, which can usually be counted in the tens of thousands.

The results were strikingly similar to last year’s Europewide survey and revealed that 84% of the country would prefer to scrap daylight saving. Of those, 59% preferred to stay permanently on summer time, with 37% opting to stick with winter time.

Several weeks later, at the end of March, lawmakers in the European Parliament

The European cat called Brexit - pg 9

The Bugle Business Directory - pg 14-17

>> continued on page 9

© retrostylemedia.co.uk

n all probability, France will alter the clocks for the final time on the last Sunday of March 2021 after a huge nationwide survey and a subsequent European Parliament directive to scrap the biannual event. The removal of daylight saving was first suggested by the EU last year after four and a half million people took part in an online survey across Europe, with more than 80% backing the move.

At the time, that survey was criticised by opponents, as over 70% of respondents came from Germany alone and some argued that it did not represent the views of Europe as a whole.

Subsequent studies in individual countries have confirmed the results, however, including in France where a record 2.1 million

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2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ APRIL 2019

C H ÂT E AU L E S T E V É N I E New wines now available to taste and buy 2018 rosé and dry white, 2016 Bergerac Rouge.

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Welcome to

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T

his is one of my favourite times of the year. I have always been more of a night owl than an early bird and once the clocks go forward I definitely appreciate the longer evenings. No two years are the same but the shift to summer time usually means I am far more likely to reach for the shorts as I get out of bed in the morning.

In an average year, I would currently be dusting off my barbecue utensils and looking for any excuse to light the coals, but they are already clean after the truly bonkers weather we had in February saw not one, but two al fresco dinners. I hope that is simply down to standard deviation and not climate change, but I’ll take it where I can get it!

There has been a lot of talk about doing away with daylight saving, and it now looks almost certain to happen in the next few years. The majority in France voted to stick with summer time - which is the preferred option for night owls such as myself - although I was surprised to see that one third

of people who voted to get rid of daylight saving preferred to stick to winter time!! Takes all sorts, I guess.

I say the majority voted in favour of summer time - the figures were 59% to 37% (with a few don’t cares) which I suppose isn’t just a simple majority, but rather an overwhelmingly, cast in iron, immutable truth if you go by Brexit standards. Apparently 52% to 48% - when a significant proportion of the 52 did so on a diet of undeliverable populist lies - is so large a majority that it can not be questioned, let alone challenged.

Damn it, you went and did it, you made me go and bring up the bloomin’ B-word!!! As you may well know, I am an unapologetic remainer (not a remoaner or a remoaniac!), so please don’t get angry, it’s only my personal opinion and I respect yours. If we take one thing away from the last few years, whatever happens in the coming months, I hope it is that the recent tribalism is toned down and it once again becomes OK to disagree and discuss, however small or

large the issue. You are never going to get everyone to agree to everything, but the “enemy at the gates”, ”them against us” rhetoric has rarely ended well if you study your recent European history, and I hope that people - on both sides of the debate - start to listen to each other.

We are going to print a few days later than usual this month, but still it is no clearer whether we will be crashing out, voting for Theresa May’s deal for a fourth time(!), heading towards a Norwaystyle soft Brexit, or agreeing with Ella Fitzgerald and calling the whole thing off!

Love her or hate her - and I have had plenty of thoughts on the subject in the last few months - you have to admire the prime minister’s stubbornness. When she had to unceremoniously leave the room at the latest EU summit while the other 27 leaders attempted to come up with a plan B and decide what might happen next, one political commentator on Twitter opined: “Isn’t it ironic that after more than two years, the EU is doing Theresa May’s homework for her?” Quick as a shot, another hack came back with: “They had no choice, her dogma ate hers!”

Despite the shame and sadness that had consumed me during the day in question, or perhaps because of it, that made me laugh harder than I have in a long time!

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On a lighter note and closer to home, we are coming to the end of “birthday season” chez moi - there are five people living under my roof, and we each have a birthday in every month from December to April. I recently turned thirtytwelve (and yes, for those that have pointed it out, I am aware that the photo below probably now constitutes “fake news”!), but the last in the run is my firstborn, who is just a few months older than this newspaper and will turn ten in the coming days!

How, in the name of all that is sacred, did that happen!!!!!

I am aware that time flies, but someone up there is taking the Michael and I’m thinking of changing the clocks permanently to BST... Before Steve-got-old Time!

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INSIDE this edition 3-4 Local News

Until next month!

5-10 National News

Steve Martindale, Editor

11-13 French Life 14-17 Directory 18 Community 19-20 What’s On Copy deadline:

15th April for May’s print edition

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LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3

APRIL 2019 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

I

t is 18 months since a new branch of the country’s high-speed railway was inaugurated, connecting Tours to Bordeaux and completing a dedicated TGV link from the region’s capital to Paris. When the first high-speed trains hit the rails, the journey time between the two cities was reduced to just two hours and before long, it was being speculated that onward travel options to other European countries could soon be possible direct from south-west France.

The new route has been a huge success, beating expectations for passenger numbers, largely down to the low-cost TGV carrier Ouigo, which offers a TGV option, but without any extra frills like on-board food, or luggage services. “A quarter of the Paris-Bordeaux traffic takes place today on Ouigo, with tickets from €16,” explained Rachel Picard, a director at the state-run rail company.

“Previously, Ouigo clients travelled by car, or did not travel at all and more than half of Ouigo passengers would not have taken a TGV if Ouigo did not exist.”

As a result, Thalys has announced that it will be offering direct trains from Bordeaux to Brussels from June this year. Tickets will cost from €40 each way for a journey time of just four hours!

Perhaps more interestingly to British expats in south-west France, particularly those who do not like to fly or find the drive “home” too far, there is increasing talk of direct Bordeaux to London trains from as early as the end of next year. Four

railway operators are believed to be interested in the new route: HS1 Ltd (which runs the Kent to London stretch of the Eurostar service), Eurotunnel, SNCF-Réseau (which operates Calais to Tours), and Liséa (which runs the new Tours to Bordeaux line).

Eurostar, which already offers direct services from London to Amsterdam, has discussed a Bordeaux route in the past, but its network development has been slowed by logistical difficulties particularly border controls. Passport checks are likely to remain an issue without further government agreement and Brexit uncertainty is understandably an issue for any potential investors.

“Today we have Eurostar, but there may be other operators tomorrow,” said Stéphane Lamber from the SNCF, who detailed a ‘cross-Channel’ project, rather than a Eurostar deal. “We are working on the possibility of welcoming trains between Bordeaux and London. It is obviously quite complicated, because going to London - especially in the context of Brexit - requires some administrative formalities and extra customs, and it is a little more difficult to get on a train bound for England than it is to Belgium or Paris. But this study is underway, and should allow us to offer this service towards Great Britain within a few years.”

If the service does one day come to fruition, travellers could leave the vineyards of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and be in the heart of London in just four-and-a-half hours! ■

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Local slippers given protected status

F

ollowing in the footsteps of Bordeaux wine, Stilton cheese, Limousin apples, Scotch lamb and Rutland bitter, a type of local slipper has finally been granted its own regional protection by the National Industrial Property Institute (INPI). It is just the eighth time that the protection has been awarded since the scheme came into force and the pantoufle charentaise, or Charentaise slipper, joins two other products of the Nouvelle Aquitaine on the growing list: Limoges porcelain and Aubusson tapestries.

The geographic protection finally came into force when it was published in an official government declaration and will guarantee that only those slippers made in a fixed geographic area and to certain standards can use the name pantoufle charentaise. Whilst hugely symbolic, the protection also allows local industries to protect themselves from cheaper imitations and to charge a fair price for the quality of their products.

The pantoufle originated in the 17th century when off-cuts from military uniforms, waste from the many paper mills and locally-made felt were transformed into liners for wooden clogs. Later, with

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a more substantial sole, they became the bright-coloured footwear now synonymous with fireside comfort and hygge.

High quality metal working around Nontron lent itself to building machines to make the slippers and Varaignes, close to the Dordogne/Charente border is now home to a pantoufle industrial museum, while numerous Dordogne companies nearby still build and export equipment.

The local slipper industry currently employs over 200 people, still using the traditional glueless sewing technique that makes the Charentaises unique.

In the past, the iconic slippers were often supplied to stately homes to reduce the sound of servants’ footsteps, and were reputed to be the preferred shoes of jewellers at their bench, to collect any lost gold or gem fragments. ■

4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

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Footy-mad parents in Home-made Asian hornet traps baby name controversy for areas such as Brittany and even the occasional “foreign” name (James was briefly a popular choice), but the law was only finally repealed in 1993, when parents received the right to choose any name for their child. Officials have retained the power to reject a name, however, if they believe that it goes against the best interests of the child, for example by subjecting it to ridicule.

This naming veto is used relatively frequently and it is not the first time it has made the headlines. In 2015, a court ruled that a couple could not name their daughter Nutella, concluding that “the name ‘Nutella’ given to the child is the trade name of a spread, and can only lead to teasing or disparaging thoughts”. The child in question eventually had to simply make do with Ella.

Elsewhere, a Perpignan court decided that allowing a couple to call their son “Prince William” would lead to “a lifetime of mockery” and when the same couple came back with “Mini Cooper” as an alternative, this was again overruled.

Perhaps most famously, in 2015, a court in Toulouse banned one set of parents from calling their son Jihad, dismissing arguments that in Arabic the name simply meant “struggle” and did not necessarily refer to holy war. ■

S

screenshot (Facebook)

A

football-mad couple from Nouvelle-Aquitaine have been barred from naming their child “Griezmann Mbappé”, in honour of French footballers Antoine Griezmann of Atlético Madrid and Paris SaintGermain's Kylian Mbappé. Five months after his birth, a family judge in Brive-laGaillarde stripped the infant of his two first names, ruling that he could not be named after the two World Cup winners, arguing that it was “against the child's best interests or infringing on the rights of third parties to protect their family name”.

The parents were instead forced to go for their second choice, Dany Noé, but the child's birth certificate will still acknowledge that the original chosen name had been Griezmann Mbappé.

Although some may complain that this is an example of the “nanny state” taking too much control of people's lives, it should be noted that until relatively recently parents had a very limited range of officially sanctioned options for their children's names.

In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte decreed that French babies must have French names, which at the time meant the names of saints in the Roman Catholic calendar.

The official list of names expanded over the years to include those of historical figures, those with a regional significance

ince the beginning of March and until the middle of May, Asian hornet queens, which have been dormant over the winter months, will start to build nests and raise the first worker hornets. With queens up to around 30 mm, Asian hornets are slightly smaller than their native European counterparts, but present a serious threat to bee colonies, which play such an important role in pollination.

Although the European hornet will attack and kill the odd honey bee in small numbers as a food source for their larvae, Asian hornets can destroy entire bee colonies and have become increasingly prevalent in the region in recent years.

Asian hornets are easily identified by their appearance. The thorax is a velvety black/dark brown with brown abdominal segments bordered with a fine yellowy-orange band. Only the 4th segment is almost entirely a yellowyorange. The legs are brown with yellow ends and the head is black with an orange/yellow face.

At this time of year the queens need sustenance and will be attracted by sweet smelling concoctions... enabling them to be trapped.

There seems to be no other means to limit the Asian hornet invasion and any queen trapped now will result in one less colony being created for this summer.

Simple selective traps can be made quite easily from a pair of 1.5 litre plastic water bottles. There are several ways to achieve

this, but one good technique can be found in a 10-minute video on YouTube under the title 'Fabrication d'un piège à frelon Asiatique – rucher école Villa le Bosquet'.

The trap is selective as the 8 mm diameter entry hole is large enough to allow an Asian hornet in, but not European hornets which are larger and do not pose a significant threat to native bees. The 6 mm diameter escape holes in the trap allow smaller insects to find their way out.

A mixture of 80% cordial (blackcurrant, peach, strawberry, grenadine...), plus 10% white wine and 10% brown beer is the recommended bait for this time of year. The liquid descends into the bottom of the trap so the hornets do not drown, but in theory attract further hornets by the pheromones they release.

The traps can be hung in any appropriate tree. The most important factor is to act now! ■

by Paul Homer

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 5

APRIL 2019 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

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Return of the cross-Channel booze cruise

W

hilst the Brexit debacle has been a living nightmare for many cross-Channel businesses, one sector has seen a boom as fears rise over the future customs and border arrangements between France and the UK... the booze cruise! As 29th March approached, Majestic Wine’s Calais stores reported that sales had soared by 49% in one month and pre-orders for March were up 78% as shoppers rushed to take advantage of France’s low alcohol taxes while they still could.

Similar trends were being reported across the bigger booze cruise destinations in northeastern France. The Calais Wine Superstore said its pre-orders for March were up 100%, with overall sales up 51% since January.

The huge increase in Calais sales came amid evidence that one in 10 Brits have begun stockpiling “essential” grocer-

ies, while a further 26% are considering doing so. Whilst a report by retail analysis firm Kantar Worldpane revealed that cupboard essentials such as tinned foods, toilet paper, medicines and toiletries were top of the list, nearly 17% said they were planning to stockpile alcohol.

“Since March, it has gone ballistic,” said Marco Attard, co-owner of Calais Wine Superstore. “It’s all about Brexit. People don’t want to miss out. I’ve been in this business since 1993 and I have never seen anything like this. People are realising they might not be able to come to Calais and bring back the same amount of wine if we get a hard Brexit. They are stockpiling.”

There was such a rush for preBrexit booze, that towards the end of March large areas of warehouse floors were empty, with many vintages selling out. Majestic Wine became a victim of its own success following a 'beat

Brexit bonanza sale'. “We were so taken by surprise in February and early March that we sold out of many lines and have pressed the panic button to get more stocks in,” explained Marco Attard.

The booze cruise phenomenon first became popular in the 1990s and many readers may fondly remember collecting tokens from daily newspapers to earn a onepound day return ferry crossing. The tradition lost popularity over the years as exchange rates fluctuated, but has seen a resurgence in the build-up to Brexit, although many now come on the train, rather than by ferry. Majestic Wine and Calais Wine Superstore have both long encouraged visitors by offering those spending more than £250 free travel by boat or train.

“This is a new generation of cruiser millennials,” explained Joshua Lincoln, managing director of Majestic Wine. “It’s couples getting ready for their

summer weddings now. It’s day trippers from the Scottish Highlands taking on a mammoth trek.

It’s not necessarily people buying as much as they can, as cheaply as they can.”

In the event of a hard Brexit, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has said it is likely the duty-free rules that apply to the rest of the world would

apply to alcoholic drinks coming from the EU, i.e. a four-litre wine allowance per person. “This means that it would no longer be possible to buy wine and spirits for personal consumption, duty paid in the EU, and bring them back into the UK unrestricted,” said Simon Stannard, the WSTA’s director of European and international affairs. ■

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Chickens fight back against fox

A fox in northwestern France has learned the hard way that there is power in numbers, after the residents of a henhouse in Brittany turned on the intruder, apparently pecking it to death! The shocking discovery was made by students at Le Gros Chêne agricultural school in Brittany who found the dead fox one morning when making their rounds to check on the chickens.

The free-range hens have access to the open spaces outside, and it is believed that the unlucky fox became trapped inside the shed by light-controlled automatic hatch doors that close when the sun goes down.

“There, in the corner, we found this dead fox,” said Pascal Daniel, the head of farming at the school. “There was a herd instinct and they attacked him with their beaks. It was a juvenile of five or six months, about 60 cm long. He did not seem sick and did not have scabies. The hens can arrive en masse and the fox, surprised, could panic in front of the number. The hens have been there since July, so for more than seven months, and have probably learned to defend themselves.”

Regional paper France Ouest quoted a wildlife expert from Brittany who said they were “surprised” by the turn of events. “There may be a group effect, but also other reasons - the fox was young so inexperienced. It could have already been weak or injured, and we know that chickens will confront a weak animal with no strength.”. ■

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At the original trial, Diter acknowledged making “mistakes” in carrying out wave after wave of expansion to the farmhouse on the large property in protected woodland, but the appeal court has now upheld the original decision, ordering the owner to pay €45,000 to his British neighbours. He will face a further fine of €500 for every day he exceeds the time limit of 18 months specified by the French courts for destroying the building. A previously imposed six-month suspended jail sentence, however, was waived on appeal. ■

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that own the nearby main house, operates asset management company Silchester Partners, and has been described by the Sunday Times newspaper as one of the richest fund managers in England. Over the course of a decade, he and his wife filed a series of complaints over their neighbour's building projects and the disturbance caused when the property is let out for large-scale weddings and film shoots; the property notably featured as Villa Carmella in the first season of Riviera, a TV thriller first broadcast by Sky Atlantic.

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he owner of a €57 million château in the south of France has been ordered by a court to tear it down after declaring the building illegal. The Renaissance-style Château Diter in Grasse, which features a swimming pool and helipad, began life as a 200 m² abandoned country house with snake-infested grounds, but has been transformed into a 3,000 m² château in what neighbours described as a “frenzy of building activity”.

Patrick Diter first acquired the property in 2000 after failing to find a suitable home in Tuscany. He later sold the sold the abandoned house the main property on the land - to a British couple and spent the next 10 years developing the nearby farmhouse and outbuildings.

At Diter’s trial in January, the assistant public prosecutor, PierreJean Gaury, said the transformation of the property was a “pharaonic project, delusional, totally illegal and built in an illegal manner”.

Gaury also said the construction was carried out in violation of urban planning regulations as well as of safety and environmental rules by an owner whose “only concern is money”.

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NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7

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Beautiful perigourdine-style stone house that needs renovating but is in good structural condition with an adjoining barn and an attic. 7.5 acres of land with a large barn + an open barn and old pigsties. Lovely views.

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Stone house with gite and separate artist’s workshop, only 5 minutes drive from Bergerac town center. Beautiful terrace, with exceptional views, and total tranquility. DPE: D

2016 bungalow comprising living room with wood burner, kitchen, 2 bedrooms and shower room. The basement has a bathroom, toilet/ laundry, an extra room/office and a garage. Just over ½ acre of garden. DPE: B

Beautiful renovated property comprising 5 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 2 shower rooms, living room, dining room, breakfast room and kitchen. Large stone barn, stables and over 8.5 acres of land with swimming pool. DPE: E

Taux d’honoraires 21 000€ (6%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur

Taux d’honoraires 19 950€ (7%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur

Taux d’honoraires 12,1600€ (8%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur

Taux d’honoraires 30,000€ (5%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur

Ref: 7364-BGC €498 200 HAI

Ref: 7470-BGC €172 800 HAI

Ref: 7570-LA €247,250 HAI

Ref: 7618-LA €402,800 HAI

Beautiful 18th century renovated stone farmhouse. Countryside location with stunning views. Large living and dining rooms. Swimming pool, terraces, 2.5 acre enclosed garden. DPE: C

Standing on a hill, hidden at the end of a path and surrounded by trees on 5 acres of land, this XVIII century farmhouse has 180 degree views on the countryside. Preserved features. Perfect for a project! DPE: E

3-storey house on ¼ acre of enclosed garden.

Ground floor: apartment with 2 bedrooms, living-room, dining-room, rent 7,200€/year. 1st & 2nd floors: 4 bedrooms, living-room, kitchen, attics. Terrace & balcony. 2 garages. DPE: D

19th century longère: hall, living room, dining room, kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 2 shower rooms, veranda onto swimming-pool and the Dordogne river, utility room, large garage & over 1.5 acres of land. DPE: E

Taux d’honoraires 28 200€ (6%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur

Taux d’honoraires 12 800€ (8%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur

Taux d’honoraires 17,250€ (7.5%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur

Taux d’honoraires 22,800€ (6%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur

8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ APRIL 2019

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9

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French language finally Permanent summer time accepts female job titles

T

he traditionally conservative Académie Française, the guardians of the French language, have finally dropped their opposition to the feminisation of job titles after years of opposition. The Academy's 36 members, known as The Immortals, said they saw “no obstacle in principle” to the change, and were happy to envisage “all developments in the language aimed at recognising the place women have in society today”.

Most job titles in French are masculine by default, meaning, for example, that in French la présidente refers not to the female leader of a country, but to the female partner of a head of state. The few exceptions to this rule are in mainly gender-stereotypical jobs, such as infirmière (nurse) or nourrice (childminder).

Although many feminine job titles are in common usage, like sapeuse-pompière for a female firefighter, they have not been officially part of the French language and until recently the Académie Française had objected to such changes as “barbaric”. The maledominated body, which dates back to the 17th century, said it would not be drawing up an “exhaustive list” of names, accepting that it would be an insurmountable task and adding that change would take place organically over time.

The surprise announcement came after the Academy voted by an overwhelming majority to approve a report compiled by three of its five female members that recommended ending its centuries-old official ban on feminising the names of professions and trades.

“The Académie has shown a marvellous spirit of openness,” said Dominique Bona, one of the report’s authors. “It has shown it is sensitive to the fact that women are thinking about the definition of their jobs. It will now tolerate feminisations that have long been banned.”

The Académie Française was created in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Its aim was to “fix the French language, giving it rules, rendering it pure and comprehensible by all”. Since then, the body of immortals has met regularly, compiled 9 editions of a dictionary of the French language and campaigned tirelessly to maintain the purity of French. Membership is for life – unless it is revoked for misconduct (for example, General Pétain was ejected following his Vichy government’s collaboration during the Second World War) – and new members are only elected when a post is freed up by the death of an immortal. Former notable members include Voltaire and Victor Hugo. ■

>> continued from pg 1

voted 410 to 192 in favour of ending the practice of changing the clocks from 2021.

According to the legislation, member states will be able to choose whether to remain on “permanent summer” or “permanent winter” time. Countries that decide to stay on summer time will put their clocks forward for a final time in March 2021 and those that prefer to stay on winter time will put their clocks back for one final time the following October.

The bill now represents the official position of the EU Parliament, although it will be up to the European Council to make a final decision. The Council - which is made up of the leaders of each member state - will have to vote unanimously for the change, but the move remains popular among Europeans and looks likely to be passed.

The British government has yet to offer any formal opinion on the proposal, which risks creating fresh problems over the status of Northern Ireland after Brexit, with the potential for the two halves of the island of Ireland being in different international time zones!

Should Britain leave the EU in the coming weeks with no deal, it would not be bound by this EU directive. Should the House of Commons ratify the withdrawal agreement and enter an extended transition period, the UK government would have to implement the directive without any say, but could theoretically backtrack once the transition period is over. If Article 50 is revoked and the UK remains in the EU, daylight saving would end in 2021.

Road safety campaigners in the UK have previously urged the government to follow the EU’s lead and maintain BST year round.

“Every year in the UK we see a spike in the number of vulnerable road users killed or seriously injured in October and November, coinciding with the autumnal clock change when we suddenly have an hour less of daylight in the evenings,” argued Errol Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. “For many older people who are worried about darkness, the UK’s autumnal clock change acts as an early curfew. We would welcome any change that helps people remain safe and active.”

The result of remaining on summer time, generally speaking, would be lighter evenings during winter, but darker mornings. The variations in sunrise and sunset times are more pronounced the further north you go, so Scandinavian countries are most affected by daylight savings. Previous proposals in the UK to switch to Central European Time (GMT+1 in winter, GMT + 2 in summer) were vehemently opposed in Scotland where some areas would not have seen daylight until 10 am.

The idea of daylight saving was introduced during WWI as a way of conserving energy. Britain has kept the practice going almost continuously since it was first brought in, but other European countries did not adopt the time shift until the oil crisis of the 1970s. It was most recently re-introduced in France in 1976, and daylight saving did not come into force across the whole of the EU until 1996. ■

The European cat named Brexit The politician in charge of France's preparations for Britain's exit from the EU has hit the headline after announcing that she has named her cat Brexit... because he refuses to leave! The government's minister for European Affairs, Natalie Loiseau, who has been a key insider during Britain's negotiations with the EU, made the announcement on her Facebook page.

“He wakes me up miaowing like mad because he wants to be let out. As soon as I open the door, he just stands there, unsure whether he wants to go out or not. When I put him out, he gives me an evil look.”

After being picked up by Reuters and widely circulated in the media, the minister was eventually forced to confess to disseminating “fake news” - she does not even own a cat, although she does possess a dry wit that most Brits would be proud of. “I have found with Brexit that it is important to maintain a sense of humour,” she concluded. ■

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10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ APRIL 2019

France battles with fake news Cassettes make a comeback

D

iscerning “fake news” from “fact” in the internet age is a problem across the world and social media networks in France are currently awash with misleading images and videos ranging from comedy memes to deliberate misinformation and insidious lies.

One prominent example was the recent claim that President Emmanuel Macron was drinking a €2,000 bottle of wine while Paris was burning. Appearing on the “Les Picologues” Facebook group, the photo showed Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron enjoying a sunny lunch in the Alps, apparently the previous Saturday, as the gilets jaunes protests raged, with the president pouring from a large bottle of wine. The caption read “There was once a president who served himself a €2,000 bottle of wine while Paris burned…”

As with all things viral, timing is everything. It had been known that the president was on a ski break and the photo was released the day after particularly violent protests that saw the Champs-Elysées on fire. The post and photo were quickly shared more than 11,000 times.

In actual fact, the president had cut short his trip and the photo, taken by an AFP photographer in 2017, showed the presidential couple having lunch at a restaurant in the Hautes-Pyrénées town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Furthermore, according to the owner of the restaurant in question, the bottle of Château Montus wine the president can be seen pouring from retails at between €20-€90, depending on the vintage.

Despite being rapidly debunked,

A

the image continues to be shared on social media and is just one of many similar pieces of fake news.

A study by the US-based Avaaz human rights and climate change campaign site tracked the 100 most popular pieces of fake news that circulated on Facebook accounts linked to the protest movement over the last four months. It found that stories which had been identified as false by traditional media outlets had been seen more than 105 million times and shared four million times during that period!

Furthermore, analysis of the first 500 YouTube search results on the “yellow vest” movement showed that Russian state television network RT was by far the most viewed outlet, outstripping the combined results of several major French media outlets.

Agence France Presse (AFP) has a fact-checking deal with Facebook to verify and debunk fake news being spread online, and the social network has faced heavy criticism

French citizenship test to get harder The government has announced that it will be raising the standard of French required to apply for citizenship from this summer, a move that could hinder nationalisation requests for some expats. “By the summer, the Minister of the Interior will propose measures to strengthen the level of French required for people applying for citizenship,” said French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe at a recent welcoming ceremony for the latest batch of French citizens at the Panthéon in Paris.

“To become French is demanding and it must remain so because this requirement is the best way to guarantee the cohesion of our nation,” said Philippe. “That's why we have raised the required level of proficiency in the French lan-

for not doing enough to stop the spread of fake news in France and around the world.

The dire consequence of this misinformation was seen later in March when there were reports of numerous vigilante attacks on Roma and eastern Europeans in Paris, sparked by false reports of attempted child abductions. The attacks appeared to have been sparked by the re-emergence of a longstanding online hoax in which people warn of a white van being used in attempted kidnappings of young women or children.

“Rumours about kidnapping children with a van are completely unfounded. No abductions have been proven,” Paris police wrote on Twitter under the heading FAKE NEWS. “Do not share this false information, do not incite violence.”

In the wake of the attacks, police reminded social media users that under French law, spreading a false rumour could be punished with fines of €45,000-€135,000. ■

guage for those applying for a residence card. Those who claim that France is suffering from a system that is too lax are wrong and are deliberately choosing to deceive.”

It is not all bad news for those hoping that acquiring a French passport presents a way out of the Brexit chaos, however, as the government has also said that for those who meet the new criteria, applications will be made speedier through a process that could be largely paperless in the future.

Under the current system, applicants must have “a pre-intermediate level”, or B1 according to the DELF scale, which means the ability to handle day-to-day matters that arise in school, work or leisure.

It is not yet known what the new level of French required in the future will be, but if you are considering applying for French citizenship and are worried about your language skills, now may be the time to apply, before the new rules come into effect. ■

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French company has begun producing the first analogue cassettes in over two decades as it looks to target the nostalgia market for music. In the same way as vinyl saw a resurgence during the compact disc era, as music goes fully digital, an increasing number of people are looking to go retro and dig out their old Walkman. You too could soon once again be untangling the delicate tape, writing out track listings by hand and rewinding your favourite cassette with your finger or a pencil (surely the hexagonal HBs of our youth were designed for just this purpose!)

The increase in demand for cassettes follows a number of high-profile artists offering their albums in a wide variety of formats. Taylor Swift's most recent offering, Reputation, Jay-Z's 4:44, Lana Del Ray's Lust For Life and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks have all been available on cassette as well as in download and CD format.

French company Mulann - based near Mont-SaintMichel - has seized this opportunity and once again begun production of the country's first music-grade tape in over twenty years. The company currently produces magnetic tape for metro tickets, amongst other things, but acquired a plant in November to produce analogue audio tapes under the trademark Recording The Masters.

“Take the example of heating,” explained Mulann's CEO, Jean-Luc Renou, who believes there is still a place for analogue sound in a digital world. “You probably have radiators at home. It's comfortable, it's digital - but you could also light a good fire! Pleasure is the goal... and that's cassette or vinyl.”

Despite the format effectively becoming obsolete at the turn of the century, there has always remained a niche market for audio cassettes, but the world's stocks have been running low as the resurgence takes pace and, until recently, no one was making new tape. “We will soon come to the end of the world's reserves of magnetic audio tape, because everyone who made it has stopped,” explained Jean-Luc Renou, whose only competitor worldwide is currently just one American manufacturer.

“We have been approached by a number of businesses asking if we can produce high quality tape, and yes, we can!”

The boom in demand for audio cassettes has naturally been followed by a rise in the technology that can play them. Gone are the days of simultaneously pressing Play and Record and then staying very quiet as you taped your favourite songs from the Top 40 off the radio on a Sunday; 20th century cassette decks come with USB ports for recording directly from digital sources. ■

Not-so-Happy Meal costs driver €368

People throwing packaging from car windows is one of the “petty crimes” that drives many mad with rage.

Those who find this practice abhorrent will be pleased to hear that one driver from Laigneville in the Oise department, landed himself with a €368 fine after deciding to use the roadside as his own personal rubbish bin. A steep price to pay for a €10 meal!

The offender was filmed throwing the packing of his fast-food meal out of the window of his van and he would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling municipal officials. After seeing the footage on CCTV, local authorities tracked down the driver and presented him with a €68 fine... and demanded a further €300 to pay for the clean-up operation!

The fine is part of a wider local campaign to tackle public littering and fly tipping in the commune of just over 4,000 people and mayor Christophe Dietrich defended the move. “For four years now, in association with my municipal team, we have been fighting against all forms of littering. Unfortunately, as you can see here, some people will only take notice when you hit them were it hurts most - in their pocket.”

Another person to feel the full force of the mayor's wrath was a fly tipper who emptied the contents of his van in a field in the commune. A video posted on the commune's Facebook page, showing how local officials tracked down the van involved on CCTV and found an address amongst the rubbish, has been viewed over 70,000 times. The investigation again led to a €68 fine, although in this case, the commune added a further €800 to cover the clean-up cost. ■

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 11

APRIL 2019 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

A

Do you think meat is a treat?

by Julia Watson

pparently, 1 in 5 young Londoners are now vegan. That kind of newspaper report is about as useful as saying that 9 out of 10 children prefer eating sweets to eating breakfast. It’s what I call ‘Duh’ research.

Nevertheless, even those who are not young and hip and living in Shoreditch are eating increasingly less meat. Not yet across the States, perhaps, but in Europe we are increasingly understanding that meat as a treat is a healthier approach for the animal, for us and for the planet.

Other nations have long taken a spare approach to meat. In Vietnam, in wokcooked recipes that feed a family, 30g of meat is used to provide flavour, not bulk. Hindus who are vegetarian manage perfectly happily and healthily without meat. China and India are both countries where highly refined skill in cooking vegetables makes meat an unnecessary ingredient, either for health or pleasure.

We should take a leaf from their books, and from the vibrant cooking of the entire Middle East. The way Westerners feed is going to change rapidly in the next ten years. We will be depending for our protein source on pulses not on animals.

Pulses are stuffed with complex carbohydrates, protein, dietary fibre, folic acid and substantial amounts of iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium and more. Plus, they're cheap and versatile. In the Indian subcontinent, there are around 60 varieties of these legumes to choose from. We in the West miss out by not relying on them to the same degree.

Most bean dishes begin with a base of a paste. In India, at its most simple, this is made from finely ground garlic, fresh ginger and onions, each believed to have the extra benefit of their own healthgiving properties. In Georgia, the base of

its nationally popular ‘lobio’ is a paste of garlic, onion and fresh coriander ground together. Then layers of flavour are created with the additions of blue fenugreek, dried coriander, black pepper and salt. To Indian pulses are added chillies, fresh coriander, roasted cumin seed, coriander seed, garam masala and lemon juice.

In street markets in Turkey, Greece, India, Georgia and the Middle East, tin cups of coloured dried lentils and beans are measured out on scales and poured into twists of brown paper to be slowly cooked with local vegetables and turned into loose, thick stews. Eaten with a flat bread or dish of rice, these make nutritious and inexpensive main course meals.

When you buy legumes, check them for the presence of tiny stones. Unscrupulous traders are known to add them to increase their weight. Pour the lentils onto a plate and run your fingers through them. But don’t buy them in large quantity unless you know you will be using them regularly.

While they don’t have a shelf life, they do need far longer soaking and cooking time the older they are.

If you are using larger dried pulses like chickpeas or butter beans, they should be soaked overnight. But don't add salt to the water until they have been boiled and softened or they will remain tough.

Here is a satisfying recipe to carry us over the last days of Lent when many Europeans will have given up meat. It improves if made the day before. Switch the eastern spices for fennel seed or cumin or dried coriander, ignore the ginger and chillies, and you have a more Mediterranean interpretation, using flat leaf parsley instead of fresh coriander. ■ Julia Watson has been a long-time Food Writer for newspapers and magazines in the US and the UK.

Chickpea and potato stew Ingredients (serves 6): 250g chickpeas, soaked overnight and boiled till soft, 1 cup of their boiling water reserved 1 large potato cut in 2cm cubes 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped ½ tsp mustard seeds ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 bay leaves 2 tsp freshly ground coriander seed 2 small green chillies, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced 2cm cube fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced 2 tbsp vegetable oil Salt to taste Small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves only Put tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chillies, coriander seed, pepper and salt into a blender and pulse to a paste.

In a heavy bottomed pan sauté the mustard seeds in the vegetable oil, covered.

Add bay leaves and fry 1 minute over low heat, then the potatoes and onion.

Cover and cook till potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add cooked chickpeas, the reserved water and the blender paste and stir to incorporate. It will splutter.

Raise the heat and keep stirring, 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to thick.

Sprinkle over the fresh coriander leaves and serve with a bowl of rice or soft flatbread.

The wines of Bergerac

H

earty congratulations and a sincere toast to Christian Roche who has just been named Winemaker of the Year by the Hachette wine guide, the French bible of wines. It is a great honour, not just for him but for the recognition it signals for the wines of Bergerac, so long dismissed and patronised as the little brother of Bordeaux.

Along with a growing throng of other winemakers in the region, Christian is making seriously good and even great wines and selling them for a fraction of the swollen prices of Bordeaux. And now Hachette has recognised that the Bergerac offers the best quality for the price of any wines in France.

I have enjoyed Christian’s wines for years because my chums and I drink them every Monday evening in summer.

We are faithful in our attendance at the night market in Beaumont, which offers a good range of food, a terrific location in a medieval bastide square and consistently the best musical entertainment in the region.

We usually all end up dancing.

And one of Christian’s team is always there behind the

by Martin Walker

stage, offering the fine chilled whites, the fresh rosés and the luscious reds of the Domaine de l’Ancienne Cure. That stall is always my first stop after grabbing a place at one of the long tables, far enough from the music so we can hear each other talk but close enough to reach the dance floor quickly. Usually our friends Keith and Brigitte Daffern, who live in Beaumont, are there to reserve a place.

Christian’s vineyard could not be easier to find. From Bergerac airport take the Route Nationale 21 south towards Castillonnès and after five miles you will see on the left a junction leading to Issigeac (and to David Fourtout’s celebrated Les Verdots vineyard) and on the right is a long low building which are the tasting rooms for l’Ancienne Cure. Up on the hill behind is Colombier and the vineyards of Château de la Jaubertie, so you know you are in good company and excellent terroir for wine.

Christian represents the fifth generation of winemakers in his family. He inherited the land 35 years ago and soon became convinced that the thenstandard methods of fertilisers, fungicides and pesticides were

doing far more harm than good and became one of the region’s pioneers of bio wines.

Almost all of his wines come in three levels of price and quality. The standard wines, named Jour de Fruit, are around 7 euros, very good value for a wine that is a big cut above most Bergerac secs. The higher quality wines, named l’Abbaye, are around 13 euros and regularly win gold medals. The top of the range wines are called l’Extase, and are close to 20 euros, depending where one buys. He also offers a terrific Monbazillac at 21 euros (and his grandfather was one of the founders of the Monbazillac co-operative) and a very good pécharmant at 17 euros.

He has 47 hectares of vines, almost two thirds of them for white wines: Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle, Chenin and Ondenc. The rather acid Chenin (usually found in the wines of the Loire and in sparkling wines) is slightly unusual in the Bergerac although it does well in our warmer climate, but the 10 per cent of Chenin grapes in his Extase white wine adds a high note of finesse. This is a splendid wine, which one can

safely lay down for five to ten years.

His 15 hectares for red wines grow the usual Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. The Abbaye red is terrific and reminds me of Montaigne’s charming epigram, that ‘One does not drink good wine - one kisses it and receives in return a caress.’ The Extase red is one of the best of our whole region, rich and deep, the tannins distinct but tamed, with a depth that comes from the ten per cent of Malbec he adds to the traditional blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The vineyard has four main types of terroir. On the plateau, a thin and chalky soil is excellent for reds, when they are sufficiently mature to have sunk their roots down to five feet and more. On the slopes, the chalkclay soil is rich in minerals and very good for dessert wines and is also for the Chenin grapes.

The mainly clay soil at the bottom of the slopes is moist and organically rich, excellent for dry white wines which mature a little later than usual. He also has some sandy soil which he uses for white wines.

Christian, a big and burly man, is a gentle giant with the face of a very friendly boxer. He likes to call himself a peasant-winemaker, and he is a great supporter of the traditional grapes and wines of the

south-west. Along with friends from Gaillac, Duras, Madiran, Jurançon, Cahors, Fronton and the Basque country he is part of a group called A Bisto de Nas, patois for ‘seen from the end of our noses,’ which celebrates the rich variety of the region in poetic terms. (Forgive my crude translation of their lyrical claims.)

“The Tannat grape rounds out fully with the sweet late season of the Madiran; the Malbec of Cahors is ennobled by the dry heat of the Lot valley; in Gaillac, the winds of Autran fade the Ondenc while in Jurançon the winds from Spain concentrate the flavour of the Manseng grape. The temperate climate matures the Merlots and Cabernets in Duras and Bergerac, and finally the Negrette grape of Fronton finds the warmth that favours its aromas on the terraces of the river Garonne.” ■

Martin Walker, author of the best-selling ‘Bruno, chief of police’ novels, is a Grand Consul de la Vinée de Bergerac.

Formerly a journalist, he spent 25 years as foreign correspondent for The Guardian and then became editor-in-chief of United Press International. He and his wife Julia have had a home in the Périgord since 1999 and one of his great hobbies is visiting the vineyards of Bergerac.

12 ♦ FRENCH LIFE

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ APRIL 2019

The Grumpy Granny Guide

I

Service with a smile?

returned recently from the latest ‘must visit’ Middle Eastern tourist destination, from a country with little history and few sites worth visiting but where the visitor experience was excellent. The friendly, faultless personal service at every level and at all times made me feel cosseted and valued and it compensated for any other shortcomings.

In the Périgord, I am aware that all too often the very opposite is true. This area is magical with so much to do, see and appreciate, with an unparalleled treasure trove of riches but here and throughout the country, the visitor experience is frequently marred by careless or absent service. A quick trawl through various tourist internet sites confirms that this is a shared perception. Parisian taxi drivers may be the most frequent targets of tourist complaints but the online comments bemoaning poor service in almost every sector should leave us in no doubt that France has a lot of catching up to do to provide the level of service increasingly found elsewhere.

My eye was caught by the description left by one unhappy tourist “We went to a restaurant where the meal had been prepared with contempt and was then served with disdain” which I thought summed things up perfectly and it is not for nothing that the French ministry of tourism has sporadic campaigns to encourage a warmer welcome for visitors.

Can we afford to dismiss these perceptions and comments, as so often happens, as the grumbling of the perpetually dissatisfied, who take pleasure in venting their discontent on the internet or in the ‘livre de doléances’ at the tourist office?

Surveys indicate we would be wiser to sit up and take notice. Figures show that most of us recall negative incidents more often than the positive, that 52% of disgruntled visitors will talk to others about their experience, that 40% will not return to a place where service has been (or is perceived to be) poor and that for every dissatisfied customer up to 15 potential clients are lost.

The level of service accepted almost worldwide is firmly based on the precept that you must treat visitors the way you would want to be treated yourself, in sum, provide a smile, make eye contact, completely focus on the visitor/client, have words of welcome /enquiry, listen and admit when you don’t have an answer, follow any mistake with a full apology and be patient, patient, patient. All of us recognise that this is far from our everyday experience.

Some of the issues around this fraught question of service are rooted in different values and norms in France in general and some are specific to the tourist industry in the Périgord; it is worth giving some thought to both.

What is so perplexing is that this is a country which values and produces excellence. Generally it is not the product - the meal, tour or accommodation - which engenders negative comments but the manner in which it is presented. The French public’s expectations of good service, the luxury trade notwithstanding, are generally low and in a nation where complaining is a national sport, people are still more likely to grumble about the intrinsic quality of a product than the level of service accompanying it.

Recently invited to a restaurant, I was horrified when our waiter was reprimanded very loudly and rudely by the maître d’hôtel in full view and hearing of all the diners. When I then commented on this to Managing Editor: Steve Martindale Editor-in-Chief: Steve Martindale Registered Address: Les Quatre Chemins

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my host he was taken aback. “He means nothing, it’s just his personality, it takes all sorts to make a world!”

This behaviour, which made the customers feel very uncomfortable, would be totally unacceptable elsewhere.

Far be it from me to excuse what is all too often truly offensive behaviour, but there has to be some explanation as to why people who are so infinitely friendly and courteous when they know you, have such difficulty with service.

Unlike Northern Europe and many Englishspeaking nations, France until recently was not predominantly a trading nation where the customer is king. Here, the customer is at best an equal, at worst an inferior and there is no tradition of appearing friendly to people you do not know. Someone may need/request attention or help but it remains at the discretion of the provider to decide whether to give the service or not.

It is this seeming lack of interest in their custom that leaves visitors so perplexed. “But don’t they want my money?” I have heard them exclaim in frustration as they are turned away from a restaurant at one o’clock or refused a refund for mis-bought goods or watched as a checkout assistant chats to a friend rather than ringing up their purchases. “Don’t they have any commercial sense?”

The answer lies in a different idea of what is important in life and here in the Dordogne in particular, despite lower than average incomes, making money is not people’s top priority. A proper lunch break is still considered of greater value than making a few more euros. More important than money is the freedom, hard won in the Revolution, to decide for yourself, in theory at least, whom you should serve. “On n’a pas gagné la Révolution pour rien” (We didn’t win the Revolution for nothing). You still hear this phrase more than 200 years on.

In France, as in many other countries it has to be said, admitting you are wrong is to lose face and people go to great lengths to justify the unjustifiable or blame someone else, and apologising is perceived as a sign of weakness. So making a complaint becomes a frustrating battle. Nor do official comments to the tourist office or to someone in authority give you much satisfaction. All too often, complaints are dismissed and I know of several incidents where official complaints have not been passed on or followed up.

I’m told that all complaints to the tourist office are examined but to my knowledge there is never any feedback and excuses are more forthcoming than apologies.

Poor service is not simply poor employee attitude.

There is plenty of blame to go round. Time and again I have witnessed a supervisor, boss or manager interrupt an employee busy with a client in a totally inappropriate manner. You’ve probably seen this for yourself at your local supermarket.

Good service doesn’t just happen. The right people have to be selected, trained and supervised and here this is problematical. Training takes time and money, as well as opportunity, but working in the local tourist industry is poorly paid, very seasonal and is often perceived as a ‘pis-aller’ - a stopgap. Staff servicetraining is minimal and not considered worth the time and effort by the employer.

Recently, there was an official complaint made to our mayor about the insolent attitude shown towards tourists by the salesgirl in our local bakery. Her

Directeur: Steve Martindale Rédacteur-en-chef: Steve Martindale Siège: Les Quatre Chemins

23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois SIRET: 514 989 748 00017 Imprimé par: Charente Libre

16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac Tirage mensuel: 14,000 copies Tous droits réservés. Toute reproduction, totale ou partielle, des articles et illustrations du présent numéro est strictement interdite. Dépôt légal à parution.

The Bugle cannot accept responsibility for the claims of advertisers or their professionalism. We strongly advise readers to verify that the company you are dealing with is a registered trading company in France or elsewhere in the world.

EASY

Hard to know which tourist sites to visit?

Grumpy Granny Guide

The Grumpy Granny Guide® will help you choose if you:

Need practial information Are with young children or a pushchair Are elderly Hate standing in the sun Tire easily and need to sit down Can’t manage any steps or stairs Are with your dog The Grumpy Granny website provides all the information you need to make the right choice for a comfortable experience in the Dordogne Visit us on:

www.GRUMPYGRANNY-GUIDES.com employer’s response was, “she’s not polite, but she needs the job, turns up on time and doesn’t steal from the till, I’m lucky to have her”. Although this neatly illustrates what is so often commented on, that employment is all too often about employees’ needs and not about the customer’s, all service industries have a very hard time recruiting suitable staff and frequently have to take the best of a bad lot, despite a high local unemployment rate.

So who is responsible? Not only the underpaid and overworked employees, perhaps not even the employers who are hard pressed to find suitable staff, nor the tourist administration which only has the power of persuasion and not enforcement.

The real power ultimately lies with us, the punters.

Do we complain (or praise) enough, and to the right people, and do we insist on a follow-up, an apology?

Of course not, it is easier just to walk away and not come back. But the flow of visitors to this area seems unending and as yet there is no perceived reason to ensure that tourists return.

It is only when numbers drop and jobs and revenues are on the line, that service at every level and from everyone will be recognised as the keystone of tourist satisfaction, on a par with medieval castles and prehistoric remains.

It must be acknowledged that there has been some improvement over the years, as the tourist industry has made ongoing efforts to improve the welcome for visitors and of course all of us have had bad experiences in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, the perception (and reality) of poor service persists and it is a shame that the attitude of the few does so much damage to so many. ■

This is part of a series of features devoted to the tourist experience in the Dordogne provided by the website grumpygranny-guides.com which highlights those sites which are comfortable and pleasant to visit and which offer a warm welcome.

MEDIUM

HARD

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 13

APRIL 2019 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

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Simply email - subscriptions24@thebugle.eu For more details visit www.thebugle.eu

One size does not fit all when it comes to investments - Blevins Franks

T

here is no single investment solution that suits everyone; what will work for you depends on your own objectives, time-frame and risk appetite. The same applies to any financial planning; whether you are looking at investments, tax planning, pensions or estate planning, your approach should be tailored for your specific set of circumstances.

The price you pay for an ill-fitting investment portfolio could be costly. You could find that your money is not working as hard as you would like it to, or it is difficult to access when you need it. Even worse, it could be eaten away.

The good news is that with professional guidance you can find the perfect fit for you.

Identifying your risk appetite First, you must be clear about how much risk you are willing to take with your money. Low risk means settling for low returns, but take on more risk and you could potentially face bigger rewards - and losses.

In the current low-interest rate climate - where rates hover near zero while the cost of living continues to creep upward - some risk is necessary to achieve returns that will outpace inflation. But your investment decisions shouldn’t keep you awake at night, so it is essential to pinpoint the right risk/reward balance for you.

It is extremely difficult to effectively assess your own tolerance for risk. An experienced financial professional is best placed to ask the right questions and use the appropriate tools to create a clear and objective risk profile for you.

Remember: without some element of risk, your returns could be eroded by inflation over the longer term. An adviser can present options to help control risk within your defined boundaries, such as through a carefully structured and

diversified portfolio. You could also choose to stagger the timing of investments in riskier assets to reduce exposure to market volatility.

Defining your time horizon Experts say ‘investing is a marathon, not a sprint’ for a good reason. The longer you have to invest, the more risk you can generally afford to take. With time, you can ride out market turbulence and also benefit from compound returns - interest made on interest. So if you have the means and the patience to invest in the long term, you are more likely to enjoy better returns.

Understanding your time horizon is also the key to future-proofing your investments so you can get hold of them when you need to. If you are planning to retire soon, for example, you may want to ensure your capital can be converted into a retirement income at the right time.

In any case, you never know when your plans may change unexpectedly, so it is important to hold some liquid assets that can be sold to release capital if needed.

Reducing risk through diversification The higher your concentration in one particular area, the higher the risk. This is an especially important point to note for expatriates whose investments are skewed towards UK-based assets and therefore more vulnerable to downturns in the British market.

A good portfolio minimises risk by spreading investments across multiple, unrelated areas through diversification. You can limit exposure to any single sector of the market by diversifying by asset type - cash, fixed income (government and corporate bonds), shares and ‘real assets’ such as property - as well as by geographic region and market sector.

Be mindful that many private banks and wealth managers often allocate a significant part of their investment portfolios to their own in-house funds. You can achieve greater diversification by choosing an adviser who uses a ‘multi-manager’ approach to spread investments out among several different fund managers, each selected for their expertise in specific market sectors.

The impact of taxation Finally, you should never underestimate the effect of tax on your investments. Without suitable tax planning in place, you could find your returns are slashed by taxes that could have been avoided or at least significantly reduced.

British expatriates can make the most of tax advantages in both France and the UK with personalised advice from a regulated adviser who specialises in both tax regimes. They can recommend tax-efficient structures that legitimately protect you - and your heirs - from paying more tax than necessary.

Remember that your circumstances and objectives change over time - as can tax rules - so what works for you now may not be suitable in years to come. It is crucial to regularly review how you manage your wealth to make sure it keeps up with your situation, especially at different life stages, such as retirement or when relocating. ■ All advice received from Blevins Franks is personalised and provided in writing. This article, however, should not be construed as providing any personalised taxation or investment advice.

Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com Tel: 05 53 63 49 19 Email: bergerac@blevinsfranks.com

KICK-START YOUR BUSINESS WITH ADVERTS FROM €12.50 HT / MONTH SALES24@THEBUGLE.EU

06 04 17 80 93

14 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ APRIL 2019

Business Directory

Your indispensable guide to finding local businesses & artisans Animals & Pets

SHAMPOOCHIENS Dog Grooming Parlour

All breeds catered for 30 years’ experience 24500 Eymet NEW – RAW FEEDING Now stocking a wide variety of raw/frozen meats Details on our website www.shampoochiens.net shampoo@shampoochiens.net

Auto Services

Building Services Architects/Surveyors

MOTOR PARTS CHARENTE

Suppliers of Car & Van Spares & LHD headlights, anywhere in France

of

Chamber

of

Architects

P r o v i d i n g A L L architectural services

motorptscharente@aol.com

V ery s ma l l to v ery b i g projects welcome

+44 (0)7830 170761

www.motorpartscharente.com

Blacksmiths

P r e-p u rc h a s e a s s i s ta n c e Feel welcome to ask for a non-binding meeting 05 53 56 52 27 a@mon.archi 06 42 86 59 12 (www)mon.archi Based in Périgord vert 24340 A l l o f F ra n c e c over ed

Siret: 499 234 615 00015

06 04 17 80 93

Member

JOHN SOWERSBY

05 53 58 55 38

Your advert here

NEU DplG ARCHITECTURE

Ironwood Motif Artist Blacksmith Ferronnerie d’Art

www.ironwoodmotif.com Pergolas, staircases, railings, handrails, balustrades, balconies, gates, sculptures, outdoor structures & more.

Simple or elaborate, intricate or uncomplicated, small or large, we can fabricate, forge and hand make ironwork customised to your needs.

Tel: 05 65 30 53 99

Facebook & Instagram: Ironwood Motif SIRET: 481 198 638 00019

Architecte d’intérieur bilingual Interior design: new and renovation projects (residential and commercial space) • Plans, budgeting, work follow-up • 3D visualisation • Consulting before buying/selling a property

Tel: 06 27 36 48 23

Email: dar_tacheva@yahoo.com https://designbar2.wixsite.com/designbar

At Masterplans.eu we can help guide you through your planning application in France.

From initial feasibility to completed dossiers.

We will compile all the relevant drawings and complete the necessary paperwork to ensure your application proceeds smoothly.

We are equally at home working with clients here in France or those living abroad.

Tel: 05 55 80 72 83 Mob: 06 33 07 29 72

CHARTERED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Pre-purchase & Structural Surveys.

Verbal & written reports.

Structural calculations & drawings.

Redevelopment ideas & solutions.

Tim Haw B.Eng C.Eng M.I.Struct.E

FR: 0033 (0)6 05 56 42 81 UK: 0044 (0)7448 466 662

Email: info@masterplans.eu www.masterplans.eu

Web: www.versineer.com Email: enquiries@versineer.com

Architectural DRAWING SERVICE

Building Services Carpenters/Joiners

Renovating your French property?

Darren Piper

Siret: 790 016 984 00011

New build?

Dossiers prepared Permis de Construire Déclarations Préalables

Tel: 05 53 52 36 05

Siret: 498 843 051 00018

Carpentry &

Building Services Qualified craftsman with over 20 years experience running his own business in the UK - Specializing in:

sales24@thebugle.eu

 Decking (all shapes and designs)  Renovations, alterations & conversions  Kitchens  Bathrooms Roofs Based in Sigoulès and covering Eymet, Bergerac, Duras & surroundings FREE QUOTES

06 04 17 80 93

06 89 18 35 89

lavieilleabbaye@orange.fr www.latuspeter-architecturaldrawings-24.com SIRET: 493 770 358 00015

e: darren.piper@hotmail.com Siret: 847 651 072 00013

DIRECTORY ♦ 15

APRIL 2019 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

ADVERTORIAL

Independent Financial Advice: making the right choices

W

hilst finding the perfect home is a priority, planning finances can be overlooked. You need an adviser who will always work in your best interest and can help you understand the complexities of the financial world, especially with the different tax regimes involved with life in France and the continued uncertainty of Brexit.

There are very few who are qualified to advise people moving and living overseas. A UK adviser, for example, will have no knowledge of the French fiscal system. Neither will a French bank necessarily give you truly independent advice and will generally only offer their ‘tied’ products.

Building Services Electricians

BARWICK ÉLECTRICITÉ SHAUN BARWICK QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN

Available for all types of electrical work New builds, renovations, rewires Consuel assistance and certification service available Fully insured with 10 year workmanship guarantee Based near Châlus (87230)

Tel: 09 72 35 74 73

Email: barwick.shaun@gmail.com siret: 794 282 368 00016

GMS Electrical 40 years’ experience

French registered - French insured 10 year décennale insurance French consuel certificates obtained Any job, small or large Full re-wires, extra sockets, industrial/commericial installations...

Pool heat pumps, external lighting, emergency lighting, electric gates...

Contact Gary Sear:

05 53 08 94 90 06 84 27 79 67

garysear5@hotmail.com

Based near Les Eyzies de Tayac (24620) siren: 808 093 322

Building Services General CHARKER DAVID

Specialist in the renovation and restoration of period and contemporary buildings All small works undertaken

Stonework, Traditional renderings in Lime, Doors and Windows, Dry line walls, Zinc work, Electrical wiring and interior finishes Based near Brantôme

E-mail : dn.charker@sfr.fr

Tel: 05 53 09 42 18 No Siret: 402 444 871 00030

Here are some areas you need to consider and where Blacktower can help you: • Tax. Many people moving to France believe they will pay more tax than they did in the UK. This of course does depend upon circumstances but a good financial planner will be able to provide you with a simulation of the taxes you are likely to pay, and an explanation of each of them so you are sure of your obligations.

• Investments. When you move to France you may leave your investments and savings in the UK if you are wary of the French options, but doing nothing may also cost you. Exploring options for French products may well save you tax in the long run. Many people I meet have heard of Assurance Vie, but do not necessary know what it is and how it can work for you both for your savings and inheritance planning.

• Pensions. Whether you have al-

Dan Dan the odd Job Man! Based near Bergerac General Maintenance Shelving Woodwork and Carpentry Dry Walling Small odd Jobs

Tel: 06 78 67 02 91 siret: 831 746 193 00018

Chantilly Properties

Property maintenance General repairs Kitchen Fitting Service Bathroom Fitting Dry lining/ Plasterboarding specialist

Tel: 05 53 58 07 99 Email: neilallcorn@orange.fr Siret: 792 389 561 00012

sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93 KP RENOVATIONS DORDOGNE Tiling, plumbing, decorating, flooring and plasterboarding.

Specialising in kitchens and bathrooms.

Based in the Sarlat/Belvès areas and covering the Southern Dordogne.

Tel: 05 53 30 28 84 or 06 37 32 19 94 Fully Registered SIRET: 522 951 318 00024 / 512 253 931 00012

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93

ready early retired or still have some years to retirement, there may be options with your pension both now and when it matures that need to be considered carefully to make the most of your money if you are living in France.

• Inheritance planning. The legal system in France differs from the UK, particularly surrounding inheritance. The French succession laws mean that without expert advice for all of your assets, you may have a nasty surprise later on.

Our advice is based on each individual’s personal and financial circumstances and is highly specialised and unique to each individual. We want you to feel comfortable with proper advice from a company that has been established since 1986, who know their ‘stuff’ and want to look after you for the long term and provide advice you can understand.

In our ever-changing world it is all too tempting to put your finances on

the “To Do List”, only to be filed away and forgotten about. Unfortunately, burying our heads in the sand is not the ideal way to deal with uncertainty and could cost you dearly in the future. As your local adviser in the Dordogne and Limousin I will be holding drop-in sessions on the third Thursday of the month at ‘Le Patio Café’, 10 rue Jean Jaurès, 24160 Excideuil from 10 am to 12 pm. This month on Thursday 18th I will also be joined

by Sue Cook of Currencies Direct for you to be able to talk all things currency. All initial consultations are without obligation or cost. ■ For an independent, professional and impartial consultation please contact me by phone or email: rosemary.sheppard@blacktowerfm. com, 06 38 86 99 70 The above information was correct at the time of preparation and does not constitute investment advice and you should seek advice from a profes-

sional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity.

Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority. Blacktower Financial Management (Int) Ltd is licensed in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) through whom we have a registered branch and passport for financial services in France. License number 00805B.

ANGLO Building Computers, Satellites & SCAFFOLDING Services Plumbing & Heating Web Design HIRE UK scaffolding supplied and erected here in France Qualified and fully insured FREE no obligation quotes Call Ian on

06 34 24 64 11 or see

www.lakesidebandb.net

Email: akbrunnstrom@yahoo.co.uk SIRET: 799 067 939 00014

Harlequin Developments est. 2007

All aspects of renovation and refurbishment, big or small, undertaken.

Kitchens fitted and tiled Replacement doors and windows Parquet flooring Oak framed porches Plasterboard and Insulation

05.55.68.67.56 06.06.60.46.97

harlequindevelopments@live.com www.harlequindevelopments.com SIRET: 494.501.067.00016

Building Services Painters/Decorators Simon Carter

Painter & Decorator Qualified craftsman with over 25 years UK experience, now based Haute-Vienne/north Dordogne border.

Specialist services: Interior & exterior painting & decorating, wallpapering, plastering.

FREE QUOTES

Tel: 05 87 19 91 50 Mob: 07 81 26 88 65

PLUMBING & Satellite TV HEATING ENGINEER Solutions - Installation, from kitchen taps to full central heating systems - Breakdown / Replacement boilers - Emergency plumbing repairs - Full analysed testing

M : 06 72 47 88 00 T: 05 53 20 64 02 E : wellers@orange.fr Registered Artisan - Siret No: 480 857 853 00018

For more information on advertising in the Bugle Business Directory, give us a call or send us an email: sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93 Building Services Sandblasting Sand and Blast We provide a fully operated

sandblasting

service for wood, stone and metal.

Perfect for stripping away years of grime or paint.

Contact us for a free quote, or see our website:

www.sandandblast.com

Web: www.sjcmontluc.fr Email: sjcmontluc@yahoo.fr

05 55 76 31 59 / 06 77 40 95 92

siret: 792.130.932.00017

SIRET: 812 727 253 00013

bobby@sandandblast.com steve@sandandblast.com

Sky / Freesat / French TV Installation and Re-alignment Internet Installation & Repairs inc. Satellite Broadband Fast, Friendly Service 60km radius of Ribérac Call Dave on:

06 04 17 72 05

dave@satellitetv.solutions www.satellitetv.solutions siret: 794 461 293 00019

WEBSITE No6 DESIGN before

- Free quote / discussion / meeting / assessment of current site during

- Refresh / redesign your existing site - Create new one page / multipage / shop / gite booking system site afterwards

- Update your own site if you like!

- Enjoy a fully maintained site - Enjoy full website support contact@no6.co

06 38 75 32 97

www.no6.co Siret: 80493524500014

Stephen Wisedale

WiFi Anglais Solve your Internet, wireless and computer problems

Extended wired and wireless networks for homes, gîtes and small businesses.

VPN solutions. Windows and Mac OSX.

www.wifianglais.com Email: hello@wifianglais.com Tel: 05 53 30 23 96 Mob: 07 78 52 20 46 Siret: 800 525 040 00013

16 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ APRIL 2019

ADVERTORIAL

New Forest Wood Burning Centre

W

e have been selling the finest wood burning stoves for over forty years, and the ground-breaking Clearview Stoves since they first came to market thirty

years ago.

Over that time, we have sold hundreds of stoves to discriminating customers in France and all over Europe, and in fact, our stoves have ended up in some of the furthest corners of the world!

Clearview Stoves have a hard-earned reputation as the most versatile, clean-burning and user-friendly stoves on the market. They come in a variety of sizes to fit your heating requirements, and can all be fitted with boilers if required.

We also carry excellent stoves from Chesney’s, Chilli Penguin, Contura and Barbas, which in our opinion represent the best offerings on the market, including the latest models achieving Ecodesign 2022 standards.

Like everyone without a reliable crystal ball, we have no idea what the eventual repercussions of any eventual Brexit will be for cross-Channel trade, but for the moment, it’s business as usual, a situation that is likely to persist at least until the end of a transition period, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or orders.

If you would like one of our excellent stoves for your home in France, you have three options: • Buy and collect direct from our showroom in Lymington in the New Forest, conveniently close to many major ferry ports

nickb@woodburners.com

• Buy from us by phone and arrange collection by Jon Davis, who makes regular collections from the UK and delivers to the door: jon@safehandshaulage.com 05.53.79.26.48

www.woodburners.com 0044 (0)1590 683585 New Forest Wood Burning Centre, 280 Ricardo Way Lymingron, SO41 8JU

• For a full collection & fitting service, contact Wayne Fairbrass, HETAS and NACS-qualified: wayne.fairbrass@orange.fr 06.10.79.48.01

ADVERTORIAL

“SolarVenti”- the solar solution to damp and humidity

A

simple solar energy system that runs on its own, even when you are not there! – And provides a free heat supplement in winter.

The Solarventi air panel was invented more than 20 years ago by Hans Jørgen Christensen, from Aidt Miljø, with the backing of the Danish government. He wanted to use the sun’s energy for airing and ventilation of the thousands of holiday homes on the West coast of Jutland, - houses that were left empty and unheated for long periods - houses with damp problems, mould and bad odours - houses that left their owners with discomfort, lots of work and expense. He wanted a system that would be safe, simple, without the need for radiators, water and/or mains electricity. Slowly but surely, the first Solarventi model came

together.

How it works The principle behind Solarventi is simple: a small, builtin, solar cell powers a 12V fan that is connected to an air vent, a control unit and an on/ off switch.

Whenever the sun shines, the air in the solar panel is heated and the fan, receiving power from the solar cell, introduces warm, dry air into your home at the rate of 20 to 100 cubic metres per hour.

The initial models were more than capable of keeping the cottages dry (and ventilated), even with the limited sunshine hours available in Denmark during the winter season. Since that time, the technology has really come along in leaps and bounds. Now, more than 20 years later, the 3rd and 4th generation Solarventi have exceed-

ed all expectations.

In Southern Europe, Solarventi is not only used for ventilation/dehumidification purposes; with far more winter sunshine hours, it also provides a substantial heating supplement. Several technical and governmental studies show that incoming air temperature can be increased by as much as 40°C. A DIY Solution?

The installation process is very straightforward and should only take two or three hours. All that is needed is a drill, hammer and chisel to make a hole in the wall. Roof installations are also possible. In fact, the Solarventi was originally designed to be a DIY product - in Scandinavia it still is.

There are no electrical or water connections and it can be safely left running, even when

the property is empty. Solarventi requires no maintenance - if the property is unoccupied during the hot summer months, then it can be left running at low speeds for ventilation and dehumidification purposes or simply switched off.

With a range of panel sizes, and the option for wall or roof mounting, Solarventi is suitable for all types of buildings, caravans or even boats!! Following the patenting of its design in 2001, Solarventi has only recently been actively commercialized. Over the last six years, Solarventi units have been installed in more than 24 countries and demand is increasing rapidly. From Greenland to Australia, Solarventi is finally getting the recognition it deserves. ■ Units start from €490 TTC.

SOLARVENTI - Available in the Dordogne From Harlequin Developments Mobile: 06 06 60 46 97

DIRECTORY ♦ 17

APRIL 2019 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

ADVERTORIAL

ADVERTORIAL

La Conciergerie

Advertising with The Bugle

Taking the hassle out of your holiday home

P

ut simply, our goal is to help you to get the most out of your holiday home.

We provide a variety of bespoke services, personalised to your needs and adapted to the season. Working from your home, our yearround caretaking service will ensure that your house is running smoothly in your absence, according to your wishes.

Whether you own a large property or a small lock-upand-leave, we can take care of every aspect of home maintenance, from preparing the property for your arrival, handling rentals and changeovers through to managing the grounds

and arranging any necessary maintenance. With a network of reliable contacts and 24/7 assistance, we are on hand to take the hassle out of running a holiday home.

For those who prefer to visit their holiday home during the warmer months, we also offer a wintering service, ensuring that your property is in perfect condition at the arrival of each summer.

If you have a larger project in mind, we can act as intermediaries with local artisans, pool installers, etc

and we can also help with related paperwork and red tape.

Whatever your needs, give us a call to see how we can make owning a second home even more rewarding. ■

La Conciergerie 24600 Villetoureix T: 06 42 67 94 50 - E: laconciergerie24@orange.fr

Food & Drink The Dordogne Chippy

Traditional Fish & Chips in a town near you All venues are in the evening between 6pm & 8.30 pm Wednesday: Mauzac, Le Barrage Thursday: Eymet 1st & 3rd Friday: Lauzun 2nd Friday: Ste-Alvère Last Friday: Campagnac-lès-Quercy See our website for full details:

www.thedordognechippy.com 05 53 74 01 91 or 06 19 99 25 62

Handholding Services HELP IS HERE!!

Struggling with the Complex French Administration?!

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Email: info@applicateur3d.com

06.70.23.53.33

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Language Services

rats, mice, moles, flies, woodworm, bed bugs, fleas, wasps, hornets

La Petite Barre, 18210 Bessais Le Fromental SIRET No. 498 544 741 00024

FOR SALE:

FRENCH LESSONS

Specialising in Indian and English food, serving Depts 24,16,46 and surrounding.

Easily managed from your home.

Sale due to retirement. €25k neg as going concern including commercial equipment, training, etc.

Huge Potential. Email for details. rhome2012@hotmail.co.uk

with a native French speaker Why commute? Long distance learning is the answer!

C’est simple, call Sophie...

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

Learn French in France

Gifts & Crafts

Pest Control

We are here to help!

Call us or email us We will help you find a solution

siret: 444 925 630 00014

Established catering business

W

ith 9 years’ experience delivering print advertising to an expat market, The Bugle represents one of the most cost-effective ways to let English speakers know about your business. An advert with The Bugle starts from just €12.50 HT per month – that’s less than 42 cents a day to put your business in front of 30,000 people each month.

In the Dordogne we have more than 150 distribution points across the region and surrounding areas where readers can pick up a copy for free.

We also distribute 3,000 copies through Bergerac Airport, which means that we are in the perfect position to target not only residents and secondhome owners, but also tourists and those new to the region.

The Bugle is the only English language newspaper dedicated to the Dordogne - in fact, today, The Bugle is the only free English language newspaper in France and we are growing all the time.

If you would like to discuss any of our advertising options further, why not give us a call today to find out more about the ways that we can help you grow your business.

Via Skype

05 55 89 15 74 scarolinea@yahoo.fr Complete immersion in a local family with lessons, conversation workshops, visits and local activities in Périgord, all at your own pace. (total independence possible)

www.auclairduperigord.com +33 (0)6 41 37 02 50

Property Maintenance La Conciergerie Taking care of your home all year round providing you with a wintering service, managing your summer rentals or organising a happy holiday for you.

24600 Villetoureix laconciergerie24@orange.fr Tel: 06 42 67 94 50 siret: 840 556 228 00010

Retail & Commerce

d.nina@live.co.uk Ivan Petley

3D Puzzle Maker Handmade, fully interlocking, multi-layered 3D puzzles from just €9.

Keyrings €2 plus other unique gift ideas.

Customisation and personalisation possible.

Postal delivery options across France.

Tel: 05.55.80.29.98 Les Bregères, 23150 St-Martial-le-Mont alison.petley@wanadoo.fr

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93

T: 06 04 17 80 93 E: sales24@thebugle.eu W: www.thebugle.eu

USED KITCHENS FRANCE Looking for a designer kitchen with granite worktops and premium appliances at a fraction of RRP? Pre-loved kitchens from brands like Poggenpohl and Bulthaup at usedkitchensfrance.fr 09 53 50 86 49

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93 Support

Quality second-hand books in English & French 19 r Victor Hugo, 24310 Brantôme

09 51 45 57 49

Enjoy a relaxing read in the tea room or riverside garden bookstop24@gmail.com facebook.com/bookstop24

Local and European Removals France to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy etc We Offer: Removals, Storage, House Clearance, also Car, Caravan, Plant Transport.

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+33 (0)6 73 96 38 39

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Smart Moves For a fully insured, careful service

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Special Needs Support Psychologist (MBPsS) looking for part-time work helping young adults/children in their own home, giving quality psychological support & respite to their carers.

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Please contact Catriona:

catcool61@aol.com Périgord Noir, will travel up to 45 mins from 24170. siret: 841 001 456 00018

bookstop

Transport, Removals & Storage

SOS Help

anxious? stressed? feeling down? call us up!

01 46 21 46 46 3 - 11pm daily Confidential & Non-profit

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FORTNIGHTLY SERVICES TO FRANCE FULL OR PART LOADS WELCOME WE COLLECT FROM ALL AREAS OF THE UK AND DELIVER TO ALL AREAS OF FRANCE Please CALL or EMAIL Stephen

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Man & Van Transport

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www.frenchvanman.eu Siret 530 213 644 00012

18 ♦ COMMUNITY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ APRIL 2019

Advertising in The Bugle Business Directory Advertising your business couldn’t be easier. Text only, boxed listings are available in our Business Directory from just €12.50/month.

Alternatively, why not spotlight your business with an Advertorial, available from 1/6 Page (€50 HT) up to Full Page (€300 HT).

Both Directory Adverts and Advertorials represent a cost effective way to put your brand in front of more than 30,000 pairs of eyes each month!!

For more information on any of our advertising options, please feel free to give us a call on 06 04 17 80 93 or send an email to sales24@thebugle.eu

6-Month Contract

12-Month Contract

Small b&w Directory Ad

€100

€150

Large b&w Directory Ad

€130

€195

Small Colour Directory Ad

€140

€210

Large Colour Directory Ad

€180

€270

All prices exclude TVA (20%)

Large Directory Ad 46mm x 71mm (Actual Size) 45 words max Small Directory Ad 46mm x 46mm (Actual Size)

30 words max

Directory Advertising is available either in black and white or colour, and in either small (30 words max) or large (45 words max) format.

Directory adverts may only contain text (small logos may be allowed when supplied). The minimum contract length is 6 months.

Advertising is payable on publication. All prices are HT.

SUDOKU - EASY

SUDOKU - MEDIUM

SUDOKU - HARD

The solutions to this month’s sudokus can be found on page 12

NEDWA - North Eastern Dordogne Women’s Association Come along and meet us on Tuesday 23rd April from 10:30 am to 12 noon at our next Coffee Morning at Auberge du Pont, route de Lanouaille, 24390 Cherveix-Cubas.

Always be sure of a warm welcome, good company and genuine friendship.

www.nedwa.com

NEDWA is a dynamic, multi-national group of around 100 women of all ages... Whether you are retired and feel like meeting some friendly faces, work from home and want to network, or just need to get out and attend some good monthly events, NEDWA fills the gap. Activities include a book club, sewing circle, coffee mornings, walks, lunches, speakers on topics which relate to you and much more.

There is no such thing as a “free cat” or “free kitten” - at least, not if you are a responsible adopter.

For a fully treated cat (microchipped, fully vaccinated and sterilised) Acorn Cat Rescue’s adoption fees are 115 euros per cat. Were you to go directly to your vet for the same treatments, it would cost you a whole lot more.

By adopting through a responsible rescue organisation such as Acorn, you have saved money and most importantly, the cat is all set for a bright future with no unwanted diseases or offspring.

Arnie is in The Dordogne and is just one of the Acorn cats waiting for his home.

www.associationacorn.com

Worship services in English held throughout the Dordogne: Bertric Burée, Chancelade, Eymet Temple, Limeuil, Négrondes, Sainte Nathalène (near Sarlat).

All are welcome!!

Please visit our website for more information: www.churchinaquitaine.org Find us on Facebook: English Church Aquitaine

APRIL 2019 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Issigeac International Music Academy 18 – 22 June 2019 World-renowned classical musicians are coming to the Dordogne this summer to take part in the inaugural week of the Issigeac International Music Academy (IIMA).

This exciting event is a major boost for the area and will feature two concerts by the celebrated Tippett Quartet and a third by the highly-acclaimed international violinist Ishani Bhoola.

The academy will offer a course for amateur string players with individual tuition and chamber music coaching from the Tippett Quartet. It will be an opportunity to experience first hand how professionals prepare for concerts, and combine a holiday in France with first class musical training.

Taking place in one of Dordogne’s most outstanding medieval villages, the academy is the inspiration of Ms Bhoola who has a holiday home nearby and whose career as a soloist and orchestra member spans both sides of the Atlantic.

Places to take part in the academy remain available and can be booked through its website www.iimusicacademy.com together with concert tickets.

Venue: Salle Multiservices, Chemin de l’école, 24560 Issigeac Concert Programme - All concerts begin at 20:30 Tippett Quartet Opening Concert - Tuesday 18 June Mozart Quartet C major Op.157 Beethoven Op.59 No.1 - Interval Debussy Quartet in G Minor Op.10 Violin Recital - Thursday 20 June Ishani Bhoola Violin | Jennifer Carter Piano Bach Violin and Harpsichord sonata No. I Debussy Violin Sonata - Interval César Franck Violin Sonata Tippett Quartet Closing Concert - Saturday 22 June Britten ‘3 Divertimenti’ (1936) Ravel String Quartet in F major (1904) - Interval Schubert Quartet in D minor ‘Death and the Maiden’

WHAT’S ON ♦ 19

The Great Phoenix Book Fair Saturday 4th May The next Great Phoenix Book Fair takes place on Saturday 4th May at Campsegret, on the N21 just north of Bergerac.

We have over 20,000 used books in excellent condition - fiction, non-fiction, children’s, French, antiquarian, cookery, history, war and many more. You’ll also find thousands of DVDs and CDs, jigsaws, children’s games, bric-a-brac, plants and cards. Many items for just one euro!

The Catering Team will be serving their usual, delicious home-made goodies, both sweet and savoury.

There will also be a chance to see some of the dogs which are up for adoption.

Doors open at 9.30 am (9.00 am for those with limited mobility) and close at 3.00 pm. Free parking.

Children and dogs are very welcome. All donations of money, food, books, plants, etc. welcome on the day.

All the proceeds will go to the Phoenix Association to continue the work of caring for, healing and rehoming abandoned, abused and unwanted animals.

PLEASE COME AND JOIN US! For more information visit www.phoenixasso.com or www.facebook.com/PhoenixAssociationFrance

FREE LESSONS AT THE SAINT CYPRIEN BRIDGE CLUB You may think that playing bridge is tedious and difficult.

In fact, it is fun to learn and to play. This is why, in order to encourage new players to learn the game, and to become familiar with the French bidding system, the Bridge Club of St Cyprien, located in Castels on the left hand side of the main road from St Cyprien to Beynac, is organizing free bridge lessons two mornings a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 12.15 pm.

The main teacher, Mrs Christiane de Schwartz, is a fluent English and Dutch speaker and a number of players are also bilingual in English and French. The lessons are very convivial with tea and coffee breaks.

The club, which is an active member of the national official “Fédération Française de Bridge”, organises tournaments every Monday and Thursday afternoon from 2 pm and the results of the competition can be forwarded to the “Fédération”. The club has about 40 members from across the Périgord Noir and there are eight bridge tables available for tournaments.

On Mondays, it is possible to come to play without a partner, as the club organizes for a member to be available to play with a person coming alone. Parking is easy and free (on the left hand side of the “Boucherie de la Vallée”, two doors away from the bridge club).

Yearly club membership costs 26€ and the “Fédération” membership fee is 34€. The table fee for the regular tournaments is 3€ for members of the Fédération.

On the fourth Monday of every month, a special tournament called “Roy René” takes place simultaneously in all the French clubs. The table fee is 5€ for the occasion. The results are forwarded by mail to the organizer “Bridge Plus”.

A booklet is handed to all participants for them to compare their own biddings with those of “Bridge Plus”, pointing out the difficulties of the cards in hand.

For further information contact: Christiane de Schwartz - President of the St Cyprien Bridge Club (06 29 62 98 31), Isabelle Saint Ouen Texier (05 53 31 60 82), or Brigitte Frerebeau (06 44 95 19 91)

20 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ APRIL 2019

WHAT’S

ON

The great Easter egg hunt at the Jardins de Marqueyssac 21st and 22nd April This special event is reserved for the delight of children on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday afternoons.

Variations Ensemble Vocal 2019 Easter Concerts Brahms Requiem, with its Philharmonic orchestra and soloists The Brahms Requiem, which is seldom heard in the Dordogne, will be performed in St George’s Church, Périgueux on Saturday 6th April at 20h00, and on Sunday 7th April at 17h00 in Saint-Martin-de-Ribérac. Variations will be singing, as usual, with their orchestra and soloists who are now well known and appreciated by the public after a decade of visiting the Dordogne to perform with the choir. This is a unique opportunity to appreciate the most profound choral work from a sometimes underrated composer.

What inspired Brahms, who was still a young man when he started this monument of choral expression, to write this requiem?

It seems there was no particular catalyst but his supporter and mentor, Robert Schumann, died in 1856 and the seventh and last movement was added in 1869, after the first performance but also after the death of his mother, Christine. What is very clear is that the Requiem is dramatically different from all requiems that preceded it, avoiding all references to Dies Irae, no Gates of Hell but concentrating on comforting those that mourn, singing of faith, consolation, victory over death and eternal peace. He even sets ‘Oh death, where is thy sting?’ to a type of waltz rhythm, almost laughing at death.

But the most radical difference is that it used texts in the vernacular taken from the German Lutheran Bible as opposed to the traditional Latin Mass form. Shock, horror, in southern Germany but in the Lutheran North, it was very well received, equally overseas, which gave Brahms an international reputation and all before his first symphony. It is often known as Brahms’ German Requiem.

There will also be workshops for decorating eggs and the chance to turn your own wooden egg.

The egg hunt is reserved for Under 12s.

Please sign up in advance by telephone on 05 53 31 36 36 or online at www.marqueyssac.com Entry to the gardens is free for Under 10s, €5 for 10-17 years and €9.90 for adults

Music in the Dordogne sponsored by ARCADES Join us for concerts in the air conditioned new hall in Le Buisson, mostly of classical music, with top class French,

English, Russian and other international performers. Concert tickets cost €15 including wine in the interval.

All events are organised by volunteers and serve as a meeting ground for the French and international communities of the Dordogne, including ACIP and La Tulipe.

Venue - Le Buisson de Cadouin, salle des fêtes, avenue Aquitaine

For more info, tel 06 31 61 81 68 or 05 53 23 86 22 or visit http://www.arcadesinfo.com/

Sunday 28th April at 5 pm Soprano Aurélie Ligerot accompanied by pianist Simon Adda-Reyss

For further details, contact Veronica Dare Bryan on 06 85 86 73 33 or at veronica.dare-bryan@neuf.fr.

Tickets €20 (12-16s €8, Under 12s free) on sale Friday mornings from 10h00-12h00 at the office de tourisme, Ribérac, or by reservation from the Forum Culturel Centre Ribérac (Mondays-Fridays except Thursday mornings) or from Clare on 05 53 91 53 52 or at clare32pag@gmail.com.

Classical Concert - Tuesday 30th April, Église Saint-Martial de Villars

Programme: A selection of Puccini arias and other operatic and classical works Aurélie Ligerot: Critically acclaimed for The King of Hearts in Saint Etienne Opera, Aurélie Ligerot is distinguished by “A flexible phrasing, a luminous timbre, clear highs, and a dramatic sense and perfect gestures” (Concertclassic. com, March 2016 ). She performs in the major French and international houses.

The DUO FORTECELLO will present its “Around the World with a Cello and a Piano” programme. Polish cellist Anna Mikulska and FrancoSpanish pianist Philippe Argenty bring together music from their respective roots in a programme that will take you on a journey...

The Duo will perform works by Debussy, Fauré, Chopin, but also Nin, Despic, Bartok and Servais.

For more information, see: www.festivillarsenperigordvert.com