The Bugle Limousin - Dec 2020

Radio station posts Queen's obituary An IT error leads RFI to prematurely announce the death of almost one hundred people, including Queen Elizabeth II >> Page 6

Black Friday postponed

Delayed due to lockdown, the annual sales bonanza will now start on Friday December 4th >> Page 3

November 2016 - Issue #85

Limousin

Your local newspaper for life in France

December 2020 - Issue 134 - FREE!

Three steps to the end of lockdown

>> continued on page 6

2021 Tour de France route unveiled - pg 5

The hunt for omelette du fromage man - pg 8

© USFWS Mountain-Prairie (WikiCommons)

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The second step of the schedule will come on Tuesday 15th December when the country comes fully out of confinement, provided the target of 5,000 new cases per day has been hit. Bars and restaurants will remain closed, however, until the third and final step on Wednesday 20th January.

“Scientific studies show that these establishments, despite the very demanding protocols and the strong willingness of managers to apply them, remain and will remain places of high viral contamination,” Prime Minister Jean Castex explained. “Customers have to remove their masks to eat, so it is difficult to respect barrier gestures, people stay there longer than elsewhere and they are enclosed spaces as terraces are closed during winter.”

All retailers deemed

Portsmouth-Cherbourg ferry to sail again - pg 3

Covid-19 transfer fears lead to mink farm culls - pg 4

President Emmanuel Macron has outlined the three steps that will lead to the end of the second national lockdown, with most shops now open.

lmost a month after the second lockdown b e g a n , President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a three-step deconfinement process which began on Saturday 28th November with the reopening of shops and a relaxation of the distance people can travel from their homes. “We have passed the peak of the second wave. Our efforts, your efforts, have paid off,” the president said in a televised address to the nation.

“We have slowed down the circulation of the virus. We still have several weeks in front of us to reach the goals that I have set. To do that, we must continue for several weeks to avoid activities in enclosed places that accelerate the spread of the virus and limit gatherings as much as possible.

Tonight I will fix a schedule.”

INSIDE > > >

British sailor saving lives with clicks - pg 7

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2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

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I

The Bugle

have written an article in this month's edition about a proposed new law (which has actually now passed through parliament just as we are going to print) which makes it an offence to discriminate against someone on the basis of their accent (see page 10). Growing up in the south of the UK, I was taught as a child - partially by my friends and family, but more significantly by the telly - that northern accents were funny and the people who had them were not always the sharpest tools in the box.

It took until I was a little more grown up, had travelled further than the Watford Gap and met people from all corners of the four nations to realise how patently ridiculous this is. I even married a northern lass, although her Manchester accent is strangely mild. She is also way cleverer than me... although daft enough to have said yes!

I have not looked into the history of it all, but for me a turning point in normalising regional accents on the TV was the voice-over guy from Big Brother and his delicious Geordie lilt. These days, there is a rich tapestry of accents in the media and I can't think of anything worse than being read the news by someone with one of those post-war, BBC, received pronunciation accents of the fifties

and sixties.

I'm sure that some people still do pre-judge others on their accent, but I suspect that it is much less of a thing than a few decades ago. That said, I do remember a study from a few years back where people were asked to judge someone's attractiveness and intelligence based on a picture and an audio file of some speech, randomly paired. Whilst accents did not change how attractive people thought the subjects were, it did affect how intelligent they found them. Bottom of the list... Brummies!

In actual fact, the control group of the experiment had just the picture and no speech, and a silent face was considered more intelligent than the same person saying something normal in a Birmingham accent.

By all accounts, France is still very much in the pre-Big Brother days and apparently it is still very hard to be taken seriously in many parts of the country if you have a strong regional accent. The clip mentioned in the article of the exchange between Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the unlucky southern reporter is shocking in its rudeness.

I have always believed that the last things you will learn on the way to fluency are sarcasm and humour.

Master those and you have well and truly cracked the language. I have lived in French-speaking countries

for twenty years now, and while my French is good-to-fluent, I will always have an accent and do not understand jokes, let alone know how to make one. And if I try to say something dry or sarcastic to a French friend, they almost always think I am being literal.

So I think I am going to have to add accents to my qualifiers for linguistic mastery. Researching the piece on the new law, it occurred to me that all French people sound (basically) the same to me. I can pick out the heaviest Marseille twang (du vang, du pang, du Boursang anyone?), but everything else is pretty much... well, just French!

As I said, I lived quite a narrow life growing up in the south of England and did not come across many regional accents in my youth.

When I went to study in Durham, I struggled to understand the locals initially, but that was my fault, not theirs. It's a beautiful accent, but I had just never heard it enough to properly tune in.

Durham is a small city sandwiched between Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesborough and the locals of all three are rightly proud of their cities and their accents. With all three of their teams in the Premiership at the time, however, it became very important to quickly recognise Geordies from Mackems from Smoggies if you ventured down the pub, especially on game day!

You might get away with calling a Mackem a Geordie once, but it is not wise to try to test that out too often!

The same happened when I went to Limerick for work. Another beautiful accent, but one that you need to tune your ear to if you don't have many friends from the west coast of Ireland.

And while some accents can to some people's ears - make you

Hire and Sale of mini excavators and other small machinery wide range of mini excavators dumpers compactors micro tractors plant trailers Rubber tracks / Buckets and parts supplier sound less intelligent, others can very much work in your favour. An Italian school dropout with an IQ less than his age will not find himself drinking alone in a British pub if he speaks decent enough English with an Italian accent. I know that is quite a reductive statement, but I have found it to be true. They say in advertising that sex sells. Well if you want to sell something in the UK, get the message read out by a sultry woman with a sexy French accent.

I will probably buy anything that Marion Cotillard tries to sell me... less so Manuel from Fawlty Towers, but you get my drift.

All of which musings led me to one impossible, but undeniably alluring hypothesis... am I sexy in French? Anyone who has met me will understand what a preposterous question that is, even if you go by the photo below this editorial which is from more than a decade ago, both in terms of years and kilos! (Note to self, I really must update that!) But is my accent at the very least 'cute' when I speak French? I would love

to think that it is, but it just seems so unlikely.

On reflection, I've torpedoed my own argument, because while Marion Cotillard does have the most alluring accent in the world, she is also one of the most beautiful people on the planet. Accents aside, that is not a string I could ever claim to have in my bow!!

That just leaves me to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas after what has been such a challenging year, and here's hoping for brighter horizons in 2021.

Until next year!

Steve Martindale, Editor www.thebugle.eu articles.thebugle.eu facebook.com/The BugleFrance

CONTACT us Tel: 06 04 17 80 93 General: editor@thebugle.eu Advertising (EN): sales@thebugle.eu Publicité (FR): publicite@thebugle.eu Subscriptions: subscriptions@thebugle.eu

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Black Friday sales postponed

Brittany Ferries to restart Portsmouth to Cherbourg route credit: Brittany Ferries

I

n the face of growing pressure the Black Friday sales were delayed last month by one week after representatives for small business owners reached an agreement with large retailers and online platforms. Originating in the US, where the event takes place on the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, the Black Friday sales have become a consumer phenomenon across the world in recent years.

The sales extravaganza had been due to begin on Friday 27th November, but with the country's “non-essential” shops still closed due to the national lockdown, there was significant pressure to move the date.

In the early days of the second lockdown, supermarkets and other “grandes surfaces” were permitted to stay open for everyday essentials, but were also allowed to sell other goods such as clothes, toys and shoes. Unions for shopping centres and smaller retailers collectively published an open letter calling on the government to allow sales of “essential products only” during confinement, as well as demanding the cancellation of online Black Friday sales in France.

“The measures taken to control the virus will only increase the scandalous inequality of treatment that already exists between physical shops and online retailers, to the peril of the former and exclusive profit of the latter,” the group said.

“They do the same job as us. They sell goods and services to consumers, and so the same rules should be applied to them, starting with the closure of sales judged non-essential,” said Jacques Ehrmann,

Est. in France since 2004

president of the Conseil national des centres commerciaux (CNCC). “The government has shown it knows how to close aisles in bookshops and hypermarkets. I do not see why they are not in a position to act against Amazon and its consorts for Black Friday.”

The government swiftly brought in a ban on the sale of items deemed nonessential in supermarkets, but online sales remained possible and there was no update on the timing of Black Friday.

Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, president of the Medef union which represents small and medium businesses, initially rejected any movement, saying that it was “not reasonable” to expect shopkeepers to delay Black Friday at such a late date.

“Everything is possible, but not nine days before. Supermarkets have prepared their catalogues, and everyone is talking a lot

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about Amazon, but there are plenty of French businesses that have prepared their sales.”

Eventually, the online giants and traditional retailers appeared to reach a compromise and representatives signed an agreement at the Ministry of the Economy, to delay the flash sales by one week, on the understanding that small businesses would be open by that date. At the time of the agreement, no official announcement had been made on the end of the lockdown and on when non-essential shops could once again open their doors. Following Macron's announcement, however (see front page), the sales will now begin on December 4th.

The date is an important one in the retail calendar – in 2019, a total of €6 billion was spent by the French public during the Black Friday sales. ■

A

fter a difficult year, Brittany Ferries has recently taken delivery of its first new ship since 2009 and plans to re-open the Cherbourg to Portsmouth route. Hard-hit by Covid-19 and subsequent quarantine rules, the company was forced to stop serving the route earlier this year, but the eco-friendly ferry will now re-start the Channel crossing once a week from as early as December.

The Galicia is powered by liquified natural gas and has a number of other innovative features aimed at reducing its impact on the environment. The ship, which was built in China and has now passed berthing trials and other pre-service checks, will be joined in service by its sister ships Salamanca and Santoña in 2022 and 2023.

“I'm delighted to welcome Galicia to the city on behalf of the people of Portsmouth,” said Mike Sellers, director of the Portsmouth International Port, which is currently home to the new vessel. “2020 has been a challenging year for us all, so it's great to be able to look to the future positively.”

Although the new ferry is currently based in the UK, the company has said it will eventually be moved to a French port, in line with their policy of registering long-term fleet members in France. ■

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Anaesthetist jailed over First Covid cases in Briton's Caesarian death country's mink farms © Patrick Reijnders (WikiCommons)

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Belgian anaesthetist has been jailed for three years following the death of a British woman during a botched Caesarian section operation at a hospital in Orthez near Pau in September 2014.

Whilst under the influence of alcohol, Helga Wauters pushed a breathing tube into the throat of 28-year-old Xynthia Hawke, rather than her oesophagus. Wauters was found guilty of manslaughter over the incident and was also banned from practising medicine.

The young mother had passed her due date when she was admitted to the maternity ward of the hospital. Shortly after her arrival Wauters administered an epidural, but following complications, it was decided that an emergency Caesarian would be necessary. When Wauters returned to the maternity ward after being called in to administer a general anaesthetic, witnesses said they could smell alcohol on her breath.

Hawke subsequently woke up during the operation and began vomiting and shouting “it hurts” before ripping out her breathing tubes.

One nurse told the court the scene was like a war zone. While her baby survived the procedure, Hawke suffered a cardiac arrest and died four days later.

Wauters, who had only been in the job for a few weeks, moved to France after she was fired from her job at a Belgian hospital for being under the influence of alcohol. She has since admitted to being a chronic alcoholic who began each day by drinking vodka mixed with water to stop her hands from shaking. The recruit-

ment company that hired the doctor after she arrived in France did not check her credentials or disciplinary record, investigators said.

When she was taken into custody, the alcohol content in her blood was 2.38 grams per litre, or the equivalent of around ten glasses of wine.

“I recognise now that my addiction was incompatible with my job,” Wauters said during an earlier hearing. “I will regret this death my entire life.”

Wauters had initially denied being solely responsible for the tragedy, insisting that other staff were to blame and claiming that the ventilator was not working at the time of the incident. Investigators found this to be untrue and the court ordered the former anaesthetist to pay almost €1.4 million in damages to Ms Hawke's family. “Justice has set an example for this type of doctor who, in my eyes, is not a doctor,” the victim's partner, Yannick Balthazar, said. ■

T

he future of the country's fur industry is in question after Covid-19 was detected at a mink farm in the Eure-et-Loir. Time had already been called on mink farms after a recent law change which targets circus animals also legislated that fur farms must be closed in the next five years. With the presence of Covid-19 now confirmed, the controversial farms may now be phased out much sooner.

The ecology ministry stated in early November that France's four mink farms have been under government surveillance since a farm in the Netherlands reported an outbreak in June. Similar outbreaks have also since been reported in Spain and the United States.

On 4th November, the Danish prime minister confirmed that Denmark was set to slaughter all 15 million mink currently in the country following an outbreak of a suspected mutated version of SARS-Cov-2, which then spread from these animals to at least a dozen people.

For the time being, France has not gone this far, but the government did confirm “the slaughter of all the one thousand animals still present on the farm and the destruction of any products associated with them.” Of the remaining three farms in the country, one has been given the all clear for now and “analysis is currently ongoing at the other two,” a spokesperson said. “If the results are positive in either of these two farms, the same slaughtering measures as in the first concerned farm will be applied.” ■

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2021 Tour de France route unveiled

@LeTour (Twitter)

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fter a rescheduled autumn Tour de France this year, organisers are hopeful that next year's race will not have to move from its usual slot around Bastille Day. The 2021 edition will start slightly earlier than usual, however, in order to avoid clashing with the Tokyo Olympics and is currently set to get under way on 26th June before concluding in the capital on 18th July.

Copenhagen had been due to host the Grand Départ, but has pulled out because of a clash with the rescheduled Euro 2020 football tournament. The Danish capital will instead now host the race in 2022. With concerns lingering over the potential impact of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, next year's Grand Tour will now take place entirely in France; one stage in the Pyrenees is due to pass through Andorra.

Rather than heading to Scandinavia, the race will instead begin in Brest, with Brittany hosting the first four stages. The peloton will then head through central France to the Alps, then along the south coast to the Pyrenees. For local cycling fans, the closest the race comes this year is a stage finish in Châteauroux on 1st July and the penultimate day time trial in Saint-Emillion on 17th July.

Organisers faced a degree of criticism for this year's race which was widely seen as too geared towards the climbers, but the sprinters will have more stages in their sights next year. The route has just two fully mountain stages in the Alps and four more in the Pyrenees, including the climbs of Tourmalet, Peyresourde and Portet. There will be one stage for the climbers between the two mountain ranges when the peloton visit Provence and will have to climb the formidable Mont Ventoux not once, but twice in a single day.

This year's three Grand Tours were heavily impacted by schedule changes and outbreaks of Covid-19 amongst the teams and backroom support staff, but did create another British cycling star in the shape of Tao Geoghegan Hart. The 25-year-old Ineos rider

from East London was the surprise winner of the Giro d'Italia and will be vying with 2018 winner Geraint Thomas and 2019 champion Egan Bernal to lead what probably remains the strongest team in the peloton. The two British riders will also have to contend with four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome who has joined new team Israel Start-Up Nation with the express intention of targeting the 2021 race and joining Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil as the only men to win the race five times.

French interest will once again focus on Julian Alaphilippe who will take part in the 2021 race wearing the world champion's rainbow jersey. For the past three years, he has won at least one stage - two in 2018, two in 2019, and one in 2020. ■

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Foreign driver crackdown

France is continuing its crackdown on foreign drivers, with the British among the worst offenders. Figures released for 2019 show that one in five speeding offences were committed by drivers in cars on foreign plates. Of the 2.5 million fines handed out to foreign drivers, almost 450,000 were issued to British drivers.

Foreign drivers have long been a problem on the country's roads. Although they make up around 5 per cent of all traffic, in summer foreign drivers account for as many as 50 per cent of driving offences and a disproportionately large percentage of accidents.

In 2015, a pan-European agreement came into force allowing countries to impose fines cross-border with more countries signing up to the scheme each year. Today France has reciprocal deals for cross-border fines with the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Portugal and Switzerland. ■

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End of lockdown RFI announces death “non-essential” were finally able to reopen at the end of November, but with strict protocols in place. This includes bookshops, clothes shops and toy shops, as well as libraries, hairdressers and beauticians, although all businesses must be closed by 9 pm. Shops must limit the number of people in their store to one person per 8 square metres and shops larger than 400 square metres must have a member of staff on the door responsible for counting customers in and out to respect the maximum capacity.

The country’s economy minister, Bruno Le Maire, has said that he is in favour of shops being allowed to open on Sundays in the lead up to Christmas, but the power to grant this will lie with local authorities.

The other major change now in effect is an extension of the restrictions on daily exercise. You are now permitted to go outside for a walk, exercise or play certain sports for up to three hours at a time and within a radius of 20 kilometres of your home. Walking with or without a dog and jogging are covered by this, but must still be done on your own or with a member of your household. Socially-distanced walks with people from other households remain against the rules, as does

“bumping into a friend” while on a walk.

Both shopping trips and the relaxed exercise rules are covered by the updated version of the now-familiar attestation, which remains compulsory for any trip outside your house until 15th December. When confinement ends on 15th December, the attestations will no longer be needed, but a nighttime curfew will be introduced which runs from 9 pm to 7 am. Cinemas, museums and theatres will also be able to reopen with strict health controls in place.

A temporary exemption to curfew measures will apply on 24th December and 31st December. “But that does not mean that we can celebrate Christmas and the New Year like previous years,” Prime Minister Jean Castex said at a press conference following the president's announcement, adding that it would be imperative to limit the number of people gathering. “These moments of festive and friendly gatherings, when one lowers one's guard and masks are removed, are particularly risky.”

If the number of new cases per day stays below 5,000, then the curfew will be abolished on 20th January and restaurants and cafés will be able to reopen, along with gyms and leisure centres. ■

of Queen Elizabeth

F

rench radio station RFI was left redfaced in November when it accidentally announced the premature death of the Queen. Blaming a “technical problem”, Radio France Internationale inadvertently posted Queen Elizabeth II's obituary on its website, along with around a hundred others of people very much still alive, including Brigitte Bardot, Pelé and Clint Eastwood. The deaths were also published on partner platforms including Google, Yahoo! and MSN before being hastily taken down.

“We offer our apologies to the people concerned and to you who follow and trust us,” the station said in a tweet when the problem first came to light. “We are doing all we can to rectify this major bug.” Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, former US president Jimmy Carter and Yoko Ono were among others surprised to learn of their own demise.

“The United Kingdom awoke an orphan this morning. Buckingham Palace officially announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen, who died of …, turned 94 on 21 April 2020,” the station wrote in the obituaries section of its website. “All Albion laments the disappearance of its sovereign who, at the head of her country since 1952, has constituted the immovable bedrock around which England’s postcolonial history has unfolded, full of sound and fury.”

According to its statement, RFI said that the

© Joel Rouse/MoD (WikiCommons)

>> continued from pg 1

problem occurred when it was moving its website to a different content management system. It is not unusual for broadcasters and media outlets to prepare obituary material in advance in order to be able to publish it promptly when a death is announced. The early release of these obituaries is a major embarrassment, but is worryingly not that uncommon. In fact, this is the third time that one French businessman, Bernard Tapie, has been bumped off by the media: Le Monde published his obituary in 2019, while the TV arm of the sports paper L’Équipe killed him off live on screen last August. ■

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The British sailor saving lives

SPA Creuse appeals for donations

S

credit: Vincent Curutchet

I ailing has a huge following in France with top sailors often receiving celebrity status and one of the biggest events in the sport is the Vendée Globe. The race is held every four years and is a solo round the world yacht race which starts and finishes in Les Sables d'Olonne on the Atlantic coast.

French sailors have dominated the event, winning every race since its first edition in 1989. Dame Ellen MacArthur became a household name in France when she came second in the 2000 race, narrowly losing to Michel Desjoyeaux after 95 days at sea.

In November, 32 sailors took to the waves, one of whom is Sam Davies, a British yachtswoman who is racing for the Initiatives-Coeur team, which combines sport with humanitarian work. The team works alongside the non-governmental organisation Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, which brings children living in

38 years in the Trade in France and England

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poorer countries to France for life-saving heart operations.

During the Vendée Globe, for every “like” the Initiatives Coeur Facebook or Instagram page receive, or every time a post is shared, the foundation's partners will donate €1 to the cause. At the time of going to press and after 20 days into a race that is expected to end some time in January, Sam Davies was placed ninth and had already helped raise over €300,000, the equivalent of 24 children receiving life-saving operations.

The organisation is hoping to raise enough money to save 60 children by the end of the race. To contribute to the effort, visit www.initiatives-coeur.fr/ and get clicking and sharing. To follow the progress of Sam Davies and the other four British sailors, visit www.vendeeglobe.org ■

t has been a difficult year for charities in France, with the current health crisis making fundraising events impossible. The Société protectrice des animaux (SPA) is no exception and the Creuse branch, based at Saint-Sulpicele-Guérétois, has made an appeal for donations to help them look after the animals they have in their shelter.

Not only has the coronavirus crisis seriously affected the charity's income, but not being able to have visitors at the shelter has also led to a decrease in adoptions. This has left the kennels full, and the coffers worryingly empty. Where the charity would usually have found loving homes for 100 animals so far this year, they have only managed to find families for 50.

With winter just around the corner, the four permanent staff and thirty volunteers have launched an online appeal to try and raise the money required to keep the charity operating until traditional fundraising methods can begin again.

“We are independent, we have no State aid and no grants...

We survive entirely on donations,” explained Marie-Claire, the charity's treasurer. “We are hoping to raise €15,000. People can of course also help us year round with money transfers or cheques. They can also sponsor a dog, especially senior dogs, by paying their fees. Finally, we can issue tax certificates - the deduction is 66% - and we are looking to develop corporate sponsorship which would make the tax deductions even more significant.”

With many volunteers unable to give as much time under lockdown conditions, the refuge is being largely run by the four members of staff, but without the funding their jobs, and the future of the shelter, is under threat. “We are worried for the staff. Our volunteers take over from the employees at weekends and on bank holidays, but without the staff, we will not be able to run the kennels which house around fifty dogs.

We are the only charity in the department with kennels. If we have to close, people will lose their jobs and what will happen to the dogs?”

To make a donation, visit www.leetchi.com and search for “SPA de Creuse”. ■

8 ♦ FRENCH NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ DECEMBER 2020

A

n American man became an unlikely celebrity in France in November when he made an impromptu cameo on BFM TV. Reporter Maxime Switek was recording a live piece to camera in Washington DC shortly after the American news networks had called the presidential election for Joe Biden.

Hearing the reporter speaking French, the shirtless man approaches the microphone and declares, “I’ve been to France, and it’s beautiful,” before delivering a culturally questionable hon-honhon imitation-French laugh. “I ate

escargot, I love a croissant, I love an omelette du fromage.” A quick internet search for “omelette du fromage man” should bring up the video and it is certain to bring a smile to your face.

The clip soon went viral and the hunt was on to track the man down.

First to find him was Forbes, and rather than mocking France, the young man is something of a fan of this country.

Meka Anyanetu, who works for the US government, had begun the day in a funk after the recent cold weather and a bike accident, but told Forbes that news of Biden's victory had lifted his mood.

“When I heard the result, yeah, I was ecstatic,” he said. “So I ran down and grabbed my emergency bottle of champagne.” Showing an impressive knowledge of French culture, Meka then apparently corrected himself that it was not real champagne because it was not from the Champagne region of France. “Not only have I been to France, but I've travelled by myself,” he said. “I'm not just some oblivious American who watched one TV show. I actually used to know French. I love their quality of food. Like just things like bread, the meat. I feel like basic items just taste so much better

screenshot BFMTV

Online fame for omelette du fromage man

there.”

The bottle of fizz also explained his topless appearance; his shirt had become soaked during the celebrations and so he had taken it off.

Meka has plans to visit France again in the future and is using his new-found fame to raise the travel costs via online donation platform Venmo. “I also need money for a new shirt!” ■

Controversy over supermarket sale of whole animals its aisles and apologised to “anyone who has been offended”. As seems to increasingly be the case in these polarised times, the incident split opinion: many people welcomed the move for highlighting the link between a piece of meat in a styrofoam tray and the animal it came from; others were offended by being forced to look at what is effectively a dead

@20320Vero (Twitter)

A

French supermarket found itself at the centre of a minor controversy when it put on sale “whole animals” - head, fur, feathers, claws and all – wrapped in clear plastic in the meat section. The most surprising element to the story was that, whilst many ordinary shoppers complained, the move was welcomed by some animal rights activists.

The E. Leclerc supermarket at Morières-lès-Avignon, in the Vaucluse department, briefly had a section selling whole hares, pheasants and other small game, but the inevitable backlash began when one woman posted a picture on Twitter asking: “Is this the new way of presenting meat in the supermarket?” The tweet was quickly shared across social media, gaining retweets from a number of prominent accounts such as the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which campaigns for animal rights.

Before long, the supermarket removed the animals from

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Animal rights campaigners conceded that selling animals like this is the kind of stunt activists might try to highlight the 'cruelty of meat-eating'. “Clients being able to see, concretely, a dead animal under the plastic wrap makes the fate of the animals we consume visible, whereas a steak or breaded fish fillet does not do that,” Denis Schmid, a spokesperson for a local animal protection society in Vaucluse, told local newspaper Le Dauphiné. “We are touching on a sinister reality. Without seeing the dead animals we do not always think that behind the meat or the fish, there are living animals.”

“It is paradoxical, because this could have been an awareness campaign by activists to show that meat is above all an animal that has been killed,” said Christophe Marie, a spokesperson for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. “It's good to make the consumer feel responsible for what they buy.” ■

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Macron speaks to Biden

Carrier pigeon message found after one hundred years

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seum's curator Dominique Jardy described the find as “incredibly rare” and said that the capsule was likely to have come to the surface of the soil over time, as have many military remains from the First World War. Although it is today part of the Grand Est department, at the time Ingersheim was part of Germany. ■

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The couple discovered the tiny aluminium capsule and its remarkably wellpreserved contents on a walk. They subsequently took it to a local museum in Orbey, which commemorates the 1915 battle for the hilltop of Le Linge in the Vosges mountains, one of the bloodiest encounters of the 1914-18 war. The mu-

© Michael Stokes (WikiCommons)

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M

ore than one hundred years after it was written by a German soldier, a carrier pigeon message has been found by a couple out for a stroll in the eastern Alsace region. The message, written in German in a barely legible hand and addressed to a superior officer, was from an infantry soldier based at Ingersheim and detailed military manoeuvres, apparently during or a few years before the First World War. The date is marked 16th July but the year is not perfectly clear, appearing to be written as either 1916 or 1910. The message reads: “Platoon Potthoff receives fire as they reach the western border of the parade ground, platoon Potthoff takes up fire and retreats after a while. In Fechtwald half a platoon was disabled.

Platoon Potthoff retreats with heavy losses.”

ollowing Joe Biden's victory in the American presidential elections, leaders from around the world sent their congratulations to the new president elect. A change of leader in the US also heralds a reordering of world politics; countries are keen to be the first to speak with the winner, and the choice of the first leader to be invited to the White House is often loaded with significance.

President Macron tweeted his congratulations to Biden on the Saturday after the election, on the day when the main news networks declared him the winner, despite Trump continuing to claim victory. “The Americans have chosen their president,” said Macron. “We have a lot to do to overcome today's challenges. Let's work together!”

Macron eventually spoke with the president elect the following Tuesday, one week after the polls closed and the pair talked for ten minutes. “The president congratulated Joe Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris and emphasised his desire to work together on the current issues - climate, health, the fight against terrorism and the defence of fundamental rights,” the Elysée said in a statement.

Apart from the far right, the French political class generally hailed Biden's victory at the polls, which saw him win more votes than any other US president in history. Former French President François Hollande, who was in office when Trump came to power in 2016, welcomed the “good news for American democracy” and

hailed the “happy news for the planet with the return of the United States in the Climate Agreement”. Biden has pledged to return the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement on his first day in office.

Macron has never met Biden, but in contrast to many other EU leaders, sought from the outset to build a strong relationship with Trump, hosting him for a highprofile visit to Paris in 2017 and then again for the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz. Analysts say that the French leader has little to show for the diplomacy, with vast differences between Paris and Washington on issues ranging from Iran to the taxation of digital giants. ■

10 ♦ FRENCH NEWS

Discrimination against accents made an offence

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www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ DECEMBER 2020

Unwanted Bordeaux Christmas tree heading to the Limousin

f your spoken French is anything less than perfect, then it is entirely possible that you do not pick up on the wide range of accents spoken across the country. The UK is blessed with a rich tapestry of accents and people from Belfast, Birmingham and Brentford can sometimes sound like they are speaking different languages. Although there are fewer variations here, France is no different: the southern twang in a Marseille accent is miles away from the accent of the Ch'ti from around Calais.

Things have improved in the UK in recent years and regional accents are far more common in the media, but a degree of snobbery and stigma still exists. Unfortunately, France has not even come this far, to the point where an MP has tabled a law to make “glottophobia” - discrimination based upon a person's accent - an offence under the labour and penal codes.

The situation can be summed up by a recent interaction caught on camera between the controversial left-wing politician JeanLuc Mélenchon and a regional reporter from the south of France.

After asking her question, the politician replied with a smirk and words to the effect of “Sorry I didn't understand a word of that.

Can someone ask me a question in proper French?”

“Having a regional accent in France means automatically that you're treated like a hick - amiable but fundamentally unserious,” explained the bill's sponsor Christophe Euzet, who is from Perpignan in French Catalonia. “It is unimaginable in France that you could have someone with a southern accent - or a northern one for that matter - broadcasting commentary on Remembrance Day. Or discoursing on Middle Eastern politics. But it is also a political issue today. The yellow vest movement was a classic example of what happens when millions of people from the regions look at their representatives in Paris and feel they have nothing in common.”

Much has been made of the fact that Jean Castex, the country's prime minister, is the first in that particular office to have a strong accent. Many say that this shows the country is moving on, but others point out that Jean Castex has succeeded in spite of his accent, not because of it. “How long did it take Castex before he was taken seriously as a politician?” points out Euzet.

“There is linguistic centralisation in France,” explained Médéric Gasquet-Cyrus, a lecturer in linguistics at the University of Aix Marseille. “It is the idea that there is only one right way to speak, that which is used in the capital - or at least by the elite who work in the capital, who are not necessarily Parisians. Other accents are considered less serious and less legitimate.” ■

Is it about time you put that door or window in...?

D

uring this year's municipal elections, the people of Bordeaux voted for Pierre Hurmic to be their new mayor, ousting Nicolas Florian, protégé of the former long-time centre-right mayor Alain Juppé. Hurmic is a member of the Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV) green party and vowed to move environmental concerns up the agenda for local authorities, placing the city under a “state of climate emergency”.

One of his first moves was to announce that the traditional Christmas tree would no longer be installed in front of the cathedral, but would rath-

er be replaced by “live shows”. “We will not put dead trees in city squares.

I have memories of this dead tree that we used to bring in every year and that is not at all our vision for the city of re-vegetation.”

The decision proved controversial, especially when the new mayor ignored a petition containing 15,000 names protesting against the removal of the tradition, claiming it had been signed by people from across the country, not local Bordelais. Another elected official in the region's capital, Elizabeth Touton, called the decision “ridiculous and cartoonish”, saying “This tree was a joy for children and

no live show will reflect the magic of Christmas as well.”

One city's loss is another's gain, however, and the massive tree initially destined for Bordeaux will be staying within the region after the mayor of Malemort, Laurent Darthou, announced his town would be placing it in the centre of the town. “Given that Bordeaux has refused its tree, it will stay in Corrèze in Malemort!” the mayor tweeted. “Yes, I decided to acquire the Christmas tree, refused by Bordeaux, to put it up in the heart of Malemort. It is a decision I willingly and fully support. We have pride in our traditions.” ■

Macron responds angrily to anti-Islam allegations

F

rench President Emmanuel Macron has reacted angrily to a Financial Times article which accused him of “stigmatising French Muslims for electoral purposes and of fostering a climate of fear and suspicion towards them”, by insisting that the country is fighting “Islamist separatism, never Islam”.

The row broke out after the murder of teacher Samuel Paty, who had shown his class a cartoon of Mohammed Islam forbids depictions of the Prophet. In the wake of the tragedy, Macron reasserted that France would never renounce its secular laws permitting blasphemous caricatures, leading to protests and boycotts of French goods across the world.

Speaking to Al Jazeera after the incident, the president said he understood the caricatures could be shocking for some, but said the country would not change its secular constitution. He went on to warn that there were still “breeding grounds” for extremism in France: “In certain districts and on the internet, groups linked to radical Islam are teaching hatred of the Republic to our children, calling on them to disregard its laws. This is what France is fighting against... hatred and death that threaten its children, never against Islam. We oppose deception, fanaticism, violent extremism.

Not a religion.”

The opinion piece in the Financial Times initially alleged that Macron's condemnation of “Islamic separatism” risked fostering a “hostile environment” for French Muslims. The article was later removed from the paper's website and replaced with a notice saying it had “contained factual errors”.

In response, an evidently angry Macron wrote a letter to the FT, which read: “The piece misquoted me, substituting 'Islamist separatism', which is a reality in my country, with 'Islamic separatism' - a term that I have never used.

It accused me of stigmatising French Muslims for electoral purposes and of fostering a climate of fear and suspicion towards them.

“I will not allow anybody to claim that France, or its government, is fostering racism against Muslims. France - and we are attacked for this - is as secular for Muslims as for Christians, Jews, Buddhists and all believers. The neutrality of the State, which never intervenes in religious affairs, is a guarantee of freedom of worship. Our law enforcement forces protect mosques, churches and synagogues alike.

“Therefore let us not nurture ignorance by distorting the words of a head of state. We know only too well where that can lead.” ■

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Quince - a slice of Christmas joy iven the dispiriting status of Christmas this year, it feels unseemly to provide a jolly discourse on preparing jubilant food to celebrate the coming together of loved ones, perhaps not seen for a while. It’s very possible that will not be permitted.

Nevertheless, we can’t sink entirely into the Slough of Despond.

What is needed is some cheer that will run all the way through the coming season, something to introduce joy in the simplest of fashions without any fuss.

I offer you the quince.

These begin to appear in the shops in late October, a lime-coloured pear-shaped fruit covered in a pale grey fur. But they should be at their best now, having been given time to mature to a sunny yellow.

Unlike pears - which come from the same Cydonia family - you can’t eat them raw. And, unlike pears, you can’t bite into them.

You’ll need to axe them open with a meat cleaver.

So what do they offer on the positive side? Colour and flavour and history. Cooked, their flesh turns from white to a delicate coral pink, giving off a strong flowery scent reminiscent of roses, of which the quince is a relation. Its flavour is delicate, almost illusive, reminiscent of apples (also a member of the same family).

But its most romantic attribute is that it is believed to have been that second most famous apple, the one which Paris gave to Aphrodite and which triggered the Trojan War. Now common across Europe, quince trees originated in eastern Asia, thriving on rocky slopes in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Georgia, and further east. Almost ornamental in shape and producing beautiful, quite prominent, pink or white spring blossoms, they make a far greater impact in landscape gardening than other more mundane fruit trees.

Cooked, unpeeled, in slices, their flavour marries well with game dishes, from a wild boar stew to a roast partridge or similar bird.

Where it scores, however, is as a jelly more subtle than redcurrant jelly for Sunday roasts or spooning over plain breakfast yogurt, and far more exquisite in colour. The fruit is rich in pectin, so even if you’ve never made jam or jelly before, this recipe won’t fail to set.

And, if we are free to celebrate Christmas with others, it fills a jar with a jewel-like clear coral pink jelly to lift flagging spirits and give as a present.

There are some pointers to adhere to. If you overcook the fruit, the jelly’s delicate flavour will be lost, so keep the fruit at a simmer.

Under no circumstances touch or squeeze the jelly bag while the juice is being strained or you will produce a cloudy jelly. Don’t necessarily throw away the fruit pulp - you can use it to make membrillo, the Spanish fruit paste so delicious with a hard goats’ or sheep’s cheese.

Julia Watson has been a long-time Food Writer for newspapers and magazines in the US and the UK.

Quince Jam

© iStock / JitkaUnv

G

by Julia Watson

140°C oven to sterilise.

1.7 kg quinces 2 litres water Granulated sugar (not preserving sugar) - quinces already contain enough pectin

Weigh the juice and pour back into the cleaned out saucepan. Add to it 75% of the juice’s weight in granulated sugar and heat gently to dissolve the sugar, stirring all the time, then turn the heat up high to rolling-boil the jelly.

Wash the quinces, and cut into 2.5cm chunks, only throwing away the stalk.

Add them with the water to a large saucepan and heat until simmering. Cook until the fruit turns soft, about 30 minutes. Mash into a pulp with a potato masher or a stiff whisk.

Spoon the mixture into a jelly bag suspended over a bowl. If you don’t own one, line a colander with muslin and pour the contents of the saucepan carefully into it, to drain into a bowl.

Leave overnight or 8-12 hours for all the juice to drain through.

Set jam jars in a roasting tray and place in a

To test if the jelly is ready without a thermometer, put a saucer in a freezer and once chilled, drop a teaspoon of jelly on it and draw a finger through it. If the jelly wrinkles, it is set. Alternatively, pour a little iced water into a saucer and drop a little jelly into it. If it solidifies, it’s ready.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and ladle the jelly into a heatproof jug. Keeping the jam jars in the roasting pan in case one should shatter with the heat (unlikely, but it makes sense to take precautions to prevent a jelly lake on your counter), pour in the jelly and close the jars.

It’s not necessary to make the jelly immediately after cooking it - it can hold for a few days in the fridge, or longer in the freezer.

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What you need to think about to help future-proof your finances - Blevins Franks

N

ot much is certain as we head into the final stretch of 2020.

Unfortunately, with no end in sight for the global coronavirus pandemic and still no final word on Brexit, we can expect things to remain unsettled for some time.

While no-one can predict exactly what’s around the corner, there are some sensible steps you can take to make your financial position as secure as possible.

Get Brexit-ready If you have not recently given your finances a health-check, you will almost certainly benefit from reviewing your situation now.

Deal or no deal, the new year will begin with the UK’s full departure from the EU. While this should have no immediate impact for Britons lawfully settled in France, there may be longer term effects for the unprepared. For example, some UK savings and investments could attract a higher tax bill from 2021 once they cease to be EU/ EEA assets, and UK pension or tax rules could potentially change for non-residents in the future.

Besides the disruption that Brexit may bring, your circumstances and goals evolve over time. If you don’t keep up, you could find you are paying more taxes than you need to or missing out on opportunities that offer significant advantages.

You should schedule a review of your financial situation at least once a year, looking at how your savings, investments, other assets, tax planning, pensions and estate planning are structured and how they can

best work together.

Protecting your wealth The current economic and political climate presents many challenges to preserving your wealth and seeing it grow over time.

For one thing, the prolonged period of low interest rates has made it harder to achieve good returns on bank deposits and lower-risk investments. There is also more global tax scrutiny than ever, with frequent changes to tax and pensions legislation.

And, of course, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to generate global economic uncertainty and market volatility.

At times like this, careful planning plays a particularly important role in securing your financial security over the long term.

While all investments – even bank accounts – carry risk, a suitably diversified portfolio can help manage risk within your comfort level. An essential step is establishing a clear and objective view of your risk tolerance to determine the investment approach that will best suit you. An adviser is best placed to do this objectively using psychometric testing, for example, together with an analysis of your personal situation and financial goals.

DIY vs expert advice While some take a DIY approach to financial planning, most people who have built up or inherited wealth will benefit from an independent and expert review of their finances. It is extremely difficult to take a step back and look at your broad

financial situation from a truly objective point of view, or fully understand all the cross-border tax implications. As the goalposts often change, it is quite easy to get DIY tax planning wrong and potentially invite an unexpected tax bill, or even a tax investigation.

A professional adviser can take time and use relevant tools to thoroughly understand your unique situation, needs and objectives to tailor tax-efficient solutions – for you and your heirs.

The limits of UK-based services If you have a relationship with a UKbased financial adviser or hold a British bank account or investment product, make sure you check they can legally provide services to you from 1 January. As things stand, many UK financial businesses are set to lose their licence to operate within the EU/EEA once the transition period ends. We know of at least three major UK banks who have advised EU-based clients that they will be withdrawing services due to Brexit.

While you should be able to retain existing UK accounts/policies and make withdrawals as an EU resident, you may be restricted from adding or moving funds and applying for new services, such as term deposits, bonds, foreign currency management, loans and credit cards. Foreign banks/providers may also refuse instructions from non-EU-based advisers.

If your UK provider hasn’t contacted you about limited future services, ask them what arrangements they have in place for France next year.

Financial planning for France Besides the legal implications, consider whether a UK-based provider is best placed to support you in France. A strategy designed for a UK resident will not usually provide the same benefits to a non-UK resident, and it is unlikely that a UK professional will have in-depth understanding of French taxation and how it interacts with UK rules.

An adviser with local knowledge and expertise in cross-border tax planning can help ensure your wealth and assets are held as tax efficiently as possible for your life in France. They can also recommend locally-compliant solutions that offer other advantages, such as multicurrency options and estate planning flexibility.

Ultimately, the sooner you set up a suitable, long-term strategy to protect your wealth, the sooner you can have peace of mind about your financial future in France. ■ 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: www.blevinsfranks.com Tel: 05 53 63 49 19 Email: bergerac@blevinsfranks.com

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Tel: 05 55 60 27 83

champlongchatterie@me.com www.champlongchatterie.com SIRET: 520 896 671 00010

Ferguson's Bicycle Repairs and Servicing All makes & models of cycles repaired & serviced incl. E-bikes Mobile service available, I can come to you

Open 365 days a year Call Leanne on:

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

or email

sales@thebugle.eu

Registered Car Mechanic

siret: 810 192 807 00016

06 04 17 80 93

See Display Ad Below

Small, friendly English-run kennels in Bétête (23270)

05 55 80 42 47 leaberry24@yahoo.co.uk

€50 grants as part of government 'coupdepoucevelo' bike boost 30 years experience Servicing from €35 Based in Chenerailles (23130)

Tel: 05 55 80 22 64 Mob: 07 86 31 98 25

fergusonvelo@gmail.com facebook@fergusonvelo SIRET: 878 836 170 00018

RING BILL! 05.55.81.31.85

RING BILL!

■ ... much more Dept. 23 & surrounding areas

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

+44 (0)7830 170761

motorptscharente@aol.com www.motorpartscharente.com

Building Services Architects/Surveyors

Architectural DRAWING SERVICE Renovating your French property?

New build?

Dossiers prepared Permis de Construire Déclarations Préalables

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 52 06 22 79 UK: 0044 (0)7448 466 662

Web: www.versineer.com Email: enquiries@versineer.com Siret: 498 843 051 00018

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 Email: info@masterplans.eu www.masterplans.eu Siret: 790 016 984 00011

Building Services Carpenters/Joiners A. Wright

Carpenter & Joiner 06 35 12 10 66

Tel: 05 53 52 36 05

lavieilleabbaye@orange.fr

see main ad - pg 7

SIRET: 493 770 358 00015

Neuvialle Menuiserie

Mike Christie 05 55 64 35 11 / 07 61 76 97 41 see main ad below

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE...

30 Years’ Experience Joiner Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms Flooring & General 2nd Fix Finishing, Joinery & Decking Emergency Lock Services Granulés du Limousin

Mike Christie 05 55 64 35 11 (Home) 07 61 76 97 41 (Mobile) mgchristie2013@gmail.com

Siret: 802 265 728

SIRET: 494 617 798 00017

CHARENTE

no job too small - very competitive rates

05 55 81 31 85 (contrôle technique)

MOTOR PARTS

NEUVIALLE MENUISERIE JOINERY

Registered Car Mechanic ■ Services ■ Brakes ■ MOT Prep

Gifts & Crafts >> pg 19 Handholding & Language >> pg 19 Health & Beauty >> pg 19 Insurance & Finance >> pg 19 Pools & Spas >> pg 19 Property Sales & Maintenance >> pg 19-20 Retail & Commerce >> pg 20 Scrap & Clearance >> pg 20 Support & Counselling >> pg 20 Transport/Removals/Storage >> pg 20

14 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ DECEMBER 2020

ADVERTORIAL

I

Etoilia Animalerie - mobile boutique and online

t is an often-said anecdote about large successful startups that have sold for billions that they all started in someone’s garage. It’s the one thing they all have in common. But what do you do if you haven’t got a garage? Well, you move to France where property is cheaper and garages a plenty. So that’s what we did.

Why an animalerie? In Creuse, pet shops are few and far between and the ones that are here tend to cater well for large dogs and not the smaller dogs that we have. Furthermore, there were no obvious market stalls in our area that sold pet products. This indicated to us that there was an opportunity in the market.

Our business operates online, via our mobile boutique and at markets. The objective of the mobile boutique and markets is to also drive brand awareness and drive traffic to the website.

Starting a business in France is not easy, at least not as easy as it is in the UK, especially if you want to start the equivalent of a limited company. There are of course other options in France to the SARL, but these tend to leave you trading as an individual which blurs the lines between personal and business matters. After 4 years in France we launched. Sort of. In the UK, getting a limited company started up requires a simple process of going online and selecting any number

of start-up companies who will set you in within days for under £50. Get yourself an accountant and they will do all the registration of your new company with the tax authorities and you can be done and dusted in a week.

Not so in France. The paperwork is significantly complex and longwinded and, unless you are experienced in these matters, requires support. The cost of starting a SARL in France is around 1000 euros. Our French accountant did all the paperwork for us and having signed numerous pieces of paper it became clear that to attempt this without professional help is ill-advised. There is then the process of opening a business account at a bank, depositing your initial capital (around 1000 euros but there is flexibility as to what you deposit), having that money and account frozen and then taking the bank paperwork back to the accountant who continues the process. After the company is eventually set up, you take further paperwork back to the bank who then unfreezes your account and off you go.

With Covid-19, this process took many months. But with professional help, it was not actually that bad. Just expensive.

Setting up the business structure was just the start. The next stage was to get the actual business going. This included getting the van insured for commercial activity (surprisingly cheap compared to the UK), setting up a bilingual website (we

www.etoilia.fr - 07 50 69 11 26

use BigCommerce), social media pages and printing cards and fliers to hand out as and when the opportunity arises.

While I have set up a number of successful businesses in the UK, doing it in French is a real challenge, but an enjoyable one. Marketing in French, social media activity in French, search engine optimisation for the website in French and finding the right descriptions for products in French are all challenges but ones that are easy to overcome. Where our own language skills let us down, we use translation services from fiverr.com that will translate up to 500 words for 5 euros.

There are clear benefits to setting up a business in France. If you want to integrate then you have to be a useful, tax paying, contributing member of society and with our language skills still ‘work in progress’ taking on a full-time job is difficult.

But having your own business opens up many opportunities and gives you the flexibility you need at the start.

Our business is still building, and we have over 400 products now online on our animalerie en ligne website. Not all our products are listed yet, but we are working on it. More products are being added regularly and we can source specific items if you do not see what you want on our site or in our mobile boutique. As well as selling through our website at www.etoilia.fr, we operate out of our mobile boutique in the Creuse area. So, if you want the perfect presents for your furry loved ones this Christmas, drop us an email at info@etoilia.fr or call us on 07 50 69 11 26 and we can bring the mobile boutique to you. Why not set up an event with your friends and we will bring our products to you (like Tupperware parties for those of you able to remember such things). Covid-19 permitting, we hope to see you at local Christmas markets in and around Creuse.

Overall, setting up a business in France has been an exciting and positive experience and one which we would recommend to anyone. ■

ADVERTS FROM €12.50 HT / MONTH SALES@THEBUGLE.EU

06 04 17 80 93

DIRECTORY ♦ 15

DECEMBER 2020 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Building Services Carpenters/Joiners KD Creative Carpentry & General Maintenance 40 years experience fully qualified fitting of kitchens, wardrobes, windows, doors, stairs, balconies, decking, etc.

Small general maintenance jobs.

Reasonable rates.

30km radius of Mérinchal (23420) Please contact Kevin:

06 25 94 44 63

Entreprise Maeva Qualified French Artisan / Carpenter

Specialist in woodwork, painting, window / door fitting as well as all maintenance, renovation & upkeep of your house and garden.

50km radius of Bénénvent-l'Abbaye (23210).

English spoken.

Call Aymerick (Rick):

07 69 34 75 02

Email: entreprisemaeva@gmail.com

yorkienboo@gmail.com

Siret: 831 957 691 00023

Siret No. 885 154 948 00016

Wooden Floors Sanded & Sealed From € 24 / sqm Departartment 23 & Surrounding Areas

Building Services Electricians & Plumbers

Maurice Baynes

PLUMBING & HEATING

Domestic and commercial Bathroom design and installation Heating systems Tiling and full fit out Fully Insured All areas covered mauricepbaynes@gmail.com

Tel: 07 87 01 70 30 siret: 887 841 088 00016

Carlos

Electrician/Plumber 05 55 62 63 82 see main ad below

INSTALLATION23 SALAMANDRE

Call Richard:

SKILLED JOINER

Qualified & specialising in: • Electricity • Plumbing • Small renovations

•Stairs (can custom build) •Doors •Windows •Fitted Kitchens •Floors (wooden, laminate, etc.)

•Fitted Wardrobes & Cupboards Over 40 years experience

Fully registered & insured English & Dutch spoken Based in the east of Creuse Call or email Rob: E: installation23@gmail.com

07 54 23 37 01

richardexcel@hotmail.co.uk

Will Fit For You:

CALL: 06 80 58 06 08 Siret: 492 869 649 00029

(bathrooms, kitchens, etc.)

M: 06 40 56 96 12 Siret: 753 054 030 00014

Carpenter All types Best Rates Available Immediately References available Call Mark:

06 45 82 34 03 Siret 798 692 778 00011

Pink Electrique

Ruth & Geoff Kowalczyk Project management. All electrical work, home automation & security. Please see our website for more information. French qualified and insured.

30+ years worldwide experience.

Departments covered: 23, 36, 87.

Tel: 05 55 63 10 68 Mob: 06 64 59 48 64

Email: pink-electrique@laposte.net www.pink-electrique.fr SIRET: 788 709 871 00016

Entreprise Electricité Générale

www.jonesentreprise.com Jeff Jones: 05 55 62 46 21 Mob: 06 38 25 74 62 email: jones23entreprise@orange.fr

contact@reactive-resource.com www.reactive-resource.com

siret: 810 322 123 00011

Siren: 808 481 170

Portfolio available to view at

Tel: 05 55 64 94 20 Mob: 07 86 38 09 61 * Qualified electrician * All types of electrical works carried out * Free estimates * Fault finding * Consuel certification arranged * Temporary and permanent EDF supplies arranged * Departments 23 and 87 No Siret: 494 916 760 00015

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93 Steven Rofe 28 Years' experience

All aspects of electrical works undertaken Departments 36, 23 and 87 UK / French Satellite and TV Aerial installations

QUALITY WORKMANSHIP SINCE 1986

Keith SLOPER

Lumiere Service et Energie

sales@thebugle.eu 06 04 17 80 93 CARPENTER AND BUILDER

électricité

06 16 91 64 67

• UK NICEIC approved Electrician • Rewiring • External & garden lighting • All aspects of electrical works • Fully insured - (10 year Decennale) • Satellite Installation • Departments covered 87, 23 & 19 05.55.69.75.67 / 06.89.47.69.71 email: rofesteven@yahoo.co.uk

www.roferenovation.com

See full list of works carried out on the website Siret No. 501.792.386.00010

Building Services Fosses Septiques

Fosse Septique 23 Steve. JOHNS. SARL

Fosse Septique Specialists Planning permission arranged Design and installation Supply and servicing DIY and trade kits Free site visit and devis

05.55.64.11.73 06.70.47.52.96 siret: 824 706 444 00018

LVL

Les Vidanges Limousines ▪ Emptying septic tanks ▪ Unblocking pipes ▪ Cleaning wells ▪ Group rates available between neighbours Call David - 24/24 7/7

06 49 66 44 25 87800 Jourgnac Siret N° 750 725 780 00019

Building Services General STEVE'S PROPERTY MAINTENANCE Roofing, Building, Renovations, Plastering & stud walls, ... and more!

Fully insured. e: lowe.steven@orange.fr

t: 05 55 50 52 02 m: 07 66 52 33 47 siret: 842 233 108 00013

HANDYMAN/DIY Can I help you with those jobs you don't want to do?

• Painting/Decorating • Labouring • Pressure Washing • General DIY No job too small, just give me a call!!

All areas covered - Based nr Aubusson (23)

05 55 83 02 77 / 06 30 90 58 90 jonathanpiddock@orange.fr Siret: 523 955 151 00015

Richard Jones, B.A. Cert'Ed

Professional Project Management Services Save up to 30% on your Renovation All building and renovations undertaken Man & Digger Floor Sanding & Restoration Department 23 & Surrounding Areas

07 54 23 37 01

richardexcel@hotmail.co.uk

Paul Jones Renovation

Experienced and fully registered artisan, offering a high quality finish and service • 10yr Décennale Assurance • Plasterboarding walls and ceilings • Tape and Jointing • Kitchen Installation • Tiling • Carpentry • Patios/Decking

Tel: 05 55 69 28 12 Mob: 06 73 18 63 47 Email: pauljones@orange.fr www.pauljonesrenovation.com siret no: 495 067 829 00020

A Horrocks & Son Building and restoration work

06 26 97 28 54 see main ad below

CORE CUT 87 Precision diamond drilling and sawing Stone and reinforced concrete Small and large diameter holes Any wall thickness If you need a hole, we can drill it

Call: 07 78 40 93 83 Email: corecut87@outlook.com Siret: 829 857 184 00016

WASTE REMOVAL SERVICES

• house/barn clearance (pre sale / post sale) • garden/land clearance • dechetterie runs • rubbish removal Specialist equipment available: • tractor with flail mower, rotavator, etc.

• vehicle with 1.5 tonne crane

05 55 37 45 35

wasteremovalmultiservices@gmail.com www.facebook.com/willwhiting87/ siret 532 981 198 00015

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE...

To advertise in The Bugle Business Directory, call 06 04 17 80 93 ELECTRICIAN/PLUMBER FROM SMALL REPAIRS TO COMPLETE INSTALLATIONS BOILER SERVICING OVER 35 YEARS EXPERIENCE FULLY INSURED - BASED DEPT 23 lorrainemquintana@gmail.com

05 55 62 63 82

siret: 829 638 741 00019

16 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ DECEMBER 2020

ADVERTORIAL

Forced UK account closures for expats living in the EEA - update Rosemary Sheppard, International Financial Adviser

S

ince our last article on this subject, more information has come to light regarding this. Barclays have now stated that they will be closing all bank accounts (that includes current accounts, deposit accounts and savings accounts) and wealth management accounts, and some international banking accounts for expats living in the EEA, if the client can’t provide a UK residential

address. According to a communication one client has received from them they are starting to go through the countries in the EEA alphabetically and writing to all the expats with a non-UK address advising them their accounts will be closed by the end of 2020.

Barclays are advising clients “they would like to let you know that in order to continue banking with us you must be living in the UK and all of the addresses we hold for you will also need to be in the UK too - this includes any correspondence addresses”.

Barclays have provided the following link https:// w w w. b a r c l a y s . c o . u k / brexit/eea-changes/ where

you will find all the relevant details.

In addition to this NatWest Wealth Management have also started advising clients that unless they can supply a UK residential address their investment portfolios will be liquidated and closed by the end of 2020. Unfortunately, this has happened to one of my clients, who now faces a Capital Gains Tax Liability in France. There is nothing that can be done, at this late stage, to avoid this, but if this happens to you, we can make sure that the remaining portfolio can be re-invested in a tax efficient/compliant manner for you, as a tax resident of France.

HSBC and Lloyds have said that they are looking

at this issue but to date no decision has been made to close accounts, however this view could change in the future. To date only one bank has stated that they won’t be closing accounts and that is Santander.

At Blacktower we are working with a large number of those affected to find the best solutions for them, but in a number of cases it will mean completely restructuring their financial affairs, which can have tax implications. It takes time and expertise, but it can be done.

The best advice I can give expats is don’t panic and act in haste, take advice from Blacktower as to what is the best course of action for you to take.

If you are or could be affected by this or would like a review of your current financial affairs or any wealth management matter please contact me by email: Rosemary.sheppard@ blacktowerfm.com, visit our website www.blacktowerfm. com or call me on 06 38 86 99 70. Blacktower Financial Management has over 32 years’ experience helping expats to make sure that their money works for them.

The above information was correct at the time of preparation and does not constitute investment advice and you should seek advice from a professional 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.

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 sales@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.

To advertise in The Bugle Business Directory, call 06 04 17 80 93 Les petits jardiniers du Limousin

We are a gardening association based in the Mairie at St. Amand le Petit, between Eymoutiers and Peyrat le Château. We hold monthly meetings, normally on the third Thursday of the month, starting at 2:30 pm.

Meetings are held in English, but we can also present topics in French. We have lots of different nationalities amongst our members. Our aim is to provide and promote opportunities for people to develop their interest and knowledge in horticulture and gardening and related topics in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

In-house workshop meetings, external speakers and visits are on our agenda.

During Covid-19, in common with other Associations, we have not been able to have meetings and have kept in touch with members and friends via our Facebook page, Les petites jardiniers du Limousin where people post photos of their garden, ask questions and share information. We can all keep in contact on a casual, friendly basis. We are looking forward to starting meetings again respecting all Covid-19 regulations and look forward to seeing old friends as well as new faces at the meetings.

The provisional 2021 agenda for future meetings is as follows, subject to no restrictions being in place. Meetings will only re-commence as soon as it is safely possible.

Jan 21st - Presentation: 'Plant name origins' Jul 15th - Presentation: 'Edible plants & flowers' Feb - No meeting Aug 19th - tba Mar 18th - Presentation: 'All about Grafting' Sep 16th - Annual Show th Apr 15 - Garden visit and presentation Oct 21st - AGM + presentation: 'Mushrooms' th May 20 - Visit to Jardin botanique, Limoges Nov 18th - Workshop: 'Diverse ways of seed prep' Jun 17th - Visit to Custos Apium Dec 9th - Christmas party Members and supporters of our Association will receive emails about forthcoming meetings. If you would like to be on our mailing list then please email me with your name and email address. I will add you to the list and you will receive all future notifications. Meanwhile take care, happy gardening and hope to see you soon.

For any further information contact Carolyn at pjlimousin@gmail.com

WHAT'S ON CLUBS, CHARITIES & ASSOCIATIONS As a result of the second lockdown, many of the meetings and events featured in our What's On and Clubs, Charities & Associations sections have had to be cancelled or postponed.

The situation is changing very quickly, so we have removed these listings from the newspaper for the time being.

We will, however, continue to update our website with any new information, so please do check back regularly to keep up to date

www.thebugle.eu/associations.php www.thebugle.eu/whats_on.php

DIRECTORY ♦ 17

DECEMBER 2020 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Building Services General

Max Huggett

Experienced and fully registered builder with 10 year Décennale Insurance Offering a broad selection of building services in depts. 87, 19 & 23.

From one off installations to complete renovations, construction, decorating, landscaping and ground works.

E: info@maxhuggett.com

T: 05 55 69 37 64 M: 06 86 62 59 37

www.maxhuggett.com

English & French spoken - Siret: 518 511 340 00011

GODSON

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

Your advert here

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93 Dave Cardwell - Builder

05 55 98 24 12

See our Display Ad pg 11

Building Services Groundworks S.M.C SERVICES

Travaux Publics www.fossepro.com 06 33 78 24 23 - pg 3

06 04 17 80 93

Excavator with Driver

SVH CONSTRUCTION

The Reclamation Yard

Mini-Digger with driver

All building work undertaken No job too small City & Guilds and NVQ Qualified tradesman Over 35 years experience in the construction industry Based in dept. 23

Mob: 07 85 51 42 66 Tel: 05 55 83 04 11

stevehow101@googlemail.com Siret: 848 602 934 00012

Entreprise Hines

Building & Renovation ● Roofing - New & Repairs ● Masonry ● Plastering ● Dry Lining ● Sand Blasting ● Scaffold Hire ● ... and much, much more

40 years qualified experience

05.55.89.69.46 www.entreprisehines.com robert.hines@orange.fr SIRET: 503 169 237 00016

Stephen Cullinane & Son From the foundations to the roof Established 13 years in France 05 55 81 00 53 - see pg 6

Davis & Davis

35 years' Experience in Construction, Renovation & Project Management Quality Workmanship Guaranteed Internal/ External Developments Barn conversions, loft conversions, new-build, drylining, plastering, rendering, spray rendering, tiling, installation of kitchens/ bathrooms, painting, carpentry, replacement doors & windows, velux installation, groundworks, landscaping, decking & much more...

No job too big (or small). Give us a call for a free competitive quote.

05 55 60 29 50 / 06 04 13 30 57 email: davis-davis@sfr.fr

Based near Limoges - Covering depts 87, 23 & 19 Siret: 498 203 652 00017

Confolens

05 45 30 72 04

0044 (0)7831 121 019 see main ad - pg 4

05.55.53.03.56

semm main ad - pg 8

john.bonella@gmail.com

A. Wright

RSW Entreprises

Carpenter & Joiner 06 35 12 10 66 see main ad - pg 7

La Noneix

Construction & Property Services

Established, Professional and Personal Building Services. Fully registered with décennale insurance covering all works.

●Renovations ●New builds ●Roofing ●Stonework ●Carpentry ●Ground works

Large or small projects undertaken - please view our website.

Contact: Paul or Joanne Rands

05.55.66.44.06 www.lanoneix.com Paul.rands@orange.fr SIRET: 501 144 596 00019

Masonry & More

General building Renovation , Roofing Reliable, good quality work 30 years exp Scaffold Hire Martin Sprague

05 55 61 93 07

martin_sprague_1@ hotmail.com SIRET: 531 768 182 00010

POINTING FOR ALL YOUR REPOINTING WORK

Email: repointfr@icloud.com Tel: 04 73 52 14 43

See Main Ad pg 11

Fosse Septiques/Micro stations

05.55.80.00.57

See our Display Ad - pg 2

Your advert here

Building Services Painters/Decorators Nicholas Collyer All aspects of Interior and Exterior decorating 30+ years' experience Spraying service available for large areas Small tractor service cutting & clearance

T: 09 88 19 14 05 M: +44 (0)7885 694 313 collyer23360@gmail.com

Cherry Picker Services

14.5 metres on a van lasout@live.com

Tel: 09 66 03 52 89 Call for a quote

Building Services Plasterers

Able Plastering

French registered plasterer with over 30 years’ experience All internal and external works covered Plastering (English and French plaster) Rendering Concreting Floor Screeding Stud Partitioning Lime Mortar Pointing

Tel: 05 55 62 12 39 Mobile: 06 06 41 10 30 Siret: 527 906 614 00013

CHRIS

06 34 24 64 11 or see

www.lakesidebandb.net

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

06 04 17 80 93 Chimney Sweeps La Petite Ramoneur

THE LADY SWEEP Established since 1986

Brush & Vacuum All types of chimney Fully Insured Call Ruth Langston

02 54 31 48 50 06 25 61 84 95 (SMS only) siret 504 218 454 00016

Chimney Sweeping • Flue ways cleared • Birds nests, vermin & debris removed • Smoke evacuation & gas tightness tests • Official certificates of cleaning issued (Certificat de Ramonage)

www.stovesellers.com

05 55 63 78 72 Siren: 502 409 949

French and English spoken Traditional Plastering Rendering, Stud partition dry lining Lime mortar stone pointing

CALL FOR A FREE QUOTATION

05 55 63 53 06 06 23 29 48 19 christopher.willis@orange.fr Le Bourg, 23360 Nouzerolles SIRET: 504 612 441 00015

sales@thebugle.eu 06 04 17 80 93

ANGLO Building SCAFFOLDING Services Roofing HIRE UK scaffolding supplied and erected here in France Qualified and fully insured FREE no obligation quotes Call Ian on

sales@thebugle.eu

siret: 883 596 157 00015

06 04 17 80 93 THEAPLASTERER genuine plasterer Building Services Lifts & Scaffolding

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

MUMFORD TOITURE Roofing & Plastering/ Plasterboarding Service

25+ years roofing experience All aspects of roofing, large or small 15+ years experience plastering/boarding Fully registered and insured Trading in France since 2007 Call Mark for a free quotation

05 55 44 71 44 / 06 78 60 96 16 mumford.toiture@gmail.com Siret No. 493 159 412 00011

Experienced, Registered & Fully Insured No mess, no fuss Email: cinderssweep@gmail.com

T: 07 68 76 39 99 siret: 484 768 700 00029

Cleaning Services Impeccable Cleaning Services Cleaning service for your home, gîtes, small office, etc.

Regular hours or one-time cleans.

Reliable and trustworthy.

30km radius of Mérinchal (23420) Please contact Deborah:

06 25 94 44 63 yorkienboo@gmail.com Siret No. 884 983 040 00012

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE...

18 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ DECEMBER 2020

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-

Computers, TV & Satellite

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

L'homme de l'ecosse Web Design / eCommerce / hosting

06 37 82 56 67 / 05 55 60 62 36 see main ad - pg 8

GOODWIN SATELLITE

SALES & INSTALLATION OF ALL SATELLITE SYSTEMS & AERIALS. FAULT FINDING. Dept 23 & surrounding areas

Tel: 05 55 62 05 61 Mob: 06 52 38 67 65

Email: garygoodwin121@gmail.com siret: 453 067 910 00019

Weblova

logo / branding / web design / social media

www.weblova.com see main ad - pg 9

For all your TV and satellite installations and repairs (Sky TV, Internet etc.)

Call Patrice:

06.79.07.91.56

libre.antenne87@gmail.com Fast dependable service Based Séreilhac (87)

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93 Food & Drink

sales@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93

Units start from €490 TTC.

26, Ecurat 23150

Le Restaurant Ecurat

Open Wed, Thu & Fri New fast food menu Lunchtime 'menu ouvrier' 11am-2pm & 7pm-9.30pm Fish & chips and Curry nights, Salon de Thé and Diner le soir * Reservation in advance please *

Thé Bonbons Cadeaux

SOLARVENTI - Available in the Limousin From Harlequin Developments Tel: 05 55 68 67 56 Mobile: 06 06 60 46 97

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93

For more information:

tel: 05 55 81 31 85

email: ecurat123@hotmail.com 2km from Chénérailles and the Chateau Villemonteix.

Try Something Different

Chez Jacques Marsac (23) • Cosy atmosphere • Speciality Crêpes • Large burger menu • Around 115 single malt whiskies • Selection of bottled British ales • Book corner, pool table • "Mouclade" nights • Curry nights

05 87 40 02 83 closed Wednesdays

siret: 353 613 227 00035

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

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. ■

British Market Stall

Garden Services GARDEN AND PROPERTY SERVICES 87 Garden maintenance including grass cutting and hedge trimming.

Gîte changeovers, cleaning and jet washing.

Areas covered: 45 minutes around Lussac-les-Eglises, 87360 (Departments 87, 23 and 36) Contact Glen:

05 44 25 55 04

m : 07 70 39 12 23

Home delivery possible - see website siret: 498 199 306 00016

05.55.63.90.79

www.lecreusoisbistro.com SIREN: 483 988 853

07 69 34 75 02

entreprisemaeva@gmail.com Siret: 831 957 691 00023

GARDEN SERVICES Paul Brown

Grass Cutting Strimming General Maintenance Based La Souterraine (23)

‘Chou Chou’

Les Genêts, Azerables

Follow us on facebook e : mandyscurry2go@gmail.com

Strimming, hedge cutting, lawn mowing, general upkeep.

Daily rates and/or monthly contracts.

40 km radius - Bénévent-l'Abbaye (23210)

Purple Solutions Garden Maintenance

Need some advice?

Too much like hard-work?

30 years of experience

High quality British & French food at reasonable prices.

Menu du Jour €12, Traditional Pub Food, Vegetarian dishes, Childrens & Snack menus also available

Garden Maintenance

sales@thebugle.eu 06 04 17 80 93 Maintenance gardener

www.mandyscurry2go.com

Entreprise Maeva

Siret: 483 059 242 00030

Le Creusois

For menus and venues:

Siret No. 752 549 907 00018

Siret No. 884 266 305

Mandys-curry-2-go

Bar/Restaurant

Reliable, professional and friendly garden services.

Garden Maintenance. Land Clearance.

Garden Construction.

Bespoke long-term maintenance plans.

Tel: 05 55 37 18 03 Mob: 06 33 66 17 45 e-mail: darren@teamjardin.fr

glenchell2003.wixsite.com/gardenservices87

facebook.com/britishmarketstall

Mobile Curry Take Away

www.teamjardin.fr

Tel: 05 55 89 57 40 brownpaul006@gmail.com

or UK mobile: 07955 488 194

7 ave Jules Courivaud, Magnac-Laval Tearoom / Gifts / Clothes 06 72 38 82 20 - See main ad, pg 8

+33 (0)6 79 23 57 09 +33 (0)7 69 14 49 73 see main ad - pg 4

Team Jardin

Stephen Grendon

06 72 87 87 14 see main ad - pg 10

Magnat-l’Etrange, Creuse (23)

RHS qualified horticulturalists

Based in St-Julien-le-Petit (87460), covering St. Léonard, Peyrat, Eymoutiers, Bujaleuf.

Clearance, weeding, pruning, topiary, planting, maintenance, design.

Day or half day rates.

Excellent references. All work by hand.

Mob: +44 (0)7979 745 861 chouchouhorticulture@hotmail.com

siret: 839 102 415 00016

siret: 877 702 696 00015

TEL: 06 72 11 62 15 stengrendon1@gmail.com

To advertise in The Bugle Business Directory, call 06 04 17 80 93 or email sales@thebugle.eu

DIRECTORY ♦ 19

DECEMBER 2020 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

DMS gardening & cleaning services Now taking on new clients for 2020 for all your cleaning and gardening needs, including changeovers and key holding.

Reliable, trustworthy and experienced.

Areas 16/87/86/24 covered

janinedisney@aol.com

06 42 14 26 56 siret: 827 791 054 00014

General

Health & Beauty

Your advert here

Limousin Spas

The region's leading distributor of Spas, Swim spas, Saunas & Hot tubs

06 04 17 80 93

New for 2020

We are pleased to announce our new range of over 80 Spas, Swim spas, Hot tubs & Saunas from top European and U.S. manufacturers.

Handholding & Language Services

MR PIANO MAN

Piano Tuning and Repairs

05 45 21 16 13 see main ad - pg 8

Gifts & Crafts

*Platinum Spas* *Superior Spas* *BeSpa* * California Spas* *Superior Saunas* *Baltic Hot tubs* *Baltic Saunas*

sales@thebugle.eu 06 04 17 80 93

Mobile hairdresser

Sophie Arsac

Chez Boutique

see main ad - pg 2

Jenny Homer BA Hons, PGCE

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

I offer weekly, small, group lessons online, at levels to suit your needs.

My priority is on speaking and understanding French in daily life.

Get in touch asap to ensure your place in a class suited to your ability.

Stuck for the perfect Christmas gift for you, your friend or family - Gift vouchers now available for online classes (from 15€)

Email: homer.jennifer@gmail.com https://homerjennifer.wixsite.com/website siret: 490 323 243 00025

Managing Editor: Steve Martindale Editor-in-Chief: Steve Martindale Registered Address: 19, route de Champagnac

17500 MEUX SIRET: 514 989 748 00025 Printed by: Charente Libre, Z.I. No3

16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac Monthly circulation: 10,000 copies All copyright, unless stated otherwise, is reserved to The Bugle.

Reproduction in whole or part of any text without permission is prohibited. Dépôt légal à parution.

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93

Directeur: Steve Martindale Rédacteur-en-chef: Steve Martindale Siège: 19, route de Champagnac

17500 MEUX SIRET: 514 989 748 00025 Imprimé par: Charente Libre, Z.I. No3

16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac Tirage mensuel: 10,000 exemplaires Tous droits réservés. Toute reproduction, totale ou partielle, des articles et illustrations du présent numéro est strictement interdite.

Dépôt légal à parution.

Ce mensuel a été imprimé sur des papiers produits en France, Espagne, certifiés PEFC 100% FCBA/18-01705.

Taux de fibres recyclées 100%. Emissions GES : 63 gr CO2 eq/ex (données 2019).

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.

Buying or Selling French Property?

Legal advice from English-speaking lawyers Also the #1 portal for property auctions

www.frenchpropertylawyer.fr

05 55 82 18 99

Naturalis Pools

See our Display Ad - pg 10

Come out of Covid with confident French

06 04 17 80 93

Siret: 752 157 610 00011

06 61 56 47 17 - pg 12

Qualified Teacher of French, formerly teaching in my classroom, but now online!

sales@thebugle.eu 06 04 17 80 93

Call Teddy:

06 15 78 18 04- pg 6

www.limousin-spas.com enquiries@limousin-spas.com Tel: 05 55 63 26 20

www.naturalispools.com

Online French Tuition

sales@thebugle.eu

Covering all of La Creuse!

Prices from €2,200

Formerly La Petite Place

French lessons & handholding services

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

Pools & Spas

05.55.60.08.46

Insurance & Finance The Spectrum IFA Group

Tony Farrell

International Financial Adviser

05 55 89 57 94 - see pg 10

Blevins Franks International tax and wealth management advisers

www.blevinsfranks.com See our main ad - pg 12

Blacktower

Financial Managment Group

Rosemary Sheppard 06 38 86 99 70 - pg 8

06 31 17 25 60

Property Sales & Maintenance

All Property Diagnostics for Sales/Rentals Energy Performance (DPE), Asbestos, Lead, Electricity, Gas, Termites, Risks/Pollution, Measurements Fluent English speaking.

Technical comments and advice possible Contact : 06 28 94 24 00 or philippe.andre@diagamter.com See our references on:

www.diagamter.com

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE...

Neron This lovely lad is Neron and he is around 3 years old.

Neron came to the refuge with his friend Nuts who has since been adopted. Both dogs had a poor start in life, kept in a filthy garage, in the dark, until their owner abandoned them to fend for themselves.

Neron was extremely thin when found, with a bad skin condition, fleas and worms. After a year at the refuge, this boy has blossomed and he is in peak condition, affectionate, playful, obedient, just a typical Boxer, walking beautifully on the lead.

He gets on with some dogs and is okay with cats but sadly he is not comfortable with children of any age, probably because he has never known the company of a child.

This sweet boy has so much love to give. Can you find it in your heart to give him a chance?

If you think you you can help Neron then please contact: SPA de Creuse (Guéret), 21 Le Clocher, 23000 Saint-Sulpice-le Guérétois www.spa-creuse.com - email: spa.gueret@orange.fr

20 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ DECEMBER 2020

www.chauffagebois-limousin.com 05 55 63 72 45 - see ad pg 13

www.marcdeschamps.com see main ad - pg 8

Houses on Internet www.housesoninternet.com

+31 (0)6 41 20 73 69

See our Display Ad - pg 3

Set in Stone

Retail & Commerce

Hand made garden ornaments

https://set-in-stones.weebly.com/

05 55 64 55 70 - see ad pg 6

Beaux Villages Immobilier

Moulin de Tintin

Freephone: 08 05 69 23 23

www.moulin-de-tintin.com 05.55.79.57.60 - see pg 3

www.beauxvillages.com see main ad - pg 5

Leggett

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TRUST

Stove Sellers www.stovesellers.com 05.55.63.78.72

see main ad - pg 3

See our Display Ad - pg 7

'Gite and Tidy'

26, Ecurat 23150

Property management All properties looked after, main residences, holiday homes & gîtes.

Changeovers, cleaning, tidy ups, maintenance, gardening, swimming pools, etc.

Single or regular visits.

Fully insured.

Oradour-sur-Vayres (87150).

References available.

Très Jolie

Ladies fashion accessories 05 55 53 03 56 / 06 04 08 29 53 see main ad pg 10

Scrap & Clearance

Atelier d'Art du Jardin

Artisan art for your garden

OLD'S HEIGHT

Antiquités agricoles

2km from Chénérailles and the Chateau Villemonteix

www.giteandtidy.com 09 82 12 69 73 (Home) 06 06 40 81 07 (Portable)

email: ecurat123@hotmail.com

Creuse Property Care

Bruno Sablé

Caring for your home in France when you can’t be there

sales@thebugle.eu 06 04 17 80 93

Furniture, interiors & gifts

I will buy just about anything in your barn: agricultural machinery, cars, motorbikes, lorries, pushbikes, old wrought ironwork, oil cans, signs, timberwork and doors... in fact, anything!!

Just think, that rubbish could earn you cash!!

tel: 05 55 81 31 85

9, St. Louis Pasteur 87150 Oradour-sur-Vayres

Garden & Pool Maintenance General Maintenance & Small Renovation work including plasterboarding, tiling, painting, etc.

Changeovers/House Cleaning Ad-hoc Assistance References available Contact Mark or Trudy...

T: 05 55 67 90 47 / P: 06 40 75 74 47 E: marktrudy0506@gmail.com W: www.creusepropertycare.com Siret: 479 965 758 00028

Sewing Machine Repairs ... all makes and models Also repairs and maintenance of small electrical appliances M: 06 38 92 61 24 T: 09 51 59 31 43 E: brunosable9@gmail.com

CALL: 0633 847 699 siret: 511 127 763 00015

Cash paid for scrap

All Limousin covered Anything considered Any quantity

Tel: 05 55 37 45 35 Mob: 06 74 21 47 71

Smart Moves

Support & Counselling

For a fully insured, careful service

Communicology Consultancy For Speech, Language, Voice, Stammering Needs (adults & children) Confident Communication - Specialist coaching for anxious communicators Advice/ Guidance Coaching/ Programmes Workshops Mindfulness/ Relaxation

FORTNIGHTLY SERVICES TO FRANCE FULL OR PART LOADS WELCOME WE COLLECT FROM ALL AREAS OF THE UK AND DELIVER TO ALL AREAS OF FRANCE Find us on Facebook: @smartmovesukfrance Please CALL or EMAIL Stephen

smartmovers@hotmail.co.uk

+44 (0)7966 287 430

www.smartmovesremovals.com

Support following Stroke/ Parkinsons Online & Home Visits

Watson European

Contact Ruth: E: communicology@mail.com M: 06 66 46 32 43 W: communicology.co.uk W: speechtherapyconsultancy.com

International Removals

www.watsoneuropean.co.uk see main ad - pg 9

COUNSELLING

Buggs Car Hire

Lesley Kidd MSc & Martin Simpson MSc

www.buggscarhire.com

& PSYCHOTHERAPY • Meet in person & online • 8 week MBSR courses • Individuals & Couples • Borders 87/19/23 (87130) www.bienetretherapy.com lesleykidd@hotmail.co.uk simpson.mj@hotmail.co.uk

Bergerac & Limoges Airports

see main ad - pg 4

Franklins Removals SIREN: 818 604 654

Carrefour du Bois Limousin

Cendrillon 06 83 66 83 09

Property Sales & Maintenance

Transport, Removals & Storage

Central France Storage

www.centralfrancestorage.com Dry, safe & secure storage Brexit Busting Prices!!

Vehicle storage options We also do internal moves!

14.5m cherry picker available

Tel: 09 66 03 52 89

0044 121 353 7263

www.franklinsremovals.co.uk see main ad - pg 4

Transition Removals (+33) 05 55 34 19 46

www.transitionremovals.net see main ad - pg 6

Man & Van Transport

Genuine/Reliable/Honest Local + Europe + UK runs House/Barn clearances!

15m3 capacity 4m load length English & French Spoken

09 82 12 69 73 06 06 40 81 07 87150 Oradour-sur-Vayres

www.facebook.com/willwhiting87/

Email: lasout@live.com

www.frenchvanman.eu

siret 532 981 198 00015

siret: 494 123 847 00019

Siret 530 213 644 00012

Latest news throughout the month: www.thebugle.eu Cancer Support Haute-Vienne

affiliated to

Your local Association supporting English speakers touched by cancer in departments 87, 23, 19 & 36

HELPLINE 0800 240 200 www.cshautevienne.org

CANCER SUPPORT FRANCE Charente Plus Free confidential support for Englishspeaking people touched by cancer Volunteers & Active Listeners needed (full training will be given) If you are interested please email: bloomdenis@outlook.com

CSF 24 HOUR HELPLINE - 0800 24 02 00 email: csfcharenteplus@gmail.com

Facebook : Cancer Support France - Charente-Plus

STAY HOME STAY SAFE

CHARITY SHOP

Do please come in and visit us.

We are located at: 3 rue Nationale, 16150 Chabanais (entrance opposite the mairie, directly behind Petticoat Lane – we are on the first floor upstairs)

OPENING HOURS: Tuesday & Wednesday 10 am – 4 pm Sorry – no books or electrical goods