The Bugle Dordogne - Jun 2017 by The Bugle

Royals seek damages of €1.5 million

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are seeking “significant” fines over the publication of topless photos >> Page 8 November 2016 - Issue #85

Dordogne

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June 2017 - Issue 48 - FREE!

Cross-border fines for UK drivers Drivers of cars carrying British number plates will now be automatically fined for traffic violations in France, after the UK finally complies with EU legislation.

but the UK, Ireland and Denmark initially refused to sign up and were given a further two years to comply. An estimated half a million British motorists are flashed by speed cameras in France each year. Until now, French police were not able to collect camera fines, although they do impose on-the-spot penalties if they stop British motorists who are speeding. Although the new rules have come into force, the UK may opt to back out of the agreement once Brexit negotiations are complete. “While the UK is still a member of the EU, we are obliged to bring in rules on cross-border enforcement,” the Department of

>> continued on page 7

The department’s best baguette - pg 3

The end of captive dolphins - pg 7

Health benefits of bilingualism - pg 11

The Bugle Business Directory - pg 13-16

ritish holidaymakers - and expats driving on UK plates will now have to pay extra attention on the roads in France as a system to implement cross-border speeding fines finally came into force on 7th May. UK drivers across much of the EU could now be charged with fines of up to €750 as local authorities gain access to information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The cross-border measures, which include fines for offences such as speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and using a mobile phone while driving, had already been introduced across most of the EU in 2015,

Major Champagne producer plants vines in UK - page 10

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2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

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his month, I did something very dangerous. Children of the 80s and fans of Ghostbusters will understand what I mean when I say I “crossed the streams”!! Not only did the out-laws come for (yet another) visit, but their trip overlapped with a previously planned one from my Dad and aunt. Never cross the streams, Steve, never cross the streams. Whilst I sat in my Anderson shelter and waited for it all to kick off... nothing but peace and harmony! It would appear that I have found my fatherin-law’s kryptonite: polite company. Everyone was on their best behaviour and a thoroughly good time was had by all. The lawn magically cut itself, grandchildren were spoiled and entertained, dirty nappies were miraculously replaced with clean ones and the mountainous pile of ironing disappeared! True, the kitchen was re-arranged (I think this time he organised everything chronologically, so you had to know at what time in your life you bought something in order to find it), but I wasn’t doing the washing up, so I guess I

shouldn’t complain. Now, I’m not saying that I’m always going to invite both sides of the family in future I crossed the streams once and got away with it, but I’m not stupid - although it is interesting how we change our behaviour around people we don’t know that well. Often, the less you know someone, the better you behave. Just about the only thing that can instantly diffuse an argument in my house is someone walking up the drive that we vaguely know. “Come in, I’ll put the kettle on, isn’t the weather nice” we’ll say as we both lay down our frying pans and put on our best smiles. If the guest stays long enough, we’ll forget what we were “discussing” and normal service is resumed. I’ve had this conversation with loads of my friends, whose partners I find delightful, but who I am assured are pit bulls behind closed doors. I don’t know if it’s a stereotypical British reserve thing, but my wife and I very rarely share a cross word in front of other people. My children came home from school the other day and absolutely HAD to have a “hand spinner” (I believe they are also

called fidget spinners). We had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. “Oh, it’s so unfair, EVERYONE else has got one!” A quick trip into town revealed that manufacturers apparently can’t make these things fast enough to satisfy demand. One shop was selling so many that they had stuck the empty boxes of the types they stocked prominently on the wall to save their staff from the same repeated enquiries. Apparently there is a Batman-themed one coming out next week which already has a waiting list! It is amazing how quickly these fads start in the playground (and how quickly they eventually disappear). It takes me back to the yo-yo craze that swept through schools in my area when I was at primary school. Yo-yo’s had always existed, but suddenly they had dynamos inside, lit up and if you couldn’t “walk the dog” you were a nobody! We are only in day 2 of the hand spinner craze in this house, but they are already incredibly irritating. The idea appears to be that you grip the centre axle between two fingers, spin the three outer arms and then “do tricks”. They are quite weighty, in order to generate gyroscopic stability, so when the “trick” ultimately fails, there is a huge bang and another dent in the furniture. I guess I shouldn’t complain, as it is not as bad as the loom band craze of ‘15... I still regularly find those blasted rubber bands in nooks and crannies all over the house! Well, that was a nice little

rant. Sometimes it’s good to sweat the small stuff and try to raise a smile when there is so much bad news out there in the world. The Manchester bombing happened just as we were going to print and it’s hard to find the words. It seems like attacks of this nature are happening almost every month at the moment. My wife’s family are from the Manchester area and my sisterin-law lives just 100 metres away from the arena. Thus far, everyone we know is safe, but hundreds of families will not have been so lucky. It’s hard to know how to react, but sometimes I think carrying on as usual is the best way of not letting them win. So I’m off to steal my daughter’s hand spinner, find a YouTube video and learn how to “go round the world”... OK, they’re annoying, but also strangely addictive! Until next month! Steve Martindale, Editor

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INSIDE this edition 3-5 Local News 6-10 National News 11-12 French Life 13-16 Directory 17 Community 17-20 What’s On

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LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3

JUNE 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Dordogne’s best bread La Coquille pop-up shop success 23 contenders for the highly prized title. The test on the day was to produce a baguette and a tourte, a family size round loaf. The bakers battled it out at the Federation’s HQ in Périgueux, working with strictly defined criteria. The 10-strong jury was made up of half industry professionals and the other half drawn from ordinary consumers. These scrutineers looked principally at size and shape, texture, taste and appearance. Tasting, testing, judging and deliberation this year took over two hours before the announcement was made. The best tourte was made by François Chateau, Tocane-SaintApre’s boulanger, who carried away the title for 2017. In second place came Jean-Jacques Teillet from Château-l’Evêque, followed by Grégoire Laplanche from Sarlat. Best baguette went to Bernard Boclet, a baker from Thiviers, followed by Guillaume Storini, who took the second prize back to Coulounieix-Chamiers and Cyril Vézolle from Le Lardin-Saint-Lazare. Crumbs! It makes you hungry just thinking about it! ■ by Brian Hinchcliffe

Franco-British group of craft artisans has amazed itself with the popularity of its new venture. The chief architect of this success is Sheila Pickering from Corgnac-surl’Isle, a Dordogne resident for over 30 years. Sheila’s passion is creating household items, gifts and decorations from textiles. As with many businesses, getting products in front of customers is a priority. Unlike most one-person traders, however, Sheila went the whole hog and bought an entire 3-storey corner retail site in La Coquille, on the pilgrim route! The intention was for husband, Denis, to renovate the flats above it for rental, step back a little from needle working and enjoy the rental income. However, since there was a shop on the ground floor she decided to open a quick pop-up shop in November to catch the Christmas trade and invited craft colleagues to join in. French, British and Belgian creators came together to open a shop which did indeed pop up. The shop took off by popular demand and by the New Year had become a fixture in the centre of the town. It works as a co-operative,

here is something special about French bread, isn’t there? Whether you are fans of Mother’s Pride or Sainsbury’s Granary, most British expats and visitors also agree that a good, fresh baguette is a lovely thing. Some people are known to drive miles every morning to buy their favourite bakery’s bread! It’s a serious business. The ingredients for dough are heavily regulated by law, with carefully controlled types and proportions of flours that can be used, but the shape is up to the baker. The word baguette literally means ‘little stick’, but in the past bakers often made sticks up to 2 metres long! A great deal of legislation surrounds bakers, their employees and their products in France: a baguette must weigh 250 grammes; a bâtard 500 grammes; a ficelle 100 grammes; and bakers are obliged to be closed for at least one day a week. Every year the Dordogne Bakers’ Federation organises a competition to find the year’s best bread maker. Held during the National Bread Festival (Fête nationale du pain), this year’s competition was took place on 16th May, and drew

Sheila (left) and customer

with each crafter taking a share of manning the shop, with some travelling from the Haute-Vienne and Corrèze. “As a group we make and sell a huge range of gift items including textiles, jewellery, décor, up-cycled goods, even chutney, spices and pottery. Our customers are pleased with the choice and quality they find here. Since we share the shop work it leaves us time to get on with our creations and keeps our prices down. The mayor has been very supportive as La Coquille has its share of empty properties on the front street, which is also the

RN21.” Sheila originates from Derby where she was a textiles and home economics teacher. Well-known across the Dordogne already for her music hall shows, country dance academy, well dressing and social work, Sheila is offering an unused part of the site as a charity shop. Local charities Secours populaire, Unicef and Médecins sans Frontières are already in the frame. Coin Cadeaux is open from Tuesday to Friday from 14h30 to 18h and Saturday from 9h30 to 12h and 14h30 to 18h. ■ by Brian Hinchcliffe

4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2017

Bergerac Airport building So British... for the future So Brantôme

s passenger numbers climb, the Dordogne’s favourite airport is preparing for a summer flood of visitors, with some pleasant surprises to come. Emily James, Head of Marketing at Bergerac Roumanière, outlined the upcoming initiatives aimed at making the airport even more attractive. “We are about to complete the installation of solar panels over the car parks. This will help keep our costs down and provide welcome shade over the parking area. This is the SouthWest’s biggest solar field. For passengers, it means getting into a red-hot car baked in the Dordogne sunshine will be a thing of the past! Drivers picking up friends and family appreciate our 30 minutes’ free parking, but the parking area is also being extended to provide a 4th zone. We also increased parking for aircraft last year and we can now take 4 Boeing 737s simultaneously. By 2018, we will have a remodelled arrivals area to enhance passengers’ first impressions of the airport, the department and the region.” Thomas Roux, the airport’s Route Development Manager added: “Compared with say,

Thomas and Emily fly the flag on the solar farm

Limoges Airport, our principal business is for passengers coming to the area for leisure, holidays and sightseeing, rather than work. It is essential we create a good impression and treat our customers well, they are important to the local economy and an increasing number of passengers are passing through Bergerac. The majority of British passengers come via Stansted although our other European routes are popular including the Netherlands and Germany.” Emily assured The Bugle that there has thus far been no perceptible Brexit effect and none is anticipated. Bergerac

works closely with other airports and the industry consensus is that Brexit has had no impact on passenger figures. As an additional surprise for travellers, the airport has donated a major raffle prize to the So British weekend in Brantôme on 17th and 18th June. Raffle tickets will be on sale on the river bridge to win a return ticket for 2 people to any one of Bergerac’s destinations, including luggage! With regular flights all over Europe as well as the UK the choice is immense…. and wherever you go, you can now come back to a cool, dry car. ■ by Brian Hinchcliffe

hard-working FrancoBritish group of enthusiasts have announced the dates for their annual British weekend. The “So British“ event, which will take place on 17th and 18th June, is a key moment in the calendar of the historic town of Brantôme, often called the Venice of the Périgord. Inspired by Brantôme’s history - and celebrating its deep links with Britain - the town hosts a weekend in June every year dedicated to all things British and The Bugle recently eavesdropped on a meeting of the organising committee at Brantôme’s Hotel Aliénor. Local organic shopkeeper, Wendy Burwood, outlined a few of the highlights of the weekend’s programme. Over the two-day Britfest there will be a market of British products, classic car expo and parade, games, pipe band, brass band, choir music, river trips, history film show, a dance, art expo, super prize raffle and even Maypole dancing! John Beynon added: “We are aiming for a fun weekend, like a UK bank holiday, with lots to see and do, not to mention eat and drink. It is not meant to be a snooty, exclusive garden party, just real, genuine fun, celebrating

some of the best of Britain and our links with this part of France. We have a great prize in the raffle of two return air tickets from Bergerac to any destination of your choice (see left). It’s really exciting. And we are so proud to be here in this lovely, lively historic town with its enviable reputation for wining and dining.” Local historian and committee member, Jean-Luc Nicolas, is passionate about the bonds between the British Isles and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Ruler of this part of France, she was mother to two princesses of France and, as wife of Plantagenet King Henry of England, mother to 5 English princes, including Richard the Lionheart. From her role as Queen of France, then England, there followed three centuries of shared history between the two nations. “The Black Prince was here,” Jean-Luc told The Bugle. “This was his land. He camped his army beside Brantôme during one of his many campaigns. And here we are, centuries later, still sharing and celebrating our nations’ histories!” For more information search for “Brantôme So British” on Facebook or email assosobritish@gmail.com. ■ by Brian Hinchcliffe

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LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5

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Local artists hoping Region’s vineyards for fair weather hit by freak frost © Brian Hinchcliffe

n international group of artists is hoping their 2017 open air expo is not a washout… again! The Park Art group have all their fingers crossed that the weather this year will be kinder than the previous two. Lowell Christiaanse explains: “We have been rained off the past two years and had to postpone and reschedule because of the weather. The garden doesn’t mind the rain but the artists find it difficult to find another slot in their events programme.” Lowell is host to a score of artists and craftspeople at her annual Park Art Exhibition in the garden created by husband, Jan, at their home in Saint-Front-la-Rivière. “The exhibitors are an international group, from France, the Netherlands and Britain,” says Lowell. “Their creations are unique, all very different, all very special. There is something for everybody, it’s not just another craft fair, and we try to make it a fun day.” A highly qualified and experienced silversmith, Lowell’s Park Art Expo attracts sculptors, painters, photographers, goldsmiths, jewellers and ceramics specialists, as well as willow work, garden furniture and decoration. Visitors will even find Dutch snack specialities, organic produce and locally brewed English ale. Lowell and Jan first came to the Dordogne

Lowell (right) with customer

from the Netherlands for reasons that will resound with many British expats. “We love the peace and quiet, the French lifestyle, and the countryside. The local people are so generous in accepting us foreigners and making us feel welcome,” says Jan. After a couple of years preparing themselves for a new life in the Périgord Vert, the couple left the Rotterdam area in 2002. Lowell had given up her management post in a job centre and studied to become a qualified silversmith. Jan had exchanged a life in academia for a course in landscape gardening: “I have 2 degrees but this was by far the most difficult to do properly!” Park Art 2017 takes place at La Vigerie, Saint-Front-la-Rivière from 10h30 to 18h00 on 11th June. Entry and parking are free, refreshments are available... and there is a free raffle with some interesting prizes! ■ by Brian Hinchcliffe

he region’s vineyards have been badly hit by what some believe may be the worst frost in over 25 years. The damage in certain areas was so bad that farming unions have warned that some producers now face crisis and that the 2017 vintages would be affected. Every wine producer’s worst nightmare came true over several nights at the end of April when temperatures as low as -5°C swept through the vineyards of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, causing considerable damage to vines already well into the growing season thanks to an early spring. Many growers in the Bergerac, Bordeaux and Cognac regions have reported losses of 30% or more, with some saying that they have given up all hope of a harvest this year. Worst hit were the smaller producers who could not afford the expensive frostprevention methods employed by the bigger domaines. Some of the classified grands crus used helicopters to try to prevent frost forming, while many producers across south-west France deployed heaters and lit hundreds of controlled fires between the vines to keep them warm. As the dust settles and those who could

afford insurance against frost damage estimated at just 25% of producers - have their claims assessed, the Fédération des grands vins de Bordeaux (FGVB) believes the total cost to local businesses could rise as high as one billion euros! “It’s too soon to know what grapes the vines may still produce,” said Yann Le Goaster, head of the FGVB. “We will know more at the end of May and early June. Will the vines still flower, will the second buds grow? Either way, we are looking at a seriously diminished harvest.” The freak frost also caused problems in many other vineyards across Europe, including in northern Italy, Switzerland and Germany, as well as in the south of England. The damage came as a particular blow to the UK’s burgeoning wine industry which recently saw Champagne producer Taittinger plant its first vines north of the Channel (see page 10). Nick Wenman, founder and owner of Albury Organic Vineyard in Surrey, said it was the air frost that was particularly damaging. “It was like an Arctic wind which blew through the vineyard and froze everything in its path,” he told the BBC. ■

6 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

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fter a tense few weeks of campaigning, a fractious live debate and a possible Russian hack, the French public voted overwhelmingly to elect Emmanuel Macron the next president of the Fifth Republic. He beat his far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen, by 66.1% to 33.9%, the widest margin in the run-off since her father Jean-Marie Le Pen was soundly beaten by Jacques Chirac in 2002. At 39 years old, Macron is the youngest ever president of France and the country's youngest leader since Napoleon. He is also the first president born after the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1958. Following his victory, Macron was quick to follow through on his pledge to break down the traditional right versus left divide and create a party spanning the political spectrum. By appointing Edouard Philippe - the mayor of Le Havre and a member of the centre-right Les Républicains as his prime minister, Macron gained significant support from right-leaning politicians, without appearing to have angered too many of those to the left of centre. Another key election pledge was gender equality within government and on this Macron appears to have followed through. Exactly half of his 22-member cabinet are women and approximately 50% of the candidates that will stand for election as MPs in France's 577-seat parliament for Macron's La République

En Marche ! party are female. In a further shake-up of the status quo, 52% of all candidates have not previously held political office and fewer than 30 are current MPs. Furthermore, following on from a promise to have ministers who understand the department they run, the new health minister is a former doctor and the sports minister, Laura Flessel, is an Olympic fencing champion. Macron saw a surge in support after unveiling his cabinet, but he has a long way to go if he is to be in a strong enough position to push through his election pledges. It is currently considered unlikely that Macron's party will win enough seats in June's parliamentary elections to form an outright majority government and entering a coalition will surely put the breaks on his planned “progressive” reforms: an overhaul of labour regulations, social security, schools and pensions. He also wants to cut corporate taxes, trim public spending and launch a new €50 billion public investment fund to spur growth, but is likely to face fierce resistance from trade unions and those on the left. Macron's candidates look set to receive their stiffest competition from the centre-right Les Républicains, who have re-drawn their battle lines following a disastrous display in the presidential elections, when their candidate François Fillon became embroiled in a financial scandal and did not make it to the run-off. The Socialist Party is in disarray and the Front National, which has

Macron unveils gender-equal cabinet

The new sports minister is a former Olympic champion enjoyed a surge in support over recent years, now looks on the verge of collapse. Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, the niece of Marine Le Pen and long considered a future leader of the party, sensationally quit politics in the wake of her aunt's defeat. She was elected as an MP in June 2012 at the age of just 22 – becoming the youngest MP in modern political history - and not standing for re-election is a big blow for the National Front party, which only had one other MP in the last parliament. Insiders believe she may be trying to distance herself from the party, which still carries the stigma of racism and anti-Semitism, before returning to politics some time in the near future to lead a new movement. Furthermore, Marine Le Pen has now backtracked on all plans to leave the European Union and restore the French franc, accept-

ing that her high-risk strategy had proved a costly error for the party. “There will be no Frexit. We have taken note of what the French people told us,” said Bernard Monot, the party’s chief economic strategist. This has not gone down well with the party faithful, however, and their vice-president, Florian Philippot, threatened to quit the party if it abandoned its euro strategy. “I am not here to hang on to a job at all cost and to defend the opposite of my deepest convictions. I will always fight for the independence of my country,” he told RMC radio. With Marine Le Pen's political future also in question, the fate of the far-right party looks more precarious than ever. The dust is still settling after an explosive election campaign, but the political landscape will be much more certain once the 577 MPs have been chosen on 18th June. ■

Jobless rate falls below symbolic 10% Unemployment in France has fallen below the symbolic 10% mark and hit its lowest level since 2012. Figures for the first quarter of 2017 showed a 0.4% overall drop to 9.6% - excluding overseas territories the figure is now 9.3% for mainland France. This will come as good news to the country's incoming president, Emmanuel Macron, who vowed that tackling the high unemployment rate would be his number one priority. The figures, released by the country's statistics gathering body, INSEE, include those actively searching for work, and not just those signed up with employment centres. The fall in unemployment was faster than anticipated; the INSEE had predicted a fall to 9.8% overall, or 9.5% in mainland France. There were also encouraging figures for the country's younger workers, a group that has been particularly affected by the lack of jobs. Unemployment has now fallen by 2.6% in the last year for 18-25-year-olds. “The number of jobseekers is still too high today, nobody can deny that,” said the outgoing labour minister Myriam El Khomri. “But I say without hesitation: we are handing over control of a country that is in a much better state than it was five years ago.” Emmanuel Macron has pledged to cut unemployment to 7% by the end of his presidency in 2022. ■

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7

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Cross-border driving fines

>> continued from pg 1

groups including One Voice and Sea Shepherd said in a joint statement. “Without possible replenishment, this quite simply means the scheduled end of marine circuses on our territory.” Not everyone has welcomed the move. Jon Kershaw, head of the Marineland Antibes dolphin show park in southern France, reacted angrily, saying it was a “bombshell” for establishments like his. Marineland Antibes is the biggest attraction of its kind in Europe, but has faced growing criticism in recent years

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No more captive dolphins n a move that campaigners say will bring an end to shows involving marine animals, France has banned the breeding in captivity of dolphins and killer whales. The government has also outlawed the keeping of all whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity, except for orcas and bottlenose dolphins already held. Former Environment Minister Ségolène Royal had already signed a version of the legislation, but decided to tighten the rules further at the last minute and ban captive breeding completely after finding out that “some animals were drugged” in aquariums, the ministry told AFP news agency. The new rules also ban direct contact between animals and the public, including swimming with dolphins, and require pools holding the animals to be made 150% larger. Establishments have six months to comply with some of the rules, and must expand their pools within three years. Animal rights activists hailed the ban as an “historic French advance”. “In plain terms, this means the end of breeding, exchange and import programmes,” five conservation

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over its animals' living conditions. The law change follows a global trend to phase out so-called marine circuses and came a month after Sea World announced the birth of the last killer whale at its theme park after it decided to stop breeding orcas last year following animal rights protests. It also said it was phasing out its orca shows after years of criticism, but activists remain unconvinced as its theme parks in San Antonio, Texas and Orlando are not expected to end the shows until 2019. ■

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

Transport said in a statement. “Once we have left the EU, our Parliament will have the power to amend the law.” Unfortunately for the British government, because the UK operates a system whereby drivers are responsible for fines and not the vehicle owner, they will not be able to fine EU drivers breaking the rules in the same way. It is estimated that this currently costs the government £2 million in lost revenue each year. When the proposals were first announced in 2011, the European commissioner for transport, Siim Kallas, said, “We know that a foreign driver is three times more likely to commit an offence than a resident driver. These new rules

should have a powerful deterrent effect and change behaviour.” According to EU figures, foreign drivers make up around 5% of the traffic on the roads of Europe, yet they account for 15% of all accidents. In France, the figures for foreign drivers are far higher. Foreign heavy goods vehicles alone account for 28% of such traffic on France’s roads and are involved in 14% of fatal accidents - this is an area that France is looking to crack down on. Before the rest of Europe signed up in 2015, statistics showed that one quarter of all vehicles flashed by France’s army of speed cameras were on foreign plates. This problem was even worse in the height of the summer tourist season when that figure would rise to half! ■

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8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2017

Royal couple sue over press intrusion

he trial of six people over the publication of topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge in 2012 has begun in Nanterre, with lawyers for the heir to the throne calling for “very large damages” and the imposition of a “significant fine”. The court heard that Prince William found the incident “particularly shocking” given the battles his mother faced with paparazzi photographers before her death. “In September 2012, my wife and I thought that we could go to France for a few days in a secluded villa owned by a member of my family, and thus enjoy our privacy,” William said in a statement read to the court on his behalf by the couple’s lawyer, Jean Veil. “We know France and the French and we know

that they are, in principle, respectful of private life, including that of their guests. The clandestine way in which these photographs were taken was particularly shocking to us as it breached our privacy.” The pictures of Kate Middleton were taken with a long lens and showed her topless on the balcony of a private residence in the south of France, during a holiday with Prince William. The images first appeared on the front page of local newspaper La Provence in southern France in September 2012, but were given a much wider audience when celebrity magazine Closer subsequently also ran them, sparking fury from the royal family, who pressed for criminal charges in an attempt to prevent further publication. The defendants include Closer’s chief

editor, the head of Closer’s parent company Mondadori, two news agency photographers, along with a photographer and a senior figure at La Provence. All the defendants are charged with invasion of privacy and complicity, but deny causing any damage. They say the pictures were taken from a public place and were “not in the least bit shocking”. Both agency photographers have denied taking the photos, with Closer refusing to say who was responsible. The royal couple are seeking €1.5 million in damages from Closer as well as punitive fines and a further €50,000 from La Provence. Paul-Albert Iweins, a lawyer representing Closer magazine, lambasted the sums as far above usual French fines, saying they were

the fruit of “an Anglo-Saxon reasoning of punitive damages”. Mr Iweins pointed out that when Prince Albert of Monaco sued Paris Match for publishing a photo of “his illegitimate child”, it was ordered to pay just €50,000 in damages. He said that the trial was “hypocritical” as “the public and private lives of the royal couple are so closely linked as to be inseparable. Two billion people watched their wedding, and we even have photos of them arriving at the maternity ward, leaving and now Charlotte's second birthday. It's of public interest to know that the potential future heirs to the throne have a solid relationship and are getting on well. It's all part of the royal business.” A verdict is expected on 4th July. ■

Roaming charges abolished Car charging roads tested

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receive a shock when returning home after a break, especially from outside the EU. According to Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com more than one in ten people in the UK who have been outside the EU in the past year have received a higher than normal bill averaging £103. ■

05 55 41 17 76 - sales24@thebugle.eu

and Services Economy. “When Europeans go on holiday this summer, they can enjoy the freedom of being able to stay in touch and use the internet as if they were at home. The EU is making our lives easier in very practical ways.” In practice, when you travel to another EU country after 15th June, you will be billed for calls, SMS and data usage in exactly the same way as if you were using your mobile in your home country. Customers who exceed the limits of their contract or allowance while roaming will also not be charged any more than the wholesale caps. The cost of using your mobile abroad has plummeted in recent years, although many do still

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rom 15th June, the EU will finally abolish all roaming charges for mobile users across Europe. The last requirement for abolishing roaming fees was met in May when the European Council adopted a legal act that limits how much operators may charge each other. From mid-June, wholesale prices for calls will be capped at 3.2 cents per minute, an SMS will be 1 cent and data will be capped at €7.70 per GB. That rate will gradually fall to €2.50 per GB by 1st January 2022. “Today's final vote in the Council clears the path for free roaming,” said Dr Emmanuel Mallia, the Maltese Minister for Competitiveness and Digital, Maritime

ne of the current drawbacks of fully electric vehicles is “range anxiety” - the worry that your battery will fail before you reach another charging point. Many believe that the long-term solution to this problem lies in specially modified roads which charge the battery as the car passes over. This technology has moved a step further after Qualcomm demonstrated a 100-metre stretch of inductive road ahead of the recent Formula-E race in Paris - a series of motor racing featuring open cockpit single-seater cars powered entirely by electricity. During the demonstration, two specially modified Renault Kangoo vehicles shared the stretch of road and both charged “on the go” at the same time. The aim was to highlight how the technology could work in the real world where multiple vehicles would need to receive pulses of power as they quickly move across the many small high-power inductive coils. This is much more technically difficult than when a car is sitting stationary and perfectly aligned over a parking pad. “To me, the biggest advantage is allowing cars with smaller batteries to make useful trips. That includes picking up the kids on a busy day and getting a little bit of charge from the road along the way,” said Qualcomm's principal engineer Bill Von Novak. “The main advantage of this is that it allows you to have ranges and do things with electric cars that otherwise you just couldn't do without spending a huge amount of money on batteries.” Nine European countries and 25 companies - including vehicle makers, suppliers, and automotive research groups - are set to test the system throughout 2017. ■

JUNE 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9

10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2017

France bans ultra-thin models Taittinger plants first F UK vineyard

ver recent years, the British wine industry has been enjoying an ever increasing reputation for the quality of its vineyards. A number of English brands, such as Nyetimber, Chapel Down, Camel Valley and Ridgeview have been making waves on the international scene as well as having success at blind tasting competitions. In a sign that this trend is set to continue, one of France's biggest names has planted its first vines in the south of England. On a rainy May morning, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger - president of one of France’s longest-established Champagne families - ceremonially planted the first vines at Chilham in Kent, nearly 18 months after first signalling his intention to make English sparkling wine. The first 50 acres of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes were soon putting down roots and there are plans to plant a further 100 acres over the next few years. Mr Taittinger dismissed the rainy launch of his vineyard as “a sign of good luck”. “The weather is nice. Water is a key issue for the world today. For me the most important thing is to feel the sunshine in the glass. It’s a wonderful day because it expresses the great friendship I feel for Great Britain. I started my career here in Great Britain 40 years ago, and 40 years after we are going to develop a wonderful venture with an English company.” The sparkling wine will be called Domaine Evremond, named after Charles de Saint-Evremond, a bon viveur, soldier and essayist who is buried at Westminster Abbey and is credited with fuelling the popularity of Champagne in the court of Charles II. The move comes as figures in April revealed that wine producers in the UK will plant a record 1m vines over the next 12 months, allowing growers to increase production capacity by 2 million bottles of wine a year. Taittinger considered sites in Sussex and Hampshire but chose the Kent location because it met its stringent benchmarks: the land is less than 100 metres above sea level, south facing, on chalk and in a sheltered position. “We were very impressed by the quality of English sparkling wine already produced here,” said Mr Taittinger. “We believe the combination of chalk soils, climate and topography of our site in Kent are ideal for producing quality sparkling wine. We are aiming to create a wine with a taste that is something truly exceptional. These attributes are perfect for grape growing, and are very similar to the terroir in Champagne. For us it was a natural step.” The vineyard is expected to eventually produce 300,000 bottles of sparkling wine per year - it can not be called Champagne, which must be produced in a strict geographic area of northern France - with the first corks ready to pop in 2023. ■

rance has passed a law banning ultra-thin models from the nation's catwalks. Fashion models will now need to provide medical certificates proving they are healthy in order to work, with particular attention paid to their body mass index (BMI), calculated as a function of weight in relation to height. A previous version of the bill had suggested introducing a minimum BMI for models, similar to rules already in place in Spain and Italy, but prompted protests from modelling agencies in France who said that the BMI is an arbitrary measure that does not take into account overall health. In the end parliamentarians agreed to let doctors decide whether a model is too thin, taking into consideration a range of criteria, including BMI, but also age, gender and body shape. Under the new rules, models must

rance as a country is a huge consumer of prescription medicines, but many of these are destined to sit in cupboards and drawers and remain unused. The recycling of these unused medicines is a problem that one notfor-profit organisation, Cyclamed, has been battling for over 20 years. After years of trials across France, a law was introduced in 2009 which required pharmacies to collect any unused drugs brought in by members of the public, whether they are in or out of date. As it continues to push its message, Cyclamed has just released figures for 2016 which show that almost 12,000 tonnes of unused medicines were collected last year, a figure similar to that recorded in 2015. The organisation says that the stagnation in recycling figures is not a backward step,

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said, adding that the new rules were aimed at preventing anorexia by stopping the promotion of inaccessible ideals of beauty. Also included in the law change is a further measure, due to come into force on 1st October, which will require magazines, adverts and websites to clearly mark images in which a model’s appearance has been digitally manipulated with the words photographie retouchée (retouched photograph). Failing to flag up retouched images will incur a fine of €37,500, or up to 30% of the amount spent on the advert. It is estimated that around 600,000 young people suffer from eating disorders in France, including 40,000 people suffering from anorexia, 90% of whom are female. After road accidents, eating disorders are the second most common cause of death of 15-24 year-olds. ■

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obtain a medical certificate stating that their health, “assessed in particular in terms of body mass index, is compatible with the practice of the (modelling) profession”. Valid for two years, the certificate will be recognised throughout the European Union. Failure to respect the rules will be punishable by up to six months imprisonment and a fine of €75,000 for the employer. Under World Health Organisation guidelines an adult with a BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight, 18 malnourished, and 17 severely malnourished. A model measuring 1.75m (5ft 9in) and weighing 50kg (7st 12lb) would have a BMI of 16. “Exposing young people to normative and unrealistic images of bodies leads to a sense of selfdeprecation and poor self-esteem that can impact health-related behaviour,” former health and social affairs minister Marisol Touraine

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but rather is a result of the overall drop in the amount of medicines being prescribed by GPs. When the scheme first started, many believed that they were performing a humanitarian service, i.e. that the unused drugs would be used in third world countries. In reality, the types of medicines handed in

tend not to be in demand in poorer nations, and in practice the amount being reused overseas was never above 10%. Furthermore, since the law change in 2009, all drugs and medicines collected must be disposed of or converted into energy by Cyclamed. This process is performed using 52 incinerators which

recover the energy contained in the medicines as heat and/or electricity, producing enough to power 7,000 homes each year. More information on what can be recycled, as well as where to take unused medicines, is available in English on the Cyclamed website: www.cyclamed.org/en.■

JUNE 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

In the garden - jobs for June

by Michelle Pierce

hen looking at lots of local vegetable gardens round here, I’m struck by the apparent lack of diversity. There are beans and potatoes, tomatoes and the ubiquitous leek, carrots and courgettes, strawberries and salads, onions & garlic. This seems to be in really marked contrast to the wide selection of vegetable seeds available in most local garden centres, not to mention online. Why not decide to grow two or three different varieties of the same thing? Carrots, for example, can be orange, white, yellow or purple! Wonderful!! I’m not sure it was the same a couple of generations ago, when the ‘jardins de curé’ (cottage gardens we’d say) saw explosions of plants bunged in where they could, and good diversity. So please let yourself be tempted by a new packet or two of seed next time you go to a garden centre.

Well, it's evidently a truism to say that June comes after May. But that's great for the vegetable gardener, because if you haven't been organised earlier (sown your seeds in April, planted your potatoes in May, etc.) then June is second-chance time. You can still buy many transplants, if you don’t feel sowing will be productive for you. With the good climate, many things can catch up, and can still crop. Everything depends, as usual, on the weather, which we can't do anything about, so if you are late, or there are things you haven't got round to sowing, give them a go. Speaking of the weather, it looks rather like this year will do the same as the last couple, so prepare for a possible drought, and get a load of mulch over the top of your ground as soon as you can. Or put drip lines in place if you water via hoses. Check you’ve got water butts ready to catch the maximum from those seasonal storms.

Keep on top of the weeding. Give weeds to the chickens to process into great manure for your vegetable plot later. Keep an eye on your fruit trees, and be hard-hearted if there is too much immature fruit that’s developing. Get rid of some, and your crop will be all the better for it. Feed your soft fruit with diluted nettle tea to boost them. Keep sowing at regular intervals, to have a succession of crops. And be organised with your harvesting for some things. What I mean is, try to avoid finding yourself with 100 lettuces all at an optimum stage for picking at the same time. Start picking some at an immature stage (remembering that all leaf veg could be considered similarly to 'cutting lettuce' in the sense that if you pick individual leaves rather than dig the whole plant up, it will continue to grow and develop new ones). Then turn to the others. Leave some plants to go to seed by

The wines of Bergerac

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 11

by Martin Walker

mong all the Britishowned winemakers in the Bergerac, Château de la Jaubertie is the largest, the best-known and by far the most recognized in the wine trade. Not many winemakers have secured three of the coveted gold medals from the Concours Agricole in Paris in a single year, but in 2012 Jaubertie pulled off this hat-trick for its Jaubertie red wine, and for both the white and red of its special cuvée Mirabelle. I will never forget my first taste of the Mirabelle red, it must be fifteen years ago. I took a sip, felt the fruit bomb explode in my mouth and felt that I had suddenly been transported to California where they love this style of wine. California’s problem is that, too often, that’s all you get. Too rarely is this intensity of fruit followed by something more profound, that richness in the mouth and the deep follow-through that makes a truly fine wine. At Jaubertie, with the occasional wobble, they almost always succeed. It comes from a deep skill in making the wine. First, Jaubertie is an organic vineyard and has been for a decade and more. Second, they encourage grass and natural growth

between the vines, taking their own nourishment from the soil and thus reducing a little the vigour of the vines to obtain more concentrated grapes. Third, they use green harvesting, trimming the leaves in summer to get maximum air and sunlight. Then comes the magic in the chai. The grapes are picked when fully ripe and are then chilled down to 5 degrees centigrade for several days, a technique called cold maceration which allows the full flavour of fruit to emerge in the juice. Then juice and grapes together are warmed up to start the fermentation that produces the alcohol. Once that begins, the winemakers start punching down the cap that forms on top of the juice, which helps release the tannins and deepen the colour. The wine is then aged in barrels on the lees for at least ten months. One of the skills of the winemaker is to balance how much wine to age in new or in older oak barrels. This can make a real difference. The result is one of my favourite wines, a real triumph of the Bergerac, a wine of serious quality that you can get for just over 15 euros, less than the price of a prix fixe menu lunch. But on a recent visit I was stunned when the owner and winemaker Hugh

Ryman told me that he was about to start changing this magic formula. We had been talking about the impact of climate change on the vineyards of south-western France, the longer growing season and hotter, drier summers. And then Hugh said that he was going to have to start phasing out the Merlot. The heat was becoming too intense for the grape, making it harder for the sugar ripeness and the phenolic ripeness to come together at the same time. To my startled ears, this sounded like a football team manager saying he was going to have to leave out his star player. Merlot has been a key component of the wines of Bordeaux and Bergerac for centuries, its softness adding elegance to the sturdiness and solid body that comes from Cabernet Sauvignon. Hugh started some years ago growing different kinds of grapes. He is one of the few in the Bergerac to produce a Chardonnay, which won another gold medal in Paris in 2014. He’s already growing more Cabernet Franc and Malbec, and thinking about some of the other grape varieties that have done well in Languedoc and Spain and Italy where they are more accustomed to the heat.

themselves and you'll have new plants next year for free, with no effort involved. Collect herbs for drying before they’ve flowered, ideally. Hang them up in small bunches somewhere warm and let the sun gently dry them. Plant out the summer heat lovers, now that the frosts have officially ended – tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, chillies etc. Mulching round them with fresh nettle stems can be a good way of making a weed work for you – but make sure not to include those with seeds formed, or with roots. Stake at the same time, or even prior to planting, to avoid root damage. This is also a good month to direct sow straight into the ground – carrots, beetroot, parsley, salad... an endless list in fact. Sow also summer flowering annuals, and autumn flowering ones. Enjoy the roses! Go to the plant fairs of the region, the Open Gardens (www.opengardens. eu) and the Rendez-vous aux jardins (2-4 June rendezvousauxjardins.culturecommunication. gouv.fr ) Good gardening! ■

If Hugh thinks Merlot could be doomed, other winemakers are likely to follow his example. He is a real expert, involved in wine all his life since his father bought the chateau and revived the vineyard in the 1970s. He also has a global reputation from his work as a flying wine consultant in 17 different countries. I remember seeing him at the huge ProWein exhibition in Dusseldorf last year being treated as a visiting potentate, and it means he keeps up with the latest techniques coming out of New Zealand and Australia and the well-funded labs at the Davis wing of the University of California. Jaubertie is a lovely place to visit, one of the small handful of true chateaux in our region, at least in the architectural sense. Legend says the chateau was originally a hunting lodge for the 16th century King Henri IV, who gave it to his mistress, and then somehow with the French Revolution it fell into the hands of MarieAntoinette’s doctor. The Rymans have done a grand job of restoration and the tasting rooms are very handsome. There are three kinds of vineyard at Jaubertie, which is within the Monbazillac appellation and produces a very fine example of this classic dessert wine. (How they do so with only 10 per cent of Muscadelle grapes is beyond me; Tirecul la Gravière uses 50 per cent!) There is the high pla-

teau, limestone and clay, good for the red wines. The slopes are mainly limestone, good for whites. And then below them comes the Boulbène, a moist lowland with a lot of grey clay where the grapes take longer to mature and ripen much later. I recommend all their wines, but have a special fondness for the cuvée Mirabelle, both red and white, and for their much cheaper Vieilles Vignes red. The standard reds and whites (and the delightful rosé) cost less than seven euros. You can also find their Natura brand of organic wines in supermarkets for five euros or even less, which is a bargain. And now Hugh has started making a very up-market wine, Colombier, which sells for around 35 euros. It was a little young when I tasted it, but full of promise. Give me five years and I’ll report back, and I’m already pretty sure I’ll be a convert. ■ Martin Walker, author of the bestselling ‘Bruno, chief of police’ novels, is a Grand Consul de la Vinée de Bergerac. Formerly a journalist, he spent 25 years as foreign correspondent for The Guardian and then became editor-in-chief of United Press International. He and his wife Julia have had a home in the Périgord since 1999 and one of his great hobbies is visiting the vineyards of Bergerac.

The health benefits of a bilingual brain

Many thanks to French teacher, Sophie Arsac, for this month's bilingual article. Why not get in touch with Sophie to see how she can help improve your French! See left for contact details.

round the world, more than half of all people - estimates vary from 60 to 75 per cent - speak at least two languages. So to be monolingual, as many native English and French speakers are, is to be in the minority, and perhaps to be missing out. There are many good reasons to learn a second language, whatever your age. If you are young, studying more than one language can create job opportunities; if you are older and have moved abroad, then speaking the local tongue will enhance your experience on a social and cultural level. As for the financial benefits, one estimate puts the value of knowing a second language at up to €100,000 over 40 years. Bilingual children have also repeatedly been shown to outperform their monolingual classmates in certain activities and are much better at multi-tasking. But perhaps the most exciting benefit of bilingualism occurs in ageing, when brain function typically declines: bilingualism seems to protect against dementia! The brain is a complex organ, but there is an increasing body of evidence to suggest that polyglots will develop Alzheimer's later in life than those who only speak one language. One respected research project looked at 211 people with probable Alzheimer's dis-

ease, 102 of whom were bilingual and 109 monolingual. The study examined the age at which the patients' cognitive deterioration had started and the results showed that bilingual patients had been diagnosed an average of 4.3 years later - and had reported the onset of symptoms 5.1 years later - than monolingual patients. Being bilingual does not prevent you from getting dementia, but it delays the effects. So in two people whose brains show similar amounts of the disease, the bilingual person would show symptoms up to five years later than the monolingual person. This is due to the physical effect of bilingualism on the brain, which is much more developed in certain areas. Neuroscientists can even distinguish bilingual people from monolinguals simply by looking at scans of their brains. Further studies have shown that while the benefits are greatest for people who speak two languages every day, there are still benefits for those who use a second language infrequently. So next time you set yourself health goals - be they losing weight, getting fit, or cutting down on your alcohol consumption - why not add a few hours of French or English study into the equation... it's a lot less tiring than jogging!! ■

lus de la moitié de la population mondiale (entre 60 et 75 % selon les estimations) parle au moins deux langues. En conséquence, les monolingues, comme beaucoup de personnes dont la langue natale est l’anglais ou le français, sont minoritaires et passent à côté d’une bonne opportunité. Quel que soit votre âge, il y a beaucoup de bonnes raisons d’apprendre une seconde langue. Si vous êtes jeune, l’apprentissage d’une autre langue crée des opportunités professionnelles. Si vous êtes plus âgé et que vous vous installez à l’étranger, la connaissance de la langue du pays enrichit votre expérience sur les plans social et culturel. Quant aux bénéfices financiers, il est estimé que la maîtrise d’une autre langue représente un gain de 100 000 euros sur 40 ans. Les enfants bilingues sont plus performants que leurs camarades monolingues dans certaines activités et ils sont notamment meilleurs lorsqu’il s’agit d’effectuer plusieurs tâches en même temps. Mais parmi les effets bénéfiques du bilinguisme, le plus exaltant se révèle lors du vieillissement lorsque les fonctions cognitives déclinent. Il protégerait contre la démence ! Le cerveau est un organe complexe et un nombre croissant d’études scientifiques tend à prouver que la maladie d’Alzheimer se déclare plus tard chez les polyglottes que chez les monolingues. Des chercheurs reconnus ont étudié le cas de

211 personnes atteintes d’Alzheimer. 102 d’entre elles étaient bilingues et les 109 autres étaient monolingues. L’étude s’est focalisée sur l’âge auquel la détérioration des fonctions cognitives a débuté. Elle a montré que chez les patients bilingues, la maladie avait été diagnostiquée en moyenne 4,3 ans plus tard et que les symptômes étaient apparus 5.1 ans plus tard. Le bilinguisme n’empêche pas la démence de se déclarer mais elle en retarde les effets. Sur deux personnes dont l’examen du cerveau décèle des lésions de même gravité, les symptômes chez le patient bilingue se déclareront 5 ans plus tard. Le bilinguisme a des effets physiques sur le cerveau dont certaines régions se développent davantage. A partir d’une imagerie cérébrale, les neuroscientifiques peuvent déterminer si une personne est monolingue ou bilingue. Des études complémentaires ont montré que si les bénéfices sont plus importants chez les personnes qui pratiquent deux langues au quotidien, ils n’en restent pas moins présents chez celles qui pratiquent une autre langue peu fréquemment. Donc la prochaine fois que vous vous fixerez des objectifs en matière de santé, que ce soit une perte de poids, une remise en forme ou une baisse de votre consommation d’alcool, pourquoi n’ajouteriez-vous quelques heures d’apprentissage de l’anglais ou du français à la recette…. C’est beaucoup moins fatiguant que le jogging ! ■

12 ♦ FRENCH LIFE

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2017

Fresh produce... at the right price by Julia Watson

he Queen’s official birthday falls in the second week of June. Either you will think, good for Her Majesty, or why is that of interest to me. I make the point because on 21st April, the date of the Queen’s real birthday, she turned 91. Her mother lived until she was 101. If you are a full-time or even a part-time resident of SouthWest France, it’s likely you too would wish to live until you’re 101 in this paradise. In which case, you might like to know some of the restorative foods and liquids the Queen Mother was fond enough of that she conferred a Royal Warrant upon the companies producing them. Among brands she picked out for honouring with her imprimatur were Bacardi-Martini, Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot, Chivas Regal, Gordon's gin, Tanqueray gin, Sandeman sherry, Johnnie Walker whisky, Charbonnel et Walker chocolates, Bendicks mints, Pinney's smoked salmon, Twinings tea and coffee, Kellogg's, Weetabix, her local Scottish bacon and sausages, Colman's Mus-

tard, HP Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, and other treats too numerous to include. This might be considered a useful shopping list for anyone aspiring to be sent a congratulatory 100th birthday card by the Queen. (Who, I wonder, will be responsible for signing hers?) Or for celebrating the Queen’s official June birthday if you need any excuse to break open champagne, gin, or chocolates. As it is, June in France is less a celebration of food that comes out of barrels, bottles or pretty cardboard boxes, and more a lifting of the non-alcoholic spirits with healthier offerings direct from nature. Look for cherries, small Charentais melons (cut them in half per person, scoop out the seeds and fill each centre with white port), and tomatoes - heirloom, preferably, to encourage the producteurs to keep planting them. With the new produce coming into the street markets, there’s a temptation to use what you see is available as inspiration, then to go in search of the same produce, more cheaply, in the supermarkets. The latest

frontline battle in food - aside from the battle of the bulge and the battle against food waste is the battle to recognise and accept that we pay too little for our food. The supermarkets who wield immense power by being able to buy in bulk not only keep food prices down but are beginning to limit choice, not just in their own offerings but in what continues to be available in the street markets. My local producteur of asparagus this year stopped selling it. Last year, her buyers complained that the shapes and sizes of the stalks were too irregular for confident cooking. She has turned her field over to lettuces. Another has stopped selling the striped and the dark green tomatoes that make such a beautiful display on a plate, sliced thinly with regular red ones, all drizzled with olive oil. “My foreign customers think they’re not ripe,” she says. Local French buyers know that good food is a treat as well as a necessity, and fresh produce is to be respected. They understand how to eek out their budgets by buying for very few days ahead to avoid waste, and how to make use of every part of the beast, the fruit, the vegetable. (Did you know you can wilt the leaves of a bunch of raw beetroot in a little warm oil and lemon juice for a delicious

salad? The same with the leaves of a bunch of radishes, also good in soup.) Offal is lean, packed with protein, vitamins and minerals, and cheap. Buy the ingredients for this vegetable stew from producteurs. Use whichever vegeta-

bles you’re fond of, changing them up for others as they come into season on the stalls. ■ Julia Watson has been a long-time Food Writer for newspapers and magazines in the US and the UK.

Vegetable Stew Bunch purple artichokes, or use the hearts of globe artichokes, 1 per two people 1 large leek, white parts only Bunch long radishes, trimmed and halved vertically Bunch young carrots, trimmed and halved vertically 350g podded broad beans

350g peas 6 large purple or 12 small spring onions, trimmed top and bottom 300 ml chicken stock 1 tbs duck fat or butter 2 tbs finely chopped fresh mint Salt and pepper to taste

Cut stalks off the artichokes and rip off outer leaves. Slice off leaves just above the bulge, cut down in half and scrape out any floss with a teaspoon. Toss into a pot of water with lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Slice the leeks across in thin slices and soften in the fat over gentle heat in a lidded pan. Add the artichokes, then the stock, and simmer till the artichokes have softened, 10-15 minutes. Add the spring onions, carrots and radishes. Simmer till soft. Add the peas and beans and stew for a further 3-4 minutes. Once all the vegetables have cooked, ladle them into a serving dish and scatter with the mint. If you have too much liquid, reduce it with a fast boil down to three teacupfuls (unless you want to serve it as a soup), then pour it over the vegetables. Season this dish very lightly if you plan to reduce the stock right down or it will be too salty. You can adjust at the end.

Look beyond property to unlock investment potential - Blevins Franks

or many people, investing in bricks and mortar by buying second or subsequent homes makes financial sense. Property is a solid, reliable investment that holds its value, right? Yes, and no. While investing in real estate has its advantages, there are also significant drawbacks to this approach. Here we compare property to other investment options in relation to some key cornerstones of successful investing: liquidity, risk and returns, diversification and tax efficiency. Liquidity A key question to ask before investing is how easy will it be to retrieve your capital? This is known as liquidity. There are various reasons why you may want to ‘cash in’ an investment. It could be that the asset is performing badly, or you have found a more attractive opportunity elsewhere. It might simply be that your circumstances have changed and you need to access your money. Liquidity is not just about how easy it is to sell up, it is also whether you can do so without taking a loss. Generally, the more illiquid an asset, the higher the risk and potential returns, as you are likely to be rewarded for locking your money away over the longer term. On one end of the spectrum you have cash and bank deposits, which are easy to access but offer the lowest risk and expected returns. Property sits at the other end. If you are playing the long game, you could find your investment grow substantially over the years. However, it may take time to find a buyer and you could invite a significant loss if you sell at the wrong time.

Investment funds, on the other hand, combine a suite of different assets that may include property (or shares in property companies) alongside equities, bonds, etc. Because there is an established market for the underlying assets, it is much easier to find an instant buyer. Also, unlike property, if you require small amounts of cash you can just sell the amount you need, not the whole investment. Risk and returns Generally, low risk means settling for low returns, while taking on more risk brings potentially higher rewards. For bank deposits, the risk/return factor is low – you have a high certainty of receiving a set amount at the end of the term. However, with today’s interest rates being close to zero, this may struggle to keep pace with inflation. Property offers less certainty and therefore greater potential for higher long-term returns. However, there is no guarantee that the property will increase – appreciate – in value, especially when you want to sell. You also need to consider the ongoing costs of maintaining and renting out property, as well as the tax implications, to work out what you get back compared to what you have put in. Other investment options offer the flexibility to change strategy in line with market developments. For example, although the underlying assets in an investment fund are linked to market movements, the fund manager is able to fine tune the portfolio according to what is or is not performing well. Diversification It is important not to be overexposed

to any asset, including property. A good portfolio spreads risk across asset types, regions, currencies and market sectors to limit exposure in any one area. If you already own a house, buying a second property may make you overweight in this one asset class, especially if you don’t own many equity or bond holdings. When property prices drop, both your properties will probably fall in value, while other asset classes may be performing well. Holding a range of different investments within each asset class helps reduce risk further. You could, for example, own shares from a range of completely different companies and sectors across the world. However, most people can only afford to buy one or two investment properties, giving them little or no diversification. British expatriates also need to consider exchange currency risk. Rather than tying up your capital in either sterling or euros, some investment structures allow flexibility to hold investments in multiple currencies and convert when it suits you.

Tax efficiency Wherever your property is, you are likely to face some sort of council tax, stamp duty and capital gains tax charges. Those with UK property may have felt the burden of recent tax increases on residential properties. Consider all the assets you already own, including the house you live in, to determine the best approach for you. There may be French-compliant opportunities that offer much better tax advantages and returns than property. Ultimately, you should aim for a balanced portfolio that will suit your unique aims and circumstances, today and tomorrow. ■ Tel: 05 53 63 49 19 Email: bergerac@blevinsfranks.com Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice.

Managing Editor: Steve Martindale Editor-in-Chief: Steve Martindale Registered Address: Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois France SIRET: 514 989 748 00017 Printed by: Charente Libre 16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac France

Directeur: Steve Martindale Rédacteur-en-chef: Steve Martindale Siège Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois France SIRET: 514 989 748 00017 Imprimé par: Charente Libre 16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac France

Monthly circulation: 12,500 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.

Tirage mensuel:

12,500 copies

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.

DIRECTORY ♦ 13

JUNE 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Business Directory

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

SHAMPOOCHIENS Dog Grooming Parlour All breeds catered for Clipping, hand stripping and bathing 30 years’ experience 24500 Eymet

05 53 58 55 38 and home of CANOUAN ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIELS

Auto Services

Building Services Architects/Surveyors

MOTOR PARTS CHARENTE

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

+44 (0)1377 538 639

motorptscharente@aol.com www.motorpartscharente.com

Blacksmiths

Siret: 499 234 615 00015

MinouCats

Purpose built cattery with 7 heated, well equipped luxury suites Relaxed and secure environment Experienced and qualified owners Tender loving care all day long Agnac, 47800

Tel: 05 53 93 92 44 nicky@minoucats.fr www.minoucats.fr

Ironwood Motif

CHARTERED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Pre-purchase & Structural Surveys. Verbal & written reports. Structural calculations & drawings. Redevelopment ideas & solutions. Tim Haw B.Eng C.Eng M.I.Struct.E

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

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

Architectural DRAWING SERVICE Renovating your French property?

Artist Blacksmith

New build?

www.ironwoodmotif.com

Dossiers prepared Permis de Construire Déclarations Préalables

Ferronnerie d’Art

Pergolas, staircases, railings, handrails, balustrades, balconies, gates, sculptures, outdoor structures & more. Simple or elaborate, intricate or uncomplicated, small or large, we can fabricate, forge and hand make ironwork customised to your needs.

Tel: 05 53 52 36 05

Tel: 05 65 30 53 99

lavieilleabbaye@orange.fr www.latuspeter-architecturaldrawings-24.com

SIRET: 481 198 638 00019

SIRET: 493 770 358 00015

Facebook & Instagram: Ironwood Motif

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 Electricians Qualified Electrician From wire a plug to a full rewire + Property Services: Gite Preparation, Key Holding Painting, decorating, Grass Cutting, Strimming, etc

Tel: Susan 06 41 81 63 96 Siret: 824 825 095 00014

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

BARWICK ÉLECTRICITÉ SHAUN BARWICK QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN

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

Tel: 09 72 35 74 73

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

Building Services General CHARKER DAVID

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

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

E-mail : dn.charker@sfr.fr

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

ADVERTORIAL

Looking for Vive la différence for your event entertainment? Not same old, same old, or the latest fad - just good classic fun...

hat if you could transport the colour, vibrancy and cosmopolitan atmosphere of a real casino to your very own event space? Where guests gamble with fake money - as a fun activity that entertains en masse without any risk whatsoever but keeping all the excitement. A unique experience for all ages that’s proven to encourage interaction amongst guests to help them mix, stimulate lively banter and a ‘must do that again’ reaction once the party’s over. Established by Adam Wood, who started in the gaming sector as a croupier in the most illustrious Mayfair casinos in 1984, started in business as a casino hire entertainment provider covering London and the South East of England in 1996, eventually travelling all over the UK with his

tables and croupier team. The casino that comes to you Now based in South West France, Adam has launched Prestige Fun Casino Europe offering a similar classic casino hire event entertainment service. The laws of operation are slightly different in France, but the premise for entertainment is the same and the games break down any language barriers there may be.

Prestige Fun Casino Europe has a stock of full size, authentic gaming tables that you book direct. Smart and friendly professionally trained croupiers in black tie deal the games and guide guests on how to play. Adam and his team would be delighted to entertain your guests with Roulette, Blackjack, Dice, Texas Hold ‘Em or Wheel of Fortune, at your chosen venue such as a restaurant, bar, hall or hotel, marquee in the garden, or your own home. If you are planning a party large or small for that special occasion - a fun casino is the perfect entertainment. Play is with ‘Monopoly’ style fun money - no real money changes hands, and you can even offer a prize to the guest who ‘looks the luckiest’ in the room on the night. No gaming licence is required. Adam Wood commented, ‘I have

over thirty years experience in the gaming and events sector within Europe. I am always happy to discuss a client’s event and offer advice. Clients are always surprised at the popularity of the games on the night and the fun atmosphere created. It’s a surefire winner every time!’ ■

0033 (0)781 24 10 17 www.prestigefuncasino.eu service@prestigefuncasino.eu

14 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2017

ADVERTORIAL

Gold Plated Pensions - Why now is a Good Time to Cash In

id you know that due to “low interest rates” at the moment, your Final Salary Pension transfer value could now be a small fortune!! STOP - before you start taking your pension speak to Blacktower. Opportunities like this don’t come along more than once in a lifetime. Here is a typical case recently completed by a colleague in Spain: Ian (58) had worked for a large UK Bank for over 20 years, whilst Karen (56) had worked for a Financial Services company for over 30 years. Both were members of their companies’ Final Salary pension schemes. As Normal Retirement age for them both was 60 this meant they would have

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

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

06 34 24 64 11 or see

www.lakesidebandb.net

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

upvc-solutions uPVC windows, doors, porches & conservatories

Available in white, beige & oak woodgrain. Visit our website for more information.

www.upvc-solutions.webs.com email: upvc-solutions@orange.fr

had to pay exit penalties if they wanted to retire early and draw their pensions. Having been referred to us we were able to look at some alternative options for them. By issuing a Letter of Authority this enabled us to liaise with the pension schemes on their behalf. The current schemes were offering annual pensions of £9,800 and £12,500 respectively, were they to retire at 60. Our reports showed that both pension schemes were in deficit meaning that they could be at risk of defaulting in the future. Cash equivalent transfer values were requested and Ian was offered £289,870 whilst Karen was offered a staggering £474,843 to exit her scheme! The high valuations are typical of transfer values being obtained now. They are at record highs because pension schemes are keen to reduce their balance sheets. Also, the current low interest rates (which affect the calculations) ensure that the transfer values being obtained now are exceptionally high.

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

Building Services Painters/Decorators Simon Carter

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

Building Services Sandblasting Sand and Blast We provide a fully operated

sandblasting

service for wood, stone and metal. Perfect for stripping away years of grime or paint. Contact us for a free quote, or see our website:

www.sandandblast.com

05 55 76 31 59 / 06 77 40 95 92 bobby@sandandblast.com steve@sandandblast.com SIRET: 812 727 253 00013

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

Your advert here

siret: 792.130.932.00017

05 55 41 17 76

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

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

Building Services Plumbing & Heating

PLUMBING & HEATING ENGINEER - Installation, from kitchen taps to full central heating systems - Breakdown / Replacement boilers - Emergency plumbing repairs

siret: 503 133 159 00015

- Full analysed testing

sales24@thebugle.eu

M : 06 72 47 88 00 T: 05 53 20 64 02

05 55 41 17 76

With our help, Ian and Karen could transfer these amounts to new overseas pension schemes backed by one of the largest insurance companies in the world. They were both able to take 25% tax free lumps sums which amounted to £335,685 in total. These funds have been used to buy their dream property abroad and allowed them to retire years earlier than they anticipated. Along with the proceeds from the sale of their property in the UK, they still have total funds of over half a million in their new pension schemes. Mortgage free, they can draw a comfortable income from these pensions knowing that any residual funds will be available as inheritance to their daughter rather than lost in the event of both of their deaths. Act now and you too can take advantage. Many expats, and people planning to move or retire abroad, are using their right to request a transfer value in order to secure their pension pots. As schemes look to reduce their liabilities, sometimes

E : wellers@orange.fr Registered Artisan - Siret No: 480 857 853 00018

Computers, Satellites & Web Design Stephen Wisedale

WiFi Anglais Solve your Internet, wireless and computer problems

Extended wired and wireless networks for homes, gîtes and small businesses. VPN solutions. Windows and Mac OSX.

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

offering these enhanced rates to get members off their books, expats are taking advantage. In some cases, they could be offered more than 20 times the value of the annual pension available normally on retirement. Transferring the Cash Value to a QROPS or UK SIPP allows you to protect your pension funds in a new scheme. These schemes allow for flexible drawdown, and you can take a lump sum from the age of 55. Unlike “Final Salary” (DB) schemes, all unused funds are also available to beneficiaries. Contact me now by email: Rosemary. sheppard@blacktowerfm.com or call me on 06 38 86 99 70 to see if it is possible to transfer your pensions. For an independent, professional and impartial consultation without obligation or cost, from your local adviser in the Dordogne. 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

WEBSITE No6 DESIGN

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.

Food & Drink

before

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

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

Authentic Indian Cuisine to eat in or takeaway

- Update your own site if you like! - Enjoy a fully maintained site - Enjoy full website support contact@no6.co

06 38 75 32 97

www.no6.co Siret: 80493524500014

Chimney Sweeps

Eymet - every Tuesday Issigeac - 1st & 3rd Friday of the month Lauzun - 3rd, 4th & 5th Friday of the month Allemans du Dropt - every Saturday See our website, Facebook page, or give us a call for venue details

www.bombaybusserie.com 05 53 83 26 20 / 06 74 13 56 01

La Poutre

Bar & Restaurant

24400 Beaupouyet (N89 between Montpon & Mussidan)

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

T: 05 53 91 87 88 siret: 484 768 700 00011

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

05 55 41 17 76

French/International cuisine. Open Tue - Fri: 11am - 9pm (except Wed eve) Sat: 6pm - 10pm, Sun: 12pm - 3pm, For further details call Steve:

05 53 80 29 54

or email: steve.francis24@gmail.com or facebook: Beaupouyet La Poutre siret 537 415 903 00013

Shhhhh... it’s aisecret!

TheiSecret CurryiClub Pop-Up restaurant serving Indian Restaurant Curries

Weihaveiregularivenues in Ribérac, Villeréal, Bergerac, SteiFoyilaiGrandei & Nontron ‘Secret Curry Club Dordogne’ secretcurryclubdordogne@gmail.com

06 84 35 42 73

To advertise in The Bugle Business Directory, call 05 55 41 17 76

DIRECTORY ♦ 15

JUNE 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

ADVERTORIAL

Houses on Internet: A Global Property Network

ouses on Internet – Global Property Services (hereafter referred to as “HOIGPS”) is the internet/marketing company that has been helping people sell their French property to buyers worldwide for many years now. Richard Kroon, founder and director of the company: "The number of responses from prospective buyers and sales keep rising. No doubt one of the reasons is that we were able to increase our worldwide advertising budget and reach more prospective buyers than ever." Last year HOI-GPS sold to people from 12 different countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Holland, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Canada and, of course, France.

Food & Drink

AUBERGE AUX DELICES DE LA TREILLE 24350 MONTAGRIER

05 53 91 12 63 A La Carte or 2 Set Menus Lunchtimes (except Sun and bank hols) Soup+Starter+Main+Dessert - €15 Soup+Starter+Main - €11.90 Soup+Main+Dessert - €11.90 Soup+Main - €8.90 €26.40 Menu Soup+Starter+Main+Cheese+Dessert

The Dordogne Chippy

Traditional Fish & Chips in a town near you All venues are in the evening between 6pm & 8.30 pm 1st Monday: Le Champsac Tuesday: Tremolat Thursday: Eymet 1st & 3rd Friday: Lauzun 2nd Friday: Ste-Alvère Last Friday: Daglan See our website for full details:

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

Richard continues: “Our continuous global marketing is definitely paying off and guarantees a worldwide exposure of your property to buyers wherever they live. "The actual work all starts with the presentation of a property. If that’s not good enough, all other marketing efforts are useless. Our photographers usually take 150 to 200 photos of a house and in addition copy any good (summer) photos our clients may have themselves. "About 50 to 60 of those photos are selected, enhanced and presented on the dedicated website we make for each property. "The texts don’t just describe the house, garden and outbuildings, but information about shopping, schools, airports and leisure is given too. "When the website for the

Language Services Learn French in France Complete immersion in a local family with lessons, conversation workshops, visits and local activities in Périgord, all at your own pace. (total independence possible)

www.auclairduperigord.com +33 (0)6 41 37 02 50 d.nina@live.co.uk

FRENCH LESSONS Via Skype

with a native French speaker Why commute? Long distance learning is the answer! C’est simple, call Sophie...

house is online, we first connect it to our main HOI-GPS websites which attract over 135,000 visitors from 40+ countries each month. Most of these people find us through Google and additional Google advertising. "To reach an even larger audience, a summary of the presentation of the house is also placed on several other leading property websites. These adverts are also connected to the dedicated website of the house, making it all one big global property network. "As the property market has become a global one, a prospective buyer can be on the other side of the world while the owner is in bed sleeping. With our approach, the buyer does not have to wait and can see the entire property whenever he wants, at the moment he is

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

Ivan Petley

3D Puzzle Maker Handmade, fully interlocking, multi-layered 3D puzzles from just €9. Keyrings €2 plus other unique gift ideas. Customisation and personalisation possible. Postal delivery options across France.

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

Support

SOS Help

anxious? stressed? feeling down? call us up!

bookstop

Email: info@applicateur3d.com Curative and preventative

19 r Victor Hugo, 24310 Brantôme

SIRET No. 498 544 741 00024

aka The Shed

Open every day except Monday

Quality second-hand books in English & French

La Petite Barre, 18210 Bessais Le Fromental

Eco Entrepot

05 55 68 74 73

Central France Retail & Pest Control Commerce

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

Tel: 05 49 87 67 34

32,000ft2 of great products incl. British Groceries, DIY, Housewares, Furniture, Clothing, Toiletries plus loads more!!

Pest Control

www.applicateur3d.com

SAVE UP TO 50% OFF RRP UK Mattresses now available in France. Famous named brands in stock, in all sizes: Silentnight- Sealy - Rest Assured - Airsprung

By appointment only

Property Sales

09 51 45 57 49

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

Houses on Internet Global Property Services www.housesoninternet.com

+31 (0)6 41 20 73 69

Transport, Removals & Storage

Sarlande (24270)

05 55 41 17 76

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

02 48 60 83 72 / 06 74 33 02 38

NEW WAREHOUSE NOW OPEN IN DORDOGNE

sales24@thebugle.eu

05 55 89 15 74 scarolinea@yahoo.fr

Dératisation, Déinsectisation, Désinfection

R.S.M.DISTRIBUTION

www.fudgejj.com email: ray.mole@wanadoo.fr

siret: 444 925 630 00014

Gifts & Crafts

interested in it." For more information on HOI-GPS or to market your property through them, visit their website. ■

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

www.soshelpline.org

Rent a Daughter in the Dordogne

Man & Van Transport

Genuine/Reliable/Honest Local + Europe + UK runs Now also available for House/Barn clearances! 14m3 capacity 4.2m load length English & French Spoken

09 82 12 69 73 87150 Oradour-sur-Vayres

www.frenchvanman.eu Siret 530 213 644 00012

Smart Moves For a fully insured, careful service

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

smartmovers@hotmail.co.uk

+44 (0)1253 725 414

www.smartmovesremovals.co.uk

MICHAELS MOVERS Removals

UK ↔ France ↔ UK Full & Part loads All size of vehicles Storage facilities in Sussex UK free phone:

for Grocery shopping, retail therapy, visits to the doctor/hospital, small tasks, dog walking, day trips, short holidays, etc. English & Dutch spoken Tel: 0031 6 20602520

0800 840 3058 Mob: +44 (0)7808 338 386

siret: 790 909 436 00012

www.michaelsmovers.freeindex.co.uk

www.rentadaughterinthedordogne.com email: claudiadekanter@live.nl

Removals, storage & house clearance in Dordogne

06 73 96 38 39 (FR)

16 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2017

ADVERTORIAL

“SolarVenti”- the solar solution to damp and humidity

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, built-in, 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 exceeded all expectations. In Southern Europe, Solar-

venti is not only used for ventilation/dehumidification purposes; with far more winter sunshine hours, it also provides a substantial heating supplement. Several technical and governmental studies show that incoming air temperature can be increased by as much as 40°C. A DIY Solution? The installation process is very straightforward and should only take two or three hours. All that is needed is a drill, hammer and chisel to make a hole in the wall. Roof installations are also possible. In fact, the Solarventi was originally designed to be a DIY product - in Scandinavia it still is. There are no electrical or water connections and it can be safely left running, even when the property is empty. Solarventi requires no maintenance

- if the property is unoccupied during the hot summer months, then it can be left running at low speeds for ventilation and dehumidification purposes or simply switched off. With a range of panel sizes, and the option for wall or roof mounting, Solarventi is suitable for all types of buildings, caravans or even boats!! Following the patenting of its design in 2001, Solarventi has only recently been actively commercialized. Over the last six years, Solarventi units have been installed in more than 24 countries and demand is increasing rapidly. From Greenland to Australia, Solarventi is finally getting the recognition it deserves. ■ Units start from €490 TTC. Several ex-demonstration models available at reduced prices, call for details.

SOLARVENTI - Available in the Dordogne and Lot from Harlequin Developments Tel: 05 55 68 67 56 Mobile: 06 06 60 46 97

ADVERTORIAL

Online radio station for English-speaking expats Ex-patradio.com is an online internet radio station, which launched live on 21st March 2016. The station is designed for English-speaking expats around the world. The aim is to have a variety of shows, ranging from chat shows through to music programming, covering a full spectrum of musical tastes. Our shows include: • ‘The Golden Oldies’ with Mick Hennell, featuring tracks from the 50s and 60s • ‘The Beat Goes On’ with Steve Bell, showcasing new expat bands, musicians and singers • ‘The Blend’ with Ira, our American presenter, with the best of Creole and Swamp music through to rare blues cuts • ‘The All Day Special’ with station founder, Dave Hailwood • ‘The Roast Beef’ with Wayne Allen, also “Nashville Calling” • ‘The Retro Chart Show’ with Dave Mac • ‘In Bed with the French’ Talk Show with Christine Caldi • ‘Country Classics’ & ‘The Nostolgia Club’ with David Sibbald • ‘Bridget’s Mix’ with Bridget Waterhouse • ‘Classical Gems’ with Bridget Waterhouse • ‘Digital Blues’ with Ashwyn Smyth • ‘The Culture Gap’ with Vincent • ‘Soul Time’ with Max Morrison • ‘Essential Rhythms’ with Peter Simmons

• • • • •

Email us with requests, stories, jokes, local events in your area, sports groups, and anything else. We want to hear it all... So get typing to: expatradio.request@gmail.com Like us on Facebook: "expatradiofrance" Tweet us: @ExpatRadioCom And listen live now!

‘Musicial Memories’ with Sir Owen Gee ‘Sunday Bandstand’ with Chris Helme ‘Writers Salon’ with Hazel Manuel ‘The Message Kids’ with Expat Kids And lots more new shows coming soon!

Our live “Coffee Morning” chat shows with station founder, Dave Hailwood (an expat from the UK) and our regular guests from around Europe. We feature regular topics such as women’s issues, gardening, sport, travel, cooking and schooling... in fact anything that affects expats. Our audience is encouraged to join in via email or phone with comments, questions and requests. Ex-pat Radio aims to be an international station, with an approachable local feel to it. To our surprise we also won “Best Foreign Radio Station” in France as voted by the readers of Paris publication “Expatriates Magazine”, which we won with 75% of the vote.

www.ex-patradio.com

Coming soon: "Treasure Hunting with Charles Hanson" If you have any treasures you would like valued send us in details and photos of your items to expatradio.request@gmail.com and Charles will value for you. We will also have a page on our website. If any valuable items are found, we can arrange to have them shipped to the UK to be auctioned off at Hanson's Auction house.

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 €13.50/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 25,000 pairs of eyes each month!!

For more information on any of our advertising options, please feel free to give us a call on 05 55 41 17 76 or send an email to sales24@thebugle.eu

6-Month Contract €108

Small b&w Directory Ad

(€18/month)

Large b&w Directory Ad

(€24/month)

Small Colour Directory Ad

(€27/month)

Large Colour Directory Ad

(€36/month)

€144 €162 €216

12-Month Contract €162

(€13.50/month)

€216

(€18/month)

€243

(€20.25/month)

€324

(€27/month)

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 - no logos, images or artwork are allowed. The minimum contract length is 6 months. Advertising is payable on publication. All prices are HT.

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

30 words max

WHAT’S ON ♦ 17

JUNE 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

UPCOMING AQUITAINE CHURCH SERVICES The Chaplaincy of Aquitaine covers the Dordogne, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, and Condom (Gers). All services are held in English. For further details, please see our website: www.churchinaquitaine.org or contact Chaplaincy Administration: Amy Owensmith, +33 (0) 607 04 07 77 chapaq.office@gmail.com SUNDAY 11 JUNE 10:30 Holy Communion – Bertric Burée 10:30 All Age Worship – Bordeaux 10:30 Fresh Expressions – Eymet Temple 10:30 Holy Communion – Limeuil 10:30 Morning Prayer - Monteton 10:30 Family Service – Négrondes 11:00 The Gathering meeting – Condom, Le Mouret

Tuesday 13 June 11:00 Holy Communion – Allez Wednesday 14 June 11:00 BCP Holy Communion – Bertric Burée Thursday 15 June 10:30 BCP Holy Communion - Limeuil SUNDAY 18 JUNE 10:30 Family Service – Bertric Burée 10:30 Family Communion – Bordeaux

WHAT’S

The Grumpy Granny Guide

ow is the time when visitors announce their arrival over the summer and, delighted as we are to introduce them to the charms of the area, sometimes they pose a challenge. Finding suitable outings for very young children, bored teenagers or for those who are not entirely mobile, but who nevertheless want to get out and about, requires some thought. Here are some suggestions for things to do with the under 7s and over the next few months I’ll be suggesting suitable activities for the older children and those with mobility issues. The Dordogne, although generally child friendly, does not offer much in the way of children’s municipal playgrounds or free distractions for the very young, but the tourist board has made an effort to provide a useful guide - ‘Dordogne en Famille’ - which

Hard to know which tourist sites to visit? Grumpy Granny Guide

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

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

www.GRUMPYGRANNY-GUIDES.com

should be available from your local tourist office. Its listings are conveniently divided geographically. However, a word of warning which applies to all printed brochures and guides, sites pay to be included in these publications and there is no quality control, i.e. there is no attempt to evaluate how good any of the suggested activities really are. Many have to be reserved in advance or may be limited to July / August. Nevertheless, this guide is a good place to start. If they want a change from the pool (should you be lucky enough to have one), small kids just love being down by the water; the rivers are very clean and most of the time flow very gently. There are the well-known beaches, such as the one in Limeuil, but they get crowded in the summer so it is worthwhile discovering your own access to the water by just following the small local roads that run parallel to the Dordogne, the Isle or the Vézère and you will frequently find a path to a small stretch of sand, e.g. at the back of Saint-Cybranet, which you will probably have all to yourselves. Worth scouting out now before everyone arrives. If you don’t mind paying to entertain the very young, a strong recommendation is Jacquou Parc, outside Le Bugue. This site does not get the credit it’s due because it does indeed look somewhat run down and shabby. However, small children absolutely love it because there is so much to do and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. Last time I went there I did a spot survey of parents and grandparents and heard nothing but praise. Maybe because there is lots of shade, plenty of seating from which to supervise the kids at play and because the refreshments are reasonably priced. Children don’t care if the railings need a fresh coat of paint! In the north of the department there is something for everyone at the Grotte de Villars. The cave is interesting and there is a very warm welcome for small children. The kids enjoy the play area, the models of megafauna and sound effects and parents appreciate the high chairs and comfortable baby changing facilities and child friendly eating area. Château de Bridoire near Bergerac specialises in children’s games, not so much for toddlers, but there are games and activities for 5-7-year olds. There are also children’s games and activities on offer at the Bastideum in Montpazier, some light relief in a somewhat dull museum. The Réserve Zoologique de Calviac (between Sarlat and Souillac) which specialises in lemurs, is particularly suitable for small children because you walk through the enclosures and can get really close to the animals, especially at feeding times. The Cabanes du Breuil on the road between Les Eyzies and Sarlat is a small, family-run farm site which welcomes small children and in the spring and early summer has lots of baby animals to delight the very young. To combine perhaps with your mandatory visit to Sarlat itself! A five-year-old has asked me to recommend (although I hadn’t thought to do so) the Préhisto Parc (near Tursac) because “it’s the best place ever”. If you know a site which delighted your very young visitors, please let me know (grumpygrannyguide@orange.fr). And if you want to know how suitable a specific paying site is for young children, look it up on our website: grumpygranny-guides.com.

10:30 Holy Communion – Chancelade 10:30 Holy Communion – Dondas 10:30 Fresh Expressions – Eymet Temple 10:30 Morning Worship – Limeuil 10:30 Prayer & Praise – Monteton 11:00 Prayer & Praise with Communion – Sainte Nathalène Thursday 22 June 17:00 Choral Evensong - Limeuil SUNDAY 25 JUNE 10:30 Holy Communion – Bertric Burée 10:30 Family Communion – Bordeaux 10:30 Fresh Expressions – Eymet Temple 10:30 Holy Communion – Limeuil 10:30 Holy Communion - Monteton 10:30 Holy Communion – Négrondes Thursday 29 June 11:00 Holy Communion – Condom SUNDAY 02 JULY 10:30 Service of the Word – Bertric Burée 10:30 Family Communion – Bordeaux 10:30 Fresh Expressions – Eymet Temple 10:30 Prayer & Praise – Limeuil 10:30 Morning Worship – Monteton 11:00 Holy Communion – Doudrac 11:00 Prayer & Praise with Communion – Sainte Nathalène 11:00 The Gathering Meeting, Condom, Le Mouret 18:00 Evensong – Bertric Burée

Exhibition at the Château de Limeuil Exhibition organised by the association “RIVES D’ART” at the Château de Limeuil. Limeuil is one of the most beautiful villages of France and each year it welcomes many tourists from all over the world. The hall for exhibiting art is situated in the château’s panoramic garden. Visits to the exhibition are free (but there is an entrance fee to the garden). In June, the exhibition welcomes sculptor BALZAN and painter Jacques TEULET Sculpting for Balzan is to reveal the latent form which is brought to life by the encounter between matter and desire. The sensitivity of the artist brings together the character of wood or iron rod. Since 1995 Balzan has exhibited regularly in Paris on invitation of diverse institutes and galleries. Now living in Savignac-de-Miremont in the Périgord, he prefers to present his works in the Dordogne and the South-West. -------------------------------Jaques TEULET was born in 1949 in Alles-sur-Dordogne. He is a self-taught painter of enchanting, magical post-surrealistic subjects. Since 1979 he has exhibited in salons, galeries and alternative halls in Paris and in the provinces. He has also participated in several group manifestations in Belgium, Japan, Italy and Spain. Back in his birth place, he has had several personal exhibitions in Périgueux, Belvès, Le Bugue and Limeuil amongst others.

18 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2017

BOOKSTOP screenings Dan Bessie’s 2017 season in UNDERSTANDING FILM WHEN: Sunday 11th June at 2.30 pm and the second Sunday of each month to October. With discussion and a refreshment break, a few programmes may be longer than the average of 2 hours and 30 minutes. WHERE: Bookstop, 19 rue Victor Hugo, Brantôme RESERVATIONS: Please contact Howard on 06 51 45 57 49 or via email at bookstop24@gmail.com. We have room for up to 20 (no need to register for the entire series). FEE: €7.50 - Includes tea or coffee (maybe popcorn too!) Cake and other items will be available for purchase. This month’s screening is Marty.

Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for Culture, the Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival held all over the world that takes place every 21st June, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. Musicians (amateurs and professionals alike) are asked to perform for free, and all the concerts are free for the public. Performances & concerts take place in open air areas such as streets and parks or in public buildings like museums, train stations, castles, etc. The Fête de la Musique is a way of encouraging the major music institutions (orchestras, operas, choirs, etc.) to perform outside their usual locations and promotes encounters and exchanges between young musicians and well-known talents.

Saturday 17th June at 8 pm in Eymet church Sunday 18th June at 3 pm at the Eglise St-Jacques in Bergerac

As part of the Fête de la Musique 2017, Cantabile, the AFCAA choir under the leadership of its musical director Simon Kenworthy, will present the magnificent Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and and the exciting syncopated rhythms of Bob Chilcott’s Little Jazz Mass. Accompanied by two pianos, two percussionists and double bass, this promises to be a stirring tour de force. Admission to both concerts is free.

To find out more about the free concerts taking place near you visit fetedelamusique.culture.fr or contact your local tourist office for more information.

Got an event for The Bugle? 05 55 41 17 76

WHAT’S ON ♦ 19

JUNE 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Concert organised by the association

SARRAZAC ARTS ET MUSIQUES

Sunday 24th June, 8:30 pm, Salle des fêtes Sarrazac

Summer in SW France and the sun always shines! Well this year, good news, MADS will bring even more sunshine with our Summer Play appropriately called “DECKCHAIRS”. Sometimes funny, sometimes touching, but always compassionate. A look at various aspects of life spanning nearly a century, seen from two deckchairs on a promenade. Seats (deckchairs excluded) sell quickly so don’t be late and don’t forget your visitors, guests and family!!

Jazz trio Du Souffle aux Cordes present their show ‘De l’Autre Côté du Musette’. Accompanied by a guitarist and a double bassist, Mary ESTRADE, clarinet and vocals, will bring the audience the popular and swinging music of the Roaring Twenties up to the 40s, in the tradition of accordionists Tony MURENA, Gus VISEUR and Jo PRIVAT, the jazz guitarist Django REINHARDT, and Charles TRENET. Tickets: Adults €10, 12-15 years €5, free for Under 12s. Tel: 06 16 83 53 74

Sunday 25th June at 4 pm, Abbaye de Boschaud, 24530 Villars

Thursday 29th & Friday 30th June and Saturday 1st July at 8 pm, Salle des fêtes MONSAGUEL BOOKINGS: mads.bookings@gmail.com or 05 53 27 55 31 TICKETS: 10€ (-2€ for MADS members) Under 12s 5€

Félibrée – Felibrejada 29th June - 2nd July

Jazz Concert and Picnic as part of the FestiVillars en Périgord. Sylvia Howard sings Jazz Standards with piano, base and drums. Entry €12 Euros; free for Under 16s Bring your own picnic.

Music in the Dordogne sponsored by ARCADES Join us for concerts in the air conditioned new hall in Le Buisson, mostly of classical music, with top class French, English, Russian and other international performers. Concert tickets cost €15 including wine in the interval. All events are organised by volunteers and serve also as a meeting ground for the French and international communities of the Dordogne, including ACIP and La Tulipe.

The Félibrée (Felibrejada in Occitan) is an annual festival of Occitan language and heritage. It travels around different towns and villages of the Périgord each year and this year it’s coming to Saint-Astier, which will be spectacularly decorated with garlands of flowers for the occasion. This celebration, which revives the troubadours who once sang the language of Oc in all the courts of Europe, is the festival of the language of Oc. There are shows, parades of traditional groups with authentic costumes and musical instruments and craft demonstrations. The first Félibrée, inspired by Frédéric Mistral and the Félibrige, was held in 1903 in Mareuil-sur-Belle and is today attended by thousands of spectators.

Venue - Le Buisson de Cadouin, Nouvelle Salle des Fêtes, Avenue Aquitaine

For more info, tel 06 87 88 15 33 or 05 53 23 86 22 or visit http://www.arcadesinfo.com/

Two Concerts on Sundays 2nd and 9th July by Russian String Quartet “Anima” Anastasia Lapteva and Asiya Minnakhmetova violin, Nikolaï Laptev viola and Irina Lapteva cello

Bringing the last horse home On 26th June, I am going to ride the last of the horses belonging to the charity ‘SLL Caravan of Hope’ from the Camargue on the Mediterranean coast of France to his new home at ‘Cheval 24’ in the Dordogne, near Bergerac, a distance of 300 miles. The ride is in homage to my dear friend Jakki Cunningham, the founder of the charity. The three previous expeditions have undoubtedly changed the lives of all the young people involved in them. All the horses were donated for use by disabled riders and drivers in the UK and France. Therapeutic riding can transform the lives of children and adults with a disability; users include autistic and physically disabled children and adults. Contact with a horse benefits the mind and emotions as well as the body. Horses are great healers. Funding is needed for horse feed and shoeing, fuel and hire of a support vehicle, and accommodation costs at camp sites for the two riders and driver along the route. All costs will be accounted for, and any surplus will go to the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre, which also provides Riding for the Disabled. By using a crowdfunding site we are trusting that many donations, however small, will add up to cover all our costs. Please help to bring the last horse home! Gill Nurse To find out more or to make a donation please visit: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/please-help-to-bring-the-last-horse-home

Sunday 2nd July at 6 pm Programme of Russian music: Borodin – Quartet No. 2; Prokofiev – Visions fugitives; Popular classic pieces including Shostakovich – Doctor Zhivago ‘Waltz and Polka’, Sviridov - Dr Zhivago ‘Snowstorm’; Mussorgsky – Gopak; Khachaturian – Dance of the Rose Maidens; Tchaikovsky - Andante of the 1st Quartet, Pieces of Scenes of an Infant, April and Dance of the Swans

Sunday 9th July at 6 pm Classical programme: Haydn - Quartet A maj. Op.2 No. 1; Strauss - Voices of Spring, Polka Anna, Polka pizzicato; Fibich – Poem; Dvorak – Humoresque; Schubert – Quartet in Eb maj. Op.125 No. 1; Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 6; Kreisler – Beautiful Rosemary and Miniature Viennese March

20 ♦ WHAT’S ON