The Bugle Dordogne - May 2015

Bordeaux to become region's new capital

After the upcoming regional reshuffle, Bordeaux will be the capital of the new Aquitaine - PoitouCharentes - Limousin super-region >> Page 5

Dordogne May 2015 - Issue #23

Expat community shocked by murder The local community was rocked in April by news of the murder of British expat Violet Price, whose body was found several days after the pensioner was reported missing.

Prosecutors have charged the brother of the victim’s daughter-in-law with murder. light was on in the house, and two cups of coffee were on the table, one still half full. Her mobile phone was also in the house.

Investigators had immediate concerns and a search was initiated covering a 4-kilometre radius of her home and along the banks of the Dropt river. The search involved members of the gendarmerie, sniffer dogs and a helicopter.

Several days later a 32-year-old man was arrested, later revealed to be the brother of Mrs Price’s daughter-in-law, and he subsequently led investigators to a patch of woodland 400 metres from his home. There the partially buried body of the expat was found in two separate locations.

The suspect, who allegedly has a previous conviction for involuntary manslaughter,

>> continued on page 4

NEWS - US rapper teaches English

A school in Périgueux received an English lesson with a difference when a US rapper paid a recent visit to teach in his own unique style >> Page 3

NEWS - UK brings in border checks

There are fears of lengthy queues at UK ports following the introduction of strict new border exit checks by the British government >> Page 11

BILINGUAL - The Full English

© Eigenes Werk (WikiCommons)

T

he expat community in the south of the Dordogne was left reeling in April as details emerged of the murder of 80-year-old Violet Price.

The body of the pensioner, who lived in the commune of Moustier near Marmande in Lot-et-Garonne, was found by police after they were led to the scene by a 32-yearold man who has since been charged with her murder.

The tragedy began when Mrs Price, who has lived alone since the death of her husband last year, was reported missing by her son following a barbecue with friends in Eymet. Unable to reach her by phone later that evening, her son, who lives in nearby Pardaillan, went to her house to find it empty.

Her car was still outside, a

INSIDE > > >

We take a look at the myths surrounding the iconic British breakfast and find out exactly what makes up the belt-busting 3 kg Big One >> Page 16

The Bugle Business Directory

A replica of Lafayette's famous frigate "Hermione" has set sail for America >> Page 7

We all have bad habits.

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4 pages of listings for local English-speaking businesses - your essential guide to finding just what you’re looking for >> Pages 17-20

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2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

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www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

W

elcome to a n o t h e r jam packed edition of The Bugle!

I'm going to break from the norm this month and use this space for a personal appeal. We receive a fairly constant stream of requests from individuals, groups and organisations asking us to help them raise money and we always try to help wherever possible... but this month it's my turn!

Sadly, my mother was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease several years ago. Today she lives in a home and needs 24-hour specialist care. We had realised that something was not right for a few years and initially a diagnosis of Alzheimer's was given. This came as a shock as she was still in her 50s at the time. As her health deteriorated, it became clear that she in fact had something called Corticobasal Syndrome, a cruel disease that follows many of the same symptoms as Alzheimer's and unfortunately has the same ultimate outcome.

Last year my brother decided that he wanted to do something to

raise money for one of the charities that work in this area, and with my mum's condition being so rare, he chose the Alzheimer's Society. He has been fund-raising like crazy for the last 12 months and in April he boarded a plane to Beijing to begin a trek along the Great Wall of China with a number of other intrepid explorers raising money for a range of charities.

Without going into too much detail, this was no mean feat for my brother and we are all incredibly proud of him, as well as the 5,000 pounds he has already raised!

I have been producing The Bugle for nearly 6 years now; the paper is free - as it always will be - and I have never directly asked for a penny from any of my readers. So, today, I am going to ask that if you have enjoyed reading this newspaper over the years and feel that you would like to give something back, I would be enormously grateful if you could sponsor my brother via his JustGiving page and help him to raise money for this worthy cause (web address below). Don't be alarmed if it looks as though he has already hit his target – why

stop there! Every penny counts so any contribution would be gratefully received.

Sadly, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia impact on the lives of many of us either directly or indirectly, and it strikes me as an area of science where real progress can be made in the near future.

As an aside, whilst many bemoan the state of the UK healthcare system, my mum has had the most amazing care over the last few years. In the worst possible situation, she is in the best possible place.

Until next month!

Steve Martindale, Editor

www.justgiving.com/Ian-Martindale1/

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Students enjoy Rapping US teacher wows Périgueux school gourmet dinners

D

© credit: facebook.com/FluencyMC

I

n any school, a visit from a US rapper would be a treat, but pupils at the Lycée Claveille in Périgueux received an extra special delight as part of their Friday English lessons in April.

American Jason Levine, alias Fluency MC, is a rapper with a difference. He teaches English language through rap. An experienced and highly skilled teacher, Jason has earned a worldwide following through his unique pedagogic technique.

Fluency MC’s groundbreaking method helps learners of English understand and memorize English grammar and have fun through rap songs.

Jason/Fluency gave a one and a half hour lesson at the city centre lycée at the invitation of teacher Gabrielle Gallot. She had seen his language rap videos on the internet and was struck by how effective the rap method can be, especially with irregular verbs, grammar rules, useful expressions and so on. She was surprised and delighted when he accepted her invitation.

180 pupils from seconde up to BTS took part in the lesson.

“I chose rap because it provides the repetition that is essential in learning any language,” explained Jason Levine. “Repetition can be boring, but rap makes it easier and more fun. Rap also provides the essential rhythm of the English language.”

Despite so many people in the world learning basic English, native speakers may be surprised to find out how difficult their language is to

learn: it has over a hundred irregular verbs, a continuous present, subjunctive mood, a jungle of phrasal verbs and many other traps for the linguistically unwary.

Many expats may also wish there was a Fluency MC equivalent to help improve their French!

For more information, visit Fluency MC’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FluencyMC ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

Launched in 2000 in Paris, Neighbours’ Day is now celebrated around the world by millions of people and is an invitation to share a moment with your neighbours, to get to know each other better and develop a real sense of community.

espite the best efforts of chefs such as Jamie Oliver, school meals in France still tend to be a cut above the average British school dinner. To draw an even greater contrast, pupils at the André-Boissière junior school in Périgueux were recently treated to an haute cuisine lunch at their school when celebrated Dordogne chef, Sébastien Riou, created a gastronomic treat for the pupils.

While more used to the custom kitchens at his restaurant, Un parfum de gourmandises in cours St Georges, Périgueux, Sébastien worked with the school’s contract caterers to produce a fantastic menu. His qualifications couldn’t be higher as earlier this year Sébastien’s restaurant was awarded a Michelin Bib for its high quality food at affordable prices. To create a Bib standard school dinner was the perfect challenge.

The luxury lunch had an educational basis as well as being a treat for the tummy.

“This is an innovative scheme between Elior educational caterers and the City of Périgueux,” explained Sébastien. “It is all about learning what quality is, developing good taste and establishing best practice in eating and nutrition.”

Sébastien’s menu was simply magnificent. An apéritif of grapefruit and lychee cocktail with lime-drizzled rice crisps was followed by a starter of soft boiled egg with compté jus and asparagus. Next came a main of guinea fowl supreme with morel mushrooms, celery and hazelnut purée with a bay jus.

And as if that were not enough, for dessert the students enjoyed a chocolate ganache with kiwi coulis, strawberries and toasted almond crumble.

For this special meal the tables were dressed formally by catering and hotelier students from the Chamber of Commerce.

This initiative has been hailed as a resounding success by teachers, chefs and, most importantly of all, the pupils. It is set to be repeated in six other junior schools across the city. ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

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Government unveils So British Weekend 2015 new school zone map

T

he education minister, Najat ValaudBelkacem, has unveiled the new holiday calendar for the upcoming school year, with a number of regions switching holiday “zone”. Traditionally, France has staggered some of its school holidays, with each of the three defined “zones” taking holidays lasting 2 weeks in periods that overlap to create one “school holiday” of four weeks.

This staggering of the school holidays spreads the load that is placed on the country's transport system and tourist industries and reduces the “spike” in holiday and travel prices often seen in the UK during, for example, the Easter holidays. Summer and Christmas holidays in France are always taken at the same time across the whole country.

With France preparing for an administra-

tive shake-up as the number of regions is reduced from 22 to 13, departments within the same region were at one point set to have different school holidays to one another.

This situation caused the education minister to announce a “review” of the system, the results of which have now been unveiled (see map).

After the 2015 rentrée (the name given to the return to school after the summer holi-

Zone A Rentrée

days), the Aquitaine will indeed now be in the same zone as the Poitou-Charentes and Limousin regions.

The new school timetable was drawn up after consultation with 55 representative organisations and, according to the minister, “follows as closely as possible the rhythm of 7 weeks of class and 2 weeks of holidays”, a system that experts believe provides an optimal learning environment for students. ■

Zone B

Zone C

Tuesday 1st September 2015

Toussaint

Saturday 17th October - Sunday 1st November 2015

Christmas

Saturday 19th December 2015 - Sunday 3rd January 2016

Winter

Sat 13th Feb Sun 28th Feb 2016

Sat 6th Feb Sun 21st Feb 2016

Sat 20th Feb Sun 6th Mar 2016

Spring

Sat 9th Apr Sun 24th Apr 2016

Sat 2nd Apr Sun 17th Apr 2016

Sat 16th Apr Sun 1st May 2016

Summer

School ends Monday 4th July 2016

P

lans are well under way for the So British Weekend on 20th and 21st June of this year.

Organisers, including John Beynon, Carol Robinson and Jean-Luc Nicolas, are appealing to prospective participants not to leave it too late to book their space.

John Beynon explained: “We have had a huge amount of interest following last year’s So British Weekend. We have a host of stand holders, traders, exhibitors, performers already booked in and we want to be able to accommodate every kind of club, group, association, charity, individual, enterprise, etc. who want to join us. We do ask that they con-

tact us as soon as they can to get the best space for their activity. Any person, company or organization wishing to make themselves known, not only just to the British community, but also to our French hosts, needs to be in Brantôme for this weekend. But they had better not delay!”

The weekend aims to put on show the best of British, from sports cars to sausages, from choirs to ice cream cornets, from country crafts to cream teas, from bagpipes to baskets.

If you would like any more information, or to book a stand, please contact John Beynon at jobelix@wanadoo.fr / tel 05 53 54 81 19. ■

Local expat found murdered >> continued from pg 1 moved to the area around New Year with his wife and young children aged 2 and 7 months.

“Naturally, we welcomed them,” explained a neighbour, who described the family as quiet.

“We also have young children, so we tried to help wherever we could.”

“The electricity to his house had been cut off,” another neighbour told Sud Ouest. “He came round in the evening while we were eating and asked if we could heat up his food for him. We knew that he had been questioned, so we asked him straight whether he knew the woman who had gone missing. He just said

that he had been questioned because he was part of the family.”

With a constant stream of gendarmes passing through the village, rumours began to spread and when the suspect was subsequently led away in handcuffs, residents finally realised how serious the situation was. When the small lane between Tombebœuf and Tourtrès was sealed off the next day, the full gravity of what had happened began to sink in. “It is a path where we regularly go for walks with the children... This is such a shock!”

Violet Price, originally from London, had lived in the area for 3 years and was a regular sight at Eymet market. ■

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5

MAY 2015 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

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Dordogne is left leaning While Britain still

reels from the general election onslaught, France recently elected its departmental councils. In contrast to the UK, the voting in the Dordogne was clear and unequivocal; the Dordogne remains fairly firmly on the left.

In 19 of the 25 canton election districts, the left held fast. Germinal Peiro, the new head of the departmental council, was elected to the post following the retirement of Bernard Cazeau.

The right picked up 6 new seats, but the far right Front National was unable to carry any of the cantons, despite a strong showing in the first round. It is worth noting, however, that for a department dominated by the left, the two main towns, Périgueux and Bergerac are both on the right. ■

Bordeaux new region’s capital CSF success

S

ince plans were unveiled by the Hollande government to reduce the number of regions from 22 to 13, there has been much debate over where the administrative capitals of these new, larger regions would be based.

In some cases, the fighting has been fierce, for example the new Languedoc-Roussillon – Midi-Pyrénées region where Toulouse and Montpellier both believed themselves to be the obvious choice.

In the soon-to-be-formed Aquitaine – Poitou-Charentes – Limousin region, Bordeaux was always the front runner and neither Poitiers nor Limoges put up much of a fight. As was widely predicted, the capital of the Aquitaine has indeed now been revealed as the capital of the new “super-region”, which has yet to be named.

The battle to become one of the 13 regional capitals is not just a matter of prestige. Being the administrative heart of one of the new regions will probably cause significant numbers of government workers to relocate to the cities chosen.

The increase in jobs and the boost to local economies is expected to be significant, with a knock-on effect to the economies of cities that will

inevitably lose out in the reshuffle.

A poll taken when the reforms were first announced showed that while 68 per cent of the French believed the changes were necessary, 77 per cent rejected the potential disappearance of their own region.

Many residents from larger, richer or more powerful regions were reluctant to be joined by smaller ones. The reverse was typically true in the less powerful regions, and that was certainly the case in the Limousin. A survey published last summer showed that 69% of Limousin residents were in favour of joining Aquitaine, but that just 25% of those living in the Aquitaine wanted to see their region joined by their neighbours to the north-east. The Limousin will go from being one of the smallest regions in the country, to being a part of the largest.

A major concern for the Limousin's leaders is its geographic distance from Bordeaux – Guéret is 3-and-a-half hours from Bordeaux by car and more than 5 hours by train. Limoges would in fact become the second biggest city in the new region, with a larger population than Poitiers, but leaders are worried that too much power will

T

shift to Bordeaux. “Large urban areas tend to concentrate decision making powers, wealth and employment, often at the risk of weakening those of outlying areas,” Jean-Pierre Limousin, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Haute-Vienne has previously warned.

Much will change over the coming years, but backers of the reforms are confident that the simplified structure will help to reduce the financial and administrative burden of France's current large, multi-layered and cumbersome system. Prime Minister Manuel Valls recently told journalists that the moves could save the country €25 billion in administration costs and efficiency savings. ■

here was jubilation in Javerlhac recently as organisers from Cancer Support France Dordogne-Ribérac counted up the outcome of their bric-a-brac sale in April.

With a helping hand from the town’s mayor, CSF made a €1,477 clear profit, money that is now destined for the Dordogne’s cancer treatment centres. The collection, setting up and running of the monster sale took three days. The generous mayor and counacillors in Javerlhac donated free rental of the town’s fine salle des fêtes.

Organiser Sarah Barrett and her coworkers were delighted at Mr Porte’s offer. “It made a huge difference to being able to get a smart, attractive display and a huge range of lovely items, including some wonderful cakes and goodies,” Sarah told The Bugle. “In these straightened times the high quality donations we received, mainly from British expats, proved a real draw not just for us Brits, but our French hosts, too.”

The group has set itself a target of €15,000 for 2015. In 2014 the same indefatigable fund-raisers donated €10,000 of equipment to the Angoulême radiotherapy centre, which treats patients from the Haute-Vienne, Charente and Dordogne. ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

6 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

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28-year-old Frenchman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a 70-year-old British expat was found in a well, metres from his home in Normandy. David King, originally from London, had lived in the Calvados region of northern France for 15 years and his death has led to much anger amongst the local expat community, with many accusing the authorities of bungling the investigation.

When the pensioner was first reported missing last October following tea with friends, local police were reluctant to fully investigate, saying that he had simply gone to Australia to see his daughter. This, despite friends and family pointing out that he had left his passport and heart medication in his house, had been complaining of a lack of money for travel and had made plans to see local friends over Christmas.

Speaking from her home in Perth, Mr King's daughter said she was appalled at how the case had initially been handled by Interpol. “We are obviously devastated by the circumstances.

But I would like to add how frustrated I feel about Interpol's involvement,” she told The Telegraph. “Two weeks after my father was reported missing, Interpol advised that he had arrived in my country of residence, Australia, but gave no further information. It took over a week of constant investigation on my part in conjunction with the local Western Australia police to determine that it was a different David King with a different passport number and similar date of birth. This was established by the end of November 2014, however the French authorities still had not been formally notified of this via Interpol until approximately 3 months later.”

When a new gendarme was assigned to the case, further evidence began to emerge which eventually led sniffer dogs to discover the expat's body in a well in a neighbour's garden, just metres from his own home. A local man has now been arrested and charged with murder and the investigation appears to be focussing on an argument over stolen vegetables.

The local mayor, Sarah Anne, said that lo-

cals had been complaining of thefts for some time. “In one night, a whole plot of leeks might disappear. One person saw four rabbits vanishing overnight. People were getting more and more angry and some were even threatening to defend their plots with shotguns,” she said.

An unnamed neighbour told Le Parisien that “the description of the thief corresponds to that of the young man” arrested for Mr King’s murder.

According to local prosecutor Carole Etienne, the accused has confessed to killing the pensioner, a passionate gardener, and has admitted he placed the body in the well, but claims he cannot remember how it happened: “He admitted there was an argument, and to putting the body in the well. Now we will try to learn more about what caused the death. He has not yet explained the circumstances of the death... I have the before, I have the after, I don't have the in between.” ■

photo: missingabroad.com

Man charged after murdered expat found in well

Cross border fines for British drivers

F

ollowing a series of legal battles at the European Court of Justice, British drivers caught on camera will now be fined for driving offences in other European countries from 2017 at the latest.

Half-a-million British motorists are flashed by speed cameras in France each year. French police are not currently able to collect camera fines, although they do impose on-the-spot penalties if they stop British motorists who are speeding.

Cross border fines were first introduced in France in 2013 when the French Senate voted into law a European directive which enabled police to identify foreign drivers from other EU countries and automatically send out speeding tickets to greet them when they returned home.

“From now on we will be able to exchange digital files across the European Union so that when a foreign driver is flashed in France, through their registration plate,

we will be able to identify them and find out their address,” the Ministry of Transport told French daily Le Parisien at the time.

While France and the majority of the EU signed up, Britain, Ireland and Denmark refused to adopt the agreement. The European Court of Justice challenged this and a new directive, which will come into force later this year, was passed unanimously in February. Britain, Ireland and Denmark have been given until 2017 to enforce the new rules.

The directive relates to eight of the most common traffic offences: speeding, non-use of a seat-belt, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the influence of drugs, failing to wear a crash helmet, use of a forbidden lane and illegally using a mobile telephone while driving.

Drivers on British registration plates found guilty of one of these offences in mainland Europe in the future will be tracked down through the shared database, with fines and possibly even penalty points then being en-

forced.

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. Recent statistics also show that one quarter of all vehicles flashed by France's army of speed cameras are on foreign plates. This problem is even worse in the height of the summer tourist season when that figure rises to half! ■

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7

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Paris to host 2024 Hermione sets sail once again for America Olympics?

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aris looks set to officially launch its bid to host the 2024 Olympics after the city's council voted in favour of putting itself forward to the International Olympic Committee. The vast majority of the city's 163 councillors voted to throw Paris' hat into the ring, in a show of cross-party support.

“Now we are off on an Olympic adventure!” tweeted the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, after results of the vote were unveiled. Hidalgo, who for a long time was not an outspoken supporter of her city's candidacy, has in recent months come round to the idea that the City of Light might host the Olympics exactly 100 years after it last did.

A period of public consultancy will now take place with a final decision due in June – countries have until 15th September to officially enter the race to host the global sporting event.

Following the recent vote, however, an official bid now seems inevitable. President Hollande came out in support in November and the public are also largely in favour – 61% say they would like to see the 2024 Olympics held in Paris, despite the estimated €4.5 billion budget.

The cities of Hamburg, Boston

and Rome have already announced their intention to bid to host the Games, with a number of other cities likely to join the race in the coming months. After evaluating the rival bids, a final decision will taken by the IOC in mid-2017.

Many this side of the Channel still have painful memories of the country's failed bid to host the 2012 Olympics, when Paris famously lost out to London, despite being favourites.

“A new defeat would mean the end of France's ambitions to host this magical competition,” said JeanFrançois Lamour, a double Olympic fencing champion and sports minister when Paris lost its bid in 2005, adding that this was the last chance saloon.

Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 summer Olympics, with Tokyo already chosen to welcome the 2020 Games. Paris has previously hosted the world's largest sporting event in 1900 and 1924. ■

€25 million replica of the French navy frigate Hermione, which played a key role in the American Revolution, has set sail for Yorktown, Virginia, tracing its original journey from 1780. The Marquis de Lafayette crossed the Atlantic on the original Hermione on a secret mission to tell his friend George Washington, commander of the American “insurgents” against British imperial rule, that France was sending a strong military force to help them. The boat went on to take part in the 1781 blockade of Yorktown that led to the British surrender.

“It was a tipping point,” explained Miles Young, president of an American organisation called the Friends of HermioneLafayette in America, speaking to the New York Times. “The war wouldn't have been won without French support. Both the ship and the man on the ship became pivotal.”

Around 80 crew members set sail in front of huge crowds on the three-masted 65-metre frigate, which is believed to be the largest historically reconstruct-

ed ship ever built. Despite the original Hermione taking just 6 months to build, the replica has been under construction since 1997. Around 60 per cent of the €25 million budget came from visitors to the shipyard in Rochefort over the past two decades, along with private donors. Local French authorities paid the remaining third.

Only 17 professional sailors were on board, with the rest of the crew being made up from volunteers, mostly French. Two Swedes, a German, two Belgians and two Americans complete the crew, “but no English”, the ship's captain Yann Cariou told AFP with a polite but firm smile, adding that very few citizens of the “old enemy” had enquired to take part!

The frigate is due to arrive in Yorktown on 5th June for a tour of key American Revolution locations including Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and finally New York City, where hundreds of boats are due to parade alongside the historic replica on Independence Day, 4th July.

Although Lafayette was an aristocrat who persuaded King

Louis XVI to send military help to Washington’s men, he managed to survive France's own Revolution that took place less than 10 years after his historic voyage and secure a civic role in the new Republic - much of the French nobility were executed during the French Revolution.

The replica fired its cannons as it sailed up the Charente river to the military shipyards of Rochefort, where it received a brief presidential visit before setting sail for America.

France's intervention was a turning point in the American Revolution and the two countries sealed their friendship with the 1886 inauguration of the Statue of Liberty at the entrance to New York harbour.

The statue was a gift from the French people to commemorate the centenary of the declaration of independence.

Lafayette remained a hero of the Revolution stateside and at least 42 US counties and cities, along with hundreds of streets and squares, are named after him - including the famed Lafayette Square opposite the White House. ■

8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

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A

s the Front National (FN) attempts to consolidate its position as a mainstream political force in France, an internal power struggle appears to have brought the curtain down on the career of the party's controversial co-founder and honorary president, Jean-Marie Le Pen. The 86 year old recently infuriated his daughter, current FN leader Marine Le Pen, by repeating previous racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic comments. Among other inflammatory comments, Le Pen senior, who has a string of convictions for his offensive remarks, again described the Holocaust as a “detail” of history, praised Marshal Pétain, the leader of France’s Nazi collaborationist Vichy regime and said that France should side with Russia to protect the “white world”.

Marine Le Pen was quick to plunge the dagger into her father's back, launching a damning and unprecedented attack. “Jean-Marie Le Pen seems to be in a total spiral of strategy somewhere between scorched earth and political suicide,” she said. “His status as honorary president does not give him the right to hijack the Front National with vulgar provocations seemingly designed to damage me, but which unfor-

tunately hit the whole movement.”

Marine Le Pen went on to suggest that she would block her father from standing in upcoming elections and the bitter public row continued until Jean-Marie Le Pen appeared to fall on his own sword and announced his withdrawal from politics. “If I must make a sacrifice for the future of the movement, I would not be the one to cause it damage,” said the former paratrooper.

Since taking over the FN in 2011, Marine Le Pen has been trying to detoxify the party's image and has sought to transform the anti-immigration, anti-Europe far-right party from protest vote option to one more palatable to mainstream voters in the 2017 presidential race.

Le Pen senior delighted in his outsider role, was proud to be the focus of a protest vote and never truly wanted power. The ambitions of Marine Le Pen, on the other hand, go right to the presidency.

Current opinion polls suggest that the charismatic leader will win the first round of elections in 2017, but that she will lose out in the run-off. In order to gain enough votes to have a chance in a two-horse race against a Socialist or UMP candidate, she has apparently recognised the need to move away from the poisonous reputation the FN gath-

ered under her father.

Unfortunately for père Le Pen, he has increasingly been seen as a spanner in the works. In a poll published shortly after the spat, more than two-thirds of FN voters said they were in favour of Jean-Marie's departure, while threequarters said they believed his media outbursts were harming the party.

When asked by Le Figaro newspaper who should stand in his place, he appeared to take a parting shot at his daughter by anointing his granddaughter, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, as his preferred successor. The 25-year-old niece of Marine Le Pen is the youngest MP in France and is considered a rising star – one that looks set to ensure the Le Pen name continues for years to come. Marion is seen as more socially conservative than her aunt, with beliefs that more closely match those of her grandfather.

The FN faces other issues in its attempts to enter the Elysée Palace. Its core policy of vowing to leave the euro is putting off more traditional rightwing voters. It also faces funding inquiries and recently had to deny allegations from investigative website Mediapart that it may have been given a huge loan from a Russian bank in exchange for backing Vladimir Putin over Crimea. ■

© Marie-Lan Nguyen (WikiCommons)

Le Pen family reshuffle for National Front

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NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9

10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

Iconic roadside trees may face the chop

© www.revolutionsforrelief.org

A

s the government continues to put road safety at the top of its agenda, there are renewed fears for tens of thousands of trees that line roads across France.

Many of the trees, which are mostly sycamores, date back to Napoleonic times, but campaigners fear that they may become victims of a government “safety audit” that has been ordered by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

“For the moment, this is just an audit but we remain on the alert. We have to wait and see what the conclusion will be,” Chantal Fauché, president of the association for the protection of roadside trees (Asppar), told Le Figaro newspaper. “Admittedly, trees alongside the roads are aggravating factors for accidents but the plan to reduce the number of deaths on the road each year needs to focus on the causes of accidents.

These are above all alcohol, speed and behaviour. Chopping down trees is a simple political choice with the added benefit of generating savings from maintenance.”

The government – and opponents of roadside trees – may have a point, however, if they do target the so-called “plane trees” on these iconic stretches of road: in 2013,

there were 326 deaths caused by motorists hitting trees, a figure which represents about 10 per cent of all road deaths.

Not everyone is against the trees, though and a 2006 report even concluded that they may have a positive effect on motorists by clearly demarcating the road and giving drivers an increased feeling of speed, which may actually make them slow down.

The first plane trees were

planted by the 16th century king of France, Henry III, as part of wider attempts to restore French woodland, much of which had been cleared out during the Middle Ages. Napoleon continued to plant sycamores alongside the roads during his military campaigns, both as a reserve source of wood for the winter months and as a way to provide shade for his troops in the height of summer. ■

Vatican rejects gay French diplomat

A

diplomatic incident is brewing following the apparent rejection of a new French ambassador to the Vatican on the grounds that he is gay. The controversy has deepened tensions between France and the Holy See and has called into question Pope Francis' attempts to present a more liberal stance on homosexuality.

Laurent Stefanini, a 54-year-old senior diplomat who is currently Mr Hollande's chief of protocol, previously served as the number two at France's Vatican embassy between 2001 and 2005. He was nominated for the top post in early January but the Vatican has remained silent on the position ever since – a candidate is typically accepted within 6 weeks, with the lack of a decision in this timeframe taken as an implicit rejection.

In a statement, the Elysée Palace said that the president regarded Mr Stefanini as “one of our best diplomats” and his choice to represent France at the Vatican resulted from “a wish by the president and a cabinet decision”.

As the controversy rumbled on, Le Canard Enchâiné reported that Pope Francis had met with Mr Stefanini in person to reject his appointment. The pontiff allegedly cited his displeasure with the controversial 2013 gay marriage law passed in France as part of

his reason for the decision. The paper claims that Pope Francis said he did not appreciate the manner in which France had tried to put pressure on the Vatican by nominating a man they knew would be controversial given the church’s views on homosexuality.

Pope Francis had until recently taken a far less judgemental position on homosexuality than his predecessor Benedict XVI, saying in an interview shortly after he became pontiff two years ago: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Since the row erupted, the government has stood firm and recently insisted that “Laurent Stefanini is the only candidate nominated by the Republic and the council of ministers”. Some are suggesting that it is this bullish attitude that is behind the Vatican's rejection of France's candidate, not the fact that he is homosexual. “Announcing his nomination to the press before presenting it to the Vatican was not the most diplomatic way of doing things,” explained Stéphane Lemessin, a French Catholic priest and prominent blogger on faith matters.

In 2007, France proposed openly gay diplomat Jean-Loup Kuhn-Delforge to be its ambassador at the Vatican. Paris never received a reply, and it eventually put forward another nominee. ■

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NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 11

MAY 2015 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Just what the doctor ordered!

The Health Service is not just a British preoccupation.

The French system is also a cherished institution and many expats have cause to be grateful for the quality of care they receive here in France.

The main problem for governments in Paris and London, however, is the same – how to control, or even reduce costs without sacrificing standards.

A principal part of the French health mission statement is in active prevention of ill health. With this in mind, health professionals, accountants and politicians are considering radical solutions to the nation's deteriorating health and resultant escalating costs.

One interesting proposal is giving GPs the ability to prescribe exercise and activity alongside more traditional medication. The prescription could be used in a sports or local health and activity centre.

The proposal is soundly based on studies which have shown that exercise does promote good health and combats many of the scourges of modern life: cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Exercise has also been found to be far more effective than drugs alone.

Former minister for sport, Valérie Fourneyron of the governing Socialist Party, is one of the proponents of this approach and has publicly underlined the measurable benefits of precisely targeted exercise pointing out that “€150 invested in physical exercise can produce savings of €450-500 on treatments”.

Small scale local initiatives across France have shown how even serious conditions can be treated by well-facilitated and supported activity programmes.

All of which could soon lead to us being told by our GP: “Take a two kilometre-walk before meals, and 10 lengths of the pool before bed.” ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

France still in top spot for tourists

Official figures have once again confirmed that France was the most visited country in 2014, meaning it holds on to the coveted crown. A whopping 83.7 million people visited these shores last year, far ahead of the second placed US, which attracted just under 70 million tourist visitors.

Spain (61 million), China (56 million) and Italy (48 million) round out the top 5 with the 31 million tourists that visited the UK proving enough for eighth place on the global chart.

Asia still represents a lucrative and growing tourist market for France. The new fast-track 48-hour visa for Chinese travellers was introduced in January last year, a move that saw a 61 per cent increase in visas given to Chinese nationals in 2014.

The government has previously announced ambitious plans to boost visitor numbers beyond the 100 million mark. ■

Burger King is back with a bang Burger King has made a triumphant return to France, 16 years after it pulled out of the country after losing the battle with McDonald’s and Quick. The second largest fast food chain in the world opened 21 restaurants in France last year, making €4.7 million of profit per restaurant per year. This is a huge figure when compared to the €3.3 and €2.2 million made by the average McDonald’s and Quick restaurant respectively over the same period.

Fast food consumption is on the rise and France is McDonald’s largest market outside of the US. The typical French diner now apparently eats burger and chips once every four meals.

Burger King has more than 13,000 restaurants worldwide and made an overall €400 million profit in 2014. ■

UK introduces tough new border exit checks

C

ross-Channel travellers have been bracing themselves for long queues when returning to France after the introduction of new laws in April by the British government requiring border authorities to check the passport of every person leaving the country. The move was a previous election pledge by the coalition government, one that they promised to have in place before this election.

“Exit checks will provide us with vital information that confirms a person’s exit from the UK,” insisted immigration minister James Brokenshire. “The coalition government committed to reintroducing them in 2010 and the Immigration Act 2014 put in place legislation which gave carrier and port staff the power to carry out these checks.”

Ahead of the changes coming into force, Eurotunnel and the main ferry companies warned that the checks could lead to long queues for coach and car travellers. “All this is going to take time. The approaches to the port of Dover can get extremely busy at peak holiday times and we are concerned that the queues are going to get worse once these checks are introduced,” said a spokesperson for P&O. “We are advising passengers to have their passports ready when they present themselves at check-in.”

John Keefe, Eurotunnel’s public affairs director, said: “On a peak holiday, when we have got the family, we have got all the children, we have got the granddads in the car as well – five, six, seven, nine people in a people carrier – that takes a long time per vehicle. We are going to get queues all the way up this road. That’s the risk.”

In a bid to minimise disruption, the Home Office exit checks are being phased in, so for the first month, while all passports are being scanned, only 25 per cent of the passport holders will have their details verified to ensure they are genuine. Scanning of a passport is quick, but it is the verification step which can take a long time.

After a month, there will be a move to 50 per cent verification and by the middle of June the Government will aim to verify all travellers.

The Home Office has said the exit checks will improve understanding of who is leaving the UK and create a much clearer picture of who is staying in the country when they have no right to be there.

The government also believes the checks will help the police and security services track the movements of known criminals and terrorists. ■

New road safety rules

A

series of changes to France's driving laws are due to come into force from 30th June this year as part of the government's continued battle to reduce the number of deaths on the country's roads. The changes will include a ban on most hands-free kits, a trial to reduce the speed limit on some national roads from 90 kph to 80 kph, harsher parking fines and a reduction in the alcohol limit for new drivers.

As part of the raft of 26 measures, the use of all wired hands-free kits will become illegal from 30th June,

with only bluetooth devices exempt from the new ban. The use of all other kits will be treated in the same way as if the driver was holding the phone to their ear – currently a maximum €135 fine and three points. “The handsfree kit prevents drivers hearing what is happening outside. The goal is that the driver remains aware of the outside world,” a spokesman for the interior ministry said.

The government has been debating reducing the national speed limit from 90 km/h to 80 km/h since early last year and a trial has now been announced that will involve “three to

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five” stretches of road that are notorious accident black spots. This potential change in speed limit has proved hugely unpopular, with a recent survey suggesting as many as three-quarters of the public oppose any reduction.

Tougher fines will also come into force for illegal parking on zebra crossings, pavements and cycle paths, rising to €135 from the current maximum fine of just €35 and drivers who have had their licence for fewer than 3 years will be subjected to a lower maximum blood alcohol level of 0.2g/l. ■

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www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

Open Gardens - Jardins Ouverts

by Mick Moat

O

pen Gardens/Jardins Ouverts is now in its third year and we have witnessed some huge changes in this short time. In 2013, we had 4 gardens in the Creuse, which were open for 1 day (the last Sunday in June) and raised €300 for a French charity called “A Chacun son Everest”, an organisation which was founded by Dr Christine Janin, the first French woman to summit Everest.

This charity organises activities for children with, or in remission from cancer or leukaemia and whose philosophy recognises the similarity of the challenge to climb a huge mountain and the challenge facing children with a serious illness.

In 2014, our aim was to have 12 gardens and to raise €1,000 for the same charity. We actually featured 28 gardens and, despite appalling weather during the open weekend in June, we realised the magnificent sum of €3,051, over 3 times our target, which was accrued from entrance fees, refreshments and plant sales. Of this, €2,500 was sent to A Chacun son Everest, the balance being withheld to help with the considerable expenses for the following year.

We had bigger plans for 2015, the main one being to encourage the garden owners to open at other times during the year, which would mean that a) the visiting season would be much longer, and b) visitors would have the opportunity of seeing the huge variety of flowers, plants and shrubs that are at their best at other times in the gardening year. In fact, our first garden opened in February with a beautiful display of over 100 varieties of snowdrops. Other treats since have included a garden with over 2,000 daffodils and many wild woodland flowers.

So what else has changed? Open Gardens/Jardins Ouverts now has over 70 gardens in 12 departments and is expanding rapidly, due mainly to the support of the media and the hard work of the volunteers that organise the project. Our target this year is to raise €5,000 for the same charity as mentioned above. With effect from 2016, however, the association expects to be in a financial position which will enable it to support additional charities, whilst continuing to assist our current one.

The successes of the project cannot be understated. In May 2014, the project se-

cured a very small publicity area at the 3 day Journées des Plantes at Courson, one of France’s premier horticultural events. On the back of that, we were proud to be offered a free stand at Chantilly for this year.

This is particularly pertinent as it coincides with two important events: the recent appointment of a coordinator for the Ile-deFrance and the fact that we have been honoured to receive the support of the British Ambassador in Paris who has also said that members of Open Gardens/Jardins Ouverts will be welcome to view his garden on the Journée du Patrimoine on Saturday 19th September.

Entrance to the gardens is both easy and cheap. The purchase of an annual membership card (€10 per person) allows access to all of the gardens in the project for the whole year. Many private gardens and estates charge between €4 - €6 per person per visit but the Association organisers wish to make viewing as cheap as possible whilst raising money for charities. For casual visitors, a day pass of €5 is also available.

People living in the Creuse, Charente, the Dordogne and the Haute-Vienne have a particularly large selection of gardens from which to choose and May 10th is a big day for Open Gardens/Jardins Ouverts. There are lots of gardens open for the first time

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and many of them serve refreshments and some also have plants for sale. There are few more pleasant ways to spend a day than walking round beautiful gardens and then relaxing with a cup of tea in the company of new friends whose passion for gardening is matched only by their willingness to help charitable causes.

Buying a membership card in advance couldn’t be easier; go to the website and pay online (www.opengardens.eu) You will receive your card within days. Alternatively send a cheque for €10 per person, together with your name, address, email and telephone number to:

The Treasurer Open Gardens/Jardins Ouverts 1 La Combe 23300 Vareilles

dens in the near future. For further information please contact any of the following people:

There are also application forms on the Open Gardens/Jardins Ouverts publicity leaflets. If you intend to make a visit, please help to minimise the work for the garden owners by getting your card in advance. This will ensure that the owners have more time to talk to you about the plants, arrange parking, ensure the tea is hot and that the chocolate on the cake hasn’t melted!

We look forward to seeing you in our gar-

If you are interested in becoming a coordinator in any of these areas, or for any other information, please contact:

For gardens in the Charente & NW Dordogne: Linda James e-mail: lindajames295@gmail.com phone: 05 45 24 01 29 Ian Warden e-mail: ian@holmedalehouse.co.uk phone: 0044 750 636 3478 For gardens in the rest of the Dordogne: Kevin Weedon e-mail: kevinweedon@orange.fr phone: 05 53 50 09 24

Mick Moat: e-mail: mick@opengardens.eu phone: 05 55 63 43 12 View our gardens at www.opengardens.eu

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FRENCH LIFE ♦ 13

MAY 2015 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

In the garden - jobs for May

by Michelle Pierce

O

ne of the reasons why I so much like living in this part of the world is the switch that flips some time in late April. One minute it's mud and damp and (let's face it) misery, and then the next it's gorgeous blue skies, a wild upsurge in growth and (if you're lucky) lots of wildflowers.

This growth surge is much more rapid, it's my impression, than in Britain.

There is a magical moment when everything changes, somehow both imperceptibly and very concretely. What is it down to? 'Simply' the appearance of the leaves on the trees. Suddenly landscapes and gardens change absolutely. Perspective and depth appear, with hidden corners, winding paths, field boundaries (when you are still lucky enough to have hedges and copses). My lime trees spring into electric green almost overnight and their dappled shade completely redefines the corner of the garden where they are and heralds the promise of cool shade in hot hazy afternoons.

Gorgeous!

And this happens in our gardens here, too. Suddenly it's all go, go, go: there's stuff to be sown, grass to be cut, beds to be prepared, plants to be

planted out, weeds to be controlled and brambles to be kept an eye on.

But after the initial 'Oh my gosh, how am I going to manage it all?' panic, then we realise that the evenings are much longer and how very agreeable it is at the end of a hot day to be gently pottering around the garden doing a few chores.

One thing that has really struck me this year is the lack of adaptability of some of my French neighbours.

They persist in doing things the old way, even though they often can no longer physically cope and so it becomes the job of family members to take over things, until the point that they no longer have the time or inclination and then it's a 'let's stop everything and just keep it looking tidy' deal. Why would one old person on their own want to plant 50 lettuces, I ask myself? The answer, more often than not, is 'because that's what we've always done'.

Please remember that gardening should be a pleasure - there's always a way to make things easier and work for you. It's in all our interests to preserve as much as we can of the old varieties that were locally important, but that doesn't mean always doing

things the hard way.

We are already in a dry patch, with the hot sunny days of April having dried out the soil significantly, so mulch well, plan to water to get seeds and young plants established and make sure water butts, etc. are fully operational for the sudden downpours we will probably get during the storms of later.

Start a garden notebook, if you haven't got one on the go already.

One idea that is certainly going into mine for next year is to plant a similar mix of bright blue muscari, dwarf yellow narcissi and taller orange ones into an area of lawn. This was seen on the outskirts of Limoges and was unutterably sweet and lovely. That's another reason why gardening is such an equal opportunity activity - not everyone can have landscaping done for them at vast cost, but everyone can take a good idea, grow the plants necessary for it and do their own version. All it takes is a little more time!

So this month things really get going. The shops are also full of tender salad plants, etc. – make sure you harden them off and if the weather turns cool, plant your tomatoes between two vertical terracotta roof

The Golden Gate Quartet he Golden Gate Quartet may not be a group topping the current music charts but, eighty years after they first got together, they continue to record and their live performances can pack theatres all over the world.

The Quartet is part of a black American tradition which has produced many popular and successful close harmony vocal groups over the years. Probably the best known of this genre in the 1930s and 1940s were The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers and The Delta Rhythm Boys who set the ground for groups such as The Drifters and ultimately led to the Motown Sound which produced The Temptations, The Four Tops and The Jackson Five.

I got to meet The Golden Gate Quartet in March when they performed at the Théâtre Femina in Bordeaux. How did I manage this?

My introduction to the boys came about last year when I got into conversation with Wynona Bradwell who was in the audience for a 1940s / 1950s music show which we put on at Le Champsac. I had produced a photo montage & video backdrop for the show and Wynona, an American now living in France, said how much she enjoyed the backdrop and the accompanying music I had compiled for the pre-show and interval.

I was amazed to discover that her father had been a member of The Delta Rhythm Boys in the 1930s and 1940s so, having a lifetime interest in, and having a large collec-

tion of, early American music and radio shows from the 1920s to 1940s (mainly jazz as far as my record collection is concerned), I wanted to learn more.

The Delta Rhythm Boys were formed in 1934 and continued to record and perform until 1987 when one of the original members, Otho Lee Gaines, died. Wynona’s father had left the group and the music business in the 1940s and settled in New York to spend more time with his wife and three children but Wynona’s interest in their music and other black American singing groups has continued through her friends and contacts in the States.

The story of Wynona’s connection with The Delta Rhythm Boys, her meeting people like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Gregory Hines, Ella Fitzgerald, Dionne Warwick, to name but a few, and her incredible family history as a descendant, on her mother’s side, of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Seneca Nation of Indians is one which has to be told but I will save that for another day.

OK......That’s the background but who are, and how did I get to meet, the famous Golden Gate Quartet?

The Golden Gate Quartet was formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 1934 by Orlandus Wilson who led the group until his death in 1998, following which his nephew and still the current leader, Paul Brembly took over.

Through the group’s radio broadcasts in the 1930s their spirituals quickly be-

came well known and led to their first recording in 1937 and a performance at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York in December 1938. The group’s popularity continued to rise and in the 1940s they

Good gardening!!! ■

The Golden Gate Quartet has made many recordings since their first visit to the Victor studios in 1937. Their latest CD, recorded last year called “80 years” features some fine songs, nice arrange-

musical history? No way! So I bought my ticket, found a hotel round the corner from the theatre, picked up Wynona and headed off to Bordeaux.

We arrived mid-afternoon, had a coffee and croquemonsieur in a very busy cafe opposite the amazing opera house and headed off to find the theatre’s stage door. We

to which the audience stood and clapped along, to Stevie Wonder’s Part-Time lover and a lovely arrangement of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.

After the show, while everyone headed for the exit, Wynona and I fought our way against the tide, to one or two disgruntled French comments, onto the stage and down to the

ments and great harmony singing.

In my continuing discussions with Wynona about her background and music, Wynona told me that a friend of hers in America, Charlie Horner, a music historian and champion and promoter of Rhythm & Blues and Rock & Roll vocal harmony, had told her that The Golden Gate Quartet had a date in Bordeaux. He gave her the contact details and she spoke to their leader, Paul Brembly, who said he would be delighted to see her in Bordeaux.

Could I miss this opportunity to meet a group which has been part of America’s

met Paul and I stayed there for over an hour watching the backing musicians and sound engineers set up and listening to the boys run through the sound check and a couple of their numbers. It was a privilege and delight to be there.

The Femina is a lovely oldstyle théâtre in the centre of Bordeaux, built in 1921 and was packed with an extremely appreciative and enthusiastic audience of over 1,000.

The boys were backed on some numbers by a piano, bass and drums trio and sang beautifully with a repertoire ranging from some of their popular spirituals such as Shadrack and Joshua fit the battle of Jericho,

dressing rooms where we met Paul again plus the other members of the group, tenors Frank Jerome Davis and Timothy Riley and the man with the wonderful deep mellow bass voice Thierry Francis.

We talked for a while, had our photo taken with the boys and left them to make their way to their hotel for an early night in preparation for an early start to travel on the tour bus to their next gig in Le Puy. The show was great, attending the pre-show soundcheck was a privilege, the boys were charming and it was an experience I will remember for some time. ■

© Graham Martindale

T

by Graham Martindale

tiles so the sun's heat is absorbed by them and reflected back at night.

Continue sowing, planting, pricking out, harvesting.... how wonderful it is to pop down the garden and come back with a trug of fresh herbs, veg and flowers. Bliss!!

Dry the fresh young growth of herbs for later in the year – the plants will regrow even stronger. Look after your soft fruit and your fruit trees – looks like a good fruit year will hopefully come our way, unless there are late frosts.

Place a couple of heaps of manure where you want to plant your squashes & pumpkins - it'll really help to conserve the moisture they need for good growth later in the year.

Harvest comfrey when you can and either put it fresh where you want it round the bases of plants and trees, or onto the compost heap.

Get the garden furniture out of the barn and dusted off so that you can eat outside or stop for a well deserved cup of tea in between hoeing.

So many lovely things to do!

toured throughout America and made a number of films including Danny Kay’s A star is born.

Their overseas tours commenced in the 1950s, their first engagement in Europe being in 1955 at the Paris Olympia. The following year saw them take on a threemonth tour of Scandinavia followed by performances in England and Scotland.

They accepted a two-year contract with the Casino de Paris in 1959 and made France their permanent base.

Since then they have toured in Africa and Asia and continued to tour extensively throughout Europe each year.

14 ♦ PRACTICAL

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

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Death in France and how to deal with it In March 2015, Prune CALONNE, English-speaking avocat in Toulouse and The Bugle’s resident lawyer, explained how to organise the funeral of a loved one.

This month, she continues to give information and advice on how this process works in France.

4. Organ donation in France Your organs will be donated automatically unless you are registered on the “registre national des refus de dons d’organes” kept by the “Agence de biomédicine” or if your family object.

To have your last wishes on this issue truly respected, it is advisable to let your family know beforehand what you want. Their decision on your behalf will be respected.

The organs donated will be used for transplants. Bear in mind, however, that there is a difference between authorising your organs for donation and giving your body to science, which is another matter. You can object to donating certain organs by letting your family know.

The medical expenses of the donation are covered by the deceased’s social security.

5. People and organisations to inform of death WITHIN 7 DAYS: With a copy of the death certificate, - Deceased’s employer - Health and life insurance compa

nies - Banks in the case of any jointly

held accounts WITHIN 30 DAYS:

- CPAM. You must also return the

carte vitale.

WITHIN 6 MONTHS: Tax office regarding income tax, “taxe foncière” if the deceased was the owner of a property and “taxe d’habitation” (the equivalent of council tax in France).

Find a “notaire” ASAP after the date of death in France (if possible one that speaks English) to handle the dissolution of the estate.

A French “notaire” is mandatory if the deceased was the owner of real estate in France.

Please note that the “notaire” can handle a case all over France.

6. Cremation Cremation in France has to be authorized by the “maire” (mayor) at the place of death. Cremation will be possible only if it is stated in a letter written by the deceased or in his/her will.

7. Ashes buried or scattered

Ashes cannot be divided. They can be buried or placed in a columbarium, sealed in a monument or put in a tomb in a cemetery. They can also be scattered in a designated area in a cemetery.

They can also be scattered outdoors, but not in a public place (pathway, road, river) and for this you need to get the approval of the mayor of the town or commune where the deceased was born, as there are records kept of the date when the ashes were scattered outdoors.

Burial of ashes is possible in private properties in France under certain conditions.

8. Repatriation of foreigners If you wish to repatriate the body of your loved one to their home country, the help of the local embassy or consulate should be sought to advise on the paperwork required.

The family member in charge of the funeral, or the formally appointed representative, has to instruct a funeral director in France or in the home country and needs to contact the insurance company that is likely to cover these costs.

If there is no insurance, the family will have to pay for the costs. Please see March’s issue for more details on how the costs will be split.

BEWARE: One of The Bugle’s readers shared with me her experience and she highlighted that she faced difficulties with the French death certificate delivered to repatriate the deceased to Scotland.

Please bear in mind that, to be valid in the UK, the death certificate needs

France, the UK and Succession Tax

Question: I am a single man resident in the UK with 2 non dependent children; I do not own a property in the UK but own a property in France value approx. £150,000.

Presently I am assessing the inheritance tax liabilities on my estate in the UK and need advice on the inheritance tax liabilities on the French property in either the UK and/or France.

I understand that I can gift the French property to my two children and this would eliminate the liability to pay inheritance tax in France but would this also mean there is no inheritance tax liability in UK? Answer: If your place of “domicile” is the UK, the value of your French property would be included in your worldwide estate for UK tax purposes, with credit being given for any tax paid in France. Your children would be subject to French succession tax (equivalent to UK inheritance tax) on the value of the French property. The tax allowance is currently €100,000 per child, so, as long as your property is worth less than €200,000 and you leave it to both children equally, there would be no French tax to pay.

If you were to gift the property to your children, during your lifetime, French gift tax (“droits de donation”) would be payable. The gift tax allowance in France is also €100,000 per child, and it is renewed every fifteen years. Therefore, based on the current valuation, there would be no tax payable in France assuming that you have not gifted any other French assets to them in the previous fifteen years. There would be no further French inheritance tax payable by them on your death.

Were they to sell the property on your death, they would be liable to French capital gains tax on any gain made since the date of gift. They would normally also be subject to CGT in the UK, with credit being given for any tax paid in France.

However, in the UK you have to consider the impact of both capital gains tax and inheritance tax, if you decide to gift the property.

In the UK, worldwide gifts made by UK tax residents are subject to capital gains tax. If you have lived in the French property at some stage, it is possible that at least part of the gain will qualify for an exemption under the UK Principal Residence Relief. The gain would be calculated based on the current market value of the property since the gift is made to a ‘connected person’. If a chargeable gain arises, the tax is levied at either 18% or 28% depending on the level of your UK taxable income. You are also entitled to an Annual Exemption of £11,000 (for the year ended 5th April 2015).

If you are UK domiciled, your worldwide assets are subject to UK inheritance tax. Life-time gifts to children are normally classified as Potentially Exempt Transfers. This means that the value of the assets gifted is not included as part of your taxable estate on your death provided that you survive for seven years after the date of the gift. However, if you continue to use the property yourself, the gift could be considered a ‘Gift with Reservation’. In this situation the UK tax authorities argue that you have not made a genuine gift and the value of the property would still remain in your taxable estate. It is possible to avoid this by paying market rent to your children for the periods that you occupy the property personally.

You should also consider non-tax implications of the gift; for example, the children would have control of the property and could sell it even if you wished to keep it available for your use during your life-time. You may wish to consider retaining a type of life-interest (called usufruit in French). The rules governing gifts are complicated and it is always advisable to get expert cross-border advice if you considering gifting a French property. ■

to be precisely drafted if the cause of death is an accident and it will be the same if the cause of death is the result of crime or a suicide.

For instance, “accidental” as a cause of death, plus the date and location of the passing is not enough. In the previously mentioned reader’s case, for the death certificate to be valid it was also necessary to state: “cause of death: fell - fatal blow - dead on arrival”.

The body also needs to be transported in an enclosed and embalmed, zinc lined coffin, built and sold for this specific purpose. The coffin will be sealed by the airport or port authorities upon departure.

The passport must also travel with the deceased.

Be aware that the applicable security rules have changed fairly recently; you should check with the airline first to see if they will accept transportation of a coffin.

For more information on this or any other topic, please do not hesitate to contact: Prune CALONNE, Avocat au Barreau de Toulouse, 117 route d’Albi 31200 Toulouse Phone: 05 34 30 51 33 Mobile: 06 74 16 11 12 Email: scpcalonneadouedugast@hotmail.fr Web: www.cad-avocats.com My firm can arrange appointments in CAHORS at our correspondent’s offices.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details.

Peter Wakelin is Regional Manager of Siddalls France, Independent Financial Advisers, specialised in tax, inheritance, pension and investment planning for the British community in France since 1996.

Telephone 05 56 34 75 51 Email: bordeaux.office@siddalls.net Web: www.siddalls.fr

LANGUAGE & GAMES ♦ 15

MAY 2015 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

The much maligned and misunderstood hornet

A

part from great white sharks, hornets are probably one of the most feared and misunderstood creatures on the planet.

So, are hornets dangerous?

Yes and no. About 4% of the population of France are allergic to hornet or bee venom. For them, immediate medical treatment may be required in case of anaphylactic shock following a sting. For the rest of us it’s just a painful reminder that summer has arrived. Bee and hornet venom differ slightly; you might be allergic to a hornet but not necessarily a bee sting.

Hornets are more aggressive than wasps, 3 stings and you’re a goner? This is a myth passed down through the generations.

Hornet venom is no more potent than wasp venom. It’s their size and loud wing buzz which make people assume they are more dangerous. If anything, hornets are less aggressive than wasps.

In the springtime hornets are busy building their nests and won’t normally bother you.

Later in the year - approximately mid-September - the queen stops laying eggs and the worker insects seek food for the

nest. This includes fermented fruit, so you do have lots of aggressive, drunk insects flying about!

Why are they stinging me?

You have got too close to their nest or you have made them angry. If you flap your arms about or swat one, they emit an attack pheromone which will encourage others to join in the melée.

If you ignore them, they will generally leave you alone. A few deep breaths is better than a rolled up newspaper.

Giant killer Asian hornet? Sorry, they don’t exist in France! Asian hornets are an invasive species and should be destroyed professionally. They arrived via a shipment from Asia to Bordeaux in 2004 and have spread rapidly throughout large parts of France. The Asian hornet has distinctive yellow legs and a mainly black abdomen with a thin yellow band.

A nest can contain up to 20 queens, each laying 50 eggs a day, it can be built up to 30m from the ground and can contain 30,000 adults.

European hornets are brownish with yellow stripes and their nests contain only one queen, who lays about 50 eggs per day.

A mature nest can contain about

2,000 adults. European hornets can be an irritation, but do a very good job of insect control in the garden. European hornets are protected in Germany and it is frowned upon to destroy them in the UK... but in France they’re the “Jaws” of the garden!

I’ve found the nest, what next? Don’t disturb it, don’t approach it during the daytime unless you know what you’re

doing and wear suitable clothing. The French love it when we English talk about royalty, and are aghast when I mention the only solution to your problem is to kill the queen! To destroy a nest, she must be eliminated.

For more information on this topic or anything else to do with pest control, please contact Robert Moon from Applicateur 3D:

02 48 60 83 72 06 74 33 02 38 www.applicateur3d.com

SEARCHWORDOKU © - by Anthony Parson Complete the alphabetical Sudoku grid to the left using only the letters already shown, then use the result wordsearch grid to find: A type of fruit

How does it work...?

Complete the Sudoku grid in the usual manner, using only the 9 letters already shown. Once complete, you will be left with a 9x9 wordsearch grid, in which to find the final piece of the puzzle.

See the completed example to the right, the clue for which is "An English county".

Be careful not to jump to conclusions, as with the letters available, the answer could be SURREY, SUSSEX, ESSEX, or as it turns out in this case... SOMERSET.

Solution on page 21

SUDOKU - EASY

SUDOKU - MEDIUM

The solutions to this month’s sudokus can be found on page 23

SUDOKU - HARD

16 ♦ BILINGUAL

LEARNING FRENCH VIA INTERNET

Perhaps you would like to learn French in comfort at home or from your office? You are not in France and you wish to communicate with a native French person for one hour per week?

LONG-DISTANCE LEARNING is the answer. You only need internet access and a free Skype account.

It can be a one-to-one lesson or you can share the lesson with a person of the same level.

TRANSLATION SERVICES ALSO AVAILABLE

Please contact Sophie Arsac for further information – 05 55 89 15 74 - scarolinea@yahoo.fr

The Full English Breakfast

L

orsque les gens évoquent les Britanniques, ces derniers font vite l’objet d’un certain nombre de stéréotypes tels que: nous sommes très réservés, nous portons un respect tout religieux à notre thé… et nous aimons accompagner notre petitdéjeuner de bacon, saucisses et œufs tous les matins, ce que l’on appelle le «petit-déjeuner anglais complet».

Traditionnellement, ce repas combine tout ou partie des ingrédients suivants: du bacon, des saucisses, des œufs (sur le plat ou brouillés), des haricots blancs à la sauce tomate, des champignons revenus à la

the rest of Europe. A recent study revealed that 34% of the population in Britain regularly skip breakfast. That compares with just 17% in France.

So where does the Full English Breakfast come from? This is very difficult to establish and many parts of the country claim that they 'invented' it. A popular explanation is a religious one. Historically, a religious calendar guided many people's lives. Each year at Lent, before the 40-day fast, people had to use up their meat - this is in the days before freezers! Pigs were a popular animal, so a lot of that meat was pork and bacon.

The meat was often eaten with eggs, which also had to be used up. This gave rise to one enormous meal and the Full English Breakfast was born.

The Full English Breakfast has had to adapt to survive in modern times. First, it moved away from a strictly morning meal by becoming 'brunch' - a

combination of breakfast and lunch. Then it became a meal for all times of the day. Look on the menu in many pubs across the UK and you will see an “All Day Breakfast” for sale.

One breakfast you may want to avoid is “The Big One” Britain's unhealthiest breakfast.

In 2011, Steven Magee became the first person to conquer this giant 7,500 calorie breakfast on the menu at a cafe in Northamptonshire. Weighing 3 kg, the huge plate holds three sausages, three beef burgers, three fried eggs, three rashers of bacon, three slices of black pudding, three portions of baked beans and three portions of mushrooms. Still hungry?

Good, because it comes with three potato waffles, three potato scones, three hash browns, three portions of fried bread, three slices of bread and butter and three slices of toast.

Perhaps our reputation is justified after all!! ■

© 2009 - Freaky Fries (WikiCommons)

W

hen people think of the British, a few stereotypes quickly emerge: we are very reserved, we treat tea like it is a religion... and we enjoy a breakfast of bacon, sausages and egg every morning - the “Full English Breakfast”.

Traditionally, this meal will involve a combination of some or all of the following ingredients: bacon, sausages, eggs (fried and/or scrambled), baked beans, fried mushrooms, fried potatoes, grilled tomatoes, black pudding, fried bread, toast... it makes you hungry just thinking about it!!

It is true that this is a popular meal across the Channel and as you travel around Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland, regional variations will appear.

But what often comes as a disappointment to many people is that we do not eat it every day. In fact, the British eat fewer breakfasts than most of

poêle, des pommes de terre sautées, des tomates grillées, du boudin noir, du pain frit, du pain grillé … ça vous donne faim rien qu’en y pensant !

Il est vrai que c’est un repas populaire outre-manche, sachant qu’il est sujet à des variations selon si vous vous trouvez en Ecosse, au Pays de Galles, en Angleterre ou en Irlande. Cependant, la déception est grande pour beaucoup de personnes lorsqu’elles apprennent que nous ne consommons pas ce petit-déjeuner tous les jours.

En réalité, en comparaison avec la plupart des autres pays d’Europe, les Britanniques sont ceux qui prennent le moins

souvent un petit-déjeuner et une étude récente révèle que 34 % de la population saute ce repas contre 17 % en France.

Alors, qui a «inventé» ce petit-déjeuner complet? La réponse n’est pas simple et beaucoup de régions en revendiquent la paternité. Le respect du calendrier religieux qui, autrefois, ponctuait la vie de beaucoup de gens pourrait en être à l’origine. En effet, chaque année avant le carême et ses 40 jours de jeûne, les gens devaient terminer leurs réserves de viande et d’œufs car les congélateurs n’existaient pas à l’époque! Le cochon étant un animal populaire, ils mangeaient essentiellement de la viande de

SIRET 502 409 212 00011 – APE 8559B

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

The Bugle thanks French teacher, Sophie Arsac, for the translation of this month's bilingual article on a topical aspect of FrancoBritish culture.

Bilingual Crossword Clues in English - answers in French

Across:

Down:

5. old (5) 6. pasta (5) 8. bacon (5) 9. street (3) 12. tow trucks (11) 13. cape (3) 14. shin (5) 17. woman (5) 18. flower (5)

1. bed (3) 2. hurricane (7) 3. mast (3) 4. to refuse (7) 7. cash (7) 10. petals (7) 11. fuse (7) 15. friend (3) 16. juice (3)

Bilingual crossword solution can be found on page 21 porc et des tranches de bacon.

Ce repas gargantuesque a donné naissance au véritable petitdéjeuner anglais complet.

Pour “survivre”, ce petitdéjeuner a dû se moderniser: initialement consommé le matin, il s’est transformé en «brunch», ce mot étant une combinaison des mots anglais «breakfast» et «lunch», jusqu’à devenir un repas pouvant être servi à toute heure de la journée. Jetez un coup d’œil sur le menu des pubs du RoyaumeUni et vous verrez que bon nombre d’entre eux proposent «un petit-déjeuner» tout au long de la journée.

Cependant, vous préféreriez peut-être éviter le «petitdéjeuner géant», le pire exemple de malbouffe britannique… En 2011, Steven

Magee fut le premier à venir à bout d’un petit-déjeuner géant de 7 500 calories dans un café de Northamptonshire.

Pesant 3 kg, l’immense assiette contenait trois saucisses, trois steaks de bœuf haché, trois œufs au plat, trois tranches de bacon, trois tranches de boudin noir, trois portions de haricots blancs à la sauce tomate et trois portions de champignons. Vous avez toujours faim? Oui? Tant mieux parce que ce n’est pas terminé: il y avait également trois gaufres aux pommes de terre, trois scones aux pommes de terre, trois galettes de pomme de terre, trois portions de pain frit, trois tranches de pain beurré et trois tranches de pain grillé.

Peut-être que notre réputation est justifiée, après tout!! ■

DIRECTORY ♦ 17

MAY 2015 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Business Directory

Your indispensable guide to finding local businesses & artisans Activities & Leisure

Animals & Pets DOG GROOMING FOR ALL TYPES OF DOGS

Clipping, cutting, hand stripping, bathing, ear care & nail trimming.

INGRID GELAUDIE ** New address ** La Baronnie, 24260 Audrix

Tennis in Bergerac SHAMPOOCHIENS Summer 2015 Dog Grooming Parlour Summer camps for kids 7-13 years old - August 2015 See www.dordognetennis.com Over 10 years experience from the leading provider of public tennis in the UK Camp runs Monday- Friday 10-12 and 1-3pm

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

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Building Services

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sales24@thebugle.eu

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Renovating your French property?

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Architectural Services

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

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MOTOR PARTS CHARENTE

Suppliers of Car & Van Spares & LHD headlights Direct to France at big savings! also Mower Batteries and drive belts!

www.motorpartscharente.com Delivery via UPS direct to your door in France

JOHN SOWERSBY +44 (0)1377 255470 / +44 (0)7830 170761

motorptscharente@aol.com

CHARTERED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

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

Pre-purchase & Structural Surveys.

Verbal & written reports.

Structural calculations & drawings.

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CONTINUED NEXT PAGE...

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

Siret: 790 016 984 00011

ADVERTORIAL

La Huppe - Property photography and floor plan service

L

a Huppe Photos et Plans is a company born from Michael & Donna Cohen’s experiences looking for a property to buy in the south-west of France.

“When we were looking for a property a huge amount of our initial searching was done on the internet from the UK; we then arranged actual viewings of the interesting properties on numerous trips over,” Donna explained to The Bugle. “We noticed that the quality of many of the photographs on display were not that good, floor plans were virtually non-existent and aerial photos were few and far between. We wasted many a day looking at unsuitable houses which we could have discounted if better information had been shown.

Conversely we almost passed looking at our now new home because it wasn’t recognisable from the photographs, even though it was a house we have driven by many times over the last 8 years and had admired.”

With this in mind and coupled with their combined experience of over 40 years of selling and marketing properties in the London area, they have launched La Huppe, a professional property photography and floor plan service offering, they believe, a unique package to home sellers and gîte owners alike.

The service provided includes a full set of internal & external photographs, using top quality lenses to prevent fish eye or distortion and show rooms at their best, both 2D & 3D floorplans - allowing people to see if the configuration works for them or where they can put furniture - plus the added bonus of a FREE aerial photo (only where possible) which will show the property, outbuildings, swimming pools, terrain and surrounds as a whole.

All of these can be used on agents’ and holiday search websites, printed flyers, brochures and window display cards.

So if you are a home seller, gîte,

villa or château owner looking to rent, this service will make your property stand out from the crowd and generate increased and better qualified interest.

Email: lahuppepp@gmail.com Web: www.lahuppephotosetplans.com Mobile: 07 85 24 62 79 Tel: 05 53 23 00 93

18 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

ADVERTORIAL

“SolarVenti”- the solar solution to damp and humidity

A

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

The Solarventi air panel was invented more than 20 years ago

by Hans Jørgen Christensen, from Aidt Miljø, with the backing of the Danish government.

He wanted to use the sun’s energy for airing and ventilation of the thousands of holiday homes on the West coast of Jutland, - houses that were left empty and unheated for long periods - houses with damp problems, mould and bad odours - houses that left their owners with discomfort, lots of work and expense. He wanted a system that would be safe, simple, without the need for radiators, water and/ or mains electricity. Slowly but surely, the first Solarventi model came together.

How it works The principle behind Solarventi is simple: a small, 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-

Building Services Architectural Services ElsaConception

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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

sales24@thebugle.eu

05 55 41 17 76

Building Services General Solaire Power

Your contact in renewable energy Use the power of the sun and/or wood.

We sell, or sell and install, heating & domestic hot water systems.

For more information:

- 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 €630 TTC. Several ex-demonstration models available at reduced prices, call for details.

Building Services

Simon Carter

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

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Harlequin Developments are a Distributor and Installer for Solarventi, solar dehumidifying and water heating products, as well as a range of other renewable energies

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Computers & Satellites

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

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Dishes & Freesat boxes always in stock Terrestrial digital aerial installations From a single outlet to multi-point systems

TOOWAY BROADBAND Approved Supplier

Wi-Fi, Data Networks, CCTV For sales, service or advice call Mike G on:

05 55 09 15 73

We only use our own qualified staff No call out charge Free quotations All areas covered Quality work from qualified Staff 5 Place de la Republique Sauviat-sur-Vige 87400 siret no 798 364 600 00014

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.

Email: Stephen@Wisedale.com

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

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

Tel: 05 53 30 23 96 Mob: 07 78 52 20 46 Siret: 800 525 040 00013

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

54 bis, rue du 26 Mars 1944 - 24600 Ribérac

Open 12h-14h & 19h-22h Private car park Terrace Homemade fresh food Holder of “Restaurant de Qualité” award

Tel: 05 53 90 46 28

Karen’s Kitchen Catering for you in the Dordogne

Specialising in home-made pastries: Sausage rolls, Pasties - Cornish, Cheese & Onion, Steak & Stilton, Vegetarian & Chicken.

Eccles cakes. Scones made to order.

All prepared and baked daily on the premises you cannot get fresher!

Bacon, cheese, bread, tea bags & tinned produce all in stock.

Find me at your local market: • Tue - Le Bugue • Thu - Eymet • Fri - Le Buisson • Sat - Villereal • Sun - Issigeac

www.karenskitchen24.com

06 12 93 78 52 The Dordogne Chippy Traditional Fish & Chips in a town near you All venues are in the evening between 6pm & 8.30 pm Monday: Le Champsac (every other week) Tuesday: Tremolat Wednesday: Star Inn, Périgueux Thursday: Eymet Friday: Lauzun

(except the last Friday of the month when it is Daglan)

See our website for full details:

www.thedordognechippy.com 05 53 74 01 91 or 06 19 99 25 62 siret: 444 925 630 00014

DIRECTORY ♦ 19

MAY 2015 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

P RIVATE P ROPERTY S ELLERS L TD

S ELL A ND B UY P ROPERTY W ITHOUT E STATE A GENT FEES WWW.PRIVATEPROPERTYSELLERS.COM • List on Rightmove Overseas from £85 • NO agent fees added to your property price • Excellent customer service support • Pro-active marketing of all listings across a range of media platforms • Website listed in high profile publications • No expensive marketing contracts • Househunters buy direct from owner - NO ESTATE AGENT FEES

La Poutre

Bar & Restaurant

24400 Beaupouyet (N89 between Montpon & Mussidan)

French/International cuisine.

Themed nights each Friday: 1st Friday - Curry night 2nd Friday - Quiz night 3rd Friday - Fish n Chips night “best around”!!

4th Friday - Live Music night Open Tue - Fri: 11am - 9pm (except Wed eve) Saturday 6pm - 10pm Sunday 12pm - 3pm, traditional English roasts served For further details call Steve:

05 53 80 29 54

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.

Pest Control Short ‘optimised’ web videos in English and/or French for your property sale or your business.

Contact Joanna:

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

www.VideoProFrance.com Te: +33 (0) 6 99 07 64 28 contact@videoprofrance.com

Central France Pest Control

Retail & Commerce

Curative and preventative

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

Email: ellinghamroam764@yahoo.com

Tel: 06siret86 89 81 02 528 539 448

sales24@thebugle.eu

05 55 41 17 76

France ↔ UK

• All risk insurance cover • Part loads & dedicated lorries • Professional staff & modern vehicles • Every vehicle from a Luton van to a full removals lorry

Man & Van Transport

Email: info@applicateur3d.com rats, mice, moles, flies, woodworm, bed bugs, fleas, wasps, hornets

The Removal Experts

www.dsdremovalsltd.com facebook.com/DSDRemovals

www.applicateur3d.com

VISIT ME AT THE FOLLOWING MARKETS: PIEGUT (Wed), BRANTOME (Fri) AIGRE, CHASSENEUIL & CONFOLENS (Monthly) FIND OUR CARDS AT: Magazin Artisanat, Confolens Send an email to sign up to the newsletter

CARPET / UPHOLSTERY CLEANING

+44 (0)1274 724 545

02 48 60 83 72 / 06 74 33 02 38

Quality product at affordable prices.

Customized, if required, especially for you.

Available blank or with either English or French greetings.

DSD Removals & Storage

info@dsdremovalsltd.com

Dératisation, Déinsectisation, Désinfection

APRONS HAND-CRAFTED CARDS FOR ALL OCCASIONS

General

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

siret 537 415 903 00013

'ROUSSIS MAID' (formerly Cartes de Christine)

Transport, Removals & Storage

Tel: 05.55.80.29.88

or email: steve.francis24@gmail.com or facebook: Beaupouyet La Poutre

Gifts & Crafts

Property Sales

bookstop

Quality second-hand books in English & French 19 rue Victor Hugo 24310 BRANTÔME

09 51 45 57 49 Relax and browse in comfort Hot and cold drinks served

French Spoken

05 55 33 21 59 www.frenchvanman.eu Siret 530 213 644 00012

PROCHEM trained and Qualified

10 years UK experience - Covering depts 24/47/33

06 32 32 64 54 / 05 53 58 00 98 email lucidservices24@gmail.com siret: 512 614 306 00011

Eco Entrepot aka The Shed

32,000ft2 of great products incl.

British Groceries, DIY, Housewares, Furniture, Clothing, Toiletries plus loads more!!

05 55 68 74 73

Genuine/Reliable/Honest Local + Europe + UK runs Now also available for House/Barn clearances!

14m3 capacity 4.2m load length

87150 Oradour-sur-Vayres

Specialists in all carpet and upholstery cleaning

Open every day except Monday

SOS Help

anxious? stressed? feeling down? call us up!

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

www.soshelpline.org

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 20,000 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

20 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

ADVERTORIAL

Abris Bois LV - Residential Log Cabins

F

or all those who have ever renovated a property or built a new house in France, the bureaucracy and seemingly ever-changing regulations will be a familiar nightmare. Not to mention the language and legal barriers that may make it difficult to fully make sense of the regulations and to understand when, and to whom, they are applicable... or worse, when have been breached.

These difficulties need not cause you a headache if you have a fullyregistered building company to talk you through each stage of your building project, in your own language.

Abris Bois LV is registered in the Limousin and they receive regular updates about all French Building Regulations that affect their area as well as the rest of France. Only if your builder is fully appraised of changing regulations, knowledgeable and able to discuss up-to-date regulations with clients, can the customer ensure that their finished building work will be signed off without undue delay or last-minute changes being imposed.

Since January 1st 2013 the new building regulations RT 2012 apply to all new heated or cooled buildings greater than 50m2, except for: • provisional buildings • buildings heated with an indoor temperature lower than 12°C • buildings heated or cooled for other reasons than comfort, for example industrial processes • farms RT 2012 building regulations include three major requirements which must be respected simultaneously: • The first one deals with the intrinsic features of the structure and the envelope of the building without considering the HVAC system (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) and other technical facilities. Such features are specified with the Bbio Factor (bioclimatic needs factor).

• The second involves the maximum permitted annual consumption of primary energy of the building, taking into account performances of HVAC system,

DHW (Domestic Hot Water) production and, if any, artificial lighting through the Cep factor.

• The third corresponds to requirement for thermal comfort in summer based on the compliance with a maximum comfort calculated temperature Tic. Complementary prescriptive requirements

Besides the three main performance requirements described above, some wherewithal exigencies are listed in RT2012: 1. Thermal insulation of walls. Albeit that the thermal quality of the building envelope is already considered in the Bbio coefficient, a number of rules exist for thermal transmission through floors and walls.

2. Air tightness of the building envelope. Airtightness of the building envelope measured according to EN 13829 measuring method (blower door) must be not higher than 0,6 Q(m3/h,m2) 3. Natural lighting. For residential buildings, the total window area must be more than 1/6 of the floor surface area.

4. Thermal comfort in summer. In bedrooms, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of the windows is limited according to the orientation of the façade. Lower values of SHGC are required when the building is located in a noisy area.

5. A double flow CMV (Controlled Mechanical Ventilation) has to be installed.

6. Renewable energy sources. The use of renewable energies is compulsory in any new build.

Minimum requirements are: • Heating system has to run on more than 50% renewable energy • Production of domestic hot water with a thermal solar system or thermodynamic hot water heater.

Not complied to RT2012 regulations?

The state issues a €40,000 fine and work has to be stopped immedi-

ately!

So why choose us?

Abris Bois LV is a full-service company dedicated to quality timber buildings and superior customer service. Whether you prefer delivery of materials or a turnkey service, we can handle your project from start to finish.

• bespoke design • planning permission, thermal study • base construction • wind and watertight building • electrics & plumbing • ventilation & heating • fully insured We look forward to meeting you at our show site and remain at your disposal for any further free advice or detailed quotes.

Why choose our Residential Log Cabins?

If you want superb quality and have a budget ranging from forty thousand upwards, then you could be the proud owner of a beautiful Residential Log Cabin that will only increase in value. How is this possible? Our cabin designers and architects will make sure your residential building will be fully insulated, which will be above the requirements needed for today’s regulations. We are also constantly looking to the future and what will be needed as energy costs continue to rise, salaries decrease and pensions are further eroded by governments. As such, we have decided to build-design our residential log cabins to be almost passive (Highly Insulated). The cost of this is minimal, but the savings over 5 to 10 years will be outstanding.

Timber is a very flexible construction material and this makes designing a building quite easy. Within your plan for your Residential Log Cabin you can now determine the floor plan, number of rooms, etc. on the site. We can offer a fully integrated plan suitably customised to

your requirements.

With good design and the correct protection and maintenance, our Residential Log Cabins will last for a lifetime. Perhaps this is why most of the large houses in the olden days were made out of timber!

Plus, the material is resistant to most climatic conditions such as heat, frost, corrosion, pollution, etc. On average, the service life of wooden houses is between 80 to 100 years.

In fact, many wooden houses built in the Middle-Ages survived the elements and have lasted till today.

So it is safe to say that Residential Log Cabins from Abris Bois LV are not only eco-friendly, but also economical. Moreover, they also provide you with the best means of integrating modern technology systems such as controlled ventilation, air extraction and solar

panels into an exquisite and lavishly designed contemporary building, beautifully rooted in nature.

You can easily live the dream and at the same time either release that hard earned equity and enjoy your lifestyle during your retirement. Or, if you are struggling to get on to the property ladder because the bricks and mortar properties are so out of reach, here is the simple answer.

Our Residential Log Cabins are increasing in value against bricks and mortar, a trend down to their affordability to purchase and low running costs. ■

www.abrisboislv.fr

05 87 77 95 57

ZA Sirvenon 87190 Magnac-Laval

ADVERTORIAL

Calling ALL private property sellers!

Try a radical new approach Bringing your house to market!

Advertising your property and getting an agency involved is easy, however to reach out to a new marketplace is not.

With our 2 million business database we are able to send weekly property alerts and have a great deal of interest from our smaller list of 20,000 who are

really keen.

We make our messages compelling, so we get the best results. Have a look at our dedicated website www. buyfrenchproperty.co.uk - we get very high levels of traffic to the site weekly.

On our site you will see our charges; they are a fraction of an agent as we do not do their job, you do that. When we feel the buyer is ready to talk to you, we hand them to you to do the deal, show them around and fill in the detail.

Essentially I am your marketing agent, seeking potential buyers of your property by means of our “radical” advertising approach, for a fee in the event of a successful introduction.

For more information and to start getting those enquires coming: see our website - www.buyfrenchproperty.co.uk call me - 06 77 80 20 68 or email - rod@stayinfrance.fr

COMMUNITY ♦ 21

MAY 2015 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Monday

Market Days

Beynac Le Fleix Les Eyzies Ste-Alvère

Tuesday

Beaumont du Périgord Bergerac Brantôme Cénac-et-Saint-Julien Lanouaille Le Bugue Mareuil Neuvic Ribérac Salignac Eyvigues Thenon Trémolat Villefranche-de-Lonchat

Wednesday Bergerac Hautefort Jumilhac-le-Grand La Tour Blanche Montpon-Ménestérol Montignac Périgueux

Domme Excideuil Eymet La Coquille Lalinde Monpazier St Astier St-Julien-de-Lampon Terrasson

Belvès Bergerac Lalinde La Roche Chalais Le Bugue Montignac Mussidan Neuvic Nontron Périgueux Razac Sarlat St Aulaye Thiviers Verteillac Villefranche du Périgord

Friday

Sunday

Piégut Pluviers Razac Sarlat Siorac-en-Périgord Vélines

Thursday

Bergerac Brantôme Cubjac Le Buisson Ribérac Sarlat Sigoulès Vergt

Saturday

Agonac Beaumont du Périgord

Bergerac Couze St Front Daglan Issigeac Pontours Pressignac-Vicq Rouffignac Sarlat Sorges St Cyprien St Génies St Pardoux la Rivière

Homestay in Périgord Eymet Cricket Club is busy preparing for its 32nd season.

At least 22 matches, either home or away, are scheduled for this year.

The club also has a very active junior section, coaching youngsters and bringing them on to join the senior team.

Full details of ECC, including a fixture list, past history, match reports, contact details, etc. can be found on the website: www.eymetcricket.com As always, new members are welcome, be they players, social members or just lovers of the game. Our teas - and tea ladies - are renowned throughout the Aquitaine!

FRISK – A super dog needs adopting A van drew up to the Société Protectrice des Animaux (SPA) in Bergerac last August and deposited this lovely Pointer cross at the gates.

Staff have called him Frisk because of his playful nature, but he is also very sweet tempered, calm and has a real presence.

Frisk is wonderful, intelligent dog aged about six years old. He is good with other male dogs but would prefer to live in a house where he can be the sole object of an owner’s attention.

If you would like to adopt this stunning-looking animal please contact the SPA Bergerac for more information:

Tel 05 53 27 27 50 or email adoption@spa24bergerac.org

“Portraits de Familles” is a documentary film introducing the Homestay concept in the Périgord Vert, Dordogne.

The Conseil Départemental of the Dordogne commissioned film director Laura Leeson to make the 25-minute film which is filled with sympathy and humanity. It gives the stage to some Perigordian host-families, and their Homestay guests, promoting their caring profession and the offer of alternative accommodation between your “own” home and a retirement home.

To acquaint you more fully with the Homestay concept, “Portraits de Familles” will be shown, followed by a debate, on Thursday 28th May at 3pm at the Salle des Fêtes, Miallet.

This event is organised by the Conseil Général’s Social Service for the Elderly, in partnership with the CLIC (local information and co-ordination centre) of the northern area of the Dordogne and several local partners.

For further information please contact the CLIC du Nord Dordogne on 05 53 56 91 63. ■

AQUITAINE CHURCH SERVICES – MAY 2015 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 the Chaplain: Revd Dr Paul Vrolijk T: 05 53 23 40 73 E: paul.vrolijk@gmail.com SUNDAY 03 MAY 10:30 Service of the Word – Bertric Burée 10:30 Prayer & Praise – Limeuil 10:30 Morning Worship – Monteton 11:00 Holy Communion – Doudrac 11:00 Holy Communion – Sainte Nathalène 17:00 Evensong - Limeuil 18:00 Evensong – Bertric Burée SUNDAY 10 MAY 10:30 Holy Communion – Bertric Burée 10:30 Morning Worship – Eymet Temple 10:30 Holy Communion – Limeuil 10:30 Morning Prayer - Monteton 10:30 Family Service – Négrondes Wednesday 13 May 11:00 BCP Holy Communion – Bertric Burée Thursday 14 May 18:00 Ascension Holy Communion - Monteton SUNDAY 17 MAY 10:30 Family Service – Bertric Burée 10:30 Holy Communion – Chancelade 10:30 Morning Worship - Limeuil 10:30 Prayer & Praise – Monteton 11:00 Service of the Word – Sainte Nathalène Thursday 21 May 10:30 BCP Holy Communion – Limeuil SUNDAY 24 MAY 10:30 Holy Communion – Bertric Burée 10:30 Holy Communion – Limeuil 10:30 Holy Communion - Monteton 10:30 Holy Communion – Négrondes SUNDAY 31 MAY 10:30 Special Service – Bertric Burée 10:30 Morning Worship – Limeuil 16:00 Evening Prayer - Monteton

22 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015

WHAT’S

ON TRIAL BY JURY for all!

Once again, Cantabile, the ACFAA Choir, is offering an open day when singers of all nationalities are invited to ‘Come and Sing’ in the newly refurbished Espace Culturel in Eymet. This time we are offering a Gilbert and Sullivan piece, ‘Trial by Jury’, a typically British comic operetta which we hope will be popular with all. Last autumn we staged a more traditional choral day in Lauzun, attracting some 50 singers from the Dordogne and Lot & Garonne, singing Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’, so ‘Trial by Jury’ offers something completely different and maybe will attract those singers who enjoyed participating in Gilbert and Sullivan operas in the past.

It is essential that participants furnish themselves with the score, and a link can be sent by email for those who prefer to download it, rather than sourcing a copy through traditional channels.

Contact Philippa Tillyer by email on Cogulot@yahoo.co.uk for registration and further information.

The 7th Salon Métiers & Arts, organized by Le Pays du Grand Bergeracois in partnership with the Cave de Monbazillac, will take place on 7th (afternoon), 8th, 9th and 10th May at the Château de Monbazillac.

50 artists and craftsmen and women will be presenting their creations.

Through demonstrations that will take place on Sat 9th and Sun 10th artisans invite you to discover their technique and expertise from 11 am - 12 noon. There will also be free workshops for children from 2 pm – 5 pm.

Free entry. For more information & to see the programme visit www.artisandart-perigord.com

Les Floralies - Saint-Jean-de-Côle Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th May “Fleurs de nos régions”

Arcades

Arcades is a music association in Le Buisson de Cadouin. Our objective - supported by the “Département de la Dordogne”, La Tulipe and ACIP- is to promote the cultural life in the region.

We organise monthly 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.

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

Upcoming concerts

Sat 9th May 20:30 - Wind Quintet “K”

Programme - MOZART Overture to The Magic Flute, Divertimento, CAMBINI Quintet No.3, ARRIEU Quintet in C, RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin, IBERT – Trois pièces brèves.

Julie Moulin flute, Mathilde Lebert oboe, Bruno Bonansea clarinet, Guillaume Tétu horn, Jean-Paul Maradan bassoon.

Sun 7th June 18:00 - Lyon String Quartet Programme - MOZART Quartet in F major, KV 590, WEBERN Langsamer Satz, GLAZOUNOV Novelettes, Op. 15, BORODINE Quartet No. 2 in D major.

Amélie Chaussade and Ludovic Lantner violin, Manuelle Renaud viola, Nicolas Hartmann cello.

Sat 27th June 20:30 – Piano recital by Folke NAUTA Programme - Vorisek, Chopin, Schubert and Kapustin

Annual flower festival which attracts over 10,000 visitors from all over the world. Over 100 exhibitors share their passion for flowers with a breathtaking array of plants and flowers, works of art, crafts, local products, new floral varieties, rare plants, garden decorations...

You’ll see why Saint-Jean-de-Côle has a reputation as one of the most beautiful villages in France. A delight for both its sights and smells, Les Floralies is not to be missed!

WHAT’S ON ♦ 23

MAY 2015 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Classical concert - Sunday 10th May, 4:30 pm in the church at Villars 24530 The string quartet ‘Les Cordes sans Cibles’ will be playing a varied programme of ‘Old World’ and ‘New World’ music including Dvorak, Bridge, Copland, Glass, etc.

Tickets: Adults €15; Members Festivillars €13; Under 16s FREE. There will be a reception afterwards at Le Petit Chateau de Villars for members.

Do you have an event for The Bugle? notices@thebugle.eu - 05 55 41 17 76

You can join as a member at the door.

Concert “Splendeur du Baroque” Friday 15th May, Château de Hautefort Unique concert of baroque music by internationally renowned and award-winning harpischordist Bridget Cunningham. She will be interpreting the works of Handel, Bach, Couperin and Grétry.

Ticket office opens 7 pm; concert at 8 pm.

Tickets: €22; Under 18s €16.

For more information tel 05 53 50 51 23 or visit www.chateau-hautefort.com

Croquez Sarlat Lunchtime guided walking tour (in French) on Thursday 28th May at 12h30. Meet in front of La Maison de la Boétie in the medieval centre of Sarlat.

Eat’n’stroll or just stroll. This 45-minute tour explores La Rigaudie. Walks in April and May tour the city districts, in June to September they reveal writers’ Sarlat and in October to December they take a look at Sarlat’s architectural gems.

This is a year-long series, starting at the same time and same place, every last Thursday of the month.

For more info contact the Service du Patrimoine on 05 53 29 82 98 / 05 53 29 86 68 or at dacruz.karine@sarlat.fr

EASY

MEDIUM

HARD

The 39th edition of the Foire des Potiers brings together renowned potters from all over France and Europe.

24360 Bussière-Badil. 10h-19h.

Free entry.

24 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2015