The Bugle Dordogne - May 2018

Will the French ever accept le doggy bag?

Experts warn that a new law requiring restaurants to provide doggy bags will struggle to catch on in France >> Page 11 November 2016 - Issue #85

Dordogne

Your local newspaper for life in France

May 2018 - Issue 59 - FREE!

Tiger mosquitoes are here to stay Controversy over new pétanque dress code - pg 7

The Dordogne, along with several neighbouring departments, has been declared as a red zone, meaning the feared tiger mosquitoes are “present and active” in the region.

are “present and active”.

The situation is one that is surely here to stay: the mosquito has spread across France steadily over recent years and the neighbouring departments of Lot, Lot-et-Garonne and Gironde are also now classified as red zones.

The tiger mosquito is one of the world’s most invasive pests, and is easily recognised by its black and white striped legs, and small black and white striped body. It grows to between 2mm and 10mm. The primary concern is that tiger mosquitoes spread several tropical diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya and zika. There have been numerous cases

>> continued on page 4

Tax returns due this month - pg 3 & 13

Saucy Decathlon whip mystery solved - pg 7

Defibrillator saves life within 30 mins - pg 11

The Bugle Business Directory - pg 14-16

© Richard Bartz (WikiCommons)

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he feared t i g e r mosquito h a s gradually b e e n colonising parts of southern France over the last decade and it was only a matter of time until it established itself in the Dordogne.

Numerous surveillance projects have taken place over recent years, and now it appears the tiger mosquito is here to stay.

The recent heatwave brought about the start of this year’s mosquito season and according to the website vigilencemoustique.com, the Dordogne has been classified as a red zone, meaning that the insects

INSIDE > > >

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2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

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Welcome to

I

The Bugle

am far from the cleverest person you will ever meet, but one of the advantages of having young, impressionable children is that they unconditionally think that you are a genius. No matter how insignificant the detail, if you know it and your children don't, they can't help but be impressed.

Unfortunately, babies become children and children get too big for their boots!

I have had my first few glimpses recently of what it will be like having to ask my children what something means or meekly requesting they explain what a new piece of technology does. This has been the case linguistically for some time now.

I speak perfectly passable French, but I suspect that to a local I sound like the comedy policeman from 'Allo 'Allo! My kids were born here and are lucky enough to speak French like natives and I regularly embarrass them with my ham-fisted attempts to tackle

the language of love. I don't think there is too much shame in that, though.

But recently, my eldest - who is still only nine - has been asking what to her seem like simple homework questions and I've had to subtly buy myself enough time to disappear and find the answer. “Yeah, that's easy, just let me make Mummy a cup of tea and I'll explain”... cue frantic Googling on the smartphone! At what point do you admit that they are rapidly becoming smarter than you and lay bare your own relative ignorance?

It has made me start to question my own intelligence. Would I be able to pass my GCSEs if I took them again today? I suspect the answer to that question would be a resounding no! Do I now need to start revising again so that I can help my children with their homework? I always hated exams, and the thought of having to study again horrifies me!!

Fortunately, one advantage

www.chateau-lestevenie.com 06 48 62 23 73 of the modern world is that the internet has got your back most of the time. What we would have given for that back when I was at school. But even the internet itself isn't enough without a decent internet connection. I have lived in France for 13 years now, and in that time I have never had an internet connection faster than 1 Mbps.

It is amazing how inertia sets in with things like this. I have been told so many times that there just isn't any internet coverage in rural France and how you're lucky to have anything at all, I have just come to accept it as a fact of life. In the past, I have written in this column of strapping my mobile to the top of a set of ladders in my garden just to get a single bar of 3G and it never occurred to me that there might be another way.

I decided to change mobile provider recently for reasons I won't get into here, but shopped around a bit and settled for Bouygues Telecom. The new SIM arrived... and blow me down with a feather if I don't have a lightening fast 4G connection from almost anywhere in my house! I have sat at my desk for up to an hour in the past as I press the Big Red Button and watch the files that constitute this paper trickle their way up to the print shop's server. We have

The British Embassy in Paris is holding a series of Outreach Meetings across the country to update British citizens working and living in France and answering their questions regarding Britain’s departure from the European Union.

Registration is required, but the meetings are free and open to the public. The meetings will start with a short introduction providing an update on the progress made so far in the negotiations and will be followed by a Q&A session.

The next local meeting will be in Périgueux on Monday 28th May. To register, visit eventbrite.co.uk and search for British Embassy Outreach - PERIGUEUX

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typically been able to check the BBC website or take a staccato Skype call... but never both at the same time!

And here I am now writing this with a 30 Mpbs connection via my phone. I keep trying to tell myself that they probably only installed the tower in question a few weeks ago, but a niggle in my head is convinced that I have been needlessly battling the megabits these past few years.

Please don't take this as a ringing endorsement for Bouygues... I'm sure their coverage overall is as patchy as the other major networks (and it was like pulling teeth ordering the SIM over the phone), but it is perhaps worth taking the time to investigate exactly what is available in your area. A fast, reliable internet connection does make modern life easier, especially when you're trying to maintain a thin veneer of intelligence!!

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INSIDE this edition

3-5 Local News 6-11 National News 12-13 French Life 14-16 Directory 17 Community 18-20 What’s On

Copy deadline:

15th May for June's print edition

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3

MAY 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Local author receives top tourism award

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hose keeping a close eye on the local press in recent weeks may have noticed the The Bugle’s very own Martin Walker has been awarded the gold medal of La République for services to tourism. Former Guardian journalist and author of numerous books, Martin bought a house in Le Bugue some 19 years ago and has worked tirelessly over the years to promote the region and the wines that it produces.

He is a Grand Consul de la Vinée de Bergerac and perhaps most importantly of all, a regular columnist for The Bugle - see page 12!

During his time in France he has also written a series of best-selling novels featuring local police chief Bruno, set in and around the region he has made his home. The Bugle got in touch with Martin to find out more about the award and what he has planned for the future.

What does this award mean for you? It really is a great honour to be awarded a medal

by a country other than your own. And at this time of tensions over Brexit it is a very warm and generous gesture

by French officials to say they still see us as friends and that it’s important we continue to cooperate and work together.

How was this event organised? The medal was awarded by the Economic and Tourism Ministries of the French government. Germinal Peiro, president of the conseil départemental and the senior elected official in the Dordogne, insisted on presenting the medal and we had an extraordinary turnout of officials from various sectors of government. Many of them were friends from promotion events we had planned and worked on together, in the USA, in Brussels, Germany and Switzerland – and foreign tourism to the Dordogne has jumped fifty per cent in the last six years. The various tourist agencies in the Dordogne constitute a great team and it’s fun to work with them.

Was it all officials? The lovely aspect of the event was that so many good friends and neighbours were there, from the rugby and tennis clubs and of course Pierre Simonet, the town policeman who inspired my novels. There was Bernard Giraudel of the Vieux Logis, my favourite restaurant, and Patrick and Capucine Sermadiras from the Jardins d’Eyrignac, Hubert de Commarque from the great chateau that bears his name and the lovely Danièle MazetDelpeuch who was President Mitterrand’s personal chef, and Karin from the Auberge Médieval in Audrix. From the wine trade there was Julien Montfort, who makes my Cuvée Bruno wine with me and Humphrey Temperley from Château Lestevenie and all three men who have served as mayors of Le Bugue while I’ve been here.

And by chance, some thirty American friends from Florida were there, after just having had lunch with Julia and me at our home.

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So what’s next for you? I’m about to set off for my usual spring book tour in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the whole of May, and then I have a 3-week book tour going coastto-coast in the USA to launch the new novel, A Taste for Vengeance. These days a novelist does almost as much marketing as writing. When I get back, Julia and I will be welcoming the photographer as we all work on the next effort, Bruno’s Garden Cookbook. And I have written the wine columns for The Bugle in advance! ■

Income tax season opens Yes, it's that time of year again... tax declaration season! And this year may represent a first for an increasing number of us as it is now compulsory to submit your tax return online. If you have an internet connection and the revenu fiscal de référence net income as shown on your last tax statement was €15,000 or more, then you MUST declare online. The revenu fiscal de référence in question is the one that appeared on your 2017 tax statement (avis d'imposition), in other words, based on 2016's income.

All households must e-declare by 2019 and if you have never declared online before, do not leave it until the last minute as it is first necessary to create an account.

For those still submitting paper declarations, the deadline is midnight on 17th May. Those declaring online have a little longer and the exact date depends on which department of France you live in: Depts 01-19 & non-residents midnight Tuesday 22nd May Depts 20-49 midnight Tuesday 29th May Depts 50+ midnight Tuesday 5th June

4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2018

Tiger mosquitoes now native to the Dordogne

>> continued from pg 1 in recent years of “imported” dengue fever (where people contracted the disease abroad and brought it back to France) but, perhaps more worryingly, one case of “native” chikungunya was discovered last year, where a tiger mosquito bit a carrier in France before transferring the disease to a second person locally.

In response, health authorities last year launched an app that allows the public to “quickly highlight the presence of mosquitoes”.

Called “i Moustique”, the free bilingual application is available to download on both

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Android and IOS and contains information about the insects and offers the opportunity to upload photos from your smartphone.

Alternatively, you can alert the authorities about the presence of tiger mosquitoes via the website: www.signalement-moustique.fr The tiger mosquito is believed to have first entered Europe in the late 1970s via a goods shipment from China to Albania. A subsequent introduction in Italy in the 1990s, believed to have been from larvae in a delivery of car tyres from the USA, led to a population explosion in Italy which gradually spread. It was first seen in France in 2004 and today is “present and active” in 42 departments. ■

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

Showcasing the best the region has to offer he Dordogne has much to offer tourists and locals alike and is blessed with the quality of its landscape, culture and gastronomy. You only have to take a drive round the department during the summer months, and see the variety of number plates on display, to know that this does not go unnoticed in the wider world!

One UK business has now found an innovative way to tap into the region’s bounteous offerings by teaming up with a local gîtes business. Manna from Devon Cooking School have been running successful foodie retreats in Spain for a number of years, and have now widened their net to offer similar escapes in the Dordogne.

Holly and David Jones, owners of Manna from Devon, have hooked up with fellow food-lovers Peter and Annette Marshall of Chadenne in the Forêt de la Double between Bordeaux and Bergerac. From their gîte complex, visitors to the week-long “Taste of France” retreats can look forward to an itinerary including visits to local food markets, vineyard tasting in the Pomerol and Bergerac AOPs, walking goats and watching their milk turned into cheese, a visit to a walnut oil mill that has been in the same family since the 12th century and much more besides.

“The course is all about showcasing the wonderful local artisanal businesses and produce in this region, and cooking our way around the area using wood fired ovens from Morso,” explained Annette from Rural Gîtes. “Some of the places we are visiting with our guests, such as Caro Feely’s vineyard in Saussignac, were ones we originally came across by reading The Bugle!”

Before you get too excited, both Taste of France weeks are fully booked up for this year, but the success of the venture shows how much demand there is to experience and taste all that the Dordogne has to offer.

To find out more, visit: www.ruralgites.com www.mannafromdevon.com ■

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LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5

MAY 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

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ow did the chicken cross the road? She drove across in her roodster! This may be the worst yet of a thousand chicken jokes, but in the case of the A89 motorway, which bisects the department, it underscores many serious questions. The Dordogne is fortunate with the richness of its fauna. Wildlife love the Périgord as much as its human inhabitants, but wildlife and motorways are not usually a good mix! If a vehicle travelling at 110 kph hits a deer attempting to cross, the consequences could well be fatal for all involved.

On 5th April, however, motorway constructors Vinci unveiled a major new innovation to deal with the issue.

They have built a special “écopont” to enable wildlife great and small to safe-

ly cross the A89 autoroute at Limeyrat. But this is no ordinary bridge. Specially designed by engineers and ecologists, the ecobridge is 25 metres wide and 55 metres long. It has no tarmac, but rather is made from grass, rocks, trees and bushes and is screened from the traffic below to encourage timid creatures to move safely and discretely across their habitat. There is even a marshy area at each end for migrating amphibians.

The Limeyrat écopont is one of 8 planned by Vinci in the south-west. While small fauna already has many subterranean passages under the A89, they are rarer for large fauna, which can create problems, for example, in deer populations, which nature obliges to migrate to ensure a diverse gene pool and a healthy population. ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

T

he Dordogne is world famous for its stunning evidence of early mankind.

Human remains from this department are studied across the globe by those hoping to learn more about our roots. One such former local is a Cro-Magnon man who died 28,000 years ago and whose skeleton was discovered near Les Eyzies in 1868.

A local research team, led by forensic medical examiner Dr Philippe Charlier and assisted

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by paleoanthropologist Antoine Balzeau, who have studied the remains on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his discovery, recently published their findings in British medical journal, The Lancet, revealing something quite unusual about him. “We examined the skull of this individual, preserved in the Musée de l’Homme in Paris and found evidence that this adult male suffered from type 1 neurofibromatosis.”

This condition, also known as von

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Recklinghausen’s disease, causes discolouration of the skin, and tumorous growths on the body and face, related to nerve sheaths. It is inherited and today may affect up to one in every 3,000 people. The benign tumours leave their mark not only on the surface of the skin but also create distinctive lesions on the bones.

To illustrate their findings, the researchers had a reconstruction made to show what this caveman would have looked like, bringing to life a disfigured face that has not been seen for almost 30,000 years. ■

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6 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2018

French ambassador walks out over use of English in EU meetings

A funeral home's novelty lighters have gone viral, causing a bit of a stir on social media. The darkly comic promotional gifts bear the inscription “Vous fumez ? Merci... à bientôt !” - “Do you smoke? Thanks, see you soon!”, with the reverse side bearing the company's contact details.

of Europe, where English is commonly taught as a second language and French skills are rare.

“You can have 29 people in a room who speak French and all you need is one person who doesn't and everyone switches to English,” complained Jean Quatremer, long-time EU correspondent for the daily Libération newspaper and defender of the French language.

At a recent meeting with European steel workers, finance minister Bruno Le Maire spent several hours speaking English before telling a press conference, “Maybe one in French if possible, otherwise I will run the risk of being criticised!” All hands gradually dropped away, leaving just one journalist, who asked the question in English anyway.

Francophones have seen an opportunity for a comeback, however, follow-

ing Britain's decision to leave the EU. Once Brexit is complete, the only member states with English as an official language will be the relative minnows of Ireland and Malta, and some French politicians have argued for English to be removed as an official working language altogether.

“Slowly but surely, English is losing importance,” joked president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker during a speech last year, before switching to French.

The recent incident was not the first time a French politician has stormed out of a meeting over the use of English.

Then president Jacques Chirac famously led the French delegation out of the annual EU Spring Summit after a native French speaker addressed the gathering in English. ■

credit: @etherealsavvy

© Cdrik b06 (WikiCommons)

F

rance's ambassador to the European Union gave a resounding “Non!” as he stormed out of recent talks in Brussels in protest at a committee's decision to hold future meetings in English. Envoy Philippe Léglise-Costa left the meeting on the Multiannual Financial Framework after refusing to sign off on a decision that asked representatives of other EU countries to agree on using English for the group’s gatherings, according to several participants.

Léglise-Costa raised his voice against the Council's decision, arguing that France was defending “multilingualism as well as Francophony,” particularly within a group that would be discussing billions of euros in revenues and spending, one European diplomat said. “France demanded that those who wish to speak in their language be provided interpretation. There was a bit of tension...”

Along with English and German, French is one of the three official working languages of the EU and at formal meetings, a small army of translators and interpreters are present to translate into the many languages of member states.

Officials said that the format proposed for future negotiations on a new sevenyear EU budget was one where translators would not be present in order to ease the logistics of calling informal discussions. France deemed this unacceptable.

There has been growing concern in France that its language is being increasingly marginalised at Europe's largest institutions. As more and more countries join the European Union, English is steadily becoming the lingua franca, especially amongst countries from the east

Novelty lighters go viral

Since an image of the lighter first appeared on Twitter it has been retweeted tens of thousands of times and the firm has been inundated with requests. The company eventually replied, saying that only 20 were ever made and that these were destined for employees and their families. “Our job is difficult, we have to manage the pain of the families. The lighter was for employees, that's all,” a spokesperson told France 3, adding that the firm was aware that people whose health has been affected by cancer would not be amused.. ■

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7

MAY 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Controversial pétanque dress code

Decathlon finds reason behind rise in whip sales French sports retailer Decathlon has finally come up with an explanation for the surge in demand for horse riding whips... the success of the 50 Shades trilogy! The increase had taken the company by surprise until they undertook detailed analysis. “A few months ago we noticed an increase in the sales of whips. We analysed our numbers to try to see what might have sparked the increase. Then we realised it coincided exactly with the release of 50 Shades Darker,” explained the company in a tweet.

The salacious story quickly went viral, with one user tweeting: “Those people buying whips at Decathlon even though there's no horse parked in the car park... we can see you!”

Hardware store Leroy Merlin also got in on the act tweeting that they were “surprised” not to see a rise in the sales of hammers on the release of the film Thor. ■

T

here are fewer sights more stereotypically French than a group of pétanque players, glass of Pastis in hand, arguing over who is nearest the cochon in the afternoon shade of the local park or village square. Boules has long been a favourite pastime and is regularly played up and down the country by men and women both young and old.

There has been outrage from players of this famously informal game, however, after the national federation banned players from wearing jeans! With the 2024 Olym-

BEYNAC

pics due to be held in Paris, the federation is hoping for recognition of pétanque as an Olympic sport and has decided serious players need to smarten up and present a more dignified image in competitions.

“We are simply applying a rule that has existed since 1990,” insisted a spokesperson from the Fédération Française de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal (FFPJP) amid signs of rebellion from amateurs across the country.

Jeans are already banned for the latter stages of the national championship, but the

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dress code has previously been largely ignored during the qualifying rounds.

“Blue jeans are the item of clothing most subject to the effects of fashion, of being badly maintained, ripped, unwashed or not very clean,” the FFPJP official said. “For a long time pétanque was a leisure pursuit, everyone did as they wanted, but now it's a high-level sport. It's a question of image. We feel we are being watched ahead of the 2024 Olympics and a federation that can't get people to respect its rules doesn't look good.”

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France meets EU budget deficit rules

Being told what to wear has not gone down well at grassroots level, however and several protests have already taken place. In the southern city of Nîmes, the historic birthplace of denim (fabric from the town was originally described as coming “from Nîmes” or de Nîmes) enthusiasts organised a jeans-only tournament. And one image doing the rounds on social media showed the president of a club in Gy in eastern France poking fun at the no-jeans policy by turning up to play dressed as a clown with spotty green trousers. ■

MONPAZIER

Figures from the national statistics gathering agency, INSEE, have revealed that France had a budget deficit equivalent to 2.6 per cent of GDP in 2017, below the EU limit of three per cent for the first time in a decade and significantly down from the 2.9% previously forecast for the Eurozone’s second largest economy. In 2016, the deficit stood at 3.4 per cent.

“We have honoured our commitments,” Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told France Info radio. “It is proof that the strategy laid out by the president of the Republic on reducing public spending, realigning our public accounts and growth is the right one.”

The French economy expanded by 2.0 per cent in 2017, representing a marked pick-up from 2016, when GDP grew by just 1.1 per cent. France performed particularly well in the fourth quarter of last year, when the economy expanded by 0.7 per cent. ■

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NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9

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ast year, France was voted top of the Soft Power list, an annual report that ranks countries on their global influence through international alliances and their perceived appeal to other nations. Much of this shift in “soft power” has come as a result of the election of Emmanuel Macron and his efforts to restore France's position internationally.

While some may argue that the president should be focused on issues closer to home, his efforts on the international stage have been paying off. In the months after his election in May last year, Macron welcomed Russia’s Vladimir Putin at Versailles, dined with Donald Trump at the Eiffel Tower and also held talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Trump was clearly impressed by the pomp and ceremony of his visit to France, to the extent that on his return to the US, he ordered his military to organise a parade to match that which he had seen on the Champs-Elysées.

“France's greatest strength lies in its vast diplomatic network,” the Soft Power 30 report explained at the time. “It is unrivalled in terms of membership to multilateral and international organisations, as well as in its diplomatic cultural missions. With Macron having long campaigned for cooperation and integration, it is not unreasonable to expect France's global engagement and influence to grow.”

That prediction appears to now be coming true. In April, Macron became the first world leader to be afforded an official state visit to the US since President Donald Trump took office 15 months ago and many political commentators have agreed that the trip was a

huge success for France.

On paper, Trump and Macron are political chalk and cheese, but the French president appears to have realised that the key to success is a simple one: leaving his political baggage at home in the Élysée Palace. Macron clearly believes that it is in France’s national interest to put ideological differences aside, and concentrate on winning influence with the largest economy and the most powerful military on earth. The Americans elected Mr Trump, so Mr Macron deals with Mr Trump.

A number of heads of state have tried cosying up to Trump, others have tried standing up to him... none have yet been able to exert any kind of influence on him. Macron, however, tried a new tactic: a combination of flattery and straight talking.

By indulging Trump and massaging his ego, he gained access to the White House... and the world's media. But rather than follow obsequious gestures with sycophantic rhetoric, Macron was not afraid to reveal the iron fist inside the velvet glove as he addressed the US Congress and delivered a thinly veiled attack on President Trump's “America First” agenda.

In a speech full of flattering language and lavish references to American history, Macron spoke of the “unbreakable bonds” of the US and France, forged in “liberty, tolerance and equal rights”... before adding that isolationism, withdrawal and nationalism “can be tempting to us as a temporary remedy to our fears. But closing the door to the world will not stop the evolution of the world. It will not douse but inflame the fears of our citizens”.

On trade, and in clear reference to the recent tariffs introduced by the US, Macron said that “commercial war is not the proper

Simone Veil honoured

F

rance has decided to honour one of its greatest female politicians by naming a metro station after her. Simone Veil may not be a name that is well known in the UK, but the Auschwitz survivor and abortion campaigner was recently voted the most influential woman in the world by the French public, ahead of such luminaries as Michelle Obama and Aung San Suu Kyi. Following her death in June last year at the age of 89, Veil will be laid to rest in July at the Pantheon in Paris, an honour reserved for France's most iconic figures. She becomes only the fifth woman to be recognised in this way, following Sophie Berthelot, Marie Curie and Resistance fighters Germaine Tillionand and Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz.

Current president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, announced that Veil will

also now be honoured with the symbolic gesture by transport authorities.

“I have decided, in agreement with her family and the Paris Transport Association (RATP), to change the Europe metro station in Paris to 'Europe-Simone Veil', in tribute to the first woman president of the European Parliament,” Pécresse tweeted.

Born in Nice in 1927 as Simone Jacob, her whole family was arrested by the Germans in 1944. Her father and brother were transported to eastern Europe and were never heard from again. The teenaged Simone was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and then Bergen-Belsen with her mother and oldest sister.

Her other sister had joined the French Resistance and was eventually imprisoned at Ravensbrück concentration camp. Her mother died shortly before the concentration camps were liberated, but the three sisters survived

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the war.

On her return to France, Veil earned a degree in law, but then left her chosen career to work as a politician, where she excelled when it came to fighting for women's rights. After becoming the country's minister for health in 1974, Veil campaigned to make access to contraception easier for women and fought a long battle to legalise abortion.

The law doing so, the loi Veil, was eventually passed in 1975.

Veil went on to become president of the European Parliament before returning to the French cabinet. She remained politically active all her life, campaigning on behalf of Holocaust survivors and fighting for a ban on smoking in public places. As well receiving the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, she was also recognised with an honorary damehood from the British government. ■

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Macron's US visit an international success

answer”, as it would “destroy jobs and increase prices”, adding: “We should negotiate through the World Trade Organization. We wrote these rules, we should follow them.”

On the environment, he said by “polluting the oceans, not mitigating CO2 emissions and destroying biodiversity we are killing our planet. Let us face it, there is no Planet B”. Donald Trump last year withdrew the US from the Paris global climate accord, saying it was a “very bad deal for the US”.

Senior House Democrat Adam Schiff said the French president, who received a threeminute standing ovation before delivering his address, in English, had offered “more of a direct contradiction of the president than I was expecting”, telling AFP: “There were more than a few uncomfortable moments on the Republican side of the aisle!”

As the BBC's North America editor Jon Sopel put it: “Emmanuel Macron has emerged as a world leader who offers a competing and

sharply different world vision to the US president - while all the time maintaining a bonhomie with him. That's quite a political feat.”

Today it would appear that France, and no longer Britain or Germany, is building the “bridge” between America and Europe.

After Macron’s planned visit to Russia in a few weeks' time, France may also have established a clear role in bridging the divides between America and Britain on one side, and Russia on the other.

Macron should be wary of the old saying, however, that a week is a long time in politics, and France's burgeoning international influence can just as quickly wane.

The president has been accused by critics of being no stranger to vanity and guilty of self-satisfaction with his own handiwork.

Macron has invested significant political capital in France's - and his own - international status and only time will tell if this gamble will pay off. ■

10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

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End of grace period for Crit'Air pollution sticker scheme

S

ince last July, it has been compulsory to have a valid Crit'Air pollution sticker displayed in the windscreen of your car when driving on the streets of certain French cities. The six different coloured Crit’Air stickers indicate the age and cleanliness of a vehicle, ranging from a level 1 to a level 5 sticker for the most polluting - there is also a green sticker for electric or hydrogen vehicles - and allows local authorities to restrict certain vehicles from the roads at times of peak pollution.

Whilst the scheme was met with much fanfare and the threat of fines, for a long time there was no official legislation making the stickers compulsory, so a driver with a sticker who was illegally driving in a zone where their car was currently prohibited would be fined, but a car without a sticker faced no sanction.

Last July, this changed, and it became compulsory for all cars to carry a Crit'Air sticker in all anti-pollution zones across the country or face a fine of €68, rising to €138 for lorries. Again, however, authorities indicated that there would be a period of grace while the public became accustomed to the new rules and applied for their Crit'Air stickers.

According to recent reports, this period of grace is now well and truly over. In the second half of last year, when the vignettes became compulsory, Parisian authorities handed out just 176 fines, but since the beginning of this year, that number has jumped to well over 3,000 and counting!

Under Crit'Air rules, vehicles registered before 1997 and those bearing a Crit'Air 5 sticker, can no longer drive in an area of Paris inside the périphérique between 8 am and 8 pm Monday to Friday. Other vehicles can also be periodically banned from entering the controlled zone depending on air pollution levels at the time.

It is not just Paris that has enforced the new rules either. Since its introduction, the Crit'Air system has been adopted by a number of other

cities, including Lille, Lyon, Toulouse, and Grenoble and further cities and departments are expected to adopt the scheme in the near future.

To order a sticker, go to the official government Crit'Air website certificat-air.gouv.fr - and complete the online form. The website has an English-language section. ■ ED - The Bugle has been contacted numerous times by readers who have paid well over the odds for their pollution stickers. If you use the official website, the stickers should cost no more than a few euros. A sticker for a French registered car, delivered to France, currently costs €3.62. There are a host of unofficial sites also selling these certificates.

Be aware that all they do is order it on your behalf through the government site, but will also charge a hefty “admin” fee of €25 or more on top. The official government website - certificat-air.gouv.fr - is available in 5 languages, including English.

Convictions over online posts

F

rance is a country that prides itself on the right to free speech, but there are also strict laws on when that freedom goes too far, particularly in cases such as holocaust denial and condoning acts of terrorism. It is on this latter exception that two separate cases have hit the headlines in recent weeks, both relating to social media posts and serving to highlight that you should not say anything online that you would not say in public.

In the first instance, an animal rights activist was handed a 7-month suspended prison sentence for celebrating the death of a butcher at a supermarket in Trèbes during

the recent killing spree by Islamic extremist Radouane Lakdim. As France mourned the four dead, the vegan cheesemaker took to Facebook to say: “So then, you are shocked that a murderer is killed by a terrorist. Not me. I've got zero compassion for him, there's justice in it.”

The cheesemaker, identified only as Myriam, later said that she had deleted her comment within two hours and thought it was visible only to her friends, not to the public.

Under French law, anyone suspected of approving terrorism or commenting on it favourably can be charged. Doing so on the

internet carries a maximum seven-year jail term and a fine of up to €100,000. “I can understand that you can love and defend animals, but not to the point where you hate humans,” Franck Alberti, a lawyer who is close to the butcher's family, was quoted as saying by Le Parisien newspaper.

The second case involved left-wing politician Stéphane Poussier, who was arrested at his home after posting a tweet appearing to celebrate the death of gendarme Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, who was hailed as a hero after offering himself in exchange for a woman being used as a human shield during the same supermarket

School age reduced to three France has reduced the age at which school becomes compulsory to just three years old. School is currently obligatory for French children from the age of six, although since 1989 parents have had the legal right to a place for their child in an école maternelle (pre-school) from age three. This is a right most of them take up, in large part due to the fact the schools are free and childcare can be expensive.

“This decision reflects the president's desire to make school the place of real equality and is recognition that the école maternelle should no longer be considered as just a form of day care or preparation for elementary school, but as a real school, focused on the acquisition of language and the development of the child,” the Elysée Palace explained.

The lowering of the age is being seen as largely symbolic as almost 98 per cent of three-year-olds in France are currently at school regularly, although this rate does fall to 93 per cent in Paris, 87 per cent in Corsica and 70 per cent in France’s overseas territories. “I hope that with this obligation, from the start of the school year in 2019, we can correct this unacceptable differential,” Macron said at a conference to discuss pre-school education. ■

siege.

“Whenever a policeman is shot... I think of my friend Rémi Fraisse,” Poussier said on Twitter, referring to the environmental activist killed by a stun grenade fired by police during a 2014 protest over a dam.

“And this time it was a colonel, great! Additionally, it means one less Macron voter.”

His comments were widely condemned, including by his party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), for whom he unsuccessfully stood last year in parliamentary elections, and its radical left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who said on Twitter that he would personally file a complaint against the politician for justifying terrorism.

Poussier was subsequently handed a oneyear suspended jail term. ■

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efibrillators are an increasingly common site in public spaces across the country and have saved numerous lives. A rugby player in Dax was particularly grateful recently when his own life was saved by a defibrillator that had been donated to his club just 30 minutes earlier!

The 57-year-old was warming up at the Gond Stadium in Dax, Landes, ahead of an annual veterans' tournament, when he collapsed. His teammates rushed to his aid, employing the automatic defibrillator that had been officially donated by a local charity just half an hour previously.

Since it was founded in 2011, the association Au cœur des jumeaux has raised funds to provide 127 such devices to sports clubs across the Landes, Gironde and Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments, but never has a gift been so swiftly called in to service.

“We congratulated each other like a team that had won a game,” explained the association's emotional president, who was at the tournament following

the donation. “I still have tears in my eyes.”

Following a decree in 2007, any person is authorised to use an automated defibrillator, even if they have no formal medical training. The devices, usually marked either DEA (défibrillateur entièrement automatique) or DSA (défibrillateur semi-automatique), use simple audio and visual commands and are designed to be simple to operate for the general public. Their use is often taught in first aid courses.

The devices can stabilise people with ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, where there is electrical activity in the heart, but blood is not being pumped effectively around the body. The device is able to detect the electrical activity and stabilise the heart using a series of shocks. Without fibrillation, these conditions lead to irreversible brain damage and ultimately death. The devices can not help to treat asystolic “flat line” patients, however, who require more advanced life-saving techniques. ■

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Defibrillator saves life after just 30 minutes

L

ong seen as an affront to dining etiquette, doggy bags may soon become an established part of eating out in France, with restaurants across the country legally obliged to provide them. The proposals, which have yet to be signed into law, are part of a wider crackdown on food waste. A government study recently found that waste in restaurants is five times higher than in people’s homes.

It would appear that the stigma attached to taking leftover food home with you will be the biggest hurdle for this legislation, however. Opinion polls have shown that while 75 per cent of French people are not against the idea of doggy bags, only 30 per cent have ever asked for one.

“This is something that won’t catch on in France,” said food writer Franck Pinay-Rabaroust. “Taking leftovers home from a restaurant is unusual here and often frowned upon as an American custom.

That may change a bit now that better designed bags are being made that look more chic, but there’s a cultural obstacle.”

“Customers feel embarrassed because they’re afraid to look like cheapskates, like they can’t afford to pay for another meal,” agreed François Pasteau, a chef from Paris. “They feel guilty about asking for a doggy bag, even though it would prevent food waste and would be smart to do so.”

Even the government itself seems to agree where the problem will lie, with a government-commissioned report into

food wastage released this year concluding: “In France, the obstacle is mostly cultural. The majority of diners don’t dare to ask for the leftovers of their meal, while the restaurateurs see it as a ‘degradation’ of their dishes.”

Bocuse-trained chef Yoann Abecassis, of La Brasserie des Arcades in Lyon, is another who opposes the changes, but does still want to see more done to tackle food wastage. At his restaurant, diners are offered portion sizes in S, M, L and XL at corresponding prices, with clients able to choose how much food they want ahead of time, depending on how hungry they are.

In this way, Abecassis says, the restaurant saves food and the customer saves money.

MP Bérangère Abba, author of the original amendment, said: “It’s true that there is a psychological block in France about this, but it is also because consumers often do not dare to ask, for fear of being refused. Habits must evolve. The objective is to widen an already existing practice, and reduce food waste by half between now and 2025.”

According to food sociologist Claude Fischler, there is also a linguistic issue: “The words ‘doggy bag’ suggest the extra food is for your dog, so it feels a little embarrassing to want to take the leftovers home for yourself!” As such, the hotel and restaurant industry union UMIH has been promoting the use of the term “le gourmet bag” to replace “le doggy bag” in an attempt to give the concept an image makeover in the eyes of customers. ■

© Bluesky60 (Fotolia)

Controversy over culture of le doggy bag

Man killed by exploding boule

A man has died in a freak accident after being hit by an exploding pétanque ball. The boule had been left inside a barbecue as the 31-year-old man cooked in the garden of his home in the town of Boulou, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department of south-west France.

The ball heated up to a point when it became so hot it exploded, according to initial reports from firefighters who attended the scene. The resulting explosion sent metal fragments into the man's face and paramedics, who rushed to the scene via helicopter, were unable to save him. Firefighters said they had no idea that the metal pétanque balls could explode under extreme heat.

Three young children and two other adults who were also in the garden at the time escaped injury. ■

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www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2018

Worth the Salt

by Julia Watson

astidious consumers seeking top-of-the-line ingredients often neglect one simple item for their discriminating scrutiny: salt. Even those on restricted budgets may discover that, like owning a decent bottle of olive oil, having good salt on hand can lift the taste of whatever they cook. Summer vegetables are coming into the markets. Their flavour - of asparagus, young haricots verts and new season carrots, not to mention the simple salad and more - is enhanced with a judicious sprinkle of the condiment just before serving.

Salt got a bad rap this March when a survey revealed that some Chinese dishes contained five times more salt than a Big Mac. The top offender is ‘Beef with Black Bean Sauce’, with more than 6 grammes of salt per serving, the equivalent of an adult’s total recommended daily allowance. (Go for ‘Sweet and Sour Chicken’ instead, with a mere 2.3 grammes of salt per portion.)

The persecuted condiment had already been targeted as the possible cause of high blood pressure or hypertension - though before salt is blamed, doctors will home

in on smoking, high alcohol intake, lack of exercise and obesity as more likely causes.

In eating any processed foods - in which high levels of salt are regularly used as a flavour enhancer - you can consume up to two-thirds of your daily dose. The shaker on the table will add a further 1½ grammes a day.

Nevertheless, salt is a nutrient essential to vital body functions. Adults need 3.8 grammes daily to replace what is lost through sweat. 5.8 grammes a day is an acceptable upper level - though most people exceed it. And not everyone has the same tolerance.

So if you're going to pay attention to the quantity you consume, you may as well buy salt that has more than one dimension of flavour.

“Salarium argentum,” the prized ration of salt given to Roman soldiers as their salary, gives the condiment its name. An ancient flavouring, its ability through osmosis to absorb moisture in bacteria cells and mould and so kill or neutralise them has made it a valued preservative over the centuries. Citizens of the Périgord - and France more widely - know copious salting of duck legs

Wild salmon baked in salt Serves 6 2 kg salmon (wild not farmed) or wild sea bass 1 lemon, sliced thinly

2.75 to 3.65 kg sea salt 170 g flour Bunch fresh tarragon

Preheat oven to 200C. Stuff the fish cavity with the lemon slices and tarragon.

Spread half the salt over the bottom of a roasting pan, lay the fish on top and cover with the rest of the salt, leaving no gaps.

Mix the flour with water into a paste the consistency of thin cream, and drizzle it over the salt.

Bake the fish for 20 minutes. Test to see if it is done by sticking a metal skewer into the fish. If it comes out hot, it's ready.

Crack the salt crust with the handle of a heavy cooking knife and peel off the pieces, then put the fish on the serving dish and peel off its skin.

Serve with melted butter, mayonnaise, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, or just plain lemon juice, boiled or steamed new potatoes, and a salad dressed with vinaigrette and pass a bowl of ‘finishing’ sea salt.

The wines of Bergerac

B

by Martin Walker ack in 1977, a young graduate from the Bordeaux wine school climbed into his red deuxchevaux with some samples of his wine in the back and drove the 1,100 kilometres to Dusseldorf. He was heading for Jack’s Wine Depot, then as now one of the biggest wine outlets in Germany. Armed with some of his bottles of Château Laulerie from Montravel and a corkscrew, he talked his way inside, offered a tasting and left some hours later with a contract for his entire production.

“It was a wonderful moment that propelled us at once into new hopes, new possibilities, the chance to finance our future,” Serge Dubard says in the tasting room of Château les Farcies du Pech, the excellent Pécharmant he makes at his vineyard just outside Bergerac.

Serge is a compact, well-dressed man with grey hair, a twinkling smile and an air of calm efficiency. And he is not just a remarkable wine-maker but also a gifted businessman. From that start in the red 2CV on the road to Dusseldorf, he has built up over the past four decades a small empire, Vignobles Famille Dubard, which now sells around a million bottles a year. It boasts vineyards in the Côtes de Bordeaux, in Lalande de Pomerol and in St Emilion as well as the original Château Laulerie.

It was a bottle of the Château Laulerie merlot that first interested me in the Dubard wines, and I noted that they won a gold medal at the big Paris concours last year. Then a good friend whose opinions I respect advised me to try their Pécharmant which while very good was hard to find.

It was not available at my customary Julien de Savignac in Le Bugue but it is sold from Chai Papin in Sarlat and from the roadside cave by the roundabout between Creysse and Bergerac.

Best, of course, is to visit the vineyard. The name is odd and baffles Serge. Literally it means something like the hill of stuffings. Its fifteen hectares of merlot, malbec, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon are planted with 5,000 vines per hectare. The vineyard stands in a wooded park on the lower slope of the Pécharmant ridge where it runs down into the north-eastern suburbs of Bergerac. It is odd to stand outside the tasting room, enjoying the look of the park and not see another house and yet you are just a mile from the heart of Bergerac. Indeed, it is so close to town that the directions we were given told us to turn at the big Leclerc supermarket.

Beside the chai and tasting room is a handsome old manor house, which is run as a well-furnished gîte and B & B. TripAdvsior lists it as a ‘Best of Dordogne’ and the Daily Telegraph named it one of the best wine-tourism spots in France.

Each of the four varieties of grape Serge grows go into his Pécharmant in equal proportions, which I think is unique. He uses inox (aluminium) vats for his white and rosé wines but prefers cement for his reds, although the cleaning is more difficult. Then the red wines go into oak barrels for twelve months. The 2016 spent eighteen months in oak, which means it will be drinking at its best after three years rather than the usual five years.

It is a very good wine indeed at 10 euros fifty a bottle.

But then we tasted his Elixir, the top of the range which he makes only in special years. The 2015, at just under 19 euros is exceptional, velvety and profound but also somehow friendly and cheerful with a charming touch of sweetness in the aftertaste. The malbec makes it very dark in colour but the first impression on the nose is the cherry and blackberry of the merlot. The two cabernets give the

to draw off blood and liquid is the first step in making confits.

Common table salt is 98% sodium chloride with about 2% added anti-caking agent. It is mined from old, evaporated bodies of sea water. Deposits are then washed with water to release the salt and form a solution which is dried under vacuum to form crystals. Sometimes potassium iodide is added. Kosher salt, popular in the US, is simply a coarser grain of common cooking salt. The name comes not because the salt conforms to Jewish food laws but because it is used to make meat kosher.

Posh sea salt is created from the deposits that ring live bodies of sea water like inland marginal seas, lake beds, enclosed bays and estuaries, or marshlands such as Guérande. The deposits crystallise through open-air evaporation and are raked. It is sold as either refined or unrefined sea salt, sometimes grey in colour, like Sel de Guérande. The trace minerals, algae and even marine bacteria in which it’s coated all contribute to a more complex flavour.

There are dozens of different salts out there, from the rose-pink salt of the Himalayas to the strongly sulfuric salt of Korea. But most readily available are Fleur de Sel de Guérande, an unrefined damp sea salt that some would say, with its glittery grain, wonderful crunch and intense flavour, is the champagne of salts, and Maldon Salt from Essex, England, a dry flaky crystal with a mellower taste. Both are good for cooking, but given they’re expensive, for the fullest experience, use them at table as a ‘finishing’ salt.. ■ Julia Watson has been a long-time Food Writer for newspapers and magazines in the US and the UK.

wine a lovely, sinewy structure in the mouth.

Like all the wonderful Pécharmant wines, there is a mineral touch to the wine that comes from the region’s unique subterranean layer of tran, a clay rich in ferrous oxide (or iron). And remember that in the first classification of French wines, from 1816, Pécharmant was ranked alongside the Latours and Lafites of Pauillac as one of the great wines of France.

We drank the Elixir with a Boeuf Périgourdin (think Bourguignon but with Bergerac wine instead of Burgundy) that had been cooking very slowly over three days and served with new potatoes. The Pécharmant was a perfect accompaniment and went well with the cheese that followed. It would go splendidly with all red meats, game or duck and I’ll be getting some more for the wild boar and venison when the hunting season starts in autumn. Serge is so proud of his Elixir that he rang us a few days later to ask how we’d enjoyed it. Sensational, we told him.

I’ll also be visiting Château Laulerie this summer to make a thorough exploration of their wines and I’m intrigued by the Lalande de Pomerol. But sad to relate, Serge is cutting down on his work as he approaches the age of seventy and Les Farcies du Pech, manor house, vineyard, park, chai and all is up for sale, priced at 2.3 million euros.

Serge hopes that he might arrange to stay on as winemaker for a few more years but the lesson is to follow our example and buy his wines while stocks last. ■

Martin Walker, author of the best-selling ‘Bruno, chief of police’ novels, is a Grand Consul de la Vinée de Bergerac. Formerly a journalist, he spent 25 years as foreign correspondent for The Guardian and then became editor-in-chief of United Press International.

He and his wife Julia have had a home in the Périgord since 1999 and one of his great hobbies is visiting the vineyards of Bergerac.

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 13

MAY 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Income tax time - Blevins Franks

I

t’s that time of year again, when we need to complete our French income tax returns, work out how much tax we owe, and submit them by the deadline. Paper returns are due by 17th May, for both residents and non-residents. The dates for online submission depend on where you live: Departments 01 to 19and non-residents: 22nd May Departments 20 to 49: 29th May Departments 50 to 976: 5th June Taxes are declared and paid a year in arrears, so your 2018 return covers income earned in 2017. The tax rates are:

Income

Tax Rate

Up to €9,807

Nil

€9,807 to €27,086

14%

€27,086 to €72,617

30%

€72,618 to €153,783

41%

Over €153,784

45%

There is an additional 3% for a single person where income is between €250,000 and €500,000 per part (nothing is due from a family) and 4% for income exceeding €500,000 per part for an individual, 3% for a family (unless income exceeds €1 million per part). A quotient mechanism can reduce the effect of the high income tax if you exceptionally exceed the threshold, if certain conditions are met.

Spouses/civil partners are not taxed separately in France, instead the total income of

I

a household is assessed. A family is divided into a number of parts familiales, including children (half part for the first two children). The total income is divided by the number of parts, income tax scale rates are applied to this lower figure and, having computed the income tax due, it is multiplied back up by the number of parts. This helps avoid the higher rates of tax, though there is a maximum benefit that a household can receive.

Income to be declared Your income tax return covers a range of income in 2017: employment, pensions (including lump sums unless you can opt for the 7.5% fixed rate), investments (bank interest, dividends, capital gains), rental income, etc.

This will change a little from 2018 income (payable in 2019), as investment income will instead be liable to one fixed tax rate of 30% (including social charges).

This new rate will apply to investments over €150,000 per individual; households in low-income brackets will keep the option for progressive income tax rates and so avoid paying more tax than this year.

Residents need to declare all their worldwide income and gains, including income that is normally taxed outside France. UK government service pensions remain taxable in the UK and are not taxed directly in France. However, the income must be included as part of your taxable income and a credit equal to the French income tax and social charges that would have been payable is given. This applies even if no actual tax is paid in the UK.

Deductions

Social charges

Individuals with a taxable income of up to €18,500 (€37,000 for couples) benefit from a 20% tax reduction. There is also scaled relief available for individuals earning up to €20,500, and €41,000 for couples.

Individuals over the age of 65 (or who hold an invalidity card or receive a military pension) are entitled to a tax-free allowance of €2,376 where their total household income is up to €14,900 and €1,188 for income of between €14,900 and €24,000.

If your taxable income is below €1,569 (€2,585 for a couple) a tax credit known as the décote will reduce your tax liability.

Pension income benefits from a 10% deduction, with a minimum of €383 and maximum of €3,752 per household.

There are deductions that can be made from your gross income before tax is calculated, such as social security contributions, pension contributions, a 10% deduction in lieu of employment related expenses (with minimum and maximum deductions), etc.

Various tax credits are also available.

Social charges are paid on top of income tax, and for 2017 income range from 9.7% to 17.2% depending on the type of income.

They are usually calculated based on the income declared on your income tax return and the authorities will send notification of the amount payable in the autumn. So you will receive your demand for 2017 social charges in autumn 2018, along with your income tax assessment.

For certain types of income/gain (assurance-vie under special rates, real estate capital gains, dividend/interest advance payment, etc.), the charges are paid by the 15th of the month following the income/ gain arising.

This article is just a brief summary covering the basic elements of income tax in France. It is important to seek personalised, professional advice, particularly if you are looking to lower the tax liabilities on your savings, investments and pensions.

French tax may be high, but it does present opportunities for effective tax planning if you work ahead and take specialist advice..

■

Payment of income tax Payment is due the year after the income was earned. You can choose whether to pay in 10 monthly instalments from January to October, or in three instalments on 15th February, May and September. In February and May you pay the equivalent of a third of your previous year’s tax bill, then pay the balance in September based on the assessment sent by your local tax office.

Tel: 05 53 63 49 19 Email: bergerac@blevinsfranks.com Web: www.blevinsfranks.com The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice.

The Grumpy Granny Guide Fluffy, Furry, Cuddly or Smooth and Scaly?

nterested as ever to discover what goes on behind the scenes of tourism in the area, I set off to discover the challenges of sites which present animals either as the main focus of the visit or as an add-on attraction. And an attraction animals certainly are, especially for children who seem to have a natural affinity with the animal world.

The public, now better informed than ever, understand the dangers of feeding and touching wild animals but still want to get as close as possible to them, so enclosures can neither be so big that their occupants are too distant nor so convoluted that they can hide away. We all love animals which are furry, cuddly, and fluffy, which are active, unaggressive, can be seen feeding, tolerate the constant presence of humans and breed regularly because baby animals are wildly popular. This impacts directly on the selection of animals on show, eliminating those which are nocturnal or immobile. But the smooth, slippery and menacing also give the public a thrill; watching an alligator or anaconda being fed can be exciting... from behind the safety barrier!

The legislation in France concerning animals in captivity, even if they are not part of a zoo as such, is stringent and inspections of public safety and animal welfare very strict. Broadly speaking anyone feeding, treating or handling a specific species of animal has to be trained and hold a ‘certificat de capacité’ for each species which prevents a site owner from exhibiting just any animal that takes his/her fancy without the appropriately qualified staff being on site. This point was stressed by all the sites I visited and with one exception, none of the sites showed animals solely to entertain the public. The emphasis was either on education, conservation, or both.

Even sites such as Le Regourdou near Montignac which introduced 6 bears in 1988 to this Neolithic burial site, did so with the aim of presenting a species already present there in prehistoric times. And the protected birds of prey and owls presented, for instance, at the Château des Milandes are shown in the context of the historic art of falconry.

Three very different sites in particular caught my attention. The most ‘natural’ and ‘authentic’

of these is the traditional farm at the Cabanes du Breuil (Saint-André-d’Allas) which as well as presenting the unique stone ‘cabanes’ which are well documented as already existing on this site in the 14th century, is still very much a working farm, showing us, warts and all, what farm life was like well into into the mid-20th century. It is a veritable Noah’s Ark with almost every farmyard animal imaginable except for rams which are ill-tempered and goats which destroy the stone walls. As a registered farm, it doesn’t have the same constraints as other sites and the public can get up close to the animals. The site has, of course, to pay its way but its primary objective is to show free-ranging animals raised without hormones, breeding pens or battery sheds. For children and townies it is a real taste of farm life in an environment which illustrates the best of animal husbandry. The best time to go is in spring when there are plenty of very fluffy and furry young progeny around!

The Réserve Zoologique (Calviac) is dedicated to the conservation of certain endangered species, particularly those from Madagascar and to this end has an extensive breeding and exchange programme. It goes without saying that none of the animals have been captured in the wild and that animal welfare is of the essence. All the money brought in by the public goes towards the conservation programme (the site is open all year round).

The challenge is to provide the public with something to watch while at the same time preserving the animals’ natural behaviour. So feeding times are frequent but at different times each day, the food often hidden, buried or tied up to encourage natural foraging patterns. Some animals the park would like to have, are unsuitable for showing to the public - the screech owl, the European mink, or the giant hamster, for instance - because they are nocturnal, hibernate or hide from public gaze. Visitors are particularly interested in the lemurs (those human-like faces and hands?) and the tortoises!

The enclosures here are spacious, full of vegetation and the environment is as natural as legislation allows. You leave this site feeling you have made a contribution to the safeguard of endangered species even if you don’t altogether

approve of captive animals.

My visit to Univers Land (Le Bugue) left me with much to think about. Together with the Aquarium, the Alligator Park, the giant iguana and the anaconda which are squeezed in between the café, restaurant, Prehistoric Maze, Big Bird climbing frame and Jungle Golf, there is now a new enclosure for a dozen or more myocastors, variously known as nutria, coypu or ‘ragondins’ (water rats) and not the Canadian beaver as you might be led to think by the advertising. This site began with just the Aquarium which, when opened 25 years ago, was a pure delight as you walked through tunnels under and between the tanks. Although looking somewhat murky on my latest visit, this part of Univers Land is still interesting and the big illustrated wall panels to some extent justify the claim that this now grossly overcrowded site is an educational experience.

However, it was here that I began to have grave doubts about the ethics of keeping animals in captivity if the sole reason is commercial, despite any lip service to the contrary. Regulations stipulate, understandably, that reptiles’ enclosures, for health reasons, must contain no organic matter but these concrete enclosures are depressing and couldn’t be further from the animals’ natural habitat. What are the ethics of showing non-indigenous water rats which have been bred as domestic animals so that the public can feed them by hand, but have lost any connection with their relatives in the wild?

Similarly, in their natural habitat reptiles feed infrequently, remain inactive for long periods and are anything but exciting to watch. Here they are encouraged to be active through frequent feeding times in order to please the public and between feeding sessions visitors watch their moments of activity on big-screen videos.

Univers Land’s explicit aim is to ‘make the visitor happy’ and there can be no doubt that these animals do attract the tourist as rising visitor numbers attest. However, the public’s unease is reflected in their many troubled or negative comments online, raising the question, when does the display of animals become exploitation for purely commercial gain?

I began my visits with no preconceived ide-

as about showing animals but my views have evolved. In the 21st century there has to be a very sound reason for animals being kept in captivity, so before you go off to see them, perhaps with young visitors, give some thought to what you hope to find and choose your site accordingly. ■ This is part of a series of features devoted to the tourist experience in the Dordogne provided by the website grumpygranny-guides.com which highlights those sites which are comfortable and pleasant to visit and which offer a warm welcome.

To get in touch with Grumpy Granny, email editor@thebugle.eu and we will forward on your question.

Hard to know which tourist sites to visit?

Grumpy Granny Guide

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

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

www.GRUMPYGRANNY-GUIDES.com

14 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2018

Business Directory

Your indispensable guide to finding local businesses & artisans Auto Services

Animals & Pets

Top Dog

Building Services Architects/Surveyors

MOTOR PARTS CHARENTE

Dog grooming in your own home Fully trained and qualified in Knightsbridge London dog salon.

40 years full-time experience.

Tel: 05 55 78 62 28

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

+44 (0)7830 170761

motorptscharente@aol.com

Based near Marval (87440) covering ~30km radius

www.motorpartscharente.com

Siret no. 832 850 929 00015

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

05 53 58 55 38 Siret: 499 234 615 00015

Dossiers prepared Permis de Construire Déclarations Préalables

Artist Blacksmith Ferronnerie d’Art

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

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

Tel: 05 65 30 53 99

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

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

From initial feasibility to completed dossiers.

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

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

Tel: 05 55 80 72 83 Mob: 06 33 07 29 72 Email: info@masterplans.eu www.masterplans.eu Siret: 790 016 984 00011

06 04 17 80 93

Robert Jones Electricité Générale

New build?

SIRET: 493 770 358 00015

sales24@thebugle.eu

Building Services Electricians

Renovating your French property?

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

Ironwood Motif

Memberof Chamberof Architects

Architectural DRAWING SERVICE

Tel: 05 53 52 36 05

Dog Grooming Parlour

NEU DplG ARCHITECTURE

sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93 CHARTERED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Pre-purchase & Structural Surveys.

Verbal & written reports.

Structural calculations & drawings.

Redevelopment ideas & solutions.

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

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

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

Fully insured, registered electrician with 13 years experience in France Full rewires, renovation, new builds, fuseboards, lighting, heating, A/C and heat pumps, kitchen/bathroom alterations. Reliable and professional service. Lot-et-Garonne.

Tel: 06 81 98 43 22 or email: info@agenelec.com Siret 811 719 285 00017

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE...

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-

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

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

There are no electrical or water connections and it can be safely left running, even when the property is empty. Solarventi requires no maintenance

- if the property is unoccupied during the hot summer months, then it can be left running at low speeds for ventilation and dehumidification purposes or simply switched off.

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

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

DIRECTORY ♦ 15

MAY 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

ADVERTORIAL

Houses on Internet: A Global Property Network

H

ouses on Internet – Global Property Services (hereafter referred to as “HOIGPS”) is the internet/marketing company that helps people sell their French property to buyers worldwide.

Richard Kroon, founder and director of the company: “During the last few months we have seen a huge increase in viewings and sales. Most of the buyers don’t live in France, which is why our worldwide advertising is so important.

Our marketing efforts are definitely paying off and guarantee a worldwide exposure of your property to buyers wherever they live.

“Last year HOI-GPS sold properties to people from 11 different countries, like France, Australia, Belgium, Holland,

the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Canada and Denmark.

“The actual work all starts with the presentation of a property. If that’s not good enough, all other marketing efforts are useless. Our photographers usually take 150 to 200 photos of a house and in addition copy any good (summer) photos our clients may have themselves.

“About 50 to 60 of those photos are selected, enhanced and presented on the dedicated website we make for each property in English, French and Dutch.

“The texts don’t just describe the house, garden and outbuildings, but information about shopping, schools, airports and leisure is given too.

“When the website for the house is online, we first con-

nect it to our main HOI-GPS websites which attract over 135,000 visitors from 40+ countries each month. Most of these people find us through Google and additional Google advertising.

“To reach an even larger audience, a summary of the presentation of the house is also placed on several other leading property websites. These adverts are also connected to the dedicated website of the house, making it all one big global property network.

“As the property market has become a global one, a prospective buyer can be on the other side of the world while the owner is in bed sleeping.

With our approach, the buyer does not have to wait and can see the entire property whenever he wants, at the moment he is

BARWICK ÉLECTRICITÉ

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ANGLO 06 04 17 80 93 SCAFFOLDING HIRE Building Services General

Harlequin Developments est. 2007

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

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

05.55.68.67.56 06.06.60.46.97

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sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93

Painter & Decorator

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

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interested in it.”

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

Building Services Sandblasting We provide a fully operated

sandblasting

www.sandandblast.com bobby@sandandblast.com steve@sandandblast.com

Stephen Wisedale

WiFi Anglais Solve your Internet, wireless and computer problems

Building Services Plumbing & Heating

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PLUMBING & HEATING ENGINEER

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- Installation, from kitchen taps to full central heating systems

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

06 04 17 80 93

- Emergency plumbing repairs

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

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

- Breakdown / Replacement boilers - 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

Shhhhh... it’s aisecret!

Pop-Up restaurant serving Indian Restaurant Curries

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

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Food & Drink

‘Secret Curry Club Dordogne’ secretcurryclubdordogne@gmail.com

Computers, Satellites & Web Design

06 04 17 80 93

or see

+31 (0)6 41 20 73 69

SIRET: 812 727 253 00013

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

VPN solutions. Windows and Mac OSX.

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Houses on Internet Global Property Services www.housesoninternet.com

Siret: 800 525 040 00013

before

during

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

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The Dordogne Chippy

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

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

AUBERGE AUX DELICES DE LA TREILLE 24350 MONTAGRIER

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

16 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2018

ADVERTORIAL

The dreaded Tax Return – Are you struggling to protect your savings?

P

rior to the Brexit vote, expats who had their money in Sterling were laughing as the exchange rate favoured them and made their money go further.

Since then things have changed dramatically and rates are shockingly poor with a subsequent effect on how far your money will stretch.

The fluctuating rate is hard to predict and this risk is not going to go away. So what can you do to mitigate this? Recent reports suggest that changes in

La Poutre

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

interest rates that may help savers are as far away as late 2019.

Meanwhile inflation is here and eating into your money and as a tax resident of France you will no longer benefit from the tax breaks given to savers in the UK unless you have moved your funds into a French tax-efficient wrapper.

Interest rates are still low with not many deals around for the saver. We at Blacktower can offer you a product that has the potential to give you an income greater than inflation, is tax efficient both from a growth and income perspective and in addition you may get a modest growth on your capital.

If it is a boost to your income that you need then this may be an ideal solution for you. Alternatively, you can leave the money, not take an income and have it grow tax-free in excess of the

Handholding Services

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Pest Control

Contact Luce at: luce.graire@sfr.fr

Dératisation, Déinsectisation, Désinfection

Former civil servant offers help with income tax return, French nationality papers, car registration, etc…

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

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

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Language Services

Retail & Commerce

Gifts & Crafts 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.

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The above information was correct at the time of preparation and does not constitute investment advice and you should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity.

Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Fi-

02 48 60 83 72 / 06 74 33 02 38 www.applicateur3d.com Email: info@applicateur3d.com Curative and preventative

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bookstop

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the UK and Europe

Bonner Prestige is a dedicated vehicle transportation service offering professional vehicle transport throughout the UK and Europe.

We offer a bespoke service to suit our customer requirements.

Our fully enclosed vehicle transporter allows for vehicles to be moved securely and safe from the elements.

For more information contact Trevor Bonner:

UK: +44 (0)7871 975 859 France: +33 (0)7 69 72 44 86 bonnerprestige@gmail.com

Man & Van Transport

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

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anxious? stressed? feeling down? call us up!

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nancial Conduct Authority.

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

Transport, Removals & Storage

OVERWHELMED BY Central France Bonner Prestige Classic and high value FRENCH RED TAPE? Pest Control vehicle transport throughout

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

06 04 17 80 93

I am here to give you independent, professional and impartial advice. If you have any questions or need any clarification regarding the above please contact me by email: Rosemary. sheppard@blacktowerfm.com or call me on 06 38 86 99 70.

Blacktower Financial Management has over 32 years’ experience helping expats to make sure that their money works for them.

• Man with a van service • Friendly, Mature Service, Ex-Police • Living in Limousin, specialising in moves between UK and France • Competitive Rates • Fully Insured

European Removals Full or part load, French registered.

We offer: Removals, Storage, House Clearance, also Car, Caravan, Plant Transport.

Offices in UK and France.

+33 (0)6 73 96 38 39 www.dordognestoragesolutions.com

Smart Moves For a fully insured, careful service

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

smartmovers@hotmail.co.uk

+44 (0)1253 725 414

www.smartmovesremovals.co.uk

MICHAELS MOVERS Removals

UK ↔ France ↔ UK Full & Part loads All size of vehicles, from Man & Van through to 18 tonne truck Storage available in the Limousin, Dordogne & Sussex UK free phone:

0800 840 3058 Mob: +44 (0)7808 338 386 www.michaelsmovers.freeindex.co.uk

Please call Mick for further info

UK: 0333 022 0359 FR: 07 68 64 22 54

W: www.milenlighthaulage.co.uk E: info@milenlighthaulage.co.uk

sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93

COMMUNITY ♦ 17

MAY 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Appeal for a poorly donkey

A

sick donkey’s keepers have launched an appeal to pay for life-saving treatment for one of their donkeys, who has just been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour.

La Combe aux Ânes, near Sarlat-laCanéda, run by Florence and Philippe, offers countryside walks in the company of their five donkeys and donkeythemed activities and storytelling for children.

At three, Charly is the baby of the farm. Unfortunately, Charly has developed a growth on his eye which, if it continues to grow, could become fatal

unless treated.

Veterinary specialists in Toulouse have indicated that the tumour is treatable with a 99% success rate if intervention is made very soon, but the treatment is expensive and will cost around €4,000.

Florence and Philippe have launched a crowdfunding appeal through the Leetchi site to help raise funds for Charly’s care. If you would like to donate please visit www.leetchi.com/c/ sauvons-charly and to find out more about the donkeys see www.lacombeauxanes.com. ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

Got an event for The Bugle?

Email: notices@thebugle.eu Homestay in Périgord

« 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 24th May at 15:00 at the Cinéma Le clair - Thiviers • Thursday 31th May at 15:00 at the Espace culturel - Eymet • Thursday 14th June at 18:00 at the Cinéma Roc - Terrasson • Tuesday 19th June at 15:00 at the Cinéma Lux - Le Buisson de Cadouin • Thursday 28th June at 15:00 at the Cinéma Notre Dame - Mussidan These events are organised by the Conseil départemental’s Social Service - For further information please contact: 05 53 02 66 72 or 05 53 02 28 74.

Milo - DOB 19/01/2017 Male Pointer x Setter Milo was found with a badly injured back leg due, we think, to being hit by a car. Thankfully, there were no broken bones but soft tissue injury, at the moment he limps a little after a good walk but, we have been assured by the vet, this will disappear with time.

He loves people and other dogs, is untested with cats. Indoors he is calm, clean, non-destructive, in fact a bit of a couch potato to be honest! Outside, he loves his walks, has a really good recall and, after a little bit of work, has become completely comfortable in the car. He loves to spend time in the garden so, although he is not an escape artist, a secure fenced garden is necessary. He will amuse himself for hours with a ball and loves to run around. All he needs now is his forever home and someone to give an abundance of love to!

If you would like further details or to see Milo, please contact his foster carers, Shirley and Dan Thomas at dan-thomas@wanadoo.fr or on 05 65 37 00 65. Milo is in Salviac, 46340.

www.phoenixasso.com www.facebook.com/PhoenixAssociationFrance

Association France Alzheimer and its English-speaking volunteers offer support for people with dementia and their carers in the Bergerac area.

Drop in for a coffee with us on the first Tuesday of each month between 10 am and midday at restaurant/bar L’Étoile, Le Bourg, 24520 St-Nexans

Telephone Helpline 05 53 27 30 34

Please leave your name and telephone number with our reception and one of our English-speaking volunteers will endeavour to call back the same day.

Association France Alzheimer Dordogne 2, rue Emile Counord 24100 BERGERAC E: alzheimer.dordogne@orange.fr W: www.francealzheimer-dordogne.org

A recently opened craft centre

Nestling in the forest between Les Eyzies and Fleurac, you will find a hidden gem, “Chez Penny”, a craft workshop opened by Penny Vlieger.

A long-time Dordogne resident, Penny has housed a sewing centre, open to all, in a renovated Perigordian cottage. The concept began as a “sewing café” but today is much more. Sewing machines, overlockers and needle punch machines are on hand as well as a loom, available for everyone’s use, but there is also a wide range of haberdashery, textiles and wools together with a good selection of embroidery, knitting and dressmaking patterns. Some items are for sale but many have have been contributed on a free exchange basis.

This Aladdin’s cave has become a friendly, cheerful meeting place for sewers, weavers, knitters and crafters, all enthusiastic and willing to share their ideas and expertise.

Penny also hosts 1-3 day craft courses and has several gîtes on hand so that participants can stay overnight.

This drop-in centre has already attracted great interest from the local French, Dutch and English-speaking communities and if you are interested in any form of craft work, why not drop by for tea and a chat and meet like-minded crafters from the surrounding area? There is no membership fee.

The atelier is open on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 14h-17h.

For more information visit www.fermelespare.com.

At Association Acorn Cat Rescue, we will soon have many kittens looking for good homes. Please contact us if you would like to be considered for the kitten waiting list.

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

All are welcome!!

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

We are based in 24400 Église-Neuve-d’Issac, Dordogne. www.associationacorn.com Facebook: Acorn Cat Rescue

18 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2018

WHAT’S

ON

COME AND SING workshop Saturday 5th May – Eglise de Cancon (47) Come and join Eymet’s Cantabile, the ACFAA mixed French/British choir and Cancon’s Méli Mélo for a fun day, open to all singers. The charge is €15 for the day (including lunch). Registration is at 09:30 with rehearsals from 10:00 until noon, then from 13:30 until 16:30. Guests are invited to listen to a final presentation at 17:00 for which there is no charge.

Programme: Bach, Haendel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Verdi, Fauré, etc.

Please contact Philippa Tillyer at pippacogulot@gmail.com or Pierre Chanut at pierre.chanut47@gmail.com for more information.

Printable copies of the music will be available online.

SESSION 1: Start time 11 am, we will play nine ends, the draw to be made on the day, finishing by approximately 12:30 pm for coffee or a drink.

SESSION 2: Start time 1 pm, we will play a new nine ends, again drawn on the day, finishing by approximately 2:30 pm when we will have lunch.

EVERYONE WELCOME TO PLAY IN EITHER SESSION OR BOTH. THERE IS NO DRESS CODE BUT PLEASE WEAR FLAT-SOLED SHOES OR TRAINERS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL EILEEN AT ritson.fr@gmail.com

Salon des Arts figuratifs Dortoir des moines, Brantôme, 10th to 13th May Amanda Rackowe, Isabelle Pringault, Theirry Sellem, Liza Hirst, Philippe Demeillier, Jean-Claude Pargney, Janine Daguet and Sue Wilks Oraganised by La Gare des arts Vernissage 11th May

The 10th edition of the Salon “Métiers & Arts”, organized by Le Pays du Grand Bergeracois in partnership with the Cave de Monbazillac, will take place on 10th-13th May at the Château de Monbazillac.

40 local artists and craftsmen and women, 3 artisans from elsewhere in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and 2 young creators will be presenting their work and offering demonstrations and workshops.

The Salon will be open: Thursday 10th, 14h-19h Friday 11th, 10h-21h Saturday 12th, 10h-19h Sunday 13th, 10h-18h Free entry. For more information & to see the programme visit www.artisandart-perigord.com

MAY 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

WHAT’S ON ♦ 19 Les Floralies - Saint-Jean-de-Côle Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th May “La Mode et les Fleurs” - “Fashion and Flowers”

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!

The 42nd edition of the Foire des Potiers brings together renowned potters from all over France and Europe from 10th to 13th May. 24360 Bussière-Badil. 10h-19h. Free entry.

The Théâtre de Lauzun is pleased to announce...

Michael Lunts in Coward at Sea A nautical musical comedy based on Noel Coward’s “P&0 1930”

Friday 18th May & Saturday 19th May At Théâtre de Lauzun, rue Eugène Mazelie, 47410 Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance starts at 8 pm

In 2017, 1.8 million visitors discovered nearly 2,300 parks and gardens across the country, including 400 on an exceptional basis and 200 for the first time as part of the Rendez-vous aux jardins cultural event.

BOX OFFICE NOW OPEN Tickets €10

For the first time this year, as part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage and with the European Garden theme, this event will also take place in Germany, Croatia, Spain, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovakia and in several cross-border regions including Wallonia (Belgium) and the Canton of Vaud (Switzerland).

Contact barbaragray1@hotmail.com or tel 05 53 88 09 71

Rendez-vous aux jardins is a great opportunity to explore some of the gardens not usually open to the public. For further information and for details of participating gardens, visit rendezvousauxjardins.fr.

20 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ MAY 2018