The Bugle Dordogne - Nov 2014 by The Bugle

Total boss dies in Russia plane crash The charismatic boss of French oil giant Total has died after his private plane hit a snowplough at a >> Page 9 Russian airport.

Dordogne November 2014 - Issue #17

France clashes with Europe over budget

NEWS - British woman dies after op

Despite price increases and spending cuts, France has fallen short of implementing further austerity measures and will now fail to bring its budget deficit within European limits. The decision may well be challenged by the European Commission.

NEWS - John Lewis boss sparks controversy

until 2017. Unveiling the budget, Sapin said that “very weak growth and very weak inflation” would make further austerity measures counter productive. In theory, since 2013, the European Commission has the power to force France to revise its budget if it deems it has overstepped public spending limits, but the finance minister believes that France has nothing to be worried about and has met all of its budgetary requirements. “France has never, ever made this much of an effort,” he said. “France has never cut this much and the tax cuts for businesses and households are exactly

A woman has died near Pau following a botched Caesarian operation. The anaesthetist is believed to have been drinking before the op. >> Page 3

Andy Street, boss of John Lewis, caused a diplomatic incident in October when he described France as a "sclerotic" country where "nothing works". >> Page 10

Bilingual - The red telephone box

It is synonymous with Britain and the design remained the same for decades. But what does the future hold for the iconic British telephone box? >> Page 14

rance risks getting into hot water with the European Commission after the 2015 budget was unveiled by Finance Minister Michel Sapin. Despite containing price rises and spending cuts, the budget stops short of introducing full-blown austerity measures, with the government admitting that it will not now meet the EU’s demands that member countries’ budget deficits do not exceed 3%. Under the figures revealed in the 2015 budget, France will reduce its deficit from the current rate of 4.4% to 4.3% next year and 3.8% in 2016; the country’s budget deficit will not hit the 3% target

INSIDE > > >

>> continued on page 8

The Bugle Business Directory

We reveal where to find the best “pure butter” croissant in the Dordogne >> Page 4

Develop a habit that saves you money!

4 pages of listings for local English-speaking businesses - your essential guide to finding just what you’re looking for >> Pages 15-18

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2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

Welcome to

The Bugle

his month marks a significant milestone for The Bugle as the newspaper turns 5!! It is often said how time flies - and that it flies faster as you get older, although I’m hoping that bit is not true! - and it does indeed seem like yesterday that I was nervously sending issue one of our Limousin edition to the printers, carrying the front page headline “2000-year-old sausage discovered in Creuse”. And yet it simultaneously feels like a lifetime ago. A lot has changed over the last five years, both personally (a seemingly endless conveyor-belt of babies!) and professionally, as, following the 2013 launch of this Dordogne edition, my little venture has grown to have well over 50,000 readers each month. I am very proud of what this newspaper has become and that it has managed to grow and expand while the economy has been heading in the opposite direction. I’m fairly

sure that this is due to the fact that I still run the paper pretty much single-handedly. If I had employees who needed paying each month (and I’m usually very positive about France, but they make employing people almost impossible!) then I suspect I might have struggled. There are a number of volunteers and contributors, who I hope know how much they are appreciated, but at the end of the day, The Bugle is me, a computer in my spare room and several very wornout cars! I should probably say a special thank you to Bill, who has kept my poor cars running over the years as they drag a tonne and a half of newspapers on a 3,500km distribution run each month! Having launched the newspaper at the beginning of the worst recession for a generation, I am going to confidently predict that we will all be in better shape five years from now!! One thing that has changed drastically over the past five years is technology and I was

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

particularly grateful for that in October. With just over a week to go before print, the phone line which carries my internet connection went down and I was without it for 5 days. On the whole, Orange have been great over the years and this is the first significant problem I have had, although that did not make it any less inconvenient. Fortunately, a year or so ago, I invested in a mobile phone made by a certain fruit-based company (other phones are available) that can receive a 3G signal and act as a wireless hotspot. Unfortunately, I live in the Creuse where 3G is not widely available. There is one place on my property, however, where you can get a single bar of 3G reception: in the middle of my front garden, facing east and about 6 feet off the ground (I am not going to begin to describe the trial and error involved in discovering this!) Which is why, if you had driven past my house in midOctober, you would have seen a 25m cable running out of the house and across the lawn towards a set of ladders, atop which sat my mobile, angled towards the morning sun. It worked, however. Otherwise the five year anniversary edition of The Bugle might also have been the first to ever go out late. I was lucky that my internet problems coincided with one of the hottest mid-Octobers on record (see page 7). The man upstairs was not

smiling on my house, however, and seemed determined to test me further by sending medieval diseases my way. According to wikipedia.fr “L’incidence de la scarlatine est inconnue en France” - well, scarlet fever may not exist in France, but both my girls managed to catch it somehow. Even after the requisite course of antibiotics - prescribed by a GP who had to check the symptoms on the internet as he had rarely seen a case before we were treated like pariahs by the other parents from school. Now I know what it must have been like to be a leper! I should stress at this point that it transpired mine had caught it from someone else’s child at school... we’re not “unclean”, honest! Here’s to the next five years! Steve Martindale, Editor

INSIDE this edition 3-6 Local News 7-10 National News 11-12 French Life 13 Practical 14 Bilingual 15-18 Directory 18 Community 19-20 What's On

CONTACT us Tel: 05.55.41.17.76 General: editor@thebugle.eu Advertising (EN): sales24@thebugle.eu Publicité (FR): publicite@thebugle.eu Subscriptions: subscriptions24@thebugle.eu Editor: Steve Martindale Write to: The Bugle Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois France

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3

NOVEMBER 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

British woman has died following a complication after a Caesarian section operation at a private Aquitaine clinic near Pau in the south of the region. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the tragedy following revelations that the Belgian anaesthetist involved admitted to having a “pathological alcohol problem”. The on-call anaesthetist, who had been working at the clinic for just 2 weeks, administered an epidural to the British expatriate before heading off to have “a glass of rosé” with friends, news agency AFP reported. At 10pm and with the birth not proceeding as hoped, it was decided to carry out a Caesarian section. At this point the medical team recalled the anaesthetist, who was alleged

to smell of alcohol and was by her own admission in a “daze”. “After the baby was delivered in good health, it was quickly clear that the dose of anaesthetic was not sufficient and the woman was in pain,” said Jean-Christophe Muller, the local public prosecutor. “A further dose of anaesthetic was administered, but very rapidly the medical team realised the woman was having difficulty breathing and asked the anaesthetist to put her on an artificial respirator.” The anaesthetist struggled to insert a breathing tube and, as the investigation subsequently revealed, ended up placing it into the patient’s oesophagus and not her windpipe. Starved of oxygen, the woman fell into a coma and died several days later.

When the doctor arrived for police questioning a few days later she was revealed to have 2.16g/L of alcohol in her blood, more than four times the French drink drive limit of 0.5g/L. It was at this point that she admitted having a problem with alcohol which she said she needed to prevent hand tremors. “The night of the incident, I drank half a 500 ml bottle of a mixture of vodka and water. I was not drunk, I was at 70 per cent of my capacities,” investigating judges quoted her as saying. “I need vodka so that I don’t shake.” The anaesthetist has been charged with “aggravated manslaughter”, for which she faces a maximum 5 years in prison, and the regional health authority is deciding whether to permanently close the private clinic. ■

igh-end handbag manufacturer Hermès, which has a significant presence in the Dordogne, has been fighting an unusual public relations battle recently following a number of complaints from customers that their bags have a strange smell... of marijuana! Others have complained that the smell is more reminiscent of the odour released by skunks and the problem has been dubbed “Skunk Stinky Syndrome” by the New York Post, which has printed a number of the complaints. According to American news channel CNN, Purseblog, an online forum dedicated to handbags, has registered over 2,000 posts from unhappy customers. The handbags concerned, which can cost discerning shoppers as much as €15,000 a pop, were manu-

Locally made handBritish woman dies after botched Caesarian bags cause a stink

factured in 2013 and 2014 and are of the famous Birkin model, as well as the Kelly range. Consumers are understandably upset as they are often placed on lengthy waiting lists for the iconic handmade bags. The Hermès factory on the outskirts of Nontron is a big local employer, with around 300 people working at the facility. The luxury retailer took over the site when the old Adidas factory closed in 1990 with the loss of 200 jobs. A further 120 people work at a similar

“A traditional stove is an investment for life that you will fall in love with. Easy to install, it will work on a simple 16 amp socket. Elegant, versatile and with a gentle heat, the Everhot stove will become the heart of your kitchen.”

factory in nearby Montbron (department 16) - a number which is set to double in the coming year. It has not been revealed if the handbags concerned were made at either of these sites. According to correspondence apparently sent out to customers, the problem, which is worse in warm weather, is a result of the tanning process and affects a batch of leather supplied by one of the company’s sub-contractors, although Hermès has yet to officially comment on the issue. ■

4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

ne of the great pleasures of living in France is sitting down with a fresh, buttery, early morning croissant. This staple of French cuisine has been under fire in recent years as increasing numbers of bakeries choose to buy their viennoiseries (croissants, brioches, pains au chocolat, etc.) from industrial factories and simply heat them up on site - it was recently estimated that up to half of all boulangeries now adopt this method. A bakery can buy an industrially prepared croissant from a catalogue for as little as 20 cents, a price hard to match when hand-

making a ‘true’ pure butter croissant. If you are a big fan of ‘proper’ croissants pur beurre, however, then you might consider making a trip to Guillaume Storini’s bakery, La Boulange, in CoulounieixChamiers just outside Périgueux, which has just won the award for best butter croissant in the Dordogne. Failing that, for a 40-90g croissant, made by hand, containing pure butter and with no additives, you could also try Fournil de la Cité in Périgueux, or Jean-Jacques Teillet in Château l’Evêque, second and third place in the competition respectively. ■

Dordogne’s public phone boxes disappearing As mobile phones and wireless networks have become more and more prevalent, the number of pubic telephone boxes, as well as their usage, has plummeted. Once, the telephone box was an important feature of towns and villages and queues to make a call were not unknown, but they are now increasingly seen as outdated, expensive to maintain and unnecessary (see page 14). After a number of phone boxes were

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Complies with all new handicap and ﬁre safety laws. Excellent location with large terrace, min. 50 covers authorised by mairie, 46 covers inside. This was to be our next project but, alas, now you can open this up and put your own personality into it. Situation very close to two big campsites for massive seasonal boost, plus a huge weekly market outside the door will more than cover your expenses alone. Turnover of at least €200,000 easily envisageable for this prime site. 2 bed ﬂat included above. Price €20,000 - Rent €775 monthly. Vendor will be available if required for ongoing support/advice/ handover to make sure your business is a success. Both businesses have valid licences in place. These businesses are priced for a very rapid sale. Property/buildings/land could possibly be taken in part exchange to facilitate a fast sale. NO AGENCY FEES.

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BUSINESSES FOR SALE - BUSINESSES FOR SALE

BUSINESSES FOR SALE - BUSINESSES FOR SALE - BUSINESSES FOR SALE - BUSINESSES FOR SALE

Since the end of October, six new free television channels are now available across the Dordogne through a standard TNT receiver. They join the 17 digital channels already in existence in the department; you will need to re-tune your television, however. The new channels are HD1, L’Équipe 21, 6ter, Numéro 23, RMC and Chérie 25, which will be numbered 20-25 respectively. The upgrade to France’s TV network began in December 2012 and has gradually been rolled out across the country. As part of phase 11 of the 13-phase project, the Dordogne is fairly late to the party - the final two areas to be upgraded will be completed by June next year. Those who watch their television by satellite or through an internet-enabled box may already be familiar with the new channels where they have been available for some time. Operators have warned that there may be small black spots across the region where the signal is not strong enough to receive these new channels; if you struggled to receive digital channels via TNT when the analogue signal was switched off in 2010, then you could have the same problem now with the 6 new channels. Full information can be found on the website www.toutelatnt.fr ■

Department’s best croissant unveiled

Six new TNT channels go live in Dordogne

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

removed recently in Périgueux, there are only 8 left and this will become just 2 next year. “We are simply applying the rules,” explained Jean-Marc Colin, community director at Orange. “At least one telephone box for communes of fewer than 1,000 people and at least two for communes larger than 2,000.” The problem is one of profitability according to Orange: “Phone traffic falls by 40% every year, and the average usage is just 1 minute per month!

In 1995 there were 300,000 phone boxes in France, 200,000 at the turn of the century and today there are just 75,500.” In the Dordogne there are 660 public telephone boxes left. Despite many of the phones standing untouched for weeks on end between phone calls, the public do not want to see them go: a recent survey by Sud Ouest revealed that 64.3% of people were against their removal. ■

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, BORDEAUX AND S.W. FRANCE BRANCH NEEDS YOU

I am writing to you to ask for help please. The Royal British Legion continues to raise millions each year to help our injured military, and to support their families. Although we are withdrawing from Afghanistan there are still conflicts where British military are involved, and there remains an ongoing need from previous campaigns. We are fast approaching the time of poppies again and I would ask you to show your support for this fantastic charity by wearing a poppy this year. There are other items such as centenary pins, wrist bands, stickers and why not let your car wear a poppy. All you have to do is make a donation where you see a Royal British Legion collector - they will all be carrying official collectors badges. You can always volunteer to be a Poppy Collector and I will be more than happy to supply you with poppies, tins, badges and information. However you feel that you can help those who have given so much to help us live as we do today, do it with a generous spirit. If we all stand shoulder to shoulder giving support we can help. Please do not hesitate to email me if you want more information, poppies by post, a tray of poppies and a collection tin. My email address is below. With thanks and gratitude on behalf of The Royal British Legion, Bordeaux and South West France. Poppies by Post is available for everyone – regardless of where you live. Just email your requirements and your order will be in the post the next day. Brenda Vockings PAO Royal British Legion, Bordeaux and South West France vockings@btinternet.com

NOVEMBER 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5

6 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

Local couple are nuts about nuts! Letter from the gathering is done by hand. As the ripe “bogues” - the spiny husks covering the nuts - fall from the branches, the Goodas pick them up, load them onto their mini pick-up and trailer and take them to be husked in the orchard’s hangar. The bogues are impossible to even touch with bare hands, let alone pick up, due to their fearsome spines. Paul wears 2 pairs of leather gloves, but Maureen prefers to use a mechanical picking stick. Back in the UK, before retiring, Paul ran his own training centre for gas technicians and Maureen worked in retail. Now they spend at least 4 months of the year in the north of the Dordogne, returning to the UK for family and business. “Some people think we are crazy to spend our time in France working hard like this, but we love it” says Paul. “This is our choice. It’s what we want to do.” As the harvest progresses the Goodas strip off the bogues, check the surface of each shiny nut and load them ready for the wholesaler in Piégut-Pluviers. The visual check is for insect attack, which may spoil the appearance and flavour of the nut. Any infected kernels are discarded as déchets, although in an average year only about 1.5% of the crop is affected. The Gooda’s chestnuts are rated as “extra A” by the wholesaler and command a respectable price before being washed, dried and repacked. “We don’t find out what we’ve earned until the wholesaler sends us a cheque in January,” explained Paul. “We expect to harvest several tonnes and the price is usually somewhere between €1.20 and €2.35 per kilo.” As well as dealing with the harvest, Paul has learned how to keep his trees

trenches of WWI

The Bugle was recently contacted by Laurent Bergine, an English teacher at the Maine de Biran Lycée in Bergerac, to get involved with a project to commemorate the start of WWI. As part of the project, the students - who are aged around 16 and have been studying English for 5-7 years - were challenged to write a letter from the trenches to a loved one back home. The standard was high, but after much debate we chose a letter by Margaux LAJOUX as our winner...

ost people would be offended if they were referred to as a “nutter”. The opposite is true, however, of Paul and Maureen Gooda from Savignac-de-Nontron. They are proud to be amongst the prestigious chestnut growers of the north Dordogne. The Goodas, who hail from East Anglia, came to the Dordogne in 2008. Like many UK settlers looking for a place to live, they had a “coup de foudre” - love at first sight - with what is today their French home. But this one had a difference, in the form of a chestnut orchard. “We thought it was just a nice feature at first, a bit of decorative greenery,” Paul told The Bugle. “Then we got interested, learned more about chestnuts and now we absolutely love everything to do with them!” Their 10 hectares of land contain 1.5 hectares of chestnut trees. “We have 3 main varieties,” says Maureen: “Marigoule, Précoce Migoule and Bouche de Bétizac. They are all big and excellent for eating.” Chestnuts have played a key role in French cuisine since the stone age; the Romans considered them a main food staple. Until Antoine-Augustin Parmentier introduced potatoes in the 18th century as food for the masses rather than animal fodder, chestnuts were an everyday basic in France. Nowadays, more a delicacy than a kitchen staple, the chestnut is frequently presented as purée or a sophisticated dessert, marron glacé. Coincidentally, the South-West’s last specialist marron glacé manufacturer is based in Nontron, less than 5km away from the Gooda’s orchard. As October moves into November the Goodas are busy harvesting. All the

14th November 1916

My dearest love, Maureen and Paul and lots of chestnuts healthy and productive. A French couple from Abjat, Michel Garaud and his partner Marie-José, taught Paul how to restore the trees damaged by deer, which are constantly nibbling the bark. “The opening in the bark gets chancre, a kind of tree cancer,” explains Paul. “I strip away the damage and clean the area and hopefully the tree will heal and close up the exposed inner wood. Nature is wonderful. Sometimes, when a tree is too far gone it will even send up a healthy new shoot from the roots to replace the dying tree.” As November creeps on, Maureen is already planning her sweet and savoury seasonal recipes based around châtaignes from the Périgord: soup, polenta, pâté, stews, stuffing, pancakes, truffle cake, sweet purée topped with cream, and of course “chestnuts roasting by an open fire…” Yes, it’s nearly that time of year already! ■ by Brian Hinchcliffe

I received your last letter with the photo of us and our boy, Harry. It was lovely to hear from you. If you need help, just go and visit my mother when you want, to look after Harry for instance. I hope that all our family is fine and that your brother recovers from his injury. I think of you at every moment of every day. I put your photo in my helmet, I glance at it each time I’m afraid or when I’m sad. You give me the strength to continue. Life in the trenches is very difficult, it’s often cold, it rains all the time and makes the ground muddy. There are fleas and lice in the camp and we are constantly starving. We sleep on each other, it’s horrible! Last night, the general sent me to the front. I saw every soldier fall to the ground. I didn’t want to use my weapon, but I was obliged. I can picture the faces of people I have killed. A lot of my comrades were hurt when they came back and several were dead because of shells which had burst everywhere. This war is a nightmare! For Christmas, I’ll get permission to come back, I can’t wait to hold you in my arms. I miss you so much. Now that Harry is three years old, he must have grown so much, since I went away. I’ll be able to play with him when this war is over. Tell everyone that I’m fine, that I’m resisting and that I think of them a lot. With all my love, XX unknown soldier

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7

NOVEMBER 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

France begins Ebola border checks

As West Africa struggles to bring the Ebola crisis under control, France has begun to carry out checks on passengers arriving from Guinea, one of the worst affected countries. Since mid-October, travellers disembarking at Paris must have their temperature taken before being allowed to proceed through customs. Unions representing flight attendants and other staff have called for services between Paris and the Guinean capital Conakry to be suspended until the epidemic is brought under control, claiming that the daily flights “carry a serious risk of spreading the epidemic, particularly in our country”. Air France has already suspended flights to Sierra Leone after staff voiced similar concerns. The fight against the deadly disease will receive a boost after French scientists developed a device that can check for Ebola in just 15 minutes. Trials at a high-security lab have validated the technique and prototype kits, which work in a similar way to home pregnancy kits, should be available in Ebola-hit countries by November, France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) said in a statement. ■

Major health system reforms

he government presented a package of 50 health reforms in a draft bill to parliament in October. As part of the changes, patients would no longer have to pay up front to visit their GP and a doctor would be available 24 hours a day by phone. The bill would also like to see a new offence introduced for “encouraging binge drinking”. Under the current system, patients pay their GP for a consultation and then reclaim the cost from the healthcare system via a valid carte vitale. This is different to a visit to the pharmacy where pharmacists are able to check a patient's cover via their carte vitale and also whether they have mutuelle top-up cover. Provided they have full cover no money changes hands and the pharmacist is reimbursed directly by the State. If the proposals are adopted, then a visit to the doctor will follow this basis. “If the tiers-payant works at pharmacies, it should be able to work everywhere else,” said Health Minister Marisol Touraine, when first proposing the changes late last year. She admitted that there was “a considerable technical challenge” in linking doctors surgeries with the estimated 400 different mutuelles in France, but said “it will be a major advance for patients”. The other big change contained in the reforms is the introduction of a specific offence for encouraging binge drinking; breaking this new law could land offenders with a €15,000 fine and a year in jail. Binge drinking amongst the young is still seen as a very British problem and “la beuverie express” is most

Indian summer boost to tourism There was a surprise boost for tourism in France during October when temperatures rocketed to an unseasonal

HOUSE SALE

often referred to in France using the English term "le binge drinking". It is now officially defined in France as “the massive intake of alcohol, generally in a group, aiming at causing drunkenness in the shortest possible time”. No details were given by the health minister as to how any law, if passed by parliament, would be enforced. It is hoped that the new law could put an end to “bizutages” – initiation ceremonies carried out at universities and higher education establishments, which often involve encouraging new students to get dangerously drunk. Touraine said combatting alcohol abuse among the country's youth was a “priority”.

high in parts of the country. The hottest place to be was Biarritz where the mercury topped 30°C over the weekend of 18/19 October, but temperatures also got as high as 25°C in Paris. According to France's meteorological agency, Météo France, these were the highest temperatures recorded for this time of year since 1954 - the average is typically 16°C in the north and 19°C in the south. As people across the

country took advantage of the warm weather, many headed to the beach. One volunteer lifeguard group in Biarritz even reported for duty due to the large number of swimmers taking to the water. ■

Le Pen to go to driving school The leader of the far-

“It will be made illegal to sell products that make alcohol appear pleasant,” she told RTL radio, adding that these products included “telephone cases or T-shirts that show amusing scenes based on drunkenness”. Elsewhere in the bill are plans to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, the banning of smoking in cars transporting under-12s and also a ban on e-cigarettes in some public places. Most controversially, the bill includes plans for the long-discussed “shooting galleries” - dedicated locations where intravenous drug users can inject with clean needles and under supervision from health workers. ■

right Front National, Marine Le Pen, will have to take a driving course to regain her licence after she failed to convince a judge that she should never have lost it. Although the news has only now been made public, Le Pen initially lost her licence in 2012 after a series of 8 offences, but has spent the last 2 years challenging that ruling, claiming that it was in fact her chauffeur who had been driving her car. “In reality, these of-

fences were not committed by me. While using a chauffeur to drive my own car I suffered the loss of these points because I didn’t want to get the driver in trouble,” she said at a hearing in October. The judge at the court in Lille disagreed and Le Pen must now pay to take a driving course. Successfully completing this course will see four points returned to her licence and will allow her to drive again. ■

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editor@thebugle.eu

Open house Saturday 22 November

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8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

France challenges EU over budget >> continued from pg 1 what we announced last spring.” The European Commission says it is waiting for France to formally submit its 2015 plan before it makes a decision on whether to ask for revisions. Prime Minister Manual Valls insists that France will stick to its budget plans and the stand-off is fast becoming a test of the Commission’s new powers. The situation is made more complicated by the fact that its economic affairs commissioner, who will ultimately decide whether to throw out France’s budget, is the former finance minister, Pierre Moscovici. When Moscovici was appointed to this role, his opponents on the right claimed he would be soft on his homeland, but he insisted that he would hold all member

states, including France, to the same standards on public spending targets. Major changes in the budget are a 2 cent rise on diesel, a large increase in the cost of stamps and reduced parental leave following the birth of a child. The price of a TV licence will also rise by €3 to €136. The 2 cent rise in diesel will be added to a 2 cent increase previously agreed last year, meaning that a litre of diesel will cost 4 cents more from the 1st January. The diesel price rise has also been passed on to lorry drivers following their recent victory in the ongoing battle with the government over the écotaxe (see below). As France’s postal service struggles to cope with the drop in the amount of post it delivers, La Poste has implemented its largest ever price rises. The

cost of a 20g timbre rouge, the equivalent of a first class stamp in the UK, will rise by 15%, going from 66 cents to 76 cents. Those of us regularly sending post across the Channel will also notice the difference from January when the standard 83 cent stamp to Europe will rise in price by 14% to 96 cents. The sweeping changes to France’s income tax rules, featured in last month’s edition of The Bugle, have also been confirmed. By removing the 5.5% tax band that applies to income between €6,011 - €11,991, as many as 9 million households will pay less tax, with 3 million of those paying none at all in 2015. The move will cost the government an estimated €3.2 billion, but is seen as vital to head off challenges from the within the left wing of the ruling Socialist Party. ■

Ecotax scrapped... again

Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal A final blow to the government's coffers came with the news that the scrapping of the planned taxes will result in an €800 million compensation payout to Ecomouv', the consortium that had been given the contract to collect the new tax. ■

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Major child benefit changes announced

One of the pillars of the French welfare system has always been universal child benefits: if you have 2 or more children, then you receive a fixed child benefit payment each month, whether you are the president or a plumber. This is all now set to change following the government's announcement that child benefit payments will be linked to income from July 2015. For households earning more than €6,000 per month the benefit payment will be halved and for those earning more than €8,000 the payment will be a quarter of the base figure. Government figures suggest that the changes could save €400 million in 2015, rising to €800 million in 2016 and each subsequent year. Despite these large savings, and the fact that only 13% of the wealthiest households would be affected, the fundamental changes to the child support system have come under widespread attack. François Fondard, president of the Union nationale des associations familiales (Unaf), said: “The principle of universality was already fragile. This reform signs its death certificate and transforms our family and social politics.” “It’s a measure of social justice,” said MP Marie-Françoise Clergeau, who is leading the family section of the 2015 budget, speaking to Les Echos. “We are letting families with modest means and middle incomes hold on to their spending power.” The MP went on to argue that the principle of universality had not been compromised, as “all families will [still] receive benefits”. ■

rance's HGV drivers have scored yet another victory over the government after Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal announced that the planned péage de transit poids-lourds would be scrapped. This tax was itself a watered down version of the original écotaxe proposals that were scrapped following violent protests last year in Brittany. The latest version of the ecotax was to be applied to lorries weighing more than 3.5 tonnes on 4,000km of the country's road network - a significant decrease on the 15,000km proposed as part of the original ecotax - with the money raised earmarked to maintain roads and divert lorries from urban areas. Transport unions had said the planned GPS system that would be used to track the distances travelled by a lorry was costly and that implementing the tax would cost companies an extra 10% a year. Drivers had been planning a series of roadblocks across the country in protest. Whilst drivers' unions were celebrating their latest victory, the scrapping of the tax was slammed by the national secretary of the Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV) party, Emmanuelle Cosse, who told i-Télé: “I am scandalised that in this country, just as a new law on greener energy is being discussed, we are not capable of having measures strong enough to fight against air pollution and other matters when it comes to road use.” Ségolène Royal later said that the government would now seek to recoup the €320 million that the tax would have raised through new taxes on motorway toll companies. France's official competition watchdog recently judged that the 20-24 per cent return on investment being offered by these companies was excessive. However, Finance Minister Michel Sapin warned that taxing the toll companies would ultimately lead to either a rise in the price of tolls, or a lengthening of the time they are allowed to operate.

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Parents challenge courts DVLA announces UK over child vaccinations licence clampdown

couple who refused to have their children vaccinated against polio, diphtheria and tetanus have appeared before a court in France accused of mistreating their infants. Samia and Marc Larère have now had their case referred to the country's highest legal authority, the cour de cassation, to decide whether a parent's right to refuse inoculations is a constitutional issue. If the couple are found guilty of mistreating their children, aged 3 and 15 months, they face up to two years in prison and a €30,000 fine. They argue that the obligatory vaccinations may do more harm than good and their case has sparked a national debate on France’s strict laws on vaccines. “I'm ready to make a lot of sacrifices in order not to play Russian roulette with my children’s health,” Marc Larère told France Info radio before the hearing. “There are serious studies carried out today that prove that vaccines can make our children ill more than protect them,” Samia Larère told journalists. “There are additives, like mercury and

aluminium, which are dangerous.” She added that their family had become wary of the “giants of the French pharmaceutical industry”. The couple have argued that the only vaccines on offer also combined vaccinations for other diseases, including whooping cough, hepatitis B and meningitis, which are recommended but not obligatory. They further claim that even the individual vaccines for polio, diphtheria and tetanus, sent to them directly by the Sanofi Pasteur laboratory, also contained “toxic products”. “This couple are not anti-vaccinations and they don't belong to a pressure group or sect,” said their lawyer, Emmanuel Ludot. “They are OK with vaccinations, but they are not OK with additives. I will do everything possible to have their case referred to the constitutional court to see if these vaccines must really be imposed on children.” All French children are obliged to be inoculated against diphtheria, tetanus and polio (DTP) along with Italy, France is the only western European country that

obliges parents to vaccinate their children for DTP. Until 2007, children were also required to be vaccinated against tuberculosis (BCG). While the BCG is no longer compulsory, many schools and nurseries will not accept children who have not had the jab. Mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) jabs are not compulsory either, although doctors will strongly recommend parents to have their children inoculated. Professor Daniel Floret, who heads France’s Technical Council for Vaccination, warned that failure to inoculate children could lead to the return of diseases once believed to be eradicated. “Polio has come back to countries where it no longer existed, in Syria for example,” he told French daily Le Figaro. “We know very well that if we stop inoculating children, these illnesses re-appear. Vaccination remains extremely useful.” French Health Minister Marisol Touraine told iTélé that France would not tolerate the Larère family’s refusal to inoculate their children, saying that, “Freedom stops where public health begins”. ■

he Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the UK has announced a crackdown on drivers who fail to update their photo-card driving licences. The plastic card licences were first introduced 15 years ago and it is believed that around 30 million are in circulation today. The licences are typically valid for 10 years, at which point they need to be renewed, with an updated photo. The address on the card must also be current. The DVLA estimates that as many as 2 million photo-card licences may currently be out of date or incorrect - something that the DVLA is keen to stress could result in a £1,000 fine if stopped by British traffic police. The old paper licences are due to be phased out in 2015, when photo-card licences become mandatory. “Appearances can change and it is important that photo-card licences are updated every 10 years to ensure the police and other enforcement agencies have the best possible photograph to help them correctly identify whether a driving licence is being used fraudulently,” said Victoria Ford from the DVLA. “This helps prevent driving

Total boss dies in plane crash at Russian airport

hristophe de Margerie, the chief executive of French oil company Total, has died in an air crash in Moscow after his corporate jet collided with a snowplough and was then engulfed in flames. All four people on board were killed. Mr de Margerie, 63, had been chief executive of Europe's third largest oil company since 2007 and was highly regarded within the oil industry. His trademark facial hair had earned him the affectionate nickname “Big Moustache” with staff at petroleum giant Total, where he worked for his entire 40-year career. The oil company said in a statement: “Total confirms with deep regret and great sadness that chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie died just after 10pm (Paris time) on October 20 in a private plane crash at Vnukovo airport in Moscow, following a collision with a snow removal machine.” Vnukovo airport said that the Falcon Dassault business jet crashed as it prepared to take off for Paris. “During run-up at 11.57pm there was a collision with the airport’s snowplough. As a result of the crash the passenger and all the crew members died.” Although there had been snow in Moscow, it was not thought to be lying thick on the ground when the Dassault Falcon plane clipped the snowplough and burst into flames. Confusion surrounded why the snowplough was on the runway as a plane was taking off and rumours soon emerged that the driver was drunk at the time of the crash. Vladimir Martynenko later denied that he was drunk on Russian TV, claiming that he had be-

come disoriented in bad weather and was unaware he had entered the runway. “My client has chronic heart disease, he doesn't drink at all,” his lawyer Alexander Karabanov told Interfax news agency. As the investigation into the crash got under way, it was announced that five employees at the airport had been detained, including the head of runway cleaning, the chief air traffic controller and a trainee air traffic controller who had been directing the take-off. Christophe de Margerie was one of France's leading industrialists and was returning to Paris after a meeting on foreign investment with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at his country residence outside Moscow. Total is one of the biggest foreign investors in Russia and is planning to double its output from the country by 2020. ■

licence impersonation - stopping disqualified and perhaps dangerous drivers taking to our roads.” If you change your address or your name, you have to tell the DVLA, so that your driving licence and car registration details can be updated. The current address the authorities have for you should be shown at the bottom of the licence. The cost of renewing a licence is usually £20, but if you are merely updating your address, your new licence will be free. ■ Note: While citizens of EU countries are permitted to drive within France on the driving licence issued by their country of origin, UK driving licence holders moving to live in France should be aware that the DVLA do not allow foreign addresses on UK licences and you are required to exchange your licence for a French one at your local prefecture. You should also note that if you commit a driving offence in France which involves the addition of penalty points to your licence you will be obliged to change from a foreign to a French licence.

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John Lewis spark international incident

here was a brief cross-Channel spat recently when Andy Street, the boss of British retailer John Lewis, branded France “sclerotic” and a nation where “nothing works and nobody cares”. Street’s tirade came at a John Lewis awards event shortly after a business trip to Paris, where his return journey to London by Eurostar was delayed at Paris' Gare du Nord, which he described as “the squalor pit of Europe”. He also advised investors with money in French firms to get their cash out as quickly as possible. The executive was in Paris to receive a retail award, but even the trophy did not escape his rage, which he said was “made of plastic and is frankly revolting”. He added: “If I needed any further evidence of a country in decline, here it is. Every time [I see the award] I shall think, ‘God help France!’” The comments quickly spread across the internet and the boss of John Lewis, which has plans to launch a French language version of its website where shoppers can pay in Euros, was forced into an embarrassing “je m'excuse”. The businessman claimed that his comments were “supposed to be tongue in cheek” and “light-hearted views”, adding that “on reflection I clearly went too far and apologise unreservedly”. The controversy came shortly before a planned visit to

London by Prime Minister Manuel Valls and at one point it threatened to derail the trip. The French prime minister did accept the apology, but was then himself criticised when he added that Mr Street had perhaps “drunk too much beer” when he made the derogatory remarks. As the war of words escalated, David Buik, a city veteran and market commentator at Panmure Gordon, weighed in: “No, he wasn't drunk - the truth always hurts”, adding that “if the French all did one hour of work each more a day, they'd be far more productive”. The storm in this particular teacup eventually subsided and, during his trip to promote the French economy, Valls told journalists in London: “He has presented excuses and apologised, and I would like to thank him for doing that, because he had forgotten that France was the fifth largest economy in the world and the second in Europe.” The French embassy in London had the last word, releasing a statement which read: “Everyone who has lived in France knows that it enjoys world-class public services. Public transport, for example, is excellent, and at a price that Mr Street is unlikely to find in many countries. People working in France enjoy one of the best healthcare systems in the world. And ultimately, workers' average productivity is higher in France than in many other developed countries.” ■

Dream job up for grabs

n the current economic climate, and with unemployment running at well over 10%, there are usually a large number of applicants for every new job. Spare a thought, then, for the Human Resources department at one French hotel which is currently searching for someone to come and test their luxury hotel rooms. The successful applicant will be paid €2,000 for a 42-day contract to test the rooms and services at the Vertigo hotel after it opens in Dijon in mid-December. “Work” will involve testing out a different room each night in the 42-room hotel, all whilst making use of the complimentary electric BMW, spa, gym, restaurant, 24hour room service and private cinema. The job will also require the applicant to sample the food at local restaurants and even try out the local tours round the historic city of Dijon - all complimentary of course! Applicants for the job, which is available to anyone who speaks both French and English, will need to have good communication skills, and a creative flair in keeping with the hotel’s innovative ethos, according to the

hotel's general manager Clémence Carminati. After each day's hard graft, the lucky person chosen for the job will need to provide feedback to the hotel's management and post their opinions and photos on a variety of social media platforms. To apply, contact Clémence Carminati at c.carminati@ vertigohoteldijon.com Whilst this may sound like a dream job, it is also a savvy piece of marketing, with the value of the press generated far greater than the salary involved. It is not the first time this “dream job” tactic has been employed. In 2009, an Australian tourist board advertised the “best job in the world” when they sought a caretaker for a group of islands near the Great Barrier Reef, with free lodgings in a multi-million dollar villa and an attached salary of €75,000. It was estimated that for an overall investment of less than €1 million by Queensland Tourism, the “job” offer, which was eventually won by Brit Ben Southall, generated over €50 million of global publicity as well as winning several marketing industry awards! ■

Andy Street’s company had hoped to expand into France

Man given permission to marry his stepmum A couple have won a landmark battle to be allowed to marry, despite formerly being stepson and stepmother. French law specifically bans all unions between stepchildren and step-parents - even former ones - but following the court ruling Elisabeth Lorentz, 48, will marry Eric Holder, three years her junior, in the small village of Dabo in Alsace-Lorraine, northeastern France. The couple, who apparently have the full support of Ms Lorentz's former husband and Mr Holder's father, had argued their case all the way to the office of President François Hollande, only to get a letter confirming that such marriages were prohibited. Finally, the local court in Alsace-Lorraine, granted permission for the union, much to the joy of the happy couple. “At last, it's the big day! I simply hope that our story will be useful to other couples in our situation, because I know there are some,” Ms Lorentz told AFP news agency. The prosecutor's office, which had opposed the decision throughout, said that it did not intend to appeal. ■

France introduces law Guard sublets room inside top to ban plastic bags

rance looks set to become the latest country to ban single-use plastic bags after the proposal was included in an energy bill debated by parliament. The ban will come into force on 1st January 2016 if the bill is approved by the Senate, although it will not apply to re-usable or biodegradable bags. France’s ecology minister, Ségolène Royal, first outlined her plans to outlaw plastic bags from supermarket checkouts earlier this year. “It’s a very important step, which has been anticipated for a very long time by environmental associations. We don’t realize the extent to which non-biodegradable plastic bags lead to pollution and excessive waste, which can cause considerable harm, notably to fish,” said Royal at the time. France has already drastically reduced the number of plastic bags handed out by supermarkets over the past decade, thanks largely to a voluntary agreement; the number dropped from 10.5 billion in 2002 to 700 million in 2011. However, it is estimated that around five billion are still handed out at retail checkouts across the country each year and another 12 billion distributed at fruit and veg stalls. A number of countries around the world have already imposed outright bans on plastic bags, which are blamed for polluting countrysides and marine ecosystems. In 2012, Haiti outlawed all plastic bags and packaging in a bid to protect its coastal mangrove swamps, as did Bangladesh, where plastic bags are blamed for blocking sewage systems and exacerbating extreme flooding events. Other countries such as Ireland and Denmark

security prison

W have imposed taxes on bags, which have dramatically reduced consumption. According to 2010 EU statistics, France is one of the more conscientious countries in Europe, with inhabitants using around 80 plastic bags each year on average. Bottom of the class came Estonia, where each resident gets through an impressive 450 single-use bags. As is so often the case with surveys, Scandinavian countries could be found at the top of the class: people in Denmark and Finland use only four plastic bags on average each year! Also included in the same bill are proposals to ban disposable plates and cutlery by 2020 as well as plans to promote the development of electric cars, recycling and moves to prevent “planned obsolescence" in consumer goods, in which products are given an artificially-limited life and become unusable after a given time. France's reliance on nuclear energy will also be gradually reduced from 75% to just 50% by 2025. ■

hen searching for a place to live, one of the most important considerations is safety and local crime levels. So how about one “very secure” house available for rent until recently for €450 per week in Arles... inside a prison. Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, has one of the country's highest security prisons, housing 150 dangerous criminals in individual cells, and yet its deputy director was renting out his staff accommodation on internet site leboncoin.fr. All the short-term tenants needed to get into the house, located inside the prison walls at the foot of a watchtower and just metres away from the nearest cells, was a swipe card and a door code, according to Le Dauphiné Libéré daily newspaper. “Luxury house to rent. €75 a night, €450 a week. In a 'very secure' residence,” read the advert. According to the paper, the officer passed his tenants off as family members.

The house, one of several properties within the prison's walls housing prison staff, had been converted to allow the officer and his family to live in the garage while he rented out the upstairs accommodation. The game was up on the subletting scam when one of the tenants mistakenly tried to access one of the other properties within the prison and fellow guards reported the incident to prison authorities. No one from the Arles prison was available for comment on the affair, but local media said the officer, who had been working in the area for around a year, has not been seen on duty since the revelations and that he is the subject of an investigation by prison authorities. Prison unions told France Bleu Provence radio station they were annoyed by the story, particularly “in the context that working conditions for wardens are continuing to degrade”. ■

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 11

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In the garden - jobs for November

by Michelle Pierce

epending on which old wives you meet, and the tales they tell you, it's either going to be a dramatically cold winter, or another unseasonably mild one. Whichever it is, October's Indian Summer has surely been really agreeable in our gardens! And hopefully it may last a bit into early November, but there's no escaping the fact that the days are so much shorter, the nights so much cooler than a while ago and, if you work, it's hard to find daylight hours in the garden outside the weekends. That said, the recent water has really helped rehydrate gardens that were starting to look really poor and thirsty, and has also helped the later flowering perennials to keep going for that bit longer. Brilliant show from the asters and the dahlias this year! Pumpkins and squash are appearing in profusion in the shops and, although you mainly see the same few varieties over and over again, they remind me yet again of the vast array that's available to the gardener. Why just plant one type when you could have two, or three, or four...? Better still, get organised with friends to each grow a couple of types, and then have a share out of the harvest. Maybe an opportunity for lunch, or a barbecue?! When you harvest them, remember to leave them in a cool, well aired place for storage, and check regularly for rodents. The leaves are coming down off the trees - an excellent free resource to collect. Either spread them in a thick layer on clean beds, or pop them on the compost heap. I put a thick layer in my polytunnel, and as a mulch round trees and shrubs. If they are very thick leaves, say like those of walnuts, it doesn't harm to run the lawnmower over them, to shred them up. Other things can be cut back now - hedges, branches, herbaceous perennials - but remember that if you leave the debris in a pile something or other will try and shelter in it over the winter. It's best to decide straight away if you can leave it in a heap all winter, or if it's going to get on your nerves and end up being tidied away. If this is the case, do it immediately, to avoid disturbing wildlife. It makes a good addition to the compost heap - and acts as a less kitsch insect hotel. The weather has been mild up until recently, so things may well be in the early stages of growth if you've been sowing winter veg recently. Have a fleece handy to pop over them when the nights seem cold, and keep them well watered if the temperatures drop. Things sown in September should have made good progress, and may need thinning out. Some may even

be ready for harvesting soon, as young plants for salads, or baby greens. November is a good month to take a little time and wander round the garden thinking about any changes you might want to make. The majority of perennials still have their volume, so you can see whether they will be short of space or not next year. If they look as if they're going to be crowded, it's worth splitting up the clumps now and replanting the offshoots elsewhere. The same could be said for trees - branches that look as if they're going to go in the wrong direction, or crowd each other out need to be removed, preferably before the real frosts begin. So let's say the veg garden is under control, with some beds under cover waiting for the spring, and some planted up with winter veg, the blackcurrants were pruned back as needed, with the cuttings shoved into the ground to make new plants for next year. The

Le chrysanthème de la Toussaint Long ago, when I was first in France, I made the horrible faux pas of offering my neighbour a beautiful chrysanthemum at Toussaint (1st November), not knowing, as I do now of course, that all those glorious pots of chrysanthemums that suddenly find their way into the shops around this time are destined for your nearest and dearest in the cemeteries where they rest (hopefully in peace!) Sometimes it's hard to look at these fancy and made-up beauties and see that they could be nice in the garden. The poor devils seem so terribly far removed from real living things! However, that's to forget a large chunk of gardening history. When they were first brought back from China, they were a sensation. A flower that resisted cold temperatures?! And flowered at the end of the year when nothing else was in flower?! And had several colours?! And was single or double?! Wow!! We have rather lost this feeling of awe, but those artificial things that we see these days are the over-developed cousins of the first beauties. The old boys with their allotments in times past knew them fine, along with the asters and the dahlias. A rich show for the autumn. So maybe we should take a leaf out of their book, and go back to growing these lovely autumn flowers. Find varieties that are suitable for the garden. The pots in the shops have been grown quickly, under glass, for maximum flowering size. They can find it hard to adapt to real garden conditions, so may be better kept in big pots, but there are plenty of varieties of this large family, grown by nurseries as herbaceous perennials, that will be perfectly happy in the ground. Put them where you can see them, in the sun, and where they have a nice backdrop of other foliage to set them off. They are easy to grow, easy to propagate, and offer really good value. And the neighbours might understand if you offer them one, or more… ■

raspberries and strawberries have been sorted out, the extra plants removed to new homes, and the beds thickly mulched. Old canes or plants have been removed or cut back. The tayberries & loganberries have been similarly dealt with, with the recent new growth tied up to the supporting structures so that they don't sucker, and the gooseberries have had growth cluttering up the centres of the plants taken out. The apples have been collected and stored in well ventilated areas, as have the squashes, walnuts and hazelnuts. The grass is under control, with some areas left a bit longer for the wildlife, and others kept shorter, for the spring bulbs. These have been bought and planted in various areas of the garden, at reasonable depths (roughly twice the depth of the bulb) and their location carefully recorded in your garden notebook. The Virginia creeper has been pruned back after its glorious autumn colour and any invasive things have been a little reduced in volume. The water features have had the extra oxygenating plants removed, especially things like water hyacinths which are not hardy, and been tidied up a bit. Water butts will be emptied as soon as the big freezes start happening. The bird tables and bird feeders are in place, well away from cats and other pests, as are shallow water dishes. There are some places for the small mammals, invertebrates and insects to overwinter. So, all is well in your garden and you're ready for the winter. Congratulations!! The rest of us have some serious catching up to do but... “c'est la vie!!” Good gardening. ■

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12 ♦ FRENCH LIFE

The joys of a wood burning stove In last month’s Bugle, we featured the joys of owning a wood burning stove. In this issue we are going to unlock some of the mysteries surrounding the claims that manufacturers make about the power of their wood burners. If you’ve ever wondered how stove manufacturers are able to measure the heat output of their stoves, or if you are thinking of buying a new stove, then you may be interested to learn some of the facts behind the workings of a wood burner. With so many manufacturers out there giving us confusing information and figures about kilowatts, Btu’s, nominal and maximum outputs, it’s small wonder that so many of us are confounded about what they really mean. Having designed, built and tested wood burners of their own to strict European standards, who better to unlock some of the secrets of the stove business than the StoveSellers themselves. Let them warm us with some fascinating facts!

he amount of energy that a wood burning stove gives off is usually quoted nowadays in kilowatts (kW). Manufacturers typically give a maximum output and a nominal output value for their stove products but what do these actually mean? Last month we explained how to estimate the amount of heat that you need to heat a room in your French property, but if you require around 10kW of heat, this does not necessarily mean that you need a 10kW wood burner. You may need an average of 10kW, continuously, and therefore you need to look more closely at the nominal output of the stove. Buying a stove with a maximum output of 10kW is pretty pointless if it only gives around 6kW to the

room when it is ticking over. In order for you to understand these different figures you need to know how stoves are tested. When a stove is sent for its CE approval testing it will normally be sent to a European laboratory approved for the testing of heating appliances. The stove is placed on a test rig and weighed. The manufacturers will tell the testing laboratory what output the stove is to be tested at, the air control settings which should be used in order to obtain these results and the type of fuel that should be burnt. With a wood burner, a manufacturer would usually specify beech, but birch or hornbeam are permitted if they are available. The wood is carefully selected and will have a moisture content of between 12% - 20%.

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

The test engineer will start a chimney fan on the stove’s pipe to precisely control the updraft - this will again often be specified in advance by the manufacturer of the appliance. The engineer will then load the stove and weigh it on a platform scale that continuously monitors the stove’s weight as the fuel is burned through. He will use a quantity of wood with a calorific value equal to the stated output of the appliance. If the stove is to be a (nominal) 10kW model the engineer will put a fuel load equal to around 10kW in the stove – for example, around 3.5kg of beech. The manufacturers may want the stove to have a slightly higher or lower output than this in order to satisfy the demands of their individual markets. No problem! Just add or deduct more wood as necessary. As long as the wood burns through in its allotted time and gives the desired performance data to satisfy the EU then it will pass! As the wood burns, the stove quickly increases in temperature and the output will peak at around 14-15kW 20 minutes or so after the fuel has begun burning. Then the temperature will fall continuously for the remainder of the test period, which is usually around an hour, and the stove will be reweighed to ensure that all the wood is burnt through completely. The same test is repeated a second time and a third. When all the tests are complete the engineer chooses the test that gave the best results and all the associated data that was collated on the ‘data-loggers’ is used to determine the stove's efficiency and carbon monoxide outputs, etc. The stove must be able to reach a minimum efficiency of 70% in the UK and France and the carbon monoxide value must be less than 1.0% in the UK. In France, however, this figure must be 0.3% or less as France has stringent standards. If it does not meet these standards then customers buying the stove will not be able to qualify for some of the generous grants available, such as tax credits. Therefore, if you need to generate 10kW to heat your living space it can sometimes be prudent to buy a stove with a 14 or 15kW maximum output knowing that on ‘tick-over’ it will give you the desired output without the necessity to ‘over-fire’ the stove in order to generate its maximum quoted output. It

is important to be aware that the maximum outputs quoted by some manufacturers mean that this is the maximum that their stove should be used at, otherwise overheating conditions could occur. Other manufacturers claim that more heat generation is possible in their stoves provided that a bigger wood load is used and enough air can be drawn into the appliance for combustion purposes. For this reason it is always best that a smaller wood load is used in most stoves with only a small amount of air allowed into the firebox chamber for combustion rather than a big load of logs which are not able to burn sufficiently because of lack of air. You may have to refuel more frequently, but you will have a cleaner burning, more efficient appliance when it is used in this way. In order to ‘dampen’ down the stove to reduce the burn rate it is a good idea to use a flue damper device. A flue damper is a manual flap that is located in the pipe outlet spigot of the stove. You can control the draught, which is the air that is being drawn through into the stove, by adjusting the damper. You should only use a damper once the volatile materials in the wood have been burnt off and the wood is glowing orange/red, as this is the hottest part of the combustion process. Many people think that the fitting of flue dampers is illegal in France but they have been mis-informed. It is true that it is illegal to fit a device to the stove’s outlet pipe which partially or totally obstructs the flue but it is not illegal to fit one if the stove has been subject to CE approval and has the provision to have one fitted on the stove spigot by the manufacturer. If you have an appliance which fails to keep going overnight and burns all the wood away because of an excessive updraught then you are permitted to fit a barometric damper device to the stove pipe which allows air from the room to enter into the flue of the stove and negate the strength of the stove's updraught in this way. This is particularly true if you have a tall chimney which exhibits strong updraught characteristics. Never fit a damper if the stove is not approved to have one fitted. If you use the damper incorrectly and shut the stove down the products of combustion (including carbon monoxide) could leak back into the room through the appliance (especially if you have an extractor fan or hood fitted in the same room such as the kitchen). Getting your stove choice right is important if you do not want to be too hot or worse, too cold, but by understanding how they work you will be better armed to make the right choice before you buy incorrectly and make a costly mistake. Read carefully the specifications of your chosen stove before you buy and if you are unsure how much heat it will give out you should get some advice beforehand. It’s all too easy to buy the wrong stove for the wrong reasons but every year we meet many people who have done just that because they thought they knew better. Make sure that you are not next! ■ If you’d like to know more about the topics raised here, take a look at StoveSellers' website for more information on wood burning stoves and cookers, central heating systems, chimney installations and chimney sweeps at www.stovesellers.com or call 05.55.63.78.72

NOVEMBER 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Driving safely in France In our last issue, Prune Calonne, English-speaking lawyer in Toulouse and The Bugle’s resident expert, gave readers the basics on travelling by car in France while on holiday. In this issue, she will provide information on what to do in case of emergencies on the road, specificities of driving in France, practical tips on how to re-register your car and how to terminate a car insurance contract once you have settled in France. 1. EMERGENCY NUMBERS AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IN CASE OF A ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT If you happen to be involved in or witness an accident on a French road, and if you, your loved ones or a third party are injured, you MUST dial 17 (Police or Gendermarie) and you might want to call the firefighters and dial 18 (it is them who are to be called in case of a road traffic accident). The first thing you should do is get your warning triangle out and position it behind your car (or towards the coming traffic) to let other drivers know an accident has occurred. If the accident takes place on a motorway, please note that you should stay behind the hard shoulder as the life expectancy on motorways is on average of 20 mins! Then and only then, you can help others. Also note that it is an offence in France not to help others in danger. The offence is called “non-assistance à personne en danger”. If you are involved in a road traffic accident, you need to fill in a “constat amiable” - an accident report form. This document should be kept in your car at all times and can be obtained through your car insurance company. In theory this document needs to be filled in by all parties involved in the accident. If the other driver is unwilling to fill it in or does not wish to sign it, take his number plate (at the very least), his or her name (if he or she is willing to tell you). In the constat, write in the ‘observations’ box that the other driver(s) has refused to fill in or sign the document. If anyone else witnessed the scene, take their contact details as well. No matter what the circumstances are, fill in your side of the constat and try to make a drawing representing the positions of the differ-

ent vehicles when the accident occurred. Sign it and send it to your insurance company via recorded delivery letter with a receipt slip (“lettre recommandée avec avis de réception” / LRAR) within 5 days MAX of the accident. In theory, if your accident happened in France and if you reside permanently in this country, the form should be completed in French. You do not need to write much. If you really cannot, still fill in the form, send it to the insurance company within the time limit, via LRAR and then wait to hear from your insurer. 2. SPECIFIC FRENCH ROAD TRAFFIC RULES a) PRIORITÉ À DROITE This is the most specific and the most basic French rule that does not exist in the UK. If you do not see any road sign or any line on the road, then the driver arriving on your right has priority over you even if he comes from a smaller road. If you have been unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident because you ignored this rule, you have to be aware that you will be held responsible for the accident by insurance companies. If I had a practical tip for people who relocate to France and wish to drive safely, it would be to buy a “code de la route” to familiarize yourself with French road signs. They are quite different from the ones in the UK and it can be confusing on an everyday basis. It could also prevent fines as nowadays police controls are on the increase.

about. 3. DRIVING LICENCE Driving in France is allowed for anyone above 18 with a European driving licence. You do not need to get a French driving licence, unless you have committed an offence in France (to the French road traffic code), in which case you must exchange your licence for a French one. Until recently, in France, when a driving licence is issued, 12 points are awarded and each offence means that points are withdrawn, contrary to the UK, where it is the other way round. Please note that nowadays, new drivers are not awarded the full 12 points until the end of a 3-year probationary period. Only 6 points are granted to young drivers at first. For any query over the amount of points left on your driving licence, you need to ask your nearest ‘prefecture’. Do not bother calling or emailing, as no info will be given to you for confidential reasons. The best thing to do is to go online on the “télépoints” website (www. télépoints.info) or ask by post via LRAR, with enclosed copy of your ID and driving licence. Finally, in this country, there is no longer road tax (vignette) to be paid annually. ■ For more information, please do not hesitate to contact: Prune CALONNE, Avocat au Barreau de Toulouse, 117 route d’Albi, 31200 Toulouse

b) ROUNDABOUTS

Phone: 05 34 30 51 33 Mobile: 06 74 16 11 12 Email: scpcalonneadouedugast@hotmail.fr Web: www.cad-avocats.com

The ‘priorité à droite’ rule does not apply on roundabouts, but you must give way to cars which are already positioned on the round-

My firm can arrange appointments in CAHORS at our correspondent’s offices. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details.

PRACTICAL ♦ 13

Processionary caterpillars

any urban and forest trees seem to be in a state of decline; this could be down to disease, general decay, climate change... or perhaps the ravages of the processionary caterpillar, or chenille processionnaire as it is known in France. The two main species of processionary caterpillar are the Pine Processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa), and the Oak Processionary (Thaumetopoea processionea). For the sake of this article, I will refer only to the pine processionary caterpillar. The life cycle is similar but the obvious food source differs. Around this time of year, you might notice visible, white, candyfloss-like silk cocoons in pine trees. The cocoons are often positioned to benefit from the maximum amount of sunshine and they could contain thousands of caterpillars. The caterpillars gorge on the tree pines at night to avoid predators, returning to the cocoon during the day to digest food and for extra warmth. In early spring, the fully developed caterpillars, having shed their skin 5 times, will climb down the trees in large processions following the pheromone of the one in front, hence the name - some processions have been measured at over 50 metres long! They will dig themselves into the ground and then develop into adult moths. The caterpillars are not only bad for the health of the pine trees they feed on; dogs and children should be kept well away from them. The backs of these larvae are covered with up to 60,000 pointed defensive

bristles (setae) which all contain a toxin. The setae break off readily, become airborne and can cause dermatitis, rash, severe itching, conjunctivitis and, if inhaled, severe damage to tongues, throat and lungs. Cats, fortunately for them, seem to have an inherent fear of the larvae so it is rare for a cat to be affected. There are several ways of treating the problem, for example cutting down and burning the cocoon. Be very careful, however, as the cocoons are full of hairs. You should wear a face mask and gloves, a disposable boiler suit is a good acquisition. This can be done any time from late summer to early spring the earlier the better to save damage to your trees. A naturally occurring biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis-kurstaki (Btk) is used by professionals. Its spores are ingested by the caterpillars who stop feeding and die within a few days. It can be applied, via a spray, directly to the cocoon from autumn to spring. 25 years of testing have shown little or no effect on humans, soil, animals or pollenating insects (bees). There are also a number of traps available on the internet, which use naturally occurring pheromones to attract either the moth in late spring/early summer, or the caterpillar in early spring. For more information on processionary caterpillars, or how to deal with them, please contact Robert Moon from Applicateur 3D: 02 48 60 83 72 06 74 33 02 38 www.applicateur3d.com

Property Capital Gains Taxation

nder the terms of the current Double Tax Treaty between the UK and France, any gain arising on the sale of a UK secondary property, by a tax resident of France, would be taxable in France. The French rules then say that Capital Gains Tax on the sale of a ‘second’ property is currently at a set rate of 19%, with no allowance for inflation. However, there is an allowance for the length of time the property has been held. The taxable gain benefits from progressive taper relief, with a reduction of 6% pa, for every year of ownership over the first 5 years and up to the 21st year. A reduction of 4% applies in the 22nd year, giving 100% relief after 22 years. Importantly, the gain will also be subject to ‘Social Taxes’ (currently at 15.5%) and will benefit from a lesser level of taper relief of 1.65% pa for the first 21 years. On the 22nd year only the relief is 1.6%, however, the reduction rises rapidly from then on, so that gains become exempt from “contributions sociales” after 30 years.

For larger gains exceeding €50,000, after the application of taper relief, there is a capital gains ‘surtax’ of between 2% and 6%. Within each tax band, per €50,000 gain threshold, there is a “dampening” mechanism for reducing the level of the charge for the first €10,000 of gain in that band. Following an announcement in the 2013 UK Autumn statement, sales of UK property will be subject to UK Capital Gains Tax on UK non-residents. This measure will take effect from April 2015 with tax paid in the UK receiving a credit against the calculated French tax liability. ■ Peter Wakelin is Regional Manager of Siddalls France, Independent Financial Advisers, specialised in tax, inheritance, pension and investment planning for the British community in France since 1996. Telephone 05 56 34 75 51 Email: bordeaux.office@siddalls.net Web: www.siddalls.fr

14 ♦ BILINGUAL

LEARNING FRENCH VIA INTERNET

Perhaps you would like to learn French in comfort at home or from your ofﬁce? You are not in France and you wish to communicate with a native French person for one hour per week? LONG-DISTANCE LEARNING is the answer. You only need internet access and a free Skype account. It can be a one-to-one lesson or you can share the lesson with a person of the same level.

TRANSLATION SERVICES ALSO AVAILABLE

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

The red telephone box

he classic British red telephone box was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott and first came into use in 1926. The early version, made from cast iron, was originally known as the “K2” as it was the second generation of public telephone phone box design, replacing a previous unpopular concrete version. Over the next decade, several other designs were brought into service before the K6 was introduced in 1936. The design never changed again and it is the red K6 telephone box that has become the iconic symbol of Britain, recognised across the world, along with the red post box and the red London bus. By the end of the 1930s, there were 20,000 K6 telephone boxes in use and when production finally stopped in 1968, around 70,000 could be found across the country. Sadly, the phone boxes

were regularly vandalised and were often poorly maintained. When British Telecom was privatised in the early 1980s, the iconic K6 boxes were removed, to be replaced by a more modern version that were cheaper to build and easier to maintain. Thousands of the very popular telephone boxes were sold off to the public, although 2,000 were granted protected status and it is estimated that a total of 11,000 still remain in service today. With the arrival of the mobile phone, telephone boxes have become increasingly redundant, with fewer and fewer people using them to make calls. It is estimated that the majority of telephone boxes actually lose money and every year large numbers are removed from towns and

villages across the country. Just when it seemed that the future of the traditional red telephone box lay in a museum, a recent idea has potentially given it a new role in modern society... as a solar powered mobile phone charging station. The boxes are being painted green and fitted with solar panels and a variety of attachments for mobile phones and tablets. These “Solarboxes” are free to use and can charge up to 100 phones a day, boosting batteries by 20% in ten minutes. Other recent ideas for ways to use the country's K6 telephone boxes have seen them fitted with life-saving defibrillators, transformed into tiny public libraries and, in one case, become a pub for the night! ■

e modèle classique de la cabine téléphonique britannique rouge fut conçu par Giles Gilbert Scott et mis en service en 1926. Fabriquée en fonte, on lui attribua le nom de K2 car elle faisait suite à une première génération de cabines en béton au design peu populaire. Pendant une décennie, de nouveaux modèles se succédèrent jusqu’à l’introduction de la K6 en 1936. Dès lors, le design resta le même et la cabine téléphonique K6 devint un emblème de la Grande-Bretagne mondialement connu, au même titre que la boîte à lettres rouge ou le bus rouge londonien. A la fin des années 30, 20 000 cabines K6 étaient en service et lorsque leur production cessa en 1968, on pouvait en trouver 70 000 dispersées sur le territoire. Malheureusement, les cabines étaient régulièrement vandalisées et dans l’ensemble, mal entretenues. Quand British Télécom fut privatisé au début des années 80, les cabines emblématiques K6 furent remplacées par une version

SIRET 502 409 212 00011 – APE 8559B

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

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

Bilingual Crossword Clues in English - answers in French

Across:

Down:

5. bag (3)

1. radius (5)

6. friendships (7) 8. tortoises (7) 9. meadow (3) 11. feather duster (7) 14. here (3) 15. baskets (7) 17. textbooks (7) 18. street (3)

2. raincoat (11) 3. summer (3) 4. subway (5) 7. pen (5) 10. sailor (5) 12. ocean (5) 13. organ (5) 16. hard (3)

Bilingual crossword solution can be found on page 18

plus moderne, à la fabrication moins onéreuse et à l’entretien plus aisé. Jouissant d’une grande popularité, elles furent vendues par milliers au public, à l’exception de 2 000 d’entre elles qui bénéficièrent d’un statut privilégié. A ce jour, il reste environ 11 000 cabines en service.

Après l’introduction sur le marché des téléphones portables, les cabines téléphoniques, de moins en fréquentées, firent double emploi. Financièrement déficitaires dans leur majorité, elles sont désormais retirées des villes et des villages d’année en année. Alors que la traditionnelle

cabine téléphonique semblait destinée à être exposée dans un musée, l’idée a récemment germé de lui attribuer un nouveau rôle dans la société moderne… celle d’une possible reconversion en station de recharge à énergie solaire des batteries de portables téléphoniques. Repeintes en vert, les cabines sont équipées de panneaux solaires et d’une grande variété d’accessoires pour les téléphones portables

et les tablettes. Baptisées « Solarbox », elles sont gratuites et peuvent recharger jusqu’à 100 téléphones par jour (une batterie se charge à hauteur de 20 % en 10 minutes). D’autres idées de reconversion des K6 du pays ont vu le jour récemment : les équiper de défibrillateurs cardiaques, les transformer en mini bibliothèques publiques et même en pub, le temps d’une nuit ! ■

Would you like to receive your copy of The Bugle by post each month? We can deliver a copy to your door, hot off the press

France, UK and Europe - €16 per year

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DIRECTORY ♦ 15

NOVEMBER 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Business Directory

Your indispensable guide to finding local businesses & artisans Animals & Pets DOG GROOMING FOR ALL TYPES OF DOGS

Clipping, cutting, hand stripping, bathing, ear care & nail trimming. INGRID GELAUDIE Rue des Ecoles, 24170 SIORAC ** New address from 3rd November ** La Baronnie, 24260 Audrix

06 31 98 92 07

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

Auto Services

Siret: 499 234 615 0015

sales24@thebugle.eu

05 55 41 17 76

Architectural Services (Architecture/ Design/ Decoration)

Need interior design advice? Planning a project? Giving a space a makeover? Need to submit a building permit or a declaration? I can support you in all your makeover, renovation or construction projects. Sarlat and surrounding areas (up to 100km) Web: http://www.elsaconception.com

MOTOR PARTS CHARENTE

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

www.motorpartscharente.com Delivery via Parcelforce Worldwide to your door in France

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

motorptscharente@aol.com

CHARTERED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Pre-purchase & Structural Surveys. Verbal & written reports. Structural calculations & drawings. Redevelopment ideas & solutions.

Plans, Permissions & Photo-Realisations Comprehensive CAD drafting & design service for your planning application. Dossiers compiled and submitted, including all local & departmental liaison.

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

web: www.masterplans.eu email: info@masterplans.eu siret: 790 016 984 00011

sales24@thebugle.eu

05 55 41 17 76

Building Services

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

05 53 56 72 59 / 06 05 56 42 81 +44 (0)7448 466 662 Web: www.versineer.com Email: enquiries@versineer.com Siret: 498 843 051 00018

ElsaConception Architectural

Tel: 06.87.09.38.94

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

Building Services

DRAWING SERVICE

Renovating your French property? New build? Dossiers prepared Permis de Construire Déclarations Préalables

Tel: 05 53 52 36 05 lavieilleabbaye@orange.fr www.latuspeter-architecturaldrawings-24.com SIRET: 493 770 358 00015

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

Electricians Leigh Dodd

Electrical Services Full house rewiring, renovations EDF/Consuel arrangements Fully qualified & Decennale insured Established in France since 2007 Based near St-Yrieix-la-Perche

O5.55.48.95.86 www.saraleigh.com contact@saraleigh.com Siret: 507 643 336 00013

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE...

ADVERTORIAL

Ivan Petley - 3D Puzzle Maker

xpat Ivan Petley is a traditional puzzle maker, but one with a difference. All his puzzles are handcrafted and one of a kind - nothing too unusual there - but Ivan’s puzzles are also three-dimensional, multi-layered and fully interlocking. That stands him apart from the crowd; in fact, it stands him alone - to the best of his knowledge, he is the only person in the world currently handmaking puzzles in this way. In essence, Ivan’s puzzles are incredible. Each one is handcut from a single piece of hardwood, typically beech, maple, yew or sycamore (frustratingly, with so much of it around, oak is not a great wood for the intricate cutting required). The individual pieces are then hand-finished by Ivan’s wife,

Find Ivan at the following markets: 2nd Nov 15/16th Nov 29th Nov 30th Nov 7th Dec 23rd Dec

Janailhac, 87800 Verneuil-sur-Vienne 87430 Rochechouart 87600 Les Artistes de la Rozeille, Hall Polyvalent Aubusson, 23200 Isle, 87170 Hôtel de Ville Aubusson, 23200

** We are adding new dates all the time - please phone and check

Alison. No chemicals, varnishes or treatments are used on the wood at any time, just natural oils and beeswax, a process that maintains the natural colour and feel of the wood. These are puzzles that will last a lifetime… and far beyond! So, the puzzles are ‘simple’ to make and naturally treated… but are they simple to solve? Absolutely not!! Part of the challenge of assembling a three-dimensional puzzle is that not only do you have to fit the right piece in the correct place, but it must also be assembled in the correct order! Solving a simple one may take less than an hour, but for larger puzzles be prepared to set aside a good chunk of your day! Don’t be put off, however, if you are not a seasoned puzzle enthusiast. Although Ivan does make puzzles for connoisseurs around the world that he estimates could take months to solve, the vast majority are relatively simple. For example, a 2-layer, 12-piece puzzle was solved in The Bugle’s offices in around 15 minutes. And for such unique, complex and beautiful creations, Ivan’s puzzles are very reasonably priced. A small 12-piece yew log sells for a mere €9. Ivan also produces handmade key rings for just €2 so you are sure to find a gift to suit every budget. Ivan can turn absolutely anything into a puzzle - just tell him what you want and he can make it! A favourite car and the name of a loved one are just two of Ivan’s recent custom-

made creations. The puzzles can also be pyrographed with a name or a date to mark any occasion. These handmade masterpieces make the perfect gift! ■

Ivan & Alison Petley 05 55 80 29 98 alison.petley@wanadoo.fr

16 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

ADVERTORIAL

More and more property buyers to view houses during wintertime

ouses on Internet, the internet-marketing company that helps people sell their French property without using an agent, have seen their sales increase this year by 60% compared to the previous year. And the year is not over yet, says Richard Kroon, founder and director of the company. “We have a lot of viewings scheduled for December and even January. For some reason many people still think that most properties are sold in spring and summer. That might have been the case years ago, but an increasing number of buyers prefer viewing during wintertime, saying: 'If I like it in the winter, I will love it in the summer'”. Richard continues: “We see this trend in our sales statistics. Over

Building Services General David’s Services

What can I offer you?

22 Years’ experience working in France A complete service of Repairs and Maintenance (interior and exterior) A house opening and closing service Good solid technical advice on future projects Trustworthy, reliable and conscientious Based in the North of Dordogne

the last couple of years we have noted a significant rise in autumn and winter sales. Last year the number of property sales between November and February was almost the same as between March and June. “Especially prospective buyers who need to travel to France for viewings - our biggest target market, as we advertise each house worldwide - tend to avoid the busy summer period. So when a client asks me 'Should we perhaps wait till spring to put our property on the market?', I explain to them what the current market is like and that it is in fact better not to wait, as you might be missing out on prospective buyers who are actively searching and are ready to buy.” Throughout France, Houses on

Internet have over 90 photographers who visit their clients when they decide to sell their property through them. And, of course, any summer photos these clients already have themselves can be copied too, in order to make the best possible presentation. The key to their success is without doubt the extensive global advertising network which enables them to reach prospective buyers wherever they are. Another strong and unique quality of Houses on Internet is the way they present each property. The number of photos is usually between 50 and 60, everything is described in three languages, and the information given is not just about the house, but also about shopping facilities, schools, airports, leisure, etc.

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

Your advert here

Building Services Painters/ Decorators

05 55 41 17 76 Computers & Satellites

Simon Carter

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

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

05.55.68.67.56 06.06.60.46.97

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

Your advert here 05 55 41 17 76

Qualified craftsman with over 25 years UK experience, now based 24/87 border Specialist services: Interior & exterior painting, wallpapering, plastering & boarding, floor restoration, tiling. FREE QUOTES

Tel: 05 87 19 91 50 Mob: 07 81 26 88 65 Web: www.sjcmontluc.fr Email: sjcmontluc@yahoo.fr siret: 792.130.932.00017

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

05 55 41 17 76

sales24@thebugle.eu

05 55 41 17 76 For more information on advertising in the Bugle Business Directory, give us a call or send us an email: sales24@thebugle.eu

Montluc Painting & Decorating Contact David: 05 53 09 42 18 No Siret: 402 444 871 00022

Signing up to sell your house through ‘Houses on Internet’ is easy. Visit their website, which is available in four languages and contains all the information you need - everything is explained step by step. When you have decided to sell your property

05 55 41 17 76 WiFi Anglais

Solve your Internet, wireless and computer problems Extended wired and wireless networks for homes, gîtes and small businesses. VPN solutions. Windows and Mac OSX.

Food & Drink

Email: Stephen@Wisedale.com

UK & French Satellite TV

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

TOOWAY BROADBAND Approved Supplier

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

05 55 09 15 73

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

sales@thebugle.eu

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

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

See our website for full details:

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

La Poutre

Bar & Restaurant

24400 Beaupouyet (N89 between Montpon & Mussidan)

French/International cuisine. Themed nights each Friday: 1st Friday - Curry night 2nd Friday - Quiz night 3rd Friday - Fish n Chips night “best around”!! 4th Friday - Live Music night Open Tue - Fri: 11am - 9pm (except Wed eve) Saturday 6pm - 10pm Sunday 12pm - 3pm, traditional English roasts served For further details call Steve: or email: steve.francis24@gmail.com or facebook: Beaupouyet La Poutre

Siret: 800 525 040 00013

Formerly Electrosat

Houses on Internet www.housesoninternet.com 05 55 65 12 19

05 53 80 29 54

Tel: 05 53 30 23 96 Mob: 07 78 52 20 46

Sat-Elec

through them, one of their staff will call you personally to start the process. ■

siret 537 415 903 00013

Karen’s Kitchen Catering for you in the Dordogne

Specialising in home-made pastries: Sausage rolls, Pasties - Cornish, Cheese & Onion, Steak & Stilton, Vegetarian & Chicken. Eccles cakes. Scones made to order. All prepared and baked daily on the premises you cannot get fresher! Bacon, cheese, bread, tea bags & tinned produce all in stock. Find me at your local market: • Tue - Le Bugue • Thu - Eymet • Fri - Le Buisson • Sat - Villereal • Sun - Issigeac

www.karenskitchen24.com email: karenskitchen24@gmail.com

05 53 74 01 91 or 06 01 31 07 47

sales24@thebugle.eu

05 55 41 17 76

Your advert here 05 55 41 17 76

05.55.41.17.76

DIRECTORY ♦ 17

NOVEMBER 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Gifts & Crafts

Handholding Pest Control Services

Transport, Removals & Storage

Your advert here 05 55 41 17 76

Ivan Petley

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

Tel: 05.55.80.29.88 Les Bregères, 23150 St-Martial-le-Mont alison.petley@wanadoo.fr

Franglais- Central France Pest Control Services

... exists to provide quality services to businesses and individuals in the Dordogne and beyond. We deliver invaluable linguistic assistance, practical IT and audiovisual assistance, web solutions and photographic services. To find out more call us on

Dératisation, Déinsectisation, Désinfection

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

sales24@thebugle.eu

+33 (0)6 77 38 58 56

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

05 55 41 17 76

www.franglais-services.com

La Petite Barre, 18210 Bessais Le Fromental

WWW.CARDBUBBLE.COM

Health & Beauty

BUY YOUR BRITISH GREETINGS CARDS ONLINE!

or visit

SIRET No. 498 544 741 00024

siret: 791 378 433 00019

www.frenchvanman.eu

87150 Oradour-sur-Vayres Siret 530 213 644 00012

06 13 38 59 68 05 55 14 49 45

siret: 751 978 917 00019

05 55 41 17 76

05 55 33 21 59

www.parkinglimoges.com

FREE DELIVERY ON ALL ORDERS OVER €10 WORLDWIDE

sales24@thebugle.eu

French Spoken

Efficient parking for all types of vehicles Book now!!

E: ANGI@CARDBUBBLE.COM

● HAIRSTYLIST ● COSMETICIAN ● MAKE-UP ● MASTER ARTISAN

ENGLISH SPOKEN • Air-conditioned • Shiatsu massage chair

Tue - Fri: 9h - 19h, Sat 9h - 17h

Tel: 05 24 13 65 58

sarldesouchevicente@sfr.fr 47, rue du Gén. de Gaulle, 24660 Coulounieix Chamiers

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

Dyal Consulting

Your partners for peace of mind While you’re away, we can look after your house, check for weather damage, perform small maintenance jobs, take care of the garden, get your home ready for winter. On your return, we can prepare your house, stock up on groceries, etc... everything to make your arrival stress free. We are here to keep your house alive throughout your absence and to make your life easier! Call your concierge today:

07 77 95 31 36

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

PROCHEM trained and Qualified

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

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

Eco Entrepot aka The Shed

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

05 55 68 74 73 Open every day except Monday

SOS Help

anxious? stressed? feeling down? call us up!

05 55 41 17 76

www.soshelpline.org

Not just in July and August but from May to October? Our business has the job of finding you visitors, from May until October every year! Our data is in the UK, with such a vast database that we are able to send business people messages about France and interest them in your offering. We also have a commitment to match the visitors to the properties, so our involvement will be to talk to the visitor and to establish their individual needs. This way we, and you, get repeat visitors each year. Our new website - www.stayinfrance.fr - will list your property/properties, with photos and a brief description; potential clients have to come through us to get

Specialists in all carpet and upholstery cleaning

01 46 21 46 46

Can you fill them?

to you. We are just the finder; we do not take a fee from anyone other than you, 95 euros upfront fee and then just 10%, but only after you have been paid. Our advertising campaign will be on-going 12 months of the year and we will keep our database of clients up to date with your offerings. We will also get involved with winter lets, as we feel there is a marketplace for this with people coming over before they buy. We can even help you sell and are happy to mount an advertising/marketing campaign for you to our database of 2.2 million, so whatever your need, holiday rentals, long term rentals or property and business sales, we can help

CARPET / UPHOLSTERY CLEANING

sales24@thebugle.eu

ADVERTORIAL

www.stayinfrance.fr

General

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

Parking For Property Maintenance Limoges Airport

QUALITY CARDS AT UK PRICES!

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

Man & Van Transport

you to create the awareness needed to make a big difference! We look forward to hearing from you soon. ■

Make the call for more visitors: E: rod@stayinfrance.info M: 06 77 80 20 68 W: www.stayinfrance.fr

3 - 11pm daily Confidential & Non-profit

18 ♦ COMMUNITY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

ADVERTORIAL

“SolarVenti”- the solar solution to damp and humidity

simple solar energy system that runs on its own, even when you are not there! – And provides a free heat supplement in winter. The Solarventi air panel was invented more than 20 years ago by Hans Jørgen Christensen, from Aidt Miljø, with the backing of the Danish government. He wanted to use the sun’s energy for airing and ventilation of the thousands of holiday homes on the West coast of Jutland, - houses that were left empty and unheated for long periods - houses with damp problems, mould and bad odours - houses that left their owners with discomfort, lots of work and expense. He wanted a system that would be safe, simple, without the need for radiators, water and/or mains electricity. Slowly but surely, the first Solarventi model came

together. How it works The principle behind Solarventi is simple: a small, built-in, solar cell powers a 12V fan that is connected to an air vent, a control unit and an on/ off switch. Whenever the sun shines, the air in the solar panel is heated and the fan, receiving power from the solar cell, introduces warm, dry air into your home at the rate of 20 to 100 cubic metres per hour. The initial models were more than capable of keeping the cottages dry (and ventilated), even with the limited sunshine hours available in Denmark during the winter season. Since that time, the technology has really come along in leaps and bounds. Now, more than 20 years later, the 3rd and 4th generation Solarventi have exceed-

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

the property is empty. Solarventi requires no maintenance - if the property is unoccupied during the hot summer months, then it can be left running at low speeds for ventilation and dehumidification purposes or simply switched off. With a range of panel sizes, and the option for wall or roof mounting, Solarventi is suitable for all types of buildings, caravans or even boats!! Following the patenting of its design in 2001, Solarventi has only recently been actively commercialized. Over the last six years, Solarventi units have been installed in more than 24 countries and demand is increasing rapidly. From Greenland to Australia, Solarventi is finally getting the recognition it deserves. ■ Units start from €630 TTC

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

that our help does not affect any means-tested payments. Briefly we can consider assisting those who: We understand that life can be difficult for expats living away from the UK and that sometimes assistance is needed. We will listen and try to help when that help is needed. As I am sure you realise, there seems to be this popular misconception that expats living outside of the UK live in large houses with hectares of ground and that nobody ever has problems. As we all know this is far from the truth and even the best laid plans can fall apart due to sudden changes in health, bereavement, family breakdown or a host of other unforeseen problems.

Marché de Noël - 14th December I would like to invite everyone to our annual Marché de Noël on the 14th December in Abjat-sur-Bandiat. We have some fantastic stalls booked again this year, packed with wonderful things for you to look at and, I hope, for you to purchase. I think every year gets more interesting and exciting. So, come and join us at the Capitolet in Abjat-sur-Bandiat from 10h-18h. We have a BBQ, gateaux, sandwiches, buvette, tombola and most important of all Père Noël will be visiting in the morning and then again after lunch, handing out sweets and taking any last requests from all the “good” children. All the proceeds will be going to Bansang Hospital Gambia, as last year, and information about the hospital can be found on our web site www. bangsanghospitalappeal.org, or you can contact me, Linda Nicholson, on 05 53 56 73 86 or by email at lindanicholson51@yahoo.co.uk I would also like to invite any newcomers to our Marché who would like to book a table in order to sell their handmade or unusual items. This is a very successful marché, which has been going for a considerable number of years now. We are always looking for new vendors and would like anyone interested to contact me, Linda, in any of the above ways.

We are able to consider assisting financially in numerous ways. For more information contact: Mary Hughes - Case worker France, Elizabeth Finn Care tel: 04 68 23 43 79 or visit: www.elizabethfinncare.org.uk and: www.turn2us.org.uk

05 55 41 17 76

editor@thebugle.eu

Are you involved with a local charity of association?

Registered charity Elizabeth Finn Care is able to offer direct financial assistance to British and Irish nationals or residents who live overseas. We ensure

1. Are British or Irish residents or nationals. 2. Are living on a low income or means-tested benefits. 3. Have formerly been employed in one of a wide range of qualifying occupations. Have, or have had, a partner employed in a qualifying occupation.

Managing Editor: Steve Martindale Editor-in-Chief: Steve Martindale Registered Address: Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois France SIRET: 514 989 748 00017 Printed by: Charente Libre 16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac France Monthly circulation: 11,000 copies All copyright, unless stated otherwise, is reserved to The Bugle. Reproduction in whole or part of any text without permission is prohibited. Dépôt légal à parution.

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

Tirage mensuel:

11,000 copies

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

WHAT’S ON ♦ 19

NOVEMBER 2014 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

MONTY - 7-month-old Golden Lab X Boy needs a home! This smiley face belongs to Monty who is already on his second home through no fault of his own. He loves, and I mean LOVES people, cats, and all other dogs. He is adorable and loving, bouncy, and so desperate to please, it is amazing. Monty will make a fantastic dog for anyone! Monty is chipped, vaccinated, wormed and de-flead. Please contact Simonie at: simonie.cp@hotmail.com or telephone 07 81 40 17 40. For more photos of Monty or for details of other animals awaiting homes, visit

05 55 41 17 76

sales24@thebugle.eu

Do you want to advertise an event inThe Bugle?

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

Market Days

Monday

Piégut Pluviers Razac Sarlat Siorac-en-Périgord Vélines

Beynac Le Fleix Les Eyzies Ste-Alvère

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

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

Friday

Sunday

Thursday

Tuesday

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

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

Bergerac Brantôme Cubjac Le Buisson Ribérac Sarlat Sigoulès Vergt

Saturday

Agonac Beaumont du Périgord

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

Sarlat Film Festival - 11th-15th November Sarlat’s wonderful architecture, medieval-style buildings and stone roofs have made a backdrop for a score of top motion pictures since 1968, adding to its fame and its fortune. So it’s no surprise to learn that only Nice and Paris have had more films shot in their locales than Sarlat. The town plays host to an annual Film Festival, which this year will run from 11th to 15th November. One of the finest film festivals in the country, it attracts many famous French actors and directors who come to present their film. On the bill for this 23rd edition of the festival are premiere screenings of feature films, numerous short films, workshops and discussion sessions with writers and film professionals. The Festival was created with an educational objective as it brings together 600 baccalaureate students each year from all over France who will take part in workshops and meet film crews. Films will be shown at the Cinéma Rex. Tickets (priced €6.80) are available on the door or from www.cinerex.fr (book early to avoid disappointment). For more information visit www.festivaldufilmdesarlat.com

Concert by Cantabile Choir

Saturday 15th November at 8pm, Cultural Centre, Eymet In this 100th year anniversary of the start of the First World War, Cantabile Choir presents its tribute with an evening of classical and popular music, including Vivaldi’s Gloria and a selection from The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins. In a lighter vein, there will be popular songs, both French and British, from the period, together with a selection from Borodin’s Kismet and a tribute to Edith Piaf. Come along and join us. Entry €5.

20 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ NOVEMBER 2014

CANCER SUPPORT FRANCE Dordogne East & Lot Patron/Parrainée par le professeur Alain Daban, professeur émérite de la faculté de médicine de Poitiers et président d’honneur du Réseau Onco-Poitou-Charentes La Présidente d’honneur: Mme Linda Shepherd

Our mission: To support English speaking people living in France who are affected by cancer

RECRUITMENT OF ACTIVE LISTENERS •

CSF Dordogne East & Lot Association is looking to increase their number of Active Listeners in order to further improve the support provided to English-speaking clients affected by cancer.

•

Active Listeners (ALs) are required to be members of CSF and are provided with specific training to support them to act as a ‘listener and supporter’.

• Prospective Active Listeners will be invited to discuss and explore the rôle and the initial training required with the Association President and Client Co-ordinators.

For more information phone: 05 65 31 75 99 or 05 53 31 68 45 For an application form please contact:Client Co-ordinators, Cancer Support France, La Mairie, 46340 SALVIAC Siege Social: La Mairie, 46340 Salviac Reg. No W244000522