The Bugle - October 2022

Brit

After a one-week manhunt, the convicted fraudster and subject of a recent Netflix documentary has been arrested and charged with attempted murder of a gendarme.

The manhunt for a British conman who fled after run ning over two gendarmes in central France is over after he was arrested by Belgian police. The socalled Puppet Master, a con victed fraudster and conman made famous by a popular Netflix documentary, was stopped by authorities when Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras south of Ghent flagged his car as the one used in the hit and run.

After being brought before Belgian magistrates, Robert Hendy-Freegard was told he would be ex tradited back to France to face charges of attempted murder. He then instructed his lawyers to appeal this decision, and although he

will almost certainly be sent back to face French justice in the near future, his legal fight will likely delay the process by several weeks.

Hendy-Freegard was sen tenced to life in prison in the UK in 2005 for kidnap and fraud, having been found guilty of extorting £1 mil lion from his victims and earning the nickname “The Puppet Master” from Scot land Yard. After a lengthy legal battle, he was released in 2009 when the charges were downgraded on appeal.

Following his release, the conman returned to his former ways and the latter part of the documentary “The Puppet Master: Hunt ing the Ultimate Conman” focuses on the efforts by the family of Sandra Clifton to

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British Market Stall

s The Bugle rapidly approaches its 14th year of existence, a lot has changed in that time... yet so much still remains the same. I launched the paper in 2009 in the midst of a financial crisis, and I distinctly remember at the time thinking something along the lines of: “Things can't get any worse, so if we launch now and survive, things can only get better!”

Whilst D:Ream were indeed proved right in the short term, hindsight would suggest that my optimism was ultimately misplaced. The early 'teens' - have we decided what we're going to call that decade yet?were good from a personal and professional point of view as the paper found its feet and my young family grew. Life was good.

Since then however, it has felt a bit like swimming against the tide. First came the announcement of a Brexit referendum. I remember being a bit nervous and worrying how that might affect both my

Abusiness, but more importantly, my family's long-term plans. We wouldn't shoot ourselves in the foot would we?

Turns out not only that we would, but that we'd double down, be dragged kicking and screaming towards a hard Brexit that even fewer wanted, and shoot the other foot as well for good measure. Don't @ me, I'm off the fence on this one... the flavour of Brexit chosen by the UK government was not what the majority voted for and has been an unmitigated disaster.

There's a point at which you have to agree the Earth is round and stop inviting flat-earthers into the debate as some kind of false equivalence. Rant over.

Hot off the heels of Brexit came the Coronavirus pandemic, a (hopefully) once in a century event that no one could see coming and everyone did their best to deal with. As we emerged from that unprecedented event, however, the mad dictator decided to push Europe to the brink of World War III and causing another financial crisis.

Reading all that back, the last decade sounds like a bit of a nightmare, but weirdly, I don't

think I've ever been happier. Our little family unit has grown and pushed on. As we've grown, I've come to realise how little we actually need to be happy: each other, food on the table, good friends and the occasional laugh. Whereas ten years ago I'd have coveted my neighbour's ox - or his Audi Q8 in modern day parlance – these days I'm more prone to sympathy for friends and acquaintances still chasing “the dream”.

I'm not preaching here, honest. If German automobiles and longhaul holidays make you happy, you absolutely knock yourself out. When I meet someone who is genuinely happy, then I promise you that I couldn't be happier for them, however expensive their car or deep their tan. At the end of the day, while I'd take happiness over wealth, I'd still rather have both! I don't play the Euromillions lottery, but my father-in-law does. Whenever there is a UK winner, I devote an unhealthy amount of time to fantasising about him being the winner... although my comments on this page over the years may see me written out of any inheritance! Hopefully when he does win he won't take it out on my kids...

These days, it's the little things. I wrote recently about the joy of keeping chickens and that joy has only grown over the course of the summer. They are such easy pets – and they are pets to me, the eggs are just a happy by-product – and there is no greater pleasure

than making that clucking sound and seeing them come flying across the garden to see if I've got any tasty kitchen scraps.

We also got a hamster in the summer after promising one to my youngest if he had a positive school report. You wouldn't think you could get attached to a hamster, but I already can't imagine life without the little fella. He sits in his cage by the front door and we'll always have a quick chat as I go past. And before you think I'm projecting, if he's up and about and I don't talk to him, he starts chewing his cage until I come back and say hello!

I did in the past chase “success”, whatever that was, but I think I'm coming to realise that everyone gets to define what their version of winning looks like, and not in a revisionist sense. Winning for me today – and it may change tomorrow – is seeing my kids

come home happy from school, cooking good food, clucking at my chooks and having a good chat with Jake... and my wife of course, my amazing beautiful wife (phew, saved it! If there's one short-cut to unhappiness, it would be upsetting the boss).

So while the world is proving to be quite adept at finding new handcarts in which to travel towards hell, life is pretty good here in Bugle Towers. If we can be this happy in this situation, then that is not a bad place to be, and when D:Ream are ultimately proved right, then I'm quite looking forward to things only getting better.

Until next month!

Steve Martindale, Editor

Elephant Haven welcomes new guest

t took eight years of hard work for the Elephant Haven sanctu ary in southern Haute-Vienne to welcome its first guest, but just over eight months later the char ity is celebrating the arrival of a sec ond elephant. At the end of 2021, 52-year-old Gandhi arrived from a Danish zoo, and she has now been joined by Delhi, a 38-year-old fe male.

Delhi is an Indian elephant that was brought to a Czech zoo from Vietnam in 1986, but following the death of her partner in 2018, her han dlers knew that she must eventually be moved. Elephants are very social animals and suffer if they are on their own for long periods of time. After searching far and wide, the zoo were delighted to move Delhi to the

custom-built sanctuary in BussièreGalant, south of Limoges.

Delhi made the 1,500 km jour ney in a specially adapted truck, accompanied by Elephant Haven's co-founder, Tony Verhulst. Since her arrival, the two elephants have been getting to know each other, but as is often the case with flatmates, they have very different rhythms. While Delhi likes to sleep at night, Gandhi prefers daytime naps.

“Gandhi is happy, curious, excit ed, nervous and often anxious... all at the same time!” explained Sofie Goetghebeur, the other driving force behind the sanctuary. “She is happy at the arrival of her new neighbour, but also seems a little bit put out to no longer be queen of the castle.”

Tony and Sofie each had 20 years' experience working with animals at Antwerp Zoo before embarking on the adventure to create a home for retired elephants almost a decade ago. With more and more circuses choosing - or being forced - to phase out live animals from their shows, the aim of the project was always to offer a safe place for elephants to

live out their days in peace, as sadly, the alternative is often euthanasia.

Elephants can live up to around 70 years old in the wild and the unique setting of the Elephant Haven allows up to three elephants to live along side each other, but with their own private land over which they are free to roam.

Supporters of the project are obvi ously delighted at news of the most recent arrival, but this success does mean that the Elephant Haven now has higher running costs. To find out more about Tony and Sofie, their project and how you might be able to help, please visit their website: www.elephanthaven.org ■

Netflix Puppetmaster arrested Burger King coming to Bergerac

track down their mother after she became his latest victim. Sandra met “David” through an online dating site, before gradually with drawing from her family, eventually cutting off contact altogether, selling the family home and moving to La Forêt-Belleville, a small village near Vidaillat in the Creuse de partment of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Mounting evidence that the couple were running an illegal dog breeding business led to the recent visit by gendarmes. Arriving at the property, the gendarmes found a woman, believed to be Sandra Clifton, who then phoned Hendy-Freegard to tell him their dogs were being taken. He arrived a short while later in an Audi A3, telling gendarmes that he was a former MI5 agent (a common lie he had used in previous scams).

Officers then removed his passport and ex plained he would need to come down to the station to give a statement. “When the couple were asked to come to the local Gendarmerie for identification purposes, the man started his car and fled, hitting two gendarmes,” the Creuse prefecture said in a statement. One gendarme was carried 100 metres on the

bonnet of the car and was admitted to hospi tal with a broken nose.

The conman now faces up to 30 years in prison. “It seems he is pretty screwed,” explained Michael Bronner, who co-wrote a film based on Hendy-Freegard’s scams which was released earlier this year and who has been following the case for over 15 years. “The fraud is complicated and hard to prove. The dog breeding business

appears to be fraudulent but that’s a harder case to bring than attempted murder of a policeman, to which there were many wit nesses.”

During the one-week manhunt, Martine Laporte, the mayor of Vidaillat, told journal ists that the dogs were being cared for by an

protection organisation, but that she

Fans of the flame-grilled Whopper will be celebrating news that a second branch of Burger King will soon be open ing in the Dordogne, just south of Bergerac. After much specu lation, it was confirmed that the fast-food giant will be building a 350 m2 restaurant on the La Cavaille Sud commercial zone, opposite arch rival McDon ald's.

According to planning per mission documents, the new restaurant will have a capacity of 200 people and include 32 parking spaces. Crucially, it will also create around 20 new local jobs. Work has already begun to demolish the Campanile restau rant which previously stood on the site, just 50 metres from the Golden Arches on the other side of the route de Bordeaux. ■

Eurostar cancels Disney trains

Packing everything and the kitchen sink

Eurostar has announced that it will no longer be offering direct journeys from London to Disneyland Paris, largely as a consequence of Brexit. Currently, holidaymakers can jump on a train at St Pancras in London and arrive at the popular tourist attrac tion to the east of Paris just 2h50m later, but from June next year this will no longer be possible.

“Our last train will run on June 5, 2023,” Euro star said in a statement. “As the company contin ues to recover from the pandemic, we need to fo cus on our core routes to stabilize our operations and the experience of our passengers. Although we have seen a return in demand this year, we have financial commitments that we will have to meet for several years.

“Moreover, we operate in an uncertain border environment. As we follow the evolution of the entry/exit system (EES) offered by the EU, we

want to focus our efforts on providing a reliable service with an experience that meets our cus tomers’ expectations.”

The increased border checks that are being in troduced as a result of the UK's decision to opt for a hard Brexit mean that passengers must have their passports physically checked and stamped when arriving in France. Furthermore, from next year, when the EES comes into operation, British tourists must pass through digital gates to have their fingerprints and faces scanned.

The extra infrastructure and resources required to perform and staff these checks come with a significant investment and Eurostar has opted to only maintain such border controls at Lille, Paris and Brussels. Disney fans can still book tickets to Disneyland, but must leave the train at Lille or Paris, clear border control and customs, before taking a second train on to the theme park. ■

up in what appeared to be a large fishing net and strapped pre cariously to the roof, the haul also included several tyres and bikes as well as a full-size set of step ladders. “Despite the excellent catch that our road delinquent seems to have made on this day, our gendarmes had no choice but to sanction them,” the local Gendarmerie tweeted along with a picture of the overladen vehicle. The van was towed away and the owner was handed a hefty fine.

All vehicles have a maximum weight that they can carry, the poids total autorisé en charge (PTAC), indicated on your carte grise. Drivers who are caught exceeding this limit by up to 20% face a fine of €135 and have their carte grise removed until the extra weight is removed. Exceeding this limit by more than 20% could result in a €1,500 fine and a court summons. ■

Biofuels vs heating oil

The Bugle has been contacted by several readers querying an advert for oil-fired boilers being run by Warmflow, given that a law came into effect earlier this year banning “oil” boilers. We thought we would let Warmflow answer that question themselves.

If you define heating oil as either kerosene or tra ditional diesel heating oil (fioul domestique) that has been extracted from fossil fuels then it would be an issue as the ban is trying to help us all on the way to eliminating fossil fuel. How ever, oil can also be extracted from many renewable veg etable sources such as rape seed and maize in addition to animal fats such as pork and chicken fat.

And while there are many new biofuels on the market, such as F30, we believe one of the most promising new “oil” fuels is Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

HVO is a renewable diesel

fuel, derived from hydrogen ation and hydrocracking of a mix of raw materials such as waste cooking oil, animal fats and rapeseed. This fuel has a very similar chemical property to fossil diesel fuel, but with many new advan tages.

What’s New?

• HVO is cleaner and greener than traditional oil as it eliminates up to 90% of net CO2 (green house gases contribute to global warming), sig nificantly reduces carbon monoxide (CO), par ticulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx)

emissions. Contributing to cleaning air for all of us.

• Easy to install. If you decide to move to a bio fuel such as HVO in the future it is normally ex tremely easy to do and does not require any of the installation costs associated with heat pumps, for example. But only if your boiler is compatible with HVO, which all Warmflow boilers are.

• HVO also brings many additional advantages which makes it a fantas tic replacement for fos sil fuels. For example, if your oil tank springs a leak, don't worry as HVO does not damage the environment. It also remains active longer than heating oil (up to 10 years) and it does not freeze as easily as tra ditional heating oil (-34

degrees).

All Warmflow boilers are compatible with HVO and many other biofuels as we continue to help our custom ers around the world to build a greener future. While we all agree that looking after the environment is impor tant, we also have a strong desire to do so as economi cally as possible. That is why Warmflow has been at the forefront of improving boiler efficiency and our tri ple A rated combi-boiler (for heating and hot water) can reduce oil usage by up to 20 litres per month compared to a standard efficiency boiler. (Please visit www.warm flow.co.uk for more infor mation)

In conclusion, using fos sil fuels for heating may be a thing of the past, but the new generation of “oil” boilers is still very much part of the pre sent and all our futures.

06 and 07 phone numbers only for personal use

T he country's telecoms regulator, ARCEP, has announced that mobile phone numbers be ginning with 06 and 07 will now be reserved for “inter personal” communication and can not be used by businesses to cold call customers. Some cold calling firms currently use mobile phone numbers to trick people into thinking they are receiving a personal call, but from the start of January next year, this will become il legal.

“Amid concerns over transparency for cli ents, Arcep is reserving the use of 06 and 07 mobile numbers exclusively to interpersonal communication services,” the regulator an nounced in a statement. “It is associating this type of number with the obligatory provision of at least a vocal call and message service by operators. These numbers can be used, for ex ample, to establish conversations via message between a company and its customers, or for very short communications allowing brief con tact through a platform, i.e. parcel deliveries, taxi drivers, etc.”

In future, companies must use an internet number (09) or a standard landline number (01, 02, 03, 04, 05) to call their clients. ■

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Living the dream? Local author releases novel set in Haute-Vienne

Like many, after living in France for over a decade, author Gillian Harvey found herself taking life in France for granted. “At first you feel as if you’re living the dream,” she says, “but after a while life takes over and you forget to appreciate why you moved here.”

This all changed when Harvey decided to set her third novel – published by Bold wood in the UK on 29 September 2022in her local area in Limousin. “I’d set my first two novels in the UK,” she says. “Al though I knew I wanted to set a novel in France eventually, I was waiting for the right idea.”

Inspiration finally struck in summer 2021. “I thought about how many of us dream of living in France, but don’t fully appreciate all the ups and downs this en tails before moving over,” she says. “I de cided to make that more extreme by having my main character buy a French house on eBay – almost on a whim.”

This premise led to ‘A Year at the French Farmhouse’ – a tale of a woman, Lily, who decides to move to France on her own and see if she can make a brand-new life. The

novel has been described as “humorous, poignant and transporting” in early re views. And writing it also gave Harvey a surprising side-benefit.

“I found that writing about the beauti ful scenery in Limousin opened my eyes afresh to where I live,” she says. “I forgot about all the minutiae of daily existence and remembered what I love about France – it really helped me to appreciate all the wonderful aspects of living here.”

So, how does Harvey’s main character fare on her own French adventure? “She has the odd disaster,” says Harvey. “Her husband refuses to join her, so she’s forced to go it alone. But ultimately, she learns to embrace life – then of course, there’s a twist at the end.”

As for Harvey, she’s determined to con tinue to appreciate living in France once again. “It’s easy to forget how lucky we are,” she says. “I’m determined to make the most of living here – yes, there are curve-balls and moments of doubt, but they’d happen anywhere. And on balance, I know I’m extremely lucky to be able to call this my home.” ■

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British tourists pay almost €100 million in roaming fees

British tourists paid as much as £80 mil lion in mobile phone roaming charges this summer whilst on holiday in the EU, according to a study performed by Virgin Media O2. The EU banned roaming charg es in 2017, but since the end of the Brexit transition period, British telecoms companies are no longer bound by these laws and, apart from Virgin Media O2, the other big three opera tors have gradually been rein troducing fees for customers travelling to the EU.

At more than £26 million, tourists heading to the Span ish sun spent the most over the summer holiday period, or as the report describes it: “enough to buy over a quarter of a million litres of sangria or more than 169,000 paellas

every week since 4th July”. At slightly less, the almost £15 million spent by travellers to France could have bought “15.2 million crunchy ba guettes or 448,000 kg of pun gent brie”.

“As people continue to feel the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, it’s alarming to see just how much European roaming charges have cost this sum mer,” said Gareth Turpin, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Media O2. “We’re proud to be the only major mobile network to not bring back roaming fees in Europe, so our customers can roam freely, with one less thing to worry about as they take well-earned holidays.”

As British tourists returned home to sometimes exorbitant bills, many of the UK “red tops” decried the return of pu

nitive “EU roaming charges”. In reality, there is no such thing – in fact, the EU recently extended its no roaming fees regulation to 2032. The new fees have been introduced by UK telecoms companies on UK customers because they are no longer prevented from doing so by EU law.

With Britain now outside the EU, similar charges could in theory also now be introduced by European operators for cus tomers travelling to the UK. Currently, however, the major French mobile operators - SFR, Orange, Free and Bouygues Telecom - all continue to class the UK in the same way as oth er EU countries, meaning that customers can for the most part use their phones as they would in France without incurring ex tra charges. ■

Steve. JOHNS.

Authorities use AI to target undeclared pools

Asystem

uses artificial intelli gence (AI) to track down unregistered private swimming pools will be rolled out nationwide af ter a successful trial. France has around 3 million above or in-ground pools, more than any other country in Europe, but many of these have been installed privately, or remain undeclared, costing local au thorities millions in unpaid taxes.

The main property tax in France, the taxe foncière , is based on the theoretical rental value of a residence. The pres ence of a pool can increase this by as much as 30%, but physically visiting proper ties in person to check if they have a pool is both time consuming and inefficient. The recent trial used an AI computer system to analyse aerial photography provided by Google Maps and com pare this to the country's land register, the plan cadastral Properties with undeclared

pools were then identified and visited by local agents. In the four departments included in the trial, more than 20,000 undeclared pools were identi fied, according to the tax of fice.

The successful trial was launched of the back of a much smaller 2017 in-person study performed in Mar mande, Lot-et-Garonne. Tax officials found that one third of the 800 swimming pools counted in the town had not been declared and another study in 2019 by Accenture in three departments revealed 3,000 undeclared pools in the Alpes-Maritimes alone.

With the trial proving such a success, authorities are now looking to adapt the AI to also identify other modifications to properties such as veran das, extensions or covered terraces. “We are particularly targeting house extensions like verandas, but we have to be sure that the software can find buildings with a large footprint and not the dog ken

nel or the children’s play house,” Antoine Magnant, the deputy director general of public finances, told Le Paris ien newspaper.

The prevalence of swim ming pools in France has been in sharp focus following this

year's heat waves and water shortages, and there have been growing calls from environ mental groups to restrict pri vate pools. “We need a differ ent relationship with water,” argued Julien Bayou, the na tional secretary of the Europe-

Ecology-the Greens (EELV) party, who believe that it is reasonable to consider limiting the use of water for recreation al purposes. “The challenge is not to ban swimming pools, but to guarantee our vital wa ter needs.” ■

Government announces end of green insurance stickers

The country's finance min ister has confirmed that the small green insur ance stickers that drivers must display in their windscreens will be a thing of the past “during 2023”. Bruno Le Maire confirmed that digital records now make it unnecessary for the authorities to check someone’s insurance status via physical paperwork, which is subject to counterfeiting and fraud.

The industry has been gradually digitising vehicle insurance over the past few years and the Fichier des véhicules assurés - an online database which contains the reg istration number, insurer, contract reference number and policy dura tion of insured drivers – is now re liable enough to make the physical sticker obsolete.

The move is expected to save the industry a significant amount of money as there will no longer be a need to print and send out 50 mil lion vignettes and their correspond ing certificates to customers each year. As a consequence, the finance

minister has written to insurance companies urging them to pass on this saving: “I have asked insurers to make an effort to keep the aver age premium amount below infla tion, to prevent prices from soar ing.”

The green sticker and accompa nying document have been com pulsory since 1986, but a parallel, digital system has also been run

ning since 2019 which allows law enforcement to quickly check insur ance details from a central database using the car's licence plate. Under current rules, drivers face a €35 fine if they do not have both physical pieces of paper in their car when they are stopped by authorities.

No exact date has yet been given for when the paper certificates will become obsolete. ■

New Dordogne choir formed

Music and choral singing in particular have long been popular in the Dor dogne. A new dimension is being added this autumn. A new choir, with many differences from other choirs, is being formed by Philip Baxter, a former English cathedral lay vicar choral and Oxford College organist to sing purely li turgical music, that is sacred music specifically for church services such as Evensong and the Mass. It will not meet regularly, only two or three times be fore a service, it will not sing concerts and will not be a registered association for cultural events. There will be no subscriptions, costs or professional fees, the purpose being to preserve and celebrate the best of church music, from Gregorian Chant to Anglican Chant and covering all the composition-rich Renais sance, Golden Age, Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras.

There is no particular rehearsal nor church venue yet in mind; it is hoped that discerning churches will invite the 'assistance' of this choir from time to time.

The first planned liturgy will be a Nine Lessons & Carols (King's College, Cambridge style) the week before Christmas. The required music will be sent out by email, free of charge to interested members.

There is one vital qualification attached to member ship: The ability to read music notation will be abso lutely necessary, for both the breadth of repertoire and the infrequency of rehearsals incurred. Given this es sential requisite, interested singers are welcome to con tact the choir director at: philip.baxter@live.com ■

Calling all Dordogne amateur seamstresses

Atelier

Bill aims to ban hunting while drunk

There have been increased ten sions in recent years over the number of deaths in hunting accidents, including several high-profile cases of people and pets being shot while walking, cycling, or even in their own gardens. A bill being put before the Senate hopes to address this issue in part, by making it illegal to hunt while drunk. The fact that it was not already illegal has taken many by surprise.

“At present, hunting under the influ ence of alcohol is not formally prohib ited,” the bill states, before proposing to “prohibit alcohol when hunting and align the blood alcohol level with the rules in force for the highway code”. The same will also apply to drugs, al though this is already illegal for other reasons.

The bill comes off the back of a consultation launched when a petition calling for more hunting regulations reached 120,000 signatories. Under the current rules, hunters involved in acci dents will be tested for the presence of

alcohol and drugs in their system, but as a spokesperson for PETA pointed out: “Sanctions only happen in the case of an accident... but by then it’s already too late.”

Hunting associations reacted angrily to the bill, saying it painted them all as unruly drunks. “Only 9% of hunt ing accidents are linked to alcohol or drugs, which is not an insignificant proportion, but far less than the stereo types, even though tests are not done on less-severe accidents,” the Senate report itself says; for reference, alco hol is a factor in 13% of serious road accidents.

“This report suggests that everyone hunts under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” fumed Antoine Herrmann, director of the Rhône hunters' fed eration, adding it is “stigmatising” hunters. Alain Messal, a hunter in Haute-Garonne, told RMC: “They are making us out to be killers, it’s like a caricature based on unfounded ideas, as today hunters are not drunk ards.”

While many activists have wel comed the changes, others have ex pressed frustration that other propos als have not been included in the bill, such as mandatory “no hunting days” and increased buffer zones to private property.

During the 2021-22 hunting sea son, the National Office for Biodi versity registered 90 accidents in volving firearms which caused injury to a person. Of these, eight resulted in fatalities, two of which were nonhunting members of the public. ■

Scott

Royal British Legion in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Who ARE the Royal British Legion you may ask and why do they keep on asking for money in exchange for a paper Poppy?

A good question and one that should be continually asked. Why? Because the support that we give to members of the British Military, their families and to Veterans is constantly evolving due to the the devel opment of modern warfare, be cause of the ageing process and its mental development and also because of the very real challenges that today's world throws up.

Members of the military fam ily have served their country, some for a few years, others for a lifetime and we owe them a safe and secure life after their service. “A Country Fit For Heroes” comes to mind! We are still trying to provide it.

The Bordeaux and SW France Branch of the Royal British Legion covers the whole of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a vast area 4 times the size of Wales! This means that we cannot operate in the same way that many other Branches do and that we don't have a club building. We are, however, still here to support anyone who needs our help.

We have set up an email address for anyone who wishes to ask a questionrblbx.assistance@gmail.comor you can contact me, Duncan ANDREWS (Chairman) on 05 57 64 46 21.

As well as supporting those who need it, the Branch is also heavily involved in lo cal remembrance ceremonies involving the Frankton Raid of 1942 (The Cockleshell He roes), and the escape routes that were used through France

and into Spain. On Remem brance Sunday every Novem ber we hold a ceremony at the CWGC Cemetery in Talence, Bordeaux which everyone is invited to attend. We also try to attend as many local cere monies as possible throughout the year.

So, please feel free to contact us on any matter that you may need help with, be it Poppies, Wreathes, Ceremonies or Sup port. I cannot guarantee that the RBL will have the answer, BUT if we don't, we will prob ably know who does.

Oh, and if you would like to join us we have removed the need for you to have served in the military – EVERYONE is welcome! We are also in terested in creating local sub branches that can support a re stricted area within the Branch area. Come and have a chat if you are interested. ■

VEHICLE

Walnuts

by Julia Watson

With legislators in the USA and now the UK going after foie gras on the grounds of cruelty to animals rather than fighting the brutish practices exercised in the industrial production of the rich pâté (they seem unaware that the birds naturally stuff their livers in preparation for a long migration, and do not have a gag reflex besides), the role of the walnut in the economy of south-west France, along with the truffle, will come under pressure to fill financial shortfalls.

Walnuts are as important to Périgord cuisine as its ‘black diamond’ truffles but a good deal more affordable. They are treated with honour. There are walnut festivals, museums devoted to walnuts in Saillac and Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, and a Route de la Noix across the Dordogne that takes in walnut producers and oil mills and presses. Vin de noix, made from green walnuts picked before the St Jean on 21st June, is an apéritif or after-dinner liqueur for which pretty much every family has its own secret recipe.

It’s a nut with a long history. Evidence that walnuts were eaten as long as 17,000 years ago has been found in habitations of the Cro-Magnon. Walnut trees benefit from growing in sheltered valleys or low hillsides in the well-drained clay and limestone soils that make up Dordogne farmland. For centuries, oil from their nuts has been used in practical not culinary sectors, for making soap, paint, and, during the cave-dwelling epoch, producing light.

When the Périgord failed to compete with production of oils from other cheaper more prolific plants, the focus in the 19th century moved towards growing walnuts primarily for eating. The scented oil that is processed from it is treasured for its exclusive, illusive, flavour by discerning chefs for use in dressings or dribbling over fish and fowl. If you buy a bottle, store it in the dark and use it reasonably quickly. It easily turns rancid.

Grown in over 578 communes, most of them spread across the Périgord, there are four varieties of walnut, eaten throughout France and exported abroad: the Grandjean, which originated in fields surrounding the medieval town of Sarlat; the Marbot; the Corne; and the Franquette. Each has even been honoured by an Appellation d’origine contrôlée designation.

The Franquette, the Corne and the Marbot are generally sold dried in their shells, while the Franquette and the Corne, along with the Grandjean - a small, easily removed nut, are also sold shelled.

Gâteaux aux noix, golden cakes made from ground walnuts, with a sometimes rather dry, mealy texture, are popular. But this open tart in which walnuts nestle in a soft caramel sauce produces an unctuous taste of pure luxury, made from inexpensive ingredients. If you don’t want to make your own shortcrust pastry, only buy full-butter ready-made. Anything else has the texture of cardboard. Serve it with crème fraîche or ice cream. And a glass of vin de noix. ■

Julia Watson has been a long-time Food Writer for newspapers and magazines in the US and the UK. She writes 'Tabled', a weekly food blog at juliawatson.substack.com

Ingredients

140ml cream or crème fraîche

Scant 130ml water

Grease a 22 cm loose-bottomed pie tin.

310g sugar

200g walnut halves

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Lay a large sheet of parchment/greaseproof paper on your work surface, flour it and place the pastry upon it then cover with another large piece of parchment/greaseproof. Roll out the ball out between the two sheets if using home made. Push it into the pie tin and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 220C.

Heat the cream, stirring a couple of times, till its edges fizz. Add the water and sugar to a separate heavy-bottomed pan and cook over high heat for 10 minutes until it bubbles and turns into a deep brown syrup, shaking the pan, never stirring it, to distribute the sugar evenly into the water as it melts. Cool for 2 minutes.

Wearing an oven glove, gently pour in the hot cream, whisking all the while. It will spit and foam vigorously. Add the walnuts and butter and return to a very low heat and stir for 2 minutes. Remove the top parchment/greaseproof paper from the pastry. Pour the walnut filling into the chilled pastry case.

Bake for 25 minutes. Lower heat to 170C and bake 15 minutes more. If the top is turning too dark, cover it with foil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

International (DLCI) is now in its 36th year and is a fantastic meeting place for English-speaking ladies of all ages and nationalities who enjoy lively conversation and great company.

you live in departments

33 or 47 and have easy access to Bergerac and the surrounding area?

We are a friendly group who meet regularly in different venues across the departments.

Events planned for the coming year include a château murder mystery experience, a quiz night, a marché de Noël, regular coffee mornings, lunches, wine tasting, book clubs and more.

We support various local charities voted for by our members each year, but above all, our aim is to foster friendship and

needed.

know

The wines of Bergerac - Monbazillac

Monbazillac is one of the classic sights of the Périg ord, a fairytale castle of stone towers, each topped by a conical roof to produce an extraor dinary and happy marriage of medieval fortress and Renaissance château. Perched atop a verdant hillside and dominating the Dordogne valley below, its light-grey stones can become honey-coloured in the sunshine, or a delightful roseate pink at sunset.

The interior of the château has long been less than inspiring but now it has been transformed. I was delighted to be invited to the formal opening of what is likely to become a prime tourist site in the future, aiming at 100,000 visitors a year.

It deserves to get them. At a cost of some 2 million euros, financed by the state, the département , and the local wine co-operative which runs the vineyard and produces the eponymous wine, the inte rior has been re-designed into four main areas.

On the ground floor is an excellent and informative display of the role of Berger ac and the château in the 16th century Wars of Religion, when Bergerac was a main Protestant stronghold. On the first floor is a charming exhibition of the time of the French Revolution, after the Baca lan family had turned the château into an Enlightenment jewel.

François-Hilaire de Bacalan was an aristocrat who was sympathetic to the early goals of the Revolution, supporting the idea of an English-style constitution al monarchy. His son was more radical, volunteering to join the Revolutionary armies, and his son-in-law was a member of the Constitutional Convention. Au

by Martin Walker

dio-visual techniques are used to allow us to eavesdrop on history; they re-cre ate the family at dinner, talking politics in the main sitting room, and the wom enfolk talking of manners in duties in a bedroom.

The second floor has been turned into an exhibition space for changing displays of modern art, sculptures and paintings. The cellars in the basement have become a play space for children, where they can imagine themselves as little winemakers.

The buildings that guard the entrance to the imposing alley between the vines that leads to the château have also been transformed. The old tasting and sales centre for Monbazillac wine has been overhauled, the formerly cramped tasting space now takes up an entire wall, with windows looking onto the château.

The wines are far better displayed, not just the classic Monbazillac but the ex cellent new wines they have been making more recently, There is a new range of everyday drinking wines called Eupho nie, at 7.50 euros a bottle and 9.50 for the Monbazillac dessert wine, all of them charming and very drinkable wines.

Then there is a wine called the Secret de M, in red and white, at 12.50 a bottle, which is a more serious wine. The white I thought extremely successful, with a rich bouquet and an impressive feel in the mouth and aftertaste. The red 2019 is a sinewy, rather solemn wine that would benefit from a little more time in the bot tle but it is drinking very well already.

The classic Monbazillac wines of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 vintages are 20 eu ros and I recommend them. They have also taken over a modest vineyard near St Sauveur to produce their own Péchar

mant called Château of Chamtérac, which is an excellent buy at 10 euros.

There is an entirely new education centre on wine which is a model of its kind, not simply explaining what makes the Monbazillac dessert wine different but also how it is made, step by step. On the formal opening evening, we had to be rushed through but I shall return to ex plore at greater leisure. Its explanations are in French and English, as are the ex planatory panels inside the main château.

What I found remarkable about all this is that it is all the work of a co-operative of some fifty winemakers, who banded together sixty years ago not simply to make wines, but to buy and restore the Château of Monbazillac as a kind of civic homage to their land and heritage. The tradition of local solidarity between ordi nary people has procured a very impres sive commercial and cultural operation that is evidently looking forward with confidence to the future just as they hon our their past.

They understand that they are custodi ans of a place and terroir that embodies a thousand tears of history. It harks back to the 11th century when legend says that the monks of the Abbey of St Martin forgot to harvest their grapes in time, the noble rot set in, and the Benedictine monks found that their tardiness had produced a mira cle; the luscious and sweet dessert wine we know as Monbazillac, named for the Hill, or Mont, of Bazhaillac.

The castle itself is almost five hun dred years old, sited to dominate the valley and the town of Bergerac with its crucial bridge over the river Dordogne. The Hundred Years War began nearby at Montcuq in 1345, when the Earl of Derby

with some 2,000 men at arms and around 5,000 archers surprised the French, chased them to Bergerac and forced his way across the bridge with the help of a panicked horse which prevented the iron portcullis from closing.

That war ended just over a hundred years later, in 1453, when the last Eng lish army under the legendary John Tal bot, Earl of Shrewsbury, was defeated at Castillon, where the massed guns of the French artillery finally provided a deci sive answer to the previous dominance of the English longbow. The same year as the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, Castillon was, in a way, the dawning of the modern age, a prelude to the Renais sance.

The English, evicted from all of France but Calais, turned their energies to the open seas. For the next two centuries their rivals were the Spanish and increas ingly the Dutch, who became by the 17th century the main market for the wines of Monbazillac. A century later, under the name of Muscat, the wine of Monbazillac had become the favourite tipple of King Frederick of Prussia. When you open a bottle of Monbazillac, you are drinking liquid history. ■

Martin Walker, author of the bestselling ‘Bruno, chief of police’ novels, is a Grand Consul de la Vinée de Berger ac. Formerly a journalist, he spent 25 years as foreign correspondent for The Guardian and then became editor-inchief of United Press International. He and his wife Julia have had a home in the Périgord since 1999 and one of his great hobbies is visiting the vineyards of Bergerac.

Darren Piper Carpentry & Building Services

Asimple

energy system that runs on its

Solarventi air panel was invented more than 20 years ago by Hans Jørgen Chris tensen, 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

a

model came together.

How it works

The principle behind Solar venti is simple: a small, builtin, solar cell powers a 12V fan that is connected to an air vent, a control unit and an on/ off switch.

Whenever the sun shines, the air in the solar panel is heated and the fan, receiving power from the solar cell, introduces warm, dry air into your home at the rate of 20 to 100 cubic metres per hour.

The initial models were more than capable of keeping the cottages dry (and ventilat ed), even with the limited sun shine hours available in Den mark 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 ex ceeded all expectations.

In Southern Europe, So larventi is not only used for ventilation/dehumidification purposes; with far more winter sunshine hours, it also provides a substantial heating supple ment. 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. Solar venti 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 siz es, and the option for wall or roof mounting, Solarventi is suitable for all types of build ings, 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 in creasing rapidly. From Green land to Australia, Solarventi is finally getting the recognition

Nicholas Collyer

Able Plastering

Building Services

MUMFORD

UK Bonds V French Bonds – should I leave my money in the

Sheppard,

Ihave met many clients,

undertaking finan cial reviews, that hold

bonds with insurance companies such as AVIVA, Friends Life, Prudential and Royal London.

These bonds can have some very attractive tax advantages for UK tax residents, allowing for the deferment of paying higher or additional rate tax if you keep to the rules of only taking a 5% annual withdraw al. These bonds also allow you to roll up the 5% so, as an ex ample, if you don’t take it in one year you can take 10% in the following year and so on.

Many UK clients that have now moved to France contin ue to hold these investments, often under the illusion that they remain tax efficient in

France and many not realis ing that the bond actually pays UK tax at source at a rate of 20%. This tax cannot be reclaimed as a non-UK tax payer as it’s the bond provider that pays if on behalf of the client at source. Also, any growth on the bond may also be taxable as a capital gain here in France and taxed at the marginal/investment rate.

What options do we have if we hold one of these bonds?

There is a French-compliant equivalent of these bonds, known as an Assurance Vie. They are run by well-known insurance companies and are very tax efficient here in France. In fact, as a French tax resident, it would be hard to find a product offering more tax advantages than an Assurance Vie is able to pro vide.

Firstly, from a potential French inheritance tax per spective, they are written as a life insurance product mean ing that if they are written as joint lives and paying out on second death the proceeds are

not added to the estate on first death and if your eventual beneficiaries are non-French resident, they are paid out immediately, with potentially little to no inheritance tax payable (subject to amounts received and age at invest ment).

Secondly, the funds grow tax free. The funds are not taxed at source and neither is the bond for either income tax or capital gains tax, therefore when comparing against the UK version of the same prod uct you are already 20% better off.

Thirdly, withdrawals are taxed only on the part of a withdrawal that is classed as a ‘gain’ and can be subject to ei ther your marginal rate or the investment tax rate of 12.8% (plus social charges), if this is lower. This will significantly decrease the amount of tax payable and can really assist in reducing your annual tax liability, especially for those that already have pensions, investments and rental in come which may put you into

a higher rate tax bracket.

Finally, there is no need to complete monthly returns on gains, as the bond is automat ically reported each year to the French authorities making them the easiest of products to administer.

These bonds not only offer some major tax advantages for those that already hold UK versions, but can also be a great home for funds held in cash or in UK ISAs or NS&I products, none of which are tax efficient here in France.

We are here to help you. For a free, no obligation consultation, please contact me today by email Rosemary. sheppard@blacktowerfm.com or call me on 06 38 86 99 70. Website: www.blacktowerfm. com

This communication is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before

Frederic Jardinage

embarking on any financial planning activity.

Blacktower Insurance Agents & Advisors Ltd is regulated in Cyprus by the Insurance Companies Control Service and registered with ORIAS in France. Blacktower Financial Management (Cyprus) Ltd is regulated in Cyprus by the Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission and is registered with the AMF in France.

&

BOUNICHOU

Houses on Internet reduces agency fee to

is the

has

people

French houses

since 2009.

Richard Kroon, founder and director of the company: “From the start, now almost 14 years ago, it has always been our philosophy to: A) Present each property the way a buyer would like to see it, with many photos of all rooms, the house from all angles, the garden, the views, and all necessary information in one clear online advert in three languages, visible worldwide; and B) Not to charge higher agency fees on a property sale than is necessary to keep the business healthy.”

The approach of looking at

the French property market from an international marketing point of view has certainly paid off. Houses on Internet continues to perform extremely well in selling to buyers from most European countries.

Richard Kroon: “When the number of sales is good enough to keep the business going, the commission can be low. This is better for the buyer, the seller and therefore the entire market. We started in 2009 with a sales fee of 2.5% and are now able to reduce that figure to 2% for all our new clients.”

In the first half of this year, Houses on Internet sold French property to people from 12 different countries, like France, Belgium, Holland, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany and Sweden.

Each property is advertised

through its own dedicated website in English, French and Dutch with as many photos as necessary. The texts don’t just describe the house, garden and outbuildings, but information about shopping, schools, airports and leisure is given too.

“When the website for the property is online, we first connect it to our main Houses on Internet websites which attract over 135,000 visitors from 30+ countries each month. Most of these people find us through Google and additional Google advertising. To reach an even larger audience, a summary of the presentation of the house is also placed on several other leading global property websites.

“Besides advertising, we also support first-time foreign buyers in France to help them understand how the market

FRENCH HEALTHCARE

works, what they need to do and what they can expect. If necessary, translating between buyer and seller is also included in our service, without any extra charges.”

For more information on Houses on Internet or to market

La Conciergerie

property through them, visit their website.

Agence Eleonor

Sympathetic OnlineFrench Tuition

Effective and fun

YOUR FRENCH SOLUTION

'Gite and Tidy' Property management

4PERIGORD

across the Périgord

Creuse Property

Warmflow

The next generation of

Les petits jardiniers du Limousin

We are a gardening association based in the Mairie at St. Amand le Petit, between Eymoutiers and Peyrat le Château. We hold monthly meetings on the third Thursday of the month, starting at 2.30 pm. Meetings are held in English, but we can also present topics in French. We have lots of different nationalities amongst our members. Our aim is to provide and promote opportunities for people to develop their interest and knowledge in horticulture and gardening and related topics in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. In-house workshop meetings, external speakers and visits are on our agenda.

During Covid-19, we were not been able to have meetings and kept in touch with members and friends via Facebook. This has become a very popular feature so do have a look at our Facebook page, "Les petits jardiniers du Limousin", where people post photos of their garden, ask questions, share information and keep in contact on a casual, friendly basis.

meeting agenda remains subject to any Covid-19 regulations and restrictions in place at that time:

St-Junien

Festival

pm at the CinéBourse in Saint-Junien, with the screening of a documentary film entitled «Des femmes face aux missiles» (Women against missiles - Sonia Gonzalez 58 min/2021).

In 1981 a group of women occupy the Greenham Common military base in the UK to protest against the presence of American nuclear missiles. Very soon, thousands of women from all walks of life join the protest, defying the government and the army, giving inspiration to hundreds of thousands of women the world over. The remarkable history of this movement is related by the original Greenham Common protest ers themselves, with original archives and songs whose message has become the symbol of women’s resistance to patriarchy and of their fight to protect the planet.

The full programme will soon be available in Saint-Junien and on the Ciné Bourse website. And don’t miss the concert by the Anglo-French singer Emily Loizeau on Saturday 29th October at the Mégisserie in Saint-Junien!

You can contact us on fouteznouslapaix@mailo.com

Watson European

Franklins Removals

Central

Soren

Soren is a Labrador cross who arrived at the refuge in June after being abandoned, he is thought to be about a year old. He really is a lovely, kind dog, sometimes a bit stubborn but this is perfectly normal for his age, after all he is becoming a teenager ! He knows some basic commands but will need further training and like all Labrador types he loves the water and is very playful. He gets on with female dogs but is reactive to males, he is not yet tested with cats. This boy is going to make a very loyal companion, all he needs is someone who is prepared to love him and put in the time.

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

Peyrat Film Club

The CINEMA in Peyrat-le-Château, run by the volunteers of the Association Bande Originale, regularly shows VOST films (original version with French subtitles), especially for all the non-French speakers in our region

Ennio, il maestro

In October we will be showing:

Italian & English)

Downton Abbey: A New Era

Top gun: Maverick

Tuesday 18th, 20h45

Saturday 22nd, 17h

Saturday 29th, 17h

Tickets from just €3.50

website for dates & times,

BOOKSTOP PRESENTS - OCTOBER

Life is Here, and I Have Been Away / the story of how one courageous woman of 42 conquered her inner demons urging suicide and achieved her long-sought goal “to be of use; to serve some purpose in this life.”

In this presentation local author Dan Bessie will be talking about how his mother Mary Burnett (1898-1982) achieved this goal.

When I delved into the cardboard boxes of journals and other writing Mom left to my brother David and me, it all became clear. Our mother’s history was on every page; we sensed her joys, her sorrows - aspects of her life she’d never revealed to us; but somehow, she seemed to realize that here was a story that needed sharing - and that one of her sons would make this happen. However, busy with film projects and writing other books, it was several years before I had the time and felt the maturity to do her story justice.

In spite of a difficult mother, Mom described her childhood as a happy one; (a kindly, much-treasured father helped to redress the balance.) By her mid-20s, a first marriage which she’d been cajoled into, failed. Soon after, she spent a summer touring with a troupe of congenial puppeteers led by her brother Harry - and including Forman, a distant cousin she’d been seriously attracted to before she was married.

Her second marriage (to Alvah Bessie, who she’d met after moving to New York) brought David and me into the world after our parents took Depression-era jobs for barely existence wages from a man who had bought a tiny village in rural Vermont - where they lived in near poverty for five years. Brooklyn followed, where our father worked as a journalist until that marriage too fell apart. In 1938 they divorced, and Alvah left home as a volunteer to help defend the Spanish Republic against General Franco’s fascist uprising.

With Alvah safely returned from Spain, Mom decided to move herself, David and me to rural Pennsylvania. Lonely there, she became won over by Harold, a local farm hand. Their marriage was a happy one - until what seemed like a massive debt ($75.00 for rent and groceries) found them at the end of their financial rope. Regrettably, Harold’s effort to find a way to obtain money to pay their bills and buy food for the family led to a tragic ending. Soon after, Mom’s demons almost won out, and she fell into a nearly suicidal breakdown (which I describe in Chapter one). How Mary Burnett managed to expel her demons, turn her life completely around and go on to serve two decades guiding young children with love and creativity as the much-admired director of preschools has always seemed to me something of a miracle - and will be the subject of the talk I’ll be giving on October 16th. October 16th, 3 pm - Bookstop, rue Victor Hugo, 24310 Brantôme

Free admission. Tea, coffee and pastries available. Copies of the book also available at €24.

Music in the Dordogne sponsored by ARCADES

or phone the president,