The Bugle Dordogne - Sep 2017

Culinary crimes against the croissant Find out why the French are so hot under the collar over a British take on the >> Page 9 humble croissant November 2016 - Issue #85

Dordogne

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September 2017 - Issue 51 - FREE!

France retains its tourism crown Despite a difficult 2016, France has once again been revealed as the world's top tourist destination, with figures for 2017 showing a sharp increase in the number of visitors.

visited France in 2016.

The number of tourists visiting the US was also down, falling three per cent to 75.61 million, which saw the country narrowly maintain its second position as Spain experienced a 10 per cent jump in visitors to 75.56 million.

Spain has benefited from unrest in Turkey and north Africa, with many appearing to chase their sun in southern Europe rather than further afield.

China came fourth in the global list, with Italy fifth.

In terms of the money generated from tourism, Britain plummeted from third to seventh place due in large part to the fall in value of the pound

>> continued on page 8

Local appeal for apple pickers - pg 5

Warnings after Mont Blanc deaths - pg 8

Bilingual: The English Channel - pg 15

The Bugle Business Directory - pg 16-20

© J. Patrick Fischer (WikiCommons)

I

t has been a mixed few years for those in France that rely on the tourist industry.

Following the terror attacks of 2015 and early 2016, last year was a bad year for tourism, particularly in the capital.

However, recently revealed statistics have shown that despite a 2% drop in 2016, France remains the most popular destination in the world and early signs show the industry is once again booming in 2017.

Figures from the UN’s World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), calculated according to the number of visitors who spend at least one night in a country, show that 82.6 million people

Joy and sadness after first ever panda births in France - page 7

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’m sure I must have said this before around this time of year, but I for one can’t wait for la rentrée and packing my kids back off to school! Honestly, who thought that children need an eight-week summer holiday!

Not a working parent, I’ll wager you that!! And my eldest would agree. She is also bored stupid and can’t wait to get back in the classroom, although I do admit she has more than a little of the geek about her and probably doesn’t speak for all her kind.

Aside from wanting to tear my hair out, it has been a funny old summer. Drought warnings everywhere, but weirdly autumnal at times. On at least one occasion in August my wife and I had a serious conversation about lighting the fire, while she greedily clutched a hot water bottle. To be fair, she is always cold. If she ever found herself in the fiery pits of hell, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear her ask Lucifer if he could put an extra bar on the fire, so she’s perhaps not the best judge.

At other times the heat and humidity have been unbearable, another one of those years that fluctuated between extremes and spent very little time in

between getting it “just right”.

So we were very nervous for some friends of ours who were having an outdoor wedding at the end of August, as with 10 days or so to go the forecast was looking mixed at best. In the end the weather was hot and the skies were blue, which was perfect for the wedding photos, but not so great on eyes and heads the next morning!

It was the first “French” wedding that I had ever been invited to and it was fascinating to see the differences between what is considered “normal” in France, and a typical British wedding. For a start, we were invited to arrive at the mairie at 4 pm, a time at which a distant relative is often being told “leave it, we’ve all had a drink” at many of the weddings I have attended back in Blighty.

Cocktails and nibbles started at the venue an hour and a half later and we did not sit down to eat until at least ten o’clock! And the food was, perhaps unsurprisingly for a country that prides itself on its gastronomy, out of this world.

“Chicken or beef?” this was not!

After marinated quail, foie gras and a filet de bar, each paired with their own wine, we were

tucking into the pigeon fillet en croûte around midnight when the conversation turned to how the English celebrate weddings.

I explained that we would normally start eating the wedding “breakfast” (!) around four in the afternoon and if you were still eating at six then something had gone terribly wrong, but was met with completely blank stares. I tried again, but suspect I would have had more luck explaining quantum theory to my twoyear-old. They just didn’t get why you would do that.

Now, I’m not saying that the French way is “better”. I prefer to live by the mantra “not good, not bad, just different”, but it was a wonderful way to spend a long evening. The meal lasted a few more hours, although the courses were punctuated by parlour games and excuses to get people talking. These I later learned were quite common in France, but I had never seen anything like them at a formal meal.

The fun continued until the wee small hours and the most amazing thing was that most of the 20 or so children who were there were all still going strong at four o’clock when we finally called it a night. We later learned that the last guests went to bed at seven thirty after toasting the rising sun.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience and it was a real privilege to have been invited, although it has left me with another cross-cultural headache.

One of the games played during the meal involved making pledges to the newly-weds, a few

of which were then randomly selected. I was given a piece of paper asking me to pledge to do something for the happy couple in the next 12 months and chose “to teach them the rules of cricket”. Unfortunately for all concerned, my ticket was picked out and if I thought describing a British wedding breakfast was hard, I now have to explain a game that lasts five days and still often ends in a draw. I may have to use a quote we ran previously in this paper that I have just dug out: So, there are two teams, one which is out in the field and one which is in. Each player in the team that is in goes out, and when all the players that were in are out, the team that was out goes in, and the team that was in tries to get the players from the team that just came in out...

That should do it, no?

Until next month!

Steve Martindale, Editor

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INSIDE this edition 3-6 Local News 7-12 National News 13-15 French Life 15 Bilingul 16-20 Directory 21 Community 22-24 What’s On

Copy deadline for advertising and content:

15th September for October’s print edition

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

A

s is customary for each five-year presidency, Emmanuel Macron has released his official photograph, which will be hung in every mairie and official government building across the country. Of the 50,000 copies of the photo that have been printed, 520 or so have recently arrived at prefectures and subprefectures across the Dordogne for onward distribution.

Much is made of the official portrait, with nothing left to chance and every detail containing a nuanced message. The picture of the Fifth Republic's eighth president is no different.

The photo is perfectly centred, with Macron in his office in front of an open window, framed by French and EU flags - a nod to his strong pro-European stance. For many, it is the items on his desk that are most interesting:

three books, a clock, and what appear to be two smartphones.

Including the smartphones is a deliberate and telling decision for Macron, as well as being a first for a presidential portrait. Macron has positioned himself as a probusiness politician who wants to bolster France’s start-up economy and embracing modern technologies is seen as key to this ambition.

Before the picture appears in your local mairie, however, your commune may have to shell out a few euros.

Not for the photo, which is provided for free, but for a new frame. According to some mayors, presidential photos have typically been printed in a format of 50 cm x 65 cm, but the most recent photo is 50 cm x 70 cm. The result is that the 36,000 communes across France may each have to pay for a new frame, a national expenditure of

over €2.7 million at a time when the president has asked local authorities to find €13 billion of local spending cuts.

Whilst the image will soon be on the wall of town halls and police stations across the Dordogne, there is no text enforcing this; it is more a tradition than an obligation. And it is an obligation that some mayors would refuse to comply with. In the commune of Les Billanges in HauteVienne, the image of Jean Jaurès, the socialist leader who was assassinated in 1914, has pride of place on the wall. The commune has not given the honour to any recent president and the current mayor has no plans to override his predecessors: “It is a tradition and I do not want to be the one to break it,” he explained.

At Sannat, a commune in Creuse in the northeast of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the local council

Photo : Soazig de la Moissonnière © DILA-La Documentation française

Macron portraits arrive in the Dordogne

voted in 2007 not to hang the portrait of Nicolas Sarkozy, a move which attracted much criticism and even death threats!

And in 2011, several couples in the commune of Beauvin in northern France refused to get married at the mairie un-

less the photo of Sarkozy was taken down!

If you are a particularly proud citizen of the Republic, you can buy your own copy of the photo from the Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA) for around €9. ■

New screen for Le Buisson cinema Multiplex cinemas are usually the reserve of big towns and cities, but in the town of Le Buisson-de-Cadouin, with a population of 2,000 people, the Lux cinema is planning to install a second screen.

The Lux has been a success since first opening in 1997, averaging over 35,000 ticket sales per year, figures that the mayor’s deputy, David Faugères, attributes to the town’s position. Le Buissonde-Cadouin lies in the mid-point between Bergerac and Sarlat and is able to draw audiences from both towns as well as locally.

The second screen is planned as a cosy, intimate studio of 70 seats, and will show lesser-known films, targeting a younger audience. There is a demand from a more discerning audience for experimental, niche films that are not shown elsewhere, as well as for more traditional blockbusters.

Grants and contributions have ensured that this €1 million initiative, planned for October 2018, will have time to establish itself in the short term, with a target of 50,000 ticket sales per year from the new studio’s opening. ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

Latest London police horse arrives Firefighters at Dordogne retirement home rescue sinking

T

horse

O Photo : Brantôme Police Horses

he latest London police horse has just arrived in the Dordogne to begin his well-earned retirement. Ranger, a handsome young stallion, has recently moved to the Brantôme Police Horses (BPH) sanctuary run by Roland and Alison Phillips. “We were contacted by the Met in early July,” said Alison. “We were asked if we could accommodate a young ex-police horse. It wasn’t difficult to agree to take him. If he couldn’t come to us, that would be the end of a lovely animal as there was no retirement possible in the UK. Ranger finally arrived at the beginning of August.”

Roland explained that at 10 years old Ranger is young but has a back injury, some arthritis in his hind legs and can no longer carry a rider. A UK police horse is often on duty at trouble spots amid firecrackers and hostile crowds and Roland told us that while riders can be rotated and relieved, that is not always possible for the horses.

At the end of August Roland and Alison hosted a benefit welcome party for Ranger when well over 100 guests enjoyed paella and jazz. The night raised £3,000 to help cover the horse’s transportation and veterinary costs.

Fortunately, Ranger has an Irish horse passport reducing some of the paperwork required, but there are hefty fees to prove that the horse is firstly fit to travel and secondly, not destined to be eaten. Additionally, there is the large expense of safely transporting the horse.

Ranger arrived from the UK in a giant transporter horse box, with stalls for up to 12 horses, each equipped with CCTV. Swiftly recovered from his journey he has moved seamlessly into the BPH luxury stables near Brantôme and, like his equine friends, has been receiving visitors during the holidays.

To cover the costs of running a horse sanctuary, Roland and Alison have to work hard. They offer an accompanied visit to meet the horses, an introduction to the life of police horses, followed by a traditional English cream tea every Wednesday afternoon at 3 pm -

€12 for adults and €8 for children. There are additional seasonal and social events throughout the year. All are so popular that it is essential to book.

Comments on their Trip Advisor entry explain how BPH have recently been voted the number 1 visitor attraction for the Brantôme area and in the top 5 for the whole of the Dordogne. “Although Trip Advisor classes us as an attraction we are essentially a sanctuary,” Roland explained to The Bugle. “We are here simply to look after horses that have earned a happy retirement, but we are grateful that our visitors enjoy helping us to keep doing it.”

To find out more visit www.brantomepolicehorses.com ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

n 14th August, just as France was getting ready to celebrate the Assumption bank holiday, a rancher in the Dordogne was pitched into a catastrophe that almost ended in tragedy.

Olivier Daugreilh, owner of the West Wood Ranch near Condat-sur-Trincou was paying his morning visit to his 16 horses, starting with three mounts in the meadow, when he found the ranch’s senior horse, Axelino, trapped by both forelegs in mud. Exhausted by his struggles to extricate himself, Axelino was in danger of drowning in the meadow’s drinking pond.

“We think he might have got stuck during the night and had been struggling and suffering for hours,” said Olivier.

He explained that Axelino is 30 years old, an exceptional age for a horse. His two equine companions were of course powerless to help or raise the alarm.

The emergency services were called, and while waiting for firefighters from Brantôme to arrive, Olivier supported the horse’s head, keeping it out of the water, and trying to reassure him. The Brantôme crew were on the scene within minutes and were soon assisted by animal rescue specialists from Vergt.

After two hours, using a combination of muscle power and a tractor, webbing straps could be attached to lift Axelino out of his muddy entrapment. Olivier, known locally as Chester, can’t thank the emergency services enough. His horse will now be able to continue to enjoy a peaceful retirement in the Périgord vert. ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

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LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Local appeal for seasonal apple pickers

A

n appeal has gone out for pickers to harvest the 2017 crop, with more than 1,000 needed across the department. So significant is the demand that a dedicated recruitment centre was set up by the Nontron and St-Yrieixla-Perche Pôle emploi centres at the end of August.

Around 85% of all apples picked in the PérigordLimousin orchards are of the famous ‘golden du Limousin’ variety, a type of Golden Delicious. These apples were awarded an appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) in France in 2005 that means only apples grown in a certain area may be called golden du Limousin. The region’s most famous fruit was then given appellation d’origine protégée (AOP) status in 2007, which is the equivalent of the AOC but on a Europe-wide level and it remains the only apple in France with this pro-

tection.

Perlim, based in Saint-Aulaire just over the border in Corrèze, is one of the major names in this AOP. For over 50 years it has been the principal Périgord-Limousin operator, processing and distributing the region’s fruit. Apples arriving at Perlim are washed and rigorously sorted; bruised fruit goes for third world export or industrial products like baby foods and conserves.

Premium fruit is sent straight to the consumer or stocked in chilled de-oxygenated warehouses for sale throughout the

year. Golden Delicious retain their crunch and taste far better than most other varieties.

Quality assurance starts in the orchards. A large number of orchards, big and small cover the Perlim area with 1,700 hectares. Individual growers protect their fruit from hail with nets, encourage natural fertilization and maintain high standards of fruit health.

All newly recruited pickers are trained in the special techniques required to harvest cleanly without damage to the tree or the produce. Care has to be taken when placing the picked fruit into the basket then transferring the basket contents to the large palox (a cross between a pallet and a box) to be transported for processing.

The timescale for harvesting depends upon the weather and the crop size, but generally begins in mid-September and continues into October.

Orchards are frequently vis-

ited by workplace inspectors to check that growers are respecting health and safety, as well as minimum wage requirements.

Jenny Baker, from Carlisle, a Dordogne resident for 17 years, told The Bugle: “We have been apple pickers for 10 seasons. At first we thought it was going to be hard and unpleasant. It turned out to be the opposite, just good exercise

in the open air and good company. We made lots of French friends, we got into the French health system, became registered seasonal workers and got paid for it... with a massive party at the finish! We have been back to the same orchard near Saint-Mesmin year after year, even when we didn’t need the money. It was a kind of holiday!” ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

6 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

Très Jolie

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Dordogne Brit writer launches new novel rior police officers alike, Mick’s uncompromising attitude to finding the truth leads to cliffhanger situations, emotional storms and life and death encounters.

Rick’s real home life is somewhat less stressful: “I came to France to retire and to do some serious gardening, but Mick Fletcher keeps crashing in to make me write!”

The book signing took place in one of the Dordogne’s literary hotspots, Bookstop, in the heart of Brantôme. Rick explained why he loves Brantôme and how appropriate Bookstop is for book lovers: “This place has been a writer’s focus for centuries. The town of Brantôme itself is the pen name of Pierre de Bourdeilles, a celebrated chronicler of the life and times of the late 1500s. He wrote about high society goings-on around here almost exactly at the time when Shakespeare was doing his best work. Brantôme’s blockbuster was ‘Les Vies des dames galantes’. Bookstop itself is on rue Victor Hugo, named after the writer

who created ‘Les Misérables’.

It’s a bit of a coincidence as Les Misérables is about a hard-bitten policeman and a man standing up for justice... It almost sounds a bit Mick Fletcher-ish!”

To find out more visit rick-lee.co.uk ■

by Brian Hinchcliffe

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rising British star of crime novels has just launched his latest thriller in the Dordogne - ‘A Man in Flames’. Rick Lee, a long-term Dordogne resident and successful crime writer, came to Brantôme in August to sign copies of this latest work. Rick told The Bugle about this story’s long gestation: “ I started it in 2011 and have been wrangling with it until now. It’s been re-edited over and over but I still think it is my favourite.”

Rick lives with his wife in SaintAstier after spending several years in Ribérac, but his roots lie deep in Yorkshire and the north of England. A Masters degree at Lancaster plus a lifetime of learning and working in education at the sharp end gave Rick a rich source of characters and ideas. Out of this mix, the detective hardman, Mick Fletcher, was born. Mick is the main protagonist in Rick’s series of crime stories, a man who stands for justice and who suffers for it.

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would be grateful to readers of The Bugle if you would sign the below online petition, if you feel able, to help save our local trainline from Bordeaux to Sarlat.

Our railway line is busy west of Bergerac, but not so busy east of there, although this is the most scenic part. Sarlat, the eastern terminus, is a beautiful medieval town and a tourist magnet. With the right will, much could be made of the railway in this context; it enters the town over a fine, high and large via-

duct.

Single track, it is operated by modern diesel-electric multiple units, except when it gets to the electrified main line at Libourne, the pantograph goes up, and it runs on to Bordeaux as an electric - fascinating!

It would be a great loss to the community, especially now that the LGV is running to Bordeaux, and to close it would be lamentable and short-sighted. It reminds me of two things: the Beeching closures, when so much was later regretted, and the Settle and Carlisle, where the renovation figures were grossly inflated to justify closure, but disproved by the lobby group opposing the closure.

I would hate to see these mistakes repeated here in France!

Many thanks, Mike Smith

Go to www.change.org, change language to French and search for “Sarlat Bordeaux”.

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

S

ince its launch, Airbnb has revolutionised the holiday rental market worldwide... and made some enemies in the traditional hotel industry at the same time. The company has endured a difficult summer, however, in the face of growing antipathy towards its business model and increasing criticism of its tax structures.

There has also been anger in popular tourist destinations across Europe, particularly Spain, for causing an influx of holidaymakers at certain locations and making it more difficult for traditional hotels. In Barcelona, the impact of sites such as Airbnb on the local housing market has led to antitourist protests.

A further blow to potential landlords was dealt recently when it was revealed that €615,000 was collected in fines from 128 properties across Paris in the first half of this year alone - up from €45,000 for the same period in 2016. The fines were imposed on landlords who broke regulations by renting their properties for more than 120 days per year; Paris has introduced limits on the shortterm rental of apartments and rooms as they compete with hotels, encourage property speculation and reduce the housing available to residents.

A recent survey has shown that over one quarter of all properties in central Paris are not permanently occupied. The sharp increase has been put down, at least in part, to the impact of online holiday rental companies such as Airbnb.

“You can't turn your lodging into a cash machine and yourself into a speculator,” local official Ian Brossat told AFP. “These numbers do not reflect an explosion in the number of

rental offers but in the effectiveness of the monitoring. We are pleased to see that the courts have a heavier hand than before.”

Airbnb says that it warns homeowners on its website that they must comply with local laws, and insisted it had proposed a solution last year to the city which would have automatically limited rentals to 120 nights per year. “This would have simplified monitoring without stigmatising the large majority of hosts who abide by the rules and count on Airbnb to make sure ends meet at the end of the month,” the company said in a statement.

The French government is also unhappy with the tax revenue it receives from Airbnb. Like many multinationals, the company routes its bookings through headquarters based in countries with more beneficial tax systems. In the case of Airbnb this is Ireland - which charges just 12.5% corporation tax - and despite being the second largest market outside of the US, France received just €92,944 in taxes last year.

The company defends its position, arguing that it contributed €6.5 billion in secondary income to the French economy in 2016, bringing in tourists who then go to local restaurants and shops.

During his campaign for the French presidency earlier this year, Emmanuel Macron said that the battle against beneficial tax arrangements would be a priority in Europe.

“We will fight, at a European level, for a tax on business revenue made by online service companies. This will eliminate the possibility of sending profits to a tax haven,” Macron said. ■

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Increased fines for First panda birth in France Airbnb landlords

I

t was a bittersweet moment for keepers at Beauval Zoo in August when their giant panda Huan Huan gave birth to twins, only for one to die. The birth of the first ever pandas in France had been eagerly anticipated ever since it was announced in July that the zoo's female was pregnant, after Huan Huan (meaning 'happy') was artificially inseminated by the country's only other panda, Yuan Zi (meaning 'chubby'). Pandas are notoriously difficult to breed, with the female being in heat for a mere 48 hours per year.

Giant pandas can only raise a single cub at a time and typically keep the one that is most likely to survive. Huan Huan abandoned her first born when the second cub arrived and, despite being placed in an incubator, it died a short while later.

“It was too weak to survive. The Chinese experts, who have experience of this, saw it

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

straight away,” zoo director Rodolphe Delord said of the 121 gramme baby. “Our veterinary teams did everything they could to save it, but it was too small, too weak.” He added that the second twin, which weighed in at a healthier 142.4 grammes, was in “perfect health”.

Nine-year-old Huan Huan and her male partner arrived at Beauval Zoo in January 2012 on a 10-year loan from China following intense, high-level negotiations between Paris and Beijing. Panda diplomacy has been an important tool in Chinese foreign relations.

The couple in the Beauval Zoo are among the roughly fifty pandas living in captivity in 22 countries outside China. If all goes well, the surviving cub will leave Beauval in the next few years to be returned to China.

There are around 1,864 pandas still living in the wild according to the World Wildlife Fund - 1,246 of those live in one of the 67 panda nature reserves in China. ■

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8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

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Warnings over Mont Blanc deaths France retains

tourism crown

A

>> continued from pg 1

© Tangopaso (WikiCommons)

fter a deadly month on western Europe's highest mountain, a local mayor has called for the introduction of fines for ill-equipped climbers. In August, climbers from Japan, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, France and South Korea died on the slopes of Mont Blanc and authorities also had to airlift a Hungarian woman and her nineyear-old twins down from the mountain after they encountered difficulties.

Exasperated by the sharp increase in accidents and deaths involving poorly equipped tourists, mayor Jean-Marc Peillex of Saint-Gervais, from where many Mont Blanc climbers set off, has issued a local regulation mandating mountaineering equipment. He has also urged authorities to send more gendarmes into the mountains to enforce stricter rules.

His list of required equipment for those taking a local route known as the “royal path” includes a hat, sunglasses, ski mask, climbing shoes and warm wind-proof jacket. The mayor said that the decree would be posted on mountain paths in French, English, German and Russian as a “rap over the knuckles” for the “hotheads, who refuse to listen to advice”.

The decree followed the death of a 46-year-old Frenchman who attempted to climb Mont Blanc by the Goûter route wearing shorts and trainers. Lt Col Stéphane Bozon, of the mountain gen-

darmes at Chamonix, told journalists the climber had been wearing “only trail equipment”, including shoes that would have been more appropriate for “a grandmother walking in the town”. “I’m furious! Mont Blanc is high mountain climbing. It’s alpinism with a capital A. This was the height of stupidity. He might have been a good trail runner, but he sure as hell didn’t know the danger of the mountain.”

Not everyone agrees with the new rules, however. Alpinist Lionel Tassan posted an open letter to Peillex arguing that the decree may prove to be “counter-productive” as a helmet and gloves were missing from the list of recommended equipment.

“You’re making certain people believe that if they have this equipment they’re

prepared, without even considering the question of their experience,” Tassan wrote.

It is not the first time the local mayor has hit the headlines. In 2014 Peillex threatened to take legal action against Paul Sweeney, an American who attempted an ascent of Mont Blanc with his two children aged eleven and nine. Sweeney had wanted to set the world record for the youngest climbers to reach the peak, but the three were almost killed by an avalanche on a section of the mountain nicknamed the “corridor of death”.

Peillex accused Sweeney of reckless and selfish behaviour: “Climbing Mont Blanc is a matter for serious mountaineers.

It isn’t a trek or a playground to get a mention in the Guinness World Records.” ■

compared to the dollar after the Brexit vote, added the UNWTO. Over recent years, a series of terror attacks have struck major tourist centres across Europe and it would appear that people are now becoming less influenced by these tragic events when making holiday plans.

Repeated terror attacks have fostered “a kind of fatalism” explained Josette Sicsic, head of Touriscopie, a firm that tracks tourist behaviour. “Attacks are affecting tourism for shorter and shorter periods. You have to be vigilant, but everyone is aware that the world has changed.”

Nicolas Lefebvre, director of the Paris Tourism Office, agrees that people are becoming inured to terrorism. “The constant repetition of these events has made them sort of part of the landscape, and it no longer stops people from imagining, thinking about, and organising a trip to Europe, and to Paris in particular.”

After the low of last summer, visitor numbers picked up at the end of 2016 and figures from this year suggest a significant increase. According to Foreign Minister JeanYves Le Drian, the number of foreign tourists visiting France this year could reach a record 89 million, 6% more than last year. ■

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NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Ministers banned from employing family

M

acron's government has followed through on a key election pledge by banning MPs from employing family members. The changes, which were overwhelmingly backed by parliamentarians, ban députés from hiring “immediate family members” - spouses, children, or parents. Future breeches of the rules will be punishable by fines of €45,000 and up to three years in prison.

“Practices that were probably tolerated, maybe accepted for some time, are no longer accepted today,” Prime Minister Édouard Philippe told French radio. Politicians who wish to employ more distant family members, such as cousins or a spouse's non-immediate family, will also now be required to declare this. Those same obligations apply for “cross-employment”, i.e. politicians hiring the family members of another MP or minister.

Furthermore, elected officials who fail to declare any interests or pay their taxes in full can be removed from office and barred from seeking election for

three years.

The issue of politicians hiring family members was brought into the spotlight earlier this year when the 'fake jobs' scandal contributed to the downfall of the Républicains presidential candidate François Fillon. After defeating Sarkozy in the Right's primaries, Fillon was the red-hot favourite to become France's next president, until media revealed that his wife Penelope had received nearly €900,000 for a job as his assistant, despite very little evidence of her doing any such work in a scandal that became known as “Penelope-gate”. Private investigations also revealed that Fillon had paid two of his children for jobs related to his government role - the inquiry into the scandal is still under way.

The Macron administration is planning a separate crackdown on how MPs spend their allocated budgets.

Each member of parliament currently receives an annual €130,000 budget on top of their pay, and the new government says there are not enough checks in place as to how these funds are used. ■

Mobile website for local fuel prices The government has launched a new website to help the public find the cheapest fuel in their area via their mobile phone. To use the service, go to www.prixcarburants.gouv.fr/mobile/, enter the type of fuel you are after (SP95, SP98, Gazole, etc.) and your postcode.

The site will then list the nearest petrol stations to you and the price of fuel.

The site does not discriminate between large and small businesses and will report the fuel price of any petrol station selling more than 500,000 m³ of fuel per year – the threshold at which businesses are required to publicly provide accurate prices.

Users can also remember certain petrol stations as “favourites” for easier comparison in the future. ■

French athlete offered Decathlon job A French 400-metre hurdler received some good news after failing to qualify for the final in the recent World Athletic Championships in London. Mamadou Kassé Hann arrived in France from Senegal in 2012, but despite his prodigious sporting talent, he has not managed to find a job.

Former presidential hopeful François Fillon and his wife Penelope

Interviewed after his semi-final, the athlete told France 3: “I'm looking for work, but haven't managed to find any yet. Life is not easy but you've got to keep going. I came here in 2012, it was here that I started to speak French. In life, you have to persevere, you must always move forward.”

Within minutes, he had received an offer of help from sports retail giant Decathlon. “Hello @francetvsport.

Can you please pass on our details to Mamadou Kassé Hann? If we can assist him in his search for work, we will,” tweeted the French retailer.

It was later confirmed that Mamadou had been in touch with Decathlon's Montpellier branch where he was due to meet management to discuss employment options. ■

Culinary crimes against the humble croissant Britain and France have been through a lot over the years, but always somehow managed to re-establish the entente cordiale. That could now be in threat, however, after a British recipe website dared to mess with one of the symbols of France, the golden, buttery, flaky croissant.

Stuffed with bacon and sausage, before being covered in eggs and cream and baked in the oven, this “take on the classic croissant” understandably went

down about as well as 2204.62 lbs of bricks.

“Wars have started for less than this” said @ JezequelB with only a degree of exaggeration. Perhaps guilty of hyperbole, one social media user went further, tweeting: “Oh mon Dieu mais c'est une blague c'est quoi ça !! Quel sacrilège !!” - “Oh my God, is that a joke, what is that!! What sacrilege!!" ■

French voted the sexiest language in the world According to a survey conducted by language learning app Babbel, French is the sexiest accent in the world, followed by Italian and Spanish. The poll of 15,000 people also revealed that Polish had the unenviable claim to being the world's ugliest language on the ears.

If you want to make your French accent work for you, consider heading to Australia, where 63% of those questioned found it the sexiest in the world. On your way back, maybe travel via America where 43% of the public will be fawning over your phonemes. For their part, the French think that Italian is the sexiest language (40%), a feeling that is apparently mutual, with 47% of Italians choosing French.

English-speaking expats in France may have to rely on other, non-verbal forms of charm, however, as only 23% of French voters opted for British as their favourite foreign accent. ■

10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

Archaeologists unveil French 'little Pompeii'

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rchaeologists have unveiled what is being described as a “real little Pompeii” at a dig site near Vienne on the River Rhône, an area which is already famous for a Roman theatre and temple. “This is undoubtedly the most exceptional excavation of a Roman site in 40 or 50 years,” team leader Benjamin Clément told AFP news agency.

The city of Vienne was an important hub on the route connecting northern Gaul with the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis in southern France.

The neighbourhood being uncovered by the archaeologists contains homes dating to the 1st century AD and is believed to have been inhabited for around 300 years before being abandoned after a series of fires.

“A marketplace appears to have been totally burned down,” Clément explained.

“We have found artisan artefacts, which look to have been left on-site as shopkeepers escaped the flames. The other elements are the ‘domus’ - extremely well-preserved aristocratic houses - including 19 mosaics, which will allow us to understand more about life in Vienne 2,000 years ago.”

The mosaics themselves are being painstakingly removed and taken away to be restored, with a view to being exhibited in Vienne's museum of Gallo-Roman civilisation as early as 2019. Experts also believe that they will be able to restore a home dubbed the Bacchanalian House, so called after a tiled floor depicting a procession of female followers of Bacchus, the god of wine. A blaze consumed the first floor, roof and balcony of the sumptuous home, which boasted balustrades, marble tiling, expansive gardens and a water supply system, but parts of the collapsed structure survived. “We will be able to restore this house from the floor to the ceiling,” Clément announced.

The site was discovered during preliminary work to build new housing in the suburb of Sainte-Colombe, on the right bank of the river, but remains have now been uncovered on both banks. In total, the 2,000-year-old complex covers an area of 7,000 square metres. The excavations, which began in April, had been due to end in mid-September, but have been extended by the French State until the end of the year to allow time for more discoveries. ■

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

France caught up in fipronil egg scandal

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fter initial reports suggested that France had escaped the Europewide contaminated egg scandal, the government revealed that a number of potentially dangerous eggs had been delivered to a processing plant, before being used to make products that went on to be sold in French supermarkets. 17 kinds of packaged waffles by different brands were on sale at several major chains including Carrefour, Monoprix, Casino, and Franprix, but have now been withdrawn.

A further 250,000 eggs were also sold by French supermarkets, including 196,000 imported from Belgium which were distributed between April 16 and May 2 and a second batch of 48,000 Dutch eggs sold by the discount retailer Leader Price between July 19 and 28.

The eggs contain traces of the insecticide fipronil, commonly used to get rid of fleas, lice and ticks.

Fipronil is banned by the European Union for use on animals destined for human consumption, such as chickens, but entered the food chain in the Netherlands, which is one of Europe's biggest egg producers.

Dutch eggs have been withdrawn from sale as far afield as Hong Kong. The UK's Food Standards Agency said 700,000 eggs imported to Britain had been affected.

Fipronil is a popular pesticide, often used to de-flea household pets such as dogs and cats, but is also effective at treating red lice, which are commonly found in poultry. The World Health Organization (WHO) says fipronil is “moderately toxic” to people if it is eaten in large quantities, and can have dangerous effects on the kidneys, liver and thyroid glands. It can also cause “nau-

sea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and epileptic seizures,” says the Dutch food standards agency NVWA, although its effects are reversible.

Health authorities have been keen to play down any public health fears, however. “The risk for human health is very low, given the levels of fipronil detected in the contaminated eggs, but also given French habits of food consumption,” explained agriculture minister Stéphane Travert.

In total, more than 200 farms across Holland and Belgium were

found to be contaminated and a criminal investigation is now under way focussing on two firms: Poultry Vision, a pest control firm from Belgium, which is alleged to have sold the treatment to a Dutch poultry farm cleaning company, Chickfriend.

The NVWA have released a series of batch codes identifying eggs that should not be consumed, with the code “2-NL-4015502” potentially posing “an acute danger to public health”. See below for an explanation of how to read egg codes. ■

How to read the code on an egg All eggs in Europe are stamped with a code, made up of a number indicating the type of production, a 2-letter country code and then a number uniquely identifying the producer:

0 - organic 1 - free-range 2 - deep litter indoor housing 3 - cage farming

So 0-FR-12345 would identify a French, organic egg and 3-NL-12345 would indicate a battery egg produced in the Netherlands. ■

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NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 11

12 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

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New York removes Pétain tribute

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he mayor of New York has announced plans to remove a plaque dedicated to Nazi collaborator Philippe Pétain, who led Vichy France during World War II. The move came in the wake of the deadly violence in Charlottesville, where a woman was killed and 19 others injured when a suspected white supremacist drove his car into a group of anti-racism protestors at a neo-Nazi rally.

“After the violent events in Charlottesville, New York City will conduct a 90-day review of all symbols of hate on city property,” Democrat mayor Bill de Blasio told journalists.

“The commemoration for Nazi collaborator Philippe Pétain in the Canyon of Heroes will be one of the first we remove.”

Pétain’s name is engraved in a granite strip across a pavement in Manhattan’s financial district, along with others such as Churchill and

Charles de Gaulle. The Canyon of Heroes strips commemorate figures who were honoured in New York with ticker-tape parades, in a tradition dating from the 19th century. Philippe Pétain visited New York in 1931, at which time he was considered a hero of the First World War. So vast was his fame that a dozen or so towns and cities in the United States named streets after him.

A decade later, however, Pétain went on to lead the collaborationist Vichy government, which participated in the rounding up of Jews during World War II - a period known in France as la grande rafle (the big roundup). Despite officially having autonomy from German policies, Pétain passed legislation that saw Jews - around 150,000 of whom had fled to southern France believing it to be safer - subjected to severe discrimination. Under the Vichy regime, 15,000 people were put to death and

a further 80,000 deported.

Vichy forces also fought against the Allies in various battles during the war.

Following France's liberation in 1944, Pétain was sentenced to death for treason, although his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by General Charles de Gaulle and he died in detention in 1951, aged 95.

New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind told The Jerusalem Post in May: “The idea that he would be in the Canyon of Heroes on any level is just unacceptable. He was involved in the final solution, plain and simple. He wasn’t forced to do things, he did them willingly and that is very, very clear.”

France has also struggled with the legacy of Pétain over the decades. As a Great War hero, the country had numerous statues and monuments to Pétain, most of which have been removed over the years and virtually

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every town in France at one time had a road named after him. In 2013, however, the last rue du Maréchal-Pétain in the country was renamed by villagers in Berlain, a town near Verdun, the site of a famous WWI battle in which Pétain was the senior French commander. “Pétain Street had existed since the 1930s, without really causing a stir,” explained Patrick Gondouin, mayor of Berlain at the time. “But when I was elected mayor in 2008, it bothered me - I suspected that one day or another it would be a problem.”

In July, Pétain's tomb on the Île d'Yeu in western France was vandalised on the eve of the 66th anniversary of his death. Police and firefighters were called to the site after reports of a rubbish bin on fire at the Port-Joinville cemetery on the island. The fire was quickly extinguished, but police then discovered that the cross on Pétain's tomb nearby had been broken. ■

26% increase in speed camera flashes France's network of speed cameras flashed more than 25 million times in 2016, an increase of 26% on the previous year. The radars generated €920 million in fines for the government. Whilst this sounds like a lot of money, the Sécurité routière says it spends €3.4 billion on road safety each year.

Much of the increase has been put down to the rolling out of speed cameras mounted on unmarked police cars. These mobile units, which are used to patrol accident black spots and areas of roadworks caught 3.5 million motorists.

Furthermore, the conversion of 400 fixed radars into more modern dual-direction speed cameras also added to the sharp increase as did the introduction of EU rules allowing for the enforcement of cross-border fines – 12 countries currently have such an agreement with France.

Not everyone is happy with the government's efforts. “Even when a car is ever so slightly over the limit, it is caught on camera in France.. it doesn’t do any good!” said Pierre Chasseray of the association 40 Millions d’automobilistes. “The radars don't catch those who are driving drunk or on drugs, or those on the phone at the wheel.” ■

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

The wines of Bergerac

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by Martin Walker

ny history of the revival of the wines of Bergerac must include the de Conti family and the bottles that emerge from their Château Tour des Gendres are among the finest of the region. They also have an extraordinarily rich pedigree. The vineyards originally belonged to the nearby Château de Bridoire which dates from the 12th century and whose Semillons and Muscadelles were renowned for centuries and ranked alongside the finest Bordeaux white wines.

Now wonderfully restored and flourishing as a popular tourist destination, the Château very nearly fell into ruin while in the hands of a Senegalese corporation which seemed not to notice as the place was looted, its doors, windows and parquet floors torn up and removed. The de Conti family were among those who fought for application of an old French law which allowed the State to take possession of an endangered national monument.

Tour des Gendres itself is built on the site of an old Gallo-Roman villa and its cypress trees give it a charming Ital-

ian touch. The Revue du vin de France lists the vineyard as a class one starred domain and the Bettane and Desseauve Guide gives its wines three stars and in 2010 named it the best wine of the south-west of France.

I would not go that far but it certainly ranks in my top five. On a recent visit to the vineyard I tasted eight of their wines and later bought a bottle of their Anthologia white, which at 44 euros is one of the most expensive wines in the region. Wholly made from the Semillon grape, from a chosen corner of their vineyard of a clay and limestone terroir, Anthologia is made with extraordinary care.

Harvesting is done by hand, grapes picked day after day when they are at their best and then totally de-stemmed before spending twelve months in oak barrels on fine lees, with regular stirring. The result is a deep and complex wine that needs laying down for a few years.

The bouquet offered at first a high note of citrus and then softer fruits before opening out to reveal scents of honey and vanilla.

But that is not a wine for reg-

ular drinking. I enjoyed their standard Bergerac Sec white, called Cuvée des Conti, at 11 euros, which is more expensive than some other well-made whites from the region, but the price was justified because it contained a surprising but very agreeable hint of Muscadelle.

They seem to have two standard reds, one also called Cuvée des Conti and the other, slightly cheaper, called Le Classique which I found most pleasant, full of fruit.

There were three wines that I found terrific. The first was the Gloire de mon Père at 13 euros, made of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. This is a rich and hearty wine with lots of tannins that you can lay down for a decade. But open and decant it two hours before drinking and you will have a noble wine that can handle anything from roast wild boar to Roquefort cheese.

The second wine that took my fancy was called Les Anciens Francs, made wholly of Cabernet Franc at 23 euros. The vines are grown on very chalky ground, carefully plucked to lower the yield and improve the quality and it shows just what fine wines

Buying wines in bulk Letter to

The Editor

Paul Diamond

By Email Dear Mr. Walker, I greatly enjoy your articles in the Bugle and your Bruno books.

I recall you mentioned in an article several months ago a tip for buying lo-

cal wines by taking your own container to the winery and having it filled? We have a holiday home in St. Cyprien and were hoping you could recommend a vineyard/ winery in the general area that allows this?

Also, what is the preferred container of choice? Empty wine bottles? A plastic ‘poly-cube’? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Paul Diamond, Toronto.

PS It would be great to have St. Cyprien featured more prominently in one of your upcoming books. I recommend the books to all our guests and keep a complete set of them in our house.

Dear Paul, Thank you for your query and also for enjoying my Bruno tales. I have great fun researching and writing them.

When buying in bulk I take a 2-litre or 5-litre glass jug with a narrow neck. I bought mine some years ago from Julien de Savignac’s wine shop in Le Bugue. He also sells wine en vrac, or an amount you pour yourself from one of the big plastic vats at the back of the shop. Most wine caves offer a kind of vin ordinaire this way and if I’m going to Bordeaux, I stop off at one of the little caves in the Pomerol and fill up.

In local vide-greniers (jumble sales) you will often see much larger glass jars of 20 or 30 litres, often encased in a wicker basket, which is how the locals used to store the wine they made themselves. Personally, that is too much for me.

So when we have large numbers of friends or family arriving I often buy a 5-litre or 10-litre box. For reds and rosés, I buy boxes of Château Briand from Julien de Savignac (it is made by Julien’s sister, Amelie).

But for white wines in bulk, I go to the Maison Paysanne in Le Bugue and pay €25 for a 10-litre box of Bergerac Sec from Domaine de Grange Neuve. I first came across their wines when I was serving on a jury and we gave them a prize for their Monbazillac and have since visited their vineyard. They offer a well-made and honest white wine, perfect to drink as a kir with a splash of crème de cassis, and extremely good value for the price.

Best regards, Martin Walker

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 13 can be made from this underestimated grape.

The third wine that really impressed me was their upmarket red called Les Gendres, made entirely of Merlot. The 2015 sells for 25 euros and the 2008 for 30 euros.

I was struck by the number of wines that came from a single grape, testimony to the family’s passion to get the very best they can from each variety of grape and to show off how they can bring out its finest qualities. Of course, like almost everyone in the Bergerac and Bordeaux, they produce traditional blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot but they also make an unusual but interesting 2014 wine that is 60 per cent Merlot and 40 per cent Malbec. And although I have friends who are almost addicted to the stuff, I find myself admiring rather than enjoying their fully Muscadelle white, called Conti-ne Périgourdine.

Luc de Conti originally was planning to be a farmer and run a horse riding centre when the wine bug caught him and his wife Martine. They bought Les Gendres in 1981 and replanted the vines two years later, despite the mockery of neighbours, the sneers of bankers and experts who said the Bergerac could never produce great wines. They persevered

and began to re-think from the beginning what they wanted to do. By 1994, they had been convinced of the need to scrap the fertilizers and chemicals and go fully bio and organic.

“Vine growers and the peasants in general must relearn to trust in nature which works perfectly well without us,” is Luc’s credo. “The more we intervene and try to master everything and all the time, the more dangerous things will be. The more we learn to adapt ourselves to nature, the more biodiversity will fulfil its role of natural balancing, the more the soil will have to give us, our wines will be more and more authentic and above all, it can go on from generation to generation, without end. This is our deep conviction and our first motivation in this profession.” ■ Martin Walker, author of the best-selling ‘Bruno, chief of police’ novels, is a Grand Consul de la Vinée de Bergerac. Formerly a journalist, he spent 25 years as foreign correspondent for The Guardian and then became editor-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.

Book review: The Templars’ Last Secret As well as being The Bugle’s resident wine expert, Martin Walker is arguably better known as the author of the popular Bruno, Chief of Police novels, set in the heart of the Dordogne. Here, The Bugle’s editor, Steve Martindale, reviews the latest in the series - “The Templars’ Last Secret”.

B

efore I begin this review, I should confess that I am late to this particular party. The Templars’ Last Secret was my first foray into the world of the Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges, but I can very quickly state that it will not be my last.

The experience of spending time with Bruno in his small corner of the Dordogne would no doubt have been all the richer if I had been through previous adventures with him, but at no point did I feel lost.

When recurring characters appear and past events are referenced, enough back story is revealed to bring you quickly up to speed, but not so much that it doesn’t instantly make you want to dive into the back catalogue to find out more.

Martin Walker paints a picture of the villages and countryside of the Périgord noir, its quirks and its customs, in a way that only a local can. Locations come to life and anyone who is familiar with the area will be instantly transported there as Bruno goes about his business, visiting friends and colleagues... and eating incredibly well!

I was perhaps mistakenly expecting a more sedate journey through this rural idyl, but it soon became evident that this would be a fast paced adventure that was to pull few punches - one particular incident involving the questioning of a

respected scholar left me wincing in my chair!

Intrigue, international terrorists and Templar treasure - all set to the backdrop of the historic opening of Lascaux IV – combine to make this a rollercoaster ride.

I am a sucker for a police procedural and Bruno has very quickly established himself as one of my favourite detectives.

If you are a fan of detective novels, or have an interest in the Dordogne, you could do far worse than hunting down a copy of The Templars’ Last Secret. If, like me, you are both these things, then this is the series for you. ■ The Templars’ Last Secret. Quercus, London 2017, ISBN 978-1-78429-466-3 http://www.brunochiefofpolice.com

14 ♦ FRENCH LIFE

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

Governments cash in on offshore tax evasion crackdown - Blevins Franks

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he UK tax office has reaped the rewards of its latest measures to tackle tax fraud. The past tax year netted HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) £29 billion from tax evasion investigations, helping boost its overall revenue by 7%.

HMRC puts part of this success down to using their “full powers” to uncover secret offshore accounts. Over £2 billion was collected by “cracking down on people who think they can hide money offshore” they said, adding, “there are no safe havens”.

For expatriates – who are likely to have financial interests overseas and need cross-border tax planning – this heightened scrutiny is an extra incentive to get your tax affairs in order.

The new cross-country transparency One of HMRC’s methods for uncovering global tax evasion was co-operation from overseas tax authorities.

Over five years it has nearly doubled its requests to foreign governments for information on offshore accounts – totalling 1,096 in 2016.

International data sharing is about to get easier with the new ‘automatic exchange of information’ regime. Last year, over 50 countries – including Portugal, Spain, France, Cyprus and Malta – started collecting information on their taxpayers’ assets and income. By September, this data will automatically flow between these countries, enabling

local tax offices to verify whether taxpayers have made accurate declarations on their tax returns. In 2018, another 50 countries, including Switzerland and Monaco, will do the same.

They will have access to contact details and information about accounts and investment income earned over the year, such as interest, dividends, income from certain insurance contracts and annuities. Account balances are also reported, as are gross proceeds from the sale of financial assets.

So if you live in France and have assets elsewhere – whether they are investments in the Isle of Man, Swiss bank accounts or just UK property or pension funds – your local tax authorities will know about them. Even if they have no reason to question your tax situation, they will automatically receive information on your overseas accounts, structures, trusts and investments.

Should you be worried?

These measures are designed to catch out those who are deliberately committing tax fraud or incorrectly declaring themselves and their income and assets.

There should be little to worry about if your tax planning is in order and you are declaring your finances correctly.

However, if you live in France and have assets or receive income abroad, it may be hard to determine what you should be declaring and where tax is due.

The wonder of figs

S

by Julia Watson

eptember is fig season of the ‘tardive’ kind, the ‘précoce’ variety coming into fruit in early summer. For me, this makes September the month for another effort at grappling with Salman Rushdie. I’m a little ashamed to admit to it, but I’ve read the first few pages of each of his novels several times over but have never managed to penetrate the rest. Figs help because I’m so passionate about them that I will eat 15 of them in one go. A fig of around 40g also weighs in at approximately 30 calories. But not many of those calories have time to hang about. After a brief period of digestion, 15 figs will rush straight through you. Which makes for a series of 2 am visits to the bathroom. Painless visits, but a good time to tackle Salman Rushdie one more time without distraction.

It's the high fibre content of figs that causes their instability. The lignin they are high in is an indigestible food fibre. It’s this fibre that turns them more than any other common fruit or vegetable into a laxative, although I would strongly recommend you don’t include an artichoke in any meal that features figs. Nevertheless, EU regulations don’t permit a bottle of syrup of figs to be labelled a laxative.

They also contain tryptophan which promotes sleep. But of course when you've eaten too many of them, their laxative effect will keep you awake.

If you’re a fig fanatic like me, the prospect of another broken night’s sleep is not enough to prevent me from settling under one of the fig trees growing all over the coteaux around my house the very next day, and the next, and the next, until the fruit has all been consumed.

But I don’t just sit there and guzzle. I bring them home to the kitchen to use in dishes. They have a remarkable capacity for marrying with salty ingredients as much as sweet ones. An open fig tarte is a wonderful way to end a meal, served with a bowl of crème fraîche. But figs go well with roast loin of pork, added half way through to bake in the juices of the meat. (Another asset of the fig is that the protein-digesting enzymes it contains break down muscle and connective tissue, so will tenderize any meat they are cooked with.)

Jambon de Bayonne, prosciutto or any other air-dried ham is a key component of this first course recipe (see right). It can also be made around the Christmas season with dried figs for passing as a cocktail appetizer. It will make two dozen bites. ■ Julia Watson has been a long-time Food Writer for newspapers and magazines in the US and the UK.

If you are tax resident in France, you are liable to French tax on your worldwide income, gains and wealth. This includes most income that is also taxed elsewhere.

In any case, cross-border taxation is complex; getting it wrong may be easier than you think and could result in costly fines and even prosecution. Take extra care to make sure your tax planning is above board and legitimately protects your wealth and income.

Careful tax planning The first thing you need to do is make sure your arrangements are fully compliant in France and anywhere else you have income, assets or heirs.

Second, your tax planning should suit your particular aims and circumstances, and work beneficially in both France and the UK. A mistake many British expatriates make, for example, is assuming ISAs remain tax-efficient – once you are no longer UK resident, they lose their tax-free status and the interest is usually taxable overseas. On the other hand, tax-efficient investment wrappers offered through a Frenchcompliant bond could legitimately reduce tax on savings and investments.

While some structures can seem similar, however, their tax benefits can vary significantly so explore your options.

Finally, make sure you are declaring your finances and taxes correctly in each country. Some British expatri-

ates wrongly believe that if income is taxable in the UK – like rental income, pensions and ISAs – they do not have to declare it in France. Even if you declare income and pay tax in the UK, you may still need to report it here. It is your responsibility to regularly check you have declared all your tax liabilities and bring your tax affairs up to date if necessary. If you have not been following the rules correctly, you should rectify your position as soon as possible.

With today’s scrutiny of tax evasion, it is more important than ever to take time over your financial planning.

While France can be a very tax-efficient place to live for expatriates, you need specialist, up-to-date knowledge of local, UK and international tax regimes to achieve the best results. An adviser with cross-border expertise can help you enjoy favourable tax treatment while offering peace of mind that you are meeting your tax obligations, here and in the UK. ■ Tel: 05 53 63 49 19 Email: bergerac@blevinsfranks.com All information in this article is based on Blevins Franks’ understanding of legislation and taxation practice at the time of writing; this may change in the future. It should not be construed as providing personalised taxation, investment or pension advice. You should take personalised advice for your circumstances.

To serve 6 2 tablespoons butter 12 fresh or dried figs, sliced in half top to bottom 115ml port 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 55g goat cheese 12 slices Jambon de Bayonne or prosciutto sliced in half lengthwise Heat a 10-inch frying pan over a medium heat. Add the butter. Once the butter is melted and the sizzling subsides, add the figs, cut side down.

Once the pan is hot again, carefully pour the port into the pan, standing back while you do this as it will flame, so don’t pour directly from the bottle into the hot pan. Use a small glass or measuring cup.

After the flames subside and the port is reduced, add the balsamic vinegar and swirl to combine. Simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Cool off the heat.

Once the figs are cool enough to handle, dollop a teaspoon of goat cheese on the cut side of the fig, then wrap a strip of prosciutto around the middle. Continue with the remaining figs, goat cheese and sliced prosciutto. If you’re serving them with cocktails, impale each one on a cocktail stick, otherwise plate up 4 per person.

For 2 1/4 litres of spiced figs Not that I want to keep mentioning the approach of Christmas, but the following recipe makes a good present.

600g fresh figs 400g sugar 1135ml water 2-4 slices of fresh ginger cut into quarters

1 vanilla pod sliced in half 3 cardamon pods, crushed 4 whole allspice 1 lemon, sliced, seeds removed 2 tsp citric acid

Blanch figs in water for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Measure 1135mls of the blanching water, discarding the rest.

Bring the blanching liquid and all ingredients except the citric acid to a gentle boil, add figs and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove figs and lemon slices to sterilized jars, gently tapping the bottom of each jar on the countertop to help pack the figs down gently.

Add 1/4 teaspoon citric acid to each 565ml of boiled syrup.

Add syrup to jars, leaving 2cm headspace. Seal jars and place in a large pan. Gently boil for 45 minutes, keeping jars covered with at least 5cms water.

Remove and cool without touching for 12 hours.

The figs will keep for a year.

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 15

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

In the garden - jobs for September

I

by Michelle Pierce

think I may have une abeille in my bonnet when it comes to discussions about climate change and global warming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t believe it’s happening. But what does seem rather lacking from the debate, as far as gardeners are concerned at any rate, is the idea of climate instability.

We’re often told to grow warmer climate plants, and that’s fine when it’s hot and dry, but the instability of climate patterns means that may not be completely successful. Since last month, thankfully, we’ve had some rain, but also some sudden sharp drops in night temperatures - great for some things, but having a major slowdown effect on the chillies, aubergines, peppers.

Courgettes have been good in patches, pumpkins and squash equally.

We as gardeners will therefore have to be more resourceful, and plan for both extremes, so basically that means not deciding that you’re gardening for Mojave desert conditions, or for Normandy, but for the possibility of both! And now it seems to me that water management is key. If you don’t have enough water then things are hard if there’s a drought, and if you can’t channel it where you want it things are hard when there’s too much.

And that takes me to the internet. There are so many great people out there, often in desert-type conditions, with interesting water management ideas - just check out Brad Lancaster at www.harvestingrainwater.com or search for “DIY homestead projects” on YouTube. Both of the above are trying to garden in arid environments, but their ideas could apply to us, given that we’ve been in drought conditions for much of this year; just go and look at the nearest field - not lush!

Some trees in my area have even gone orange to shed their leaves and save water. An early autumn! So it seems clear that not only harvesting your rainwater but also being able to move it where you want it with minimum effort is really fundamental.

After all, carrying watering cans of heavy water about the place is not only a big effort but also too slow, when you're talking about watering whole beds. Much better to store water directly in the soil, if possible.

And at the same time, nights in later August have become really quite frisky much more like September than August, so seedlings in greenhouses, or young plants just planted out may need protection. But then again, they may also have to deal with very hot daytime temperatures. So therein lies the conundrum!! How to do both ?!

One thing I have decided to do this autumn is install a big water butt in my greenhouse, to act as a passive solar heat source - the water absorbs the heat from the sun in the day, and releases it at night, helping with mitigating the cold - and harvest more water in the future than I do now. I'm also going to try to make a low-tech system that will enable it to go where it needs to go with the least effort, and make my greenhouse work better for me.

This month is a good time to get sowing, or planting bought seedlings, now that the seriously hot, dry conditions have modified. Winter crops like brassicas (cabbages, kales, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts, etc.) as well as leeks, winter lettuce, chicory, winter radish, mustards, sorrel, spinach, chard, oriental greens, lambs lettuce, cress, etc. can be sown. You can decide to plant onion sets and garlic for an early harvest next year. Keep picking beans, tomatoes, courgettes as long as possible to keep them going. Organise a clean, frost free place to store your potatoes, onions and pumpkins.

Take cuttings of roses, hydrangeas, fuchsias and other shrubs, as well as pelargoniums and tender things that might get lost over the winter. You can also take cuttings of black, red and white currants from the prunings you have left over after giving the

bushes a nice airy shape.

Collect, dry and store seed.

Label your asters, chrysanthemums, etc. whilst they're in flower, so you can easily remember what colours they are when dividing the plants later.

Plant spring bulbs. Decide whether you'll risk leaving your dahlias in the ground over winter, (protected under a blanket of mulch) or lift the tubers and store them.

Prune stone fruit trees like plums and peaches after they've finished fruiting, and before cold weather.

This month is the perfect time to enjoy pottering around outside, in generally lovely weather, and at the same time be preparing the next few months in the garden.

Plant what you want to take you through the winter and spring, prepare how you'll protect them, clean and tidy things away (leaving spaces and shelter for the wildlife ) and generally start looking forward.

Make lists of projects for the next year and note changes and improvements you'd like to implement. Think about what didn't do so well this year, and if it matters to you, decide how to correct it.

And spend a little time surfing the internet to get some good ideas. So many interesting people doing fantastic things!!

Good gardening! ■

Two countries separated by one Channel

G

reat Britain and France have a long if not always happy history. Our two countries do have much in common, but apart from occasional differences in language, culture and climate, one thing has always come between us... the English Channel, or La Manche if you were born south of the body of water that separates our two countries.

It was not always that way, however; Britain was connected to mainland Europe until as recently as 8,000 years ago when one of the biggest tsunamis ever recorded flooded much of the country. It is believed that the tsunami was caused when a landlocked sea in Norway burst its banks and surged across the North Sea.

At the time, Britain was home to around just 5,000 hunter gatherers, but since becoming an island, it seems that we have become obsessed with crossing the 33.3 kilometres that separate us from the Continent.

The first airborne Channel crossing came in 1785 when

Frenchman Jean-Pierre François Blanchard and American John Jeffries set off from Dover in a hot air balloon, before landing in Calais after a two-and-a-half hour flight.

Exactly 100 years later, Matthew Webb would become the first person to swim across the Channel when he stepped onto

French soil after 21 hours and 45 minutes in the water.

It was a further 24 years until the crossing was made by aircraft, as another Frenchman, Louis Blériot, made a 37-minute flight from Calais to Dover. In achieving the feat, he picked up a £1,000 prize offered by the Daily

© MODIS image, NASA - April 2003

L

a Grande-Bretagne et la France partagent une histoire longue, à défaut d’avoir toujours été heureuse. Nos deux pays ont réellement beaucoup en commun mais, à part quelques petites différences ponctuelles en termes de langue, de culture et de climat, il y a une chose qui a toujours été un obstacle entre nous….

C’est le “English Channel” ou la “Manche”, si vous êtes né au sud de l’étendue d’eau qui sépare nos deux pays.

Cependant, ce ne fut pas toujours le cas car il y a encore à peine 8 000 ans, la GrandeBretagne était reliée au continent européen lorsqu’un des plus grands tsunamis jamais enregistrés submergea une grande partie du pays. Les rives d’une mer intérieure en Norvège se seraient affaissées et la vague se serait déversée

en Mer du Nord.

A l’époque, seuls environ 5 000 chasseurs-cueilleurs vivaient en Grande-Bretagne, mais depuis que le pays est devenu une île, il semblerait que nous soyons devenus obsédés par la traversée de ces 33.3 kilomètres qui nous séparent du Continent.

La première traversée aé-

rienne de la Manche eut lieu en 1785 lorsque le Français Jean-Pierre Blanchard et l’Américain John Jeffries quittèrent Douvres dans une montgolfière avant d’atterrir à Calais après deux heures et demie de vol. Exactement un siècle plus tard, Matthew Webb fut la première personne à traverser la Manche à la nage

lorsqu’il posa le pied sur le sol français après 21 heures et 45 minutes dans l’eau.

Il fallut attendre encore 24 ans pour une traversée par avion, quand un autre Français, Louis Blériot, réalisa un vol de 37 minutes de Calais à Douvres. Pour cette prouesse, il décrocha une prime de 1 000 livres décernée par le Daily

Mail for the first successful flight between the two countries.

In 1926, American swimmer Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across La Manche, although after strong currents turned the 33-kilometre crossing into a 56-kilometre marathon, she was met in Dover by border police asking to see her passport!

Crossing this famous stretch of water - the busiest shipping lane in the world! - became a much easier task when the Channel Tunnel finally opened in 1994. Today the journey can be completed in as little as half an hour, accompanied by a glass of wine in a reclining seat and without the need to cover yourself in goose fat or risk your life. ■ Mail en récompense du premier vol réussi entre les deux pays.

En 1926, l’Américaine Gertrude Ederle devint la première femme à traverser la Manche à la nage. Bien que de forts courants aient transformé une épreuve de 33 km en un marathon de 56 kilomètres, la police de l’immigration lui demanda son passeport à son arrivée à Douvres !

La traversée de cette fameuse étendue d’eau (le couloir maritime le plus fréquenté du globe !) se trouva nettement simplifiée quand le tunnel sous la Manche fut enfin ouvert en 1994. Aujourd’hui on peut effectuer le trajet en une petite demi-heure, installé sur un siège inclinable avec un verre de vin à la main, sans avoir à se couvrir le corps de graisse d’oie, ni de risquer sa vie. ■

16 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

Business Directory

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

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

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WOOFERS RETREAT Holiday Home for Dogs

Home from Home Established 7 years Pet Sitting available 19510 Masseret Tel: 05 55 97 27 33 Mob: 06 61 05 06 13 debbie_shiralee@hotmail.co.uk siret 804 476 802 00017

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05 55 41 17 76

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

05 53 58 55 38 and home of CANOUAN ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIELS Siret: 499 234 615 00015

Auto Services

Ironwood Motif Artist Blacksmith Ferronnerie d’Art

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

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

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MOTOR PARTS CHARENTE

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

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

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

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Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

Building Services Electricians

BARWICK ÉLECTRICITÉ SHAUN BARWICK QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN

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ADVERTORIAL

Houses on Internet: A Global Property Network

H

ouses on Internet – Global Property Services (hereafter referred to as “HOIGPS”) is the internet/marketing company that has been helping people sell their French property to buyers worldwide for many years now.

Richard Kroon, founder and director of the company: "The number of responses from prospective buyers and sales keep rising. No doubt one of the reasons is that we were able to increase our worldwide advertising budget and reach more prospective buyers than ever."

Last year HOI-GPS sold to people from 12 different countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Holland, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Canada and, of course, France.

Richard continues: “Our continuous global marketing is definitely paying off and guarantees a worldwide exposure of your property to buyers wherever they live.

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

"About 50 to 60 of those photos are selected, enhanced and presented on the dedicated website we make for each property.

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

"When the website for the

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

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

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

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

interested in it."

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

Houses on Internet Global Property Services www.housesoninternet.com

+31 (0)6 41 20 73 69

DIRECTORY ♦ 17

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

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

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

Building Services General

PB INTERIORS Fitting & Installation Service Home Renovation/ Refurbishment Works Kitchens - Bathrooms Bedrooms - Living spaces

Services: Plasterboarding/Plastering (inc.specialist wall finishes) • Plumbing • Tiling • Laminate/Wood Flooring • 2nd Fix Carpentry (doors, architraves etc.)

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05-53-59-51-59 06-44-70-05-56

Email: pb.interiors24@gmail.com Siret 830 526 810 00015

Harlequin Developments est. 2007

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

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

05.55.68.67.56 06.06.60.46.97

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CHARKER DAVID

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

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

E-mail : dn.charker@sfr.fr

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

Building Services Painters/Decorators Simon Carter

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

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

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

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 Building Services Sandblasting Sand and Blast We provide a fully operated

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Contact us for a free quote, or see our website:

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Food & Drink

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Authentic Indian Cuisine to eat in or takeaway

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18 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

ADVERTORIAL

Final Salary (DB) Pension deficit rises to £137 billion in the combined pension schemes of the top 350 UK companies

F

or those of us who were lucky enough to benefit from a Defined Benefit (DB) or more commonly known, Final Salary pension, you would hope that retirement would be rosy, but more and more people are finding this not to be the case as some major company pension funds fall seriously short or have in some cases even collapsed.

We all know about the debacle of BHS, but were you aware of companies such as TESCO, BT, BAE Systems, Phoenix Group, Morrisons supermarkets, FirstGroup, AA, Thomas Cook – all household names that have pension deficits running into many

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billions of pounds in some cases?

The Telegraph recently reported that companies such as the AA, Thomas Cook and Balfour Beatty would have to withhold payments to shareholders for over two years if they needed to clear their pension shortfalls, which are currently growing year on year.

I recently had a conversation when I was told that “my company (Michelin) is too big to go under”, but as far as the DB pension scheme was concerned Michelin closed their DB pension to new members in 2007 and put all its existing members into a new DC (defined contribution) scheme for this exact reason – their scheme was in deficit and they would not be able to maintain it if they let members continue to pay in.

Why could this be relevant to you?

Right now many companies with DB pension schemes, whether in deficit or not, would rather ‘get rid’ of their

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Postal delivery options across France.

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

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

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

Dératisation, Déinsectisation, Désinfection

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

members by offering them inflated transfer values, typically 20 times their annual projected pension amount.

Consensus generally, however, is that this is a situation that won’t last forever and if this is something that you are contemplating you would be better to act sooner rather than later.

Best-case scenario, if your pension goes into administration, is that the PPF (Pension Protection Fund) will take over the scheme, but this could result in disastrous consequences.

The PPF is the government backed ‘lifeboat’ scheme “established to pay compensation to members of eligible defined benefit pension schemes.” (www.pensionprotectionfund.org.uk).

Why disastrous? Because if you are yet to retire you will generally only receive a 90 per cent level of compensation based on what your pension was worth at the time and this is also subject to a cap. For example, the cap is £30,019 at age 57 — meaning

Pools & Spas Dave Roberts

Fibreglass Specialist Fibreglass swimming pool linings that can be applied over all finishes: tiles, marbelite, concrete, etc.

Perfect for new pools, old pools, or pools leaking water Laminated on site, one piece and seam free For more information or a quote, contact Dave: +44 (0)1903 893 451 +44 (0)7825 916 573

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

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

For an independent, professional and impartial consultation, from a company with over 30 years experience, please contact me by email: Rosemary. sheppard@blacktowerfm.com or call me on 06 38 86 99 70.

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

05 55 41 17 76

Eco Entrepot

Smart Moves

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

Support

SOS Help

05 55 41 17 76

www.soshelpline.org

anxious? stressed? feeling down? call us up!

3 - 11pm daily Confidential & Non-profit

Rent a Daughter in the Dordogne for Grocery shopping, retail therapy, visits to the doctor/hospital, small tasks, dog walking, day trips, short holidays, etc.

English & Dutch spoken Tel: 0031 6 20602520

www.rentadaughterinthedordogne.com email: claudiadekanter@live.nl siret: 790 909 436 00012

bookstop

Quality second-hand books in English & French 19 r Victor Hugo, 24310 Brantôme

09 51 45 57 49

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

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

smartmovers@hotmail.co.uk

+44 (0)1253 725 414

01 46 21 46 46

Retail & Commerce

For a fully insured, careful service

www.smartmovesremovals.co.uk

Your advert here Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

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

Transport, Removals & Storage

sales24@thebugle.eu

www. fibreglass-lining.com

Curative and preventative rats, mice, moles, flies, woodworm, bed bugs, fleas, wasps, hornets

someone aged 57 when the scheme goes into the PPF and has a pension entitlement of exactly £30,019, will receive 90 per cent of this or £27,017 at their normal retirement age. Ask yourself if you would be happy receiving 90 per cent or less of your hard-earned pension. If you are at all concerned we can look into this by simply requesting the relevant information for you, without initial obligation or cost.

Your advert here 05 55 41 17 76

Man & Van Transport

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

14m3 capacity 4.2m load length English & French Spoken

09 82 12 69 73 87150 Oradour-sur-Vayres

www.frenchvanman.eu Siret 530 213 644 00012

MICHAELS MOVERS Removals

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

0800 840 3058 Mob: +44 (0)7808 338 386 Removals, storage & house clearance in Dordogne

06 73 96 38 39 (FR) www.michaelsmovers.freeindex.co.uk

DIRECTORY ♦ 19

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

ADVERTORIAL

“SolarVenti”- the solar solution to damp and humidity

A

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

The Solarventi air panel was invented more than 20 years ago

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

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

How it works The principle behind Solarventi is simple: a small, built-in, solar cell powers a 12V fan that is connected to an air vent, a control unit and an on/ off switch.

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

The initial models were more than capable of keeping the cottages dry (and ventilated), even with the limited sunshine hours available in Denmark during the winter season. Since that time, the technology has really come along in leaps and bounds. Now, more than 20 years later, the 3rd and 4th generation Solarventi have exceeded all expectations.

In Southern Europe, Solar-

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

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

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

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

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

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

ADVERTORIAL

Online radio station for English-speaking expats Ex-patradio.com is an online internet radio station, which launched live on 21st March 2016. The station is designed for English-speaking expats around the world. The aim is to have a variety of shows, ranging from chat shows through to music programming, covering a full spectrum of musical tastes.

Our shows include: • ‘The Golden Oldies’ with Mick Hennell, featuring tracks from the 50s and 60s • ‘The Beat Goes On’ with Steve Bell, showcasing new expat bands, musicians and singers • ‘The Blend’ with Ira, our American presenter, with the best of Creole and Swamp music through to rare blues cuts • ‘The All Day Special’ with station founder, Dave Hailwood • ‘The Roast Beef’ with Wayne Allen, also “Nashville Calling” • ‘The Retro Chart Show’ with Dave Mac • ‘In Bed with the French’ Talk Show with Christine Caldi • ‘Country Classics’ & ‘The Nostolgia Club’ with David Sibbald • ‘Bridget’s Mix’ with Bridget Waterhouse • ‘Classical Gems’ with Bridget Waterhouse • ‘Digital Blues’ with Ashwyn Smyth • ‘The Culture Gap’ with Vincent • ‘Soul Time’ with Max Morrison • ‘Essential Rhythms’ with Peter Simmons

• • • • •

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

Our live “Coffee Morning” chat shows with station founder, Dave Hailwood (an expat from the UK) and our regular guests from around Europe. We feature regular topics such as women’s issues, gardening, sport, travel, cooking and schooling... in fact anything that affects expats.

Our audience is encouraged to join in via email or phone with comments, questions and requests. Ex-pat Radio aims to be an international station, with an approachable local feel to it. To our surprise we also won “Best Foreign Radio Station” in France as voted by the readers of Paris publication “Expatriates Magazine”, which we won with 75% of the vote.

ADVERTORIAL

Chasing Dreams and Flies; A Tragicomedy of Life in France

D

orothea Shefer-Vanson's fourth novel, ‘Chasing Dreams and Flies; A Tragicomedy of Life in France,’ recounts the saga of a couple from England who decide to follow their dream and leave England in order to move to France. As they approach retirement age, Sophie and John Williams are anxious to escape the Britain of the early 2000s, but find that there are various hurdles on the road to fulfilling their dream of living the good life. They assume that with the help of their friends and by dint of their devotion to one another they will be able to succeed in their new life. In the process, however, they find that they are limited by their ignorance of the French language and culture as well as being harassed by the hostility of one of their neighbours.

Like them, Julie Smithers has left England to live in France, but in her case it is in order to write a book and escape a painful romance. Her encounter with expat handyman Steve gives her renewed hope of finding happiness despite her reservations. In the unexpected denouement, all the characters happen to be in the same place at

almost the same time.

The book is available in both ebook and printed form from Amazon. ■

https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Dreams-Flies-Tragicomedy-France-ebook/dp/B01LW3D212

Email us with requests, stories, jokes, local events in your area, sports groups, and anything else. We want to hear it all...

So get typing to: expatradio.request@gmail.com Like us on Facebook: "expatradiofrance" Tweet us: @ExpatRadioCom And listen live now!

www.ex-patradio.com

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

ADVERTORIAL

Advertising with The Bugle

W

ith 7 years’ experience delivering print advertising to an expat market, The Bugle represents one of the most cost-effective ways to let English speakers know about your business. An advert with The Bugle starts from just €13.50 HT per month – that’s less than 45 cents a day to put your business in front of 25,000 people each month.

In the Dordogne we have more than 150 distribution points across the region and surrounding areas where readers can pick up a copy for free.

We also distribute 2,500 copies through Bergerac Airport, which means that we are in the perfect position to target not only residents and secondhome owners, but also tourists and those new to the region.

The Bugle is the only English language newspaper dedicated to the Dordogne - in fact, today, The Bugle is the only free English language newspaper in France and we are growing all the time.

If you would like to discuss any of our advertising options further, why not give us a call today to find out more about the ways that we can help you grow your business.

T: 05 55 41 17 76 E: sales24@thebugle.eu W: www.thebugle.eu

20 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

Advertising in The Bugle Business Directory Advertising your business couldn’t be easier. Text only, boxed listings are available in our Business Directory from just €13.50/month. Alternatively, why not spotlight your business with an Advertorial, available from 1/6 Page (€50 HT) up to Full Page (€300 HT). Both Directory Adverts and Advertorials represent a cost effective way to put your brand in front of more than 25,000 pairs of eyes each month!!

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

6-Month Contract €108

Small b&w Directory Ad

(€18/month)

Large b&w Directory Ad

(€24/month)

Small Colour Directory Ad

(€27/month)

Large Colour Directory Ad

(€36/month)

€144 €162 €216

12-Month Contract €162

(€13.50/month)

€216

(€18/month)

€243

(€20.25/month)

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

30 words max

€324

(€27/month)

Directory Advertising is available either in black and white or colour, and in either small (30 words max) or large (45 words max) format.

Directory adverts may only contain text - no logos, images or artwork are allowed. The minimum contract length is 6 months.

Advertising is payable on publication. All prices are HT.

SUDOKU - EASY

SUDOKU - MEDIUM

SUDOKU - HARD

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

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS TO OVER 25,000 PEOPLE EACH MONTH FOR AS LITTLE AS €13.50 HT SALES24@THEBUGLE.EU

05 55 41 17 76

COMMUNITY ♦ 21

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Monday

Twinkle and Dapple

Market Days

Beynac Duras Le Fleix Les Eyzies Ste-Alvère

Tuesday

Beaumont du Périgord Bergerac (bio market) Brantôme Cénac-et-Saint-Julien Lanouaille Le Bugue Mareuil Neuvic Ribérac Salignac Eyvigues Thenon Trémolat

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

Razac Sarlat Siorac-en-Périgord Vélines

Thursday

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

Friday Bergerac Brantôme Cubjac Le Buisson Ribérac Sarlat Vergt

Saturday

Agonac Beaumont du Périgord Belvès Bergerac Lalinde La Roche Chalais

born approximately 24th April 2017

Le Bugue Montignac Mussidan Neuvic Nontron Périgueux Razac Sarlat Sigoulès St Aulaye Ste-Foy-la-Grande Thiviers Verteillac Villefranche du Périgord

Sunday

Bergerac Couze St Front Daglan Gardonne Issigeac Pontours Pressignac-Vicq Rouffignac Sarlat Sorges St Cyprien St Génies St Pardoux la Rivière See www.jours-de-marche.fr for more information

Meet the most adorable set of tortoiseshell twins. Twinkle is a loving, affectionate kitten who will meow loudly for cuddles, but if they are not forthcoming she will happily settle down to sleep entwined with the dog.

Dapple is the more adventurous of the two, she likes exploring but is very happy to snuggle with you for cuddles too. Though we would love for them to find a home together, they can be homed separately.

Both girls will be vaccinated, chipped and de-parasited before homing. If you are interested in either one of these beautiful girls please contact their foster carer:

Sophie Nicol Tel: 05 53 73 91 13 Mobile: 07 78 21 13 55 Email: sophie.nicol@yahoo.fr Dept. 24 Bergerac

www.phoenixasso.com

www.facebook.com/PhoenixAssociationFrance

Debate, discussion, déjeuner?

Lively minds sharing ideas and views?

Like the sound of this?

We understand that life can be difficult for expats living away from the UK and that sometimes assistance is needed.

Registered charity Elizabeth Finn Care is able to offer direct financial assistance to British and Irish nationals or residents who live overseas. We ensure that our help does not affect any means-tested payments.

Briefly we can consider assisting those who:

South West Left are a friendly, informal group of mostly English speakers living in the Dordogne and Lot et Garonne.

We come from a mainly centre/left point of view and meet every month around the South West region for either discussion on current affairs - European and international - or to enjoy a meal in a restaurant, quiz night, music night or maybe a topical film.

Our members plan the programme of events.

If you’d like to find out more, please contact Averil de la Rue, secretary, by email at averildelarue@wanadoo.fr

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.

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

UPCOMING AQUITAINE CHURCH SERVICES The Chaplaincy of Aquitaine covers the Dordogne, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, and Condom (Gers).

All services are held in English.

For further details, please see our website: www.churchinaquitaine.org or contact Chaplaincy Administration: Amy Owensmith, +33 (0) 607 04 07 77 chapaq.office@gmail.com Thursday 7 September 17:00 Different and Dynamic Worship - Limeuil

10:30 Family Communion – Bordeaux 10:30 Holy Communion – Chancelade 10:30 Morning Worship – Dondas 10:30 Fresh Expressions – Eymet Temple 10:30 Morning Worship – Limeuil 10:30 Prayer & Praise – Monteton 11:00 Prayer & Praise – Sainte Nathalène 17:00 Evensong - Limeuil Thursday 21 September 10:30 BCP Holy Communion – Limeuil SUNDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 10:30 Holy Communion – Bertric Burée 10:30 Family Commmunion – Bordeaux 10:30 Fresh Expressions – Eymet Temple 10:30 Harvest Holy Communion – Limeuil 10:30 Harvest Holy Communion - Monteton 10:30 Holy Communion – Négrondes

SUNDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 10:30 Holy Communion – Bertric Burée 10:30 All Age Worship – Bordeaux 10:30 Fresh Expressions – Eymet Temple 10:30 Holy Communion – Limeuil 10:30 Morning Prayer - Monteton 10:30 Family Service – Négrondes 10:30 Harvest Holy Communion – Saint Médard, L&G

Tuesday 26 September 18:30 Ecumenical service for Creationtide – Villeneuve sur Lot, St Etienne church

Wednesday 13 September 11:00 BCP Holy Communion – Bertric Burée

Thursday 28 September 11:00 Worship Service for Creationtide – Condom

SUNDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 10:30 Family Service – Bertric Burée

Saturday 30 September 10:00 – 15:00 6th annual WorshipFest – Berbiguières, Dordogne

22 ♦ WHAT’S ON

WHAT’S

ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017

Music in the Dordogne sponsored by ARCADES Join us for concerts in the air conditioned new hall in Le Buisson, mostly of classical music, with top class French, English, Russian and other international performers. Concert tickets cost €15 including wine in the interval.

All events are organised by volunteers and serve also as a meeting ground for the French and international communities of the Dordogne, including ACIP and La Tulipe.

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

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

Friday 15th September at 8:30 pm Musicians from the National Youth Orchestra of Spain « JONDE » Ten musicians: violins, viola, cello, flute, clarinet

Programme: Bartok String Quartet no. 1 Sextet for wind and piano by Louise Farrenc (19th c. French female composer) Debut of contemporary work by Rodrigo Ortiz composed especially for this group

Sunday 1st October at 4 pm La Belle de Cadix A French Operetta created in 1945 by Maurice Vandair and Marc-Cab with music

by Francis Lopez, Paul Bonneau and Vandair

Lilaine Dessombs, Philippe Renard, Nelly Leonard, Jacques Priam, Mathieu Hipeau, Sophie Doublet plus the chorus and ballet from the Company Ja-Bert under the direction of Elodie Balembits

The Journées européennes du patrimoine (European Heritage Days) take place this month on 16th and 17th September. This is a popular event throughout France, which sees many state buildings and museums open their doors to visitors.

There is not enough space in these pages to list everything going on so pop down to your local tourist office or visit: http://www.journeesdupatrimoine.culture.fr/ to find out what is happening in your area.

Exhibition LA TULIPE at the Château de Limeuil Exhibition organised by the association “RIVES D’ART” at the Château de Limeuil. Limeuil is one of the most beautiful villages of France and each year it welcomes many tourists from all over the world. The hall for exhibiting art is situated in the château’s panoramic garden. Visits to the exhibition are free (but there is an entrance fee to the garden).

In September, there will be an exhibition of amateur artists belonging to the Association “La Tulipe”.

Sixteen painters and a sculptor will exhibit a variety of styles and demonstrate a unique insight into the way in which Dutch artists work in the region.

It’s the second time that the association “Rives d’Art” has invited a group of amateur artists to exhibit.

The artists are all members of LA TULIPE CERCLE PAYS-BAS EN PERIGORD, an association of Dutch citizens who live permanently or semi-permanently in the Périgord. The association has about 220 members and has been in existence for 15 years.

It really is worth a visit to the exhibition due to the wide variety of work.

The Autumn Phoenix Book Fair on Saturday 23rd September ...will again be held in Campsegret (24140) with over 20,000 English and French fiction and non-fiction books (all sorted by category and in excellent/good condition), 3,000 DVDs/CDs and many lovely greetings cards for Christmas.

So come and stock up on your winter reading/listening, and presents and cards for your family and friends! The famous Catering Ladies will spoil you with a wonderful offer of homemade savouries and sweets. Come for the day and bring the family with you! Everything’s from one euro and up! And who knows, you might meet your next furry friend for life!

All the proceeds from the Book Fair will go to the Phoenix Association to continue their work in saving, caring for and rehoming abandoned, abused and unwanted animals.

The doors will open at 9.30 am (9 am for people with limited mobility) and close at 3 pm.

Entrance and parking are free. Donations of books, cakes, DVDs, CDs, unwanted gifts for the bric-a-brac, unwanted animal items, etc. are very welcome on the day!!

For further information go to www.phoenixasso.com

WHAT’S ON ♦ 23

SEPTEMBER 2017 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Journée des plantes Sunday 1st October, Neuvic-sur-l’Isle Exhibition and sale of plants by specialised nurseries and craft for eco-habitat.

French Conker Championships

From 9h30 in the grounds of the Château de Neuvic.

Tickets €4.50; FREE for Under 18s.

For more information visit www.fondationdelisle.fr

Saturday 7th October Abjat-sur-Bandiat It’s that time of year again! The official French Conker Championships are being held at Abjatsur-Bandiat on Saturday 7th October. Why ‘official’? Simply because anybody can organise a conker tournament, but only the one held in Abjat can be described as the French Conker Championships and, of course, the eventual French champion can represent France at the World Conker Championships held annually in England.

The tournament is organised by the Fédération Française de Conkers who follow World

EASY

O

Conker Federation rules, providing all conkers and strings.

The day begins with a vide-greniers (usually between 90 and 100 stalls) and the competition begins at 3 pm and is open to men, women and children (inscriptions from 2 pm).

Food and drinks are available all day. A meal and a rock concert at the Entente Cordiale bar conclude the festivities.

For further information and reservations for the vide-greniers please contact Stewart Edwards on 05 53 56 16 93 or 05 53 56 81 01.

MEDIUM

HARD

The Grumpy Granny Guide Far from the Madding Crowd…

ne of the joys of the Périgord is the sheer wealth of places to visit but all too often we stick to those sites we know out of habit or lethargy. And yet there are surprises everywhere and when the major markets, sites and roads are chock-a-block with camper vans and slow-moving vehicles crawling along as the drivers admire the view, we often prefer to stay at home rather than face the crowds.

Yet the smaller and less-known sites remain perfectly manageable even at the height of the season and here are just a few which really ‘vaut le détour’ and will pleasantly surprise you.

An unexpected and extraordinary visit is the Musée Napoléon in Cendrieux, just 10 minutes outside Le Bugue. It is surprising that so few people seem to know about a museum which is a must for history, and Napoleon, buffs. The owner is a descendant of the Bonapartes and the family were able to retain an amazingly rich collection of Napoleonic memorabilia. You will be regaled with anecdotal history and astonished that Cendrieux, and not Paris for once, is home to so many precious and fascinating personal effects as well as historically significant pictures and papers (www. musee-napoleon.fr).

Situated in the centre of the triangle Rouffignac-Périgueux-Mon-

tignac, the church in the village of Bars houses the little jewel of the Harmonium Museum. This is a unique collection of Harmoniums (portable ‘pump’ or ‘parlour’ organs often used in the past in homes or for church services) which are all in working order and can be played by musically-minded visitors! A short visit which can be combined easily with one to Rouffignac, or Lascaux IV. The tiny hamlet of Bars also has a very good place to have lunch where you will meet the locals and get a taste of authentic local cooking (Le Bistrot Gourmand: tel. 05 53 35 31 52).

The family-owned Château de la Faye in Auriac outside Montignac is an extremely interesting (free!) visit, where you are warmly welcomed by the owner, Vincent Hamelin who is an enthusiastic guide and makes history come alive. The castle’s history spans eight centuries and its fortunes have followed that of the region which M. Hamelin describes with great clarity. Although there is no tourist infrastructure here, not even toilets, together with a stroll around the unspoilt, peaceful village of Auriac, it makes for an unusual and worthwhile outing. There are tours in French or English during July and August. The Château will also be open during the European Heritage Days (16-17 September) from 10:30-12:30 and 14:30-18:30. For

more details tel 05 53 51 86 12.

In quite a different part of the Dordogne, to the west in Mussidan, there is a delightful arts and crafts museum, the Musée André Voulgre (named after the benefactor who set up the original collection), which is rarely crowded and has a rich collection of everyday objects and machines which give real insight into Périgordian life until the mid 20th century. Pleasantly laid out and very easy to explore, it makes for a relaxed visit which you could combine with either the Château de Neuvic or the Château de Montréal, both of which are a short distance away and are fairly short visits.

The smaller museums and places of interest do not always have the resources to pay for marketing or inclusion in the official catalogues and deserve more exposure in the media. So if there are any small museums or sites near you which you would like to recommend or if you have any other comments to make please contact me at: grumpygrannyguide@orange.fr This is part of a series of features devoted to the tourist experience in the Dordogne provided by grumpygranny-guides.com which highlights those sites which are comfortable and pleasant to visit and which offer a warm welcome.

Hard to know which tourist sites to visit?

Grumpy Granny Guide

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

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

www.GRUMPYGRANNY-GUIDES.com

24 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2017