The Bugle Dordogne - Sep 2018 by The Bugle

Ryanair change cabin baggage rules... again! Confusion reigns as Ryanair once again change the rules on what you can take on a plane... and what it will cost >> Page 6 November 2016 - Issue #85

Dordogne

Your local newspaper for life in France

September 2018 - Issue 63 - FREE!

Last call for the landline telephone Nearly 140 years after the first calls were made, the French landline network will gradually be phased out over the coming years following an historical announcement by Orange.

date, no new fixed line contracts will be sold and anyone moving house will not be able to take their landline contract with them. There are currently 20 million landline users in France, but just under half of these do not have an associated internet connection, leaving many to panic about losing their telephone line. Orange have been quick to reassure users that whilst they will no longer sell new contracts, the existing landline network will be maintained. The operator hopes to start completely phasing out the 139-year-old system from 2023, however. The move comes after

>> continued on page 8

Free bus trips round Périgueux - pg 3

The measles epidemic sweeping France - pg 6

Park unveils litter picking birds - pg 11

The Bugle Business Directory - pg 14-16 @calaverghia (Instagram)

n an increasingly mobile world, the death knell may have been rung for the traditional landline after Orange announced that they will shortly begin phasing out the classic RTC (Réseau téléphonique commuté) cable network. The news will mean the end of the familiar “T-junction” connecter; in the future your telephone will be plugged into the back of your internet box. From 15th November, Orange will no longer sell new landline subscriptions, and will “evolve to focus on IP technology which has become the international standard”. From this

Sacré vin bleu... Say hello to blue wine! - page 11

INSIDE > > >

We all have bad habits. Develop a healthy one that actually saves you money!

Don’t let the banks cash in!

www.hifx.co.uk

Save time and money by sending your international money transfers Consistent bank beating exchange rates online or over the phone. Move money, pay people and settle bills within seconds. Make and track payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Norton security used by 97 of the world’s top 100 banks. HiFX Europe Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2009, registration 462444, for the provision of payment services.

2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

Purple Solutions Garden Maintenance

High summer - time for chilled Lestevénie Brut New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov says it is “delicious” as do lovers of quality sparking wine

Call us on 06 72 87 87 14 or contact us via Facebook or email. Leave your details and an idea of the job description. Covering 40 km from Cussac (87150)

purplesolutionsgardenmaintenance email: sryanhill@rocketmail.com

www.chateau-lestevenie.com 06 48 62 23 73

siret: 825 351 836 00010

Welcome to

The Bugle

hen I first moved to France what seems like a lifetime ago, I only had a vague notion of what La Rentrée was. I understood that it was the time of year that children went back to school, and that I didn’t really know how to translate the expression into English (Back to School?)... but I had no idea why it was so important and what it actually meant. I’m not ashamed to say that these days, for eight weeks every summer, those two little words generate the kind of feelings in me that the name Father Christmas would engender in December as a young child: giddy excitement, the tantalising prospect of something seemingly unattainable, the sense that time is slowing down. And then that blessed day when you pack the little blighters off to school, sit back and enjoy five seconds of peace for what feels like the first time in your life. I’d say that the pleasure was worth the pain, but it really isn’t! As I write this, there are just a few days remaining before

Experienced, Registered & Fully Insured No mess, no fuss Email: cinderssweep@gmail.com

I can have a small piece of my life back. I can’t actually remember what it feels like to enjoy a cup of tea without a soundtrack of “she hit me”, “he stole my toys” and “we’re bored!” I know that you’re supposed to enjoy spending time with your kids, but as someone who works from home, I am going to break the taboo and confess that I am looking forward to the peace and quiet. It is a problem faced by many in France, with growing calls for the 8-week summer holidays to be reduced in length (see page 10). I have many friends who face similar issues in the UK - where childcare costs are far higher than they are here - and, like their French counterparts, a lot of them rely on family support to get through the summer months. Which brings me to one of the occasional negative points of being an expat: the lack of a support network. I always listen with envy to friends who say that their parents have taken the kids so that they can go to a concert, or a wedding, or even just have a night off. Ah, a night off...

my wife and I find ourselves away from home from time to time, but never together. We don’t have brothers, sisters or parents round the corner, and whilst friends are always willing to look after a child for a couple of hours, most, understandably, are reluctant to take three of them overnight! And when they’re my three, I can’t say I blame them! Now, I’m not complaining (OK, maybe a little bit). I chose to live here and have children and they are my responsibility. On the surface it probably doesn’t even look that hard; it is the non-stop nature of it that wears you down. Would you rather have excruciating pain for an hour, or a dull headache for eight weeks? I know which I would choose... bring on the thumb screws! I am also aware that I just compared my children to a dull headache which really isn’t fair... migraine would be more appropriate!! On the plus side, what a glorious summer it has been! The warm weather has allowed us to pack the kids out into the garden to play and also enjoy the odd glass of something cold under a tree late in the day as the sun sets. I always think it’s a shame that the longest days don’t always coincide with the warmest weather; ten o’clock sunsets are so often wasted in May. These last few weeks, I’ve started to notice the sun setting much earlier and the window between getting the kids down and the sun setting

T: +44 (0)7745 102 795

has been closed to a draughty crack... I’ll have to start drinking shorts for efficiency’s sake!! As we go to print, it has been announced that the EU has voted to do away with daylight saving and stick with summer time all year round. My summer holiday-addled brain can’t work out what that might mean for my late evening al fresco tipple, but I do know that it will provide my fatherin-law with yet another reason to call at ever-more unholy hours. “Oh, I thought you were three hours ahead,” is the usually excuse when insomnia kicks in and he’s bored in the wee small hours. I dread to think what will happen if the UK keeps daylight saving postBrexit and the EU scraps it! He’ll have every excuse under the sun, even if it did set eight hours ago! Until next month! Steve Martindale, Editor

CONTACT us Tel: 06 04 17 80 93 General: editor@thebugle.eu Advertising (EN): sales24@thebugle.eu Publicité (FR): publicite@thebugle.eu Subscriptions: subscriptions24@thebugle.eu

INSIDE this edition 3-5 Local News 6-11 National News 12-13 French Life 14-16 Directory 17 Community 18-20 What’s On Copy deadline:

15th September for October’s print edition

!! Retirement Sale !! After nine years as The English Optician, Marian is retiring From Tuesday 18th September to Thursday 18th October

ALL SIGHT TESTS WILL BE FREE All spectacle frames will be just

30 euros when you buy the lenses to go in them

O R

M O R E

INFORMATION

(While stocks last - when a frame is gone, it is gone)

Non Prescription Sunglasses - 10 euros

siret: 484 768 700 00029

C H ÂT E AU L E S T E V É N I E

Do you have a garden? Home, cottage or holiday home?

Practice closes 15/11/18

For more information, or to make an appointment, email: marian@theenglishoptician.com

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Mini Digger

with Driver for Hire

Landscaping, Ditching, Land Clearance etc. Hedge Removal and Stone Wall Construction John Bonella

87440 Marval

05 55 78 62 29

siret no. 523 183 580 00019

john.bonella@gmail.com

PRIVATE PROPERTY SELLERS LTD

French Property For Sale Throughout France direct from owner

NO ESTATE AGENT COMMISSION FEE

Advertise your property on Rightmove, Prime Location Overseas, Zoopla, Green Acres, France Property Shop and many more sites! Why pay more when you can advertise with PPS for less. Leaders in French property marketing for the private seller. www.privatepropertysellers.com

info@privatepropertysellers.com

Bus bonus for Périgueux Gigspanner return to the region once again

he majority of British visitors - and even many residents - are sometimes nervous about using buses to get around. Often the routes are not clear, timetables are a mystery, fares nerve-inducing, and destinations can seem like a journey into foreign parts. According to Péribus, the city bus company of Périgueux and its suburbs, those concerns are now a thing of the past as this public transport system rolls out its new routes, timetables and fares. Everything revolves, literally, around the newly constructed hub whose progress The Bugle reported on in the April edition. From this interchange close to Périgueux railway station, passengers can take public transport to: the big shopping centres at Marsac, Boulazac and La Feuilleraie in Trélissac; the area’s hospitals; the Aquacap water park; the Agora concert venue and all the major locations of Greater Périgueux. For the exhibition centre, there is now a comfortable, attractive alternative to the crowded car parking. Péribus also provides a special service for handicapped travellers with the uniquely equipped Handibus, which is set to cover the entire network during the week. For outlying areas the company offers the Télobus service available by telephone booking, covering distant destinations including the rehabilitation centre at La Lande, the catering college at Savignac, Notre Dame de Sanilhac, Agonac and Sorges.

I Fares are an affordable €1.30 a trip, including transfers, payable on the bus, and a range of passes and travel deals are available online and at the travel centre on cours Montaigne in Périgueux city centre. Between Monday and Saturday the electric navette shuttle covers city centre destinations under the catchy name of “Businova”. To encourage passengers to get the hang of the new routes and services, Péribus is offering absolutely free transport on all its routes for the first fortnight in September. That sounds like a great way to get to know those “foreign parts” of the Dordogne’s capital city for free! To find out more visit www.peribus.fr or the travel centre at 22, cours Montaigne in the city centre. Bon voyage! ■ by Brian Hinchcliffe

n the wake of his departure from Steeleye Span, multi award-winning fiddle player Peter Knight has turned his full attention to his trio Gigspanner, and in the process established their reputation as one of the most genuinely groundbreaking forces on the British folk scene, inspiring Maverick magazine to write "Gigspanner are making some of the most beautiful music the genre has to offer" 5***** Since leaving Steeleye Span, Peter has also chosen to make his home in the Creuse, although a busy touring schedule in the UK means that he is absent for much of the year. The band has had a hugely busy summer playing headline slots at some of the UK's most high-profile folk festivals, including Sidmouth Folk Week and Shrewsbury Folk Festival, but in September will be making a welcome return to France for a short tour, which will include the Creuse and Dordogne. Described as one of the “most quietly brilliant sets of musicians in the

folk world and beyond”, Gigspanner take self-penned material along with music rooted in the British Isles, and with the flick of a bow, a finely chosen chord or slip of a beat, produce richly atmospheric arrangements “with notes seemingly plucked from the stars and rhythms from the equator”. Their November 2017 release, ‘The Wife of Urban Law’, received several ‘Best Of’ end of year accolades, including making it on to Mojo’s ‘The 10 Best Folk Albums of 2017’ list. You can see Gigspanner on Friday 21st September at the salle des fêtes, St-Pierre-Chérignat. Tickets are 14 euros and available online from www. eventbrite.co.uk. For more information for the Creuse event, contact: mail@gigspanner.com. Locally, they are performing on Saturday 22nd September at L'espace, Verteillac. Tickets are 18 euros and available online from www. eventbrite.co.uk. For more information for the Dordogne event, contact: info@lessoeursanglaises.com (see back page). ■

4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

The local Dordogne businesses taking off

TEA AND CHARITY IN ONE SHOP In La Coquille, close to the Limousin border, Shiela and Denis Pickering, longterm residents, originally from Derbyshire, have launched a further extension to their craft cooperative store. Shiela explained: “We opened a popup shop in November 2016 which had so much local interest and custom, we made it permanent, a kind of craft cooperative. Now, thanks to popular demand, we have been able to open a tea shop and charity shop. Times have been hard to La Coquille, there is a need for low-cost decent clothing, and we can donate all profits to good causes.” In the tea shop, Dunkirk-born chef, Denis Bodaart, offers traditional French patisseries, hand-made ices, plus old-fashioned English cakes and scones, cold drinks and a really good pot of proper tea in the nostalgia-themed tea shop and its neat little openair terrace. The charity shop is a recent concept to the French high street and Sheila is fierce about quality: “Nothing goes on our rails until it’s clean and pressed. Damaged or dirty donations are moved on to recycling.” This new coin solidaire donates its profits to local and national causes including the Ligue contre le cancer, Guide Dogs for the Blind in Limoges and beyond, Thiviersbased charity Corentin, coeur de guerrier, for children with cardiac conditions and HD Le Plaisir Dordogne which helps sick and handicapped children. All donations of clothes and goods gratefully accepted.

Summer excitement came to Thiviers town centre in June when Ariane and Chris Cutler opened their ice cream parlour, a brand new branch of Glaces de Vaunac. The enterprise specialises in handmade ice creams and sorbets with absolutely no chemical additives. “We use no colouring or chemical flavourings,” Chris told The Bugle. “Just about everything is made with locally sourced fruit.” At their Vaunac HQ, 6 km from Thiviers, they are developing a unique range of deep, intense real flavours. The couple are well known across the Dordogne for their traditional stop-me-and-buy-one “ice-cycle” and appearances at brocantes, fêtes and fairs. Ariane told us they can also cater for large events. The parlour’s prime site in the heart of Thiviers has brought a new and fun ambiance to gastronomy as patrons enthuse about the ice cream. Martin Goodrich, a visitor from London, said: “It’s so pleasing to see a great product coming out into the street like this. It’s like a bistro. We can sit, eat great ice cream and watch the world go by.”

credit: Auberge de la Dronne

ICE CREAM PARLOUR

the heart of this historic town. Bio Joli was once based in a small, elegant but crowded boutique. Wendy explained that as demand grew and with it the shop’s product range, basically there was no space to show what they can offer. “We are now at the very top of our street, in the real centre of things at the tip of the rue Puyjoli. Our new shop has much more capacity, with a larger display area so we can offer customers much wider ranges than before.

have recently decided to go it alone with an entry into the mobile market with a very special vehicle, having restored a vintage, iconic Citroën HY van. It has been completely rebuilt and lavishly re-equipped from the chassis up and launched this summer as the Dordogne’s most eye-catching mobile chippy. Customers at a recent evening near Brantôme raved about the quality of the fish and chips. Ruby Smith (13), on holiday from Newcastle said, “This was exceptional, truly excellent.” The couple have established pitches in the Dordogne and around their base in Gardes-le-Pontaroux on the Charente-Dordogne border. Asked about the secret to the perfect fish and chips, they said: “We stick rigidly to high quality ingredients, our traditional secret recipe and our long-established traditional know-how!” BAMBOO NURSERY

credit: Brian Hinchcliffe

n paper, this might not seem the best moment in the decade to take your business forward but several Nouvelle Aquitaine enterprises are doing just that! While most of France was thinking about packing their buckets and spades, some British businesses around the North Dordogne were taking advantage of the summer surge to launch their businesses up Main Street. John Beynon of the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce told The Bugle: “We are not seeing multi-nationals setting up in the Dordogne just yet, but there is an encouraging strata of business activity based on interest in setting up and expanding in this département.” The stories below provide a snapshot of the ingenuity and entrepreneurial vigour of 5 expat businesses in and around the Dordogne.

From the start of November, Chris and Ariane will be adding pancakes and waffles to their repertoire, Belgian Ariane having been waffle-trained in Brussels. Both are great complements to ice cream which the couple are confident will continue to sell like hot cakes! ORGANIC SUPERMARKET A couple of years ago, The Bugle reported on Brantôme’s first organic shop. It has been so successful that owners Wendy and Stéphane have re-launched the business into

It’s not just food and wine, we also do cosmetics and similar preparations, all guaranteed organic. Our wines are rapidly developing a following, too, especially at our tasting sessions.” The only non-organic item available is the vintage 2CV chauffeur-driven car for hire. Launched in 2017, this is currently proving to be the must-have for Brantôme weddings! TRADITIONAL FISH AND CHIPS Lorna and Paul Whellen have been around the fish and chip business for 5 years but

In 2009, a young French horticulturist, Christophe Nikiel began to create a very special kind of nursery, just over the border in the Charente department. He created a stunning park, made entirely from a vast range of bamboo varieties, but the winter of 2012 was a disaster, when the cold killed many of the exotics. He was then joined by British plantlover Cris Hunter and together they have recreated the 2.5 hectare park starting almost from scratch, using hardy varieties. Today, the pair welcome customers to the Rustic Palm Grove at Grosbot near Charras (16380), a unique venue with over 200 varieties of bamboo and grasses on display. “This is our showroom,” Cris told The Bugle. “We are delighted to meet customers looking for bamboo. Whether they want invasive or clumping, we have it all in a mature setting.” ■ by Brian Hinchcliffe

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

British expats are Brexit orphans as they swing in wind Denis MacShane is the UK’s former Minister for Europe and author of Brexit, No Exit. Why (in the End) Britain Won’t Leave Europe. (IB Tauris). Here, he gives us his view on the impact Brexit negotiations are having on British expats in France.

n the midst of fusillades of trade and economic statistics and WTO rules and regulations over what Brexit will mean, one factor is entirely ignored. The human factor. In the last quarter of a century, millions of Brits have become used to living, working and retiring on the continent as freely as if they were moving from Sheffield to Devon, from Glasgow to London or Birmingham to Barnstaple. Now these rights are about to be removed to place the British citizen at the mercy of whatever happen to be the local immigration, residence and work permit rules in place in 27 other EU member states. It is what we are doing to the European Union citizens in Britain. They will have to apply to a jobsworth Home Office immigration bureaucracy - the

kindly folk who brought us the Windrush scandal - to see if they can live and work in the UK. In France, The Dordogne Bugle is a friendly monthly freesheet newspaper produced for the tens of thousands of Brits who have turned the south-west region of France into home from home. It is full of adverts from small British businesses that have set up in France. They advertise their services as builders, electricians, architects, chimney sweeps, dog groomers, gardeners as well as French teachers and estate agents. But the moment Brexit happens all these British expats will see their status changed and no longer have the automatic right to live and earn their living here. They will become the orphans of Brexit. The same is true for the up to

900,000 Brits who own a property or run a business in Spain. Only 300,000 of these are empadronados, which means they have officially registered with the local municipality as living full-time in Spain. The other 600,000 are in no-man's-land as they come and go as they please today, because no-one asks for a residence or work permit when you arrive in an EU member state. But that is about to change. UK citizens will be Third Country Nationals like Russians, or Mexicans or Koreans, with their rights to live and work in EU member states governed by the sovereign laws of each county. The French authorities will be helpful for existing expats but will work within French national laws just as Britain is bringing in British national laws to deal with European citizens who want to live or work in the UK. Mrs May began with her ministers using ugly language about EU citizens in Britain being “bargaining chips”, but she has dropped that threatening rhetoric. They are now

being told they must apply for “settled status” and do so online. That may work for French bankers in the City but there are many who do essential work in old age homes, or amongst the more than 25 per cent of construction workers in London who are from Europe, or fruit and veg pickers who are not computer literate. Now the Home Office says it will register up to 3.5 million people alphabetically. Given the number of Polish names that begin with Z, that has struck a chill into the hearts of the Polish community in Britain. In addition, the Government says it will use age-old Immigration Acts drawn up to keep people out of the UK as the legislative framework for dealing with fellow Europeans. Yet still the boast is that everything is perfect in Britain and all the fault lies in Europe. Caron Pope, managing partner of Fragomen, a legal firm advising British expats, told the Evening Standard: “The heightened prospect of no deal is worrying our clients, not least because of the impact on

their people in Europe. The EU need to get a grip of it and say how they will be treated.” This comment reflects the ignorance of many in London who think there is an entity called the EU which can dictate to 27 sovereign national states who guard jealously who can live and work in their communities. As Britain insists all Europeans must lose all automatic rights to be employed if offered a job in Britain, why should we assume politicians in other European nations will look more kindly on Brits? Fragomen would be better advised approaching all British MPs to explain to them that there is now great fear amongst British expats that the Brexit process will produce one guaranteed group of collateral victims - British citizens in Europe. In 2015 every Tory MP stood on a manifesto promising a “vote for life” for British expats. Yet David Cameron and Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn made no effort in 2016 to allow all Brits in Europe to vote in the referendum. Only

264,000 expatriates out of an estimated 2 million in Europe had a say in 2016 when Leave won by 1.3 million votes. As the campaign grows for a new consultation on Brexit, it is vital that British citizens living across the Channel should not be forgotten. At the very least the Government should consult with them and seek to defend their existing rights. And if a new referendum is agreed by MPs then all British citizens should have a right to vote on their future whether they live in Bradford or Bergerac. ■

6 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

rom January this year, eleven vaccinations became compulsory for children in France as part of the country's battle to eradicate preventable diseases. Top of that list was rougeole (measles), and Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said at the time that it was “unacceptable” that children were still dying. “In the homeland of Pasteur that is not admissible,” Philippe said, referring to Louis Pasteur, the French biologist who made breakthroughs in disease research and developed the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax in the 19th century. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now again called for countries across Europe to vaccinate themselves and their children as a deadly measles epidemic sweeps across the continent. Since the beginning of this year, the WHO has confirmed well over 41,000 cases of the potentially deadly virus. This is far more than the 24,000 cases reported in 2017, which was itself the worst year for a decade. Measles is incredibly contagious and one person can easily infect 20 others through coughing and sneezing the airborne virus. Symptoms include a high fever, severe cough, extreme fatigue and skin lesions.

Europe as a whole has seen 37 deaths from measles so far this year, with three of those in France - the latest being a 32-year-old mother, who contracted the virus from sick patients in the Poitiers CHU while visiting to fill in some paperwork for her ill father. It has long been established that a population as a whole requires 95% vaccination to guarantee nationwide immunity, but this figure is as low as 80% in France when it comes to the measles jab. Experts have put this down to two main factors. Firstly, laziness and complacency. Because so few cases of measles have been reported in the last decade, many parents do not see the urgency in vaccinating their children. Of those that do currently have the first measles jab, only twothirds return for the important, second booster jab. Secondly, the French are historically one of the most sceptical nations when it comes to vaccinations. In 2016, a study by eBioMedecine revealed that 41 per cent of those surveyed said they felt that vaccines were not “safe” - the highest number of any country that took part. This distrust seems to have eased, however, with the most recent survey conducted by Ipsos in July 2018 showing that 83 per cent of French

Measles epidemic spreads as low vaccination rates continue

people are now in favour of vaccination. Distrust remains, though, and this is at least part of the reason that France has been one of the worst affected European countries during the recent epidemic. Three childhood vaccines - for diphtheria, tetanus and polio - have been mandatory in France for many years, but others were simply recommended. Since January 2018, a new law has required parents to also vaccinate their children against whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, influenza, pneumonia and meningitis C. In June last year, 200 senior doctors and hospital bosses published a petition declaring themselves in favour of the move. “Vaccination isn't only a personal choice that solely

COULD YOU BE A PROPERTY CONSULTANT? • Beaux Villages Immobilier is the fastest-growing estate agency in SW France. • We need self-employed commission-only property consultants. • This role will suit motivated individuals who can support themselves ﬁnancially until they produce income. • We value life experience above qualiﬁcations or hard-sell technique. • If you want a job (not a hobby) please call for an informal chat. • Our training is comprehensive and government approved. • Perhaps you are the right person already in our industry (with a successful track record); we can help you make the move. • Either way, having two (spoken) languages is a distinct advantage. • Self-motivation is indispensable; mobility and some computer skills are required. We look forward to meeting you. Email: judith.whitlow@beauxvillages.com Phone: 08 05 69 23 23

AWARD-WINNING SERVICE

Freephone from France:

08 05 69 23 23

www.beauxvillages.com SARL Beaux Villages Immobilier 3 Rue Portes des Fontaines, 33580 MONSEGUR Tél. 05 56 71 40 78 • Siret 501 191 720 00025 APE 6831 Z • Carte prof:33289-2659 • TVA: FR94501191720

benefits the person who is vaccinated, it aims to protect the population, in particular children, the elderly and fragile,” wrote the health professionals. “Systematic vaccination has eradicated diseases, such as smallpox, but the reduction in the vaccination coverage rate of the population has led to the resurgence of certain diseases such as measles.” According to the Ministry of Health, people born before 1980 are less at risk of contamination because they have probably already had measles, which at one time affected hundreds of thousands of children each year. The World Health Organisation estimates that between 2000 and 2015, measles vaccination prevented more than 20 million deaths worldwide. ■

Ryanair change cabin baggage rules... again!

Ryanair has once again tightened up the rules on what passengers pay to take luggage onto the plane, in order to “speed up boarding”. From November this year, passengers will still be allowed to take one “small personal bag” into the cabin, but only if it will fit under the seat in front. Travellers will now have to pay €6 if they also want to take a 10 kg bag, such as a pull-along suitcase, on board; these have been free until now.

Ryanair has claimed that the move is not aimed at making money, but intended to “improve punctuality and reduce boarding gate delays”. Furthermore, under the new policy only 95 passengers per flight - around half of the total - will be permitted to pay for the right to take the extra bag on board. Everyone else will have to pay to have their carry-on luggage put into the hold. From November, if passengers arrive at the boarding gate with more than the 20-litre carry-on bag, but haven't paid for the priority boarding status, the bag will be placed in the hold at a charge of €25, Ryanair said in a statement. ■

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

ritain and France may not have officially been at war with each other for over two centuries, but this may soon change after a series of naval battles that have taken place recently in the Channel. The clashes, the latest in a number of skirmishes involving fishing boats, have led many in the industry to declare the Scallop War officially under way. The latest incident saw as many as 40 French vessels attempting to stop 5 British boats from fishing in the waters 22 kilometres off the Normandy coast at the Bay of Seine. British boats are entitled to fish in the scallop-rich area, but their presence has angered the French, who accuse the British of depleting shellfish stocks. In turn the UK fishermen are demanding government protection from French aggression in a battle that has been raging for years. During the most recent confrontation, five British boats were surrounded in a coordinated “attack” by the French fleet, who are alleged to have thrown rocks and iron shackles at their British counterparts as well as ramming their vessels. Video footage released to the media appears to corroborate this account,

BEYNAC

although local government spokesperson Ingrid Parrot said: “Things were thrown on both sides - from the English and from the French. Both parties were extremely tense.” The British ships were eventually chased off. There has been tension in the area for well over a decade, although this had been relieved slightly during the last five years after a deal saw larger British boats staying out of the bay in exchange for more fishing rights for smaller vessels. Frustrations run deep, however, as French law restricts the scallop fishing season to between 1st October and 15th May, whereas the British boats can gather scallops year-round. “For the Brits, it's an open bar they fish when they want, where they want, and as much as they want,” complained Dimitri Rogoff, head of the Normandy fishing committee. “We don't want to stop them from fishing, but they could at least wait until 1st October so that we can share. Scallops are a flagship product for Normandy, a primary resource and a highly sensitive issue.” The British boats maintain that they are doing nothing wrong. “We have raised the matter with the British government and asked for

EYMET

Le Bourg, 24220 BEYNAC TEL: 05 53 29 33 80

36-38 rue du Temple, 24500 EYMET TEL: 05 53 27 83 45

info@agence-eleonor.com

beynac@agence-eleonor.com

Screenshot (bbc.co.uk)

Violence escalates in bitter Scallop War

a blind eye” while their fishermen “took the law into their own hands”, although local French officials claimed they could not intervene directly because the most recent conflict took place in international waters. French authorities did subsequently say, however, that they would increase the police presence “if necessary” to prevent a repeat of the clashes. The UK scallop industry is worth

protection for our vessels, which are fishing legitimately,” said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations. “The deeper issues behind the clashes should be settled by talking around the table, not on the high seas where people could be hurt.” Sheryll Murray, MP for SouthEast Cornwall, questioned whether French authorities were “turning

MONPAZIER

VILLEREAL

46 rue Notre Dame, 24540 MONPAZIER TEL: 05 53 61 78 95

monpazier@agence-eleonor.com

BERGERAC

9 Place de la Libération, 47210 VILLEREAL TEL: 05 53 49 31 60

19 rue du Col. de Chadois 24100 BERGERAC TEL: 05 53 27 89 59

villereal@agence-eleonor.com

bergerac@agence-eleonor.com

LALINDE

19 rue des Déportés, 24150 LALINDE TEL: 05 53 73 30 62

lalinde@agence-eleonor.com

WANT A NEW CAREER?

FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO RUN YOUR OWN FRANCHISE OF AGENCE ELEONOR IN OUR CONTINUED EXPANSION

Become a Property Agent

Recruiting now Independent Sales Agents: • Excellent commission • Free training • Ongoing support

If you are considering setting up your own estate agency, the Agence Eleonor franchise could be the perfect solution for you. Our support is designed to help you at every step, from setting up your business, to providing ongoing assistance: • • • •

£120 million per year and supports 1,350 jobs. About 60% of the catch is exported - with much of it being bought by the French. If Britain crashes out of Europe in March with no deal, British fishermen will no longer have access to these particular scallops, although many French fishermen will in turn be affected as they currently rely on British waters for much of their catch. ■

Help you to define your territory and ensure exclusivity in that location. We help to set up your technology, including your website and property management software. You and your team will benefit from free training to equip you with all the knowledge to enable you to effectively run your business. Shadowing experienced Team members to give you the confidence to estimate and market your properties.

No previous experience necessary, however you will need to speak French and English Contact Terrie Simpson by email in the first instance at:

Who Are We Looking For? We are looking for enthusiastic people who have great people skills either with previous experience or completely new to estate agency. You will need to have a knowledge of the French Language.

info@agence-eleonor.com

If you think you have what it takes to join our Team, please contact Terrie Simpson on 06 75 96 67 31 or by email at: info@agence-eleonor.com

www.agence-eleonor.com

Ref:

4752-EY

€178,200

HAI

DPE:

Spacious family home split over two levels to provide guest accommodation or a part that can be let to provide an income. Half an acre of garden and an above ground pool plus a garage. Four bedrooms two lounges kitchen and a summer kitchen. Taux

d’honoraires 13,200€ (8%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur.

Ref:

7325-EY

€477,000

HAI

DPE:

3-bedroom house located in a hamlet. 2 fully renovated and equipped gites, a barn of 246m2 that is currently used for storage, a swimming pool and a duck pond. The garden is landscaped, with a vegetable plot, and is 2 acres with some fruit trees. Taux

d’honoraires 27,000€ (6%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur.

Ref:

7311-VI

€178,200

HAI

DPE:

On the outskirts of a rural village, bungalow composed of an entrance hall, living-room, fitted kitchen, 2 bedrooms, bathroom and toilet. Adjoining conservatory, garage and outbuilding, plus detached sheds and 2 greenhouses on 0.62 acre of land with a well. Taux d’honoraires 13,200€ (8%) inclus à la charge de l’acquéreur.

Ref:

4370-EY

€247,250

HAI

DPE:

Pretty stone house comprising a large kitchen/dining room, sitting room, boiler room, two en-suite bedrooms, third bedroom, bathroom and large mezzanine area. A covered terrace and an 11 x 5 swimming pool on just under an acre of land with views over the vines and countryside. Taux d’honoraires17,250€(7.5%)inclusàlachargedel’acquéreur.

8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

>> continued from pg 1 Orange ran a trial in 14 communes in the Finistère department, an area that contains both individuals and businesses and was described by the company as “representative of France as a whole”. In the trial, new clients were only offered a “box”, with bundled internet and phone line, and Orange subsequently reported that “the trial was a success. We did not record any reticence over this kind of technology, or concerns over its installation”. Politicians were also quick to reassure more traditional users that they would not suddenly find themselves disconnected from the world. “The State guarantees a service whereby every French person has access to a telephone service of sufficient quality and at a reasonable price,” said Delphine Gény-Stephann, from the economy ministry. “This will not change, but nothing obligates Orange to use the RTC network to achieve this and they are free to use the technology of their choice.” Others have called on the government to use the phasing out of the landline network to improve the quality of the data network in rural areas. “If we are going to equip people with a ‘box’, let’s use the opportunity to also bring them high-speed internet at a reasonable price,” urged Bernard Dupré, president of the Association française des utilisateurs des télécommunications (Afutt). ■

or as long mobile phones have existed, drivers have been using them to make calls whilst driving. The introduction of the smartphone, however, has introduced a whole new range of hazardous habits for today's dangerous driver - texting, checking emails or even surfing the web! Although there are strict laws already in place to crack down on this, many drivers can't help themselves and mobile phone usage is believed to be a factor in one in ten road accidents. A 2017 study, carried out by Le Parisien newspaper, focussed on 80 junctions in communes across France and revealed the staggering scale of the problem: a motorcyclist taking a

points they already have on their driving licence. Under current laws, only hands-free, Bluetooth-connected systems, which can be controlled entirely by voice, are allowed. All other phone use while driving can cost offenders up to €134 and three points from their licence. “Faced with increasing numbers of motor-

ists who are addicted to their phones, we have to increase the penalties involved,” a member of the ministry for road safety was quoted as saying last year. “Some countries, such as as Italy, have the power to suspend a driving licence for three months for repeat offenders, but we can also look at heavier fines and more

points deducted.” Another tool in the government's fight against smartphones is a new generation of cameras which are able to spot drivers on the phone. These are currently being deployed in the Paris region where chatty drivers first receive a written warning and face losing their licence for repeat offences. ■

Trump to visit France in November

fter cancelling a planned parade inspired by his first visit to Paris, US President Donald Trump has announced he will again be heading to France this autumn as part of events to commemorate one hundred years since the end of the First World War. Trump had initially requested a parade to honour US military veterans and commemorate the end of the Great War after marvelling at the Bastille Day military parade he attended in Paris last year. Local officials estimated the cost of

Houses on Internet is a marketing service that allows private owners of French property to sell their house without using an estate agent. A method that has proven to be very successful. How does it work? 1. We make a website for your property in English, French and Dutch. The main website is available in Russian too. 2. We connect that website to our main site which gets over 130,000 visitors from 40+ countries per month. 3. We advertise your property on several international French-property websites. This way we reach 1.5 million people a month worldwide. What does it cost? We ask a contribution to the advertising cost up front and after the sale a fee of 2.5%, which is included in the selling price. Houses on Internet operates throughout France with a staff of 7 professionals and 89 local photographers who visit our clients to take photos and gather all information. For more information, visit our website or give us call us at +31 (0)6 41 20 73 69.

WWW.HOUSESONINTERNET.COM Plus Vite!

glove off to send a text message; a driver with a mobile phone in one hand... and a beer in the other; and a woman who rolled straight through a red light whilst staring at her phone. The conclusion of the study was that 7% of all drivers passing though the junctions in question were using their phone in some way, with 40% of those holding it in their hand. Now, as part of new tougher laws coming into force in 2019, anyone who is seen using their mobile phone while driving, and who also commits another offence at the same time - such as crossing a white line or speeding - will risk having their licence taken away completely for up to six months, irrespective of the number of

End of the Driving bans for mobile users landline

Moins Cher!

the Washington parade, planned for 10th November, at around $90 million - more than three times the president's own estimate - leading Trump to angrily cancel the event and announce his planned trip to Paris. Calling the price tag “ridiculously high” in a series of tweets, the president vowed to “attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, and go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on 11th November.” “Maybe we will do something next year in DC when the cost comes WAY DOWN.

Now we can buy some more jet fighters!” Following last year's visit to the capital - which famously featured the excruciating 29-second handshake with Emmanuel Macron - President Trump was widely reported to have been hugely impressed by the Bastille Day parade. After dining with the Macrons atop the Eiffel Tower, Trump returned to America vowing to hold his own show of military might. The Elysée Palace, the official residence of French President Emmanuel Macron, had no immediate comment on Trump’s planned November visit. ■

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

MICHAELS MOVERS

Call us... the easy access opening specialists

UK ↔ France ↔ UK Removals Full & Part loads All size of vehicles

For a rapid response and a job well done, call

Martin: 05 55 61 93 07 Windows, Doors & Dormers. Structural & load bearing work. All types of structure... stone, block, timber, etc. New, old, or adjustment to existing openings. Structural concrete specialists. siret: 531 768 182 00010

Storage options available in the Limousin, Dordogne and Sussex UK free phone: 0800 840 3058 Mob: +44 (0)7808 338 386

email: mharristransport@gmail.com www.michaelsmovers.freeindex.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9

10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

Très Jolie

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

WANTED

Ladies fashion accessories

Housekeeper/manager

Beautiful scarves, purses, handbags, jewellery & gifts

in Carsac-de-Gurson 24610

(See Notice Board for where to ﬁnd me)

Needed for cleaning, light maintenance and winter checks of a large holiday home.

Paula Bonella

05 55 78 62 29 06 04 08 29 53

English speaking required. Contact Michael:

tres.jolie1@orange.fr Facebook: search for “Tres Jolie Milhaguet”

There has been frustration across France as replica football shirts featuring two stars were still unavailable in August, more than one month after Les Bleus lifted the World Cup for the second time in Russia earlier this summer. Traditionally, the badges on national teams' shirts feature a number of stars to represent World Cup victories. The Fédération française de football (FFF) said that Nike, the national team's kit supplier, would make the shirts available “during August”. “After the French team's victory, the shirt with two stars was available from the Nike website, but sold out very quickly”, the FFF said in a statement. “Now, fans that wish to buy a shirt should go to the website and register to receive information on future availability.” Similar delays were seen following France's first World Cup victory in 1998, but retailers will be keen for the new shirts to finally hit the market. It is estimated that more than one million will be sold in France before the end of the year! ■

Stamps hit €1

The price of a stamp in France will pass the €1 threshold for the first time next year after La Poste unveiled its New Year price increases. From 1st January, the price of a red prioritaire stamp will go from €0.95 to €1.05 and the lettre verte stamp will increase from €0.80 to €0.88 - a jump of 10% in each case. La Poste defended the rise, saying that the extra money will go towards ensuring the longevity of the universal postal service, with an “improved quality” and insisted that the “adjustments” were a normal part of the changing “multi-annual tariff framework” that is regularly decided by the national postal authority. ■

R.C.S. Chateauroux 808481170 N° TVA INTRACOMMUNAUTAIRE: FR 38808481170

WOODEN FRAMED BUILDINGS BARN DOORS AND BESPOKE JOINERY PLASTERBOARDING AND ENGLISH STYLE PLASTERING KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS PLANNING PERMISSION APPLICATION ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS BY DECENNALE COVERED ELECTRICIAN

elliomic@gmail.com

siret 753 125 061 00014

Delays over World Cup football shirts

WWW.LOCAL-SOLUTIONS.NET

Calls to end reimbursements for homeopathic remedies

t may feel in recent years that the world has become increasingly polarised, but there is one topic that has been bitterly dividing opinion for decades and is about to hit the headlines in France once again... homeopathy. Homeopathy has been around since 1796 and is based on the hypothesis that “like cures like” - a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in sick people. In general, homeopathic preparations are made using a process of dilution, in which a chosen substance is repeatedly diluted in alcohol or distilled water, usually until the resulting liquid statistically contains zero molecules of the original active ingredient. Practitioners claim that homeopathic remedies can cure all manner of illnesses and complaints and millions are passionate about their benefits. The problem for mainstream scientists, however - and sceptics of homeopathy - is that repeated studies have failed to provide any empirical evidence of any benefit be-

yond that of a “sugar pill” placebo effect. This has not reduced the interest in homeopathy and the French are particularly eager consumers. One third of French people take homeopathic remedies of one form or another and the estimated value of the market was a staggering €620 million in 2017. Without the science to back up the claims of practitioners, however, a prominent group of French doctors have demanded that these remedies should no longer be reimbursed by the French Assurance Maladie healthcare system - currently up to 30% of the price of homeopathic remedies is reimbursed. In March this year, the group of 124 prominent doctors released a statement attacking “alternative medicine” - under which banner they include homeopathy - which they claimed was being practised by “charlatans of every type who seek moral authority in the title of doctor in order to promote the illusory effect of false therapies”. Strong words indeed and words which have

led to the group being sued by a homeopaths' union for defamation. In the UK, the NHS announced a ban on homeopathy and herbal medicine in 2017, which they described as a “misuse of scarce funds” and the French government now also looks set to wade into the controversy after the Health Ministry recently announced an official study into the benefits of homeopathy. “We want to obtain the opinion of the Transparency Commission on the appropriateness of the prescription and reimbursement of homeopathic medicines,” the ministry said in a letter dated from August this year. The report will look at “their effectiveness, their side effects and their place in therapeutic strategy” as well as considering “the public health interests of these products”. The results of this report will certainly cause controversy when they are released early next year, whatever the conclusion, and the debate over homeopathy and other “alternative medicines” will likely rage on for decades to come. ■

Demands for shorter summer holidays

s the country's schoolchildren head back for La Rentrée and politicians return from holiday to once again take their seats in the National Assembly, there are increasing calls for the government to shorten the 8-week summer break. Occupying children during the summer holidays is logistically and financially challenging, a fact that will be familiar to many working parents. With more and more employees choosing, or being forced, to spread their holiday entitlement across the year - rather than taking a three or four-week break themselves in the summer - the holidays are longer than ever for many families. “41% of parents think they are too long, and 55%

Buying or Selling French Property? Legal advice from English-speaking lawyers Also the #1 portal for property auctions

www.frenchpropertylawyer.fr

05 55 82 18 99

find it difficult to find childcare solutions,” confirmed Flavien Neuvy, director of Cetelem Observatory, the organisation behind a recent study on the summer spending habits of the French. According to the study, 76% of respondents also considered childcare costs “expensive”. Although it may not be surprising to hear working parents clamour for shorter holidays, there are also increasing calls from older generations who are struggling to pick up the slack. For many families, the only option is to ask relatives, typically grandparents, to take over the childcare duties and it is not uncommon for children to be packed off to the countryside to spend a month or more with mamie et papi. In fact, 69% of families rely on other family members during July and August and 43% of children under six years old spend at least some of the summer with grandparents.

If you have limited resources and no close family, then the only other option is for youngsters to remain at home alone. “Many children from poorer families literally do nothing and are basically looked after by their games console,” said Samuel Cywie, a spokesperson for a parents federation that has been calling for changes for a number of years. “We want all concerned to sit around a table and properly discuss the length of the summer holidays.” Most opponents are calling for a six-week break, similar to the current state school holidays in the UK, but the topic is a political hot potato, given France's reliance on tourism and any changes would have a dramatic impact on regional economies. So far no politician has dared broach the subject and despite growing protests, no changes are currently being discussed. ■

Managing Editor: Steve Martindale Editor-in-Chief: Steve Martindale Registered Address: Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois SIRET: 514 989 748 00017 Printed by: Charente Libre 16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac Monthly circulation: 14,000 copies All copyright, unless stated otherwise, is reserved to The Bugle. Reproduction in whole or part of any text without permission is prohibited. Dépôt légal à parution.

Directeur: Steve Martindale Rédacteur-en-chef: Steve Martindale Siège: Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois SIRET: 514 989 748 00017 Imprimé par: Charente Libre 16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac Tirage mensuel: 14,000 copies Tous droits réservés. Toute reproduction, totale ou partielle, des articles et illustrations du présent numéro est strictement interdite. Dépôt légal à parution.

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

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 11

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Would you like to receive an electronic copy of The Bugle each month? We can deliver a copy to your inbox, hot off the press

Simply email - subscriptions24@thebugle.eu For more details visit www.thebugle.eu

ost of us will be more than familiar with red, white and rosé wine - some of us possibly too well acquainted! Those who know their wine may also be aware of vin jaune - yellow wine - made in the Jura region of eastern France and in which sherry drinkers may recognise several of the main characteristics. But how many of us are familiar with vin bleu?! Fortunately for those tempted to try, blue wine shares little in common with the German offering, Blue Nun, but it does come from foreign shores. The ingeniously named “Vindigo” is a 100% chardonnay wine made in Almería in Andalusia, Spain, and owes its unique colour to the wine being filtered through a pulp of red grape skins containing anthocyanin. This natural substance is found in blueberries and raspberries as well as black soybeans and black and red grapes, meaning that the unusual tint is achieved without artificial chemicals. The turquoise-tinged tipple is an ideal “summer aperitif”, according to René Le Bail, a French businessman who is selling Vindigo from his HQ in Sète in south-east France. “On the beach or by the swimming pool, it’s only 11% which means it’s not a super strong wine. It has a fruity taste, there’s cherry, passion fruit and blackberry. It’s a festive wine.” The wine is currently only for sale in and around the port town of Sète and costs €12 a

bottle - not a king's ransom for such an unusual drink - but Le Bail has grand plans and the next step is to make the blue booze available in Bordeaux. In a country that has such a proud viticultural heritage, the idea of blue wine has unsurprisingly not gone down well and industry heavyweights have been quick to write off the idea as a gimmick and cast doubt on the drink's “natural” claims. “I don’t see how anthocyanin derived from red grape pulp can make this wine blue,” said Véronique Cheynier, director of research at the prestigious National Institute of Agricultural Research. “Even if anthocyanin-derived pigments that are blue in colour in an acidic medium have been successfully isolated in the laboratory, these pigments are only present in tiny quantities in grape skin pulp.” Furthermore, others have pointed out that obtaining the blue colour by passing white wine through red grape skins is in itself a colourful explanation as “that would amount to adding red grape skin pulp to white wine, which is illegal… even for rosé!” Just a few decades ago, purists considered rosé as uncultured plonk drunk by the uneducated masses, but today rosé has become a staple of aperitifs across the country. In 2017, one in five bottles sold in France were rosé, with sales outstripping those of white wine for the first time. Backers of vin bleu will be hoping that history will one day tell a similar tale! ■

Rook at this mess!

ourists bring many things, chief among those money. But they also bring litter and cleaning up this litter can often be a painstaking and expensive process, which has led one popular tourist attraction to tackle this particular problem in a unique way. The Puy du Fou theme park, in the west of France, has employed a team of “intelligent birds” six rooks who have been specially trained to pick up rubbish. Rooks are a member of the crow family of birds that also includes the raven and the jackdaw and are considered to be particularly intelligent. Previous studies have shown that they can be taught to interact with humans through play and this particular parliament of rooks has learned to pick up small items if rubbish, such as cigarette butts, and deposit them in a specially designed bin in return for a tasty treat. “The goal is not just to clear up, because the visitors are generally careful to keep things clean, but also to show that nature itself can teach us to take care of the environment,” explained Nicolas de Villiers, head of the park in the Vendée region. “We can see litter in the car park and the crows are picking it up... for me that's not normal. It's up to us, humans, to take care of it, that's the ultimate message,” explained Christophe Gaborit, the park's head of falconry, who went on to say that he was happy to see the experiment changing people's perception of rooks. “People see them differently, so that makes me happy. We're changing their image and that's really interesting.” Indeed, the rooks have proved to be a welcome addition to the already popular attraction. “It's ecological, it's practical and it's fun to see,” one Swiss tourist, Dorothee Haefliger, told AFP. As in all things, however, greed often wins the day and there have already been reports of the rooks stealing rubbish from each other in order to get the reward! ■

@OcciTribune (Twitter)

Sacré vin bleu!

12 ♦ FRENCH LIFE

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

Apricots

pricots are a bit of a Marmite fruit there are those who can’t stand them, though it beats me why not. They talk of a too-scented aspect, or an unpleasantly squishy yet juiceless texture. But for those who love them, this is the time of year to make jam. The ones still left in the markets, though soft and sweet and full of flavour, are past their best for eating raw, so producers sell them off by the box-load, cheap. As well as creating their supporters and their detractors, apricots provoke argument among food historians (or food geeks) about their origins. One group contends they were first found in Armenia. Given that kernels have been discovered in an archaeological site dating back to the period between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, and that modern Armenians cultivate around 50 different varieties today, they have a strong case. However, the Chinese and the Indians both lay claim to the origins of the fruit, about 3,000 years before Christ. Alexander the Great introduced it into Greece and the Greeks are as fond of apricots at breakfast with yogurt as the

French are of apricots as jam on baguettes. Apricot jam is, for me, the ‘Madeleine memory’ of France a breakfast of cold unsalted butter on warm bread, smeared thickly with apricot jam… If you’re making an open apricot tart, don’t ignore the stones. Crack them open to retrieve the kernels. Blanch off their skins and scatter them among the apricots to impart an extra depth of flavour. While they do contain cyanide, it’s in such minuscule quantities you can’t expect to dispatch your enemies successfully with an apricot tart. Apricot jam in winter brings back memories of summer. It’s worth stewing up large batches since, with Christmas on the horizon, jars of it make welcome presents bound up with ribbon. And the French give jam-makers a head start by selling sugar specifically developed for jams, with a quantity of pectin to guarantee a jam will set. ■ Julia Watson has been a long-time Food Writer for newspapers and magazines in the US and the UK.

Apricot Jam - for about 3-4 jars

Apricot Jam - from dried apricots

Place a saucer or small plate in the freezer to chill.

Ingredients: 1.5kg fresh apricots 800g jam-making sugar 1 vanilla pod juice of 1 lemon Halve and stone the fruit, keeping back a cupful of the stones. Put the fruit and the sugar into a preserving pan. Run a knife down the vanilla pod to expose its seeds. Add to the fruit and sugar with the lemon juice, stir together and leave to steep overnight. Crack open the stones and remove the kernels. Blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute, plunge into cold water and remove the skins. Split the kernels in two and add to the fruit for an almondy taste.

by Julia Watson

Put the pan of sugar and apricots over a low heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn up the heat and boil fast for 20-25 minutes, until the mixture is thick and setting point is reached, 150C on a sugar thermometer. But the way to check this without a thermometer is to remove the frozen saucer from the freezer, dribble a spoonful of jam onto it and see if the jam wrinkles when you push it with your finger. Allow to stand for 20 minutes, remove the vanilla bean, and carefully pour the jam into hot sterilised jars, ensuring that the vanilla and kernels are divided between the bottles. While still hot, top with a disc of wax paper or baking parchment, seal with a lid, then leave to cool and set. The jam will last for 6 months unopened in a cool, dark cupboard. Once open, store in the fridge.

Ingredients: 500g dried apricots, roughly chopped Juice 3 large lemons 1 1/2kg jam-making sugar Put the apricots in a large pan. Cover with 1.5 litres water and leave to soften overnight. Add the lemon juice and bring the apricots and water gently to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, till the apricots are beginning to disintegrate. Place a saucer or small plate in the freezer to chill. Remove pan from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until it dissolves then return to the heat and boil rapidly for 20 minutes or until setting point is reached, testing it as suggested in the recipe for fresh apricot jam. While hot, bottle the jam according to the method opposite. The jam will last for 6 months unopened in a cool, dark cupboard.

Should you keep hold of UK investments in France?

ast September, tax authorities across the world, including France and the UK, began sharing and receiving new information on their taxpayers’ offshore assets and income. This is carried out under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for automatic exchange of financial account information. More than 100 countries have so far committed to obtain information from their financial institutions and pass it on to the clients’ country of residence. 49 jurisdictions began collecting data from 2016, making the first exchange in September 2017. Another 53, including Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada, Panama and many Caribbean jurisdictions, began collecting data last year, ready to share it by the end of this September. This automatic information exchange will be repeated every year going forward. Albania, Maldives, Nigeria and Peru are undertaking first exchanges by 2019/20, and another 43 developing countries are in the pipeline. The information being shared about the financial assets you own outside your country of residence includes your name and address, country of tax residence and tax identification number. The information to be reported about your accounts includes the investment income you earned over the year (interest, dividends, income from certain insurance contracts, annuities, etc.), account balances and gross pro-

ceeds from the sale of financial assets. Reporting financial institutions include banks, custodians, certain investment entities, certain insurance companies, trusts and foundations. When local tax offices receive this information, they can verify whether the taxpayer has accurately reported their worldwide income and assets on their income and wealth tax returns. The UK’s Requirement to Correct – higher penalties from October Last year HM Revenue & Customs introduced a statutory requirement requiring UK taxpayers to disclose any undeclared offshore tax liabilities. Under the “Requirement to Correct” (RTC), the deadline for those affected to get their affairs in order is 30th September 2018. From 1st October, the penalties for undeclared offshore income and gains will shoot up to 200%. This will coincide with the time HMRC will receive its next wave of information from abroad. Once the deadline has passed, tax investigators will use the information received to find those who still have undeclared offshore income. Key points of the Requirement to Correct It affects people with outstanding UK tax liabilities on their offshore interests, whether

bank accounts, investments, property, etc. This concerns everyone who falls within the UK tax net and therefore may affect some expatriates. It relates to income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax, and only non-compliance committed before 6th April 2017 falls within the RTC. Failure to correct by 30th September will result in much tougher penalties under a new regime: • Penalties of 200% of the tax owed. This may be reduced with full co-operation by the taxpayer, but the lowest is 100%. • An ‘asset moved penalty’ of 50% of the standard penalty if HMRC can show that the taxpayer moved assets to avoid the RTC. • An ‘asset based penalty’ of up to 10% of the value of the relevant asset where the tax at stake exceeds £25,000. This applies to both those who made deliberate omission and those made innocent mistakes (unless they can show the mistake was not their fault). Note that paying tax in the county where the income is generated (for example, if you paid local tax on rental income from an overseas property) does not automatically excuse you from paying tax in Britain if you are a UK tax resident. You have to follow the double tax treaty correctly. A June article in the Sunday Times reported that “the taxman has his sights on holidayhome owners and people with bank accounts

abroad, ahead of crippling new penalties for avoiding tax that come into force at the end of the summer.” The newspaper has seen warning letters HMRC sent to taxpayers it believes have not correctly declared offshore income. The letters remind the recipients of the new penalties and suggest they carry out a “tax health check”. Anyone who lives in one country and has assets or earns income in another needs to take care with their tax planning and ensure they are declaring income as required by both country’s laws and paying tax correctly. This can vary from country to country, depending on the particular double tax treaty. Getting it wrong can have serious consequences, and prove very costly and time consuming, so take advice from a cross-border tax and wealth management specialist. They can also guide you on the compliant tax-efficient arrangements available in France and the UK to help you improve your tax liabilities, particularly on your investments and for your heirs in future. ■ Tel: 05 53 63 49 19 Email: bergerac@blevinsfranks.com Web: www.blevinsfranks.com Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice.

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

The Grumpy Granny Guide A Day Away: Up North

or my second ‘Day Away’ I planned to go to the Haut Périgord, via Exideuil and westward to explore this tranquil north-west area with its twelve or more castles, some well known, others not. However, the best laid plans of mice and men, etc. and this turned out to be a very different, but surprisingly exciting, trip in more ways than one. Leaving Périgueux, the starting point as before, I approached Exideuil via the back roads, going through Bassillac and Cubjac on the Auvézère river, a delightful village and worth a visit even if only as an add-on to a shopping trip in Périgueux. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the Château d’Escoire which is notorious in France for a 1941 unresolved triple murder mystery which has become part of local and national legend, but no luck. Then past the Château des Bories, where I had previously received such a poor welcome that I did not feel like seeing it again. The increasingly rural and pleasant road led me past the interesting ruins of Auberoche, site of a well-known battle in the Hundred Years War and on to Exideuil after a 35-minute drive. Having gone through Exideuil several times I thought it warranted a more thorough visit and indeed it is a charming throwback to the 1980s, quaint and welcoming with a number of ‘boutique’ shops. But the narrow pavements are not tourist friendly and it is a little too sleepy to justify more than an hour’s visit. Nevertheless, an excellent place to stop for a coffee and the ‘Fin Chapon’ in the centre has a lovely shady terrace at the back. Turning westwards towards SaintJean-de-Côle the countryside becomes very attractive, sparsely populated and refreshingly free of camper vans and other slow-moving vehicles. I travelled through winding, wooded roads searching in vain for the castles I had listed but I only got to see a

couple because you have to live locally to understand the road signs which are absent, incomplete or totally confusing. From here to the end of this trip several hours later, I found myself taken to unexpected and unplanned corners of the area which after some initial frustration I accepted as part of the ‘local experience’. It was at this point coming round the bend of a romantic shady road that I was suddenly presented with an amazing vista of rolling hills and open farmland more reminiscent of the Limousin than the Dordogne. This brought home to me just how vast, sparsely inhabited and varied the department is. With no tourist hustle and bustle, this was becoming a ‘Zen’ road trip. Then came the surprise of Saint-Jeande-Côle which of course is very well known but not so often included in the classic south-of-the-department tourist circuit. I am not exaggerating when I say this is one of the prettiest villages in France, unique in its architecture and layout and perfectly restored without a jarring building or inappropriate concession to tourism. Set on the Côle river, it is full of flowers and discreet places to eat, an absolute ‘must’ to visit with or without your visitors. It also has one of my listed castles, La Marthonie. Within just a stone’s throw of Saint-Jean-de-Côle are several other excellent places to visit. The family-run Grotte de Villars which I have always thought was one of the best cave visits in the Dordogne, combines prehistory with rock formations and provides an excellent welcome for pets and children. Since I was last there a few years ago it has got even better, providing more multilingual information, videos and children’s activities. Next, just on the edge of town, is the Château de Puyguilhem, a little jewel, small enough to make you feel you could live there yourself and providing an excellent welcome - about an hour’s visit. And then, to

my great surprise, what was to prove the highlight of this trip, a visit to the ruined 12th century Cistercian Abbey of Boschaud, inexplicably unrestored, standing just off the road and freely open to the public as well as the elements. There were just four of us visiting these astonishing ruins, but it has been made safe for visitors and there is an explanatory notice (in French only). I have never seen it mentioned anywhere in the regular tourist literature but it is absolutely worth a visit, much more exciting and evocative than the ruins of La SauveMajeure Abbey near Libourne which is so often written up. Again, signing is poor; it is on the ‘rue de Nontron’ a turn off to the left just before you exit Villars. At this point in the trip I abandoned any idea of finding my listed châteaux because they were either closed to the public or quite simply not adequately signed and headed up to Nontron. This town is not at all what you expect and to appreciate its uniqueness it is best to approach it via the one-way ‘Nontron Bas’ valley road, ie the D707. This takes you under a viaduct and through a dramatic gulley bordered by half-timbered houses. You wind uphill into this town perched on several hills and steep ravines and at the top find spectacular panoramic views. However, with nothing on the flat, it is a challenge to anyone who has a mobility problem. Nontron has little visually which is Perigordian about it and yet it is home to two of the most important Dordogne industries, a factory producing Charentaise felt slippers for an international market and the Coutellerie Nontronnaise which makes the town’s famous knives and which you can visit most days of the year; both play a vital role in the local economy. From here homeward it was a quick 45-minute run via the main road back to Périgueux. This ‘day away’ was an eye opener;

The wines of Bergerac

by Martin Walker ith spectacular views across the Dordogne valley, the vineyard of Moulin Caresse is worth a visit even without the very fine wine that the Deffarge family has been making there since 1749. And the wines are classic examples of Montravel which means they are about as close as you can get to drinking Saint-Émilion while remaining within the appellation of the Bergerac region. Although Saint-Émilion is 20 kilometres away, the terroir is identical. The vineyard’s name, according to the châtelaine Sylvie Deffarge, comes from the local windmill and the way the west wind from the Bay of Biscay caresses the moulin as it blows across this plateau, perched some eighty metres above the valley below. I first came across their wines at a Salon du Livre Gourmand, the splendid international cookbook fair that Périgueux holds every second year. I was serving on the jury chaired by the great chef Michel Troisgros, whose restaurant has held three Michelin rosettes for five decades in a row. I can still recall his look of mingled surprise and appreciation as we were served a red wine from Moulin Caresse. I’m not sure what he had expected from a Bergerac but he evidently enjoyed it. So he should. The same wine won a gold medal at Paris last year. It was their Magie d’automne brand, a standard Bergerac red, mainly Merlot and Cabernet Franc with about ten per cent Malbec. It is currently available via the vineyard’s website at €6 a bottle, which has to be one of the best bargains around. They have an upmarket brand called CENT pour 100 and the red at €14.50 is very fine but needs some ageing. The 2013 is already five years old and I’d give it two or three years more in the cellar, or at least two

to three hours in the decanter before drinking. It won a gold medal at the Paris Concours in 2015. In exceptional years, they make no more than a thousand bottles of a wine they call Coeur de Roche. The grapes are all hand-picked from selected corners of the vineyard, hand-rolled and fermented in oak and racked before the wine spends 24 months in new oak barrels. They still have some of the 2010 at €40 a bottle, very strong in alcohol for my taste at 15.5 degrees, but a magnificent wine. The wine that impressed me most was their CENT pour 100 Montravel white at €14, and at first I thought I was drinking a top class white Burgundy. The nose starts as fresh as springtime but then comes a heavier, more exotic note and the wine feels rich and generous in the mouth with a very long and agreeable aftertaste. It stood up to foie gras at the start of a meal, to a main course of grilled sea bream, a goat cheese salad and was not even daunted by a syllabub. A wine that can handle and enrich all that deserves respect. What took me to the vineyard more recently was that word had reached me that Sylvie’s grown-up sons, Quentin and Benjamin, are making their own mark with a new bargain brand called Les Frangins (the brothers). “Benjamin is the guy with the real gift in the vineyard, great instincts about each little corner of the terroir and what it can do,” Quentin told me. “I enjoy the marketing and business administration as well as spending time among the vines. We enjoy working together and we both worked on developing Les Frangins brand.” It comes in red, white and rosé at an extremely reasonable €4.30 a bottle and we have been drinking a lot of the whites and rosés this summer. They are friendly, approach-

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 13

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 it showed me just how untypical of the department the tourist south is, so heavily marketed as the ‘authentic’ Périgord that we don’t realise that most of the Dordogne lives a very different life and that to talk of the Périgord only in terms of prehistory and the Hundred Years War, is to do it a grave disservice. The little corner I covered on this trip offered a multitude of delightful visits, very pretty countryside and a warm welcome. Find out for yourself! If any of you have suggestions for visiting your area, do contact me via The Bugle at editor@thebugle.eu. ■ This is part of a series of features devoted to the tourist experience in the Dordogne provided by the website grumpygranny-guides.com which highlights those sites which are comfortable and pleasant to visit and which offer a warm welcome.

able wines for immediate drinking but with a real sense of character and that sense of generosity in the mouth that usually costs much more. They ferment the wines at cold temperatures to keep the fruit flavour. Like more and more winemakers who feel constrained by the rigidity of the appellation contrôlée system, the two brothers are using in their Frangins whites an unusual grape, an Ugni Blanc from Gascony, which means they have to call at an IGP Périgord wine (Indication géographique protegée). The red is the usual Merlot and Cabernet blends, but this is a way to get some benefit from recently-planted vines before they are sufficiently mature for the finer wines. They are also making varietals, wines from just one grape like Merlot, Cabernet and Sauvignon, a system which worked well for American winemakers. “We have to be ready to adapt to climate change with new varieties, new methods, since the grapes now are taking up to a month less to reach maturity than they did twenty years ago,” Quentin adds. “Like a lot of winemakers we are thinking very hard about the future of Merlot but for the moment we don’t want to give it up.” Moulin Caresse is a relatively large vineyard of 55 hectares, so they have room to experiment, over a quarter of their annual production going to export, mainly Belgium, Germany, Quebec and Japan. It is striking that one of the Bergerac vineyards with the longest family tradition should be so ready to innovate. Their wines are all certified Terra Vitis, which means sustainable farming. ■ 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 editorin-chief of United Press International. He and his wife Julia have had a home in the Périgord since 1999 and one of his great hobbies is visiting the vineyards of Bergerac.

14 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

Business Directory

Your indispensable guide to finding local businesses & artisans Auto Services

Animals & Pets

SHAMPOOCHIENS Dog Grooming Parlour

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

Building Services Architects/Surveyors

MOTOR PARTS CHARENTE

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

+44 (0)7830 170761

motorptscharente@aol.com www.motorpartscharente.com

Blacksmiths

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

Tel: 05 53 52 36 05 lavieilleabbaye@orange.fr www.latuspeter-architecturaldrawings-24.com

05 53 58 55 38 Siret: 499 234 615 00015

SIRET: 493 770 358 00015

Ironwood Motif

Your advert here

Artist Blacksmith Ferronnerie d’Art

www.ironwoodmotif.com

06 04 17 80 93

Pergolas, staircases, railings, handrails, balustrades, balconies, gates, sculptures, outdoor structures & more. Simple or elaborate, intricate or uncomplicated, small or large, we can fabricate, forge and hand make ironwork customised to your needs.

Tel: 05 65 30 53 99

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

CHARTERED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Pre-purchase & Structural Surveys. Verbal & written reports. Structural calculations & drawings. Redevelopment ideas & solutions. Tim Haw B.Eng C.Eng M.I.Struct.E

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

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

NEU DplG ARCHITECTURE Member

Chamber

Architects

P r o v i d i n g A L L architectural services V ery s m a l l t o ve ry big projects welcome P r e-p u rcha se a ssist a nce Feel welcome to ask for a non-binding meeting 05 53 56 52 27 mail a@mon.archi 06 42 86 59 12 (www)mon.archi Based in Périgord vert 24340 A l l o f F ra nce cove r e d

sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93 At Masterplans.eu we can help guide you through your planning application in France. From initial feasibility to completed dossiers. We will compile all the relevant drawings and complete the necessary paperwork to ensure your application proceeds smoothly. We are equally at home working with clients here in France or those living abroad.

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

sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93 Building Services Electricians Robert Jones Electricité Générale Fully insured, registered electrician with 13 years experience in France Full rewires, renovation, new builds, fuseboards, lighting, heating, A/C and heat pumps, kitchen/bathroom alterations. Reliable and professional service. Lot-et-Garonne.

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

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE...

ADVERTORIAL

“SolarVenti”- the solar solution to damp and humidity

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

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

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

- if the property is unoccupied during the hot summer months, then it can be left running at low speeds for ventilation and dehumidification purposes or simply switched off. With a range of panel sizes, and the option for wall or roof mounting, Solarventi is suitable for all types of buildings, caravans or even boats!! Following the patenting of its design in 2001, Solarventi has only recently been actively commercialized. Over the last six years, Solarventi units have been installed in more than 24 countries and demand is increasing rapidly. From Greenland to Australia, Solarventi is finally getting the recognition it deserves. ■ Units start from €490 TTC. Several ex-demonstration models available at reduced prices, call for details.

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

DIRECTORY ♦ 15

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

ADVERTORIAL

Investment fraud spikes as savers lose £51m to scams: City of London Police

iving in France it is very annoying when savers/investors lose money via a scam, via a fund going into administration or by miss-management and people or newspaper articles preach that in the UK this would never happen as they have the FCA, etc., to protect them. Frighteningly, this is not the case as savers/investors are just as vulnerable in the UK as elsewhere. Recent figures published by the City of London Police show that savers/ investors have been scammed out of over £51 million by investment fraudsters between April and June this year alone. The figures show a 70% spike

in investment fraud reported to the authorities when comparing the numbers from the same months in 2017, when fraud accounted for £30m. “Every year thousands of people fall victim to investment scammers, with pensions – usually the most significant financial asset someone will have available to them – often the target,” Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell, said in a statement. Pension scams can have devastating consequences and cold calling is the most common method used to initiate pension scams. A staggering £166 million in investment fraud losses were reported in 2017/18, with the average fraud victim aged 57, as the chart shows (see right). In today’s environment of growing inflation and low savings rates, people are more vulnerable to being tempted by fraudsters/scammers than ever

BARWICK ÉLECTRICITÉ SHAUN BARWICK QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN

Available for all types of electrical work New builds, renovations, rewires Consuel assistance and certification service available Fully insured with 10 year workmanship guarantee Based near Châlus (87230)

before. But stop, think, be realistic in your goals, don’t be tempted by greed, adverts that promise the world like low fees, great returns and a different approach, it’s just not possible. Now is the time people need to wake up and realise you get nothing for free in this life and that includes above average returns on savings and investments. Sadly, if something sounds too good to be true IT IS. You need to take great care with

The number of scams reported by savers to the City of London Police has been on the rise in recent years, the official figures show:

Chantilly Properties

Property maintenance General repairs Kitchen Fitting Service Bathroom Fitting Dry lining/ Plasterboarding specialist

Tel: 05 53 58 07 99 Email: neilallcorn@orange.fr Siret: 792 389 561 00012

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

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

E : wellers@orange.fr Registered Artisan - Siret No: 480 857 853 00018

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 ANGLO SCAFFOLDING Painter & Decorator Qualified craftsman with over 25 years HIRE UK experience, now based UK scaffolding supplied and erected here in France Qualified and fully insured FREE no obligation quotes Call Ian on

06 34 24 64 11 or see

www.lakesidebandb.net

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

- Installation, from kitchen taps to full central heating systems

M : 06 72 47 88 00 T: 05 53 20 64 02

Building Services General

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

PLUMBING & HEATING ENGINEER

- Full analysed testing

siret: 794 282 368 00016

est. 2007

Building Services Plumbing & Heating

- Emergency plumbing repairs

Email: barwick.shaun@gmail.com

Haute-Vienne/north Dordogne border.

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

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

explained to you in a language you understand, it´s time you got in touch. Blacktower Financial Management has been established for over 32 years and has worked with clients through the good and the bad times, offering sound independent advice, we will be by your side both now and in the future. I am here to help you. To arrange an independent, professional and impartial consultation, please contact me by email: Rosemary.sheppard@ blacktowerfm.com or call me on 06 38 86 99 70. Blacktower Financial Management has over 32 years’ experience helping expats to make sure that their money works for them.

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

- Breakdown / Replacement boilers

Tel: 09 72 35 74 73

Harlequin Developments

regard to your personal wealth and wellbeing. By getting good advice from an experienced wealth manager, who takes time to understand you and your needs you can find an investment that has the potential to match your expectations (baring another market correction, but even those are usually short lived). If you want no nonsense advice on wealth management, straight talking with everything

Building Services Sandblasting Sand and Blast We provide a fully operated

sandblasting

service for wood, stone and metal. Perfect for stripping away years of grime or paint. Contact us for a free quote, or see our website:

www.sandandblast.com

05 55 76 31 59 / 06 77 40 95 92 bobby@sandandblast.com steve@sandandblast.com SIRET: 812 727 253 00013

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

06 04 17 80 93

Computers, Satellites & Web Design

any financial planning activity. 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.

AUBERGE AUX DELICES DE LA TREILLE 24350 MONTAGRIER

Stephen Wisedale

05 53 91 12 63

Solve your Internet, wireless and computer problems

A La Carte or 2 Set Menus Lunchtimes (except Sun and bank hols) Soup+Starter+Main+Dessert - €15 Soup+Starter+Main - €11.90 Soup+Main+Dessert - €11.90 Soup+Main - €8.90

WiFi Anglais Extended wired and wireless networks for homes, gîtes and small businesses. VPN solutions. Windows and Mac OSX.

€26.40 Menu Soup+Starter+Main+Cheese+Dessert

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

sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93

WEBSITE No6 DESIGN

Shhhhh... it’s aisecret!

Siret: 800 525 040 00013

before

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

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

- Update your own site if you like! - Enjoy a fully maintained site - Enjoy full website support contact@no6.co

06 38 75 32 97

www.no6.co

TheiSecret CurryiClub Pop-Up restaurant serving Indian Restaurant Curries

Weihaveiregularivenues in Ribérac, Villeréal, Bergerac, SteiFoyilaiGrandei & Nontron ‘Secret Curry Club Dordogne’ secretcurryclubdordogne@gmail.com

06 84 35 42 73

Siret: 80493524500014

Food & Drink FOR SALE:

Established catering business Specialising in Indian and English food, serving Depts 24,16,46 and surrounding. Easily managed from your home. Sale due to retirement. €25k neg as going concern including commercial equipment, training, etc. Huge Potential. Email for details. rhome2012@hotmail.co.uk

The Dordogne Chippy

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

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

16 ♦ DIRECTORY

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

KICK-START YOUR BUSINESS WITH ADVERTS FROM €12.50 HT / MONTH SALES24@THEBUGLE.EU

06 04 17 80 93 Gifts & Crafts Ivan Petley

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

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

Handholding Services HELP IS HERE!! Struggling with the Complex French Administration?!

We are here to help! Call us or email us We will help you find a solution

06.70.23.53.33

helpishere24@yahoo.com

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

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

FRENCH LESSONS Via Skype

with a native French speaker Why commute? Long distance learning is the answer! C’est simple, call Sophie...

05 55 89 15 74 scarolinea@yahoo.fr

Pest Control

Central France Pest Control Dératisation, Déinsectisation, Désinfection

02 48 60 83 72 / 06 74 33 02 38 www.applicateur3d.com Email: info@applicateur3d.com Curative and preventative rats, mice, moles, flies, woodworm, bed bugs, fleas, wasps, hornets

Retail & Commerce

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

USED KITCHENS FRANCE Looking for a designer kitchen with granite worktops and premium appliances at a fraction of RRP?

Support

SIRET No. 498 544 741 00024

La Conciergerie Taking care of your home all year round providing you with a wintering service, managing your summer rentals or organising a happy holiday for you.

24600 Villetoureix laconciergerie24@orange.fr Tel: 06 42 67 94 50 siret: 840 556 228 00010

sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93

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

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

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

Pre-loved kitchens from brands like Poggenpohl and Bulthaup at usedkitchensfrance.fr 09 53 50 86 49

La Petite Barre, 18210 Bessais Le Fromental

Property Maintenance

Transport, Removals & Storage

Lucy Airs, MSc. Positive Psychology

Business and Life Coach - Mentor One-to-one & Groups - Face-to-face & Distance Certified and experienced coach. Certifications in Positive Education, Appreciative Inquiry, Horse Whispering, Design Thinking, NonViolent Communication.

+33 (0)6 70 51 89 68 lucy.airs@wanadoo.fr http://lacoaching.simplesite.com

SOS Help

anxious? stressed? feeling down? call us up!

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

www.soshelpline.org

Smart Moves For a fully insured, careful service

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

smartmovers@hotmail.co.uk

+44 (0)1253 725 414

www.smartmovesremovals.co.uk

Your advert here 06 04 17 80 93

Local and European Removals France to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy etc We Offer: Removals, Storage, House Clearance, also Car, Caravan, Plant Transport. French Registered Business. Local Friendly Service.

+33 (0)6 73 96 38 39

www.dordognestoragesolutions.com

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

sales24@thebugle.eu

06 04 17 80 93

MICHAELS MOVERS Removals

UK ↔ France ↔ UK Full & Part loads All size of vehicles, from Man & Van through to 18 tonne truck Storage available in the Limousin, Dordogne & Sussex UK free phone: 0800 840 3058

Mob: +44 (0)7808 338 386

email: mharristransport@gmail.com www.michaelsmovers.freeindex.co.uk

Please mention The Bugle when responding to adverts

COMMUNITY ♦ 17

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

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 €12.50/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 30,000 pairs of eyes each month!!

For more information on any of our advertising options, please feel free to give us a call on 06 04 17 80 93 or send an email to sales24@thebugle.eu

6-Month Contract

12-Month Contract

Small b&w Directory Ad

€100

€150

Large b&w Directory Ad

€130

€195

Small Colour Directory Ad

€140

€210

Large Colour Directory Ad

€180

€270

All prices exclude TVA (20%)

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

30 words max

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 (small logos may be allowed when supplied). The minimum contract length is 6 months. Advertising is payable on publication. All prices are HT.

Sweet little Holly and her chums are all in the Dordogne with Acorn Cat Rescue and are looking for very good homes.

Inviting you to visit our Facebook page for

SISTERS GO FRENCH We are a women’s social events group in France focusing on activities to empower women to find friendship, networks, and recreation. Join us & enjoy our adventures for pas mal de gal pals travelling fun - meeting new sisters & making friendships that can last a lifetime!

All Acorn cats and kittens are microchipped, vaccinated and sterilised where age appropriate. Thank you.

www.facebook.com/SistersGoFrench

www.associationacorn.com Facebook: Acorn Cat Rescue

Dove Cantabile in 2018-2019 Following the hugely successful concerts in the summer, Cantabile, the ACFAA choir in Eymet has an exciting programme planned for the coming year. Make a note of the following dates: Sunday 21st October at 5 pm in Beaumont church the choir will perform Handel’s Coronation Anthems and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in company with singing group Meli-Melo. Wednesday 19th December - Christmas carols in Eymet Square starting at 7 pm Saturday 5th January 2019 at 8 pm a New Year’s Concert at the Espace culturel in Eymet featuring popular Viennese music with guests including Alison Hudson (mezzo-soprano) and Ishani Bhoola (violinist). Saturday 15th June at 8 pm in Castillonnès church - performance of Dvorak’s Mass in D together with 5 Negro spirituals by Michael Tippett. The programme will be repeated on Sunday 16th June at the Espace culturel in Eymet with guest soprano Emily Albrink.

Dove is a pretty, young, calico cat, about 2 years old. She has recently had four kittens who are all weaned now. One kitten has been adopted and the other three you will see on the website. Dove, like most cats, is a wonderful mother but now it is time for her to have a home of her own and someone to spoil her. She was taken out of the SPA in Bergerac when her kittens were about a week old and since then has been in Phoenix foster care. Dove is a calm, gentle cat who coos like a dove, hence her name! So far she is not a lap cat or cuddly cat, but she is so nice that I am sure as she matures she will enjoy cuddles in the future. She has never bitten or scratched and even going to the vet was quite calm. Dove has been sterilised, microchipped, wormed and flea and tick treated. She can be visited in Savignac-de-Duras (40 mins from Bergerac). Contact: Sophie Nicol Tel: 05 53 73 91 13 / Mob: 07 78 21 13 55 Email: sophie.nicol@yahoo.fr

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

Get in touch today to find out how we can put your business in front of

30,000

readers each month SALES24@THEBUGLE.EU

06 04 17 80 93

Worship services in English held throughout the Dordogne: Bertric Burée, Chancelade, Eymet Temple, Limeuil, Négrondes, Sainte Nathalène (near Sarlat). All are welcome!! Please visit our website for more information: www.churchinaquitaine.org Find us on Facebook: English Church Aquitaine

18 ♦ WHAT’S ON

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ SEPTEMBER 2018

WHAT’S

Exhibition at the Château de Limeuil September 2018 Exhibition of the paintings and sculptures of fifteen amateur artists belonging to the Association “LA TULIPE”. It offers a variety of styles and a unique insight into the way in which Dutch artists work in the region. This is the third 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. It has about 220 members and this year celebrates its 15th year.

Choral Concert – Chancelade Abbey Friday 14th September at 9 pm The high temperatures and the drought of July and August have probably made us forget the torrential rains that fell on the Dordogne in June. But Chancelade Abbey still bears the stigmata of the flood on 10th June when more than a metre of muddy water invaded this 12th century Roman gem, in which the choirs of our region sometimes have the privilege to sing. To mark the European Heritage Days, several local choirs have decided to give a concert to raise funds for repairs, notably to the disabled access ramp which was carried away by the flood, the organ which is out of service, the electrics and the recently installed heated mats and sound equipment. These were, of course, insured but payouts never cover everything. So far, 3 mixed choirs – Chantemonde, Résonance and Chœur en B – have volunteered to take part, as well as ladies choir Les Dames de Chœur and men’s choir Vox Vesunna. The programmes are varied - world music, gospel, Schubert, Jenkins, Caccini, Gounod - making for a great evening. All proceeds will be donated to the parish of Chancelade. The accompanying pianists and conductors will also be volunteering their services. It will also be possible for those who wish to make an additional donation for the restoration work, by writing a cheque payable to the “Association Diocésaine de Périgueux”, which is entitled to issue tax receipts. Tickets cost €10 (unemployed/ handicapped €5) and entry is free for Under 15s. For more information tel 06 43 10 63 52, 06 32 88 94 80 or 05 53 04 10 46.

WHAT’S ON ♦ 19

SEPTEMBER 2018 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

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 as a meeting ground for the French and international communities of the Dordogne, including ACIP and La Tulipe.

Venue - Le Buisson de Cadouin, salle des fêtes, avenue Aquitaine

For more info, tel 06 31 61 81 68 or 05 53 23 86 22 or visit http://www.arcadesinfo.com/

Sunday 16th September at 5 pm Duo HORSPISTE: Laurence Bancaud harp and Carine Honorat flute

Concerts by the choir Chantemonde Karl Jenkins: Requiem and four Songs of Sanctuary Conducted by Michèle Lhopiteau If you missed Chantemonde’s concert on 1st July, all is not lost as the superb Jenkins programme will be repeated on: • Sunday 23rd September at 17h at the church in Le Bugue • Saturday 6th October at 21h at the Temple de Bergerac • Sunday 7th October at 17h at the church in Castillonnès Four « Songs of Sanctuary »: poems written in an imaginary language and set to music by Karl Jenkins, a Welsh composer born in 1944. They call on the Gregorian tradition as much as the African tradition. Bass solo: Christian Thierry. « Requiem » dates from 2006. In this work, Jenkins interjects movements featuring Japanese death poems in the form of a haiku with those traditionally encountered in a Requiem Mass. This magnificent work will be interpreted by Chantemonde, accompanied by a piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, French horn, flute, harp and percussions. Tickets cost €10 for advance bookings (tel 06 43 10 63 52), €12 on the door (unemployed/ handicapped €5) and entry is free for Under 15s.

Programme: “Women portraits”

Saturday 29th September at 5 pm JAZZ with Yonathan Avishai piano and Yori Zelnik double bass

French Conker Championships

Saturday 6th October Abjat-sur-Bandiat It’s that time of year again! The official French Conker Championships are being held at Abjatsur-Bandiat on Saturday 6th 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

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 meal and vide-greniers tel 05 53 56 81 01 or 06 16 36 04 60.

Journée des plantes Sunday 7th October, Neuvic-sur-l’Isle Exhibition and sale of plants by specialist nurseries and craft for eco-habitat. From 9h30 in the grounds of the Château de Neuvic. Tickets €4.50; FREE for Under 18s.

The Autumn Phoenix Book Fair will again be held in Campsegret (24140) on Saturday 22nd September with over 20,000 English and French fiction and non-fiction books (all sorted alphabetically or by category and in excellent/good condition), CDs and DVDs and other wonderful items on sale (Christmas cards, bric-a-brac and winter plant sale) from one euro and up! So come and stock up on your winter reading/listening, and presents and cards for the family and friends! The famous Catering Ladies will spoil you with a wonderful offer of home-made savouries and sweets. Come for the day and bring the family with you! 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, CDs, DVDs, unwanted gifts for the bric-a-brac, unused animal items, etc. are very welcome on the day!! For further information go to www.phoenixasso.com

20 ♦ WHAT’S ON

The

Journées européennes du patrimoine (European Heritage Days) take place this month on 15th and 16th 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 www.journeesdupatrimoine.fr to find out what is happening in your area.