The Deux-Sèvres Monthly Magazine - October 2022 Issue

FREE / GRATUIT www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr Issue 132, October 2022 English language magazine for the Deux-Sèvres and surrounding areas AUTUMN ... Coming ready or not SHORT STORY COMPETITION Your chance to get published PLUS ... Our Queen remembered Pink ...NursingOctoberinFranceandallourregular features

Affordable UK Designs

UPVC windows, Doors & Conservatories

UPVC & Aluminium Double Glazing, Fitted Kitchens Free plan, design and costing throughout South-West France Other areas by arrangement

Aluminium and UPVC Bifold Doors Made to “A” Grade spec in French styles

in all colours and styles

Adrian Butterfield (Handyman) 51

Odd Job John (John Allsopp) 43

Simon the Tiler 52

The Trading Post (International Food & Drink) 18

publisher.

Franglais Deliveries (Transport & Removal Services) 29

Le Café, Civray 4

Jon The Carpet Man 52

Blevins Franks Financial Management 58 Busy Bee (Cleaning Services) 43

RJC Pool Services 2

Assurances Maucourt (GAN Parthenay) 59

Hallmark Electricité 49

John Purchase - Mobile Mechanic 29

Sunny Sky Cars 29

Escoval (English Speaking Church) 5

Welcome Echiré (French/English Group) 5

ARB French Property 54

Sue Burgess (French Classes & Translation) 26

© permission. While care is taken the of the While we make every are a registered trading Deux-Sèvres rédacteur Wigmore Crédits San Huércal de Almeria, Siret: 830 076 345 00016. ISSN: 2115-4848

Chris Bassett Construction 51

Poitiers Biard Airport 2

Leggett Immobilier (Recruitment) 54

Tel: 07.68.35.45.18

Robert Mann (Upholstery) 43

The Fixer - Rick Denton 26

dealing with is

dsm132-oct22 v21a Online

Netball : Les Étoiles de Clessé 44

Clean Sweep Chimney Services 54

Royal British Legion (Bordeaux & South West) 44

Beaux Villages Immobilier 56

Chez Christie’s Tea Rooms 5

Smart Moves - Removals & Storage 29

Robert Fletcher (RT Construction) 51

Firewood by Henri 4

Craft Fair & Farmer's Market (Le Retail) 7

KJ Painting and decorating 52

views or opinions

Irving Location - Digger Hire and Gravel deliveries 53

Tony & Lynne

ML Computers 11

Alcoholics Anonymous 44

Amanda Johnson - The Spectrum IFA Group 7

AKE Petits Travaux (Builder) 51

Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr Website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr

Contents Bulletin Board 4 Technology 11 Take a Break 12 Food and Drink 14 Our Furry Friends 19 A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres 20 Travel 22 La Vie En France 24 On The Road 30 Book Club 32 À La Carte 34 Home and Garden 42 Clubs and Associations 44 Health, Beauty and Fitness 46 Building and Renovation 49 Property 54 Business and Finance 57

Espagne.

en chef: Anthony

EI.

company in France and/or elsewhere. It is strongly advised to check details of published events with other sources before setting out on long journeys. <<The

KM Services 79 (Cleaning & Gardening) 43

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 3

LPV Technology (IT services) 11

Alpacas & Glamping, Sanzay 4

Welcome to our October issue.

Andrew Longman (Plumbing & Heating) 52

Tim Électricien 79 49

photos : Pixabay sauf mention contraire. Impression: Graficas Piquer SL, 29 Al Mediterraneo, Pol. Ind.

Stephen Shaw (Painter) 52

Vienne Tree Services 43

The English Mechanic & Son - Tony Eyre 29

Leggett Immobilier 55

Val Assist (Translation Services) 26

Glendee Property Services 50

Michael Moore (Electrician) 49

Monthly>> est édité par Anthony and Lynda Wigmore 32 Rue Andre Gastel, 79450, Saint-Aubin-Le-Cloud Tél: 07 68 35 45 18. Directeur de la publication et

Darren Lawrence 51

H & R Building Services 50

Jeff’s Metalwork 54

Rafael, 04230,

Steve Coupland (Plumbing and renovations) 50

Rob Berry (Plasterer) 50

The French House Satellite TV 49

Maximilien Newman-Legros - Massage Therapies 47

BH Assurances / Allianz - Isabelle Want 57

Noteworthy in this issue is the opening of our first ever short story competition. Budding writers take note (see page 6).

Affordable UK Designs (UPVC Double Glazing & Kitchens) 2

effort to ensure that businesses advertising with us are reputable and appropriately registered, you should verify that any company you

KM Property Maintenance (Handyman) 50

La Deuxieme Chance (Decorative paint specialists) 43

Cherry Picker Hire (Tony Moat) 53

Ian Coxen - Handyman with van 50

Strictly Roofing 49

Franco-Anglais Quiz (Cersay et St Pierre a Champ) 5

Chateau Jarno Pépinière 4 Chateau Saugé - Fig Tree Business & Events Centre 4

This Month's Advertisers

DPS Services (Gardener / Handyman) 43

It was obviously with great sadness that we learned of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Along, we assume, with most of you, she was the only monarch we have known and it definitely feels like the end of an era. Because of the timing of the magazine release, we decided not to include a major feature but we thank Helen for her article on a different side of Her Majesty. We also look forward to the new ‘Carolean age’.

to ensure that articles and features are accurate, we accept no liability for errors or omissions. The opinions expressed by individual authors do not necessarily represent

Anthony and Lynda Wigmore 2022. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without

Harrison Hair (Mobile Hairdresser) 47

Chris Parsons (Plumber/Heating Engineer) 52

A la Pause Bistro, l'Absie 7

Magic Renovations (Michael Glover) 50

Mark Sabestini - Renovation and Construction 51

Michel Barateau (Cabinet maker) 49

Needa Hand Services (Grass cutting etc.) 50

4 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 P i e s & P a s t i e s , B a p s & B r e a k f a s t C a k e s , d o n u t s , t e a c a k e s B a k i n g C l a s s e s o n W e d n e s d a y s , g o t o o u r w e b s i t e o r F B p a g e f o r d e t a i l s T u e s / T h u r s / F r i 9 a m 2 p m C L O S E D 1 2 3 1 O c t o b e r 2 4 r u e d u c o m m e r c e 8 6 4 0 0 C i v r a y w w w l e c a f e c i v r a y c o m Civray Le Café Follow us on Facebook & Insta! @LeCafeCivray SIRET 820 301 299 05.49.87.68.97 Bulletin Board Why not advertise YOUR event on our Bulletin Board info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.frpages. FIG BUSINESSTREE&EVENTSCENTRE Opening October 2022 Contact us now for further details : Château de Saugé 2 Saugé 79400 Saivres Tel: 06 29 15 36 55 Email: info@chateaudesauge.comSIRET:84890418100015 Quiz Night (in English) Tuesday 4th October 2022 (19.30h) À la Pause Bistro 21 rue de la Poste, L’Absie Limited places available contact Clare to make a reservation tel: +33 9 61 66 06 88 Opening hours Sunday Closed Monday Closed Tuesday 10AM 4PM 6PM 9PM Wednesday 10AM 5PM Thursday 10AM 5PM Friday 10AM 4PM 6PM 9PM Saturday 10AM 2PM 6PM 9PM If you have any books to donate to boost the donations to this worthy cause please take to the bistro, Clare has kindly agreed for any proceeds between 1st September 2022 and 31st December 2022 be given to the AFM Telethon. Food & drinks available from 6pm Quiz entry €5 person (food not included) Château Jarno Pépinière @chateau_pont_jarno Chateau Pont Jarno Chateau Jarno Pepiniere, Cours 79220 Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. 0549257406 October sale 20% discount off all plants Portes ouvertes week end 15 & 16 oct, drinks and snacks available see insta / fb for flower posts and events OPEN EVERY DAY Email : info@chateaujarno.fr Siret 807 778 857 00019

pay

norm.

andRich Christie’s GREAT GIFTS for FAMILY & FRIENDS Puzzles, Scarves, Heat Packs, Books, Jewellery, Bamboo Socks, Tapestry, Mugs, Chocolates, Laptrays, Bottles, Candles, Notepads, Stocking Fillers * and from 4th October * GORGEOUS CHRISTMAS CARDS! Relations, Packs, Singles, Gift Wallets, Advent Calendar Cards, French Cards DELICIOUS HOME BAKING Scones, Cupcakes, Fruit Cake, Brownies, Muffins, Tiffin … Serving Warm Welcomes Since 2004! Tues/Weds/Thurs/Fri: 10 00 12 00 : 3 00 7 00 Sat: 10 00 12 00 : 3 00 6 00 Closed from 8th Nov Reopening TUES 22nd NOV WWW CHEZCHRISTIES FR 05 49 50 61 94 Fbk: ChezChistie’sGençay # chezchristiesgencay GENÇ AY (86) behind the Mairie EI Hello Everyone, We have double oven gloves for sale, incorporating poppy fabric in a hand stitched patchwork design. If you would like to buy some, which you can see are a double all-in-one mitt (hard to come by in France), then all we ask is 12 Euros (including postage which is ever ALLincreasing).proceeds go to the poppy appeal. Thanks for supporting us. You can place orders by poppybox2020@gmail.comemail: Let

All funds raised are credited to the Poppy Appeal for the Bordeaux Royal British Legion Account. Pat and Kay Johnson, based in The Aude.

Sthtocking us know how many you would like and we will send them to by post (we will need your full postal address of course). We will send you a payment request with your All cheques payable to Royal British Legion” or via our Just Giving www.justgiving.com/fundraising/little-fat-page

“The

order.

you

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 5

Judging panel includes well known author Alison Morton and our very own book reviewer Jacqui Brown

Winning entries will be published in The DSM Magazine

MORE INFO : www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr/800words submit via email : 800 words@thedeuxsevresmonthly fr

As the winter nights draw in and the weather turners colder, why not turn those creative ideas into an up to 800 word short story (that's about one page in the magazine) and enter our competition. The subject, characters, setting – it’s all up to you. Make us laugh, cry or think about things differently. Just let your imagination run free.

800 words short story competition 2022

For more information, check our website at www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr/800words

Our panel of judges will deliberate and choose their favourite pieces for publication in the The DSM (details to be announced). The judges' decision will be final. So, if you would like to see your name in lights, or at least at the top of the page, you know what to do.

6 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Write an original fictional story in English.

closing date 31/12/22

Submit your final story by email to 800.words@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr

Max 800 word count

It is said that everyone has at least one good novel in them. The trouble is, it takes months or even years to write a novel - who has the time? Fear not, there is an answer: The DSM Magazine Short Story Competition 2022.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 7 WHERE MONEY TALKS WWW.LTDF.EU seminars@ltdf.eu Bringing experts in expatriate finance closer to you As an expat, do you make the most of your finances? Join us, and our panel of guest speakers, for informed guidance on expatriate financial planning opportunities, commentary on investment markets and to meet like-minded people in your local area. The event starts at 10.00am with a welcome coffee, followed by brief presentations from international experts on a range of topics that could affect you now, or in the future. The morning ends with a complimentary buffet lunch and a chance to meet the experts and hopefully make some new friends. Register now for this free event hosted by Amanda Johnson from The Spectrum IFA Group or for further information send an email with your full contact details to: seminars@ltdf.eu or please register online at www.ltdf.eu 10:00 Welcome coffee | 10:30 Seminar | 12:00 Complimentary lunch Join us at the Chateau de Sauge Le Tour de Finance 19th October 2022

Thu 14 July Bastille Day (Fête nationale)

Sauzé-Vaussais 79190 - and - Niort 79000

Fridays............... Thouars 79100 - and - Melle 79500

AIGONDIGNE 79370 (Place de la Gasse, 4pm-8/9pm)

Tue 1 November All Saints’ Day (Toussaint)

8 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

La Châtaigneraie (last Monday in month) 85120

Coulonges-sur-l’Autize 79160

CHURCH NOTICES...

TRADITIONALPORKMARKEY’S‘N’PIESBRITISHCOOKING

(marché), Vendée and at Saint-Jean-d’Angély (marché intérieur), Charente-Maritime

Sun Aulnay

Parthenay 79200 - and - Celles-sur-Belle 79370 Ruffec 16700

:

(marché), Charente-Maritime Open mornings Tel: 05 46 01 54 www.markeys-pies.com65SIRET:48492028500018 MR T’S FISH & CHIPS Regular venues at: • Aulnay de Saintonge 17470 • Beauvais Sur Matha 17490 • St Jean D’Angély 17400 • Sauzé-Vaussais Hope 79 79190 • La Chaumière, La Chapelle 16140 • Charroux 86250 • Saintes 17100 • Savigné 86400 Tel: 06 02 22 44 mrt.fishandchips@gmail.com74www.frying4u2nite.comSIRET:53760697200025 A big thank you to EVERYONE who helps get our magazine into your hands each month

Sat 1 January New Year’s Day (Jour de l’an)

Sun 17 April Easter Sunday (Pâques)

The English Speaking Church of the Valley of the Loire (ESCOVAL) meets at the R.C. Church in Arçay every 3rd Sunday of the month at 11am (just off the D759, Thouars to Loudun).

Sun 25 December Christmas Day (Noël)

The Chaplaincy of Christ the Good Shepherd, Poitou-Charentes, normally holds Sunday services in English. Please see our website for current information: www.churchinfrance.com

Mon 15 Aug Assumption day (Assomption)

Thouars 79100 - and - Bressuire 79300 Vasles 79340

Antigny 85120 (1st and 3rd Fridays - pm)

La Mothe Saint-Héray 79800 (Place Clémenceau) Melle 79500 (la Place Bujault)

:

Thu 26 May Ascension Day (Ascension)

Chef-Boutonne 79110

Sat Fontenay-le-Comte

Fontenay-le-Comte 85200 Ruffec 16700

Mon 18 April Easter Monday (Pâques)

The National Holidays, Religious and Feast Days

source www.publicholidays.fr

Sun 5 June Whit Sunday (Pentecôte)

Secondigny 79130 (pm)-and-St Aubin le Cloud (pm) Civray 86400 (small food market)

Sun 1 May Labour Day (Fête du premier mai)

ALL SAINTS, VENDÉE - Puy de Serre. We hold two services each month (+ Sunday school), on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at the church of St. Marthe, Puy de Serre, at 11h. www.allsaintsvendee.fr

Eglise Vie Nouvelle Bilingual (French / English) weekly service based in Civray See www.vie-nouvelle-civray.com Contact 05 49 87 49 04

Sun 8 May VE 1945 (Fête du huitième mai)

Christian Fellowship - Chef Boutonne Meeting each Sunday at 15h. Visit www.chef-boutonne.net for more information.

LOCAL MARKETS

La Mothe St Héray 79800 Gençay 86160

Fri 11 November Armistice Day (Armistice)

2022...

Wednesdays....

Airvault 79600 - and - Niort 79000 Saint Maixent-l’École 79400

Thursdays........

Mondays......... Benet 85490

Magné 79460 and Moncoutant 79320

Lencloître (1st Monday in month) 86140

Saturdays........ Bressuire 79300 - and - Champdeniers 79220

Sundays............ Coulon 79510 - and - Neuville-de-Poitou 86170 Thénezay 79390 Saint-Varent Saint-Loup-Lamairé79330 79600

The Filling Station - Poitou-Charentes. Local Christians of all denominations who meet for spiritual renewal and evangelism. www.thefillingstationfrance.com or Carolyn on 05 45 84 19 03.

Tuesdays......... Lezay 79120 Civray 86400

Mon 6 June Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)

EXPOSITION JEUX DE SOCIÉTÉ EXPOSITION JEUX DE SOCIÉTÉ. An exhibition of board games, discover and learn more than twenty different games. Ready to play? Free.

08/10 JOURNÉE NATIONALE DU COMMERCE DE PROXIMITÉ (JNCP) COULONGES-SUR-L'AUTIZE 79160. Organized by the Tradesmen (UCAI). 35 companies open their doors and offer free games and entertainment.

15-16/10 3E ÉDITION DU SALON DU DISQUE ET DE LA BD SAUZE-VAUSSAIS 79190. Collectors fayre. Hunt for vinyl records, CDs, K7s, “New and Used” comics. Saturday, an illustration and collective fresco workshop for young audiences. Catering on site. Sat 17-23h. Sun 9h-18h. Free.

01/10 TAXE D'HABITATION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE

on in November or December, tell us about them and we will tell everyone else.

is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of printing. Do check though.

WHAT’S ON DIARY

04/10 QUIZ IN AID OF AFM TELETHON L'ABSIE 79240 English language quiz at A LA PAUSE BISTRO starting at 19.30h. Food & drink available. Limited places - contact Clare for reservation 09 61 66 06 88.

09/10 SALON DE L'HABITAT LA CHATAIGNERAIE 85120. Housing fair with local artisans. Fri 14h-19h. Sat/Sun 10h-18h. Free.

22-23/10cdfcersaystpierreachamp@gmail.comVIVEZLEMOYENÂGE

Ifwww.brocabrac.fr/79/youknowofanyevents

01/10 OPERA ‘DIDO AND AENEAS’ BY PURCELL CERIZAY 79140. At ‘La Griotte’ theatre. Fully staged performance with baroque orchestra. Tickets 12€ full price, 10€ students/unemployed, under 12s free. At 20.30h. Reservations: 06 17 01 10 53.

02/10 MARCHÉ DE PRODUCTEURS ET ARTISANS LA CHATAIGNERAIE 85120 Autumn market. Throughout the day, the streets will come alive with a musical show, wooden games and the traditional fair. 8h-18h.

09/10 FOIRE AUX VINS ET PRODUITS DU TERROIR LA FOYE-MONJAULT 79360. 32 Winegrowers and producers from all over France, musical entertainment, carousel for children. 8:30h-17h.

02/10 LA PARTHENAISIENNE PARTHENAY 79200. Walk and/or run, 5 and 10 km, as part of Pink October, for the benefit of the fight against breast cancer. Come with a touch of pink on 8.30h-14h. (See poster on page 5).

02/10 FÊTE DES VENDANGES PAMPROUX 79800. Harvest Festival with a multitude of activities. 8h-18h. www.facebook.com/lespamprofolies.

16/10 FETE DES CHAMPIGNONS LA COUARDE 79800. Guided picking 8.30h, Mycological exhibition, Craft Market, On-site catering, Game for children 10h-18h. Info : www.prailleslacouarde.fr. Free.

ECHIRE 79410.The Chateau is under the influence of witchcraft! Come and visit the laboratory of sorcerers and their magic. Discover the tales and the Rock of Excalibur. Take part in games from the Middle Ages. 14h-18h. 3.50€ under 5’s free.

08/10 INSTALLATIONS DE FEU PARTHENAY 79200. Come and discover the famous fire installations: a spectacular, enchanting and poetic scene. From 18h. Free.

22/10 QUIZ MASSAIS 79150. Franco-Anglais Quiz. 19.30h at Massais Salle de Feteshosted by the Committee des Fetes de Cersay and St Pierre a Champ . Evening includes a quiz, meal (aperos, cheese and meat platter and dessert) and musical entertainment. Cost 12€ adult, 5€ children. For more information or to book your place please contact 0033 688304131 (French) or 0044 7450389157 (English) or email

01-30/10ONLINE.

Theinfo@thedeuxsevresmonthly.frinformationprovidedhere

08/10 WOMEN'S RUGBY WORLD CUP NEW ZEALAND. Event takes place 08/10 to 12/11.

02/10 OPERA ‘DIDO AND AENEAS’ BY PURCELL CELLES SUR BELLE 79370. At Salle des Fêtes. Fully staged performance with baroque orchestra. Tickets 12€ full price, 10€ students/unemployed, under 12s free. At 20.30h. Reservations: 06 17 01 10 53

The information here is as accurate as we can get it but PLEASE check events have not been cancelled or altered before you leave the house. The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 9

08-09/10 SALON L'ART ET LA MATIÈRE LA CRECHE 79260. Twenty artists, painters, sculptors and photographers will exhibit alongside guest of honour Rebeb. 10h-19h. Free.

02/10 FÊTE DES PLANTES BRESSUIRE79300. Many exhibitor and nursery growers, farmyard animals and weather vane making competitions. Children's games and a restaurant bar. 8h - 19h.

Details of vide greniers on in Deux-Sèvres ...

09/10 CONCOURS NATIONAL D'AGILITY VAL EN VIGNES 79290 Canine agility with various obstacles without leash or collar.

09-16/10 POMM'EXPO 2022 SECONDIGNY 79130. The Apple exhibition theme will be: "The apple and 100 years of football" as the town's club celebrates 100 years.

09/10 RANDONNÉE LA MARCHE ROSE DES SEINS'GLÉE MONCOUTANT-SUR-SEVRE 79320. Pink Walk with 3 routes of 5, 10 and 12 km. "Apé'Rose" refreshment bar on arrival. Come with a touch of pink on you. 8h-13.30h.

21-24/10 SALON DE L'HABITAT NIORT 79000 Home fair with 200 exhibitors. Interior and exterior fittings, construction, renovation and energy, fluids, water treatment and miscellaneous, consulting, real estate, institutional and financing. 10h-19h. €5 (free for children under 14) and 1/2 price on Friday and Monday.

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A.Milne is published. His son Christopher got the name "Winnie" from Winnipeg, a bear at London Zoo. "Pooh" was the name of a swan in When We Were Very Young, a collection of children’s poetry Milne had published in 1924. The model for Pooh was the bear belonging to the son of the book's illustrator E.H.Shepard.

October 14, 1926

October 24, 1901

63-year-old schoolteacher Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to successfully take the plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Claiming to be in her 40’s but actually 63 and strapped for cash, Taylor came up with the perfect publicity stunt. Strapped into a leather harness, inside a wooden pickle barrel five feet high and three feet in diameter and with cushions lining the barrel to break her fall, she was towed by a small boat into the middle of the River and cut loose. Taylor reached the shore alive, if a bit battered, around 20 minutes after her journey began. Unable to make the fortune she had hoped for, she inspired a number of copy-cat attempts. During the next 90 years 15 people went over the falls, only 10 survived.

October 28, 1962

October 15, 1839

The film The Jazz Singer is released. Starring Al Jolson, it was the first full feature film to have a soundtrack that included dialogue (though only the musical numbers and some select conversations were recorded for sound). One of Jolson’s first lines, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” came to symbolize the arrival of the talking picture and the end of the silent era.

In an event alternately described as one of the most heroic or disastrous episodes in British military history, Lord James Cardigan leads a charge of the Light Brigade cavalry against well-defended Russian artillery during the Crimean War. The British were winning the Battle of Balaclava when Cardigan received his order to attack the Russians. His cavalry gallantly charged down the valley and were decimated by the heavy Russian guns, suffering 40 percent casualties. It was later revealed that the order was the result of confusion and was not given intentionally. Lord Cardigan, who survived the battle, was hailed as a national hero in Britain.

Queen Victoria proposes to her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 but tradition dictated that no one could propose to a reigning monarch. Though having met him just once, the young Queen was infatuated with her cousin. The proposal occurred behind closed doors during Albert’s second visit to Windsor Castle.

October

Pope Gregory XIII introduces the Gregorian calendar. In the years since the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325, the excess leap days introduced by the Julian algorithm had caused the calendar to drift, meaning the Northern spring equinox was occurring well before its nominal 21 March date. This date was important to the Christian churches because it is fundamental to the calculation of the date of Easter. To reinstate the link, the reform advanced the date by 10 days which meant that in 1582, Thursday 4 October was followed by Friday 15 October.

October 10, 1957

October 31, 1926

10 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

October 25, 1854

A fire at the Windscale site was the worst nuclear accident in the United Kingdom's history, and one of the worst in the world. The fire burned for three days and released radioactive fallout which spread across the UK and the rest of Europe. In the days following the disaster, tests carried out on local milk samples were found to be dangerously contaminated with iodine-131. This resulted in the decision to stop all consumption of milk from the surrounding area and, eventually, from the 520 km2 area surrounding the reactors. Milk from about 500 km2 of nearby countryside was diluted a thousandfold and dumped in the Irish Sea for about a month afterwards. No-one was evacuated from the surrounding area.

October 4, 1582

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev orders the withdrawal of missiles from Cuba, ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. That summer, U.S. spy planes flying over Cuba had photographed construction work on new missile facilities. President John F. Kennedy announced a naval blockade to prevent the arrival of more missiles and demanded that the Soviets dismantle and remove the weapons already in Cuba. The situation was extremely tense but, at the last minute, Khrushchev turned the missile carrying Soviet ships away from Cuba and agreed to dismantle and remove the weapons that were already there.

Harry Houdini, the most celebrated magician and escape artist of the 20th century, dies of peritonitis. Twelve days earlier, Houdini had commented on the strength of his stomach muscles and their ability to withstand hard blows. Suddenly, one of the students punched the unprepared Houdini twice in the stomach and the blows ruptured his appendix. He fell ill on the train to Detroit and, after performing one last time, was hospitalized. Doctors operated on him, but to no avail. The burst appendix poisoned his system leading to his death.

October 6, 1927

not the same as Freeview. Please do not purchase a Freeview box (which is used for terrestrial TV reception in the UK). It will not work with a satellite dish.

However, a word of caution. Like all satellite internet services, bandwidth will continue to be an issue. As more people take up the service, the more the capacity gets

Stuart runs The French House Satellite TV tfhsatellite@gmail.com

by Stuart Wallace

As always, please feel free to get in touch if you would like any further information or would like to discuss your requirements. Contact details can be found on the advert. Have a great month.

W

Slightly off-piste, but for those of you with a new fibre modem from Orange, when you try to put in the WiFi password, ignore the spaces that are clearly marked. There are no spaces between the letters/numbers as far as your

I’mNo.

Satellite TV and Internet

There has been a change in pricing for the excellent Starlink satellite internet service. It has dropped from a hefty 99 euros per month to a more palatable 50 euros per month, with equipment costs of 634 euros. The reduction in price comes with a quid-pro-quo though. The formerly unlimited service now has what is known as a ‘soft data cap’ of 250GB per month. This is still quite generous for most people. Once the cap of 250GB is reached, the service will not stop, but will continue until the end of the billing period at a reduced level. This means slower downloads and uploads. For most users however, this is unlikely to be a problem, meaning that Starlink now seems even better value than before and makes it a far better proposition than the inferior Neosat from Nordnet.

device is concerned. If you put them in, it will not connect. Again, not really satellite TV related, but on more than one occasion I have been asked what the ‘ARC’ means when marked on an HDMI socket. Intrigued? I bet you are. So, what does it mean? ARC stands for ‘Audio Return Channel’. This means that if you have a compatible TV and sound system, you no longer need to use an optical cable (which often seems to come loose for some reason) to connect the two. HDMI ARC allows you to connect your devices to the TV (Sat box, Blu-Ray player, Playstation etc) and send the sound back down to something like a soundbar via the HDMI ARC channel. Yes it does a similar job to optical, but it’s often a neater solution. eARC is even better and allows all the very latest sound formats (like Dolby Atmos) to be transmitted.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 11

Other contact details in his advert in the Buildings & Renovations section of the magazine

Technology

ell, summer must now officially be over. All our visitors have been and gone and, in some cases, it wasn’t too sad to see them go. I’m not saying that my mother-in-law and her sister were a challenge, but I’m thinking of doing a cross-Atlantic swim whilst wearing concrete flippers as that seems like a lot less hassle. Mrs W was sad to see them leave of course. So much so that I suspect they’ll be back next year. Doesn’t matter to me, I should be crawling onto dry land somewhere along the Eastern Seaboard by that time. Hopefully, I won’t have enough money to fly home. They won’t read this, so being rude isn’t a problem. They don’t speak French.

I hear that Sky Glass looks very nice. No satellite receiver required, just needs the internet. Can we use it in France?

Freesatsqueezed.is

typing this in early September (a quick peep behind the curtain there!) so it may have changed by the time you read this but, if it hasn’t, users of TNTSAT will have found that they no longer have access to the TF1 suite of channels (TF1, TFX, TMC, TF1 Films and LCI). Apparently, it’s all due to a bit of a falling out between TF1 and Canal+. It’s happened before, back in 2018, when the government were forced to throw their weight around a bit and normal service was restored. This will likely happen once again, but as at time of writing, no timescale has been mentioned. You can still get TF1 via a terrestrial aerial or by downloading the ‘MY TF1” app. The service will also still be there if you subscribe to Canal+ or something like Orange or SFR’s internet TV service. It’s only TNTSAT users that are currently affected.

4. A person expert in the use of a bow and arrow (6)

19. Diminishing brief thanks at first pleasing for queen having gin cocktail (8).

9. Get Nile unrest if not one of the Israelites (7).

21. Escape from the Spanish underground leader of the French (5).

11. Doing the darndest to get left behind? (8).

Clues DOWN

7. Unfortunate circumstances financially (11)

10. Public houses standing in as court rooms? (4).

1. Group with sex appeal head south to become outlaws (7).

14. A farm building for housing horses (6)

9. A personal view or judgement formed about something (7)

3. Eye problem that may arise when first person flees from abominable snowman? (4).

5. A configuration of stars as seen from 16 across (13)

17. Large mammal keels over lacking energy and a touch of strength? (3)

16. Dog the royals, keep company on turned over rig (5).

Clues ACROSS

6. Wicket taken, pressure imposed, cheat reforms to be centre of turn? (7)

16. The third planet from the sun (5)

15. Old model Ford went down very well? (7).

27. Wraps up leading light in terrible scrape (7).

Clues Down

Clues Across

11. Imagination unrestricted by reality (7)

13. A very young child; baby (6)

2. Turn on or around on axis (6)

WORD SQUARE How many words of three or more letters can you make from the letters in our square? There is one word of nine letters. We estimate about 200 words are possible. If you want to make it harder, only allow words that contain the centre letter. 0 - 50 Not bad 101 - 150 Very good 51 - 100 Quite good 151 + Expert C

8. Alter the colour mixture on Tyneside perhaps to bring out the poor (5).

14. A little taste of the dregs of someone's Martini Flip? (3)

(with

3. A very thick centre cut of beef tenderloin (13)

20. That man, a politician, is a plant!

5. Fan first to transcribe all scenes in animated movie (8).

T E R H N N 12 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

7. Mount internet provider in telephone call system (5).

DSM Toughie Crossword thanks to Mike Morris) E A

DSM Easy Crossword (with to Rob Berry)

6. A person who is preoccupied with his/her own interests (6)

20. Material for starting a fire (6)

12. Increase fourfold (9)

17. Burnt sugar, used to colour and flavour food (7)

8. A collection of maps in book form (5)

19. Get to welcome home a thing used to follow showers? (5).

15. A tendancy to do nothing or to remain unchanged (7)

18. An imaginary place for lost or neglected things (5)

2. Upset party over one going into picture house? (5).

18. Captain' starter relegated to last place in fish dishes? (7)

12. Ruin renovation taking some time in Italian city (5).

P59onSolutions

24.(4).Pickpocket to go through an unprofitable period? (3).

10. Freshwater carniverous mammal (5)

thanks

26. Tempted king to get involved in arranged duel (5).

1. Gangsters turning up to cover failure of progress (7)

25. Install union in middle of water pipe (5).

Take a Break

22. Lady who does make the tea?

1. A nursery where 13 down are cared for during the working day (6)

5. For and against holy man starting to suffer periods of going without? (5)

4. Face mark? (3).

23.(4)Failed to honour church ecumenical leader in lewd display? (7).

13. Over done chords played with religious group? (8).

19. Workplace for the teaching or practice of an art (6)

c. American actor and US president.

d. A fortified building with battlements.

b. System of dots, dashes, and spaces.

………

b. As greedy as a ……..

WORD SEARCH

CONNECT FOUR

What connects the following ...

d. Relating to the moon.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 13 265 1762 4583 4821 1375 5961 27439 94783 SUDOKU P59onSolutionsHÉRISSONÉCUREUILPARAPLUIECHAMPIGNONBALAIFANTÔMEARAIGNÉESORCIÈREPOTIRONFEUILLESHEDGEHOGSQUIRRELUMBRELLAMUSHROOMBROOMPHANTOMSPIDERWITCHPUMPKINLEAVES

2. a. Cornish Yag, Stinking Bishop and Sage Derby? b. Judge on The Great British Bake Off? c. A glass container for liquid. d. To write clearing without joining letters.

c. As cheeky as a ………

3. a. British Prime Minister at the beginning of WW11. b. Partner of Stan Laurel.

d. As fierce as a

4. a. As strong as a ……..

c. A member of a religious community of men.

1. a. Shops with the slogan “Never knowingly undersold”.

14 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Meanwhile,waste.we wait for the second fermentation of the press and main wine production, the malolactic acid fermentation (in case you were wondering what it was called). During this process, the acids transform and more depth is produced in the wine. While all of this is taking place, we prepare our barrels ready to be filled so the oak goodness can be introduced to the wine during the aging

From Fruit to Wine it’s tasting time….

Autumn

by Rob Brimfield and Steve McMahon

colour

To be honest, every day is tasting time here at Clos Vieux Rochers but when we have completed our harvest and the wine making process is underway, every step of the fermentation process requires a taste test. During September we made a daily prayer for rain but, to be honest, they were not really answered and the heat pretty much continued, with a few stormy days rather than rainy ones. As we came to the end of the month, the rich fruit was well into its journey of becoming wine, rich in colour, full of flavour and just a touch stronger than we generally aim for. The long hot summer, which was sparse in rain, meant that the sugar levels have been high and will therefore mean we have a higher ABV. The twice daily process of mixing the fermentation is really important to ensure the yeast gets plenty of oxygen and the fermentation is balanced throughout the vat. As we step into October, the fermentation comes to an end and we separate the wine from the pulp and then press the pulp. Pressing day is a busy,

tiring day and when everything is done we have a large quantity of very dry raisins at the top of our drive ready for collection, but collected by who and why? Well, they are collected by the distillery and all traces of alcohol are removed. The vapour that comes off a still is separated into three parts; The Head, first 10% or so, is grade 2 alcohol and used for medical use; The Body, the next 80%, is grade 1 alcohol which, once mixed with spring water and reduced to around 40% ABV, is simply Vodka; and, finally, The Tail, the final 10%, is grade 3 and is made into cleaning products for industry. Let’s not forget the seeds; they are crushed and the oil extracted for cooking, with everything left then becoming animal feed/fertiliser so nothing goes to

The Vineyard Guys Food and Drink

With temperatures slowly dropping, October is a good month for visitors that want to explore with a few less tourists around. Our gites being available all year round means that we receive many guests that love South-West France in the Autumn, lots of vibrant colours as the leaves begin to charge and the landscape starts to transform. Whether you like walking, cycling or just chilling while

Carton of 6 use DSM6 and get €5 discount on deliveries to France only. Carton of 12 use DSM12 get €10 discount on deliveries to France only.

WeCheers,VieuxyouandHaveyourgetdiscountcancan’tonesoreadyvisitingseemonthsOverfromwelcomingtastings,everyonenearandfar.thenextfewwewilllotsofpeopletostockupforChristmas,hopeyouwillbeofthem.Ifyoumakeityoualwaysusethecodeandaboxdeliveredtodoor.agreatmonthwehopetoseesoonatClosRochers,RobandSteve.alsohaveanon-line

For more information on Rob & Steve, their wine, vineyard tours and accommodation ...

www.closvieuxrochers.com Pressing Pressing Barrels arrive

Did you know that some wine makers in France use American oak barrels? So you are probably wondering why would they when France has so many oak forests and are known for their quality oak. French oak generally grows slowly and has a tight grain which means it imparts its flavour slowly into the wine. American oak grows faster than European oak and the grain is more open and therefore it imparts it flavour quickly into the wine and they are generally a little cheaper than French oak barrels, but it does mean the barrel can lose its flavour quicker too.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 15

process. As you are probably aware by now, we produce an artisan Castillon cotes de Bordeaux for the modern drinker using traditional techniques to ensure we produce an easy drinking, social wine that will sit equally as an aperitif or be enjoyed with cheese, charcutier or dinner. A wine that just needs friends and good conversation to make it perfect for every occasion. To keep this softness of flavour we use only French Oak Barrels that give us a nice gentle oakyness.

you recharge your battery, there is so much that Autumn offers in and around our vineyard. You can stroll around the streets of Saint Emilion (12Km) as the sun sets, take a drive into Bordeaux and do the tastes of Bordeaux tour (50Km) or enjoy the medieval architecture of Bergerac (50Km).

Here at Clos Vieux Rochers, the cooler temperatures make it a little easier to get out on the vineyard and prepare for winter, get that firewood in and cut the banks that have needed attention for a few months but been either too hot or too busy to attend to. The work on a vineyard does not ever stop and playing catch up with jobs that often get put on the "to do" list means you have get as much done as possible and make the most of these Autumn days. Before you know it, we will be back working hard in the vines working on our 2022/2023 vintage.

As you know, we love sharing our little bit of France with guests and visitors. We continue to offer tours and

store for those that can’t get to us or need to restock their cellar. For readers of The Deux-Sèvres Monthly Magazine who would like to try our Clos Vieux Rochers –Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux or our Rosé, we have an offer for delivery to France.

Ice cream, cream or custard to serve Instructions

Ingredients

Ingredients

Serve with ice cream, cream or custard. 79400 06 29 15 36 55 Te a Ro om Info@chateaudesauge.com Si r et: 8 4890418100015 Centre Vintage Tearoom Trading Post ChateauDeSauge/ instagram.com/chateaudesauge/

Instructions

Stir in apples and cook for 3 mins. Add 115g blackberries and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and cook for 3 mins more.

Melt the butter with the remaining olive oil add the onions, garlic clove and three quarters of the chilies

Add flour and sugar into a large bowl. Add butter, rub in flour to make a light breadcrumb texture. Add mixture to a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins

2 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6

Marigold and Cosmos

Apple & blackberry crumble

1 butternut squash (1kg) peeled and deseeded

Butternut squash soup with chilli & crème fraiche

Cut the squash into large cubes, then toss in a large roasting tin with 1 tbsp of the olive oil Roast for 30 mins, turning once during cooking, until golden and soft

Cover and cook on a very low heat for 15 20 mins until the onions are completely soft Tip the butternut squash into the pan, add the stock and crème fraîche, then whizz with a blender until smooth Return to the pan, gently reheat, then season to taste Serve the soup in bowls with swirls of crème fraîche and a scattering of the remaining chopped chilli

Both stems prosper during the summer and fall and have rich legacies in history, gardening, and folk medicine. A perfect gift for a person with an October birthday, is the Cosmos both meaningful and beautiful.

Shop Please like us on Social Media: chateaudesauge.com facebook.com/

Served with ice cream, cream or custard… how do you eat yours ?

For the crumble topping 120g plain flour 60g caster sugar 60g butter

Calla Lilies Delphinium Alstroemeria Freesia Gerbera Iris Magnolia Orchid Cymbidium.

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Remember Up and coming Celebrations and festivals in Deux Sèvres, here the International Games Festival in Parthenay, the Great World Council of Clowns in Niort, or the famous Night Canoe Rally in the Marais Poitevin, Scottish Games with the Highland Games in Bressuire... Not to mention the weekend Vide Greniers, there is something for everyone so enjoy……..

C hâ teau de Sa ug é 2 Sa ugé 79400 Sa ivres 06 29 15 36 55

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

2 onions, diced

To serve, spoon the warm fruit into an ovenproof gratin dish, top with the crumble mix, then reheat in the oven for 5 10 mins.

Chambres d'hôtes Gites Business/Event

For the fruit compote 300g Braeburn apple 30g butter 30g demerara sugar 115g blackberries

Info@chateaudesauge.com Sau gé Vi ntage

4 tbsp crème fraîche, plus more to serve

2 mild red chillies, deseeded chopped 850ml hot vegetable stock

Other flowers are :

Peel, core and cut apples, put butter and sugar in a pan and melt until the mixture turns to a light caramel.

Cover, remove from the heat, then leave for 2 3 mins to continue cooking in the warmth of the pan.

16 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 Open Every Saturday & Sunday and other times on request Buy all your UK Food locally @ Château de Saugé

Saivres

Château de Saugé

Oct ober i s a m agi cal m onth i n F r ance The a utumn co lours a re a t t heir b e st a n d t he f requently w a rm w eather b r ings g l orious da ys f or w a lking o utdoors A l so, t he g r ape harvest se a son i s i n f ul l sw ing i n Fr ance's w ine r e gions Why n ot m a ke t he m o st o f t he a utumn se a son w ith m y f a vorite r e cipes Tr y a r ustic so up o r a f r uit cr umble f or t hat p erfect co mforting f o od D onna x

1 tbsp butter

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Lightly oil a rectangular roasting tin (18cm x 28cm).

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs beaten 200g pumpkin, peeled and coarsely grated 150g sweetcorn tinned or defrosted 250ml sunflower oil + extra for greasing

In a frying pan, heat 1tbsp of the olive oil and add onions and garlic. Fry gently for 3-4 minutes until soft and golden. Add mixture to grated potato, stir and add beaten eggs and half the cheese. Season with black pepper and mix well to combine all ingredients.

Sieve flour, semolina, baking flour and chilli flakes in a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning.

Tip: This recipe will freeze well for 3 months. Separate unused slices with greaseproof paper so they can be defrosted and used individually.

AUTUMN SUPPERS

Tip: Goats cheese can be replaced with any crumbly cheese such as Roquefort or cheddar.

2 eggs beaten

METHOD

150g self raising flour

1-2tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Remove from oven and scatter over the remaining cheese. Return to oven for a further 5-10 minutes until cheese is lightly golden.

INGREDIENTS

Serve immediately with green salad as a supper dish or as a side for salmon or chicken.

In a separate bowl beat together oil and eggs. Pour into bowl with dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Add the sweetcorn and grated pumpkin, mix well until thoroughly combined.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 17

1 small onion

1 clove garlic

METHOD

Corn Bread

1tsp baking powder

200g Goat’s cheese

Preheat oven to 220C/425F/gas 7. Grate the sweet potato using a food processor or the coarse side of a grater. Using a clean cloth, squeeze out excess liquid then place potato in a large bowl.

Sweet Potato And Goat’s Cheese Rosti

2tbsp olive oil Black pepper for seasoning

200g semolina

Spoon mixture into prepared tin, level the top and cook for approx. 25 minutes until well risen and golden. Remove from tin and leave to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into 12 slices.

750g Sweet potato peeled

Divide the mixture roughly into 4 and shape into patties by hand. Place on a large non-stick baking tray and drizzle over the remaining 1tbsp of oil. Cook in oven for approx. 25 mins until golden brown and cooked through.

Full of goodness and a luxurious creamy taste. Serves

KITCHMEGAN’SEN

40g butter

2 egg 150mlyolkssour cream

Add vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Salt and pepper to season

In a large saucepan melt the butter and add potatoes, onion and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP

350g potatoes peeled and diced 1 onion peeled and chopped 1 clove garlic peeled and finely chopped 250g mushrooms wiped clean and thinly sliced 1 litre vegetable stock

Method:

Gluten Free Recipes

Ingredients:four.

Fresh leaf herb of choice to garnish finely chopped (such as chive or sage)

18 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Mix together egg yolks and cream. Stir in a little of the hot stock. Gradually add the egg and cream mixture into the soup stirring constantly. Add seasoning to your taste and simmer for a further 2 Pourminutes.into serving bowls and garnish with chosen choice of herbs.

Oh My Lord Francks Fish and Chips last Wednesday of every month

The Association En Route tel: 07 69 18 56 81 or by email: henri@assoenroute.com Visit the website: www.assoenroute.com

Tom is a young, sociable, playful lab x who loves people, other dogs and his ball.

Contact asso.orfee@laposte.net or call 09 77 48 71 43. by email: asso.orfee@

Tom

Our Furry Friends Hope Confolens16 51 route de Confolens La Tulette, Ansac-sur-Vienne16500 4hope@gmail.comshopsixteen Hope Sauzé-Vaussais79 2 Route de Vauthion 79190 Sauzé-Vaussais 4hope@gmail.comshopseventynine Hope Eymoutiers87 2 rue de la Vieille Tour 87120 Eymoutiers 4hope@gmail.comshopeightyseven N RNA W792002789 generalenquiries4hope@gmail.comwww.hopeassoc.orgHopeAssociationCharityShops-HelpinganimalsinneedPlease check the website for shop opening hours as they are subject to change and/or temporary closure due to Covid-19 restrictions. ANIMALArkCHARITY ASSOCIATION Cafe,HaberdasheryBric-A-BracBooksClothesToysEnglishfoodplusmore. association n° W792005745 8 Rue d'Aunis 79120 Sainte-Soline 05 49 29 68 ARKshop79@outlook.com22ARK79AnimalCharityshop Charity Shop BOUTIQUE CARITATIVE Open every Tuesday 10am - 4pm and the last Saturday of the month 10am - 2pm GUSTO is just waiting to be adopted and yearning for someone to love him. Approx 5 months old, this handsome little boy is one of the most affectionate kittens we have ever had at our refuge and will be a wonderful companion. He just loves being cuddled and is always so happy. Having been abandoned and left without food and water, he longs to find someone who will never let him down. Sterilised, vaccinated, id-chipped and tested negative for FIV/FeLV. Gusto Chats de Chatillon Cat Refuge & Pension Email : Phonechatsdechatillon@gmail.com:0685635594 Website : https://chatsdechatillon.com/adoptions/ Shop Open every Wednesday 11am - 4pm Donations welcome Monday & Wednesday10am-2pm Tech Clinic with Ross Hendry 2nd Wednesday of every month

W792005754:Association The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 19 KNOW OF A PET RESCUE CHARITY THAT COULD USE THIS FREE SPOT TO ADVERTISE ANIMALS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION? GET IN TOUCH WITH INFO@THEDEUXSEVRESMONTHLY.FRUS.

Oh My Lord Francks Fish and Chips Dernier mercredi de chaque mois

Magasin Ouvert tous les mercredis de 11h à 16h

Even when he had a kitten to sniff, he did so gently so we feel he's going to settle beautifully in to home life. Available for foster or adoption, please contact Association En Route via email on henri@assoenroute.com

Four little fox terrier whose owner died are on their own in his house. They are 4 males: 2 brothers of 8.5 years old, one of 11 and one of 15. They are neutered, except the oldest one. If you can help, please get in touch urgently.

FOX TERRIERSTheAssocationOrfée tel: 09 77 48 71 43 or

laposte.net www.facebook.com/OrfeeInEnglish/ SIRET : 508 517 455 000 12

Les dons sont les bienvenus les lundis et mercredis de 10h à 14h Clinique technique avec Ross Hendry 2e mercredi de chaque mois

The seigneurie included parts of the lands and woods at Ayron, Chalandray, Cherves, Maillé, Latillé, Frozes, Benassay, Vasles, Vausseroux and Saint Martin du Fouilloux. There were 11 fiefdoms in total.

The first written record of the town dates from the Xth century where the settlement is mentioned under the name of Villa Valerius, giving reference to vast agricultural domains and also houses grouped around a church. The name Vasles appears in documents from the XIIIth century onwards. The spelling of the name changed during the XIIIth century from "Valbis" to "Vallas" and then to "Vales" and "Vallez". The spelling "Vasles" dates from 1377.

However, in 1440, the lord of Montreuil Bonnin (Vernon who was descended from a Scottish line) contested the rights of the Abbey over Vasles and the surrounding woods. A trial took place in spite of the protection that Charles VI (1403-1461) had given to the abbesses of SainteCroix.

A VOIR / MUST Sainte-RadegondeSEEChurch.

In the next few years, the lord of Montreuil Bonnin (Raoul Vernon) and his brothers Phillipe and Jacques, and the lord of Cherves (Pierre Moreau), attacked the property several times and it was frequently pillaged during the 15th century.

King of the Francs and his wife Radegonde (519-587) decided to gift the lands of the Seigneurie of Vasles to the Royal Abbey of SainteCroix of Poitiers, so that the Abbey could be financially independent. The Abbey was founded by Radegonde in 550 and, to this day, the church is dedicated to Saint Radegonde.

As it belonged to the Royal Abbey, the Seigneurie of Vasles came directly under royal suzerainty and held all the rights of the different jurisdictions and courts. It also had fiscal rights.

by Sue Burgess

A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres Vasles

After the Wars of Religion of the 16th century, the Abbess, Flandrine de Nassau, had the church rebuilt in 1610. This romanesque style building was partly destroyed in 1900 to make room for the new church and square.

There were other religious buildings on the commune, in particular the priory Saint-Jacques de l’Habit Mangot. Today only a few remains can be seen.

BurgessSuebyphotographsAll

asles is the commune of the Gâtine which is spread over the widest area. The commune’s origins are very old. Several prehistoric sites have been discovered in the area.

The name "Vasles" then, comes form "Valérius", the name of an important Roman who lived in the village during Roman Clotairetimes.1st(498-561),

V

20 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

The medieval church was bordered on the north side by the buildings of the clergy (remains of the ancient chateau of the Abbess of Sainte-Croix of Poitiers) and by a water filled ditch. The church had a XIIIth century choir, a XVth century nave, and there was a huge romanesque doorway in the Beforefacade.theRevolution, the parish of Vasles depended on the Abbey of Sainte-Croix of Poitiers.

After the Hundred Years' war, the Poitou became English between 1356 and 1373; however, the Abbess Marguerite du Rivau (abbess from 1353 to 1371 and then Galienne Du Pouget until 1391) retained the rights of seigneury (lordship) of Vasles. Despite conflicts with neighbouring seigneuries the abbesses of Sainte-Croix remained the "Dames de la Seigneurie de Vasles" until the Revolution.

Between 1900 and 1905, the church was entirely rebuilt under the direction of the architect Segrétain. The new building was positioned differently along a North / South axis rather than an East / West one. This was so that the church did not interfere with surrounding buildings.

But then in 1467, King Louis XI (1423-1483) confirmed the rights of the Abbey and the Abbess, Isabeau de Couhé, had

a beautiful mansion built in Vasles. It was fortified with a tower and a drawbridge over a ditch. She stayed there for several months in 1469.

The Seigneurie de Vasles.

The nave is lit by windows which are placed high up, as well as by the numerous bays in the lower part. The bays are decorated with stained glass windows dating from the beginning of the XXth century. They were paid for from donations notably from the La Sayette family.

The central part of the house dates from the XVth century, but the windows and doors were modified in the XVIIth century. Between 1850 and 1880, the wings were taken out during important modification works, as well as the existing pigeon loft, whilst a neo-Gothic chapel embellished with stained glass windows created by Lobin and Fournier, was built.

• a garden with a central lawn shaded by remarkable trees.

A few days beforehand, on the 12th August, in Sanxay the Germans had assembled nearly 300 hostages on the square. They were freed at the end of the day after checking of identity papers and searching the town.

Washhouses

Château de La Sayette, Logis de Neufchèze and Logis de Paulier (private properties)

There are numerous large houses on the commune. Amongst these, the logis of Neufchèze, built in the Middle Ages then completed in the XVIIIth century, still has part of its moat and a park full of trees which are hundreds of years old.

Le château de la Sayette was one of the fortified houses which ensured the protection of the fortress of Montreuil. Covered by a slate roof, the huge body of the house has two circular towers, two corner paviliions and a chapel.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022| 21

• a classical style garden,

• a vegetable garden and orchard with a pond and a bower.

Mouton village

Monument in memory of François GEORGES, near the Route de Vausseroux,

Inhabitants,Robin.atVerrines, warned him of the presence of the the Germans and tried to persuade him not to cross Vasles. Bravely, he tried to get through anyway. He was arrested and searched, and the documents were found. He was placed with the other hostages outside the church.

On the day that Paris was celebrating its liberation, the inhabitants of Vasles were frightened. Searches had already taken place in Vasles and Ménigoute and the massacre of Oradour sur Glane was on everyone's minds.

Each village used to have a washhouse: la Pagerie, la Coursaudière, Bouillé, Le Porteau, Brin… In the town centre, the washhouse situated alongside the river Boivre dates from the last part of the XIXth century and it replaced a structure which had only been built forty years earlier.

François Georges, a young resistant from Lavauthe Gerasseau, was cycling to Parthenay, carrying documents for Colonel

A site of 6 hectares. There are 22 different breeds of sheep and an arboretum with over 4000 trees which is a LPO (equivalent of the RSPB) refuge.

The full collection of A to Z articles is available via our web site www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr

25 August 1944 in Vasles. For several weeks different German troops had been patrolling around Vasles looking for members of the FFI.

But at about 7pm on the evening of the 25th August, François Georges was separated from the other hostages. Shots were heard at the end of the day in a field near the town. The next morning François' body was found near Route de Vausseroux, where a monument has since been erected.

The logis de Paulier, which belonged to the Abbey of Sainte-Croix of Poitiers in the XVth century, was the property of the Pidoux family between the XVIth and the XVIIIth centuries. Listed as a historical building since 1984, this logis still has a medieval feeling despite modernisation.

On the morning of the 25th August, a German vehicle was destroyed by a group of FFI from Sanxay. At least three soldiers were killed. About 200 German soldiers, present in the town of Vasles, searched the houses and brought about 30 hostages out in front of the church.

In Vasles, the German troops were trying to find members of the resistance who were very active in the area.

In the town, to the west of the church, can be found a lodging dating from the Middle Ages. There is a high roof with a steep slope. The roof is covered with flat tiles and its facades have windows surrounded by moulded frames. A mullion window is sculpted with two small figurines.

The chateau is surrounded by a park with:

One of them managed to get a message to his daughter so that she could warn the resistance in Sanxay to do nothing that would put the lives of the hostages in danger.

After some negotiations, the mayor, Monsieur Roullet, obtained the liberation of the hostages. Some were freed that evening and the others the next morning.

Having spent 2 days eating pintxos and seafood we opted for just the 6 courses:

W

Our late arrival in San Sebastian meant an immediate rush to the old town to hit the famous pintxos (Basque tapas) bars. Each one is like entering a French patisserie that only sells savoury goods. If you eat partially with your eyes, then this is heaven. We decided to cover as many bars as possible, having one pintxos and a wine or beer in each. At around 7 to 8 euros per round for the 2 of us this was a bargain and we did our best to make sure no bar felt left out. I haven’t got a clue what we ate, but it was all good.

Iberian ham.

42oz Steak with triple cooked peppers.

We walked blinking from the restaurant into a now sunny day, heavier in the stomach, lighter in the pocket, but very happy. During a walk around Tolosa we also discovered fine architecture, beautiful old closely packed tenement buildings and spacious squares. I remembered the saying; never judge a book by its cover.

Old cow meatballs with red pepper ice cream.

Travels SouthernthroughFrance

Photographs courtesy of Russell Adams

Leaving San Sebastian for France, we made a detour to Tolosa to have lunch at a highly rated restaurant, Casa Julian. Entering the industrial town of Tolosa on a grey morning, it looked decidedly unpromising. The town was shabby and neglected and the graffiti made it obvious it was a stronghold for Basque nationalism. The police were busy arresting someone as we left our car. The entrance to Casa Julian (under the motorway on stilts) was scarcely inviting, with old wine crates stacked to the side and every working surface covered with parts of dismembered animals. However, as soon as we were shown to our table our mood lifted. The cellar like dining area was still shabby with plaster flaking off the ceiling and the tiles around the cooking area cracked or broken, but the walls were lined with olds wines and spirits and the tables beautifully laid. Our friendly waiter explained how all the produce used was the very best, locally sourced and the cows had had a wonderful long life, eating the best grass, frolicking in mountain meadows, living the life of Riley, until in their retirement they happily volunteered to be butchered and barbequed for our benefit.

Almond & butter cigars with coffee.

On to France!

Chocolate fondant with mandarin ice cream.

Crossing the squares of San Sebastian just after the schools have let out, you can’t help but notice a major cultural difference between the Brits and the Spanish. The squares were all packed with children playing together after school while their parents sat in the cafes surrounding the squares chatting and sipping coffee or wine. In the UK the kids would have been quickly collected or delivered home where they could be safely locked in their bedrooms with their PCs and Xboxes to be attacked by zombies. I wonder who has it right.

by Russell Adams

Step One : South West

San Sebastian is a very pleasant town with great beaches in a sheltered bay. It is also relatively modern, the British having burnt it to the ground in 1813. I believe that groups of Brits are still trying to do this to Benidorm today. Walking most of San Sebastian in a day takes some doing and we needed plenty of wine, pintxos and seafood to maintain our energy. Fortunately, the Basques take refreshment seriously and even in a ruined castle on Monte Urgull (one of the 2 hills that enclose the bay) we found that someone had created a bar in the ruins. I can’t see British councils allowing that in the ruins Harlech castle or Tintern abbey.

22 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 Travel

The Landes used to be a huge area of heathland, where shepherds wandered around on stilts to tend their flocks

Beef chorizo.

here do you start a tour of Southern France? Spain obviously. We took a ferry from Plymouth to Santander and decided we couldn’t pass the foodie mecca of San Sebastian without a couple of days there to gain vital body fat for the arduous journey through France. Our itinerary was slightly upset by the ferry turning round in the night and heading back north so that a passenger could be lifted off by helicopter. On discovering the next morning that even with the ship travelling flat out we would now arrive 3 hours late, I pondered Britain’s great navel heritage and wondered whether some traditions should be reinstated. Burial at sea perhaps?

and avoid the marshes (how some people get their fun). In the middle of the 19th century the area was planted with trees and it is now Western Europe’s largest pine forest covering nearly 4,000 square miles. So now “les Landes” is mainly trees and huge lakes running out to vast beaches where it meets the Atlantic (and somewhere in southern France old shepherds perform tricks on stilts while muttering about bloody lumberjacks).

While this area may be a nature lovers paradise, it must be said it is something of a cultural wasteland. The major tourist attraction in the area is the Dune du Pyla, basically a huge mound of sand. However, it must be said, it is impressive and you get great views from the top that truly

Leaving Landes we visited Arcachon, a very pleasant seaside town with great beaches in a sheltered bay – and it

give some impression of the vast expanse of forest. It covers the inland landscape as far as the eye can see.

Our stay in Bordeaux didn’t get off to an auspicious start. After sat-nav issues, we finally found the underground parking for the hotel and ascended into to the pleasant lobby, only to be told this was the wrong hotel. Our booking was for the budget option further down the street. It really was the budget option; the sink and shower were in the room with the bed and I had to kill the silverfish before you could use the toilet.

The only issue I had with using these cycle paths was that around 50% of the other cyclists we encountered were on electric bikes. There is nothing more disconcerting after having struggled breathlessly up some steep bank than to have an eighty-year-old cyclist pass you at speed, whistling a merry tune.

We got out of the hotel as quickly as possible to visit the city, stepping over the vagrants asleep in the entrance to the car park. We set off across the bridge that we couldn’t cross by car to get to the pleasant side of the city. What a revelation! Bordeaux is a gem of a city. Stunning architecture and monuments, beautiful parks and squares with a relaxed feel to the whole place. The bridge, the Pont de Pierre, is wonderful on its own. Commissioned by Napoleon, it has 17 arches to commemorate his victories and is beautifully lit up at night. Every 100 metres or so, you stumble across another square lined with enticing

was lively! After Landes, this alone was enough to impress us. It is divided up into quarters named after the seasons, we must have been in summer town.

Next time ... Dordogne .....

Fortunately, the French are very good at cycle paths and they run for miles through the forests connecting the small towns, lakes and beaches (one path claims to continue for over 1,250kms to Roscoff). So, we spent three days cycling around, swimming in lakes and dipping our toes in the sea. We also visited the three towns within cycling distance, Biscarrosse, Biscarrose Plage and Sanguinet, all pretty unmemorable and quiet. The cycling, though, was excellent. In the areas where the tracks run the forest it isn’t just pine but is mixed with oak, elm, broom and many other trees and plants I can’t identify. Also, the forests teem with wildlife; you are constantly accompanied by a choir of bird song and lizards or rabbits skitter out of your

way as you cycle past.

cafes, bars and restaurants, and of course, the wine in each is very good. I could write for ages about the different things to see, but it would be best to go yourself.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 23

24 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

The general public also had the opportunity to take a pleasure flight in a small aeroplane provided by the flying club. The approximate 10 minute flight around a circuit of the show ground cost 40 Euros per adult, with a maximum of three passengers per flight. Proving extremely popular,

impressive reconstruction of a US tented military camp with six examples of Willy’s jeeps and a field gun.

La Vie En France

It was only happenstance that led me to see an advertising banner in a near-by French village the evening before the show which led me to this event. With hindsight, I was very glad to have seen it.

The cloudless Sunday skies of Western France provided a perfect day for visitors to the Couhe-Verac air show this year. The event was sign-posted from Couhe village centre, directing visitors to a substantial grass car parking area immediately adjacent to the aerodrome itself. Adult admission was 10 Euros per adult, with child concessions, charged on entry to the car park. Visitors were welcomed to the event at the entrance to the airfield and given a basic program for the day. This brochure was professionally produced in colour, on quality paper and provided a good souvenir of the day, although a more comprehensive brochure could be purchased on the day if required. In consideration of the short notice I had of the event, it was gratifying that the organisers were verbally surveying visitors on entry, regarding how they had heard of the meeting, so perhaps in future years its promotion may be more extensive. There were a good number of volunteer helpers, each identifiable by their yellow logoed T-shirts directing parking and within the main show ground area.

The meeting was centred around some 25 assorted static displays comprising small civilian and 11 veteran military aircraft from US, RAF, Switzerland and France, even including a representative from the Luftwaffe. In addition, a gyrocopter and examples of microlight aircraft were also on display. Supporting these ground exhibits and adding both an historic and broader interest aspect to the day, members of the France MVCG (Federation Francaise Des Groups de conservation de vehicles militaries) mounted an

Undoubtedly, the star of the show was a striking example of a Spitfire Mark XIX. Only around 240 Spitfires are known to exist Worldwide, of these about 60 are still air worthy, so to see such an historic aircraft at a provincial air show was a rare and unexpected treat.

A Report From ... Air Show Couhe-Verac, France 24th July, 2022

by Adrian Blake

The aerodrome cafeteria/bar was open throughout the day. Take away food and drinks were available to buy on site using a pre-paid ticket system, tickets being available from a centralised stall with a tabled seating area provided within a large marquee. Clean, mains toilets were available for public use adjacent to the aerodrome club house. Although mostly grass with some gravelled pathways, the site was level and facilitated easy wheelchair access to all areas of the site. An effective public address system with appropriately positioned speakers provided commentary for activities throughout the day. The French army, French air force and a parachuting organisation each fielded a recruitment stand.

The entertainment was not restricted to the ground. Throughout the show, most of the aircraft took to the sky above the show ground providing the public with a spectacular aerial display. Not only aircraft, there were also three parachute displays staged at interval during the day over the show ground, delighting children and adults alike.

• If you want to take a flight at the show, go to the booking tent early to avoid disappointment as they get very busy

Top tips for the day :

the three aircraft engaged in this service were kept constantly busy, to the point that they were still working into the evening after the show had officially closed. The air traffic control arrangements appeared organised. Only one aircraft was in the air at any one time (except when the parachute platform aircraft was flying, although this would have been at a much higher altitude) or on the runway area, which was segregated from the aircraft pending take off area.

• Bag a spot in the shade early

even for one who has never been to an air show before and not expensive. Whilst the attendance was good, it was not overly crowded and there was no jostling for a good view point or any sense of over bearing. I am very glad that I took the opportunity to attend.

Although there were a good number of ground, static displays to look at and the aerial show was both full and impressive, I did notice that a number of the younger children in the audience were getting a little bored as the day progressed. One stipulation which the organisers had made clear in their promotional information, was that visitors would not be allowed off-site before the end of the meeting at 6.30pm. On first thoughts, a harsh and somewhat Machiavellian ruling. However, a completely understandable requirement as an exit road (which was closed off during the day) ran directly in front of the runway; and traffic exiting the grass car park generated a noticeable dust cloud in the air as they left the site which may have interfered with the aeroplanes.

• Take a picnic lunch (although hot and cold takeaway food was available from concessions)

In all, this was a very enjoyable and interesting day out,

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 25

• Take ample fluids to drinks (although beverages are available from concessions)

• Take a camping chair or ground sheet to sit on

rose is an annual publicity campaign « une campagne annuelle de communication » intended to make women aware « sensibiliser » of screening « dépistage » for breast cancer « cancer du sein ». The event is symbolised by a pink ribbon «le ruban rose».

by Sue Burgess

Cancer le cancer

In 2003 the association created the six Pink Ribbon Awards (les six Prix « Ruban Rose ») for research, which are awarded each year. The awards encourage innovative

projects «des projets novateurs » led by young doctors and research workers « jeunes médecins et chercheurs. »

Vocabulary / Vocabulaire

Octobre rose makes it possible for money to be collected for research about breast cancer, its causes, its prevention, its diagnostic, its treatment and cure « les causes du cancer du sein, sa prévention, son diagnostic, son traitement et sa guérison. »

The campaign is organised by different charitable organisations « différents organismes de bienfaisance » concerned with breast cancer. The campaign gives intormation about the importance of early screening « dépistage précoce » and regular medical follow-up « suivi médical régulier ». It promotes the recommendations of the Haute Autorité de Santé. (Health Authority).

Octobre

OctObre rOse

If you operate a business as an auto entrepreneur, there are some changes that came into effect in May 2022 of which you may need to be aware.

In certain towns walks and races « des marches ou des courses » are dedicated to the cause and men and women walk and run to support the fight « la lutte » against breast cancer.

26 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Breast cancer le cancer du sein Lung cancer le cancer du poumon Cancerous cancéreux symptoms les symptômes to be cured être guéri oncologist un oncologue oncology l'oncologie specialist le spécialiste hospital l'hôpital private hospital / clinic la clinique Screening le dépistage

Read the article on page 61 of our June issue and/or speak to your accountant/advisor.

Photo caption: Me, pa and Aunt Vicky having a moment in Chinon. (Although his vest is not visible, his unforgiving, thick, Cotton Traders trackers are).

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 27

year old dad, who has been using the same damp towel since 1972 looked very confused. Later in the week we discovered he had been drying himself on a blanket!

The temperatures soared and at night fans could be heard humming in every room. But however tropical it became, my father would insist on wearing his vest and thick track suit bottoms. In contrast, it transpired that his natty new swimming trunks (purchased from M&S) were underpants.

It started with our son's wedding. In temperatures of the high 30s, we watched our little boy tie the knot. For some reason he had decided to wear a tweed suit with matching waistcoat for the big day along with his best man. He looked very red and moist but extremely happy.

At a previous wedding Anna, my wife, and I had a contretemps about my refusal to dance. Not wanting a recurrence I danced, how I danced...and then...I danced some more. At one point I was the only one throwing shapes on the dance floor, even the DJ had naffed off.

Life in 79

In the evening Panda wok (the all you can eat 'cuisine du monde' buffet) called and we answered that call. Having been several times I have learnt the ways of the wok: what to avoid, what to eat and when, so optimal intake can be achieved. However, my Australian friend charged in like a rookie and 45 minutes later could be found wandering around the car park moaning and holding his stomach. After a walk round the ramparts of Parthenay it was home to try and sleep in tropical temperatures.

After their honeymoon, my son and his new wife made up our triumvirate of visitors, with an all too short stay of three days. It was good to see him in a pair of shorts instead of the tweed suit (what is it with my family and wearing thick fabrics in the height of

Having experienced a veritable drought of seeing family and friends over the last few years, this summer turned into the rainy season.

Aftersummer?).athirdfantastic

So now, as summer draws to a close I sit on the sofa, in a pair of loose fitting shorts, stroking my fat tummy ('sleep my precious') thinking what a fabulous time we had in the summer of '22. I shall have to shake off some of the excess poundage I have put on...after all, Christmas is just around the corner.

If you would like to read more ramblings from Mr Shaw, go www.lifein79.blogspot.comto

by Stephen Shaw

day wandering around the old town of Chinon I crawled into Panda wok asking if they had a loyalty card scheme.

Cocktails and beer were replaced by red wine and water! We had some teenagers in our group and all they drank was water! I was pleading with them to have a sugary drink, but 'no thank you' was the reply, 'just

fantastic day was spent wandering around the old town of Chinon with a trip to Panda wok in the evening. Although slow ambling around Chinon, dad came into his own at the buffet of dreams; just as those around him were saying they'd had enough, dad returned with a bowl containing five profiteroles. The wok salutes you, sir!

Anotherwater'.

SHAWSTEPHENbyCartoon

A Summer of Indulgence

Our first set of guests were Anna's clan. A dangerous combination of Scots and Australians. So the cocktail shaker took a pounding and a daily trip to the supermarché to replenish the beer reserves was necessary. We tried to cater for all ages with a mixture of excursion and pool time. A fantastic day was spent wandering around the old town of Chinon, with a wine tasting session in one of the caves to placate some of the alcoholics in group who hadn't had a drink for ten hours.

On the long drive home Anna and I, and our daughter (who was coming to stay) felt a bit rough from our exertions; my throat felt a bit raspy from screaming 'Hi Ho Silver Lining' and other anthems. Turned out we had Covid. Over the next week everyone who attended the wedding came down with the lurgy. It was a super-duper spreader.

A week later my family arrived. Anna announced there was only one rule and that was to put damp towels on the washing line and not hang them over furniture or curtain rails, but this only applied to towels in the house. House towels should not be used for swimming...these were separate and could be found in a pile by the pool. My 85

I would love to be sharing the news that we have finally made plans to set off from home, with the bikes, on a route that will lead us through France, over the Pyrenees and all the way to Santiago de Compostela, but sadly that remains a dream for the future. What we have undertaken is our annual ‘pilgrimage’ of a one-hundred-kilometre day out on the bikes, a September celebration to mark the fact that I’ve made it to another birthday.

I am not sure what it says about me or the direction my life has taken, but I often find that when we share our routes with the Chemin de Saint Jacques, we are usually headed away from Spain. My parents would probably say that this confirms the fact that I’ve always been stubborn, difficult and refused to follow the crowd. Whilst I have reached an age where I probably agree with them, I also like to think that it’s because the Chemin is letting me know it is there but knows I’m not quite ready to follow it just yet.

at Dampierre-sur-Boutonne, and some impressive Romanesque churches, many of which were important stopping points for the pilgrims of Saint Jacques too. In order to repent for their sins, pilgrims would break their journey and worship the various relics from the Holy Land that were said to be found within them.

Email:www.frenchvillagediaries.comfrenchvillagediaries@gmail.com BROWNJACQUIbyPhotos 28 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

by Jacqueline Brown

Our route to Saint-Jean-d’Angély followed, where possible, the Boutonne river from its source in Chef-Boutonne, through the Deux-Sèvres and into the Charente-Maritime. It was a quiet, back road route that passed by many châteaux, including the fairy-tale Renaissance château

The word pilgrimage is often used to describe a spiritual or religious journey that is undertaken to bring the pilgrim closer to God. As someone who is not overly religious, I’ve always found it odd how much I am attracted to the Chemin de Saint Jacques that criss-crosses this part of France, on one of its many paths that lead Christian pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. A bit of research revealed that ‘a pilgrimage’ can also be used to describe an individual’s journey through life, which confirms to me that the Chemin de Saint Jacques are most definitely part of my life journey.

Legend has it that the abbey at Saint-Jean-d’Angély was originally built to house the head of Saint John the Baptist, which as far as religious relics goes is pretty gruesome, but luckily, they are not all like that. The Romanesque church of Saint Chartier in Javarzay was very popular with pilgrims as it was known as the church of one hundred and fifteen relics. Thankfully, these included more ordinary items like a thorn from Christ’s crown of thorns, a fragment of his cross and the Virgin Mary’s dress and belt. On our way home we stopped at the church of Saint Pierre, in Aulnay, whose tall spire, visible across the countryside guided our weary legs in the same way it has led pilgrims to its door for centuries.

Our annual pilgrimage

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 29 FIND ThispricesCHEAPESTtheFUELinyourarea.governmentrunwebsite provides comparative petrol and diesel prices in all areas of France. Just simply select your department from the map, and voilà! www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr Drive business to your door Advertise here Contact us for details info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.frYOUCOULDADVERTISEHERE EMAIL US AT INFO@THEDEUXSEVRESMONTHLY.FR

a tribute

I have certainly only just realised that, for me, my identity as a British citizen has been intrinsically linked, albeit subconsciously, with the Queen.

Even if you aren’t a Royalist, her face is something you see every day, on our currency, our stamps, her insignia on our postboxes, on institutions of which she is patron and, of course, on our country's memorabilia.

As a child, I loved to look at my mum’s books about the Coronation and other books about the Royal family. Like many other little girls, all I saw was the lovely dresses and jewels and the seemingly glamorous life of a fairytale Princess, which of course I wanted to be.

She is so entrenched in our psyche as British citizens that we have taken her for granted. And that’s where our grief at her passing comes from.

She has shown us how to act, how to be dignified, how to be stoic in the face of adversity and how to be dedicated and caring.

This intensity of feeling has surprised me; after all she was not a family member, or even someone I had ever talked to. I’ve been trying to work out what, for me, this is really about.

In fact, always present our smile to the world.

Of course like many, many, other people, she was the only Monarch I have ever known, a constant figure in our lives through the years.

Then Diana came along and I was hooked; mesmerised by this “normal” woman who was going from a kindergarten teacher to live that dream. Endlessly fascinated by her wonderful clothes, the glitz of being a Princess.

by Helen Tait-Wright

Following the news on 8th September announcing the passing of our Queen, Elizabeth II, I have felt an intense sense of loss and, to be honest, cast adrift.

As a role model for women, she has shown us that we can do things; we can be practical and get our hands dirty, we can have some fun, we can take on enormous responsibility and shoulder that burden, and when the occassion arises we can shine in fabulous dresses and present our smiles to the world.

Tait-WrightHelenofcourtesyphotographsAll

30 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

The world as we know it has just ended. Everything will now change.

On The Road

She has shown to the world in her own quiet way what it is to be British. The best ambassador for our unique Britishness in the modern world.

lovely Queen embodied all of those qualities, right to the end of her life, as she promised us.

As Mr Macron said in his address to the British citizens, “To you she was your Queen. To the rest of us she was THE Queen”.

Which is priceless.

have chosen to live in, but I am not French and can never be.

As a British woman, she is what I aspire to. And now that shining example is gone, and for me, with her a part of my identity. Perhaps being an expat heightens this sensation. Many of my compatriots have chosen to pursue a demand for French nationality. That’s not for me. I love the country I

Our Queen was a shining example of leadership the world over. A shining example of a strong woman. Forget the Spice Girls, she embodied real Girl Power.

But the Queen’s legacy will live on in every one of her citizens who loved her and were inspired by her.

RIP Your Majesty, you were awesome.

It is about selflessly giving yourself to the service of your country. About being in the public view and dealing with all that entails, positive and negative, and always maintaining your dignity. About presenting yourself in a professional, yet approachable manner. About dedication and relentless hard work. About fortitude and resilience.

Because whether you were born to it or not, it is a job for Ourlife.

October 2022 The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 31

With the passing of years I realised that that is not what being a Princess, or indeed a Queen, is really about.

About being the figurehead of your Nation, in good times and bad, and empathising with the struggles and celebrations of your citizens. About maintaining humility. About being adaptable.

And now we must adapt to a new reality and carry on with the fabled British stiff upper lip.

Fantasy, myth and science fiction are perfect for exploring issues of consciousness, humanity and morality. How selfaware does something need to be (an animal, an unborn baby) before it should be granted the same rights as fully developed humans? Is there ever a point where destroying an artificial intelligence becomes murder? Do we really have free will or are our choices determined by genetic makeup?

Alison has compiled a selection of articles from this column into ‘The 500 Word Writing Buddy’, available in print and ebook.

Her new Roma Nova novel, set in the 4th century, JULIA PRIMA, is now out.

moral conflict from the past that the hero thinks he has buried or dealt with can resurface and affect him in the present and even hinder him in the future.

Use the dilemmas that belong to your genre

Love, romance and relationship stories often deal with faithfulness and betrayal. When is it better to hide the truth than to share it?

Look for the third way

The next step is to heap on the ultimate pressure by denying your character an easy way out. Something crucial must be at stake where there’s no obvious exit. Your character must act or everything is lost. And of course, your character must live with the consequences of his decisions and actions.

Use questions such as ‘How far will she go to save/achieve/ prevent X or Y?’ and ‘What would it take for A to choose/ find/commit B?’ Ask yourself what your character believes in, what her priorities are and what prejudices she must overcome. Then put her convictions to the ultimate test to make her truest desires and priorities bubble to the surface.

You seem to have cut off every possibility for your character. Readers may well be wondering how on earth the story is going to play out. The solution needs to be consistent with the character’s attitudes, beliefs and priorities, while also being logical and surprising. No sudden waking up and declaring ‘it was all a dream’ which would infuriate your readers. A strong story entails an element of loss, but also balances it with a sense of a satisfactory resolution.

The more imminent you make the choice and the higher the stakes, the sharper the dramatic tension and the greater your readers’ emotional engagement.

Another technique is to make the character act against his beliefs – bribery, threat and extortion often work, whether directly as in a thriller or as emotional blackmail in a family saga. And don’t be nice! As writers, we sometimes care about our characters so much that we don’t want them to suffer. As a result, we might shy away from putting them into difficult situations. However, that’s the opposite of what needs to happen for our fiction to be compelling. What’s the worst thing to fall onto your character within this story? Now think of something else just as dreadful and force your character to decide between the two.

When the pressure on one of the characters in a book, whether physical or psychological, intensifies, the tension ramps up and as a reader, I can’t turn the pages fast enough. How do we inject this into our own writing?

Put your character’s convictions to the test

Diving into dilemmas

Characters need to have beliefs, desires and values that matter. Without attitudes or convictions, a character can be hard to cheer for and easy to forget. So, to create an intriguing character, we need to give her two equally strong opposing convictions or desires. This inner conflict fuels tension before the story even starts and these opposing driving forces may well impel her into doing something she really doesn’t want to do. And that tension drives a story

by Alison Morton

Force your character into a corner

32 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 Book Club

Crime and thriller stories naturally lend themselves to questions of justice and injustice. At what point do revenge and justice converge? Is breaking the law justified in the case of your hero/heroine?

Give your character opposing desires

Equally,forward.a

If there seems to be an easy solution, there’s no true dilemma. And offering the choice of the ‘lesser’ of two evils won’t work as it makes the decision less difficult. For example, what if a character knows that being with the man she loves will cause him to lose his career? How much of her lover’s happiness would she be willing to sacrifice to be with him? And suppose she has to make that decision within the next twenty-four hours?

Sophie Claire is another author whose writing style I love and always look forward to her new releases.

This is a book of many parts. It is deliciously hot and passionate, but as the truth behind their damaged pasts slowly comes to light it is also emotional, heart-breaking and painful. The more time Daisy and Gabriel spend together, the more they learn about each other, and themselves. It took a while for me to warm to Daisy, but I loved watching the subtle changes that affected them both and I desperately wanted them to give in to the chemistry and in doing so, give themselves a chance of happiness. With neither willing to let go of what is holding them back, it seemed an unlikely outcome.

It can be 200 words or 2,000. It can be a series, a one-off, a book review or just something you do from time to time. You can send pictures with it, or not. You can use your own name, or not. Look at the variety of subjects in every issue of The DSM and imagine how YOUR article might fit in.

Why not?

Having enjoyed three previous historical novels from Siobhan Curham, I was delighted to get my hands on her latest book. Chapter one, page one and nine words at the end of the first paragraph –that was all it took to hook me into another great read set during the Nazi occupation of ElenaFrance.was

Ever thought of writing an article for us?

Drop us a line and we'll help ... info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.frhonest.

Review by Jacqui Brown

As the reality of espionage in a foreign country hit our heroine, this book raised my pulse on many occasions, and with the suspense, twists and danger, I was often on the edge of my seat in this fast-paced novel. The locations came to life, the historical side added interest and the emotion and passion were spot on.

Still not sure?

This Month’s Book Reviews

An Escape to Provence by Sophie Claire Review by Jacqui Brown

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 33

The Secret Keeper by Siobhan Curham

Aside from the heat, the passion and the emotions, this book is also packed with lots of lovely French descriptions and detail that took me to Provence. The people, the village community, the French customs and traditions, everything blended perfectly with a storyline that was easy to fall into, but not so easy to put down.

a strong character who I warmed to immediately. Desperate to full fill her dreams of becoming an actress, she was working in a diner as she waited for her break. When an opportunity came her way, it was not at all what she was expecting, as she found herself undergoing training for espionage before being sent to Europe.

She might have grown up in America, but her Mexican heritage was just one thing that helped her in her new role, the other was her determination to free France for her beloved Grand-mère Rose. It was the addition of Rose’s letters to Elena from occupied France that I particularly loved, and that played such an important part in this book for me.

As with Siobhan’s previous books, it was obvious that this was a well-researched novel that felt believable from the beginning, even though it was very different to her other books I’ve read.

Daisy is a hardened London divorce lawyer, in charge, independent and inflexible. She lives life in the fast lane and is used to getting her own way. French builder Gabriel prefers a slower, more considered pace of life. He is hurt, angry and grieving and has no time for Daisy and the plans she is proposing. Sometimes in life your path unexpectedly crosses with someone so different to yourself, you appear to have nothing in common and yet you are inexplicably drawn to each other. This is true for Daisy and Gabriel. Despite their pre-conceived ideas and lack of flexibility, there is no doubt there is chemistry between them and I couldn’t wait for the inevitable emotional fireworks.

We live in a world of colour and most of us carry a colour camera wherever we go.

As I have said before, most of the images captured with modern cameras loose a little contrast and a little colour when they are taken.

34 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Human beings are a visual species. Dogs see most of the world with their noses but we use our eyes. One of the most important aspects of our seeing the world is colour, or lack of it.

The easiest way to bring this back is with one of the many free photo editors you can download from the internet, such as Gimp, Canva, Fotor, FastStone and InPixio. Each will have a method of adjusting contrast and colour saturation.

Contrast is for another day, but why adjust colour?

The simplest of adjustments is to turn an image from colour to black & white. This works for some images but

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay Carte

Ansel Adams’ black & white photographs of the American west are part of my understanding of photography. The photography of Henri Cartier Bresson is a lesson in black & white photography and photo-journalism.

Taking ColourPhotographsBetter...

Photographs by Steve Marshall

by Steve Marshall

À La

As newspapers and London theatres dropped their black & white images for colour in the 1970s, I remember feeling something was being lost, whereas colour was being given its place.

These images pushed in each direction produce a gradation from black & white to depths of colour that I do not feel slip over into the false or synthetic.

If you increase the saturation on a bright red flower it can very soon become over-coloured and appear artificial. Similarly, if you take a pale subject without much tonal variation and reduce the saturation to black & white, it can feel limp and diminished.

My examples here are two sprays of grass from May of this year.

And you may disagree, which would be great. There is no ‘best’ colour level for any photograph. The best photograph is the one the audience likes and that may be an audience of just you or just me. I know which of these images I like the most. Your choice may well be different.

I want to encourage you to try this. Not necessarily with favourite family photos or precious memories but with the photographs you have taken to create an image.

If you want to talk about the software or what you may be able to do with your photographs please get in touch. There are a number of photographers in the area, and we get together on an informal basis from time to time. Looking at and commenting on each other’s images has, I think, improved everyone’s photography.

Take a few of your photographs and see what happens. I have discovered a growing enjoyment in images that are not fully black & white but are heading that way. And then there are some where pushing some extra colour adds a layer of interest that cannot be seen in the image straight out of the camera..

I can be contacted on stevemarshall128@gmail.com

Download one of these programs. FastStone is the free one I use and it is very easy to make these adjustments.

They have been chosen because neither is particularly strong in colour but both have an interesting tonal range – from highlights that head toward white through to near blacks. And neither suffers from burnt out whites that loose detail or deep blacks that absorb and kill detail.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 35

not all. Black & white makes the image about tone, about highlights and shadows and the shades of grey in between. It can make it more about shape and texture than about the subject itself.

And I think a lot of this is personal. As colour film became available, Ansel Adams did use it to produce some wonderful images. Henri Cartier Bresson famously quipped that ‘colour is bullshit’.

e have been making most of the fine, warm weather and continued our walking in the countryside. It never fails to amaze me just how much you can see and hear on a long walk in the outdoors. The wealth of wild flowers (I’m trying to learn the French names for them!) and insect life, particularly the butterflies, has been interesting and rewarding to see. The most common variety (we see a lot of them) seems to be the Orange Tip. It has brilliant orange tips and a grey/cream colour to the upper pair of wings, with a creamy/buff colouring to the lower pair. We do see some that have both sets of wings completely orange in colour, though. There is the occasional pure yellow variety also. The Red Admiral seems to have bred in abundance this year and I have had many in the garden. I think the other brown/orange coloured variety we have noticed is the Comma, very delicate looking with wings that have ‘sculpted’ edges.

• Plant hardy spring ‘flowerers’. Among the best are; primulas,wallflowers,forget-menots, bergenia and erythroniums, all of which are easy to grow and look after.

• Give the compost heap a vigorous turn to help speed up decomposition. Doing it at this slightly earlier time of year will avoid disturbing any hibernating hedgehogs and other small mammals or snakes which may take up residence later.

36 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Now is the time to :

• Remove any leaves on roses which show signs of black spot or have become yellowed or brown.

• Plant up as many spring bulbs as you can, to encourage pollinators into the garden. In addition to the usual narcissi, daffodils and crocuses, try snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis). It’s a good time to plant cyclamen corms too, they self- seed after the first flowering and are delightful, delicate looking flowers to have in pots or borders.

by Greenfingers

• Whilst the soil is moist, it’s a good time to plant or move trees and shrubs. This allows the roots to become established before the first frosts arrive. I’m mentioning frost deliberately, as when the winter arrived in our area last year, the frosts were severe enough to damage the foliage of several of the trees and scorched foliage on some of the shrubs and larger perennials too. The flower bud formation was also affected and some of the blooms were distorted when they flowered. As we have seen real evidence of climate change with our

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

comes into flower. The wild fruits, although plentiful, are much smaller, due to the lack of rain needed to swell them properly, but the Deadly Nightshade berries are looking stunning, in orangey-red against their lovely purple flowers. The wild grass species are doing very well, if a little dry. On the left hand side, it is very, very dry and most of the plants are stunted or dying and the brambles are making the most of overwhelming everything they can scramble over. As we walk up towards what we call the ‘plateau’, we walk past the two etangs that feed into the larger lake further down the hill, and it is very distressing to see that all the water has gone and they are completely empty and dry. The sad thing is that all the wild life that lived in them has disappeared; the birds that fed on the insects that skimmed their surfaces, are having to feed on something else now. Perhaps some of the amphibians’ will have been able to bury themselves in the muddy sediment at the bottom of the etang and be able to emerge unscathed. Hopefully when the rain does return, perhaps a little later in the season, the wildlife will return too.

• Collect up any leaves that are still lying on the ground or the grass and make them into leaf mold. Place damp leaves into large plastic bags (dustbin sized) seal the bags and pierce holes in the sides. Leave the bags in a corner of the garden and forget about them. A quicker way of preparing the leaves, is to rake them all together and run the mower over them. This increases their surface area, but reduces the volume so they are easier to bag up. The smaller the size, the quicker they decompose. The leaves in the bags will slowly rot down and turn into a dry, sweet smelling mixture which will act as a very useful mulch and when added to pots or flower beds acts as a soil conditioner and enricher.

One of the roads that we often walk along has a totally different population of wild flowers on the right, compared to the species on the left hand side. This is due mainly to the shade cast by trees on the right, against the absence of trees on the left. The right is more prolific, with large populations of cow parsley, stinging nettles, hawthorn, blackberries and elder. The mallow flowers are there in their pink ‘skirts’, but the stems are much shorter and the flowers smaller. The wild clematis is twining everywhere and that will look stunning when it

lOve gardenyOur

W

• If you haven’t installed a water butt or a recuperateur, then try and do it soon so that autumn and winter rainfall can be collected and used next year ... even more important now after the drought of this year. A simple dustbin can suffice!

• Complete the harvest of apples and pears and peaches. I’ve had an abundant crop of pears this year, but the peaches, although numerous in quantity, all suffered from rot or were eaten by birds. I’m trying to find out what the rot was, and will give the tree an anti-fungal wash treatment at the end of the year.

• Prune back roses by a third, removing the soft, slightly floppy new growth at the top, creating a tidy shape and reducing the height at the same time. This helps to prevent root rock caused by high winds. If the rose produces lots of hips then leave them for the birds and postpone the pruning until spring.

drought and very high temperatures this year, I would rather be cautious and plant earlier in case our winter brings an extra cold surprise with it!

• Cut back any clematis plants that have been wind damaged or have just become very ‘leggy’, this will encourage new growth that will have a chance to ‘harden off’ before the end of the year.

• As the light levels drop and the damp increases, grey mould can easily develop on the leaves of some plants, particularly those with hairy leaves. Keep inspecting them and if any of them show signs of this infection, cut the leaves off.

• Grapes should be harvested now too.

• Lift some summer flowering bulbs now, including gladioli, galtonia and tigridia, and be store them in trays in a dry, frostfree place.

• If planted up pots are going to be left outside, then lift them up by using house bricks, pot feet or flat pieces of stone. This allows water to drain away from the holes in the bottom of the pot and prevents waterlogging and frost damage.

• Check fig trees for any remaining figs and harvest them. Leave any tiny figs on the tree, but cover with fleece if frost is forecast and there will be a chance that they will overwinter and ripen at the end of spring.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 37 Continued overleaf .....

• Lift and divide perennials that have formed large clumps. Geraniums, hemerocallis, hedychiums, irises, hebes etc. Dividing perennials not only gives you more plants for free, but also encourages new and more vigorous, healthy growth of the original plants. If you prefer to leave them in large clumps, then just cut them back to ground level, leaving those with pretty seed-heads as a bit of winter interest and also to provide habitat and shelter for wildlife.

• Potato foliage which has turned yellow should be removed and the last of the maincrop potatoes can be lifted ready to store. Allow the tubers to dry out properly and then place them in a dry, dark place. Examine them regularly for signs of rot.

• Once blackberries, loganberries and tayberries have been harvested, the fruited canes can be pruned down to ground level and any new canes can be tied in to supports.

• Generally speaking, shrubs that flower in winter and early summer, should not be pruned now. Next years’ flower buds are already being formed and pruning will just remove some of them or damage them. The dead flower heads of hydrangea should be left on to protect the buds forming underneath them. Hardy fuchsias and salvias should be pruned in early spring. Other shrubs not to prune now include, forsythia, hamamelis, kerria, mahonia, philadelphus, weigela, camellia, buddleia, and berberis.

• Clear away any stakes, poles or plant supports that may still be in the ground but are not being used - it prevents getting a poke in the eye when bending over to look at something and also looks tidier.

• Sweet peas seeds can be sown now. It’s a good idea to use root trainer pots for these as they give more space for a longer root run, but any tall pot will do. This gives the plants a

• Some hardy perennial seeds can be collected and sown straight away; these include, astrantia and valerian.

• Spring cabbage can be planted out when they have produced five or six true leaves. The lowest leaves should be at ground level when the cabbages are planted. Brussels sprouts plants should be mounded up around their bases with compost or mulch to prevent root rock during windy weather.

• Keep flowering pots colourful by taking out the summer bedding plants and replacing them with pansies, muscari bulbs, tulips, primulas or wallflowers.

• If you have tree ferns in the garden, don’t forget to protect the crowns by folding the fronds over and pushing them into the exposed centre. Rolling up some garden fleece and filling the central cone to protect it is useful as an ‘add on’ protection. If really cold weather is forecast, wrap the trunk in fleece or hessian too.

• Dahlia tubers need lifting after the foliage has been blackened by frost. If you live in a milder area with not much risk of frost, the tubers can be left in the ground covered with a thick layer of mulch to protect them.

• If there is an empty flower bed available, sow it with rye grass or vetch. These seeds will germinate and grow during the autumn and winter and the resulting plants can be dug into the soil next spring. If you prefer to leave the bed fallow, cover it with plastic sheeting to prevent weed growth.

• Check any outdoor pots for weeds and pest damage. Deadhead and cut back some of the softer, green growth. The plants will not grow as actively now, so reduce the level of watering too. If pots feel very light, they probably need watering. Another easy check, just push your fingers into the compost a few centimetres down, to feel moisture levels.

• Punica granatum (the Pomegranate), which is available as a small tree and suitable even for a small garden. The flowers are bright orange and the fruits are edible if a little small. Small specimens will reach a height of around a metre or two. Punica does best in a sheltered position near a south facing wall and prefers well drained soil. It won’t normally survive a very hard frost, but can take up to -4°C

Continued ..... 38 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

• Cover any salad plants that are still growing with cloches or fleece to prolong their productivity.

• It is the time to order bare root trees and shrubs. These are cheaper than potted varieties and have established root systems already, and are hardened to growing in open ground. Make sure the ground is well prepared and not too wet when planting.

• It is a good time to plan and plant a hedge. Dig a trench in your chosen site, then replace all the soil into it and level it off. Place the hedging plants along the centre of the now refilled trench ... for deciduous species, about 45cms apart; for evergreen species, about 90cms apart. Prepare a hole for each plant that is equal to the depth of the pot it was in when you bought it, or from the beginning of the root growth. Put firmly into the hole and refill with earth. Tamp down to exclude air and water in with diluted plant feed. The hedge won’t need feeding again until next year.

• Albizia (the silk tree) with its’ delicate looking pink blossom. It can grow from 4-8 metres in height. It is a very popular tree here and I have seen many flowering well this year ... they are gorgeous to look at and will enhance any garden. Albizia does best in a sheltered site, south or west facing and in well drained soil and is hardy down to about -10°C.

• Do regular snail and slug hunts after wet weather to remove these pests before they can do any damage.

• Trim back hardy geraniums such as ‘Rozanne’, which has quite a ‘sprawling’ habit, as this will tidy up the shape and also allow more air and light to circulate around the plant. If spring bulbs have been planted nearby, these will also have more room to emerge.

• Leave an area in the garden for a log pile and a leaf pile, for wildlife to use as a shelter when the colder weather arrives.

chance to develop stronger root systems and they will have a more prolonged flowering season next year.

• Garlic bulbs need a touch of cold or frost to help the bulbs to develop, so don’t cover them unless they are the soft necked varieties.

there is very little water loss from the plants, so they can put all their energies into root production whilst there is still a bit of warmth left in the soil. Apparently when deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn, there is a natural surge in root growth! With evergreen trees they lose their leaves continuously, a few at a time throughout the year, so their growth never stops. Some good examples include :

• Collect the seed-heads from climbing plants ready for sowing in the spring. Collect on a dry day and allow the seeds to dry for a day or two, then remove the husks and pour the seeds into paper bags or envelopes to store them. Keep in a dry, dark place.

• Harvest pumpkins and squashes once they are ripe and ready to eat and store the others for later.

• Divide large clumps of herbs such as marjoram and thyme.

• Sow some broad beans now for a crop that will be ready by May next year. If sown at monthly intervals,, they will provide a good successional crop.

• If you have the space, think about planting a couple of flowering trees. There are some beautiful varieties available which will add interest to the garden and also support more wildlife. It is a less stressful time of year for the trees too ...

• Strim wildflower areas, but don’t cut too short; the slightly longer grass helps insect life to overwinter safely.

• Once the fern like foliage on asparagus has turned yellow, cut it back. Cut the shoots back to ground level and mulch well.

• The Cornus family has several very popular varieties which are normally very easy to grow. These are members of the dogwood family and one of their main attractions is their colourful stems, particularly those with a reddish hue ... a real show piece on a dull winter day. These trees are firm favourites in Japan, China and Korea. They flower in early summer ... the petals of the flowers are really bracts that are often white or cream. Cornus can reach a height of 8m, but again can be pruned to keep it smaller. Cornus kousa is a well known variety that has the usual cream coloured flowers that are then followed by deep pink strawberry like fruits and orange-red autumn leaves. A real dazzler! Cornus does best in well drained soil in sun or partial shade and is very hardy down to about 15°C.

find that something that grows really well in your particular garden, might not perform as well in mine. Much of what we do is trial and error which always brings more positive surprises than failures. I don’t give up easily and sometimes push the boundaries, but it gives us experience and adds to our knowledge,learning and enjoyment!

I’ve just gained a really useful little book, given away free with one of my French gardening magazines. The title is just ‘End of Summer cuttings’ A fabulous little tome which lays out the basics of all cutting methods and then devotes a page to several individual/different plants, including hedging, aromatic herbs, shrubs (buddleia, citrus plants, conifers, dahlias, fig trees, etc. There are 66 mini pages in the book and lots of advice on increasing the stock of each plant, how to do it and when to do it. This mini book was given away free with Détente Jardin no.157. If you see the magazine with the right number, it’s well worth buying it just for the book!

The most famous Autumn poem of all time possibly? If you ever studied English Lit at school, you will have read this one many times and grown to love it or loathe it.

• I’m basing all these measurements and figures on my own reading of various books and magazines, and my own practice, but remember temperatures vary enormously depending on the aspect. Soils in each area vary greatly too and we all add, compost, mulch, soil enhancers etc., etc. which can change pH from time to time. You may well

For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells. Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may Theefindsitting, careless on the granary floor, thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing Orwind;on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep, drows’d with the fume of poppies while thy hook, Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers; and sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep Steady thy laden head across a brook; or by a cyder press, with patient look, Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours. John Keats

Greenfingers

• Another popular tree here, is Largerstroemia indica, the crape myrtle. This has privet like foliage and abundant pink flowers. I have one in a pot on the terrace and it is full of buds at the moment. Most of the garden centres can supply them in various sizes. They can reach a height of 8m, but it can be pruned to keep it smaller. These trees enjoy full sun, in a sheltered south or west facing aspect in moist, well drained soil. Hardy down to about -5°C.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 39

To SeasonAutumnofmists

and mellow fruitfulness, close bosom friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless with fruit, the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees, and all fruit with ripeness to the Tocore;swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells with a sweet kernel; to set budding Andmore,still more, later flowers for the bees, until they think warm days will never cease,

Whatever you do in your garden, enjoy it! Don’t forget to stand back from time to time and relish what you have done, even if it’s just planting some seeds. Keep the woolly hats ready for the cooler temperatures and make sure you stop and look whilst enjoying that cuppa outside.

As the weather has cooled to normal temperatures and the rain arrived over the last few weeks, I’ve felt much happier about working outside so I’ve managed to spend some time working on the transition to a no dig bed in the area where the straw bales were. The leeks planted in the straw were pulled and eaten in various dishes (a frittata, a Homity pie [one of my favourites!] and pasta) and the Brussels sprouts and rainbow chard were transplanted to no dig beds already established and both are looking very happy and growing well. The nasturtiums were pulled and some were transplanted, but the rest had the leaves and flowers removed and a big batch of pesto was made for the freezer. I use walnuts in my pesto – I have two trees making it a much cheaper pesto than one made with pine nuts! I have another swathe of nasturtiums that requires ‘tidying’ and I’m going to make a batch of pesto using sunflower seeds.

PalframanDonnabyphotographsAll

Cherry

DONNA IN HER POTAGEROctober2022

40 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

bare earth, leaving the other half of the bales until later in the year. I would have a path between the two parts and leave the fence posts with supporting wires for climbers. That was the first change – the posts came up as it would be easier to lift the ground cover, which I feared might be difficult. However, it peeled back really easily with only a couple of dandelion anchors, although the roll of ground cover still needs to be rolled right back but it is too heavy for me on my own.

fence posts and as much ground cover peeled back as I could but there was the problem of the sweet potatoes growing in the remaining bales. Hmm. Should I try moving them? Then came the lightbulb moment – leave an island of bales for them. I lifted as much ground cover as I could, but had to cut it one side of the island with the other sides having the ground cover rolled up around it. This would also help to keep the straw in place and help keep the straw moist and, when the sweet potatoes are harvested, it can be lifted and put on

T

by Donna Palframan

After umming and aahing about the layout of that part of the potager post bale removal, I set my mind on a layout … which changed. My initial thought was to remove half the ‘C’ of bales, roll back the ground cover and spread the straw over the

he transition has begun!

Very pleased with my progress, I surveyed the bed and decided that really I wanted one big bed, giving me three distinct growing areas in the cameparallel.pathsdividedpotager,bythreerunningSo,uptheother

When there is a volume of juice in the vessel, the lid can be lowered and the chamber inflated thus preventing contamination of the juice. The lid is vented so the fermentation gases can escape. It also means that we can take a bit longer collecting the apples and pressing them. So far, we’ve picked apples on low branches from two of our orchards and collected them from the ground using the mechanised apple picker and there are still a lot of apples on the trees. The third and largest orchard will be tackled

The weather has reverted to how it should be and everything is looking great in the potager – thank you for doing the rain dance!

As well as the potager, Donna operates Gîtes St Vigor & St Martin in Basse http://www.gite-stvigor.com/Normandie

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 41

the bank to help suppress the weeds on there. There is a nice thick layer of rotting straw on my new bed and for the next few months, when the chicken house is cleaned out, the straw and poo will go directly onto it with leaves and other vegetable matter (peelings etc) before being topped with compost; so it will be a sort of lasagna meets no dig bed.

The triffids amazingly survived the drought and their fruits, the potimarron, are ripening and I have cut one to make squash, chard and chilli pasties. I need to be patient as the stalks aren’t witheredcompletelyyet but I will have about seven or eight fruits, so I didn’t think one would be missed. On the subject of squashes, I am also happy to tell you that I have four butternuts! It is now a race for them to ripen but the skins are changing colour so I’m hopeful they will.

Cherry Tree Forest

Harvesting is well under way with a good crop of tomatoes, although there is competition with slugs and snails. I made the mistake of not harvesting for a couple of days and, just as the tomatoes ripen, they were being eaten by the little creatures, so now as soon as they have the tinge of ripeness, they are picked and finished off in safety. The courgettes are producing well now too. Not so many that I have nightmares, but enough to make plenty of ratatouille, grate some for the freezer and eat them fresh but plenty for our needs. Last year’s curly kale flowered and went to seed and is now producing lots of leaves, so that can stay in the ground and this year’s sowings of kale are coming on in leaps and bounds, although the nasturtiums are being a bit too effusive so they will be pesto before we next meet. After the disastrous start to my first encounters with collards, we have finally managed to eat some, although the leaves were quite small but they are now getting big so are ready to be experimented with. The Brussel sprouts are growing very well so we should have a bumper crop – just as well we like them! I can see a lot of Brussels and blue cheese bakes on the menu this winter followed by leftovers being made into soup! As for the rainbow chard I transplanted, the beautiful rain has perked them up and now they are looking luscious.

in the next week or two. I have been told we are aiming for 750 bottles this year….

I was hoping to get some more seeds in but other things have taken over a bit as cider and poiré making has started earlier this year. It’s all been very strange really, as with the incredibly dry summer we’ve had, I expected the trees to want to hold onto their fruit for longer and I thought the blackberries would be little, dry, sharp fruits but they are enormous in places and so juicy! The apples and pears are the same – very juicy with lots of flavour. Cider making has changed a little this year with some single varieties being made in small batches and fermented in demi -johns and the bulk of the apples are going to be fermented in a variable capacity vessel. This, for those of you who didn’t know (and I certainly didn’t), is a vessel made of fibreglass that has a lid with an air chamber, rather like the inner tube of a bicycle tyre around its circumference.

There are also several uses for honey that don’t involve eating it, some of which are natural beauty treatments while others are to soothe and heal ailments. Honey mixed with a little warm water can be applied to your hair and acts as a conditioner and eases dry itchy scalps – don’t forget to wash it off after about 10 minutes. It’s a natural moisturiser when applied to facial skin, and can soothe chapped lips, as well as being a true bath-time treat if mixed with olive oil (3 tablespoons of honey to 2 tablespoons of oil). As honey is also microbial, it is a natural antibiotic so can be applied to minor cuts and scrapes, then covered with a plaster. This medicinal element means it can help to soothe the itch and irritation of mosquito bites and can reduce pimples and spots. Stress hormones, cortisol and adrenalin, can cause insomnia but a teaspoon of honey with a sprinkling of salt can help to reset these hormones and aid sleep. Last but not least is the age-old cure for a sore throat: lemon juice and honey mixed with warm water or whisky is the remedy a lot of people associate with honey!

Method:

bsolutely LOADS! People keep bees for lots of reasons, but, let’s be honest, one of the main drivers to becoming a beekeeper is to harvest your own honey. There’s nothing quite like lifting the first frame of capped honey from the hive, feeling the sheer weight of it, filtering it and tasting it. When we realise that, on average, each honeybee in a colony might only make less than a single teaspoonful of honey over its entire life span, it’s easy to see how precious this ‘liquid gold’ can be. Honey is sweet but has distinctive aromas and flavours, unlike sugar, so don’t dismiss it out of hand if you’ve tasted a type that you don’t like; you may find you love the taste of another kind. If you don’t fancy eating it ‘raw’ then it can be used in recipes as a substitute for sugar (provided its water content – around 18% - is taken into consideration). I am

Honey Lemon Cake

4 eggs

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp of salt 250g softened butter 300g sugar

375g self-raising flour

Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

We hope you’re inspired to learn more about beekeeping and how to obtain your very own honey. Please get in touch via our website www.13bees.co.uk, 05 45 71 22 90 Home and Garden BaughenAmanda&KeithbyphotographsAll 42 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Heat the oven to 175c/325F/Gas Mark 3. Grease and flour a large cake tin (at least 24cm).

Ingredients:

In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until blended; add the eggs and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Honey…What Is It Good For?

more than happy to pass on my recipe below for Honey Lemon Cake, made more times than I can remember, and a modest success every time…enjoy!

2 tbsp lemon juice

Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a medium bowl.

by Amanda Baughen

A

1 tsp of baking powder

How else can honey be used? Mead is a popular choice. It’s an ancient alcoholic drink, often brewed in monasteries (monks had the time and the beehives!) and is based on fermented honey. A decent, organic mead will require at least 7 years in the making but, as with most things related to beekeeping, patience is definitely a virtue. There are several excellent books that provide advice on making mead and, although you may have tasted sweet, commerciallyproduced mead, it is possible to make it dry.

Add the flour mixture, crème fraiche and lemon rind, and mix in well.

Cool for 10 minutes while you make the glaze: combine all the ingredients in a small pan and heat over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves.

2 tbsp of grated lemon rind 190g crème fraiche

Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and brush over the honey glaze – it will soak into the cake and stickily drizzle down the sides!

Glaze: 3 tbsp honey 50g icing sugar

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 43

is a group of mainly ex-services people living in this area who meet socially whilst raising funds to support ex-service charities. Former UK servicemen and women, police and firefighters are invited to email Christine Hester at christine.hester10@gmail.com RAFA Sud Ouest France Le 0admin@rafasudouest.fr17250PérailBEURLAY546953889 WHY NOT JOIN THE RAF FAMILY? The charity that supports the RAF Family Please ensure that you check with any club or association you are planning to visit BEFORE setting off. 44 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

CSSG

Clubs & Associations Submission Guidelines Wordcount: Title of entry+ 40 words (max. incl contact details). Logos can be supplied and will be added if space allows. Adverts meeting the above specifications can be added free of charge, and will usually be rotated on a monthly basis to allow everyone to participate. To guarantee the advert is printed each month, a small fee of 4.50€ per month (paid as 54€ per annum) will be requested. How to SUBMIT your entry: Simply email the details to us: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr Clubs and Associations

We are also interested in creating local sub branches that can support a restricted area within the Branch area. Come and have a chat if you are interested.......

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

many other Branches do. We don't have a club building. We find it hard to arrange Committee meetings and our AGM BUT we are here to support anyone who needs our help. We have set up an email address for anyone who wishes to ask a question ... rblbx.assistance@gmail.com or you can contact me, Duncan ANDREWS, Chairman, on 05.57.64.46.21.

Oh, and if you would like to join us we have removed the need for you to have served in the military – EVERYONE is welcome!

My name is Jane Henderson and my email address is: pjhenderson@orange.fr or phone me on 05 49 69 79 01

Ten years ago my husband and I moved to the DeuxSèvres, south of Parthenay. One of the first things that we did was to join the AVF in Parthenay hoping to meet new friends and discover new activities. We have not been disappointed. We have made new friends, both French and English, and have found ourselves involved in a variety of activities to keep us busy. Membership of the association has been invaluable in helping us to integrate within the community and develop our language skills. Ten years further down the line we are still members of AVF with an established circle of friends, a busy social calendar and a marked improvement in our spoken French.

social events to mark the important dates in the French calendar e.g. Fêtes des Rois and Beaujolais Nouveau!

On Remembrance Sunday every November we hold a ceremony at the CWGC Cemetery in Talence, Bordeaux which everyone is invited to attend. We also try to attend as many local ceremonies as possible throughout the year. So, please fell free to contact us on any matter that you may need help with, Poppies, Wreathes, Ceremonies, Support, I cannot guarantee that the RBL will have the answer BUT if we don't we will probably know who does.............

The Bordeaux and SW France Branch of the Royal British Legion covers the whole of Nouvelle Aquitaine, a vast area, 84,036 km² / 32,432 sq. miles, an area 4 times the size of Wales! That is from the Mediterranean to Deux-Sèvres and because of this we cannot operate in the same way that

A good question and one that should be continually asked. Why? Because the support that we give to members of the British Military, their families and to Veterans is evolvingconstantlydue to the development of becausewarfare........modernofthe ageing process and it's mental development and also because of the very real challenges that today's world throws up.

So if you are interested and would like details of the time and venue, or you have any questions about the association, please get in touch.

“A Country Fit For Heroes” comes to mind! We are still trying to provide it...........

AVF, 'Accueil des Villes Françaises', is an association established throughout France dedicated to welcoming newcomers to an area, whether they are French nationals moving within France or foreigners moving from their country of origin to live in France.

AVF offers a range of activities run by the members of the association, on a voluntary basis, and include a walking group, a French conversation group, an English/ French exchange group, cards and scrabble evenings, craft activities, an art group, a singing workshop, a photographic competition, visits to gardens and restaurants and plenty of

We would like to invite all newcomers to the area to our open afternoon on Saturday 22nd October in Parthenay, find out what we have to offer and enjoy a guided tour of the mediaeval heart of this historic town.

Members of the military family have served their Queen and their country, some for a few years, others for a lifetime and we owe them a safe and secure life after their service.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 45

The social evenings always include the sampling of local delicacies and the odd glass of wine! For the volunteers involved in the running of the association their motivation is first and foremost the enjoyment of meeting with others, wanting to work as part of a team and the wish to strengthen the bonds of friendship.

As well as supporting those who need it, the Branch is also heavily involved in local remembrance ceremonies involving the Frankton Raid of 1942 (The Cockleshell Heroes ), and the escape routes that were used through France and into Spain.

Beyond the initial stages of getting into the system and registering with a doctor (MT), which you discussed in last months article, I think there is a lot to be understood about health care culture and navigating the system in France.

Not all of the drugs that you are used to ‘back home’ are available here. Drugs have to be approved for use and sometimes you will be offered an alternative. Try not to get your knickers in a twist, the alternative will be very probably be totally fine.

“... ask them to write bullet points for you at the end of the consultation ...”

46 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

A significant part of my job involves health education and supporting people to live well with their chronic illnesses, linking with social workers and the wider paramedical community to reduce admissions and improve multi-agency collaboration. When I started in this role there were only 45 of us, but now there are over 2000! Find out if your practice has an ASALEE nurse by asking at reception - you can make an appointment directly if you are living with a long-term health problem or want support to stop smoking or to understand screening tests, for example. The consultations are free of charge and generally offer plenty of time to those who attend.

The local EPHAD, which is a nursing home for dependant elderly folks, was my first step into nursing in France and it is thanks to Anne Alonzo, (French teacher extraordinaire) who helped me with my letter of motivation, that I found a nursing post. I enjoyed working at EPHAD and found the standard of care good in the main, but after a couple of years I moved to ASALEE (Action de Santé Libérale en Equipe).

Take with you a list key words and questions if that will help, and ask them to write bullet points for you at the end of the consultation or tell them what you have understood for verification. If you are given a referral letter, ask who they might recommend and what is expected of you. Do you have to contact them? How? What do you need to ask for?

This month I talk to Debbie Loughran, who did what I thought was practically impossible; picking up her nursing career in France! She tells her story and gives her advice about getting the most out of your local healthcare services.

Sue x JESHOOTS.COMbyPhoto

Try not to compare your care here to what was on offer in your country of origin. The health culture is very different here and while you have been away, things have moved on at ‘home’ and rose-tinted comparisons are not useful. I encourage everyone to work at getting the best out of the (mostly) excellent service that we have here. If you want to know more about ASALEE, look here –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUy_2zEZKHI (it’s in French but easy to follow).

When you are new to a practice, it’s important to listen to what the secretary/nurse/MT tells you about making appointments! Generally, they advise that should you need an appointment urgently, call early in the morning

Health Matters

‘Hi, My name’s Debbie and I arrived in France in 2007. In the UK I worked as a practice nurse in a busy GP surgery but was ready to stop. I came to France thinking I would never have to work again but, for a number of reasons, I challenged myself to go back to work.

At ASALEE my role is more akin to my old practice nurse job, since ASALEE nurses were created to support GP practices with the care of patients with chronic conditions. I work at the Pôle de Santé at Moncoutant and have been there now for 11 years.

At my practice, most MTs have a bit of English and obviously I can be used to translate if necessary but, if your practice doesn’t have any English and your French is limited, it may be worth bringing someone who speaks French with you. Make sure it is someone that you trust will translate exactly what is being said no matter how embarrassing, and that they understand your confidentiality is supremely important.

Don’t forget to be polite; at least say hello, thank you and goodbye in French.

If you need to use a translation app show the MT and see if that will work for you both. Doctors WANT to take care of you properly, so don’t feel awkward about helping them to do that!

Health, Beauty and Fitness

Try to see your MT once a year, even in the absence of illness, for a general check-in and check-up. The MT is pivotal to your care and keeping in touch is really useful from a therapeutic relationship point of view.

- and for repeat prescription appointments, make the next appointment as you leave the last one, for 3 months’ time. It's much easier to cancel or reschedule an appointment that you already have than to find one when you realise that you’re about to run out of tablets! Also, if you find you do not need the appointment that you have booked, cancel it. Wasted appointments not only cost the system money but also deny a patient in need the opportunity to get help. In some practices, if you miss your appointment three times, they scratch you off the list!

by Sue Lennon

My top tips.

There’s always something that seems to get in the way: an unexpected guest, a call that needs returning, a chore to be done, another form to fill out! Online videos are wonderful, but they cannot replace the benefits from being in a class with other souls. For one thing, when we enter the yoga hall, we are there for one reason only – to do yoga. Any expectation of us being available for anything else is put on hold during the session. We get to hit the pause button. We can then return to ‘the world’ refreshed. Furthermore, there is something nurturing about doing yoga with others in shared physical space. We are not just visual and auditory beings. Our nervous systems resonate with one another, and our individual efforts become multiplied. Something that seemed difficult before seems easier when engaged within a group of people all focused on the same thing. In a group,

As always, respect yourself, explore yourself.

Rebecca

Contactsubscribe.me

by Rebecca Novick

Your Ground Yoga

For information on yoga and breathe better courses contact rebecca@yourgroundyoga.com

Now that ‘le rentrée’ is upon us, there is a shift in the energy. The long holiday feeling is replaced with a change in gear as people return to work or study, or return to their homes after a few weeks away to face the garden weeds, forms and paperwork, fixing things that need repair. Perhaps you have taken a pause in your health regime, whatever that may be, to relax with friends and family and indulge more than usual.

In this spirit, this year I am exploring the interest for a new English-language yoga class offered through the Yoga Association of Parthenay. (I have been teaching classes in French with the association for the past year; a challenge for myself as well as the brave participants!) The Englishlanguage class would be on Thursday mornings from 9:00 to 10:30 am and is open to people at all levels. We will focus on restorative gentle flow yoga adapted to the needs of the participants, and each class will include some breath work and an easy brief meditation. We will be in a lovely bright hall near Parthenay train station. All you need is a yoga mat (don’t worry, we can loan you one to begin with), a firm cushion to sit on and a light blanket. You can come for a free ‘try out’ session to see if this is for you without the need to

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 47

English-language Yoga Class in Parthenay

we can advance together. We can ask questions and share experiences. We can go a little easier on ourselves when we appreciate the diversity of our individual limits, and we can be inspired by the progress of others that shows that, yes, we too can progress.

at lavieenyoga@gmail.com and I can send you all the info you need to get started.

However, it is not always easy to maintain a routine on one’s own.

We can use this collective energy to return to the activities that bring us the restoration, and thus the energy, we need to traverse the months ahead. A simple yoga practice on a regular basis can help support us as we gird our loins for the challenges that we are all bound to face as part of the realities of life.

The very best of everything

If you’ve read my previous articles before, you’ll know my biggest passion is for alpacas. Yet, with a lot of land here, there is more than the animals to look after or maintain on the farm.

And finally, unlike my time in the UK, my indoor plants do get some love and attention as well. Rather than using the fresh fertiliser, we process it into a compost tea and enrich some water with all those nutrients that we then use to feed the plants - is there anything more perfect?

I absolutely adore the seasons we have in this part of the world, and in a nod to this we named our first cria (baby alpaca) on the farm Blossom, as she arrived on 5 March 2021, when all of the fruit trees just started to blossom. It seemed both right and poetic. Now, I will be looking into how to use Blossom’s “gifts” to help next year’s buds and blossom around the farm flourish.

MilletDonatien-Photographer-HargreavesSophieofcourtesyPhotograph

saw a suggestion of putting the alpaca fertiliser around the base of the trunk. This way, the high levels of nitrogen and potassium, and normal level of phosphorus, get to the tree for its needs as water passes through the fertiliser carrying all the nutrients into the ground for the tree to use. Having mastered the apple and pear trees last year, this has finally helped our struggling fig tree in the latter part of this summer too. It was a really fierce summer with the drought and high temperatures and the fertiliser did everything it could, retaining any morning dew or water it could find and slowly releasing this to the plants and soil surrounding it.

48 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

We were semi-lucky with our land in that the previous owner was a landscaper, but had left the property and land unkempt for a few years, so some great plants had already been placed in beautiful places. As I scrambled though trying to tame everything and help it revive, I was lucky enough to have a secret weapon; alpaca poo! If you don’t already know, it is an incredible fertiliser (the best in my humble amateur opinion) because of their special digestive system. The way I see it, every bi-product from the alpacas is a gift, just like the wool (in my eyes shearing is for their health and the wool is a wonderful gift from this). The manure is just as much of a gift we needed to find a use for too! So, this has also helped develop my interest in Igardening.knowyou

may be thinking I’m mad, but I have had customers telling me that their 2021 tomatoes were the best grown within their group of friends who were very envious of the deep red colour and sweet taste, after quite a wet and cool summer, and they put this down to the alpaca manure. It’s an odd idea to get your head around if you’re like me and you’re not a keen gardener, but it is odourless and comes in pellet form, so isn’t as weird as you may think.

So, off I started. The idea of dead-heading the roses sounded quite brutal to me, but after seeing the results of something this simple, I was hooked. Then on to the fruit trees which were looking a little sorry for themselves. I

This is the only way I have been able to get my head into the idea of gardening and so I am after tips and suggestions still too, so if you have some useful advice, please get in touch, and I can share my secrets of the fertiliser tooincluding that this is the perfect time to pile it high in your beds, creating “black gold” ready for your spring offerings.

by Sophie Hargreaves

If you are interested in meeting Sophie, Will and the alpacas, why not get in touch www.lapetitefermedalpagas.comvia

I am a hopeless, yet aspiring, gardener. Having had nothing bigger than a postage stamp garden before moving to France, and not looking after indoor plants too well, I’m determined to learn and grow as I enter into the world of gardening here in Deux-Sèvres.

Building and Renovation Siret 879 119 030 00010Free quotes with home visit Based in Search(Deux-Sèvres)ExoudunonFacebook or call 07 87 26 32 54 All Domestic repairs and installations The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 49

50 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 51

52 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

YOU ADVERTISECOULDHERE EMAIL US AT INFO@THEDEUXSEVRESMONTHLY.FR The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 53

Working as a family business has brought us rapid success! Declan McCann LEGGETT AGENT If you would like the freedom to grow a successful business supported by an award winning team, please contact our recruitment department: +33 (0)5 53 60 82 77 recruitment@leggett.fr www.leggettfrance.com Start a new career as a property sales agent WE ARE RECRUITING! READ DECLAN’S STORY Property SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES ... OR THEY WON’T BE THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM 54 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Vernoux-en-Gâtine was once famed for its basketmakers –ideal for your harvesting! This enchanting stone cottage (A15533) is on the edge of the village and sits tranquilly in the sun and costs €133,525. The house has generous living spaces including a large pantry downstairs with two large bedrooms and a mezzanine. There is an enchanted garden outside.

other end of the renovation spectrum, these three attached small cottages (A14900) in a hamlet outside BeugnonThireuil are being marketed for just 54,000€. Dating back to Napoleonic times, each has one room up, one down – there’s also a hangar, two stables and outbuildings set in over half an acre of grounds at the end of a lane in a peaceful location – all in need of attention however the sky could truly be the limit!

it was once famed for cattle so much so that the Parthenais breed was named after the town – these pretty straw coloured beasts were raised for milk, these days more for beef! However the Gâtine is better known throughout France for the bounty of its crops and apples in particular. Growers here harvest throughout October and, with almost a couple of dozen varieties available from organic growers, the choice is legendary and includes local favourite La Reine Clochette as well as the pick of my fancy Braeburn! Whether for pies or sauce laced with cloves there’s something about cooking apples which seems to smell of autumn to me!

beautifully presented in classic French farmhouse style there are three bedrooms including a mezzanine area as well as a self contained two bedroom gîte perfect for ‘storing’ visitors or paying guests. And there’s more outside in the pretty garden with a super in-ground pool and lovely countryside views, hot tub, terrace and garage – just move in and enjoy it’s an ideal holiday or full time home at

I’ve always wondered how Keats came up with such a sumptuous phrase describing all the riches of this season harvest ripe, as it were, for the picking!

SEASON OF MELLOW FRUITFULNESS

While we’re talking about picking the best of Gâtine produce, we’ve selected three of the best from our bushel of properties to view this month!

by Joanna Leggett

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TRUST +33 (0)5 53 60 84 88 - info@leggett.fr - www.leggettfrance.com SARL Leggett Immobilier, 42 rue de Ribérac, 24340 La Rochebeaucourt et Argentine - SIRET : 521 133 835 Chiché €250,000 HAI Ref. A15729 - Substantial 4 bedroom house in peaceful hamlet close to AgencyDPE:amenities.Notrequiredfeesincluded: 6% TTC to be paid by the buyer Couture-d’Argenson €550,000 HAI Ref. 115890 - 7 Bedroom Logis in excellent condition with guest house and approximately 12 acres of land. Energy class: D Climate class: E Agency fees included : 6% TTC to be paid by the buyer Sauzé-Vaussais €172,800 HAI Ref. A13649 - Attractive 3 bedroom house with garden. Rural location with lovely views and amenities nearby. Energy class: E Climate class: D Agency fees included : 8% TTC to be paid by the buyer Vanzay €129,670 HAI Ref. A13799 - 3 Bedroom house with barn, outbuilding and gardens. Energy class: F Climate class: C Agency fees to be paid by the seller Saivres €172,800 HAI Ref. A15541 - 3 Bedroom character cottage with beautiful views across the DPE:valley.Not required Agency fees included : 8% TTC to be paid by the buyer Fomperron €142,790 HAI Ref. A13171 - 4/5 Bedroom bungalow in a countryside setting on the outskirts of EnergyFomperron.class:E Climate class: F Agency fees included : 9% TTC to be paid by the buyer Buying or Selling a Property? CONTACT US TODAY EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE We are urgently looking for properties! We have clients ready to buy! EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 55

187,000€.Atthe

The first in Azay sur Thouet (A14302) is a pretty converted stone barn which will charm you at hello with its pretty blue painted shutters and lovely setting. With large living areas

Joanna Leggett is marketing director at Leggett Immobilier –you can view their full portfolio of properties for sale in France at www.leggettfrance.com

As autumn falls where better to be than the pretty, wooded hills of the Gâtine Vendéenne in the central Deux Sèvres around the medieval town of Parthenay (the latter created, according to legend, by a wave of the fairy Melusine’s wand: spoiler alert –no proof!). This pretty town on its rocky outcrop is capital of Gâtine - an area with a completely different flavour to the flatter plains of much of the rest of the département and the south around SpeakingNiort.offlavour,

56 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 beauxvillages.com 08 05 69 23 23 enquiries@beauxvillages.com Siret 501 191 720 00025 APE 6831Z B eaux VillagesIMMOBILIER Buy or sell your French property with us WINNER OF BEST ESTATE AGENCY & WEBSITE FRANCE 2021 - 2022 PLIBOUX €129,600 2 bed/1 bath hamlet cottage near Sauzé-Vaussais with open views. An ideal lock-up-and-leave. Ref: BVI66358 NIORT €826,800 Magnificent country château with established business in beautiful grounds. Lake & views. Ref: BVI62119 L’ABSIE €349,800 Charming longère with 3 gites in a valley setting. Pool, croquet lawn, games field and maze. Ref: BVI25248 BRESSUIRE €293,000 4 bed / 2 bath property with a covered outdoor pool, spacious mature garden and large parking area. Ref: VAA617 LORIGNE €450,000 Amazing 7 bed country property with gîte and pool - a great business oppor tunity in 2 hectares. Ref: BVI65530 SAINT-MAIXENT-L’ÉCOLE €303,200 Character village house with 8 bed rooms, 8 bathrooms, outbuildings, workshop and a pool. Ref: BVI60936 PERS €344,500 A 3 bed farmhouse, 3 separate, 2 bed gîtes, outbuildings and pool set in lovely rural countryside. Ref: BVI57972 ROMANS €1,000,000 9 bed / 7 bath country estate offering a business opportunity - pool, bar area and event space in 1Ha. Ref: BVI26944 COUTURE-D’ARGENSON €92,650 Village property with garden, barn, parking and outbuildings, walking distance to the shops. Ref: BVI64349 We are recruiting Independent Property Consultants across South-West France to join our winning team. Want to know more? Email Tina Anderson, Head of Recruitment tina.anderson@beauxvillages.com Love property and people, and want to be your own boss? ofAssociateInternationalSavills EXCLUSIVE We have some of the best property in SW France

Conclusion: It is a contract we do quite often and the one we have never any problem with! There is no cheating with it, you are either dead or alive!! So, no assessor needed! And no argument from the insurance company for paying! The payment is given very quickly once we have the death certificate, funeral bill and the ID of beneficiary (within 10 days).

Finance

How much can you be insured for: Between 3,000€ and 10,000€ without a health questionnaire. Average cost for funeral in France is around 3,000€ to 4,000€. Cremation and burial are about the same. The lump sum you are insured for follows inflation because 3,000€ today might not be worth the same in 10 years!

ALLIANZ OBSEQUE FUNERAL COVER

How does it work: The lump sum you are insured for is given to the funeral parlour (on presentation of the bill) or to the person who has paid the funeral (on presentation of the bill paid) and what is left is given to the beneficiaries you have named on the policy. You are not covered for the first year for disease or suicide, but you are insured for death by accident straight away. If you die of disease or decide to kill yourself in the first year, the insurance company pays back the amount you have paid in. It is not like a normal insurance whereby if you stop paying your premium you stop being insured. You receive a statement every year showing 3 lines. The first one shows how much you are insured for and it follows inflation. The second line shows how much you are insured for if you stop paying the premium. The last line shows how much is available if you want to shut down the policy completely. That means that if you are still alive after 10 or 15 years, you can afford to stop paying the premium as you will have enough cover already. Or if one of you dies and the survivor of the couple wants to go back to the UK, you can cash in the value of your policy (amount shown on the third line of the yearly statement).

How much does it cost: As an example, a person born in 1947 and insured for 3,000€ would pay around 30€

per month and we offer a 10% discount for couple subscription (so then only 27€ each per month). For 5,000€, it’s around 45€ and 10,000€ it’s 90€ (for couples, 10% less).

orry to be gloomy this month but here is one of our most popular policies; which gives a lump sum to beneficiaries of your choice to help them pay for your funeral. Funnily enough, we all have house insurance in case our house burns down but not all of us have insurance on ourselves when we are pretty sure we are all going to die! So, if you don’t have big savings, this is a must have contract. Unless you don’t like the person who is going to pay for the funeral!

S

And don’t hesitate to contact me for any other information or quote on subject such as Funeral cover, inheritance law, investments, car, house, professional and top up health insurance, etc…

BH Assurances 22 rue Jean Jaures 16700 Ruffec Isabelle Want Tel : 05 45 31 01 61 Mob : 06 17 30 39 11 Email : isabelle.want@bh-assurances.fr Visit our web www.bh-assurances.frsiteNo Orias: 07004255

For free quotes, all I need is your birthdate and the amount you want to be insured for. To do the contract, I need copies of passport, a RIB (French bank details) and the list of beneficiaries (date of birth, place of birth, name, maiden name and first name).

And remember to check out our web site www.bh-assurances.fr/en for all my previous articles and register to receive our monthly Newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook: “Allianz Jacques Boulesteix et Romain Lesterpt”

Business and

Criteria for subscribing: Anybody aged between 50 and 84 years old and who is French resident. No health questionnaire.

The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 57

by Isabelle Want

P

ensions are usually fundamental to your long-term financial security. Here we cover five key issues we frequently receive questions about.

Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes are created to receive monies from UK pensions when the owner resides abroad.

Any amount above this limit is subject to a tax charge of 25% if paid as a pension, or 55% for lump sums. It is not limited to UK residents.

British expatriates in France continue to receive the UK state pension, and it is taxed in France.

Many expatriates transfer UK pensions to QROPS to avoid further lifetime allowance charges. Currency flexibility is another reason, as UK pensions are paid in Sterling. Others decide that, having left the UK, why leave a major asset behind at the mercy of the UK taxman?

This maximum combined amount you can accumulate in UK pensions (excluding state pensions) is currently frozen at £1,073,000 until 2026.

4) QROPS

Rules can change, however. Now the UK is outside the EU/EEA it could easily extend the overseas transfer charge to EU residents; renegotiate the double tax treaty, or remove personal allowances for non-UK residents.

INTERNATIONAL TAX ADVICE • INVESTMENTS • ESTATE PLANNING • PENSIONS Blevins Franks Group is represented in France by the following companies: Blevins Franks Wealth Management Limited (BFWML) and Blevins Franks France SASU (BFF). BFWML is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority, registered number C 92917. Authorised to conduct investment services under the Investment Services Act and authorised to carry out insurance intermediary activities under the Insurance Distribution Act. Where advice is provided outside of Malta via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system differs in some respects from that of Malta. BFWML also provides taxation advice; its tax advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. Blevins Franks France SASU (BFF), is registered with ORIAS, registered number 07 027 475, and authorised as ‘Conseil en Investissements Financiers’ and ‘Courtiers d’Assurance’ Category B (register can be consulted on www.orias.fr). Member of ANACOFI-CIF. BFF’s registered office: 1 rue Pablo Neruda, 33140 Villenave d’Ornon – RCS BX 498 800 465 APE 6622Z. Garantie Financière et Assurance de Responsabilité Civile Professionnelle conformes aux articles L 541-3 du Code Monétaire et Financier and L512-6 and 512-7 du Code des Assurances (assureur MMA). Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority for the administration of retirement schemes. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFWML. Talk to the people who know 05 49 75

Looking for financial advice?

by Catrina Ogilvie, Blevins Franks www.blevinsfranks.com 07

Recently become resident in France?

24 niort@blevinsfranks.com 135-fr

As a France resident, your personal pensions are liable to French income tax (only government service pensions are taxed in UK).

5) The ‘overseas transfer charge’

To qualify for the full UK state pension, you must have paid UK national insurance contributions for 35 years. Otherwise, provided you contributed for 10 years, it is based pro-rata on how many years you secured. You can make voluntary contributions to buy back six years to reach the 10-year minimum.

Today employers often favour ‘defined contribution’ or ‘money purchase’ pensions, where the financial commitment is quantifiable.

Importantly, if you live in the EU and transfer to an EU QROPS, currently it will not be applied. However, if you move outside the EU within five UK tax years it will be applied retrospectively.

Brexit implications

The UK continues to uplift UK state pensions and honour the S1 system for those receiving UK state pensions. France confirmed it recognises the UK is still part of the S1 family and holders benefit from reduced social charges.

Pensions – 5 things you need to know

People who worked for UK companies long term often have company pensions called ‘defined benefits’ or ‘final salary’, where the accrual of benefits is based how many years you worked for the company and your final salary.

The 25% overseas transfer charge was introduced to deter people from moving pensions out of the UK.

2) Personal pensions

The bottom line is that pensions is a complex area, with hidden pitfalls, and one to seek expert advice on.

If you are new to France, you need to understand how the local tax and succession regime affects you and your family, as well as what opportunities are available to improve your situation and protect your wealth. Blevins Franks has been providing effective tax and estate planning solutions to British expatriates for 45 years, along with investment and pensions advice. Our local advisers have a wealth of experience advising expatriates in France. To benefit from their expertise, simply contact your local office to arrange a consultation, and we can help you adjust your financial planning for your new life in France.

Summarised tax information is based upon our understanding of current laws and practices which may change. Individuals should seek personalised advice. Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com

3) The ‘lifetime allowance’

1) UK State Pension

58 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022

Looking for an English speaking business in France? Find one on TAKE A BREAK - SOLUTIONS - PAGES 12 - 14 Toughie Crossword ("Football") BLOSSOM#FASTS A#D#T#U#A#P#T NEEDY#GENTILE D#O#E###T#N#E INNS#STRANDED T###S#U#S#L## SIP#CORGI#ELK ##O#O#I#A###I TAPERING#HEMP O#U#C###C#L#P WELCHED#HOUSE E#A#E#I#A#D#R LURED#PARCELS Easy Crossword: CRECHE#ARCHER #O#H##C##O#G# ATLAS#OPINION #A#T##M##S#I# OTTER#FANTASY #E#A##O##E#T# ##QUADRUPLE## #I#B##T##L#S# INERTIA#EARTH #F#I##B##T#A# CARAMEL#LIMBO #N#N##E##O#L# STUDIO#TINDER Sudoku: 789126435 315479628 642583197 498652371 527314869 136798542 853967214 274831956 961245783 CONNECT FOUR : Q1. (John) Lewis, Morse (Code), Monk, Castle. TV detectives. Q2. Cheese, Berry, Bottle, Print. Can be preceded by "blue". Q3. Neville (Chamberlain), Oliver (Hardy), Ronald (Reagan), Luna(r). Harry Potter Q4.friends.Ox, Pig, Monkey, Tiger. Animals in Chinese Horoscope Advertising in The Deux-Sèvres Monthly is not as expensive as you might think. Up to 15,000 potential customers see the magazine every month. A colour advert this size costs as little as 40€ per month*. Why not find out more by dropping us a line at ... info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr *This price is based on a 12 issue, colour, size B advert (roughly the same size as this advert) paid annually in advance. Other options are available and a range of discounts are also available for multiple month adverts. DÉCHETTERIES Up to date information about opening hours, restrictions, etc for your local déchetterie? Visit the website www.smc79.fr for details For waste disposal outside of the Deux-Sèvres there’s an alternative website www.decheteries.fr The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2022 | 59

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022