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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Welcome! to Issue 25 of
‘The DeuxSèvres Monthly’ magazine.
I do hope you are all enjoying your year so far. We’ve just returned from a lovely break and it’s definitely recharged the batteries for the work that lies ahead. You may have seen in the last issue, that we are expanding into the neighboroughing department of the Vendée. We shall run ‘The Vendée Monthly’ as an independant magazine with articles and information particular to that area. We are aiming to launch this new magazine in May 2013. More information will be printed in future issues of this magazine, on our website and on our Facebook page. I hope you all have a good March....Spring is in the air!
à plus, Sarah.
Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr or Tel: 05 49 70 26 21.
CONTENTS
What’s On.....................................................................................4 Hobbies, Clubs & Associations.....................................................6 Getting Out & About....................................................................7 Take a Break...............................................................................14 A-‐Z of the Communes in the Deux-‐Sèvres.................................15 Health, Beauty & Fitness............................................................16 Our Furry Friends.......................................................................17 The Great Outdoors...................................................................19 French Life, Food & Drink...........................................................22 French Adventures.....................................................................25 Motoring....................................................................................26 Communications........................................................................28 Building & Renovation...............................................................29 Business, Finance & Property.....................................................34 Annual Subscription. If you would like to receive a copy of ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ magazine by post each month, please complete this form and send to La Bartière, 79130 Secondigny. Please enclose a cheque to cover postage for the year. 28€ within France, 18€ to addresses in UK. (Unfortunately the cheaper ‘printed papers’ rate cannot be applied to addresses within France, only when sending abroad) Full Name: Postal Address: Postcode:
Country:
Tel: Email: Please make cheques payable to SARAH BERRY.
Emergency Numbers: 15 SAMU, Medical 17 Gendarmes, Police 18 Pompiers, Fire
112 European emergency 113 Drugs and alcohol
THIS MONTH’S ADVERTISERS
79Renovations..................................................................................................... 33 A La Bonne Vie (Restaurant)................................................................................ 23 Abattage Service (Slaughter House -‐ Poultry)..................................................... 22 Ace Pneus (Tyre Supplier & Fitter)...................................................................... 27 Affordable UK Designs (Kitchens & UPVC D/Glazing)......................................... 2 AKE Petits Travaux (Builder)................................................................................ 32 Alan Pearce (Plumbing & Heating)..................................................................... 30 Andrew Longman (Plumber)............................................................................... 31 An English Nursery in France (Garden Centre).................................................... 21 A.P.S. Automobiles (FORD Garage)...................................................................... 27 ARB French Property............................................................................................ 37 Arbrecadabra.com (Tree surgery)........................................................................ 21 Art & Design Courses........................................................................................... 8 Assurances Maucourt / GAN............................................................................... 37 Blevins Franks Financial Management Ltd.......................................................... 34 British Mobile Mechanic (John Purchase)........................................................... 26 Brits Bitz (British Foods in France)....................................................................... 24 Café Cour du Miracle........................................................................................... 22 Café des Belles Fleurs.......................................................................................... 24 Caniclôture (Hidden fencing)............................................................................... 17 Chris Bassett Construction.................................................................................. 32 Christies (English Book Shop and Tea Room)...................................................... 7 Cottage Services (Garden Maintenance)............................................................ 21 CSB Construction................................................................................................. 32 Currencies Direct (Money Transfers)................................................................... 37 Cut 46 (Hair Salon).............................................................................................. 16 Dave Bowring (Electrician).................................................................................. 31 Dave Rosenberg (Carpenter & Joiner)................................................................ 32 Deluxe Canine Hotel............................................................................................ 17 DJ Jeff (Professional DJ)....................................................................................... 7 D J Maintenance (Handyman)............................................................................ 33 Domaine de l’Enchantoir..................................................................................... 9 Electricien Anglais en France.............................................................................. 31 Energie-‐79........................................................................................................... 31 Equi Libre Immobilier.......................................................................................... 39 Fresco Interiors (Interior Design)......................................................................... 30 George Rayner Computers.................................................................................. 29 Hallmark Electronique (Electricians & Sat. Engineers)........................................ 31 Heather’s Pet Care Services................................................................................ 17 Home Installation (Shaun Grice)......................................................................... 33 Homes In France (Tony Murdoch)....................................................................... 39 Insink Plumbing................................................................................................... 31 James Harris (Plasterer)....................................................................................... 33 Jilly Rosenberg (Mobile Hairdresser)................................................................... 16 John Etherington (Home and Garden)................................................................ 19 John Snee (Groundworks & Septic Tanks)........................................................... 29 John Spray Maçonnerie (Stonemason)............................................................... 33 Julie’s Cleaning Services....................................................................................... 35 L’Étable Gastronomique (Restauarant)............................................................... 23 La Deuxieme Chance (Annie Sloan chalk paint supplier).................................... 30 Leggett Immobilier.............................................................................................. 38 Le Jardin de Marion............................................................................................. 21 Le Tour de Finance............................................................................................... 36 Les Deux Chênes Cattery..................................................................................... 17 Line Dancing (Sue Beale)..................................................................................... 7 Maisons Esprit Nature (Log Houses)................................................................... 19 Man & Van........................................................................................................... 27 Mark Sabestini Renovation & Construction........................................................ 32 MB Plumbing & Building Services....................................................................... 30 Michael Glover (Plasterer, Renderer & Tiler)...................................................... 33 ML Computers..................................................................................................... 29 Mutuelle de Poitiers Assurances......................................................................... 27 Nathan Foster Building Services.......................................................................... 32 Needa Hand Services........................................................................................... 33 Pamela Irving (Massage & Reflexology).............................................................. 16 Pascale Matéo (French Lessons)......................................................................... 11 Pascale Terry French Tuition................................................................................ 11 Philip Irving (Mini Digger hire)............................................................................. 29 Phil Savage (General House Repairs).................................................................. 30 Poitou Property Services..................................................................................... 35 Polar Express (Frozen Foods).............................................................................. 23 Premier Autos (Mechanic).................................................................................. 26 R&A Services........................................................................................................ 32 Red, White & Blue (English Groceries)................................................................ 22 Restaurant des Canards....................................................................................... 24 Ross Hendry (Interface Consulting & Engineering)............................................. 28 Satellite TV (Nigel Gubb)...................................................................................... 29 sarl Down to Earth (Groundwork & Construction)............................................. 30 Siddalls (Financial Advisors)................................................................................. 35 Simon The Tiler.................................................................................................... 33 Spectrum IFA Group (Amanda Johnson)............................................................. 36 Steve Enderby...................................................................................................... 30 Sue Burgess (French Courses & Translation)....................................................... 10 Taylor Electricté................................................................................................... 31 The English Mechanic & Son -‐ Tony Eyre............................................................ 26 Total Renovation Services (Michael Dominey)................................................... 30 Tracey Bowring (Hairdressing & Nails)................................................................ 16 Val Assist (Translation Services)........................................................................... 10 Steve Reid (Building & Renovation)..................................................................... 2 Vendée Houses.................................................................................................... 11 Vendée Pools....................................................................................................... 40 VêVo Boutique..................................................................................................... 24
© Sarah Berry 2013. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission. While care is taken to ensure that articles and features are accurate, Sarah Berry accepts no liability for reader dissatisfaction. The opinions expressed and experiences shared are given by individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the publisher. Please ensure you verify that the company you are dealing with is a registered trading company in France and/or elsewhere. <<The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly>> est édité par Sarah Berry, La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny. Tél: 05 49 70 26 21. Directeur de la publication et rédacteur en chef: Sarah Berry. Crédits photos: Sarah Berry, Clkr et morgeufile.com. Impression: Raynaud Imprimeurs, zone industrielle, BP13, 79160, Coulonges-‐sur-‐l’Autize. Dépôt légal: mars 2013 -‐ Tirage: 4 500 exemplaires. Siret: 515 249 738 00011 ISSN: 2115-‐4848
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
What’s On... March 2013 3rd March -‐ Jazz with Traditional Sunday Roast At Camping le Moulin, Chef Boutonne. See advert on P.24 for details. 4th March -‐ Top Hat Quiz & Curry at Limalonges See www.tophatquizzes.com for more information. 5th March -‐ Seed Swap At Pause! Cafe L'Absie, 10am-‐12pm. Seeds, café, chat, advice. Bring any kind of seeds to trade -‐ Label with plant name plus any special instructions in an envelope. Entry charge is 2 Euros and donation of 50 cents per envelope. For how it works email wendy.whiteavis@googlemail.com 7th March -‐ Top Hat Quiz & Curry at Chef Boutonne See www.tophatquizzes.com for more information. 12th March -‐ Keeping Safe from FIRE Presentation held at the Parthenay Fire Station, in English starting at 3pm. For more information call Julia Salvat on 05 49 64 25 49. 13th March -‐ Top Hat Quiz & Curry at Aigre See www.tophatquizzes.com for more information. 13th March -‐ Book & Coffee Morning At Mauze Thouarsais, in aid of Helianthus Association. See P.13 for more information. 14th March -‐ Top Hat Quiz & Curry at Champniers See www.tophatquizzes.com for more information. 17th March -‐ Seafood Brunch At Domaine de l’Enchantoir, Le Puy Notre Dom at 11am -‐ 3pm. Please see advert on P.9 for more information. 20th March -‐ French Tax Seminar Presented by Blevins Franks at Château de Petit Chêne at 11am. For more details, please see advert on P.34 23rd March -‐ Free Financial Seminar Including tax efficient savings, pensions, investments, tax changes etc. at Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux. 11am -‐ 3pm. 27th March -‐ PC Course #3 PC course #3 will be held at Pause! Café, L’Absie. For more information, or to book, please email: rs.hendry@gmail.com. 28th March -‐ Team Quiz in aid of Nos Amis Les Animaux At le Chaudron, Chantemerle. Maximum 6 people per team. 2,50€ per person entry, starting at 8pm. Fish & Chips available from the bar from 6pm. 29th March -‐ Live Music with A Vee & Andy Em At Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux from 8pm. See advert on P.24 for more details. 30th March -‐ Easter Fayre at Pause! Café, l’Absie. 30th & 31st March -‐ Easter Fashion Weekend with VêVo At Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux 11am -‐ 5pm. See advert P.24
What’s Coming Up...
9th April -‐ Le Tour de Finance, Niort. See article on P.36 for more details. 12th April -‐ Spring Dance in aid of All Saints Vendée At the Salle municipale, St Maurice le Girard, starting at 7,30pm. Call Jenny on 02 51 51 23 62 for tickets. (10€ each).
Easter Services 2013: 24th March -‐ Palm Sunday Jarnac (16) le Rochefoucauld (16) Parthenay (79) Civray (86)
10.30am -‐ Morning Worship 10.30am -‐ Morning Worship 10.30am -‐ Holy Communion 6.00pm -‐ Evening Prayer
31st March -‐ Easter Day Villejésus (16)
10.30am -‐ Holy Communion
Monthly services at the English speaking Church in Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly services can be found at Jassay, Chef Boutonne and Parthenay. For further informakon about locakon of churches and about what else is happening near you, please take a look at our website www.church-‐in-‐france.com or contact us at office.goodshepherd@orange.fr
Monthly services in the English speaking Anglican Church in the Vendée: Puy de Serre All Saints, Vendée holds two services each month, on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at the church of St. Marthe, Puy de Serre, at 11am. After each service, tea and coffee is served in the parish room and everyone is invited to a ‘bring and share’ lunch. Other services are held in the west of the Vendée, in La Chapelle Achard and La Chapelle Palluau. For details of these, please check the website: www.allsaintsvendee.fr A VERY WARM WELCOME awaits you at ESCOVAL (The English Speaking Church of the Valley of the Loire). Communion Services are held on the 3rd Sunday of each month at La Chapelle de la Bonne Dame de Ranton at 11.30am followed by a Bring and Share lunch. Full details of how to find us may be found on our website at: www.escoval.org or please telephone us at: 05 49 66 79 14. Our GPS address is 46˚59'25.30 N 0˚02'06.22 W.
Local Markets • • Tuesdays: • • • Wednesdays: • Thursdays: • • Fridays: • • Saturdays: • • • • Sundays: • • •
Benet (dept.85) Lencloitre (1st Monday in month)(dept.86) Lezay Coulonges-sur-l’Autize Thouars Parthenay Sauzé Vaussais Niort Thouars Melle Chef Boutonne Airvault Niort Coulon St. Maixent l’École Fontenay le Comte Neuville (dept.86)
The National Holidays, Religious and Feast Days 2013
Photo: Lisa Roberts
Mondays:
Monday 1st April.............. Wednesday 1st May.......... Wednesday 8th May......... Thursday 9th May............. Sunday 19th May.............. Monday 20th May............. Sunday 14th July............... Thursday 15th August....... Friday 1st November......... Monday 11th November... Wednesday 25th December.
Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques) Labour Day (Fête du travail) Victory in Europe Day (Fête de la Victoire) Ascension Day (Ascension) Pentacost (Pentecôte) Pentacost (Lundi de Pentecôte) Nakonal Day (Fête Na;onale de France) Assumpkon of Mary (Assomp;on) All Saint’s Day (Toussaint) Armiskce Day (Armistace 1918) Christmas Day (Noël)
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
INCEPTIO is published! by Alison Morton Paperback Jan Books in English
1st Mar: Bar de la Paix, Thouars. 12.00 -‐ 2pm 1st Mar: Le Tipsy Bar, Coulonges-‐sur-‐l’Autize. 4 -‐ 6pm 6th Mar: Café Cour du Miracle, Vouvant. 2.30pm-‐4.30pm 7th Mar: Bar le Palais, St Aubin le Cloud. 2 -‐ 5pm 7th Mar: Bar La Cabane de Vouhé, Vouhé. 6.30 -‐ 8pm* 8th Mar: Jan’s home, La Ferrière-‐en-‐Parthenay. 11am -‐ 4pm 9th Mar: Cafe Le Chauray, St Maixent l’Ecole. 10.00am -‐ 1pm 10th Mar: Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux. 2 -‐ 4pm 14th Mar: Pause! Cafe, L’Absie. 2-‐ 5pm 28th Mar: La Joie de Vivre, Moncoutant. 2pm -‐ 5pm 29th Mar: Le P’tit Bar Boucard, Ménigoute. 4pm -‐ 6pm *+ Quiz & Fish and Chips
For more info contact Jan on: 06 08 30 73 29 or email: paperbackjan@gmail.com
Mr T’s Friterie Plat à Emporter Traditionnel Britannique
With regular venues at:
• • • •
Open 6.30
-8.30pm
* Aulnay (Open from 6pm) • Matha Beauvoir Sur Niort • St Hilaire de Villefranche Gourville • St Jean d’Angély Loulay See www.frying2nite.com for details or call 06 02 22 44 74 * Please note Winter opening hours
Reel Fish & Chips Traditional English style Fish & Chips
Weds 6th March - The Canteen, Etusson Friday 8th March - Bar Tabac, Bouille-Loretz Weds 20th March - The Canteen, Etusson Thurs 21st March - St Martin de Sanzay Friday 22nd March - Bar Tabac, Genneton
18H30 - 21H00 18H30 - 21H00 18H30 - 21H00 18H30 - 21H00 18H30 - 21H00
Tel: 06 04 14 23 94, or visit: www.reelfishandchips.net
Now Under New Management. Venues resuming Wednesday 6th March at St Vincent Sterlanges & Friday 8th March at Thouarsais Bouildroux. For more info please see visit website:
www.lavendeechippy.com
Open 6-8p
Fish 4 Chip Fish, Chips & mushy peas!
So where did it start? An eleven year old fascinated by the mosaics in Ampurias (huge Roman site in Spain), I asked my father, “What would it be like if Roman women were in charge, instead of the men?” Maybe it was the fierce sun boiling my brain that day, maybe it was just a precocious kid asking a smartarse question. But clever man and senior ‘Roman nut’, my father replied, “What do you think it would be like?” Real life intervened (school, uni, career, military, marriage, motherhood, business ownership, move to Deux-‐ Sèvres), but the idea bubbled away in my mind and INCEPTIO slowly took shape. What is an “alternate history thriller” Alternate history is based on the idea of “what if”? What if King Harold had won the Battle of Hastings in 1066? Or if Julius Caesar had taken notice of the warning that assassins wanted to murder him on the Ides of March? Sometimes it could be little things such as in the film Sliding Doors, when the train door shuts and Gwyneth Paltrow’s character splits into two; one rides away on the train, the other is left standing on the platform. The rest of the story or history of a country from that point on develops differently from the one we know. In my book, Roma Nova battled its way from a small colony in the late fourth century somewhere north of Italy into a high tech, financial mini-‐state based on Roman Republican values, but with a twist. It’s really fun working this out! The thriller story then takes place against this background. Stories with Romans are usually about famous emperors, epic battles, depravity, intrigue, wicked empresses and a lot of sandals, tunics and swords. But imagine the Roman theme projected sixteen hundred years further forward into the 21st century. So what’s INCEPTIO about? New York – present day, alternate reality. Karen Brown, angry and frightened after surviving a kidnap attempt, has a harsh choice – being eliminated by government enforcer Jeffery Renschman or fleeing to the mysterious Roma Nova, her dead mother’s homeland in Europe. Founded sixteen centuries ago by Roman exiles and ruled by women, Roma Nova gives Karen safety, a ready-‐made family and a new career. But a shocking discovery about her new lover, the fascinating but arrogant special forces officer Conrad Tellus who rescued her in America, isolates her.
La Vendee Chippy Traditional Fish & Chips in France!
This month my alternate history thriller, INCEPTIO, is published. Hooray! Three years of slog – researching, writing, and polishing – have led to this exciting moment.
m
Mondays: Bar Tilleuls, Champniers (near Civray) Tuesdays: Sauzé-Vaussais (Main square & can be eaten in local bar) Wednesdays: Chef Boutonne (near Chateau) Thursdays: Sauzé-Vaussais (Main square & can be eaten in local bar) Fridays: Mansle (Car park of Simply Supermarket) Tel: 06 37 53 56 20, or visit: www.mobilefishandchipsfrance.com
Renschman reaches into her new home and nearly kills her. Recovering, she is desperate to find out why he is hunting her so viciously. Unable to rely on anybody else, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. But crazy with bitterness at his past failures, Renschman sets a trap for her, knowing she has no choice but to spring it... INCEPTIO is available as both paperback and ebook. I’ll be touring the Deux-‐Sèvres from the end of March, dates and venues here: http://alison-‐morton.com/blog/book-‐signings-‐deux-‐sevres Happy reading!
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Hobbies, Clubs & Associations... Cancer Support in Deux-Sèvres Cancer support aims to improve the lives Of people affected by cancer. Don’t worry alone, pick up the phone. For Further information contact: June Searchfield: Tel: 05 49 64 59 96 or email: junesearchfield@gmail.com We are here for you and your Family
Alone in France? We are a group of people living alone in the L'Absie area who meet regularly for coffee and lunches. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 11am for coffee at the Pause cafe in L'Absie. Our lunches are at different venues each month. There's a warm welcome if you'd like to join us. More details from Frank 05 49 69 80 47.
Franglais Thouars The Thouars ‘Franglais’ group meets every Wednesday from 19.30h to 21.00h, in the Association’s centre at 7 rue Anne Desrays, Thouars, for conversation in English and French. We welcome those of all nationalities who would like to participate. Either come along to see us one evening, or contact us at: Mobile: 06 52 21 92 34 ~ Email: jcbed@orange.fr
Association Meridien Green We are an Anglo-‐French group which was founded in 2001 for mutual understanding of each other's language and culture. We meet twice weekly in the Salle des Associations in St Coutant, 79120. The best way to find out more is to visit our website -‐ www.meridiengreen.asso.fr or contact Maureen Dalby: 05 49 29 94 50. The name of our group comes from the fact that St Coutant is on the Greenwich Meridian!
Le Tallud Boules en bois are offering sessions every Wednesday from 16h to 18h from April through to September 2013 at the parc de Loisirs, Le Tallud. Everyone is welcome to come and play or learn the game of boules en bois. We have all the equipment, just turn up for half an hour or more for a bit of exercise and socialising. Details from Rosemary Williamson rw.williamson@orange.fr
The Harmonics Singing Group. Based in the Salle
d'Annexe behind the mairie in Civray. We meet each Wednesday from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. No experience necessary just a willingness and commitment to learn. We sing all sorts of music and in several languages, whatever the music dictates. We are a small and friendly group who would love to meet you. Contact: Dolly Ait Boualou: 05 45 22 89 32 or sylvia.murray@wanadoo.fr or Margaret Gomersall on 05 49 48 09 02 or margaretgomersall@sfr.fr
Through the Lens Group Local photography group who meets on the last Monday in each month to chat about all things photography! New members welcome. For further information contact: Ian Gawn: 02 51 00 84 52 or Brian Preece: 05 49 72 09 94
Book Club Thouars. Do you enjoy reading a cracking good story? And talking to others about it? Do you live in north 79, south 49 or north 86? Come along to our new book club..... Contact Alison Morton at info@bookclubthouars.fr for more details.
Open Door Lending Library Over 7000 fiction and non-fiction books and DVDs Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10h00 to midday at 18 rue Pierre Pestureau, Civray (86400) Individual membership 6€, family membership 10€ www.opendoor-civray.com
Book Group....meeting 2nd Thursday of the
month from 3pm at Christies Tea Room & Bookshop, Gençay, 86160. Take a look at the Book Group page on the website: www.chezchristies.com for more information. The Filling Station ~ Poitou-Charentes and Vendée The Filling Station is a network of local Christians of all denominations who meet together regularly for spiritual renewal & evangelism purposes. ALL WELCOME. Please see our website for details of spring programmes www.the?illingstation.org.uk or locally contact 05 45 29 58 91 or email jackie.james46@yahoo.com.
2nd Sunday Motorcycle Club www.2ndsundayclub.fr If you would like to attend our coffee mornings please contact us via the website........New members always welcome!
Rubber Bridge:would any of you bridge players out there in the Deux-Sèvres, be interested in making up an occasional 4? Email David Rowe: djfrowe@hotmail.com or' phone 05 49 63 26 57.
Les Amis Solitaires We are a group of people living alone in France. We meet up for coffee mornings from 11am. 1st Tuesday: The Gallery, Civray (coinciding with market day). Every 2nd & 4th Thursday, The Lemon Tree, Sauzé Vaussais. Every 3rd Thursday, Le Bistrot Centrale in Ruffec. More details from Gwen Shepherd 05 49 87 91 79 or email gwanshep@gmail.com A R E Y O U A M O D E L R A I L W A Y ENTHUSIAST? If so, join a group of likeminded modellers who meet on a monthly basis to visit members' layouts and swap information. We are based on the DeuxSevres/Vendee border but also have members in the Vienne and Charente. If you are interested please contact Gerry Riley for more information on 05 49 63 34 01. Secondigny Running Club... Put the bounce back in your step. Join our friendly and supportive running group. All abilities welcome. Email Kelly for more details: kellyencezelle@hotmail.co.uk
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Getting Out & About... STEPPING ONTO THE DANCE FLOOR AGAIN
by Sue Beale
We arrived in France in February 2004 having moved from the New Forest where we both taught Western Dance as our full-‐time profession for twelve years. In the early days we were unique in the UK in that we both taught all aspects of western dance, not only Line Dancing but Couple and Partner as well. Also staging weekend festivals, holding dance workshops with some of the best known choreographers of the day, holding weekend Discos and live band events. From time to time during the year we were also invited to be guest instructors at various venues throughout the country. As time went on more and more classes opened up and it became obvious to us that the business would no longer support us into our old age. So, what to do next? Like many other people we were watching ‘Place in the Sun’ and similar programmes; after a lot of thought we decided on France and both being aged 50 thought “If we’re going to do something, we’d best do it sooner rather than later”. We found our house in May 2003 and it was agreed we would move the following year. Having established ourselves in the area, people started to ask when we were going to start Line Dance Classes. Our reply was always “Yes, later, but at the moment we have too much to do on the house”. Well, now that time has arrived. The work on the house isn’t totally finished, but with an older property – is it ever? We started our total beginner’s lessons late last year at the Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux (79160) on a Friday evening and our class (an equal mix of men and women) have been enjoying the challenge of trying something new. As we are now upstairs in the larger room we are able to accommodate more dancers. So if line dancing appeals to you and you’d like to take on a new ‘challenge’, come along and give it a go. We are there every Friday, however, the bar is closed on the 1 March and therefore there is no class for one week only. It’s fun and keeps the body and mind active; there is no feeling like dancing to music – any dancing. You would be made most welcome and don’t worry if you’ve never danced a step in your life, or think you have two left feet, we can teach you (that’s our challenge!).
For a full list of our advertising rates, please phone 05 49 70 26 21 for an advertising pack or download from our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
Tel: 05 49 06 94 55 Email: ian.sue79@gmail.com
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
presents ‘CALENDAR GIRLS’ by Tim Firth at Secondigny & La Châtaigneraie 2013. Work is progressing well with the Reaction Theatre “Calendar Girls” calendar. Over 20 of our lovely lady members have volunteered to be in the calendar, many locations will be used and lots of props. This is generating a need for a great deal of organization and planning which is being carried out by Sue Blair, the photo shoots are being coordinated by Christine Hester and our lady photographer, Penny Brewer, is working her magic with her cameras. Thanks to our many sponsors, ALL proceeds from the sale of calendars will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Research Foundation in the UK and La Fondation de France: La Recherche contre Leucemie et Lymphome here in France. The Calendar Girls Production Director, Tony Murdoch, tells me that he is delighted that Karen Davies has joined his team as Assistant Director. Karen was a drama teacher in the UK and brings a great deal of experience to the team. The Production team is working hard on completing all set builds, backdrops, furniture and props as well as arranging the lighting and sound effects for early March when rehearsals will become more intense. Members of The Art Scene are working with the production team providing expert advice and design where needed. Tony sends his thanks to all these hard working people, cast and crew, for giving their time so willingly. If you would like to join in the fun, please let me know, we are always looking for new members. We are really looking forwards to presenting a great show to all you theatre goers. Dates, times and places of the performances are as follows:-‐ • Secondigny Le Petit Theatre-‐ 24th and 25th April at 8pm 26th April at 2.30pm • La Chataignerie Theatre -‐ 1st & 2nd May at 8pm Tickets may be booked via email on reaction.tickets@yahoo.fr or by telephone from the end of March from Chris Maloney on 05.49.70.29.86 The Keynote Singers – the group rehearses every Friday afternoon in Secondigny and seems to be growing every week. We are adding new songs to our repertoire ready for any summer shows we are asked to perform. The Art Scene -‐ In addition to learning some of the basic skills of pastel painting and drawing, some of the members have turned their hands to making sunflowers for the Calendar Girls. In March we will be learning the techniques used in acrylic painting from Kathy who is one of our members. If you haven’t yet joined us and are interested in painting of any kind or have an art related problem or question you need answering, please send it to me by email. For any further information, please contact John Blair by email: johnblair@btopenworld.com
Clear Your Clutter For Charity ‘A Great Big Bring & Buy Sale’
La Ferriére-‐en-‐Parthenay 12th May 2013
The response to the ‘Clear Your Clutter for Charity’ article has been very positive, lots of folk think it’s a good idea, and the fact that everyone, especially the charities, benefit, is an interesting concept. On 12th May, La Ferriére will host the biggest vide grenier of the area so there are hundreds and hundreds of folks wandering around the village looking for a bargain, a cuppa or a beer......... we will have them all, and along with the entertainment planned, I feel sure we will not be short of customers. I will be opening up the book barn and selling the books at the cheapest price EVER there are still over 3000 to choose from even after a mass donation to the Hope charity. There is time and space to recruit your charity stall into the festivities if you are still undecided about whether or not to take part. If you want to come along and sell your own clutter rather than just donating your things, you too will be welcome. Anyone worried about being left with donations not wanted, need not do so, all left overs will be taken, or hopefully collected, by Emmaus, yet another charity to benefit from your generosity. All prospective stall holders, charity or private, please contact me on paperbackjan@gmail.com or tel 06 08 30 73 29
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Keeping Antiques Alive...
by Helen Aurelius-‐Haddock
When we imagine famous landmarks like Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, few of us can claim to have crossed their thresholds as tourists. Not so for Mairi Venables. As a conservator of sculpture and objects d’art, she has been fortunate to have worked there, preserving and caring for the nation’s heritage.
On Your Bike! Since settling here in Coulonges-‐sur-‐l’Autize some three and a half years ago, she has not let her gifted hands rest idle for long. Indeed, apart from enjoying La Vie En France as we all do, she has taken up the challenge of restoring pieces for local residents in the area. She is currently working on a Georgian Baroque style mirror, and is painstakingly re-‐gilding it. Not content with that challenge, she is advising people on the delicate matter of safe-‐guarding family heirlooms from the ever invasive damp in older houses and the fluctuating humidity and temperatures that can so easily warp and distort furniture. Central heating can feel like a luxury but it can be a true enemy when older furniture is subjected to its rigours – made in a past era, it was never designed to sit in rooms of such relatively high temperatures. Mairi is keen to offer her advice to those who may have picked up a Rubens or two in a local vide grenier, and she actively encourages people to call her, with no obligation, for advice on its restoration and upkeep. Family heirlooms will be safe under her watchful eye if you decide to engage her talents in restoring it to its former glory. She is developing her website where her full range of services, including arts restoration courses, can be found. However, she is very much “open for business” and would love to hear from anyone who may have a piece they want to restore. Contact Mairi Venables: Tel: 05 49 25 69 72 Email: mairi.venables@orange.fr Website: www.restauration-‐objet-‐art.fr
Classes at ‘Maison pour tous’, L’Absie. 7pm - 8.30pm on Thursdays & Salle de millenaire, rue saint roch, Largeasse. 7pm - 8,30pm on Wednesdays. *Lessons will recommence 7th March*
Contact Rysz for more info: 06 42 35 97 11
Let me tell you ...this incessant rain is not very nice for motorbike riding! Of course there are other meteorological reasons for not riding too. That's why the 2ndSundayClub.fr do 'coffee mornings' instead of rides roughly between October and May. As you may have guessed from the name of our website, we meet on the 2nd Sunday of each month and natter about anything over tea and biccies/coffee and cakes when the weather is awful OR ride from somewhere to somewhere else when the weather is more suitable/comfortable. Based near Montournais (85), we are now 15-‐20 English and French riders with mixed bikes/trikes of mostly mature years, some with mature bikes! Quiet roads and scenery is our aim, so we rarely do more than 70 kph. Comfort and replenishment breaks along the way are quite easily found with relief and/or enjoyment. Our web site www.2ndSundayClub.fr will tell you more and we are always happy to greet new members.
Association Aidez (Terves) Early Summer Fair To be held on Sunday May 26th in the salle des fetes at St Germain-de-Longue-Champs. Time to be decided but probably from 2pm to 6pm. Open for stall holders from 11am. If you are interested to have a stall contact Lin Adams on lin.adams1@gmail.com but hurry as not many places left. Stalls will also be available outside. Donation will be made to the French Red Cross in Parthenay. We look forward to seeing you all there.
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To Know or Not to Know, that is the by Sue Burgess question ? French has two verbs which can be translated by the English verb «to know»: "savoir and connaître". This can be confusing, but in fact there are distinct differences in meaning and usage for the two verbs.
Ignorer is a related verb which means "not to know" in the sense of "to be unaware of." Depending on the context, it can replace either ne pas savoir or ne pas connaître. It does not usually translate the English «to ignore» (to take no notice of). «J'ignore quand il viendra.» (I don't know when he is coming.) «Il ignore Ionesco.» (He's not aware of (doesn't know about) Ionesco.)
Savoir has three possible meanings: to know a fact, to know by heart, to know how to do something (note that the word «how» is not translated by a separate French word in this expression). «Je sais que Paris est la capitale de la France» (I know that Paris is the capital of France), « Je sais mes tables » (I know my tables), « Je sais nager » (I know how to swim).
And lastly here are the answers to last month's little quiz :
In the passé composé past tense, savoir means "to learn" or "to find out". «J'ai su qu'elle était malade» (I found out that she was ill). Connaître has two meanings: to know a person, to be familiar with a person or thing. «Je connais Sally» (I know Sally), «Je connais Thouars» (I know Thouars (because I have been there) ). In the passé composé past tense, connaître means "to meet (for the first time) / become acquainted with": «J'ai connu Marc à La Rochelle.» (I met Marc in La Rochelle).
1. A tall man
un homme grand
2. A disguskng place
un sale endroit
3. The lonely man
l'homme seul
4. The poor (penniless) boy
le garçon pauvre
5. The poor (pikful) boy
le pauvre garçon
6. The blasted / damned object
le sacré objet
7. The sacred object
l'objet sacré
8. The fundamental queskon
la queskon première
The verb connaître is always followed by a direct object (this will be a noun and cannot be anything else). «Je connais bien ton père» (I know your father well) whereas savoir is followed by a verb in the infinitive form or by a word like où, que, qui, pourquoi (where, that, who, why): «Je sais nager» (I know how to swim), «Je sais que deux et deux font quatre» (I know that 2 and 2 make 4). Savoir can also be used alone «Tu sais qu'il arrive à 3 heures? Oui, je sais» (Do you know he is coming at 3 ? Yes, I do). Choosing the right verb is fairly easy most of the time but you do sometimes have to be a little careful. When using «connaître» the French often mean, do you know personally or have you experience of. So if you say «Je connais George Clooney» the French may well assume that you know him personally and not just that you have heard of him. Here is an anecdote I have read somewhere on the web. A young American student was in Paris and met a lovely French woman in a café. He started to speak to her, but she didn't speak any English, and he was speaking in French. He said: "Je viens de Boston. Vous connaissez Boston?" And the woman answered: "Non." Then he said: "Ce n'est pas loin de New-‐York, vous connaissez New-‐York?" And the woman answered: "Non." He was a bit surprised but carried on: "C'est aux Etats-‐Unis, vous connaissez les États-‐Unis?". And she answered "Non." Puzzled, he thought to himself: "Cute, but not so smart...". Of course, she understood he was asking her whether she had been there herself, not whether she knew where it was...
End
So, here are some sentences that should clear things up: J'en ai entendu parler -‐ I've heard of it J'ai entendu parler de lui / d'elle -‐ I've heard about him / her Est-‐ce que tu sais qui c'est -‐ Do you know who it is? Est-‐ce que vous savez où c'est -‐ Do you know where it is? Je sais qui c'est, mais je ne le/la connais pas personnellement -‐ I know who it is, but I don't know him/her personally. • Je sais où c'est, mais je n'y suis jamais allé(e) -‐ I know where it is, but I've never been there myself. • • • • •
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Burns Night Supper
A supper to celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns was held on 2nd February 2013 at the Café des Belles Fleurs in Fenioux. Will Rowe and a group of friends were the organizing committee and the event was attended by around fifty people, of whom all appeared to have a wonderful night of food, drink and entertainment. The evening commenced with a short film about the life and times of Robert Burns. This also showed some of the wonderful landscapes in Scotland and interesting views of Edinburgh and various other towns and villages. The film was followed by the Piper and Escort to the Chef carrying in the Haggis for the traditional whiskey toast and address to the Haggis, which was given by Gavin Anderson. Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the pudding-‐race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o'a grace As lang's my arm. The Selkirk Grace, given by Georges Menzies, was followed by the traditional supper and then music, song and dance. Gavin Anderson (accompanied by his wife Elizabeth with Andy, a string puppet) played the bagpipes, guitar and whistle, as well as singing some well known Scottish songs. Helen and Geoff also entertained us with Scottish and traditional folk songs. The Scottish dancing was probably the highlight of the evening, and to see so many people having so much fun, getting into a muddle and mostly going the wrong way was a sight to behold. It made the organizing efforts so worth while and we are now looking forward to next year’s party. Perhaps we can organize a few Scottish dancing lessons beforehand though! A big thank you to Ken and Trish for the use of their Café and the superb dinner that was served. We all had a great time. Please make a note that we are hoping to organise a St Georges Day event in April, and will let you know the time and the place shortly.
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Fire Safety in the Home
by John Hoyland.
Your "Home Escape Plan" One of the most important things you can do is to plan your escape route. It is much easier to follow a pre-‐prepared plan, like you would at work, than to start planning one at 4 o'clock in the morning when the smoke alarm sounds. Also think about what to do if you can't leave by this route, which room you should escape from? Think about having an ‘escape room’, one that is the best room in the house to survive in, it should have: • a door, • a large enough window to climb out of (and a firefighter to get in through), • be at the front of the house so the firefighters can see you as soon as they arrive, • have grass or earth below the window and if there is a shed or porch below the window to climb down onto, even better. In addition to this advice, consider some of these tips: • Mobile phones: try to keep one handy, so if you do need to escape then you will have some means of communication with you. Also keep a good charge in it. • Try as part of your escape plan to have a list of people you may wish to call upon for help (apart from the Fire Service that is). It may be a near neighbour, relative or friend who can give you support. (save their numbers to your phone!) • Think of a refuge whilst waiting for the Fire Service. As explained previously, it could be 15mins or more before they arrive, and in the middle of a storm or cold winter temperatures, a car or other location will be welcome. • Always keep a good torch or hand-‐lamp in a location on the exit route or somewhere you can grab it on your way out. If you want to go the whole distance, think about a “just in case box”. This is a secure box where items such as those mentioned can be kept together with any important documents (ie, insurance contacts, bank details & even emergency cash!) So all of this adds up to doing what any company has to do for its business & employees. THINK about the risk BEFORE it happens. Finally a word from SDIS79: Being an expat does not mean you cannot become a volunteer pompier! If you are in good health, over 18 years of age, have a basic command of French (enough to get by), no criminal record and are willing to accept training, then why not give it a go? I’m sure you will enjoy it! Some areas are more in need than others, but you can contact Anne Cestor, Volontariat office on 05 49 08 18 49, or check the web site www.SDIS79.fr
News from the Pays de Gâtine! by Julia Salvat If you are looking for work and don't know where to start, here are a few suggestions. The Maison d’Emploi et des Entreprise (MDEE) is situated in Parthenay at 13 blvd Edgar Quinet. It houses several offices, all to do with employment, and last month organized the popular forum for seasonal work. There are monthly exhibitions set up in the hall covering various aspects of employment and details of company activities. Inside the MDEE you will find Pôle Emploi. This is the French job centre and looks after all the administrative procedures with regard to unemployment, as well as the payment of unemployment benefit. It offers ‘self service’ consultations on job offers, interviews to help you find employment and help you to define your objectives and evaluate your skills. In addition, there are various workshops available and having your name down with Pôle Emploi as actively looking for a job allows you to benefit from training courses, including French lessons. There's also La Mission Locale for 16-‐26 year olds which specifically helps young people to look for work and can advise on appropriate work/training courses and help with writing CVs and the accompanying letters. For those unsure of what they want to do you can visit the CIO (Centre d’information et Orientation), the careers advisory service. AIR is an association which can help you find jobs such as cleaning, gardening and driving, or someone to do those jobs for you. Should you need to seek legal advice concerning your contract or working conditions then visit the Inspection du travail. This office is open every second Tuesday morning of the month (9.30am – 12.30) and works on a first come first serve basis. Should you want help with your projects to set up or take over an existing company there is the BGE which is open every Thursday, though it is necessary to make an appointment. Email: bg79@bg-‐ poitou-‐charentes.com Finally, you can use the The Cyber Base which is manned by an expert who can answer your questions. Whatever your needs, a visit to the MDEE is the best starting point if you are looking for work, feel you need some careers advice, are keen to get extra training or want advice on setting up an enterprise. Good luck! www.gatine.org ‘Guide for Newcomers’, Employment.
Julia SALVAT, Pays de Gâtine. Tel: 05 49 64 25 49 ~ Email: julia.salvat@gatine.org Website: www.gatine.org
Contact ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny. Telephone: 05 49 70 26 21 or email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr Page 12
THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY More from local writer Alison Morton... Please see back issues of ‘The DSM’ if you would like to see previous articles.
Selling your book - the ebook version
If you are published traditionally, i.e. represented by an agent and/or with a publishing contract with a mainstream house like Orion, Penguin Random House, Transworld, etc. then marketing and selling your ebook will take place alongside the printed version as I described last month. But it won’t be for very long. If you are published in ebook by one of the new digital-‐only presses, you will get some online marketing and sales support – check this in the contract. If you self-‐publish you are definitely the one who does the work! Whatever your route and initial support, you need to plan your own PR and marketing strategy; your ebook will be up against the 200,000 mainstream titles published in the UK alone each year and nobody knows how many personally published ebooks. There is no magic formula; most of it involves hard work and time, but here are a few basics: • An edited, well-‐formatted ebook with a professional cover is vital. • Upload your ebook to as many platforms as possible; Amazon is the big beast, but don’t neglect the others. If you self-‐publish via S mas hwo rd s ( http :/ / w w w. s mas hwo rd s . co m/ab o u t/ how_to_publish_on_smashwords), they will convert and distribute your book for you to a range of platforms apart from Amazon Kindle. • On Amazon, apply to Author Central to set up an Author Page. It’s really easy to complete and enhances your online profile. • Get anybody you know to post a review on Amazon; potential buyers are more willing to buy books other people like. If you can get an established author or specialist in your field to write one, that will give a tremendous boost. • Look online for book review/book bloggers and approach them for a review or guest spot. Social media If you are publishing in the ‘digiverse’, you must make yourself known there. ‘Building your platform’, i.e. having your website up and running before you publish your book will establish you in the eyes of potential readers. Pre-‐publication, you are aiming to build trust and interest about the subject area of your book. • A website or blog (or both) with background information and, after publication, buying links; you should aim to contribute new content at least weekly on a blog and refresh the website regularly. • A Twitter account, but use it to socialise and build up your personality; only 10% of your tweets should be ‘buy my book!’. • A Facebook page which is an add-‐on to your normal Facebook site. Here you can build up a following by posting content about your writing, books, the background to your book, etc. • Contribute to other blogs: making comments, offering to write articles (posts) on their blog, having other people as guests on yours. • Support other writers and their activities; you won’t lose out by giving and you will gain some good digital friends who will support you in turn. • Be authentic – a phoney can be spotted very quickly – but remember that everything you put on social media is public. So that picture of you falling off a donkey with a glass in your hand may be hilarious, but isn’t one that will enhance your writing image. These are the basics; keep looking online for further tips and hints as trends change. And good luck! Alison Morton writes alternate history thrillers, blogs about wriMng and Romans at hOp://alison-‐morton.com/blog/
YOUR Book Reviews... A huge “Thank You” to Jane Fennell of La Chapelle-‐Thireuil for this month’s book review. ‘Trespass’ by Rose Tremain. I bought this book because it was based in France, though not the Deux-Sèvres. It involves the lives around a farm and the owners, two siblings that cannot get on. Their past holds a morbid secret which nobody knows about. It delves into their past while inter-twining with two females that live close by who are English. The story from the onset led me to jump to many conclusions – all of which were totally wrong. The most amazing and interesting part of the story is the relationship between the two friends, a brother who wants to escape to France from his hectic, once-famous past life in London, his relationship with previous friends and how he comes to be intermingled with the people of the farm that is for sale. Lots of pent up anger and resentment with some jealousy thrown in. A brilliant collection of people with very diverse lifestyles and mood swings. The end will shock as it is nothing like you would expect.
We would love to show more of YOUR Book Reviews. If you would like to share one with us, please send it on an email to: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
BOOK AND COFFEE MORNING 2 Books for 1 Euro! Hundreds of books to choose from... 45 RUE DU BOIS BAUDRON, 79100 MAUZE THOUARSAIS
10.00am to 12.30pm, Wednesday 13th March.
Also in attendance will be Jo from Phoenix Cards and Heather with her gemstone and fashion jewellery. 2012 was a successful year for the Helianthus Association raising 16,423 euros for animals in need. Our book mornings here in Mauze Thouarsais contributed 1100 euros to this sum -‐ a very successful year all round. During the year, the Association rehomed 60 cats and kittens and 9 dogs and 125 cats were tested, spayed or otherwise helped. We are starting our monthly book mornings again in March and look forward to seeing our old friends and hopefully some new ones as well. All will be under cover so come and enjoy a chat, cup of coffee and browse through our many books. We are always happy to take donations of paperbacks, so here is a chance to spring clean and also donate unwanted books to a good cause. Steve and Theresa Tel: 05 49 66 03 73 Helianthuis Association -‐ www.helianthus-‐asso.org
Look forward to seeing you!
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Take a Break... DSM Easy Crossword Across: Down: 8. Garlic mayonnaise. (5) 1. Speakers raised platform. (4) 9. Jealous of another’s advantages. (7) 2. Light brown colour. (6) 10. Walks leisurely. (7) 3. Type of science. (7) 11. River mouth. (5) 4. British Admiral who defeated the 12. Showing a cheerful willingness. (8) French fleet. (6) 13. Material effigy that is worshipped. (4) 5. Avoid. (5) 15. Japenese extinct volcano. (4) 6. Cooked in water. (6) 17. Commissioned soldiers. (8) 7. Physically or mentally attacks. (8) 21. Observed with care, paid close 12. Rule breaker, criminal. (8) attention to. (5) 14. First settler in a new territory. (7) 22. An organised search for a criminal. (7) 16. Sleep disturbance caused by travel. (6) 24. A feeling of joy and pride. (7) 18. Severe shortage of food. 6) 25. Containing nothing. (5) 19. Provides with materials. (6) 20. Own up to. (5) 23. Playthings. (4)
Down: Toughie Crossword 1. Follows from one extremity of chance throw. (5) 2. Rope in a decorator? (7) 3. National symbol encapsulated in a pint of lager? (4) 4. Ride on the back of big cat with wounded lip. (7) 5. Foreign body is also put in the ground. (5) 6. Suddenly changed direction, as in “We grieve ere death”. (6) 8. Particular need for garden project in the south. (4) 12. If one degree over obese, must get to a holy site. (6) 13. Cries of rubbish heard in the sticks! (7) 15. Me, very much behind time, and put into quarantine. 16. Gratuities returned in the seaside bar. (4) 18. Broken heart brings you down to the ground. (5) 20. Stationed, as in bed. (5) 21. More confusion leads to a great place in Wales. (4)
Sudoku Corner... Easy
www.printfreesudokupuzzles.com
Hard
With thanks to M.Morris
Please see website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr for answers
Across: 1. Show charting the best in fizzy drinks? (3,2,3,4) 7. Take off one thousand and one before the gallery. (7) 9. Contract resulting from urgent appeal, (no pressure!). (5) 10. Planner’s items include possible building plot. (4) 11. Greet sir in order when he makes this call. (8) 12. A long way away from a call in the distance? (3,3) 14. Internabonal organisabon on varied diet comes unstuck. (6) 17. Waste sites one is not happy to get down in? (3,5) 19. Instigate a thorough inspection, with teeth? (4) 22. If black, carrier could add to receptive cells. (5) 23. Commonly described as nice clothes, but badly trashed here. (7) 24. At long last, the barrel is empty? (3,6,3)
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A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres A-Z of the Communes of the by Sue Burgess Deux-Sèvres. LA CHAPELLE THIREUIL La Chapelle Thireuil is a commune of 434 inhabitants known as «les Chapellois». There are 26 «lieux dits» or small hamlets on the commune which is situated at between 56 and 153 metres above sea level. The dairy was founded as a cooperative in 1912. The commune is divided by two rivers, the Saumort which flows into the Autize and the Broumisses, a tributary of the river Vendée. Along the Saumort can be found several old water mills which are a witness to the economic activity (linen and flax) of by-‐gone days. La Chapelle Thireuil is mentioned in the documents of the abbey of l’Absie in 1134. The tower of St Etienne Church dates from the XIth century but the rest of the church dates from the end of the XIXth and XXth century. It has recently been restored. Saint Macrine's fountain or spring is situated outside the church at the south-‐west angle of the façade. Its entrance is accessible down some steps. This spring is certainly the reason why a stained glass window representing Saint Macrine was fitted in the church in 1870. The waters of the spring are reputed to heal fever. Guichard d’Appelvoisin, the powerful lord of Bois Chapeleau, obtained the right to fortify the town from Charles VII in 1429. The fortifications were already in ruins in 1627. In 1879, the priest, Bénoni Drochon described the ditches of the fortifications as being visible all round the village from the chapel. The feudal château at Bois Chapeleau (now farm buildings) was first mentioned in 1332 when the land passed from the lordship of Fontenay to the Seigneury of Parthenay. The first known lord was Guillaume d'Appelvoisin in 1382. A VOIR / MUST SEE • The church tower dating from the XIth century (the church itself is much more recent). The wash-‐ house which gets its water from St Macrine Fountain. A wash-‐house existed in the village before 1824. • The goat at the dairy.
La Chapelle Thireuil Chauray
Some parts of the commune are of historical interest : la Maison Dieu, the Croix Hosannière, the bridge of Sunay. The small town of Châtillon dates from about the year 1000. The parish church of Saint Pierre has been restored but still has some remains dating from the times of Charlemagne. At the northern entrance to Parthenay, the Church of la Maison Dieu is the last remaining vestige of a romanesque Augustine priory. Its architecture and its wall paintings date it to the XIIth century. The industrial heritage of the town is represented by the Ayrault brick works and the remains of the carding workshops of the old Rouget mill. Nowadays the valley joins the church to the town hall. The Thouet riverbanks are a pleasant place to walk. A VOIR / MUST SEE • Sunay Bridge • The triomphal cross (La croix hosannière) • Maison Dieu church on the D949
CHAURAY Situated on the outskirts of Niort and with its 5265 Chauraisiens, Chauray is an important economic area for Niort. The big Mendes France shopping area is situated on the commune of Chauray and the MAAF insurance company headquarters can also be found in Chauray. Chauray appears for the first time in 904 in documents of the Abbey of Saint Maixent, under the name of «Vicaria Calriacinse», but the village was probably inhabited well before that date. In the mid XIXth century, approximately two-‐thirds of the population of Chauray were protestants. In 1843, the Catholics were given their church back and the protestants demanded the construction of a temple as their pastor was obliged to preach under a balet (sort of open hangar) which meant that it was often difficult to hold services because of the weather. In 1844 the town council allocated part of the protestant cemetery for the construction of the temple. The commune was poor and so a special tax was levied to help to pay for the building.
CHÂTILLON SUR THOUET Châtillon sur Thouet is a commune of the Deux-‐Sèvres, situated just outside Parthenay. The commune is attached to the Communauté de Communes de Parthenay. There were 2865 inhabitants in 2010 and there are just over 2900 today. The inhabitants of Châtillon sur Thouet are known as les Chatillonnais or Chatillonaises.
The plans were drawn up by a Parisian architect and the building work was done by Bergeron from la Crèche. The temple was finished in October 1854. There was not much money left for the interior so the proposition that the old pulpit from the temple at Niort be fitted in Chauray was accepted. The temple was restored in 1990 and is now a concert and exhibition hall.
According to the latest census, 47.8% of the population are men and 52.2% are women. 22.7% of the Chatillonais are single and married couples represent 62.6% of the population.
A VOIR / MUST SEE
Situated at an altitude of 156 metres, the commune of Châtillon sur Thouet is crossed by the river Thouet, the river Cebron and the river Palais. Châtillon sur Thouet was a small town that was full of craftsmen. Residential areas have been added to make the commune what it is today.
• The temple • The church of Saint Pierre dating from the 12th century
More ‘A-‐Z of the Communes of the Deux-‐Sèvres.’ next month... Page 15
THE DEUX-SÉVRES MONTHLY
Health, Beauty & Fitness... 2013 Spring Beauty Recommendations Samantha says...
This season is all about radiant healthy looking skin. We are talking bronze, luminous and fresh! Here are my three recommendations for Spring Skin 2013:
Samantha recommends Garnier BB cream available in most good supermarkets.
Emma says... Why not Spring into action this March and re-‐ invent yourself ready for the upcoming summer days and lighter evenings. From autumnal shades of chocolates and reds why not add some lighter blondes and coppers to brighten up your look..? This Month has already proved to be the start of preparations for the bridal season with lots of new up-‐dos, with loose braids being in the top 10. These styles can also be turned into an everyday loose, messy style which is quick and easy to do. One of my favorites this year is a fishtail braid which looks fabulous and is simple to create. Charente Hair & Make Up Tel: 05 45 31 56 93 / 06 50 04 37 30 www.charentehairandbridal.com
Advert Size A or B, only 38€ per month or from 33,33€ per month for 12 months.
1. BB cream -‐ This stands for blemish balm. A truly fantastic product -‐ not only do you use it as your daily moisturiser, it also acts as a sunblock, primer and a light foundation. The BB cream is available in many types including anti-‐aging, anti-‐acne, whitening and pore tightening formulas. Just simply apply all over your face for a radiant looking skin and if you have any areas of concern, simply pat concealer over any flaws! 2. Bronzer -‐ When using this product it should never be more than two shades deeper than your natural skin tone. Used in the right way this can create a beautiful sun kissed look. Gently dust over your cheeks, forehead and nose to give that radiant holiday glow. 3. Blusher -‐ Pink blusher is brilliant to create that beautiful bright looking skin. Where you have applied your bronzer onto your cheek bones just sweep a small amount of blusher just on the apples of your cheeks to create a beautiful healthy glow.
For a full list of our advertising rates, please phone 05 49 70 26 21 for an advertising pack or download from our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
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THE DEUX-SÉVRES MONTHLY
Our Furry Friends... CATLOVERS TAKE ACTION
Here's a riddle you won't have found in your Christmas cracker: Q: What has a heart of gold, 86 legs and 50 dorsal fins? A: Linda Budd, resident of the Deux-‐Sèvres -‐ owner of fourteen cats, twelve bantam chickens, fifty fish and a hamster called 'Rhino'! Linda aka 'Weebs' -‐ is the one-‐woman whirlwind behind a fundraising campaign which has featured on the ex-‐pat website AngloInfo and has probably saved countless feral cats from starvation. Her story began after she visited her elderly friends, Carole and Stephen, and noticed the large number of cats and kittens that were around the property. The kind-‐hearted pensioners had 'inherited' a feral cat and two kittens when the neighbours moved. They started feeding the little family. However, the cats bred, and they were now struggling to feed the descendents of the original family -‐ numbering 22 cats and kittens. Carole and Stephen made sacrifices in order to feed the cats, even though they are themselves disabled, such as not putting on their central heating in order to eke out their state pensions. But the prospect of an ever increasing number of feline visitors was despairing. Linda was determined to help and began a campaign publicised on an online discussion forum asking people to donate any surplus cat contraceptives, having got the idea after she had seen a posting from Jacky Rolls aka 'Pantoufle' giving away her medication when her beloved little Dog 'Kia' had died. Then she started receiving donations from cat lovers to help raise enough money to sterilise all the cats. Linda had a wonderful response from kind hearted people all over France, and enough was raised to sterilise four cats. The vet offered to perform the operations at a reduced rate if the cats were brought in in groups. Another three cats went in in December and at the time of writing there are 5 booked in and a further five to go. Linda herself adopted one (to add to the thirteen cats she already owns) and another pair have been re-‐homed after being hand reared. The fundraising continues and has been further boosted with a donation from the Hope Association of 150€ -‐ but there are only sufficient funds left to treat five more cats. Unless enough is raised to operate on all the cats by the spring, the breeding cycle is going to start again and everybody's efforts will have been in vain. Carole is making soft cat toys to sell and Linda has auctioned furniture to add to the fund -‐ but more money is needed. Linda still needs to raise 400 euros for the remaining cats. If you are able to help, please make cheques payable to 'SCP de Veterinaire du Val d'or' and send via Linda Budd, 7 Rue de la Garenne, Douron, 79600 St. Jouin de Marnes. It is amazing to think that Linda actually used to be allergic to cats, but since moving to France eleven years ago her allergies have disappeared. It was meant to be... Follow the story on Anglo Info under 'Left over cat contraceptives..'.
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Phoenix Association MAYDAY MES AMIS Mayday Mes Amis has been formed to help animals in need in l'Absie and the surrounding area. For more information please email: jill.zub@sky.com.
L’Association Galia is a recognized public utility aiding the adoption of dogs in the shelter of Fontenay Le Comte. We help dogs out of impound, found stray or abandoned to find new families. Refuge de l'association Galia Chemin des perchées (ancienne déchetterie), 85200 Fontenay Le Comte Tel : 02 51 52 06 19 or 06 28 18 13 72, association.galia@orange.fr http://association-‐galia.forumactif.com
Registered charity to help abused and abandoned animals in France. www.phoenixasso.com www.facebook.com/PhoenixAssociationFrance Nos Amis Les Animaux 85480 (NALA 85480). Tel: 07 70 31 54 59 ~
Email: nala85480@hotmail.com www.nosamislesanimaux.com
Equine Rescue France
We are always looking for new members and we are in need of donations so we may continue to help equines in France. Please support the ERF.
Please contact Equine Rescue France via their website www.equinerescuefrance.org HOOF (Horse Orientated Open Forum)
HOOF is open to anyone with an equine interest. You do not need to own a horse! We meet about once a month for talks, visits etc. Interested? Contact Jo Rowe on: 05 49 64 22 67 or
email: willjo@live.co.uk.
Horse For Sale Beautiful riding horse and companion. In good health but for sale due to retirement. 500€
6 x Tourterelles / White Doves Free to a Good Home Can deliver 10 miles radius of La Chataigneraie or L’Absie. Tel: 05 49 63 01 18 email: parrish126@aol.com
Family with garden needed for little abandoned kitten...
Contact Monsieur Gerard Connoue on 06 Based, Cerizay 79140
89 21 55 50
Julie and Jim need a new French home. I have had to go back to England to work and I can't take them with me. They are 5 years old, have been neutered, chipped and had a rabies jab. Very clean, quiet and affectionate. They are used to a rural location. If you can help please call on 0044 1223301179 or 0044 7788678973. Email -‐ jewelleryjohn_1@hotmail.com.
Now sterilised, this little female kitten is between 7-‐8 months old and a bundle of energy. She has now learned to play and cannot stop! Currently living in Vernoux-‐en-‐Gatine until a forever home can be found. If you can help, please email: franklin3@aliceadsl.fr
PETER is a kind Labrador / Griffin, male and 5 years old. He makes a very nice pet. Refuge SPA de SAINTES route des GAUTHIERS, 17100 SAINTES Tel: 05 46 93 47 65 ~ www.spa.de.saintes.free.fr/
We must quickly find a family for this super Dog. Our refuge is open every day, even on Sundays. 14h00 to 18h00 Tel: 05 46 93 47 65 or 06 98 38 97 98
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Animal Communicator Here to Meet You and Your Animal Friends A lot of us have a special bond with our animal friends and believe they understand and know us, but wouldn’t it be great if we could know what they have to tell us? To help them through traumas and health issues, or just to make that bond deeper. Renowned Animal Communicator Madeleine with her dogs. and Author, Madeleine Walker, is coming to the Deux-‐Sèvres in June to hold a 2-‐day Animal Communication Workshop and will also be taking bookings for 1-‐2-‐1’s with your animals. The workshop will help you learn how to expand your intuitive abilities, working with healing energy that can be used to help the animals around you. Madeleine’s 1-‐2-‐1 personal readings with your animals give you the opportunity to find out more about their feelings and needs and can help greatly with behavioural and health issues. To read more about about Madeleine and her work, have a look at her website www.madeleine-‐walker.com. For more information or to book a place on the workshop or 1-‐2-‐1 readings, contact Hazel Foster on 05 49 80 12 47 or email hazefoster@hotmail.com
APPEAL Meet Eris, an Anglo-‐cross. She is 3-‐4 months old, vaccinated, chipped and wormed and a real live wire. Her present owner rescued her and her sister from certain death but can only cope with one puppy due to poor health. If you can give Eris a forever home, please contact Charlee on email: mixedupmadam@sfr.fr.
ERIS
A donation will be asked for. Hope Association has lots of dogs and cats looking for adoption/ fo s t e r h o m e s p l e a s e t a ke a l o o k a t o u r w e b s i t e www.hopeassoc.org if you can help.
Contact ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny. Telephone: 05 49 70 26 21 or email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
The Great Outdoors...
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THE DEUX-SÉVRES MONTHLY So far we have been very fortunate not to be affected by a dreadful disease called Schmallenberg. This produces deformed lambs that have extra legs or even two heads. The lambs are generally born dead but it can also cause major problems for the ewe when she tries to deliver a lamb that is not the right shape or in the right position. We know already the difficulties when a ewe tries to deliver a lamb that is not presented in the classic superman pose.
Life on the Farm...
by Peter & Jenny Sebborn.
February is proving to be a busy month with the safe arrival of lots of lovely lambs. Some a little earlier than expected but always a welcome surprise. When Beavis the ram was put in with the ewes back in September we put a ‘raddle’ or harness on him which has a crayon on his chest so we know when the girls have been marked and therefore have been mated. Every 15 days we change the colour on the crayon so we know if the girls have been mated again and we can work out the due date (or that is the plan). Jenny had to return to the UK for a few days and the trip was planned between the due dates of the lambs. Thankfully she made it back in time as Twix lambed two days early. When I collected Jen from the airport it meant leaving the farm and Wallis (the new puppy) for a few hours, which for Wallis meant a few hours of mischief! Somehow she managed to unzip one of the bean bags that the dogs sleep on and distribute its contents all over the floor of the utility room and ate a few for good measure!
The piglets are all doing so well and already have new homes to go to. In March ‘Nom Nom’, a GOS sow, is due to farrow with her first litter. So, all being well, we will have some more piglets for sale in May.
Over the last month she has also managed to chew our computer wire, my wallet (which as usual was empty) and steal a turkey leg that was defrosting on the sink. We love her to bits but she can be a little devil!
And lastly, we were given a ginger beer “plant” or starter culture from some friends recently which we fed each day, and then added the rest of the ingredients to make some delicious home made ginger beer as directed -‐ the only problem was it was rather fizzy and when I went to open a bottle it exploded all over the kitchen!
When we first started raising our own food we didn’t really know where to start or what we wanted. We knew that we wanted to cut our food bill, know where our food came from, what it lived on and that it had a good life and we certainly knew what we didn’t want in our food -‐ antibiotics, added hormones, chemicals, growth promoters, pesticides or meat pumped full of water. We have already experienced increased interest in the meat we have available since the horse meat scare. We sell our meat straight from the abattoir where it is checked and approved by a vet to ensure it is exactly what it should be.
Perhaps we shall stick with the Sloe gin -‐ we are now trying the batch we made last year -‐ very strong but rather nice Hope you are enjoying the drier weather and perhaps it’s the end of the rain and the start of spring... See you next month for more Life on the farm. Peter & Jenny Sebborn. Breeders of pigs, lambs and poultry. La Gauteliere, 79220, Pamplie. Tel: 05 49 28 38 57.
We looked at the cost of quality meat from the supermarket and we could not afford to buy it at those prices. We worked out that we could raise our own for much less and have the benefit of no food miles, no nasties and get the best meat for the best price, so we gave it a go. A lot of people are very apprehensive about taking those first steps to living the good life and producing their own food. We were exactly the same but have no regrets. That is why when someone buys livestock for the first time, we guide and help them as much as we can, every step of the way. For those of you that don’t have the time or the space for raising your own animals, but would still like to be involved in raising your own meat we can offer to raise them on your behalf. Give us a call for more details. We have decided that Cobe (Texies lamb) is one to keep for next years breeding stock. At 5 weeks old she is already a whopping 20 kilos. Her mum is a Texel and her dad is a Suffolk, so between them they have produced an absolutely stunning lamb.
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THE AMATEUR GARDENER
by Vanda Lawrence
As I write this in mid-‐February we are having a rare (so far) sunny day, but the catkins are showing in the hedgerows and we have snowdrops blooming in the garden. It's a start! I expect all you vegetable gardeners will already have started digging over the plot and maybe covering the soil with plastic sheeting to warm it up a bit ready for planting seeds in due course. Your early potatoes can be planted now but main crop don't go in for another month or so. Rows should be 2ft apart for earlies and about 30" apart for main crop. If you've been cutting back trees and shrubs and had a bonfire it's worth digging the ash into the soil or adding it to your compost heap. Ash from untreated wood has a slight liming action on the soil and is useful for vegetable gardens but wood which has been treated with preservatives is to be avoided. Rhododendrons and Azaleas like acid soil so wood ash is no good for them, nor for fruits which also perform best in an acid soil. Ash from a coal fire is no good at all for the soil but is excellent when used as a slug and snail barrier. On the other hand, if you keep chickens slugs and snails will not worry you. Chickens eat many garden pests: slugs, snails, woodlice, leatherjackets, caterpillars, beetles, ants & their eggs. If your chickens don't have the freedom of the whole garden it's still good to let them out to range freely for about an hour before dusk each day -‐ gives them the chance to have a clear up of all these pests. Chicken's droppings make great fertilizer too -‐ just add to your compost heap as an activator. Anyone planning a conifer hedge should be getting down to it now. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana plants are suitable for a hedge 5'-‐6' tall. Space the conifers 2' apart. Keep well watered for the first two years until the roots are well established, then as the hedge grows trim twice a year to keep tidy and under control. Don't forget, if planting on a shared boundary, to plant the conifers 1 metre in from your boundary line to give you access to the back of the hedge for trimming and to avoid encroaching on your neighbour's land. Bulbs and Dahlia tubers are available in the supermarkets and garden centres now so get them planted on a nice sunny afternoon. If the Dahlia foliage is produced before risk of frost is over you can protect them by mulching or with a cloche. Sweet Peas can be sown directly into their flowering positions now ready for a lovely fragrant display and cut flowers for your vase. Cosmos seeds can be sown in pots now. Pinch out the tips after a month and then plant in the garden at the end of April. Stake the plants as they grow tall enough and dead-‐head regularly and you will have flowers until the first frosts. Having mentioned chickens earlier I'll finish with a tale to make you smile -‐ some friends of ours have always kept chickens since they moved to France and each day used to give them the vegetable peelings from the kitchen. One day they were bottling their first attempt at Strawberry Eau de Vie and after they strained the strawberries out of the liquid automatically took it out to the chickens for a treat. Later that day they went outside to find Banjo, their beautiful cockrel and my particular favourite, lying on his back with his legs in the air! Whatever has happened? They then realised that Banjo had had more than his fair share of the strawberries and was drunk! They propped him up on his perch in the chicken run and by next morning he was fine but they never gave the chickens any more of their eau de vie makings!! Keep smiling ..... Above: Banjo
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French Life, Food & Drink... French Village Diaries by Jacqueline Brown. I am passionate about food and since moving to France and starting to grow our own, I have become very concerned with how the food we eat is produced. The recent horse meat scandal has highlighted to me how important it is to buy locally and if possible from the producer.
I have no problem with eating horse meat or any other well reared meat however, if something has been so processed it is difficult to tell what animal it originated from, it is not something I am willing to serve to my family. We are lucky to live in a rural area where food production is an important industry. Many of us moving here have more land than we did in the UK and our gardens often come with fruit trees and vegetable plots and space to add a few chickens or ducks too. For me, it was seeing the seasonal cycles of the food growing in our orchard, the beauty of the blossoms and ripe fruit that made me realise I needed to step up my kitchen skills so I didn’t waste my produce. Also it was seeing the difference between the life of my chickens who spend their days in the orchard, compared to those in huge hangers who never see daylight that stopped me buying cheap chicken overnight. We now eat less meat, but it is better quality. Most villages have farmers and smallholders so even if you don’t grow or raise your own you may not have to go even as far as your local supermarket to find someone who does and is willing to sell to you. Buying locally has many advantages and not just knowing what we are buying and where it has come from. It also means less resources have been used to get the food onto our plates thus reducing the carbon footprint, as well as ensuring live animals haven’t been transported on excessively long journeys to get to abattoirs. The money we spend is also going directly back into the local economy. We have just gone the whole hog – or half of it anyway and ordered a half pig from a friend. At the moment I can see him running around and even pop over and scratch his chin if I wish. I will be there when the butcher arrives so I can decide how thick or thin I want my chops and what size I want him to roll my joints to! I will also mince the cuts that often become sausages so I can make and freeze meatballs. I appreciate we are only a family of three and I don’t have to fit a full-‐time job around looking after the family, but I firmly believe nothing can be as important as the quality of the food we eat. In my opinion, a bit of time and money invested in buying in bulk and making batches of food to be frozen in individual portions has to be better than a ready meal. You can read more from Jacqui and find her favourite recipes at www.frenchvillagediaries.com.
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Why you should always drink on an empty stomach.
by John Sherwin.
As Sartre once said ‘hell is other people’. Other people don’t understand. They don’t feel your pain. Empathy for them is a withered peninsula sundered by tides of cynicism from the continent of their indifference. You got out of bed and stubbed your toe, cut yourself shaving, discovered no milk not to mention no coffee, unfortunate evidence of fosse septique backing up, your dog kills neighbour’s cat. Hail storm. No-‐one cares. But of course nothing is as bad as it seems. Time and the hour have a habit of rattling on and what seemed relentless doom-‐and-‐gloom morphs, as a glorious sunset, into the cocktail hour, or happy hour, or aperitif. These are very different animals. The cocktail hour in the late 40’s to late 50’s in the USA started around noon, had a lull mid-‐ afternoon, and reconvened around five or six. The happy hour is the modern version of this reconvening and is not exactly genteel. In the language of modern warfare, the idea seems to be to make a pre-‐ emptive strike on the parts of the brain which register taste so that whatever food that follows is not a sampling of delights but a simple gut-‐filling, booze-‐sponging exercise. So thank goodness for the aperitif, or, if you’ll allow, ze apéritif. The word itself comes from the Latin aperire, ‘to open’, but is -‐ or should be -‐ much more than an opening event. First and foremost it comes as a buffer between the harshness of the day and what one hopes to be the douceur of the evening: conviviality with friends and family. In this way it ‘opens’ our senses, puts a benign smile on our face, allows a few moments of quiet contemplation even as our dear ones mill around. But perhaps the most important function of the apéritif is to titillate our senses, particularly taste, to make our brain send happy-‐signals to our salivary glands and our stomach. So, an apéritif shouldn’t smother or cloy, it should challenge in the way that the most well-‐ meaning of dear friends can have acerbic edges. Smotherers are pastis, whiskey, any strong grain alcohol. Cloyers are port, sweet cocktails, particularly with creamy elements. Any of the above will destroy your tastebuds for what’s to come. The challengers on the other hand ride to the rescue with the lance of bitterness. The quintessential apéro (we are now on familiar terms) is the dry martini: 2/3 gin, 1/3 French vermouth, with orange bitters and an olive. Note French vermouth, much drier than Italian. The gin and bitters give the edge, the olive a hint of salt. Simpler and lighter would be a gin and tonic, or a brut champagne, or a fino sherry. Campari has always had a mixed press, I think, but with soda and a slice of orange this is easily the equal of the dry martini. Most important, go short and bitter. Next month I promise short and sweet with a look at digestifs.
John Sherwin, French Wine Tours. Tel: 02 51 66 14 85 Email: johnsherwin@orange.fr www.french-wine-tours.com
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Short editorials can be offered to advertisers, free of charge. Please call Sarah to find out more. Tel: 05 49 70 26 21
RESTAURANT REVIEWS... If you have positive restaurant experiences to share, we would love to print them here. Please email to: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr for inclusion into future issues.
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French Adventures...
The Icing On The Cake If you meet Tracy Latchford, you will remember one thing about her – a beaming smile! I have known her for 10 years , and it is rare that you see her without her trademark smile on her face. She moved to her new home outside Argenton-‐les-‐Vallées and her family were the only British in the area. It is hard to imagine now, but she faced the daunting task of setting up home, running a business plus putting her son into school where no English was spoken. Their new home, while not a restoration project, presented a few difficulties in the colder months. Poor insulation, ill-‐fitting doors, a draughty cellar and a grumpy central heating boiler found the Latchfords shivering their way through the cold months of their first winter. Tracy decided that the only way to make a success of her new life was to put her best foot forward, so she soon set about the challenge of integrating into her new life in France. She wrote role plays when going out to speak French – it was up to her to bridge the language gap in any way she could. Her first contacts were through a small drinks evening she organised for her near neighbours and then, treading more difficult ground, speaking to the parents at the school gates. Despite the limited French she spoke, she slowly won over the cautious and curious, making friends wherever she went. Although she has adopted a positive attitude, she admits to the usual frustrations we all experience with French bureaucracy. Husband, Steve, set up as an artisan, which presented many obstacles, but chipping away at the endless paperwork finally paid off. There were low times towards the end of their second year too. Returning from a skiing holiday in the French Alps, they found everything in seasonal “lock down”. The family found it hard to adjust to quiet days, evenings and weekends at home – the meagre offer of entertainment of the summer months literally disappeared and they were left week after week to entertain themselves. They considered a move to the Alps where winter was as vibrant as summer. However, this moment soon passed when Spring came around once more. Tracy decided to join the Association Parents-‐Élèves (APE) at her son’s school and was soon pioneering new ideas to raise funds. The annual Marché de Printemps had little or nothing for children to enjoy, so she suggested a “squash and fairy cakes” stand which was an instant success, along with a treasure hunt game to amuse the youngsters while parents browsed the other stalls. Her coup d’état came in the form of turning the annual dinner-‐dance into a themed night, where Country ‘n Western and 80′s Nights saw her in charge of decorating the hall to the effusive approval of the French parents.
Her role as mother, home maker and collaboratrice for Steve’s business lasted for seven years, at which time she started to trawl around for a new challenge. She could speak French, her home was well on its way to being just the way she wanted it, the business was established and the boys were settled in school. So, what new challenges lay ahead? Her infamous “bake-‐offs” making literally hundreds of fairy cakes, set her mind into action... Nudged on by friends, she did battle for the second time with the local Chambre de Commerce at Bressuire to register as an Auto Entrepreneur. She spent a fruitless fourteen months trying to register her cupcake and baking business with them, all to no avail. Undeterred, she turned to the CCI at Niort, who were more receptive to her creative approach. Once again she triumphed over “the system” and Tasty Treats was launched in September 2012. She sells a stunning array of cupcakes, cookies and larger cakes in Thouars market on Friday mornings. She proudly boasts that the majority of her clients are French and she is building up a steady stream of regular clients. Left: A stand of ‘Tasty Treats’ at Thouars market.
She admits that there is a long way yet to go, and she is researching new avenues to sell her baking goods, which look promising. As to the future – what does it hold for this new baker on the block? “Maybe a Salon de Thé“ she muses. Tracy is constantly reviewing Above: Tracy in her kitchen h e r f a m i l y ’s g o a l s a n d aspirations, and she openly and actively considers every option. Her advice for making a go of life in France? “Learn the language and put yourself out there”. It worked for Tracy and her family, so it can work for you too! Contact Tracy at www.tastytreats.fr
Tracy feels that the high point for the family came five years after moving over – all the people she had painstakingly spoken to had suddenly become closer, and now the family were being entertained in the homes of their new group of good friends. Tracy had her second child Sam in France and has nothing but praise for the French health system – she noted that babies were “born to order during business hours, and not on weekends”, as babies in France are routinely induced if they do not oblige this rule which may not suit all prospective parents! Wri<en by Helen Aurelius-‐Haddock. h<p://haddockinthekitchen.wordpress.com
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Motoring... HAPPY CENTENARY ASTON!
by Helen Tait-‐Wright
Aston Martin. The name is iconic, the cars renowned worldwide, and 2013 is their centenary year. Way back in 1913, when automotive technology was in its infancy, Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin founded “Bamford and Martin Ltd” in London. Martin competed in hillclimbs in modified cars, and following a win at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire, they decided to build their own vehicles and call them “Aston Martin” in its honour. The first car appeared in March 1915, but WW1 prevented further production. Post war, a new car was designed, and although Bamford left the company in 1920, his patronage was taken over by Count Louis Zborowski, another racing driver. Cars were produced to compete in the French Grand Prix in 1922, and went on to set world speed and endurance records at Brooklands. Financial problems plagued the company over the next decade with the business forced to close in 1925 only to be rescued by a group of investors in 1926, forming 'Aston Martin Motors Ltd'. The business was soon on a sound footing, with a competitive range of sports cars and an increasing reputation for engineering and design. This led to the first entry of an Aston Martin at Le Mans in 1928. They went on to win their class there in 1933, and the road car side of the business went from strength to strength. In 1936 they decided to concentrate on road car production, but WW2 halted work. In 1947 English industrialist David Brown bought the business and expanded it. He acquired the Lagonda marque and moved the production to Newport Pagnall in 1954. The end of the 50’s saw the company enjoying success, winning the World Sports car Championship in 1959, and winning acclaim with the DB4 road car. It’s 1963. One of the most iconic Aston’s ever is born; the DB5. Shooting to cult status as James Bond’s car in “Goldfinger”, the car is still revered and instantly recognisable today. The “DB” series cars continued through the 60’s, but by 1972 the firm’s ownership had changed again after further difficulties, and despite modernising the range, introducing the V8 and relaunching the Lagonda marque, the difficulties continued through the 70’s and into the 80‘s.
Photo:emwgradstudent.files.wordpress.com
Under another new owner, Aston Martin was granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment by the Prince of Wales in 1982. The company holds the warrant to this day. They also created an engineering service subsidiary “Tickford” to develop automotive products for other companies. 1987 saw a further ownership development with the Ford Motor Company acquiring a 75% stake and with the introduction of the Virage in 1988, the company moved confidently into the 90’s and returned to the track. The DB name reappeared with the popular DB7, and by 2001, 5000 had been built. The new Millennium saw the arrival of the Vanquish, new headquarters in Gaydon, and the DB9, but in 2006 Ford announced their decision to sell. Luckily for us all, Pro-‐drive Chairman Dave Richards formed a consortium to buy the company, and Aston lives to fight another day! With a strong and ever growing product range, a fabulous Super-‐car in the One-‐77 and the most beautiful cars in the world, we can only hope that Aston are now in good shape to continue for another 100 years! Bon Anniversaire!
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4L TROPHY –
MCS RACING
The 4L Trophy Desert Adventure started from Futuroscope, Poitiers at 12h55 on Thursday 14th February, in the pouring rain after scrutineering, equipment and health checks had taken place on Wednesday. We were given 10 kilos of food for the French Red Cross and also 50 kilos of school equipment for the young Moroccan children. After a long 1600km drive to Gibraltar we arrived at 20h20 on Friday 15th and were given our Road Book... we were the 20th to arrive out of 847 4L’s! We only encountered one mechanical problem, which I was able to talk through with my Dad at 3am Friday morning(!) and we sorted it out very quickly. We met up with the other 600 competitors who had left from St Jean du Luz the same day, and decided to book into a hotel for the night to have a good night’s sleep rather than camping in a field with the others. On Saturday 16th at 13h30 we had a briefing about what lies ahead, then we were divided into 4 groups ready for the ferry crossing. Two groups left Saturday evening and we left with the other groups at 4am Sunday morning. We arrived in Morocco at 8h30 and started the 500km drive to the next destination, at which we arrived at 18h very tired and hungry. The roads are wonderful except for the drivers! We have another early start tomorrow -‐ 6am to drive 280kms through the desert.... Part 2 of this adventure will be written for the next article. Keenan Dominey ~ Email: mcs-‐racing@sfr.fr
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Communications... Protecting Your Information All about Phishing
by Ross Hendry
Recently some 40,000 EDF customers have received a bogus email, the email offers a refund if the recipient clicks on a hyperlink in the email and completes a questionnaire with their banking details. I believe that this scam is also being sent via text message and voice message. The aim of the scammers is simply to learn personal information that will permit them to empty (or at least use) your bank account and perhaps to create a new account and order goods using your name and details. Wikipedia describes Phishing as -‐ "Phishing is the act of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social websites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing emails may contain links to websites that are infected with malware. Phishing is typically carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to deceive users, and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures. A phishing technique was described in detail in 1987, and (according to its creator) the first recorded use of the term "phishing" was made in 1995. The term is a variant of fishing, probably influenced by phreaking, and alludes to "baits" used in hopes that the potential victim will "bite" by clicking a malicious link or opening a malicious attachment, in which case their financial information and passwords may then be stolen." You may read more on phishing here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Phishing. And here for more on the "EDF scam" https:// www.getsafeonline.org/news/watch-‐out-‐for-‐scam-‐edf-‐emails/ How to recognise Phishing Not all the emails in your inbox are necessarily from the organisation that you think sent them, they may look genuine and have a genuine reply email address (not all do, so this is the first place to look when you suspect a scam email) they may also have all of the Logos you would expect to see from the company being used.
They will probably have a message to motivate you to click a link to "their" version of the company's website they are purporting to be, and informing you that if you do not give them certain information then your account will be closed. If you do click the link, check the address very carefully, you will probably find it will not be (in the case of EDF) france.edf.com or bleuciel.edf.com the normal ones you would expect to see but something else for example: urbanark.com.au, clearly nothing to do with EDF! The information they are requesting may be your bank details, your address and/or date of birth even your password for their site. This type of information, if you give it to them, will allow them to access your account at this company's site, from this they may be able to look-‐up your bank details, your address details and other personal information. This may then be used to steal your ID or set-‐up accounts with other companies in your name that they have access to. Examples of the type of language used to get you to click and link and give them further information are : "You have won the lottery", "Please verify your details here", "your account will be closed if you do not respond within 48 hours", "Update your account" or "failure to update your records will result in account suspension. Another tell tale sign is that the email may well contain poor grammar and spelling mistakes. What to do if your suspect you have received a phishing email Generally I contact the customer service department of the organisation they are pretending to be. You may rest assured that you will not be the only one to receive one of these types of email and the company will advise you what (if any) action to take. As with hoax emails I also search using Google to see if anyone else has received a similar email. I use the subject line of the email I suspect followed by scam? or fake? this usually shows me that there are many other people who have received the same email and what to do about it. Please be vigilant and use your common sense; if in doubt do not click any links and contact the company you believe the scam is purporting to be from -‐ BUT not using the contact details in the scam email! If need be look up the contact details afresh using Google or letters you have in your files that you know to be genuine. Ross Hendry is the proprietor of I n t e r f a c e C o n s u l t i n g a n d Engineering, who has over 42 years experience in Communications, Computer Technology and Direct Marketing. (See advert below for more information).
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Contact ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny. Telephone: 05 49 70 26 21 or email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr or see our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
Building & Renovation...
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GO COLOUR Small: only 34€ Page 30
Advert Size A or B, only 38€ per month or from 33,33€ per month for 12 months.
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ARTISANS & TRADESMEN... Do you have any top tips you can share with our readers? We would love to include them in this section! For more details, please see the ‘Written Contributions’ page on our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr Page 31
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Business, Finance & Property... French Tax in 2013
by Bill Blevins, Financial Correspondent, Blevins Franks
e big change this year is in how your investment income is taxed. We are used to paying fixed rates of tax, or having the option of fixed rates, on our bank interest, dividends and share gains, but this has all changed. From January 2013 onwards, all the above income is taxed at the scale rates of income tax. So instead of paying 24% on bank interest, 21% on dividends and 19% on capital gains, your investment income and gains are now taxed at up to 45%. Higher earners will pay more tax this year on your investment income unless you have effective tax planning arrangements in place. French institutions will deduct a 24% and 21% withholding tax from bank interest and dividends respectively, but if your tax bill comes to more than this you will pay the difference with your 2013 tax return. The fixed rate for capital gains tax on share gains in 2012 (tax payable this year) has increased from 19% to 24%. In 2013, share gains will be taxed at the income tax scale rates, with certain exemptions for company owners provided certain conditions are met.
Tax on capital gains made on property sales has also increased for anyone who makes a gain of more than €50,000. The main home remains exempt from tax. From 2013, a surtax is added to the 19% fixed rate. It starts at 2% for gains over €50,000, and rises progressively to 6% for gains over €250,000. When you include social charges, the top rate on property gains is now 40.5%. There are reliefs available for length of ownership for both property and share gains. Blevins Franks local Partner, Brad Warden, is holding seminars to explain the various tax reforms and how they affect you. He will also discuss the extent and limits of your tax liabilities in France. Please see our advert for further details. To reserve your place call Brad on 05 49 75 07 24 or email bradley.warden@blevinsfranks.com.
Take expert advice from a wealth management firm like Blevins Franks on suitable strategies for your specific, personal, circumstances, time horizon and objectives.
In all cases, do not forget you need to pay 15.5% social charges on top of the income tax.
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Inheritance Rules For French Residents One of the most frequently asked questions, about which we are able to offer advice, is how the French inheritance rules affect British residents in France. Once you become a permanent resident of France, you are subject to the French laws of succession (“Code Civil”) for inheritance purposes. This basically means that your worldwide estate will be subject to French inheritance rules and taxes with the exception of real estate property situated outside of France. All residents with children (including those legally adopted) cannot, however, freely dispose of all their assets by way of a French Will. This is because the children have an automatic legal entitlement to inherit a share of their parents’ separate estates. The size of their entitlement will depend on the number of children involved and will vary between 50% and 75% of the deceased parent’s estate. By writing a will in France, the rest of the estate can then be left to the survivor. However, there has been press coverage recently of the new EU Succession Regulation which will come into force in August 2015. The regulation states that an EU national living in another member state will be able to choose between the law of the country of nationality or residency that will determine the distribution of their estate. This will then have to be stated in a Will. For example, British nationals resident in France will be able to stipulate that they wish to use English or Scottish Law, rather than French Law, thereby bypassing France’s strict succession rules. Without an appropriate Will, however, the French inheritance rules will be adhered to. However, the UK opted out of this EU regulation and some anomalies still exist with regard to British nationals resident in France. In particular, the British Government has indicated that under the new EU regulation, property in France will remain subject to French succession law, thereby, defeating one of the major benefits of the legislation for British nationals! So we await clarification on this point.
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Whilst this new regulation will make it possible to choose UK law for the distribution of your estate, it will not apply to French inheritance taxes. For example, whilst it will be possible, in the future, to leave all of your assets to your spouse/partner in the first instance, assets left on second death to children and step-‐children could result in higher taxation with step-‐children facing a punitive 60% French inheritance tax on anything over a minimal allowance of €1,594! Inheritance issues are naturally a major concern for most British residents in France. However, there are techniques available under French law to ensure that your wishes are met and taxation is kept to a minimum, so sound professional advice should always be taken first.
David Hardy is Regional Manager of Siddalls France, Independent Financial Adviser, specialised in tax, inheritance, pension and investment planning for the British community in the Poitou-‐Charentes since 1996. Tel: 05 56 34 71 77 Email: bordeaux.office@siddalls.net ~ www.siddalls.fr
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Ask Amanda.
Is there anywhere that I can find more information on what aspects of Financial Services I should be concentrating on as an expatriate living in France, without incurring a consultation or report/recommendations fee? There are several options open to you:
1. ‘Le Tour de Finance’ this year will be visiting Niort. The event is on Tuesday 9th April from 9.30 till 14.30 and is free. This year’s specialist guest speakers will cover topics such as: • • • • •
Choosing good, regulated Independent Financial Advice in France, Assurance Vie in English QROPS – Pension Transfers out of UK Taxation Better value currency transfers
(See the advert opposite or email me for registration). There will be a chance to chat to the experts whilst enjoying a free light lunch. Or visit www.letourdefinance.com 2. The second option is an informal mini seminar at Café des Belles Fleurs in Fenioux with myself, Sue Cook from Currencies Direct and Tony Mason from Soficas (Health cover in France). This is a Pre ‘Le Tour de Finance’ taster. Saturday 23rd March 11.00 till 15.00 and Trish and Ken will be offering a lunch for 8.50 Euros. Pre-‐booking is required for both seminars (Please email me to secure your place). 3. Thirdly, you can arrange to see me for a free review of your finances by either contacting me ‘Ask Amanda’ on the numbers below, or come and see me at Open Door in Civray last Tuesday morning in the Month or Café de belles Fleurs, Fenioux Thursday mornings.
What is Le Tour de Finance ?
Are you interested in finding out how to make the most of your money in France? Do you have pressing queskons about making internakonal payments, pensions, tax, wealth or the healthcare system? Why not take the kme and come to a local event, bring some friends and make it a great day out? Le Tour de Finance is the financial forum for Briksh expats which will help you with a range of different financial products and services. Just as Le Tour de France takes a route throughout the regions of France, so too does Le Tour de Finance. We want to reach expats where you live so that you can seek advice parkcular to your local area. Tax advice, pensions, mortgages, healthcare, schools, business advice and making the most of your assets are just some of the subjects that expats need to know more about. Le Tour de Finance is the ideal opportunity to find answers to the most pressing queskons facing Briksh people living in France. The forum will bring together key players who assist Briksh expats se‰ling or already living in France. It will also be an ideal opportunity to socialise by enjoying a free Buffet lunch and meekng people in similar circumstances in your neighbourhood. If you have any quesMons in the meanMme you can contact Sue Cook on 05 55 03 66 69 or 06 89 99 28 89 or by email: sue.c@currenciesdirect.com.
Amanda Johnson, The Spectrum IFA Group. Tel: 05 49 98 97 46 Email: amanda.johnson@spectrum-‐ifa.com or “Ask Amanda” at finance@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
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Advertise your Private House Sale From 10€ per month Please send details by email for inclusion into the next issue.
Tel: 05 49 70 26 21
www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
Worried about Your Insurance?
Are you a native English speaker having difficulties understanding how you are insured or what you need to be insured for? This is where GAN Assurances can help you. Understanding insurance problems is a hard enough process as it is, but throw a language barrier into the mix and the process becomes a lot more challenging. Whether you have business interests in France, or are considering moving overseas, or perhaps you already have a property in the cultural capital of the world, knowing what insurance is right for you is made substantially easier through the multi-‐lingual GAN Assurances.
insurance concern. “My role is to accompany and advise my compatriots who represent a large proportion of the community here and around France, to the right cover for them, whether it’s for buildings and contents, health, car, family protection or business insurance”. GAN Assurances are offering a 20€ discount for new clients on each new contract when presenting this article, contact them today! For more information call 05 49 94 04 88 and ask for Imogen.
Covering a wide range of insurances, the team consists of three expert advisors, as well as Insurance agent Damien Maucourt and Cheshire-‐born Imogen Gill. Having relocated to France in 2005, Imogen joined the growing team at GAN Assurances just over a year ago. “I’m very happy in my position here at GAN where I’m able to use my two languages to help breakdown the communication barrier, providing clarity for non-‐French speaking clients who encounter problems when dealing with technical matters.” says Imogen. Imogen breaks down any problems, putting clients’ minds at ease by providing as much useful information as possible – whatever the
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Hi Tec reaches the Deux-Sèvres
by Trevor Leggett, Chief Executive
One of the (very few) silver linings to be gleaned from the interminable rainfall that has beset the Deux-‐Sèvres recently is that we have had time to stay indoors and do a bit of market research. Here at Leggett Immobilier we have access to vast amounts of information. How many people are looking at our website (around 1.2m last year), where they come from (198 different countries around the world), which areas they find most attractive and where they eventually view and buy. However, we don’t just rely on our own figures and we like to keep abreast of the research issued by three other parties. Firstly we look at what the French property portal ‘Se Loger’ has to say, we also keep an eye on the FNAIM (the National Federation of Estate Agents) as they too have a national overview and a respected research team. The analysis we use the most though is that provided by the Notaires de France. You can visit their website at www.notaires.fr and for a long time they have issued a price indices which you can find at www.immoprix.com. The price indices is excellent for comparing different areas. As an example they give the following average prices for our region & department as: Poitou-‐Charentes : €145,000 & Deux-‐Sèvres : €120,000 However, they break it down further within our department and give us: • Parthenay & surroundings : €89,000 • Bressuire & surroundings : €100,000 • Niort & surroundings : €130,500
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You can see from these that you pay a premium price for property around Niort which is perhaps understandable given the employment opportunities. It also highlights some of the value to be had elsewhere within the department – take a look at some of the rural towns further north around Parthenay & Bressuire and the prices come right down. Just take a look at some of our listings on www.frenchestateagents.com and you will see that these figures translate into some real bargains and excellent value for money. We would suggest that you take these statistics with a slight pinch of salt as sometimes low transaction numbers can lead to anomalies but they are certainly helpful in giving a rough guide and identifying trends. We also really like the new “app” that the Notaires have designed for ipads, iphones and android devices. You can download it directly from Itunes or Google Play and they have a link on their website. The app has a neat ‘heat map’ of France showing the prime areas and allows you to access departmental figures. It also has a geo-‐ localisation ability so that it can identify where you are from your GPS position. If you are thinking of buying or selling in the Deux-‐Sèvres this year then it would definitely be worthwhile taking a look at the Notaires website as well as keeping a close eye on our property listings. In this way you should be able to get a decent feel for prices and value. Of course you should also get in touch with your local Leggett agent who will be more than happy to share their knowledge and experience too. Leggett Immobilier is one of the leading estate agents in France. You can access all their local property listings and articles at www.frenchestateagents.com/poitou-‐charentes-‐property.
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