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Welcome! to Issue 56 of
‘The Deux-Sèvres Monthly’ magazine.
Hi everyone, I hope you’ve been enjoying the Rugby World Cup that was featured in last month’s magazine; I think Rob’s watched every game so far and logged the scores! This month we have another packed issue of articles, information and adverts, and even though the days are getting cooler, there are a lot of events going on to keep you occupied if rugby’s not your thing. I’m looking forward to the Pomm’Expo in our village of Secondigny followed by its huge vide grenier on the final day. Plus if you like the great outdoors, you must join us for some mushroom foraging with local enthusiast Monsieur de Baulny as highlighted in the centre page feature. Please check out the adverts on each page, there are many new ones in addition to our regulars and we send our thanks to them for their support. I hope you all have a great month and please say “Hello” if you see me out and about... Tel: 05 49 70 26 21 Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr Website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
à plus, Sarah
Emergency Numbers: 15 SAMU (Medical Advice) 17 Gendarmes (Police) 18 Pompiers (Fire Service)
112 €pean Emergency 113 Drugs and Alcohol
Contents What’s On 4 Getting Out & About 6 French Life 11 Hobbies 12 Clubs & Associations 16 Our Furry Friends 18 Health, Beauty & Fitness 20 Communications 22 Take a Break 24 Foraging for Fungi 25 Home & Garden 28 Food & Drink 32 Motoring 36 A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres 38 Building & Renovation 39 Business & Finance 45 Property 48
This Month’s Advertisers
79 Renovations ABORDimmo Accents Association (English Language Skills for Children) Ace Pneus (Tyre supplier & Fitter) Affordable UK Designs (Kitchens & UPVC Double Glazing) AKE Petit Travaux (Builder) Alan Pearce Plumber Allez Français Amanda Johnson - The Spectrum IFA Group Andrew Longman (Plumbing & Heating) ARB French Property Arbrecadabra Tree Surgery
43 50 10 37 2 44 43 51 46 42 51 30
Arbres et Abeilles 30 Argo Carpentry 42 Assurances Maucourt (GAN) 29 Atelier Toledo (Rug and Carpet Cleaning) 28 BH Assurances / Allianz - Isabelle Want 45 Bill McEvoy (Plumber / Heating Engineer) 42 Blevins Franks Financial Management 47 Building & Renovation Services 42 Café Bonbon 34 Camping Les Prairies du Lac 50 Caniclôture Hidden Fences 18 Château du Pont Jarno Pépinière 30 Cherry Picker Hire 40 Chris Bassett Construction 44 Chris Parsons (Heating/Electrical/Plumbing) 42 Christies (English Book Shop & Tea Room) 6 CJ Electricité 39 Claudie Harpin - Agent Commerciale 51 Clean Sweep Chimney Services 39 Currencies Direct - Sue Cook 46 Cut 46 Hair Salon 20 CYM Cards 9 Darren Lawrence (Renovations etc) 40 David Cropper (Stump Grinding & Jungle Busting) 30 David Watkins Chimney Sweep 39 Deano’s Bar & Grill 33 Deb Challacombe (Online counsellor) 20 Down to Earth Pool Design 50 Duncan White - Agent Commerciale 48 Ecopower Europe (Solar Power) 39 English Paints 43 Farrier, Julian Dor-Vincent 18 Franglais Deliveries 37 Frenchic Furniture Paints 28 Ginger’s Kitchen 34 Hallmark Electronique 39 Inter Décor (Tiles & Bathrooms) 40 Irving Location - Digger Hire 41 Irving Location - Septic Tank Installation & Groundworks 41 James Moon Construction 41 Jb Plumbing 42 Jean David Art 13 Jeff’s Metalwork 40 John Purchase - Mobile Mechanic 37 John Snee Groundworks 41 Julia Hunt - Agent Commerciale 48 Keith Banks Pool Services 50 Kelly’s Cleans 28 La Deuxième Chance (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint supplier) 28 Leggett Immobilier 48 & 49 L’Emporium Shop, L’Absie 9 Mark Sabestini Renovation & Construction 44 Michael Glover (Plasterer, Renderer, Tiler) 43 ML Computers 23 Motor Parts Charente 37 M. Page Landscaping 29 Mr Piano Man 13 MSS Construction 43 Mutuelles de Poitiers Assurances 29 Needa Hand Services 30 Over-Winter Your Vehicle 37 Pamela Irving (Massage & Reflexology) 20 Paul Woods - Agent Commerciale 50 Plan 170 (Professional Scale Drawings) 43 Polar Express 34 Premier Autos 37 Projet Piscine (Swimming Pool solutions) 50 Restaurant des Canards 33 Rob Berry Plastering Services 43 Robert Lupton Electrician 39 Ross Hendry (Interface Consulting & Engineering) 22 Sarah Berry Online (Websites & Graphics) 23 Sarl Down to Earth Construction (Groundworks and Micro Station Installer) 41 Satellite TV 23 Simon the Tiler 40 Simply Homes & Gardens 29 Steve Coupland (Property Services) 42 Steve Robin (Plumber) 42 Sue Burgess (French Classes & Translation) 10 TheatriVasles 9 The English Mechanic & Son - Tony Eyre 37 The Perfect Pig Company 33 Val Assist (Translation Services) 10 Victoria Bassey Jewellery 21
© Sarah Berry 2015. 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, 3 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, Shutterstock, GraphicStock et morgeufile.com. Impression: Graficas Piquer SL, 29 Al Mediterraneo, Pol. Ind. San Rafael, 04230, Huércal de Almeria, Espagne. Dépôt légal: octobre 2015 - Tirage: 5000 exemplaires. Siret: 515 249 738 00011 ISSN: 2115-4848
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 3
What’s On...
4th October - Fête des Plantes, Faymoreau www.jardipartage.fr/agenda/faymoreau-85-fete-des-plantes/ 8th October - The Spectrum IFA Group Seminar in Vouvant See P.46 for details. 10th October - Theatre & Supper in Loulay (17)
Encore Theatre Company present two short plays (Dinner for One and Fallen Angels), and a supper. Dress in the fashion of the 30s and bring your own alcohol, cutlery and crockery. 15€ per person. 7.30pm at the Salle de Fête in Loulay. Book by phone 05 46 33 60 23.
10th October - Official Opening of Churchill Walk in Parthenay At 10.30am. See P.6 for more information. 10th-18th October - Pomm’ Expo in Secondigny See P.11 and www.pommexpo.fr for more information. 10th October - Special Fundraising Open Day in Bois de Messé At La Deuxième Chance, 10am-5.30pm. See information on P.7. 11th October - Fête des Plantes La Haye-Fouassière 16-18th October - TheatriVasles 10 minute play festival Please see article and advert on P.8&9. 16-18th October - Hope Association 3-Day Booksale See P.19 for details. 17th October - Discover the Flavours of Thouarsais At Place Lauvault, Thouars. 10am until 7pm. See P.7 for details. 17th October – All Saints Vendée Autumn Fayre See P.7 for details. 17th October - Meet the AVF Group in Parthenay See P.7 for details. 17th & 18th October - Fête des Plantes, Prissé la Charriere At Domaine de Péré. Over 100 stands selling plants and everything for the garden. Plus jewellery, paintings and a large selection of other crafts. See www.fetedesplantespere.fr/flash/index.html 22nd & 23rd October – Blevins Franks Pension Reforms Seminars See P.46. 22-25th October - Irish Fête at Melle See P.6 for details. 23rd October - The Spectrum IFA Group Seminar in Bressuire See P.46 for details. 24th October - Grumpy’s Fun Quiz at Ste. Gemme Email roland.scott@wanadoo.fr for more details 25th October - Sunday Lunch in Maisontiers By Ginger’s Kitchen at the Salle de Fête. Four courses including aperitif, wine & coffee 12,50€. 27th October-1st November – Festival de Menigoute (Bird/Film festival) See www.menigoute-festival.org 30th October - Grand Opening of L’Emporium, L’Absie See P.9 for more details. 30th October - Halloween Fancy Dress Party Quiz At Restaurant des Canards, Chef Boutonne from 7pm. See P.33. 31st October - Halloween night in La Chapelle aux Lys At Café Bonbon, 2 courses + wine, fancy dress comp. & games! See P.34 for more details.
What’s Coming Up...
1st November - Halloween Canards Live Jazz With Sunday Roast at Restaurant des Canards, Chef Boutonne. 5th November - Fawkes Fair at Café Bonbon
4pm-8pm, Jacket spuds & treacle toffee, stalls & Guy Fawkes competition
5th November - Inheritance & Taxation Advice Seminar In L’aiguillon Sur Vie (85). See P.49. 6th November - Inheritance & Taxation Advice Seminars In Chemillois (49) and Saint-Loup-Lamairé, see P.49 8th November - Act of Remembrance at Puy de Serre At 10.45am (the day on which the Cenotaph Parade takes place in London). 11th November - Act of Remembrance at Angles At 2.30pm - at the crash site of a Halifax bomber which occurred in 1941. 11th November - The Spectrum IFA Group Seminar in Avrillé 15th November - AmnesTEA and Exhibition of Patchwork In Taizé Aizie. See details on P.6. 28th November - Tropical Night at Café Bonbon See advert on P.34 for details.
The National Holidays, Religious and Feast Days 2015 Sunday 4th October Grandfather’s Day (Fête des Grand-pères) Sunday 1st November All Saint’s Day (Toussaint) Wednesday 11th November Armistice Day (Armistice) Friday 25th December Christmas Day (Noël)
Dates in blue are celebration days, not public holidays
4 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
October 2015 The Chaplaincy of Christ the Good Shepherd, Poitou-Charentes, hold English speaking monthly services. 1st Sunday at 10.30am: At St Leger, near Melle. Followed by tea & coffee. • 2nd Sunday at 11.00am: the home of Ann White, Jassay • 4th Sunday at 10.30am: the Presbytery Rooms, rue de la Citadelle, Parthenay (opposite St Croix Church). Followed by tea & coffee, and a ‘bring and share’ lunch. A warm welcome awaits everyone for a time of worship and fellowship. For further information please take a look at our website www.church-in-france.com or contact us by email: offfice.goodshepherd@orange.fr •
The Filling Station ~ Poitou-Charentes The Filling Station is a network of local Christians of all denominations who meet together regularly for spiritual renewal and evangelism purposes. ALL WELCOME. Please see our bilingual website for details of meetings and summer programmes www.thefillingstationfrance.com or contact Mike & Eva Willis on 05 17 34 11 50 or 07 82 22 31 15 ALL SAINTS, VENDÉE - Puy de Serre We hold 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. For details of all our activities, our Services in the west of the Vendée, copies of recent newsletters and more information, please check our website: www.allsaintsvendee.fr The Rendez-Vous Christian Fellowship welcome you to any of our meetings held throughout the month in the Deux-Sèvres and the Vendée. 1st & 3rd Sunday at 11am in The Barn near St Germain de Princay, Vendée and 2nd & 4th Sunday at 11am in two locations: one near Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres and the other near Bournezeau, Vendée. Meetings last about an hour and are followed by a time of fellowship & refreshments. Find out more by contacting Chris & Julie Taylor 09 60 49 78 50 or Des & Elizabeth Vine 05 49 74 18 27 or visit: www.therendezvous.fr The English Speaking Church of the Valley of the Loire (ESCOVAL) Meet at the R.C. Church in Arçay every 3rd Sunday at 11.00am. We welcome and embrace all Christians from all denominations and warmly invite you to join us. Following the service, coffee is served, and for those who wish to stay a little longer, we enjoy a light, bring and share lunch. Please see our website for details www.escoval.org
LOCAL MARKETS Mondays......... Tuesdays.........
Wednesdays.... Thursdays........
Friday............... Saturdays........
Sundays............
Benet 85490 Lencloître (1st Monday in month) 86140 Lezay 79120 Coulonges-sur-l’Autize 79160 Thouars 79100 - and - Bressuire 79300 Parthenay 79200 Celles-sur-Belle 79370 Sauzé-Vaussais 79190 Niort 79000 La Mothe St Héray 79800 Thouars 79100 - and - Melle 79500 Bressuire 79300 - and - Champdeniers 79220 Chef-Boutonne 79110 Airvault 79600 - and - Niort 79000 Saint Maixent-l’École 79400 Fontenay-le-Comte 85200 Coulon 79510 - and - Neuville-de-Poitou 86170
SHARE YOUR EV ENTS ! Entries into the What’s On listing (P.4) are FREE! (Businesses pay 10€ unless already advertising)
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Email all event details to:
events@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr Open 6 - 8pm
Books in English
Fish 4 Chip + Authentic Indian meals
Find us at these venues during OCTOBER: 1st 14h00-16h00 79450 St Aubin le Cloud, Bar Le Palais 6th 13h00-17h00 79240 L’Absie, 64 rue de la Republique 8th 14h00-17h00 79240 L’Absie, Pause Café Traders’ Day 10th 10h00-12h00 79400 St Maixent L’Ecole, Bar Le Chauray 13th 13h00-17h00 79240 L’Absie, 64 rue de la Republique 14th 15h00-17h00 79600 St Jouin de Marnes, Au Bec à Vin 15th 14h30-16h30 85120 Vouvant, Café Cour du Miracle 20th 13h00-17h00 79240 L’Absie, 64 rue de la Republique 27th 13h00-17h00 79240 L’Absie, 64 rue de la Republique 28th 14h30–16h30 85390 Mouilleron en Pareds, Le Clemenceau 29th 16h00-18h00 79350 Clessé, Le Relais des 2 Moulins For more info contact Cindy on: 06 31 45 85 12 or by email: paperbackjan@gmail.com
Top Hat Quiz & Curry
From 7pm
Mondays: Tuesdays: Wednesdays: Thursdays: Fridays:
Bar Tilleuls, Champniers (near Civray) Sauzé-Vaussais (Main square) Chef Boutonne (near Chateau) Sauzé-Vaussais - Evening (Main square) Mansle (car park of Simply Supermarket)
Tel: 06 37 53 56 20 - www.mobilefishandchipsfrance.com
Mr T’s Friterie
With regular venues at: • • •
Aulnay 17470 (from 6pm) • Beauvais-sur-Matha 17490 • Gourville 16170
Open 6.30-9pm
St Hilaire de Villefranche 17770
St Jean d’Angély 17400
See www.frying4u2nite.com for details or call 06 02 22 44 74
Dates & Venues for October: 5th: Limalonges 7th: Aigre 8th: Champniers 12th: Theil Rabier 15th: Chef Boutonne Tel: 05 45 71 70 91 - more info at www.tophatquizzes.com
Open 6-8.30pm
Reel Fish & Chips
Open 6.30-9pm
October
(See our website for venue details)
7th & 21st - Etusson 22nd - St Martin de Sanzay 8th - La Coudre 23rd - La Chapelle Thireuil 9th - Bouillé-Loretz 25th - Golf Club Bressuire 11th - Coulonges Thouarsais Tel: 06 04 14 23 94 - www.reelfishandchips.net
La Vendée Chippy
Weds: Bar ‘Auberge le St Vincent’, 85110 St Vincent Sterlanges Thurs: Bar ‘La Coussotte’, 85570 St Martin des Fontaines Fri: Bar ‘Le Clemenceau’, 85390 Mouilleron-en-Pareds Sat: 1st Saturday of the month, Bar ‘Le Marmiton’, 85120 Antigny
Sat 17 Oct - Salle des Fete, Chapelle Palluau from 12noon-2pm Tel: 02 44 39 16 73 - www.lavendeechippy.com
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The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 5
Getting Out & About
THE CHURCHILL WALK
by Sarah Gearing
You may remember reading articles by Julia Salvat and John Blair. In order to commemorate 50 years since the death of Sir Winston Churchill in January of this year. Well, the Churchill Walk is being officially opened in Parthenay on Saturday the 10th of October at 10.30am. The path beside the river Thouet is accessible for the disabled, as are the picnic areas. The path is between the museum and the viaduct, starting just below the Place de la Nation at the tunnel under Avenue Wilson/Avenue de la Morinière, going east towards the viaduct (Chatillon sur Thouet). Parthenay has strong historical links with Great Britain, which is why Mr Argenton, the Maire of Parthenay, would like to honour this occasion.
AmnesTEA and Exhibition of Patchwork On Sunday 15th November Assocation ‘Poitou Patch’ and craft group ‘WhiTchcraft’ are holding an AmnesTEA tea party and exhibition of patchwork and other crafts in aid of Amnesty International. Amnesty International campaigns for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. They are independant of any political ideology, economic interest or religion and support prisoners of conscience where ever they are held. Poitou Patch is an association based in Taizé Aizie in the Charente. The group meets every month to work together on individual patchwork projects. WhiTchcraft meets every week for a variety of craft based activities; patchwork, sewing, knitting, drawing, painting and eating cake!
The official plaque will be unveiled, followed by the ‘verre d’amitié ’ offered by the town and there will be teas and cakes (very English). The choir will be there and English Associations have been invited to promote their clubs. If you are part of an association, please come along with any information that you have about your group – you may find new members, both French and English. Don’t let the weather put you off – there will be marquees, just in case….
The exhibition and teas will be held in the Salle des Fêtes in Taizé Aizie from 10am to 5pm. There will be tea, coffee and of course, cake and a tombola and sale of hand-made cards. Entrance is free, we will be asking visitors to make a donation to Amnesty International in exchange for their visit and tea. We hope that lots of you will visit this first exhibition by the groups and that we will be able to raise a good sum of money to support the excellent work of Amnesty International.
There will be an annual event every June, so please come along and support the official opening.
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We post regular updates, things to do and promote special offers on our page, so why not pop over and say “Hello”! www.facebook.com/thedeuxsevresmonthly
6 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
All Saints Vendeé Autumn Fayre An opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts from the wide variety of stalls at the Fayre which is to be held at the
Salle des Fete, Chapelle Palluau on Saturday 17th October 10am - 4pm.
Stalls will include jewellery and glass; crafts; flower arrangements; cakes and many others. Refreshments will be available and the Fish and Chip van will be in attendance.
Aid - with LOVE
AVF, ‘Accueil Villes Françaises’,
by Sue Newell
There have been so many heart-wrenching pictures recently of displaced people, but it’s not a new emergency. Last year I became aware of Samara’s Aid Appeal. Having been moved by images of children in a refugee camp in winter, still wearing summer clothing, Samara launched an appeal to send them warm clothing. It seemed impractical to send aid via England, so she gave me details of L’Association Nasraya Ad Dema in Paris, who are also sending a lorry with aid. I have launched a Facebook page for information and propose a fundraising event on 10th October at La Deuxieme Chance, 79120, Bois de Messé, which as I write, is still being planned. This will hopefully include stalls but definitely include cake! Plus it will be a chance to bring donations of good quality winter clothing (if possible packed in banana boxes!) Please help me to provide a little comfort to a few. These children are not heading for Europe, they are in need of help right where they are, in tents, in camps and some even sleeping in the open. For many this is possibly not their first winter. Thank you on behalf of them.
www.facebook.com/aidwithlove15
is an association established throughout France dedicated to welcoming newcomers to an area, whether they are French nationals moving within France or foreigners moving from their country of origin to by Jane Henderson live in France. On our arrival in the Deux-Sèvres, my husband and I became members of the Parthenay AVF and have found it invaluable in helping us to integrate in the community and develop our language skills. AVF offers a wide range of activities, run by the members of the association on a voluntary basis, and include two walking groups, French conversation groups, English/French exchange groups, cards and scrabble evenings, craft activities, a photographic competition, visits to gardens and plenty of social events to mark the important dates in the French calendar. For the volunteers involved in the running of the association their motivation is first and foremost the enjoyment of meeting with others, wanting to work as part of a team and the wish to strengthen the bonds of friendship. October is, across France, the month for AVF to welcome newcomers to their new environment. We, the members of AVF in Parthenay, would like to invite anyone who has moved to the area within the last couple of years to come and meet us during the afternoon of October 17th, at the Maison du Patrimoine, 28 rue du Château; to find out a bit about us and what we have to offer, enjoy a guided visit around the town of Parthenay and make some new friends. If you are interested and would like some more details please get in touch by email: pjhenderson@orange.fr.
Thinking about placing an ad? Why not take advantage of our Special Packages for New Advertisers? Call Sarah for more details: 05 49 70 26 21 The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 7
Parachutes, Pandas, Panto and Passion
at Vasles, 16th-18th October
by Bernadine Smith
From ‘All Gas and Gaiters’ to “Bald Men and Bishops” an interview with Edwin Apps
TheatriVasles
A
10-minute play can capture the best of a full-length play, but in just 10 minutes. For this first festival, TheatriVasles has put together a magical mix of 18 plays, combining drama, comedy, romance and thriller, from panto to musical with everything in between. So what can you expect? Well, the plays are being performed in two groups of nine and each group has an amazing combination, ensuring each performance is a memorable theatre experience in its own right.
There's a huge range of characters and situations, mostly focusing on the funnier side of life: meet Borys the Rottweiler whose heart is in the right place even if he's a bit over-enthusiastic sometimes and Sofie in V.D. who always seems to spend Valentine's Day alone. Until this year. There's skydiving and infidelity in Menage a Trois, a chance encounter in a graveyard in Digging Deep and a witty meeting of God, the Devil and Man in The Creation. A salesman uses all his tricks of the trade to increase sales in Roger and How About Cannons? takes a lighthearted look at how Tchaikovsky might actually have written the 1812 Overture.
Above: The theatre in Vasles 79340. Photo: Bernadine Smith
There are haunting, dramatic moments too. The strength of human nature under terrible circumstances in Nine Types of Ice and what is the voice that Rose hears in The Shadows Within? Then there's poignancy as John and Eric reminisce in Remembering the Kites and for a war hero who comes to a surprise decision in Harry's Honour.
You'll be chuckling again though, with Serenity and Mike in The Smell of Rain, the Panda in Threatened Panda Fights Back. Unusual gardening activity attracts police attention with laughable results in Arthur and Edith's Potted Plants, and find out what's worrying Buttons and Dick Whittington in Pantomime's Progress. Don't miss the exhilarating musical Last Day of Term, or Bondage which is about – oops, we've run out of space, you'll just have to come along and find out for yourself! Award-winning actors, award-winning plays. Perfect Stillness alone has won over six International Awards, the touching yet funny tale of a man trying to write a eulogy for his wife – but she keeps interrupting! Which play will get your vote in the People's Choice? Will yours be the same as Celebrity Judge Edwin Apps? All will be revealed at the Gala Lunch on Sunday 18th October. Please note that some plays have adult language and themes. See advertisement on the opposite page for ticket information.
8 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
In 1976, Edwin Apps seemed to have the world at his feet. He had a successful career as an actor on both stage and television, had written 32 episodes of the hugely popular ‘All Gas and Gaiters’ and was in great demand for both acting and writing projects. The future looked rosy. So why did he up sticks and move to rural France? “I’d had the idea of settling somewhere nobody knew me because in England I was quite well known through television. I’d been lucky when I was young because I’d been helped by lots of people and I thought I would love to see if I could make a go of it, a challenge to start again completely at 45 years old.” Life was simple “I had neither telephone nor television for 12 years” with simple pleasures. “I used to say to friends that I would be here for lunch on Sunday and anybody could come. Sometimes we had dozens of people, they would bring things and I’d cook a basic meal and we had some very enjoyable times”. Edwin smiles, “I even had a goat for 8 years and made cheese. The dog used to eat it at first but I got quite good in the end”. Edwin had two burning passions, “I’d always loved France and I’d always wanted to paint. With painting there’s just you, a bit of stretched cloth and the colour. For me, it’s the perfect occupation”. He is now a successful painter, featuring in several reputable galleries. He had a large exhibition in Niort in 2000, another next August at Ars-en-Ré, and still paints every day. The paintings are colourful, lively, often witty and usually feature bald men and bishops. “None of them have hair. I’ve always said I paint bald men and bishops”. It seems his early life at St Edmund’s Clergy Orphan School in Canterbury has a lot to answer for! Edwin has had a second flourishing career in film and television since moving to France - mainly ecclesiastical roles – and starts filming soon on a new blockbuster with an A list cast. He has also continued his writing with a charming autobiography ‘Pursued by Bishops’, a history of Maillezais Abbey and most recently, to much fanfare, a book of ‘All Gas and Gaiters’ scripts.
See www.apps.cyberscope.fr and meet Edwin at the 10-Minute Play Festival Gala Lunch in Vasles on 18th October.
Small Colour Advert
only 35€
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 9
Autumn Veggies! Les Légumes d’automne
by Sue Burgess
All vegetables have their seasons and eating inseason veggies (légumes de saison) is good for the environment and your purse. September fruits and vegetables include figs (la figue), mirabelle plums (la mirabelle), blackberries (la mûre), blueberries or bilberries (la myrtille), quetsche plums (la quetsche), grapes (le raisin), broccoli (le brocoli), ceps or boletus mushrooms (le cèpe), pumpkins (la citrouille), hazelnuts (la noisette), turnips (le panais), patty pans (le pâtisson) and squash (le potiron). In October we can find quince (le coing), wild sweet chestnuts (la châtaigne), cultivated sweet chestnuts (le marron), walnuts (la noix), brussel sprouts (les choux de Bruxelles), celeriac (le céleri-rave), marrows (la courge), fennel (le fenouil), curly endives (la frisée), salsify (le salsifis) and Jerusalem artichokes (le topinambour). October is the best month for walnuts. It’s best to buy nuts that are in their shells (dans leur coque) rather than shelled nuts (écalées). They can be kept for fifteen days at a cool temperature (up to 10° C) or at the bottom of the fridge. Fennel (le fenouil) is in season from June to November. Small fennel bulbs are more tender than large ones and they need to be eaten soon after purchase as they rapidly lose their taste (la saveur). A recipe (une recette) for an original autumn salad ? Mix strips of fennel (des lamelles de fenouil) with quarters of orange, olive oil and cinnamon. Yum! (miam-miam !). Apples can be purchased all year round but the best, since they ripened on the tree, arrive in the shops in October and November. The Gatine region is a major producer of apples. Spinach (les épinards) are ideally eaten between October and May. The word courge (marrow) is a general term which can be used for all the cultivated varieties of Cucurbita (les cucurbitacées). So what is the difference between a pumpkin (une citrouille) and a squash (un potiron)? La citrouille is round and orange coloured. The potiron is flatter, and it’s colour can vary from a reddish orange to a dark green. A chestnut squash (un potimarron) is pear-shaped. It can be brick-red, bronze or green. It taste like chestnut puree (la purée de châtaignes). As lots of vegetables can be used to make delicious soups, here are some soup-related vocabulary... Vocabulary / Vocabulaire:
le gaspacho .............................
is a cold soup
Le potage ................................. a thinnish soup or broth
le minestrone ...........................
is a vegetable soup originally from Italy
la moulinée .............................. a soup with sieved vegetables
le borscht ...............................
is a soup which orinates from Poland or Russia. It contains beef and its violet colour comes from its beetroot content
le velouté .................................
a soup with a thick texture, given éplucher les légumes ............... by adding cornflour for example
la crème ................................... a soup enriched by adding cream
écraser ....................................
to mash/to crush
râper ........................................
to grate
le consommé ...........................
a concentrated broth
la bisque ..................................
is made from crustaceans and assaisonner ............................. usually has added cream
10 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
to peel veg
to season
French Life Secondigny Pomm’ Expo The 61st Secondigny Pomm’ Expo takes place over the period 10th-18th October 2015. Previously known as ‘Business Week’, the event brings together many local traders and enjoys large support from the local community.
Life on the Farm
by Peter & Jenny Sebborn
Well, its been a while since we last put pen to paper (or should I say finger to keyboard?) so we thought we should pop back, say “hello” and give you an update as to what’s been happening here on the farm. The year started well with a good supply of healthy lambs. The early weather was mild, if not a little wet, but it gave us the opportunity to fill the water pillow to its full 20,000 litre capacity. Little did we know how grateful we would be later in the year. As the summer progressed to the longest, hottest spell that we have experienced since we moved here, we were certainly glad of our water pillow. At our peak we were using around 500 litres of water a day keeping the pigs cool in their wallows and topping up drinking water every few hours. In the potager we planted an extra 16 courgettes as well as our usual crop of fodder beet for the animals. As for tomatoes, I’ve never seen (or had to process) that many. We even had to advertise for extra jars - there will be no shortage this winter.
With Secondigny being at the heart of apple trading in Deux-Sèvres, in April 1994 traders renamed the event ‘Apple Expo’ in celebration of the Clochard apple, commonly known as the ‘Apple Tramp’. Legend says that when picking, apples were dumped on a bed of sticks and covered with straw to protect them from the cold moonlit winter nights; which is compared to the tramp who walked the roads of France and slept under the stars. Today the Pomm’ Expo boasts a variety of trade stalls, displays and events, a fair, a large market and much, much more. One of the main attractions is the Art Gallery, a large exhibition of paintings following a central theme and produced by local people. Art works are of such quality that three previous exhibitors have been awarded silver medal diplomas by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Paris in recent years. This year’s competition entries can be viewed on 10th, 11th, 17th and 18th October from 10am-12pm and 2.30pm-7pm. 1st Prize: 230€. The Pomm’ Expo opening ceremony will take place on the afternoon of Saturday 10th October at 3pm and a huge market filling the streets of Secondigny will close the event on Sunday 18th.
Missy, our Middle White sow has had her second litter, 5 boys and 5 girls. These pigs are fast growing and provide excellent meat with a manageable size carcass in just six months. For those of you that would like to convert those extra courgettes and the excess autumn fruit and veg into pork, as well as clear your veg patch and fertilize ready for next year, please get in touch. This litter will be ready to go to their new homes at the end of October, and will be ready for slaughter in February. Perfect timing for those who want their own pork and perhaps to make their own bacon and sausages but don’t have the luxury of a cold room. The weather should be cold enough to butcher at home. Our pigs certainly have a great diet including fruit, vegetables, nuts, goats milk, acorns and maize that was left behind in the farmer’s field after the harvest. Winston, the handsome Suffolk ram, has been back with the ewes so we hope to be lambing again in Jan/Feb. Once again we have said we will not buy-in any bottle feeding lambs this year! We have a new breeding rabbit called Doodle, she was saved from the abattoir when she accidently got left on the back of a lorry. She is happily settled and soon to become a mum. This years free range bronze and white turkeys and home grown geese look to be the best yet and we also have a few Guinea fowl, for something a little different for the festive meal. Already the Christmas order book is filling up. Lastly, Billy the goat kid that we bought in and bottle fed has survived several health scares and is now putting on the weight in readiness to mate with Boff and Willow, the two female goats. Its been good to publish an update and please have a look at our Facebook page to keep up to date with what’s happening... u u
Contact Peter & Jenny Sebborn Tel: 07 81 14 32 91 ~ Email: sebsinfrance@hotmail.co.uk or find us on Facebook: Life-on-the-farm
Please visit www.pommexpo.fr for further information and to see the full programme of activities and events.
CONTRIBUTIONS... We are always looking for new articles for consideration in future issues. You can call Sarah on 05 49 70 26 21 with any ideas, or send them on an email to: info@thedeuxsevresmonthlyfr
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 11
Hobbies More from local writer Alison Morton... Please see back issues of ‘The DSM’ if you would like to see previous articles.
Why literary festivals are important
I was delighted (and flattered) to receive an invitation to speak at the Charroux LitFest here in deepest Poitou-Charentes. Being part of the inaugural year of a new litfest is thrilling. You see, I love conferences, book fairs, launches and literary festivals whether I’m a delegate, helper, speaker, panel member or chair, or interviewer/interviewee. I chaired a panel at the Historical Novel Society conference in Denver at the end of June and I still haven’t got over the buzz of that whole weekend. Writers and readers come together for a number of days and can enthuse with like-minded souls without the usual guilt about possibly boring other people. We love fiction; characters, plot, frocks, swords, families, crime, comedy, emotional grip, soul journeys, drama and world-building are there for the begging.
Writers • • • • • • •
meet their readers meet other writers they’ve only known on-line or from reading their books find mentors, critique partners and beta readers have the opportunity to share what they’ve learned and tell stories about the strange business of writing and publishing learn new techniques and craft skills both in the classroom and bar talk about and sell their books have fun!
Readers • • • • • • •
meet their favourite and/or new authors discuss every aspect of reading and their favourite books with other readers (and writers are keen readers, too!) discover what’s behind the books they love learn how a story gets from idea to finished book buy books and get them signed by the author find out about new forms of work they wouldn’t otherwise have fun!
So what happened at Charroux?
I ran into a lot of writers and readers from the Deux-Sèvres! The whole weekend buzzed with local, national and international noise. Noise? Yes, the noise of authors talking, writers of every stripe discussing craft, readers comparing favourites and asking percipient questions, poets and musicians entertaining and provoking us and playwrights dramatising. We learned, stared in awe, ate wonderful cake, experienced the joy of meeting new friends, laughed, became thoughtful, exchanged ideas and memories and, of course, drank wine together.
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Above: Alison with authors: Kate Mosse, Barry Walsh, Elizabeth Haynes and Isobel Ashdown. Photo © Alison Morton.
It’s the attendees who make these events. Drinking litres of tea and water (it was hot!), I was grateful for the privilege of sharing my own writing journey and skills learned with experienced, new and aspiring writers. Until recently, with only a few books under my belt, I’ve classified myself as a new-ish writer, but talking to others I realise that I have perhaps learnt some useful things that I can pass on. A strange place to be - the giving end of the spectrum - but a very pleasurable one. Quite how organisers, Kate Rose and Christine Collette, managed to be caring, efficient and still on their feet with smiles all the time, I don’t know! As somebody who’s organised events like this before I came to novel writing, I know how much hard work was involved. Chapeau to them! I suggest you book your plane/car ferry/train tickets along with your dates for the 2017 event.
Happy writing!
Alison has compiled the articles from this column into The 500 Word Writing Buddy, available on Amazon. Her fourth novel, AURELIA, is out now
YOUR Book Reviews Many thanks go to Patricia Mc Avoy and David Pearson for this month’s book reviews. These sound good - I will have to add them to my book list!
‘Buried Angels’ by Camilla Lockberg This tale of mystery and intrigue is set mainly on an island off Sweden where Ebba and her husband have gone to renovate what had been Ebba’s home. The house, once part of a boarding school, has a history. When Ebba was one year old her family mysteriously disappeared during their Easter lunch. She was found there, alone. Five boarders, left at the school over the holidays, return to the island from a fishing trip to find the police searching for the family. The boys, gone all day, know nothing about what happened during their absence. Despite thorough searches, no trace of the family of five was ever found. Within days of Ebba’s return there is an arson attack. Some days later shots are fired into the kitchen. The local police become involved and the old case is reopened. But there is a second story threading its way through this novel. In the previous century foster parents, who had murdered many small children in their care, were hanged. Their young orphaned daughter, like Ebba, was left totally alone. What is the connection? This is a well written novel. The characters are totally believable. The suspence is maintained until the end. It is a book you will not want to put down. by P. Mc Avoy
‘The Reader’ by Bernhard Schlink At fifteen, Michael Berg is caught up in a clandestine love affair with an older woman. Her name is Hanna and she has a secret. The couple drift apart and by the time Michael sees her again, he is a law student sitting in on a trial. The principal defendant is Hanna. She owns up to a terrible crime she did not commit. The confession seals her fate, but protects her from disclosure. What is this secret, so precious to her, that Hanna will face life imprisonment rather than disclose it? Eventually, Michael discovers Hanna’s secret and faces a dilemma. Should he inform the presiding judge, who would have to acquit her? Or should he respect her freedom to choose prison against disclosure? Though full of introspection, the book is easy to read and runs at a fast pace. Formerly a judge, Bernhard Schlink, is Professor of Law at the University of Berlin, a background that informs his writing. The author poses moral questions, which challenge the reader as much as the protagonist. We can walk away from such questions but a book like this will come running after us. by D.Pearson
FILMS IN ENGLISH There are cinemas in our department which show films in their original language. Marked as ‘VO’ (version originale), these films can be seen at a selection of locations. Use the websites below to check your local cinema for screenings. Bressuire Le Fauteuil Rouge: www.lefauteuilrouge.fr Parthenay Cinema: www.cinema.foyer.cc-parthenay.fr/foyer Melle cinema: www.lemelies-melle.info Niort CGR cinema: www.cgrcinemas.fr/niort/# L’échiquier at Pouzauges: www.echiquier-paysdepouzauges.fr and find others at www.allocine.fr The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 13
The Tomb of the Tomboy by Jocelyn Simms
I
f you wander into the cemetery of the village of St Clémentin you may come across a simple slab of granite which bears the legend: ‘Sois heureux en passant’. This is the tomb of Marie Madeleine Davy, born in Paris in 1903 and interred on the 7th November 1998. Her association with the village came about through her grandfather, Louis Davy, a notary in the neighbouring town of Les Aubiers. Up until the age of sixteen Marie Madeleine spent holidays at La Roche aux Moines, the manoir he had built on the outskirts of the village. The house passed to his son Octave Davy, a flamboyant socialist from Paris, who had the distinctive red star attached to the gable end of the property. Always a tomboy, Marie Madeleine revelled in the overgrown riverside garden at La Roche aux Moines where she climbed trees, ate wild flowers and fruits, sometimes shinning down a rope ladder in the dead of night affirming that La Nature was her true parent. Trees, birds and the natural world were to figure as metaphors and symbols in her subsequent writing. With her dirty clothes and deep husky voice she was a disappointment to her mother who described her younger daughter as ugly, referring to her only by masculine adjectives. Marie Madeleine said her mother’s words sullied her. Although distant from her mother, she loved and admired her older sister Renée, whose death at the age of twenty left her even more isolated. No doubt the physicality and freedom she enjoyed in the countryside and her love of solitude equipped Marie Madeleine for future trials. At her first Holy Communion she refused to obey the catechism, asserting that she did not believe in the existence of Hell. After this declaration she was struck down with a mystery ailment. This illness was a pivotal moment, igniting the process of turning inwards to pursue a spiritual life. In 1940 she was hiding escaped prisoners of war in her Paris apartment under cover of holding ‘cultural conferences.’ She was also active in a ‘réseau’ at Chateau de la Fortrelle, Rozay-en-Brie, where British and American airmen and Jews were secreted and subsequently helped to find safe passage. After the war the chateau became a refuge for female collaborators hounded after the fall of the Vichy regime. Charles de Gaulle himself presented Marie Madeleine with La Croix de Guerre for her work in the Resistance. Even though she had to fund her prolonged studies, as her family disapproved of her educational aspirations, Marie Madeleine Davy became a professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne, obtaining her
doctorate in 1946. In 1949 she was appointed to the CNRS (Centre Nationale de Recherches Scientifiques). She travelled widely, visiting Germany, Holland, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, USA and Asia. She spent several years teaching in England at Manchester University and Bedford College, London. Hundreds of her papers, essays and books have been published and she frequently contributed introductions and commentaries to publications from other authors and colleagues. She knew and corresponded with many respected academics and philosophers such as Simone Weil, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Nicolas Berdiaev, a notable Russian writer opposed to the Tsarist regime. She was an acknowledged expert on Christian mysticism and Roman symbolism. On a recent visit to the world heritage site of the Abbey of Saint-Savin in the Vienne we were delighted to see her book ‘Initiation À La Symbolique Romane’ (1977) in the museum bookshop. On inheriting La Roche aux Moines from her uncle Octave, Marie Madeleine spent time once more in the village of St Clémentin, to which she eventually retired. She was especially concerned to improve life for young people by organising classes in cookery, sewing, judo and yoga and promoting the formation of a football team. She encouraged schoolchildren to learn skills such as lithography, leatherwork and woodwork. Some fine examples of their efforts exist today, including a plaster statue of St Clémentin, bishop and martyr. In order to widen the world view of the villagers Madame Davy provided a house, Maison Simone Weil, with twenty-two bedrooms to accommodate students from all over the world, who
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were invited to partake in free cultural exchanges with their French counterparts. In 1959 Marie Madeleine Davy was elected as a conseilléire municipale and that is when she began to fully realise her projects. In the 1960s festivals were put on, attracting lots of attention and large audiences. ‘St Clémentin hardly seems big enough to house the 1,000 plus spectators gathered to watch the young Ukrainians in their colourful folk costumes performing their traditional songs and dances’ reports Le Courrier de l’Ouest. It was described as a marvellous and moving spectacle, delighting the onlookers. A newspaper headline of these years dubs St Clémentin a ‘village européen’ where young people of diverse nationalities regularly put on a variety of ‘spectacles’, including theatre. One such, ‘Le Dialogue des Carmélites’ (by Simone Weil and Bernanos) brought together students from Denmark, Norway, Holland and Spain to perform a play about recognising and fostering the spirit within us. It was put on in the main square and afterwards the audience enjoyed ‘les qualitiés gastronomiques des restaurants renommés de St Clémentin.’
understanding of Eastern religions, philosophy and ancient wisdom informed her life’s progress, and the spiritual practices of the East replaced the dogma of Western Catholicism in which she had been schooled. Interviews in which she talks about her personal beliefs can be heard on YouTube. On the 10th October a commemorative plaque will be installed in a public garden near the square in St Clémentin. A sharing of memories of Marie Madeleine Davy by her remaining friends will take place, followed by an invitation to partake of a vin d’honneur at her former home by kind invitation of the present owners.
‘. . . walk as a free spirit so References: • Marie-Magdeleine Davy (1903-1998) you become brother to all ou l’orient intérieur, Armelle Dutruc Départmentale Des Deux-Sèvres, that exists: rocks, plants, (Archives Niort 2012) animals, all mankind.’ • Douze Femmes Remarquables, MarcAlain Descamps (Regard et Voir, 2013) Most importantly: • http://www.europsy.org/pmmdavy/ • https://lesbeguines.wordpress.com Be happy, pilgrim.
Aurélia Stapert, a Dutch artist and historian, was Marie Madeleine’s secretary and fellow teacher at Maison Simone Weil. André Airaud recalls in a letter his recollection of life in St Clémentin during this period. “It was wonderful to meet and talk to young people from Germany, Holland and Sweden at the Maison Simone Weil and then to swim together in the river.” He believes he would never have pursued his dream of becoming a doctor but for the encouragement he received from Madame Davy. He remembers, “when she appeared in the village, always wearing trousers and smoking, she bought sweets for all the children who gathered in the square.” She wrote a poem for André Airaud, addressing him as Mon Frère and counselling him to follow his heart’s desire.
bio marie-madeleine davy • https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Marie-Madeleine_Davy
Note: I have followed the common practice of referring to Marie Magdeleine Davy as ‘Madame’ although she never married and I have used her preferred spelling of her middle name.
u u
Jocelyn Simms (Association Littfête de St Clémentin) 05 49 80 22 96 or jocelynsimms@gmail.com
In 2012 when the first bilingual LitFest was put on in St Clémentin, by a team composed of several nationalities, the past seemed to have re-emerged. We were astonished to hear the story of Marie Madeleine Davy from the mayor. We were impressed with Madame Davy’s foresight, her extraordinary achievements and generosity, but dismayed that so few in the area had heard of her, even in local schools and colleges. At the second festival in 2014 we sought the services of Armelle Dutruc, Madame Davy’s biographer. Armelle prepared a lecture and slide show about the life and works of this remarkable woman and her impact on the rural community from documents in the departmental archives in Niort. As a result of this, later the same year, a further tribute took place in Paris at Marie Madeleine’s apartment. In 1998 at the age of ninety-three Madame Davy suffered injuries received in a fall at home. Her neighbour found her, offering to take her to hospital, but she chose to remain where she was. She had already experienced two near death episodes and was fully prepared for the final journey: she had already written her funeral service. The neighbour made her as comfortable as possible but she died during the night. Madame Davy believed the inner journey to be the most important undertaking one can make in this life. To achieve this she welcomed solitude as a companion on the journey to self-knowledge. Her
CONTRIBUTIONS... We are always looking for new articles for consideration in future issues. Do you have an experience to share? Are you a tradesman with a Top Tip? or perhaps an avid reader who would like to contribute a book review? Whatever it may be, either long or short, we would love to hear from you.
You can call Sarah on 05 49 70 26 21 with any ideas, or send them on an email to: info@thedeuxsevresmonthlyfr
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Clubs & Associations ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS If you or someone you know has a drinking problem, there are now a number of English-speaking meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous in the South West of France. Alcoholics Anonymous is a Fellowship of men and women who share experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership and A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organisation or institution. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Telephone: Angela: 05 49 87 79 09, Roger: 05 55 76 22 65 or Nancy: 02 54 24 09 74. Email: publicinfo.swfrance@aa-€pe.net or visit www.aafrancesud-ouest.com for details of English-speaking meetings.
Alone in France?
We are a group of people living alone in the L’Absie area who meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 11am for coffee at the Pause! café in L’Absie. Our lunches are at different venues each month. A warm welcome awaits you. More details from Ros 09 67 49 21 44.
RAINBOW WARRIERS for healing and fun. Native
American Indian Deerskin Drums. Host a drum circle at your home for free. I have 7 drums, I will travel an hour from Bressuire and we need a big space. 15€ per guest (max 5). Call Pam on 05 49 65 55 25 or email: irving.philip@wanadoo.fr
COME and PRACTICE your FRENCH
with a friendly group of French and English speakers. Each Wednesday at 7.30pm at the Salle des Fêtes, St Loup sur Thouet 79600. First lesson: 9th September. Call Christian for more details: 05 49 63 04 78
TheatriVasles
We are a photography club who meet at Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux. If you want to find out more then please look at our website: www.photofocus.info
A vibrant group based in Vasles (79340) offering quality theatre productions. Coming this autumn: France’s first International Ten-Minute Play Festival. New members always welcome. Contact www.theatrivasles.com, Facebook or Richard on 0549 634109.
FANCY A KICK ABOUT?
We are a small group of footballers who meet on Thursday evenings at 7pm in L’Absie for an informal kick about in the park. New players of all ages and abilities always welcome. For details email: john.etherington@orange.fr
The Phoenix Chorale
An English speaking choir. We sing 3 or 4 concerts of seasonal and classical music, often including readings and poetry. Based near Charroux (86), we are always looking for new members. If interested, call 05 45 89 14 84 or 05 49 48 29 68. Bilingual LitFest: 24-26 June 2016, Voulmentin 79150
We would welcome volunteers to distribute publicity, act as marshals, offer technical support, transport or accommodation. To join the team and register as a friend of the festival contact Howard Needs: needsho@cc-parthenay.fr THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION LINAZAY, POITOU-CHARENTES BRANCH
Please visit the branch website: www.rblpoitou-charentes.fr
ThouarStMed’Arts - Association that aims to bring together people from the historic town of Thouars (Quartier Saint Médard) for a new development of artistic activity. Exhibitions, galleries, brocantes, creators, cultural events etc. Visit our website: thouarsaintmedarts79.asso-web.com
GARDENING CLUB
We meet every third Tuesday of the month, 2.30pm with free tea/coffee and biscuits at Le Bon Vertoef, 28 Grand Rue, 79110 TILLOU. (Nr Chef Boutonne). Everyone welcome for garden talk! For further information contact Mike Curtis 05 46 33 66 17 (eves).
16 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
Craft Café Creatif
Do you enjoy knitting or sewing in the company of others? Join us in L’Absie for an enjoyable afternoon over a cup of tea and a piece of cake. For details contact Margaret on email: knight.margaret@orange.fr Woodturners/Woodworkers
Are there any other amateur woodturners/woodworkers out there who might be interested in forming a club to share ideas, tips etc? Any level of ability, beginners to experienced. Contact Roland 05 49 96 44 10, preferably evening.
The Harmonics Singing Group
Based in the Salle d’Annexe in Civray. We meet each Wednesday 2pm4pm. No experience necessary, just a willingness and commitment to learn. We sing all sorts of music in several languages. Contact: Dave Lee: 05 49 87 53 93 / dave.lee@cegetel.net
Tai Chi in Bressuire and Le Breuil Barret
Each Tuesday evening (8.30pm-9.30pm) at the Centre SocioCulturel in Bressuire. Each Friday afternoon (3pm-4.30pm) at the Salle Communale in Le Breuil Barret. Simply turn up in loose, comfortable clothing and flat soled footwear. Phone Terry on 05 49 65 60 34 or visit: www.chentaiji-fr.com
JUST BRASS 79
A British style band, who meet each Tuesday at 8pm, at the Salle de la Cendille, Limalonges (just 1km from the N10). All levels welcome. Contact www.justbrass79.fr or call Penny on 06 38 78 99 92 or Christian on 05 49 29 78 84.
TTL Photography Group
Local photography group on the Deux-Sèvres / Vendée border. New members always welcome, and at all levels of expertise and knowledge. Contact us via the website to find out about our meetings. www.ttlphotographygroup.net CLE (Charente Limousine Exchange) is a non-profit organisation for exchange of news, views and information. We work to protect member’s best interests, run social activities, events and clubs, helping members to make new ex-patriot and French friends. Barry Leech 05 49 87 19 85 contact@cle-france.com www.cle-france.com.
Poppy Appeal...
Our annual Poppy Boxes will be placed before 10th October and a list of locations will be shown on our website by this date. Please visit: www.rblpoitou-charentes.fr
DON’T FORGET! The clocks go BACK on the evening of 24th/25th October...
Clubs & Associations Submission Guidelines Wordcount: Title of entry+ 40 words (max. including contact details). Logos can be supplied and will be added if space allows. Adverts meeting the above specifications can be added free of charge, and will be rotated on a monthly basis to allow everyone to participate. To guarantee the advert is printed each month, a small fee of 45€ per annum will be requested. How to SUBMIT your entry: 1) Complete the short form on ‘Submit Article’ page of our website (under the ‘Content’ menu) or 2) Simply email the details to us: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
by Kate Jouanneau
Recently I was able to learn a little more about our trusted Chairman and his wife - Malcolm and Sue Daniels. Both are active members of Keynotes and with Reaction Theatre, both on and off the stage. Malcolm prefers to direct, but has been known to be (reluctantly) coaxed on to the stage, whereas Sue loves bringing colourful characters to life, as well as designing fantastic sets that contribute as much to the success of each play as the esteemed actors... remember Entertaining Angels and Arsenic & Old Lace. Here’s what Malcolm had to say about their theatrical adventure so far: “In the UK, Sue and I got involved with pantomime via the school PTA in 1977 and it was so popular we could not let go of it. It still continues today with a new group of enthusiastic younger people and still some of the old originals, so nearly 40 years of very successful and now high standard local theatre. We had to form a private, non-profit making group after around 7 years as it got too big for the PTA, and all profits were put back into local youth organisations and many other charities. Sue was the main set designer and decorator, producing scenery of professional quality, and also appeared regularly on stage in leading roles. I preferred to direct a number of shows and also worked front of house with an excellent team. The group numbers around 100 very talented people and involves the whole community of Brightlingsea with a population of around 8000. The same group also put on variety shows to raise funds for the community and have for many years raised sums in excess of £3000 per year for Children in Need. For my sins I was Chairman for 17 years!!” “In France, we were introduced to Reaction Theatre through our agent immobilier Tony Murdoch, who with his wife, Maureen, are still heavily involved with the group. After a few minor hiccups this group has grown from around 15 eager beavers to about 100, including an Art Section and Keynotes choir. It provides an excellent outlet for a wide range of talents and also gives members a ready-made social group, where many firm friendships are forged.” “We welcome new members with any relevant talents or even just a desire to be involved and help out where possible. We currently perform two shows per year and a number of ‘gigs’ for the very popular choir under the trade name of Keynotes. Our shows have been very well received by mainly English audiences, although we get a fair number of French people too. We seek to achieve high standards whilst enjoying the experience of performing, and will continue to try and produce what is arguably the best English theatre experience in the West of France for our loyal supporters.” As usual, check out Reaction Theatre, including Keynotes and The Art Scene, on our website : www.reactiontheatre.fr and our page facebook : Reaction Theatre Association u u
Contact Email:
“
Kate Jouanneau on 06 77 51 55 16 kscks9@hotmail.com
‘The DSM’ Advertiser Feedback...
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The Branch has been busy fundraising throughout the year and to date we have collected 1 700€ for this year’s Poppy Appeal. In addition, one of our members, Bob Liddiard, did the London to Paris Royal British Legion Cycle Ride at the beginning of September and managed to win the yellow jersey for most funds raised by an individual participant his total stands at 5 000€ at this moment with his ‘JustGiving’ site still collecting: www.justgiving.com/robert-liddiard1/
The magazine has proved to be a very valuable form of advertising in the area - long may it continue.
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 17
Our Furry Friends You Win Some, but You Lose Some Too by Nigel Franks, NALA
Eight barely weaned kittens were abandoned at a vet in Chantonnay with a note asking NALA to look after them. Unfortunately, we don’t have the right to take on abandoned animals, they have to go to the animal pound. Thanks to our project of retrieving all the statistics of the animal pounds that serve the Vendeé, we knew that the animal pound at Chantonnay has a contract which is deadly for cats, and especially for kittens. We informed the Deputy Mayor of this, but she sent the kittens to this animal pound anyway. She was amenable to us having the kittens after their statutory stay in the pound: after eight working days they can be given to an association which has, or has access to, an animal shelter. We don’t have a shelter, nor access to one, so the owner of the animal pound requested that Galia, an association with a shelter, take the kittens from the pound and then give them to us. We agreed to this. A couple of days before they could be released from the pound, the owner informed us that four had died. And by the time they were delivered to Galia there were only three left. We went to Galia’s shelter to pick them up and we were appalled at the state that they were in. They were wet, dirty and starving. The volunteers at Galia were also shocked at their condition. We took them straight to the vet and had them checked. The vet told us that they weren’t ill but were underfed. He wasn’t kidding, they literally crawled over each other in order to get to their food. Even now, after three weeks in our care they still have the bloated tummies that are associated with images of famine. The owner of the animal pound was not happy about us recording and posting a video of his shelter. He sent us an email in which he made his displeasure most clear. Amazingly he also put in black and white that he couldn’t be expected to provide 24 hour care!! That could be a clue as to why very few kittens leave his care alive. Naturally, to put it mildly, we are not happy with this turn of events. We’ve already had a meeting with the Mayor of Chantonnay during which we expressed our displeasure and gave him the statistics showing the fate of cats and kittens in the pound. We hope that something comes of it. By the time that you read this, the public prosecutor should have received our complaint against the owner of the pound for negligence resulting in the death of an animal. It will be interesting to see if it is taken seriously. We have also “finished” the statistics project and sent it to the authorities and the press. www.nosamislesanimaux.com/
statistiques-fourri%C3%A8res-chiens-et-chats.php
I put ‘finished’ in quotes because we still don’t have all the statistics from all of the towns, so we will have to go to the Administrative Tribunal in order to oblige them to give them to us. The figures that we do have enable a comparison to be made between the different animal pounds. It should enable towns to choose the most animal friendly ones... if they want to. We will continue to gather the statistics every year to see if there is an improvement. Meanwhile the three surviving kittens are being extremely cute and will be available for adoption any day now. www.nosamislesanimaux.com
Kitten update...
by Heather Rosemary
Well, I thought you would all like to know that they are doing SO well and looking great. The sale of books and general household things and tools etc with coffee and cake made around 170€ which will go towards the two white and cream kits that will be ready to be sterilised around November time. I had a raffle for a box of ‘Neal’s Yard’ products donated, very kindly by Julie Hutchison. We have been selling tickets for a few weeks and have just done the draw and the winner was Roz Cleavely. Since the last update we have taken charge of yet another 3 tiny kittens who are very tiny, fragile and in need of lots of care and attention. They were also in a terrible state, dumped by the déchetterie and were covered head to foot in fleas, very hungry, cold and poorly. They are coming along nicely, drinking lots of milk and are very, very needy!! I will be having a few more coffee mornings and have kept my sales room in place so you can come along, have a coffee, get some new reading matter (still hundreds of books) and any other little items you might fancy. All money raised will go towards all the kittens we have that MUST be sterilised. Thank you to everyone who has donated and supported our efforts towards the survival of these little sweeties.
18 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
SID and DIEGO...
...a purrfect pair
The Hope Booksale The 3-day Hope Booksale marks the beginning of a new service that many ‘DSM’ readers might like to take advantage of. For a small fee per book, a personal book shopping service is now available for anyone searching for something particular. Customers just need to email the Hope book team with their list. The team will scour through all the books in the warehouse, pick up the books on your list (if they are available) and pack them ready for collection on the booksale weekend.
These gorgeous boys certainly didn’t have the best start to life and were at the vets within hours of arriving in the care of Phoenix. Both underwent surgery for umbilical hernias, thankfully their relatively simple operations were a total success and since then they have gone from strength to strength. These handsome brothers are a super mix of playfulness and affection. They amuse themselves for hours, jumping on each other and rolling around. Both boys will flop at you feet, no climbing or clawing, just a beautiful soft purr that continues whilst they are cradled, bellies up, having their tummies rubbed.
All lists need to be with the team by Friday 16th October 2015, although the earlier the lists arrive, the more chance readers have of getting the books on their list. From Robert Crais to Anita Shreve, Vikram Seth to Michael Connelly, if readers have particular books that they would like the Hope Association book elves to look out for and put to one side, they can email: findmybook4hope@gmail.com
You couldn’t meet two sweeter boys! Full of mischief and love …they spend all day together and mirror each other frequently, as you can see in the photo. Sid: D.O.B. 28/05/2015, Chip No: 250268500914360, vaccinated and sterilised. Diego: D.O.B. 28/05/2015 Chip No: 250268500914356, vaccinated and Sterilised. SID and DIEGO are now looking for a home together, as their bond is far too strong to consider separating them! If you’d like to meet these two inseparables, please contact their Phoenix foster carer Caroline, Dept. 19 Corrèze, Tel: 05 55 27 10 25 Email: carolinela74@aol.com.
ECOLE DU CHAT LIBRE DE POITIERS 1 Place de Fontevrault 86000 POITIERS 05.49.01.39.25 (answerphone) Ecoleduchat.poitiers.free.fr
Facebook: ecole-du-chat-libre-de-Poitiers
ecoleduchatpoitiers.forumactif.org
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 19
Health, Beauty & Fitness A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF CANCER SUPPORT DEUX-SÈVRES Hand of Support
After 10 years of being a group supporting people touched by Cancer our association feels that it is time to be an independent group, no longer affiliated to CSF National. This will make absolutely no difference whatsoever to our way of operating. Our clients, family and friends will still be our priority and we will continue to adhere to our very strict code of confidentiality as we have in the past. Over the years we have held Fundraising and Raising Awareness events which have enabled us to donate to various hospitals in the region: • For Parthenay Palliative care unit an electric massage table and accessories, cushions and foldaway beds for the use of relatives wishing to stay with their loved ones. To Niort hospital we donated a sum of money with which they are in the process of purchasing much needed items to enhance the lives of their Cancer patients. To date they have purchased a refrigerator specifically for patients and a unit for warming blankets and sheets …other items to be purchased in the near future. • The association has signed contracts with Parthenay (to include Bressuire and Thouars), Niort and Melle Hospitals which allows us to assist with translation between consultants and patients....with the permission and agreement of the patient. Recently we have provided translations of documents from French to English at the requests of the hospitals. A very grateful thanks is given to Sarah Berry who has very kindly offered to create a new website for Cancer Support Deux-Sèvres which will be a huge benefit to us and will be regularly updated to keep people informed of our past and future events. www.cancersupportdeuxsevres.com Thank you to all those who have supported us in the past and I hope you will continue to do so as we move forward as an independent association.
•
June Searchfield Please note that this is printed as an amendment to the message shown in last month’s issue. Apologies to all..
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The advertising works very well for me and gives me access to a wider range of customers outside of my home area here in the Vendée.
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20 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
Birthstone for October... by Vicki Bassey Opal
The structure of Opals is unique. Tiny precipitated spheres of silicon dioxide form a pyramid shape of light. Opals always contain water (3 to 30%). It can happen that in the course of time, the gem stone loses water, cracks and the play of colour diminishes. This can, at least temporarily, be restored by saturation with oil, epoxy resin or water and the ageing process is avoided when stored in moist absorbent cotton wool. Opals come in many colours: the Black Opal, probably the most rare and sought after; Australian Boulder Opal, renowned for its flaming bright rich colours; Fire Opals are cherry red, orange and yellow; Green opals resemble Jade; Jelly Opal which is opaque; White Opal is creamy coloured with flashes of rainbow Above: Mexican Fire Opal. Photo: colour.
Wikipedia, Didier Descouers
The name is derived from an Indian (Sanskrit) word for stone. The special characteristics of Opals are their play of colour, a display of rainbow-like hues which changes with the angle of observation. The ancient Greeks thought Opals embodied the powers of foresight and prophecy and the Arabs believed Opals had fallen from heaven in flashes of lightening. Indigenous Australian legend Koori has it that the creator came to earth on a rainbow and where he touched the ground the stones lit up and sparkled in the colours of the rainbow. In Twelth Night, Shakespeare refers to Opals as ‘the queen of gems’. It is also said that Scandinavian women wear Opals in headbands to ward off grey hair.
Up to the end of the 19th century, the andesite lavas in the east of Slovakia supplied the best quality Opals. Then the Australian deposits were discovered. Famous deposits in New South Wales are at Lightning Ridge and White Cliffs found in Queensland. Since 2008 there has been almost no production in Australia due to movement of miners to copper mines. However, around the same time rich deposits were discovered in Ethiopia. Further deposits were found in Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Nevada and Idaho. Opals are also given on a 14th anniversary. u u
Contact Vicky Bassey on 05 49 97 01 29 www.victoriabassey.com
Annual Subscription Costs: 31,00€ within France, 20€ UK addresses. (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. The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 21
Communications How to Store and Share Your Digital Photos... Free of Charge by Ross Hendry
event and the online service acts as a backup storing copies of your photos incase you need to download them in the future. You may also permit the viewers to take copies for themselves, and print from your albums.
T
he recent weather has signalled that our Summer is over and our friends and families have returned home. Most of us will have recorded some of our visitors and events using our digital cameras. Once you have transferred your photos onto your PC, you will probably want to share some or all of these with other family members and friends. Those of you who have tried this by email will realise that this can be a very long process, many service providers restrict the size of emails, making it difficult to send more than a few photos at one time. This is further compounded by the fact that digital cameras are recording more and more megapixels (MP) making each photo file size much bigger. For example, my digital camera is a 4MP one and the best quality photo is around 1megabyte (MB) in size on my hard disk drive. Sandy’s new digital camera has 14MP, thus each photo is around 3.2MB. Those of you with really high-end cameras may find their pictures can be as large as 25MB each - making sending them by email slow, considerably reducing the number I can send in each email. The solution is to use one of the online photo sharing services, of which there are many. Some come with free software to organise your photos on your computer, as well as making it easy to create your own online photo album/s to share with your family and friends. This means selecting the photos you want to share and uploading them to your online service - then letting the people you want to share the photos with, know where to go and see them with a simple email. There are many benefits to this; you only have to send them once to your online service, you can add tags describing the photo or
22 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
I recently researched who is offering the free photo sharing services and found several sites that provide sharing for free. I personally use Google’s Picasa picasa.google.com finding this easy to use and taking advantage of the 15GB of online storage space. This is more than enough for my needs. However, if I want more online space I can pay for it and it is not expensive. After all, 1GB represents around 1,000 photos of my old 4MP camera, and 300 on Sandy’s 14MP model. Two relatively new services are www.shutterfly.com with unlimited free photo storage and believe it or not, Microsoft’s Windows OneDrive service allows you to store 15GB of photos and documents totally free. You can find more info at www.onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/plans/ although this seemed less user-friendly than Shutterfly or Picasa. All of the services I have mentioned accommodate all devices: PCs, Smart mobile telephones and Tablets. This means that your photos are stored on/in the internet ‘Cloud’ and are therefore available for you, your friends and family (if you permit them to) to view and print photos and even add their own to your online album/s. Other services worth a mention are Amazon Cloud Drive (5GB) and Apple icloud (5GB). For personal use I will stick to Google’s Picasa as it suits my needs at present however, as my photo library grows the Microsoft OneDrive service is looking more and more attractive. Next month I will explain how to create an online album using Picasa and share it with your friends and relatives. Ross Hendry is the proprietor of Interface Consulting and Engineering, who has over 42 years experience in Communications, Computer Technology and Direct Marketing. (See advert below).
Useful English Language Numbers... Cancer Support Deux-Sèvres
05 49 64 59 96
French State health insurance advice line
08 11 36 36 46
Elizabeth Finn Care (Grants and advice if in Financial need)
04 68 23 43 79
Orange helpline
09 69 36 39 00
EDF International Customer Service
05 62 16 49 08
CLEISS (Social security advice between countries)
01 45 26 33 41
Funeral Information (AFIF)
01 45 44 90 03 or www.afif.asso.fr
Passport Advice
0044 208 082 4729
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The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 23
Take a Break
DSM Toughie Crossword Across: 1. Levelling out to be done later in the day.....? (7) 5. ..... when finished before time, it’s quite an occasion? (5) 8. Queen rides in motors for designers and builders (9) 9. When driving, always start from here? (3) 10. Wild man found among Kenya hoodlums (5) 12. NF replacement having to have result from giving nourishment (7) 13. What we would like for those who are late? (2,4,2,5) 15. Latino thin guy exposing less than the bare minimum (7) 17. Slippery fellow in Royal Society dances (5) 19. Objective of Parisian’s love lacking ecstasy (3) 20. Almost exorcise a conservative en route to paradise? (9) 22. Try easy arrangement, given direction (5) 23. Complaint following seaside reorganization (7)
Down: 1. Unwanted email (4) 2. Shrewdness shown by keen insight (6) 3. Break from a meeting or court session (7) 4. Respiratory disorder (6) 5. Before anything else (5) 6. Suitable for use as food (6) 7. A person who abandons their post (8) 12. A competition between nations to have the most powerful weapons (8) 14. A public toilet in a military area (7) 16. Ten less than one hundred (6) 18. Undertake a journey or trip (6) 19. Outbuilding to house a car (6) 20. Cause to be slowed down (5) 23. The left side of a ship (4)
Down: 1. Saw all of them the day before on the train (5) 2. I leave Scottish island for base of reproduction (3) 3. Muddled genius with nothing but hard rock to follow (7) 4. Environmentalist identified growing ability? (5,8) 5. Follow directions to take court action (5) 6. Get out from overturned taxi in revolutionary Crete (9) 7. Ate huge concoction only to get a fever (3,4) 11. Insensitive “thunderer” in Dickensian novel (4,5) 13. Breakdown of agent on how much you can get on a ship (7) 14. Left metals behind in making gateways (7) 16. Suggest something, but easily missing point (5) 18. Farm home for the French design (5) 21. In vitro variations have lots of 2d (3)
Well, what do you know?
Monthly quiz by Roland Scott...... how many can you get?
1) Who hosted Opportunity Knocks on TV from 1964 to 1978? 2) Who was the Musical Muscle Man who won Opportunity Knocks six times? 3) In the Cubby Broccoli produced James Bond films, who was the third actor to play the title role? 4) Which British racecourse hosts the Hennessey Gold Cup? 5) Which artillery weapon, invented in China, were first used by an English army at the battle of Crecy in 1346? 6) Who is the patron saint of Vets, Tanners, Pharmacists and Farriers and has a pilgrim route through Europe named for him? 7) Which former England cricketer is now employed as one of the team captains on BBC’s Question of Sport?
24 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
With thanks to M.Morris
8) Which tennis tournament is used as a ‘warm-up’ event immediately before Wimbledon? 9) What term refers to a person or group of people who rule during the youth, absence or period of disability of a monarch? 10) Name the TV family headed by Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnstone. 11) Which tree is affected by a fungus carried by a beetle and was first identified in Holland in the 1920s? 12) Which literary character was first played on fiim by Fredric March in 1931? And finally, assuming you have 12 correct answers, what is the double connection between them? Copyright RJS 2014
Answers on our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
DSM Easy Crossword Across: 8. Stepped (5) 9. Deprive of by deceit (7) 10. Extinct elephant (7) 11. Type of sword (5) 12. Not typical, usual or regular (8) 13. Clothing accessory (4) 15. Plant with aromatic leaves (4) 17. An individual that one is not acquainted with (8) 21. Scope (5) 22. Delivery of supplies by parachute (7) 24. A small house with a single story (7) 25. African river (5)
F
oraging or ungi
by Mick Austin
There’s an old saying that the best things in life are free and that’s never truer than when you’re foraging for wild mushrooms, or champignons sauvage.
C
ollecting mushrooms in France is a national pastime, an important part of rural life. The French will eat almost anything – frogs’ legs and snails, for example – and are very partial to wild mushrooms. But they can, unfortunately, be dangerously ignorant on the subject. Hundreds of cases of mushroom poisoning are recorded every year in France, with a couple of dozen fatalities. With some 3500 species and varieties of the fungi group, of which some 800 to 1000 species and sub-species occur in France, it can’t be stressed enough the very real danger of careless picking. Broadly speaking, 5-10% of mushrooms are deadly or potentially deadly; 40-50% are toxic; 30-40% are unpalatable but harmless; and just 5-10% are really edible. Beware of old wives’ tales like “all white mushrooms are safe,” or “all mushrooms with a ring on the stalk are good,” or even “mushrooms that have been attacked by slugs are edible.” Don’t even go there! And don’t think that if you haven’t developed any symptoms soon after eating wild mushrooms you are safe. Some mushrooms have a delayed action and symptoms can appear 24-48 hours later. By which time your liver and kidneys will be
so damaged you’ll be suffering a long and incredible agony. And there is almost no treatment. If you’ve eaten wild mushrooms and any of these symptoms appear – stomach cramps, dizziness, fever, sweating – call the SAMU immediately. Keeping the remains of your meal will speed up the diagnosis. The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 25
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The Poitou-Charentes is well known for the quality and quantity of its wild mushrooms and when the mushroom season arrives – usually between September and December – hundreds of people can be found with their little wicker baskets moving carefully through woodland and meadows. It’s a scene repeated throughout France. In some areas the local Mairie or tourist office organises a journée de découverte des champignons, when a local expert will join a group of foragers to help with the identification of the different types of mushrooms found on the day. * See separate story for the DSM’s Magic Mushroom Day.
© Wikimed ia/ AndreasK unze
Right, that’s the scary bit sorted! Now for the good part. Collecting mushrooms is a fascinating pastime that gives you the chance of some healthy exercise and an opportunity to enjoy the local countryside. You’ll also have the added bonus that the mushrooms you find will be far tastier than the cultivated ones found in your local supermarket.
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If you’re new to mycology (the study of mushrooms and fungi) a field guide is essential. Some experts recommend you have two as descriptions can sometimes be contradictory (and therefore unreliable) and appreciations as to the level of toxicity often varies. Read the descriptions carefully and don’t rely solely on the pictures as they can be misleading - as a mushroom’s colour and shape can be affected by weather, age and habitat.
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oła oła JerzyOpi ia/ JerzyOpi © Wikimed
© Wikimedia/ LordMayonn aise
Where you go foraging is important. Yes, it would be helpful if it was somewhere you had a chance of finding mushrooms, but remember that picking on private land without permission is stealing and therefore an offence. Each commune or landowner can decide where, when and if mushroom picking is allowed and the amount of mushrooms allowed per person, and sometimes they can make additional restrictions on certain types of mushrooms. If you’re not going on an organised day it would be sensible to contact your local Mairie or Préfecture beforehand and always get the prior consent of the landowner. What to wear and what to take? Sensible clothing and footwear is a must. Think mud, nettles and brambles. Then a basket, ideally a wicker-type one. Never carry your harvest in a plastic bag because mushrooms tend to rot quickly (particularly if the weather’s damp and/or warm) and they will be crushed, making identification impossible. A pocket knife is also a must-have. Mushrooms should never be pulled out as the mycelium matting (the underground part) will be damaged and the next season’s growth may suffer. Cut the stalks as low down as possible. Until you feel you’ve gained enough experience to recognise mushrooms at first glance, pick everything you find – except those that look too old and those obviously too small – just so you get your eye in. Avoid picking during rain or just after as the mushrooms will deteriorate more quickly and will need to dry before going into the pan. And don’t rush madly in when you see a mushroom. It won’t run away and there might be others around you could trample on. When you get home, spread your mushrooms on a cloth or newspaper and leave them to dry so any excess surface moisture evaporates. Then clean them with a rag or soft brush to get rid of any leaves, grass, soil or grit. Don’t wash them! Then it’s time for your field guides. Check carefully every mushroom you have found. You can’t afford to be lazy. Just because you think you’ve identified one mushroom, an apparently similar one needs just as much scrutiny. Don’t just look at the pictures, make sure you read the text. Reject any mushroom you’re not certain of. If you have any doubts at all, you can take your find to your local pharmacy. Pharmacists across France are trained in fungi recognition, but sometimes it can be less than reassuring if he digs out a reference book to try and identify your day’s bounty. A common answer can be: “I don’t know, but best not.” If that’s the case, don’t eat it. Your life may depend on it! 26 26 || The The Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres Monthly, Monthly, October October 2015 2015
4 © Wikimedia/ Strobilomyces
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© wikim edia/ R aftiInsti tuteMs Havish am
Three safe mushrooms to look out for… 1. Field mushroom (Agaricus campestris and others of the same family. French name Agaric/Psalliote). Probably the best known of all wild mushrooms with its pink gills that turn browner with maturity. The gills are not attached to the stem, which is common to all Agaricus. Delicious for breakfast with bacon and eggs! 2. Shaggy parasol (Macrolepiota rhacodes. French name Coulemelle/Lepiote déguenillée). One of the parasol group of mushrooms, this has an aromatic smell and dries very well. Reconstituted it is excellent in soups and stews or mixed wild mushroom dishes. 3. Fairy ring (Marasmius oreades. French name Mousseron/
Marasme des Oréades). A classic fairy ring is usually a few metres across, but they can reach over 100 metres! Tastes as good as it looks, but beware, there is a poisonous lookalike (Clitocybe rivulosa). There’s little similarity once they are full grown and they are unlikely to be found in the same environment, but it’s important not to make any mistakes.
... and three to definitely avoid 4. Death cap (Amanita phalloides. French name Amanite phalloide). Each year accounts for most of the fatal poisonings caused by eating mushrooms. It looks fairly innocuous, smells pleasant and can be peeled. However, it is deadly and only one cap is needed to cause serious – possibly fatal – poisoning. 5. Destroying angel (Amanita virosa. French name Amanite vireuse). Deadly poisonous and well deserves its name, being white and fatal. Occurring together with field mushrooms, but has white gills. Symptoms of the poison are the same as for the Death cap.
Join the DSM’s Magic Mushroom Day Love the idea of foraging for mushrooms but wary of the consequences of getting it wrong? No problem. The DeuxSèvres Monthly has teamed up with bilingual mushroom enthusiast Henri de Baulny for an exclusive Magic Mushroom Day in the extensive grounds of his home at Château du Theil, at Saint-Aubin le Cloud, near Parthenay. A choice of two afternoons are available: Tuesday 27th October or Saturday 7th November for a group of between 5 and 15 people and will cost just €7,50 per person. You’ll meet up at 2.15pm for a 15 minute presentation from Henri (in French and/or English) followed by a full afternoon working both the fields and the forest at the château. All mushrooms collected will be taken back for identification and explanations, after which the participants can take home all they want. The safe ones of course! Numbers are strictly limited so you need to book early to avoid disappointment. Contact Sarah at The DSM on 05 49 70 26 21 or email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr.
6. Deadly dapperling
(Lepiota brunneoincarnata. French name Lepiot brunincarnat). The name is a bit of a giveaway. A small, tasty-looking mushroom that can be confused with a small edible parasol mushroom. Accidental consumption leads to severe liver toxicity and can have lethal consequences if immediate treatment is not received.
Useful Websites • • •
Above left and right: Monsieur de Baulny at his grounds. Photos: Sarah Berry.
www.rogersmushrooms.com Lots of information in English. www.atlas-des-champignons.com From La Société Mycologique de France. www.reve-de-chateaux.com/demeure/991-parc-du-chateau-du-theil Check out visiting times for M. de Baulny’s château and park.
Mick Austin would like to thank M. de Baulny for his invaluable help in the compilation of this article.
© Wikimedia / Strobilomyc es
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Mick Austin is a freelance journalist based in the Pays-de-la-Loire. He has had his work published in several expat magazines and newspapers and has also written the Mayenne Tourist Board’s only English-language brochure. He also runs a gîte business at www.gitefortwo.com. The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 27
Home & Garden The Frenchic Look......
Several years ago I discovered chalk mineral furniture paint.... and that’s when the bug hit! I was amazed how a lick of paint could totally transform a tired piece of furniture into something modern-looking and fabulous. Now, although it’s very popular here in France, I’m not a ‘shabbychic’ kind of person, but.... some pieces of furniture look really good with just a little bit of sanding down to show a different colour or the natural wood underneath. Being rather an impatient person by nature, the Frenchic paint suits me perfectly. In the main, all that’s needed is a quick wipedown of the furniture with sugar soap to remove any grease, of course some pieces may need sanding down if they are badly scratched. Then, a couple coats of paint, followed by a wax.
It’s easy to do It gives a great look and you don’t need to be french or chic to achieve the Frenchic look!
Frenchic have released a lazy range of paint with the wax already added, so it is even easier to use.
DONT FORGET!
Almost anything can be painted. The Frenchic range of paints will paint onto fabric (something which I’m about to try), sealed with a couple of coats of finishing liquid and... voila, transformed.
Deadline:
For those of you who have never done it before, I will be running a paint course to show the different methods. In October, I will run a course for beginners. In November, a 1-day course to paint and re-cover a chair and in December, we will be re-vamping your decorations, candlesticks and bowls for Christmas. I’ll be offering a 10% discount on products bought on these days....
of the month
ASK about our special packages for New Advertisers! Call Sarah on 05 49 70 26 21 to find out more! 28 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
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I have been advertising with The Deux-Sèvres Monthly magazine and find it an extremely useful way to let people know what services I provide. Very happy to work with this great regional magazine.
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Helpful Vocabulary....Gardening le jardin............................................. garden le patio.............................................. patio le parterre.......................................... flowerbed le pavé............................................... paving l’allée................................................. path la pelouse.......................................... lawn la haie............................................... hedge le potager.......................................... vegetable garden la serre.............................................. greenhouse le tas de compost.............................. compost heap le bulbe............................................. bulk les mauvaises.................................... herbes weeds l’arbre................................................ tree le confière......................................... conifer à feuilles persistantes........................ evergreen à feuilles caduques............................ deciduous 30 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
la plante d’ombre............................... shade plant la plante grimpante........................... climber l’arbuste à fleurs................................ flowering shrub les outils de jardin............................. garden tools la houe.............................................. hoe la bêche............................................ spade la fourche......................................... fork le râteau........................................... rake la tondeuse....................................... lawnmower la brouette........................................ wheelbarrow le terreau.......................................... compost le déplantoir..................................... trowel l’arrosoir........................................... watering can l’arroseur.......................................... sprinkler le tuyau d’arrosage........................... hose le parterre......................................... flowerbed
THE AMATEUR GARDENER
by Vanda Lawrence
Climbing roses should be pruned once they have finished flowering and any new growth should be tied in. Also, finish pruning your raspberry canes if you haven’t already done so. As I write this in mid-September our yellow raspberries are still fruiting – they’ve been lovely this year. I’ve already mentioned bees this month – do please consider them whenever you buy any new plants for the garden – but now I will remind you about the birds. We can’t do without the birds and the bees can we? ;) Seriously, they need us to remember to put out food for them in the winter, also water, especially in frosty weather. If your bird bath is anything like mine it gets quite mucky so I clean it with baking powder rather than using any toxic chemicals. I tip out any water, cover the surface with baking powder and leave for a couple of minutes before wiping clean and rinsing. Simple. Also, did you know that if you add a small amount of baking powder to the water in a vase, your cut flowers will last longer. As you finish cropping in the vegetable garden, any areas which are going to stay empty over the winter will benefit from a feed. Just roughly dig over and add compost as you do so, leaving it for the winter weather to break down. Also, now is the time to plant up your favourite herbs into pots to have near the back door or on the kitchen windowsill, ready to use during the winter months. Christmas Rose©Wikimedia Commons/ 3268zauber
O
ctober and November are ideal months for planting new trees, shrubs and perennials because the weather is not too hot and dry yet the soil still has some warmth left in it to encourage new roots to settle in. So make time to wander around your garden to decide what you would like to plant and where. Then look again to see where the sun is shining and where the cold, draughty spots are in the garden – no point in planting a sun-lover in a cold spot is there? Usually you can make adjustments and protect against the elements but it’s as well to be aware of these things, especially if you have just taken on a new house and garden. Make the most of the dry days to cut back or lift and divide your perennials, also remove summer bedding in readiness for winter and spring flowering plants and bulbs. Don’t be tempted to manure these beds or borders at this time of the year, you will only encourage new, soft growth which will be damaged by the cold weather. Instead, add bone-meal, a slow-release fertilizer, which will give the plants a good start in the spring.
Now is also the time for chestnuts to start falling from the trees. We had a chestnut tree in our garden in England and personally I love them roasted, but I have wondered what else you can do with them so I ‘googled’ it (as you do these days). Goodness me! So many recipes to choose from, although often they needed chestnut purée; so OK, I ‘googled’ that too and here is what I came up with from www.closet-cooking.com • 12 chestnuts, boiled and peeled • half cup of milk • half cup of water Place everything in a saucepan making sure you have enough liquid to cover the chestnuts. Simmer 10-20 minutes, until chestnuts are soft. Remove chestnuts, reserving liquid. Purée the chestnuts using as much of the liquid as necessary. Now how easy it that? And it makes a change from digging doesn’t it? Happy October everyone (and don’t forget to put the clocks back on Sunday 25th).
When bees emerge from hibernation at the end of winter they will need plenty of flowering plants to work on so ‘think bee’ when choosing your winter/spring bedding. Helleborus niger ‘Christmas Rose’ flowers during the winter and into spring so is great for them, as are Pulmonaria, Snowdrops, Crocuses, Wallflowers, Mahonia, Sarcococca and Honeysuckle.
Sweet Chestnut©Wikimedia Commons/Rob Young
Lawns will benefit from some care and attention now, so scarify, aerate and feed with autumn fertilizer. Reseed any worn patches too, while the soil is warm. Dahlias are still giving us a good show as I write this, but we shall have frosty weather in due course. As soon as the top growth has been blackened by frost you can cut them down to about 6” and then lift carefully with a fork. Stand the tubers upside-down in a frost-free place to dry out then store crown-uppermost in boxes of very slightly damp peat. Keep crowns above the peat, dust with flowers of sulphur and store in a frost-free shed or greenhouse for the winter. I think my French neighbour leaves his dahlias in the ground over winter, so I am going to try it, simply because I am short of storage space because of garden produce, so fingers crossed and watch this space!!
u u
Contact Vanda Lawrence Email: amateurgardener@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 31
Food & Drink
Appetite for Autumn
by Hazel Foster
ctober...I really love the seasons and after what felt like a very, long, hot summer (don't forget I am in the kitchen a lot, so it feels even hotter!), it's lovely now things have cooled down a bit and we can put that bikini away and start thinking about comfort food! Keeping with what's in season, this month’s recipes use wild mushrooms and pumpkins. Enjoy!
Wild Mushroom Pâté
the pâté 100g/3½oz butter, plus extra melted butter to seal • s room mush of re mixtu 5½oz lb 600g/1 • 1 onion, finely chopped • 1 lemon, juice only • pinch cayenne pepper • 1 tsp grated nutmeg • 150g/5½oz ricotta • • 100g /3½oz cream cheese
mushrooms, Heat the butter in a large saucepan and fry thesoft. Add the until or tes, minu onion and garlic for 10-12 to drain away lemon juice and place the mixture into a sieve ure. moist s exces ne and nutmeg Blend half the mushroom mixture, the cayen smooth. Fold until er blend hand a with or ssor in a food proce rest of the the with along e, chees in the ricotta and cream mushrooms. Cover with a Pack the mixture into ramekins or air-tight jars. . letely comp cool to aside Set r. butte d melte of layer
Butternut Squash with Camembert • 1 butternut squash, halved, seeds removed and put to one side • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced • Sprigs of fresh thyme • 1tbsp olive oil • 1 Camembert cheese, halved through the middle so you have 2 circles Set the oven to 200°C. Put the squash into a roasting tin and season well. Sprinkle with the garlic, and a few thyme sprigs, and zle with oil. Roast for about 1 hr or until the flesh is just tenderdriz. Place each Camembert half in the squash cavity, and top with more thyme. Roast for 10 mins until the cheese has melted. 32 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
© Wikimedia/ Drilnoth
O
© Wikimedia/ PaoloPiscolla
Wild Mushroom and Artichoke Tart
• 3 tbsp olive oil • 1 tbsp butter • 2 large onions, sliced • 300g cooked artichoke hearts (fresh or tinne d) • 300g mixed mushrooms, halved if large • 1 garlic clove, crushed • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves • 500g shortcrust pastry • 1 egg, a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp water, beate n together to glaze • Handful flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopp ed Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C. Heat 2 tbsps of olive dium frying pan, then gently fry the onions for 12-15oil in a memins until softened and lightly browned. Tip the onion s into a bowl and mix with the artichoke hearts and season. Heat the remaining oil and butter in the same pan and add the mush rooms, then stir-fry for 2-3 mins until soft, throw in the garlic and thyme and continue to cook for a minute. Remove from the heat, season and allow to cool. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry into a rough circle about 40cm in diameter and drape over a large bakin Pile the onions and artichokes into the middglesheet. and spread them out evenly, leaving a 10cm bordeof the pastry r around the edge, then pile the mushrooms on top. Bring the edges of the pastry up over the . Brush the exposed pastry edge with the egg glaze. Bakefilling for 20-25 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
Pumpkin and Lentil
Soup
• tbsp olive oil, plu s 1 tsp • 2 onions, choppe d • 2 garlic cloves, ch opped • Approx 800g chop d pumpkin flesh, plus the seedpe s • 100g split red len tils • ½ small pack thyme , leaves picked, plus extra to serve • 1l hot vegetable stock • pinch of salt and sugar • 50g crème fraîch e, plus extra to serve Heat the oil in a lar starting to turn goldege pan. Fry the onions until softened and thyme, then pourn. Stir in the garlic, pumpkin flesh, lenand tils in the hot stock. Seas mer for 20-25 mins un on, cover and simtil the lentils and vege tables are tender. Meanwhile, wash the pumpkin seeds. Remo clinging to them, the ve any fle still n 1 tsp oil in a non-stic dry them with kitchen paper. Hesh k pa n an d fry the seeds until they at the jump and pop. Stir fre start to quently, but cover the keep them in it. Whe pan in betw n to sprinkling of salt and n the seeds look nutty and toasted,ee add a a pinch of sugar, and stir well. Blend the cooked pu mp kin mixture with a ha a food processor un nd blender blend again. Taste fortil smooth, then add the crème fraîcheor in and seasoning. Serve with a spoonfu l of crè me fra îche, a few thyme lea the toasted seeds sca ves and ttered on top.
Hazel Foster ~ Homechef 79 Personal Chef for dinner parties, special occasions and catering services Tel: 05 49 63 29 98 ~ Email: homechef79@gmail.com
P
Christmas is coming @ the Perfect Pig Company
reparations for Christmas on our farm started back in May when we collected the goslings and turkeys from our supplier. All the birds are totally free ranging and throughout the late summer and autumn they have pecked and nibbled at fruit in the orchard and grapes on the vines – as our customers have seen when they come to the farm shop. For those of you that celebrate Thanksgiving we can supply you with a fabulous bird, either a whole turkey or a turkey crown Sorry, no pumpkins for the pie – they went to our pigs! Our geese are certainly getting fat and this is our third year of producing an excellent quality free-range goose for the Christmas table. One of the great things about Christmas is the family get together. Do you ever worry about what size bird to buy? Here at the Perfect Pig Company we are happy to advise you personally, but as a quick guide allow 500g for all birds, except geese where we recommend you allow 1kg per person. If you want an alternative to the traditional lunch try a cracklingcoated pork loin roast, which has all the intense garlic, fennel, citrus and herb flavours of a classic Italian porchetta. Ready to pop into the oven and no preparation required so more time for you with your family and guests … and a glass of bubbly. Alas we cannot offer you a plum pudding – however, we can certainly offer you some great pork products from our ‘Plum Pudding Pigs”. During October and November we will be selling our home-made lard – so no excuse not to make a real pork pie that any ‘Bake Off’ contestant would be proud of. Why not have a go at curing your own Christmas ham – or some home-made bacon – we have some great pork sides and legs available with full curing instructions included – you can do it! So put us on your Christmas shopping list and if you are stuck for an unusual gift - what about a ‘Pig Experience Day’ or ‘Pork Butchery’ course … we are now offering a complementary ‘Big Breakfast’ with our early morning piggy tour. Call us to arrange a gift voucher.
Contact David & Lorraine Jones on 05 49 75 52 89 www.theperfectpigcompany.com Le Logis, 79220 COURS The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 33
La Rentrée
N
by Jacqueline Brown
ow September has left us, autumn has arrived and although I always miss summer this period of change, that included la rentrée, is a time of year that reinvigorates my senses.
The mornings have become fresh and often misty, the scent of mown grass has returned as the rains turn the brown straw back into lush lawns that need regular mowing and the air has changed. For a few weeks the morning and evening skies were alive with swallows who seemed to disappear during the day; overnight guests who were making their way south. On fine evenings, summer still has its hold and the smoky barbeque air means shared meals outside are not quite over and done with yet, but cooler temperatures mean the first lightings of the stoves that give a woody nose to the air in the village, and necessitated the duvet making a return to the bed. Our September harvests in the orchard marked the end of our fruit season, but the peaches, nectarines and quince were superb this year and the kitchen smelt delicious as the bowls of fruit waited their turn to be eaten or made into jams and chutneys. The glut of peaches led to a new curried peach chutney recipe that will be making an appearance in the hampers this Christmas. An afternoon spent harvesting the lavender bushes to fill the vases throughout the house left a pleasing fragrance lingering indoors. As the walnuts fell from the trees so did the leaves from the fruit trees that, as usual, were the first to succumb to the cooler nights. This year it seemed to be a breezy September with leaves rustling in the trees and swirling around my feet much earlier than I remember from previous years. The colours have changed too. The harvested fields have been ploughed giving a chocolaty brown patchwork against the green of the fresh grass. The hedgerows have started to yellow, but when I look closely I can see berries of all colours hiding among the leaves. This year has been an excellent one for sloes, the smallest member of the plum family, that make a delicious fruity aperitif when left to infuse with sugar and gin. Even the colours of my meals at this time of year move from the vibrant reds and greens of salad lunches to the autumnal tones of bright orange squash, cooked to make warm and comforting dishes. A real feast for the taste buds came from the ‘Fête de la Chèvre’ that was held in Celles-sur-Belle in September this year. Producers from all over Poitou-Charentes were there to display every type of goats cheese; from very soft and runny fresh cheeses, to hard, strong flavoured mature ones. In the morning the cheeses were expertly cut to form artistic displays and in the afternoon the tasting began. I sampled as many as I could, marvelling at the differences in flavour and texture that can be produced; pure heaven for a foodie like me.
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34 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
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Yummy Autumn
T
by John Sherwin
hank God for Autumn. No more camper vans clogging the arterial roads; kiddies back at school where they belong; blanched spindly limbs re-encased in sober tweed; barbecues buried back in the barn; the harsh light we’re all supposed to like at last mellowing. Bliss. No one really likes summer, do they? I mean, really. Give me the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness any day. This is also of course the season of wine fairs – Foires aux Vins. The rather metronomic selection of bottles you normally see in your local supermarket is hugely expanded, allowing you to take a virtual tour of most of the wine producing regions of France. This is a great time to stock up – and experiment, why not? The biggest foire for you 79’ers is at the Niort Leclerc. Starts on 29th September and runs through to 11th October. There’ll be a huge big top and all the fun of the fair with sommeliers and producers in attendance and four separate tasting areas. Now, to be honest this atmosphere of razzamatazz is not, at least for me, sensitive soul that I am, the ideal forum for the quiet introspection necessary for wine evaluation. But far be it from me to be a party-pooper: you can’t fault the breadth of brews available, and at the kind of great knock-down prices that only big supermarket chains can gouge out of producers. Leave meditation for when you get home. Oh, and it’s quite the done thing to spit, thus giving you a better than even chance of actually getting home. Fruit doesn’t get much more mellow than grapes used to produce the wonderful sweet wines from Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume in the Loire Valley. The former covers about 80 ha around the commune of Thouarcé; the latter about 45 ha near Rochefortsur-Loire. If, when you saw ‘sweet wines’, you mouthed the word ‘yuck’, I urge you to think again. These wines are superb. The grapes are allowed to reach over-maturity thus giving high sugar concentration. In some years, when the climatic conditions are right, they are also affected by ‘noble rot’ which dehydrates the grapes and intensifies sugars even further. When the grapes have reached maximum sugar concentration (and maximum ugliness – and boy, they are the ugliest raisins you’ve ever seen), they are picked lovingly by hand during multiple passes through the vineyard. Both appellations use only Chenin Blanc (known locally as Pineau de la Loire) which, though planted in many areas around the world, reaches its sublimity in the Loire. Youthful appearance is a deep golden yellow becoming coppery with age – God, that sounds familiar. Aromas start life as grapey and floral, becoming more and more complex with hints of candied fruits, spice, honey, nuts and a particular minerality as the years roll by. And you can indeed store these wines for at least ten years, and for the best examples, until the cows come home. Serve between 8°C and 10°C and pour into a carafe if under five years old. Taste is luscious and full-bodied, sweetness balanced by acidity and fruit. Classic food combinations are pan-fried foie gras with poached apples; fish in cream sauce; Roquefort cheese (or similar, salty and stinky); desserts based on pears or almonds. Just space to plug ‘Le Relais de Mareuil’. If you’re wine hunting in the Mareuil-sur-Lay area of the Vendée this is a top place to lunch. OK, there’s not much competition around, but that’s beside the point. Recently redecorated, what was rather pokey and brown is now airy and light. Tables of twin-set and pearls next to local labourers, all there to enjoy the set menu at €12. Buffet to start (small selection, so good and fresh); choice of three or four mains; cheese or dessert; wine included. The last time I was there I had the entrecote for main – the second best I have ever tasted, the first being at the same establishment two weeks prior. It’s on the main street in the middle of town, the Luçon – La Roche route. u u
John Sherwin, French Wine Tours 02 51 66 13 05 or www.french-wine-tours.com The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 35
Motoring
The Crown Princess
S
ome say it is in the list of the 50 worst cars of all time, and yet in the late 1950’s and through to 1965 the Renault Dauphine was the epitome of French Chic, at least according to the UK promotional campaign;
‘‘A penny farthing a mile and you travel in style – the new Renault Dauphine!”
In a tasteful choice of pastel finishes, the Dauphine was a small car in which a housewife could dream of being the Audrey Hepburn of the suburbs. Here was family transport that came complete with a heater, twin courtesy lamps and an automatic choke, plus that all-important white steering wheel !! Historically speaking, the Dauphine was a product of France’s 1946 Pons Plan, whereby motor manufacturers only received supplies if they concentrated on small and medium-sized cars “for the masses”. The Dauphine epitomised its maker’s desire for a small four-door saloon with a performance and fuel economy to match the VW Beetle, and its origins date to 1951 when Renault began to develop a small car that would eventually replace the 1947 4CV and prove inexpensive to produce around the world. The styling would virtually be a scaled-down version of Renault’s 2L Frégate saloon, the 4CV’s wheelbase was increased by six inches and the engine capacity was raised to 845cc.
by Helen Tait-Wright
As Renault’s first genuine world car, it was built across Francophone Africa, in addition to Argentina (until as late as 1971), Brazil and Japan. In Europe, the Dauphine was manufactured in Belgium, Spain and in Italy by Alfa Romeo, who built their own Dauphine alongside the Giulietta between 1959 and 1964. In Britain, between 1957 and 1961, Dauphines were assembled at Renault’s Acton plant and one powder blue example was driven by no less a person than HM the Queen! Most notoriously, however, in July 1961 the Dauphine became Britain’s first ever mini-cab. However, the most high-profile market was that of the US. Early in 1958, Time magazine said: “The car that has come up fastest in the US market in the past year is Renault’s Dauphine (Crown Princess). A snub-nosed 32-hp Sedan, it is low-priced, economical and small enough to shoehorn into a small parking space.” So, why is it also on the list of the 50 worst cars ever? The main problems with Dauphine motoring revolve around durability and its performance.
The name is said to have come about when one of the design engineers stated “the 4CV is the Queen of the road, the new arrival can only be the Dauphine” (Dauphine is the feminine form of the French feudal title of Dauphin, the heir apparent to the throne).
Negative reviews of the car have suggested that it was, in fact, a rickety, paper-thin car that, if you stood beside it, you could actually hear rusting! Just one winter of driving on salt-strewn roads was enough to give a Dauphine front wings that resembled net curtains. This very real abysmal corrosion record probably explains why the British Renault Classic Car Club knows only 60 Dauphines, despite the Renault’s considerable popularity in the UK.
Futuristic features included all independant suspension, rack and pinion steering and unitary construction using extra thin steel for non-structural panels that kept the weight down. It was also one of the first cars to have a steering lock, and an automatic choke.
Its most salient feature however was its slowness. It took the drivers over 32 seconds to reach 60 mph, which would put the Dauphine at a severe disadvantage in any drag race involving modern farm equipment!
When the Dauphine debuted in 1956 (ironically it was originally to be known as the Corvette until GM became irate) it proved an almost instant success across the globe: the new coachwork was deemed highly elegant, the price was low, and the Dauphine’s overall size was still suitable for congested Parisian streets.
The fact that the ultra-cheap Dauphine sold over 2 million copies around the world is an indication of how desperately people wanted cars at the time. That said, they still have an enthusiastic following, and here in France you can pick up a restoration project for around 4,000€ and a pristine example may set you back as much as 15,000€.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons and www.assets.blog.hemmings.com
In fact its dimensions are so compact that it is incredible to think that it was often used as both a Parisian police car and a taxi.
36 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
u u
Helen Tait-Wright Email: helen@stodel.org
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 37
A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres
MAIRE-LEVESCAULT
by Sue Burgess
Mairé-Levescault is a small commune that is part of the ‘Coeur du Poitou’ area. The inhabitants are called the Mairéens and Mairéennes. There are 560 inhabitants in the village of MairéLevescault and the neighbouring towns are Sauzé-Vaussais, Caunay, Pliboux, Lorigné and La Chapelle-Pouilloux. The origins of the village go right back to the 6th century. The history of the village is linked to the life of Saint Junien, the patron saint of labourers. In 559, Clotaire 1st, King of the Francs, the son of Clovis and the husband of Radégonde who was to become the future Saint Radégonde, gave Saint Junien a place of his own choosing to build a monastery. The chosen place was called Mariacus. The monastery grew and village life grew too. Mairé was born. L’Evescault was added after a big religious festival which took place in Poitiers and to which Junien was invited. Saint Radégonde gave him the rank of bishop. The village’s name can be found with different spellings over the ages: Mariacus (6th century), Sanctus Junianus Mariacensis (838) ; Villa Matriacus (969) ; Mariacum (1075) ; Mariacum Episcopalem (1085) ; Mairée (1156) ; Maerec (1260) ; Mayriec (1276) ; Mairé (1300) ; Mayrec (1305) ; Mayré (1350) ; Meyriacum (1394) ; Mairé L’Evesquau 1477 and Mairé L’Evescault in 1782. Several pieces of cut and shaped flint have been found in the area which means that early civilisations lived here. There are three Tumulus visible in ‘le bois de la Garenne’. The wars of religion were very violent in the area. The protestant religion practised by the lords of Cerzé was very strong. The dragoons intervened in 1681 and 1685 and spread terror and ruin throughout the area. The population declined when phylloxera destroyed the vines. In 1881, the local county archives noted that the countryside was being deserted in favour of the towns. Youngsters, after their military service were becoming gendarmes, forest guards, postmen, railway workers or simply factory workers. A VOIR / MUST SEE • Le Pigeonnier/Pigeon Loft (photo: www.maire-levescault.fr)
It seems that during the 13th century Maisontiers was a stronghold of the Hospitaller knights. At that time there was a keep at the North West angle of the courtyard. The keep was preceeded by a surrounding wall which encircled the courtyard where the stables are now situated. Ph oto: Wikiped There were moats, ia Stephane Mace de Lepi so the château was nay well defended. The keep was taken down in about 1312.
At the end of the 15th century the chateau became the property of Claude de Montjehan, dame of Goulesne, who remodeled the chateau and added the main wing. The château was sold on the 21st May 1544, to Guyonne de la Bernardière, the wife of René de Tusseau. Since then, Maisontiers has remained the property of the same family.
MARIGNY In the year 1000, Marigny was called Vicaria Moniacus. After that the commune became known as Marénicum and then Marignec. By 1648 the name of the commune was Marigni before becoming Marigné – the actual spelling of Marigny goes back to 1782. With its 3200 hectares, Marigny is the largest commune of the canton of Beauvoir and until 1934 the village of Rimabualt depended on Marigny. For many years, it was the commune with the largest population. Before phylloxéra hit the commune in 1882, there were seven hundred hectares of vines. Le Grand Mauduit, an old hamlet with legends of legendary creatures called galipotes and werewolves, was probably the centre of a sunworshipping cult. The village of Péré gets its name from the stoney ground, Villa Peredius. The chateau of Péré in a wooded park dates from the 15th century. It was enlarged later when an extra wing was added and elements from the 18th and 19th centuries can be found. The chapel of the château was used as the parish church for several years as the church was sold during the revolution. Other places like Les Chirons have revealed merovingian objects and burial places. A VOIR / MUST SEE • The Church of Marigny. The church of Marigny is dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist. Only the bell tower and the apse of the romanesque church remain. This part of the church is outstanding and the church was classified as a historical monument.
Before the revolution, the parish of Marigny had a priory of the Order of Saint-Benoit. The prior had to celebrate mass in the parish church on Sundays and Holy days. The priory adjoined the North wall of the church.
Marigny is one of the few parishes in the Beauvoir area with a church school. The school was founded in 1860, thanks to the generosity of the Lauzun family.
MASONTIERS In the north of the Deux-Sèvres, the commune of Maisontiers is crossed from West to East by the Taconnière, a tributary of the Thouet which runs into the Cébron. The village is situated 7 km South West of Airvault and 14 km North of Parthenay. A VOIR / MUST SEE • Masontiers Chateau The château of Maisontiers is a private building. It is possible to visit the gardens during the summer and during ‘les journées du patrimoine’. 38 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
More A-Z of the Communes of Deux-Sèvres next month...
Building & Renovation
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 39
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Business & Finance PEL: Plan Epargne Logement
H
ow many of you have some savings accounts in your French bank without knowing what they are, how much they earn or how they work? Be honest.... I have met a large number of people who have no idea how many accounts they have in their bank.
My lovely English husband (at the time of writing this article the Rugby World Cup has not yet started and we are still speaking to each other!) always says: “there are two things I want to be sure I understand in France: health and money.” So let’s have a look at one account in particular that most banks will try to sell to you.... The PEL!
What is PEL?
It is a savings account that is earning 2% per year BEFORE social charges (since 01/02/2015, 2.5% before that date). It was created by the French Government to encourage people to save money towards buying a main residence, hence the name ‘Housing Saving plan’. Everybody can open one (even under 18 years old) and the idea was that people who had a PEL could obtain a mortgage via PEL and get a bonus from the government (up to 5000€ depending on how much is on the PEL). I am yet to meet anybody who has benefited from this bonus! One, because the interest on mortgages via PEL are higher than normal mortgages and two, because the conditions to get it are weird (the house you buy must meet environmental criteria) and it is complicated to set up.
How Does it Work?
To open it, you must make an initial deposit of 225€ accompanied with instalments of 540€ per year minimum for the first 4 years (monthly, quarterly or bi-annual). You can make additional deposits whenever you want, before the 10th anniversary of the PEL. The maximum amount in it is 61,200€ but compounding interest can make it grow past this figure. You are only allowed one per person. After 15 years, it will no longer earn 2%, the banks decide on how much it will earn. You can close it anytime you want, but if you close it in the first 2 years, you will only get 0.5% interest instead of 2%. You CANNOT MAKE A PARTIAL WITHDRAWAL. If you need money, you have to close it.
Tax Implication
Social charges are deducted from it on the 31st of December each year (the same time they give you the interest) and at the moment it is 15.5%.
by Isabelle Want
No income tax is payable for the first 12 years, after which, the interest is to be declared annually.
Advantages
Well, it is forcing you to save money and it is earning more than the regulated accounts/ISA (LEP, Livret A and LDD-see my previous article on BH-assurances website) which are only earning 0.75% (1% for LEP) since 01/08/2015.
Disadvantages • • • • • • •
It’s only earning 1.69% (2%-15.5% social charges). You cannot make partial withdrawals. You get penalised for closing it within the first 2 years. You are obliged to put money in it for the first 4 years. You are pretty much obliged to close it after 12 years for tax reasons or 15 years because it won’t be earning anymore. When you die, it will be dealt with by the Notaire like any other bank accounts or properties and there could be inheritance tax on it. And last, but not least, the bank charges your heirs are charged for closing it down (free if you close it while you are alive). The charge is a percentage of how much is on the PEL at the time of the death.
Conclusion
I think you may have gathered from my article that I am not a fan of this saving account. I don’t have one, and never will. I have a Livret A for treasury (in case my husband breaks the TV watching France beat England in the rugby!) and an Assurance vie for longer term saving. Please don’t take this the wrong way as I know most of my readers are over 40, but, in my view, this account is only good for people in their 20’s or 30’s who can only save 50€ per month in the next 5 to 10 years because if the savings account was available or they were not obliged to save into it (first 4 years), they would have a tendency to spend it. Chances are you probably have a PEL without knowing it as banks use funny names such as ‘carré vert’ or ‘blue’ or ‘Moisson’ or ‘Capital Expension’, etc. so check your paperwork and contact me if you want to find a more flexible and tax advantageous saving account. And remember to check out our website www.bh-assurances.fr for all my previous articles (“practical information” on the English site). And we now have a Facebook page: Allianz Jacques Boulesteix et Thierry Hatesse. We also now have a new section listing English speaking traders. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any other information or quote on subject such as Funeral cover, inheritance law, car, house and top up health insurance, etc…
N° Orias 07004255
BH Assurances 22 rue Jean Jaures 16700 Ruffec Contact Isabelle Want: Tel: 05 45 31 01 61 Mob: 06 17 30 39 11
Email: isabelle.want@bh-assurances.fr ~ Visit our website: www.bh-assurances.fr The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 45
Patience....?
by Sue Cook
Ask Amanda
This is a question I have been asked a number of times over the last few weeks. “I have been waiting to transfer Sterling to euros and was delighted to see the rate touch 1.4. However, I didn’t transfer because I was hoping it would keep rising. But now it has dropped a bit and is still falling – what’s the prediction for the next few months? Should I transfer or hold on a bit?” How disappointing for you! It may be cold comfort to know that many people find themselves in exactly your position. The only real consolation we can offer you is that – as you’ve discovered – the markets can be unpredictable and what falls one day can go up the next. This means that if your need for euros isn’t urgent and you have the ability to wait, there may be some merit in being patient and seeing if Sterling can rebuild its muscle against the euro. Obviously, there are no guarantees when it comes to currency values and no one can promise you that 1.4 will be matched or bettered at a time that suits you. But you do have a couple of options for ensuring that the next time the euro takes a dip against the pound that you’re ready to pounce! The first of these options is Rate Watch. This is a service that’s exclusive to Currencies Direct, and it’s the easiest way to keep track of the markets. For example, if you were hoping for a better Sterling-to-euro rate than 1.4, you can tell us what your preferred rate is for making a transfer. We’ll watch the market for you, and when your rate is achieved we’ll get in touch with you so can decide whether or not you want to move your money. The best thing about Rate Watch (apart from the fact that you’re not required to do anything!) is that it’s obligation-free – we know that life can be as unpredictable as the currency markets. So if, when your rate is reached, you don’t need to move your money, that’s fine. But it’s good to know that once your Rate Watch is set up that someone’s keeping an eye on the markets for you. Another good currency tool is a forward option. This will give you the chance to book your currency exchange on a specific date, and at a predetermined exchange rate. For example, if the rate reaches your ideal level before you need to move your money, you can call us to book in that rate for when you do need to move it. This is great if you’re buying a house or getting married abroad, but don’t want to touch your funds in Sterling just yet. You can lock in your forward payment for a 10% deposit. I suppose that the short answer is that nobody can predict the future, but there are things you can do today to get ready for it. We’re here to help and actually enjoy watching the markets – not everybody does, we know – and we’d be happy to talk over what we can do for you................. Let’s talk currency. u u
Sue Cook of Currencies Direct 05 55 03 66 69 or 06 89 99 28 89
46 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
“I missed your ‘Tour de Finance’ roadshows in March. How can I find out about the changes in UK personal pensions and wills that have come into force this year?”
After the tremendous success of our ‘Tours de Finance’ roadshows in the spring, I am delighted to say that The Spectrum IFA Group and Currencies Direct have arranged a further number of seminars in November 2015. These events give you the opportunity to listen to a number of specialist partners who can answer questions you may have about your financial circumstances. I will be at Château de la Perrière, 49240 AVRILLÉ (www. chateaudelaperriere.com) on November 11th, with coffee and registration starting at 10.00am, followed by a series of brief presentations regarding various aspects of financial planning for those living in France. The seminar finishes with a buffet lunch, where you can informally speak to the presenters with any questions you may have. The events are very well attended, so please book your places early so we can ensure we have a space for you. In addition to the Tours De Finance event, I will also be conducting the following financial surgeries in the upcoming weeks. Please pop in to one of these and I will be happy to discuss your own plans. I will be at: • •
Thursday 8th October 11.30 - 14.30 at Café Cour de Miracle, Vouvant Friday 23rd October 11.30 - 14.30 at Bar Brasserie Vue du Chateau, Bressuire
Finally, to increase the availability of information regarding financial planning for expatriates I have just organised a blog. The address is www.financial-adviser-france.uk and I hope you will log onto it and register for regular updates and information about changes in regulations and laws in France. Whether you want to register for our newsletter, attend one of our road shows or speak to me directly, please call or email me on the contacts below and I will be glad to help you. We do not charge for reviews, reports or recommendations we provide. With Care, You Prosper. Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Lausanne, Paris, Cote d’Azur, Barcelona, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Madrid, Mallorca, Rome. «The Spectrum IFA Group » is a registered trademark, exclusive rights to use in France granted to TSG Insurance Services S.A.R.L. Siège Social: 34 Bd des Italiens, 75009 «Société de Courtage d’assurances» R.C.S. Paris B 447 609 108 (2003B04384) Numéro d’immatriculation 07 025 332 - www.orias.fr «Conseiller en investissements financiers, référence sous le numéro E002440 par ANACOFI-CIF, association agréée par l’Autorité des Marchés Fin
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Amanda Johnson of The Spectrum IFA Group 05 49 98 97 46 or 06 73 27 25 43
Succession Law and Estate Planning in France
by Bradley Warden, Partner, Blevins Franks
O
n 17th August this year, the new European Succession Regulation, commonly known as ‘Brussels IV’, was launched. Brussels IV was devised to end confusion over cross-border inheritances. As welcome as this is, without the right guidance UK nationals may end up paying unnecessarily large tax bills.
How Does it Work?
Generally, it means that the law of the state in which the deceased had his habitual residence at death governs how his assets are distributed within the Brussels IV zone. This is the default position. However, Brussels IV allows you to opt for the law of your nationality to govern your assets across the zone through your will.
What Does this Mean for Me?
Under Brussels IV, you can opt for UK law to rule how your assets are distributed. This seems like good news as French succession law is different to that in the UK and restricts how you can leave your assets. In France children are ‘protected heirs’ and may inherit up to 75% of your estate; spouses generally are not protected.
So I Should Choose UK Law?
Not necessarily. The UK, Ireland and Denmark have opted out of Brussels IV. We need to wait and see what effect this has. You may actually be better off under French succession law.
French tax rates are high (up to 60%) for heirs other than your spouse, children and parents, while allowances are low (as little as 1,594€). So if you used UK law to leave assets outside your immediate family, your beneficiaries could receive a large tax bill. Also, under the UK/France double tax treaty, if you choose UK law, you could find your estate liable for both UK inheritance tax and French succession tax. Your heirs in France would receive a credit for tax paid in the UK, but they could still end up paying a lot.
Do I Need to Do Anything?
If you do want to choose UK law, you need to specifically state this in your will. However, it is important to first seek specialist, personalised advice to make sure you understand the implications, and to create the best succession plan for you and your family. Summarised tax information is based upon our understanding of current laws and practices which may change. Individuals should seek personalised advice.
How is That Possible?
For example, Brussels IV does not cover tax laws. You cannot choose to pay UK inheritance tax so French succession tax still applies.
semina rs
Book your place now by phone, email or from our website
“What should I be doing following the new EU succession regulation and UK pension reforms?” Talk to the people who know.
PuS03 - fr
Both the UK pension reform and new EU succession law are game changers for expatriates in France. Both could also have consequences if you get it wrong. Our seminars outline the reforms, look at the pros and cons and discuss solutions.
book your seat now
Thur 22 Oct | Hotel Le Puits Doré RICHELIEU Fri 23 Oct | Domaine du Griffier GRANZAY-GRIPT (near Niort)
05 49 75 07 24
both seminars with coffee at 10am for a 10.30am start, ending 12 noon
www.blevinsfranks.com
niort@blevinsfranks.com
Blevins Franks Group is represented in France by the following companies: Blevins Franks Financial Management Limited (BFFM) and Blevins Franks France SASU (BFF). BFFM is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, reference number 179731. Where advice is provided overseas, via the Insurance Mediation Directive from Malta, the regulatory system differs in some respects from that of the UK. Blevins Franks France SASU (BFF), is registered with ORIAS, register number 07 027 475, and authorised as “Conseil en Investissement Financiers” and “Courtiers d’Assurance” Category B (register can be consulted on www.orias.fr). BFF’s registered office: Parc Innolin, 3 Rue du Golf, CS 60073, 33701 Mérignac – RCS BX 498 800 465.
FR A NCE
S PA I N
P ORT UG A L
C Y PRU S
M A LTA
U N I T E D K I N G D OM
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 47
Property An Apple a Day....
by Joanna Leggett
.... may or may not keep the Doctor away, but here, in the heart of the Gâtine in Deux-Sèvres, there are apples aplenty … food for inspiration and delicious eating! South and west of the river Thouët, the Gâtine de Parthenay region forms part of Le Bocage area of Deux-Sèvres. Dotted with apple fields and meadows bordered by hedgerows of hawthorn and broom, this is the very best French countryside! Luscious streams and rivers hurry towards the sea, sunken lanes lead to secret homes, smallholdings and farmhouses half-hidden in leafy woods and everywhere is space, peace and the opportunity to create a wonderful lifestyle. Throughout patchworked fields are set bushels of apple orchards. A riot of pink and white blossom in the spring, they provide shelter on hot sunny days and in autumn produce their seasonal bounty! In the heart of the Gâtine, Mazieres en Gâtine, a pretty stone house awaits its next owners (Leggett reference 40420, see photo below). Between Niort and Parthenay, this 4 bedroom renovated property has the potential to provide extra income. Split into two (there’s a connecting door on the ground floor) many exposed beams and other original features remain. The main house has an entrance hall, lounge with wood burning stove, kitchen/diner and two bedrooms. The other side has another sitting room with stove, kitchen and two bedrooms. Then there’s the barn offering further potential, swimming pool and a pretty garden looking over lush meadows to the nearby golf club. On the market for 230,000€. Ref: 40420
St Paul en Gâtine sits west of Parthenay just 5 kms from L’Absie with all its facilities. Here another 4 bedroom stone property dates back to the late 18th century, beautifully restored and renovated it’s set in grounds of about an acre. But wait, here there’s more – the title includes a second, one bedroomed, house with scope to increase into the adjoining barn! Other outbuildings around the sides of the front courtyard Ref: 41678 include an old smoke house. The gardens run to the rear and side with mature plants, shrubs and a good selection of fruit trees. For sale at 268,750€ our Leggett reference is 41678 (photo right). And when it comes down to it, what can beat the taste of an apple freshly plucked from your own tree - especially from the heart of the Gâtine! Leggett Immobilier is one of the leading estate agents in France. You can access all our local property listings at www.frenchestateagents. com/poitou-charentes-property
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Leggett Immobilier www.frenchestateagents.com
48 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015 | 49
Small Colour Advert
only 35€
50 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2015