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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Welcome! to Issue 31 of
‘The DeuxSèvres Monthly’ magazine.
I hope you have all enjoyed some quality time with visitors recently. It can be a very busy time, exploring new places and showing your friends and family your favourite haunts. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful region and giving tours to friends only highlights this for me. Well, we are now down to the final stages of preparation for our 2nd Trade Fair / Foire Commerciale. It’s just the last minute jobs to be done now until the big day.....We have more than 65 exhibitors this year, each bringing something a little different to the event. Please do come and see us - Saturday 21st September from 10.30am at the plan d’eau in Secondigny. Don’t forget to bring the ‘Pull-Out’ section in the centre pages for plans of the venue and to see a list of exhibitors. Hope to see some of you there!
à plus, Sarah.
Tel: 05 49 70 26 21 Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
Emergency Numbers: 15 SAMU, Medical 17 Gendarmes, Police 18 Pompiers, Fire
112 European emergency 113 Drugs and alcohol
CONTENTS
What’s On.....................................................................................4 Hobbies, Clubs & Associations.....................................................6 Getting Out & About....................................................................7 Health, Beauty & Fitness............................................................15 Our Furry Friends.......................................................................18 The Great Outdoors...................................................................20 A-‐Z of the Communes in the Deux-‐Sèvres.................................27 Take a Break...............................................................................28 French Life, Food & Drink..........................................................29 Motoring....................................................................................33 Communications........................................................................35 Building & Renovation...............................................................37 Business, Finance & Property....................................................42
THIS MONTH’S ADVERTISERS 79 Renovations.....................................................................................................40 A2B Food Services............................................................................................... 30 A La Bonne Vie (Restaurant)................................................................................ 32 Abattage Service (Slaughter House -‐ Poultry).................................................... 29 Ace Pneus (Tyre Supplier & Fitter)...................................................................... 34 Affordable UK Designs (Kitchens & UPVC D/Glazing)......................................... 2 AKE Petits Travaux (Builder)................................................................................ 40 Alan Pearce (Plumbing & Heating)..................................................................... 38 Andrew Longman (Plumber)............................................................................... 37 An English Nursery in France.............................................................................. 21 ARB French Property........................................................................................... 45
...continued.
Arbrecadabra.com (Tree surgery)........................................................................ 20 Bar/Brasserie Vue du Chateau............................................................................ 31 BH Assurances / Allianz....................................................................................... 44 Bijoux en Fleurs (Handmade jewellery).............................................................. 8 Bill McEvoy (Plumber / Heating Engineer).......................................................... 37 Blevins Franks Tax & Wealth Management......................................................... 43 Bois Nature Energie (Firewood & Fencing)......................................................... 21 British Mobile Mechanic (John Purchase)........................................................... 34 Café des Belles Fleurs.......................................................................................... 32 Caniclôture (Hidden fencing)............................................................................ 18 Chris Bassett Construction.................................................................................. 40 Chris Parsons (Heating/Electrical/Plumbing)...................................................... 37 Christies (English Book Shop and Tea Room)...................................................... 8 Cleaning Services by Karen.................................................................................. 45 Clean Sweep Chimney Services........................................................................... 40 CSB Construction................................................................................................. 40 Currencies Direct (Money Transfers)................................................................... 42 Cut 46 (Hair Salon).............................................................................................. 16 DB Electricité....................................................................................................... 41 David Cropper (Stump Grinding & Jungle Busting)............................................ 20 David Watkins (Chimney Sweep)........................................................................ 40 DJ Jeff (Professional DJ)....................................................................................... 9 D.J Maintenance (Handyman)............................................................................ 41 Domaine de l’enchantoir (Vineyard)................................................................... 8 EcoPower (Solar Thermal Trading Company)...................................................... 41 Electricien Anglais en France.............................................................................. 41 Franglais Deliveries............................................................................................. 34 French Tuition (Pascale Terry)............................................................................. 14 Gareth Llewellyn (Carpenter/Joiner).................................................................. 41 Garage Planchet (Renault garage)...................................................................... 33 George Rayner Computers.................................................................................. 36 Give the Dog a Comb (Dog Grooming)............................................................... 18 Glass 2 France...................................................................................................... 2 Hallmark Electronique (Electricians & Sat. Engineers)........................................ 41 Heather’s Pet Care Services................................................................................ 18 Holistic Therapy -‐ Soul to Sole............................................................................. 16 Homes In France (Tony Murdoch)....................................................................... 47 Insink Plumbing................................................................................................. .. 37 James Harris (Plasterer)....................................................................................... 38 John Snee Groundworks..................................................................................... 39 Jon Crocker Photography..................................................................................... 9 Julia Hunt -‐ Agent Commercial............................................................................ 45 Keith Banks Pool Services.................................................................................... 37 La Deuxieme Chance (Annie Sloan chalk paint supplier).................................... 38 Leggett Immobilier.............................................................................................. 46 Les Ecuries du Saumort (Horse Riding School).................................................... 46 Les Jardins St Laurent (Bistro)............................................................................. 7 Le Logis -‐ Perfect Pig Company........................................................................... 30 Le Petit Pillac (Holiday Accommodation)............................................................ 45 L’Immobilier de l’Autize....................................................................................... 46 Man For Hire........................................................................................................ 20 Mark Sabestini Renovation & Construction........................................................ 39 MB Plumbing & Building Services....................................................................... 37 Michael Hobson (Painter & Decorator)............................................................... 38 Michael William Hairdressing.............................................................................. 17 ML Computers..................................................................................................... 36 Motor Parts Charente.......................................................................................... 34 Mutuelle de Poitiers Assurances......................................................................... 34 Nathan Foster Building Services.......................................................................... 39 Needa Hand Services........................................................................................... 38 Pamela Irving (Massage & Reflexology).............................................................. 16 Pascale Matéo (French Courses)......................................................................... 14 Philip Irving (Mini Digger hire)............................................................................. 39 Polar Express (Frozen Foods).............................................................................. 31 Premier Autos (Mechanic).................................................................................. 34 Restaurant des Canards....................................................................................... 31 Rob Berry (Plasterer)........................................................................................... 38 Robert Walker Plomberie.................................................................................... 37 Ross Hendry (Interface Consulting & Engineering)............................................. 35 Sandy G ( Hairdresser)......................................................................................... 17 Sarah Berry Online (Graphics & Website Design)............................................... 36 Satellite TV (Nigel Gubb)...................................................................................... 36 sarl Down to Earth (Groundwork & Construction)............................................. 39 Siddalls (Financial Advisors)................................................................................. 44 Simon Bienz (Carpenter / Joiner)........................................................................ 40 Simon The Tiler.................................................................................................... 37 Spectrum IFA Group (Amanda Johnson)............................................................. 42 Steve Enderby...................................................................................................... 38 Sue Burgess (French Courses & Translation)....................................................... 14 The English Mechanic & Son -‐ Tony Eyre............................................................ 34 The Market.......................................................................................................... 8 Total Renovation Services (Michael Dominey)................................................... 38 Tracey Bowring (Hairdressing & Nails)................................................................ 17 Vendée Carriers................................................................................................... 34
© Sarah Berry 2013. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission. While care is taken to ensure that articles and features are accurate, Sarah Berry accepts no liability for reader dissatisfaction. The opinions expressed and experiences shared are given by individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the publisher. Please ensure you verify that the company you are dealing with is a registered trading company in France and/or elsewhere. <<The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly>> est édité par Sarah Berry, La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny. Tél: 05 49 70 26 21. Directeur de la publication et rédacteur en chef: Sarah Berry. Crédits photos: Sarah Berry, Clkr et morgeufile.com. Impression: Raynaud Imprimeurs, zone industrielle, BP13, 79160, Coulonges-‐sur-‐l’Autize. Dépôt légal: septembre 2013 -‐ Tirage: 5000 exemplaires. Siret: 515 249 738 00011 ISSN: 2115-‐4848
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What’s On... September 2013 2nd September -‐ Top Hat Quiz & Curry at Limalonges See www.tophatquizzes.com for more information. 4th September -‐ Top Hat Quiz & Curry at Chef Boutonne See www.tophatquizzes.com for more information. 7th September -‐ les Jardiniers du Poitou 5th Annual Produce Show Produce show at Le Logis du Theil, St Aubin le Cloud, 11am -‐ 4pm. Various Stalls and refreshments available. 7th September -‐ Live Music Night At Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux with 3 Plus 1, including Rock and Pop music. From 8pm. See Advert on P.32 for details. 8th September -‐ Fun Dog Show at St Pardoux, 79310. (See ad on P.8) 11th September -‐ Top Hat Quiz & Curry at Aigre See www.tophatquizzes.com for more information. 12th September -‐ Top Hat Quiz & Curry at Champniers See www.tophatquizzes.com for more information. 14th September -‐ Phoenix Cards Open House The new Autumn Range of Phoenix Cards, gifts and accessories. 10% of the sales to Cancer Support Deux-‐Sevres. Refreshments available. La Bodiniere, 79320. Tel: 05 49 65 04 09 14th September – Segora Presentation Evening 5.30pm at Chez Didier, St Clémentin. Prize-‐winning short fiction and poetry from Segora writing competitions plus news of 2014 LitFest. Followed by moules frites + dessert, 10€. See article on P.13. 15th September -‐ 1st Annual Dames de F.E.R Foire At the Domaine de Boisbuchet from 10.00am -‐ 6.00pm. For further details please see article on P.7) 15th September -‐ Disco Night At Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux with DJ Jeff. Music from the 80s from 8pm. See advert on P.32 for details. 21st September -‐ ‘The DSM’ Anglo-‐French Trade Fair At La Salle Alauna, 79130 SECONDIGNY, 10.30am -‐ 5.30pm. With more than 65 exhibitors, fish and chips, live music, demonstrations and much more -‐ all at a lovely lakeside venue. Come along and enjoy a great day out. 21st September -‐ Hope Association Party in the Park In aid of the Winky (blind kittens) Fund, 12.00pm -‐ 12.00am at the Salle Polyvalente, 16450 St Laurent de Ceris. For details see P.10 or call Verity Lineham on 05 45 20 79 31. 22nd September -‐ Open Afternoon At Les Ecuries de Saumort, 2pm -‐ 5pm. Please see advert on P19 for contacts and further information. 27th September -‐ British Day in Supervielle Collège Jules Supervielle are looking for helpers! For details please see article on P.8. 29th September -‐ Paperback Jan’s Big Book Fayre At La Ferriere-‐sur-‐Parthenay, with Art & Craft stalls + fish & chips. Contact paperbackjan@gmail.com for details or see advert on P.5.
Monthly services at the English speaking Church in Deux-‐Sèvres Jassay The Chaplaincy of Christ the Good Shepherd, Poitou-‐Charentes, has a Home Group Service at Jassay commencing at 11.00am every 2nd Sunday in the month. It is held at the home of Ann White, where a warm welcome awaits everyone for a time of worship and fellowship. Chef-Boutonne The Chaplaincy of Christ the Good Shepherd also holds services on the 1st Sunday of each month at 10.30am at The Little Stone Church in Chef-‐Boutonne. After each service tea or coffee is served and there is an opportunity to meet other people in the area. Parthenay The Chaplaincy of Christ the Good Shepherd also holds services on the 4th Sunday of each month at 10.30am in the Presbytery Rooms, rue de la Citadelle, Parthenay, opposite St Croix Church. After each service, tea or coffee is served and everyone is invited to a 'bring and share' lunch. For further informa\on about loca\on of churches and about what else is happening near you, please take a look at our website www.church-‐in-‐france.com or contact us at office.goodshepherd@orange.fr
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 website for details of meetings and spring programmes www.thefillingstation.org.uk or locally contact 05 49 87 18 58 or email:michael.willis@sfr.fr
What’s Coming Up...
3rd October -‐ Harmonics concert in Civray In the Salle D’animations next to Marie. Doors open 7.30pm and start time 8.00pm. Tickets 5€ per adult, children under 12 free. Price includes coupe d’amitée and nibbles. Tickets may be obtained at the door. Contact Dolly Ait Boualou email sylvie.murray@wanadoo.fr 6th October -‐ Bressuire Fete des Plantes See article on P.7. 6th October -‐ Fete des Plantes, Faymoreau 85240 18-‐20 October -‐ Hope Book Sale at Clussais-‐La Pommeraie At the Salle des fetes, 10.00am -‐ 4.00pm. 21st October -‐ Pays de Gatine, Coffee morning Viennay The National Holidays, Religious and Feast Days 2013 Friday 1st November......... All Saint’s Day (Toussaint) Monday 11th November... Armis\ce Day (Armis9ce 1918) Wednesday 25th December. Christmas Day (Noël)
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The Thursday weekly market of La Mothe St-‐Héray fulfills all these functions.
1st Sep: Café des Belles Fleurs, Fenioux 79160. 2pm -‐ 4pm 4th Sep: Café Cour de Miracle, Vouvant 85120. 2.30pm -‐ 4.30pm 5th Sep: Brasserie Vue du Chateau, Bressuire 79300. 10am -‐ 12pm 5th Sep: Bar le Palais, St Aubin le Cloud 79450. 2pm-‐5pm 6th Sep: Bar de la Paix, Thouars 79100. 12pm -‐ 2pm 6th Sep: Le Tipsy Bar, Coulonges-‐sur-‐l’Autize 79160. 4pm -‐ 6pm 7th Sep: Logis Du Theil, nr St Aubin le Cloud 79450. 11am-‐4pm 11th Sep: Les Jardins St Laurent Hotel, Parthenay 79200. 10am-‐12pm 11th Sep: Le Don Jon Bar, Moncontour 86330. 2pm -‐ 4pm 12th Sep: Pause! Cafe, L’Absie 79240. 2pm-‐ 5pm 13th Sep: Jan’s home, La Ferrière-‐en-‐Parthenay 79390. 11am -‐ 4pm 14th Sep: Cafe Le Chauray, St Maixent l’Ecole 79400. 10am -‐ 1pm 21st Sep: DSM Trade Fair, Secondigny 79130 10.30am-‐5.30pm 21st Sep: Le Relais des 2 moulins, Clessé 79350. 4pm -‐ 6pm 27th Sep: Le P’tit Bar Boucard, Ménigoute 79340. 4pm -‐ 6pm 29th Sep: Jan’s home, La Ferrière-‐en-‐Parthenay 79390. 11am -‐ 5pm For more info contact Jan on: 06 08 30 73 29 or email: paperbackjan@gmail.com
Open Fish 4 Chip Fish, Chips & mushy peas!
6-8pm
Mondays: Bar Tilleuls, Champniers (near Civray) Tuesdays: Sauzé-Vaussais (Main square & can be eaten in local bar) Wednesdays: Chef Boutonne (near Chateau) Thursdays: Sauzé-Vaussais - Lunchtime & Evening. (Main square & can be eaten in local bar) Fridays: Mansle (Car park of Simply Supermarket) Tel: 06 37 53 56 20 or visit : www.mobilefishandchipsfrance.com
Mr T’s Friterie
Open 6.30
-9pm
With regular venues at:
F oire 16170 (27th month) • Aulnay 17470 (from 6pm) • Rouillac • St Hilaire de Villefranche 17770 • Gourville 16170 • St Jean d’Angély 17400 • Loulay 17330
In addition this summer, a novelty. On the 1st Thursday of July, August, September and October, the market will run throughout the day. Local residents and residents of nearby villages and tourists can take advantage of this opportunity to find products that will delight the taste buds and other small pleasures. Do not miss this opportunity! Information : 05.49.05.01.41.
Local Markets • • Tuesdays: • • • Wednesdays: • Thursdays: • • Fridays: • • Saturdays: • • • • • • Sundays: Mondays:
Benet 85490 Lencloître (1st Monday in month) 86140 Lezay 79120 Coulonges-sur-l’Autize 79160 Thouars 79100 Parthenay 79200 Sauzé-Vaussais 79190 Niort 79000 Thouars 79100 Melle 79500 Chef-Boutonne 79110 Airvault 79600 Niort 79000 Coulon 79510 Saint-Maixent-l’École 79400 Neuville-de-Poitou 86170
Photo: Lisa Roberts
Looking for Authentic, Fresh Products from Our Region?
Paperback Jan Books in English
Small B/W Advert Only 30€
• Matha 17160
+ See www.frying2nite.com for details or call 06 02 22 44 74
Reel Fish & Chips Traditional English style Fish & Chips
4th Sept The Canteen, Etusson 18H30 - 21H00 6th Sept Bar Tabac, Bouille-Loretz 18H30 - 21H00 7th Sept Bar Vue du Chateau, Bressuire 18H30 - 21H00 8th Sept Fun Dog Show, St Pardoux 12H00 - 14H30 14th Sept Cafe des Sports, L’Absie 18H30 - 22H00 18th Sept The Canteen, Etusson 18H30 - 21H00 19th Sept Bar Tabac, St Martin du Sanzay 18H30 - 21H00 20th Sept Bar Tabac, Genneton 18H30 - 21H00 29th Sept Jan’s Big Book & Craft Fayre 12H00 - 14H30 Tel: 06 04 14 23 94 or visit: www.reelfishandchips.net
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Hobbies, Clubs & Associations... Book Club Thouars. Do you enjoy reading a cracking good story? And talking to others about it? Do you live in north 79, south 49 or north 86? Come along to our book club..... Contact Alison Morton at info@bookclubthouars.fr for more details.
Zumba & Line Dance (bilingual)
Franglais in Bressuire Would you like to improve your French conversational skills … no matter how basic your level is now ? Then why not join our friendly, convivial group on Wednesday evenings at 8pm … costs about 16€ per year ! New session starts 4th September at the Centre Socio-‐Culturel, Rue du Général Leclerc, Bressuire 79300. Phone Jan on 05 49 65 60 34
Contact Caroline at www.wingyboots.com or call 05 49 74 13 17
Open Door Lending Library Over 7000 fiction and non-fiction books and DVDs Open Tuesday and Friday mornings from 10am to midday at 18 rue Pierre Pestureau, Civray (86400) Individual membership 6€, family membership 10€ www.opendoor-civray.com
Alone in France? We are a group of people living alone in the
Book Group....meeting 2nd Thursday of the
Now taking registrations for 2013/2014 season. FREE first class. Classes at Bressuire; Salle de gym Coeur d’O, and Breuil-‐Chausée; la Broglienne
L'Absie area who meet regularly for coffee and lunches. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 11am for coffee at the Pause cafe in L'Absie. Our lunches are at different venues each month. There's a warm welcome if you'd like to join us. More details from Frank 05 49 69 80 47.
Taijiquan (aka Tai Chi) for Beginners
Tuesday evenings (8.30pm -‐ 9.30pm) in Bressuire 79300, starts 10th Sept 2013. Wednesday afternoons (2.30pm -‐ 4.00pm) in Le Breuil Barret, 85120 starts 11th Sept 2013. For details, please see www.chentaiji-‐fr.com or phone Terry on 05 49 65 60 34.
Association Meridien Green We are an Anglo-‐French group which was founded in 2001 for mutual understanding of each other's language and culture. We meet twice weekly in the Salle des Associations in St Coutant, 79120. The best way to find out more is to visit our website -‐ www.meridiengreen.asso.fr or contact Maureen Dalby: 05 49 29 94 50. The name of our group comes from the fact that St Coutant is on the Greenwich Meridian! Le Tallud Boules en bois are offering sessions every Wednesday from 16h to 18h from April through to September 2013 at the parc de Loisirs, Le Tallud. Everyone is welcome to come and play or learn the game of boules en bois. We have all the equipment, just turn up for half an hour or more for a bit of exercise and socialising. Details from Rosemary Williamson rw.williamson@orange.fr
month from 3pm at Christies Tea Room & Bookshop, Gençay, 86160. Take a look at the Book Group page on the website: www.chezchristies.com for more information.
Craft Café Creatif
Do you enjoy knitting or sewing, crochet or papercraft, but prefer to do it in the company of others, over a cup of tea and a piece of cake? If so, why not come and join us in L'Absie for an enjoyable afternoon with like-‐minded people. For further details contact Margaret on 02 51 69 50 32 or email knight.margaret@orange.fr
2nd Sunday Motorcycle Club www.2ndsundayclub.fr If you would like to attend our coffee mornings please contact us via the website........New members always welcome!
Rubber Bridge:would any of you bridge players out there in the Deux-Sèvres, be interested in making up an occasional 4? Email David Rowe: djfrowe@hotmail.com or' phone 05 49 63 26 57.
Les Amis Solitaires We are a group of people living alone in France. We meet up for coffee mornings from 11am, every 2nd & 4th Thursday at The Lemon Tree in Sauzé Vaussais. More details from Gwen on 05 49 87 91 79 or email gwanshep@gmail.com
The Harmonics Singing Group. Based in the Salle
d'Annexe behind the mairie in Civray. We meet each Wednesday from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. No experience necessary just a willingness and commitment to learn. We sing all sorts of music and in several languages, whatever the music dictates. We are a small and friendly group who would love to meet you. Contact: Dolly Ait Boualou: 05 45 22 89 32 or sylvia.murray@wanadoo.fr
Through the Lens Group Local photography group meets on the last Monday in each month to chat about all things photography! New members welcome. For further information contact: Ian Gawn: 02 51 00 84 52 or Brian Preece: 05 49 72 09 94
A R E Y O U A M O D E L R A I L W A Y ENTHUSIAST? If so, join a group of likeminded modellers who meet on a monthly basis to visit members' layouts and swap information. We are based on the DeuxSevres/Vendee border but also have members in the Vienne and Charente. If you are interested please contact Gerry Riley for more information on 05 49 63 34 01. Secondigny Running Club... Put the bounce back in your step. Join our friendly and supportive running group. All abilities welcome. Email Kelly for more details: kellyencezelle@hotmail.co.uk
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Getting Out & About...
1st Annual Dames de F.E.R. Foire & Domaine Du Boisbuchet Journée du Patrimoine Looking for something to brighten your weekend? Perhaps you are looking for local business connections, locally sourced gifts or even just a great day out? You can do this and more at the Dames de F.E.R. foire, held on Sunday 15th September 2013 from 10.00am -‐ 6.00pm at the Domaine de Boisbuchet, 10km north of Confolens. On the day, the Domaine de Boisbuchet will be open to celebrate the yearly 'Journée du Patrimoine' where historic buildings around France open their doors to share their secrets with the world. Originally a country estate, it has been extensively renovated in recent times and now hosts a range of exciting exhibitions and workshops as part of its role as a centre for design and architecture in Europe. The Dames de F.E.R. association was created earlier in 2013 and has quickly established itself as a thriving business hub for local women in rural Poitou-‐Charentes. September's foire showcases the best of rural enterprise here in the region. There will be a wide range of stalls, varying from hand-‐crafted objects for the home to culinary products. But it's not just for grown-‐ups. We hope your children will also enjoy the bouncy castle, face-‐painting and model aircraft demonstration. There will also be animations for children, shows, birds of prey exhibitions and guided visits of the Domaine. Food and drink will be available on the day. Home-‐made cakes will also be served on the banks of the Vienne. Contact Les Dames de F.E.R. by email at lesdamesdefer@gmail.com. Entry is free. For further information, directions and the f u l l p r o g r a m m e , p l e a s e s e e www.lesdamesdefer.fr
Fête des Plantes
The Third Fete des Plantes will be held on Sunday 6th October in the grounds of the Chateau at Bressuire. Open between 9.00am and 7.00pm. Entry Fee 3€ for adults, children are free. There will be some 50 plant stalls with numerous other stalls selling garden ornaments and garden tools. An added attraction this year will be an exhibition of rare breeds of poultry, pigeons, peacocks, ducks, geese plus silver dwarf and giant rabbits. Some 150 pure-‐bred poultry will be available for sale. Local producers will be selling their honey, apples, organic eggs and wine. In the chateau building there will be exhibitions of bonsai, paintings in water colours and insect houses. Within the grounds of the chateau you can see examples of three different types of gardens throughout the ages; medieval, renaissance and contemporary. There will also be a bar and light refreshments available.
Contact ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny.
Tel: 05 49 70 26 21 ~ Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr or see our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
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British DaY in Supervielle After the success of last year’s event we are organizing a 2nd British Day in Supervielle at Collège Jules Supervielle. On September 27th all the 180 pupils in year 7 will become “British pupils” for the day. They’ll be served an English breakfast first thing in the morning and after assembly, they’ll have lessons in English in various subjects. At midday, they’ll bring a customized lunch box and enjoy a lovely lunch on the grass in the sunshine (let’s be optimistic!). A contest will take place to choose the best lunch box. You can come in the morning and share the breakfast with us as well as go into class with the pupils. Bring along your picnic and eat with us in open air too. After lunch the children will have some time to ask simple questions in English. The contact they
had with British people last year made their day; that’s the reason why we need you again, members of the British community in Deux-‐Sèvres to give meaning to our teaching! In the afternoon outdoor activities such as hockey, rounders, giant darts, sack race and rope pulling are organized by the P.E teachers. The day will end with a nice cup of tea with the parents.
If you’re interested in joining us for the day, please contact Juliette.M-‐Boya@ac-‐poitiers.fr.
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Amanda’s Charity Marathon Run... Aser comple\ng my first ‘Race for Life’ in France last year, Sarah has very kindly given me the opportunity to share an event with you in which I am par\cipa\ng in November. It is the Nice-‐Cannes relay Marathon and I am running as part of a team of colleagues who will divide the 42 kilometres distance. I am in training as we speak!
Consequently many parents don’t let their children study after dark. Grades are held back and a chance to escape the poverty-‐ trap is limited. GIVEWATTS is doing a very simple but effective thing; providing high quality solar lamps that also have a USB charger built in for mobile phones, avoiding the need to walk for miles and to pay to charge them! Lamps are not given to the parents, they are provided with micro-‐finance. The school calculates the average a family is spending on kerosene. That is the instalment amount they repay to the school for the lamp, thus, there is no extra cost/or resistance barrier to overcome and the lamp immediately 100% replaces kerosene. As soon as that person has finished paying they are 40% a week better off and they own the lamp.
Donʼt forget to mention ʻThe DSMʼ when responding to an advert!
I am very proud to be taking part and The Spectrum-‐IFA Group is raising money for our charity for 2013 GIVEWATTS.org. There are thousands of people living in Off-‐Grid areas in Kenya. They are organised communities but spend up to 40% of their income on kerosene to burn for light which is not only expensive but dangerous, with terrible fumes, a high CO2 impact, the risk of starting a domestic fire and of burning a child. It also gives off a terrible dull yellow light.
For more information please look at our devoted web page on our website www.spectrum-‐ifa.com or contact me.
Right:My colleague Chris, Board Member o f G I V E W AT T S Switzerland, who visited Kenya earlier this year.
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A Heart-‐Warming Tale of Wet by Patricia Holmes, Vasles. Scouts! It all started one stormy July afternoon when five dripping wet young girl scouts (or 'scoots' as they pronounced it) arrived at our gate with the odd request of "Bonjour, can we put our pizzas in your oven please?" OK, so this is rural France and whereas one might think twice in the UK of letting five 14 and 15 year old girls loose on their own to go camping, here it appears to be normal which is refreshing. So of course we ushered them in, relieved them of their wet gear and made them very welcome and there followed over two and a half hours of much giggling about cooking pizza (it's always good to start with a really hot oven girls), about how our 'magical' kitchen bin lid flips up if you wave your hand over it (there was much waving of hands from one of them), our passions in life, our three dogs, and the differences between the French and English language and culture. Three of them spoke English, one particularly well having spent time in America, and during our conversation later that afternoon they decided to test my French by firing questions at me . The 'question master' said how much she loved to listen to her native language spoken with an English accent (and there's me thinking how I'd give my eye teeth to be able to stop floating between sounding like something from 'Allo 'Allo and an English woman abroad) and I explained about how we British feel the same about English with a French accent...........especially if it is spoken by someone like Jean Dujardin !
The storm kept rolling round in circles and we made it clear that they could stay as long as they wanted as neither of us would have wanted to hike up hill and down dale carrying all our heavy kit in a storm and for this they were grateful, they were even more grateful when we gave them lemonade and crisps left over from the weekend BBQ and most important of all, the French television controller! Eventually, after a couple of very pleasurable hours or so I suggested that they called their scout leader to let her know where they were and to ask if it was permitted for us to give them a lift to their destination (and also for her to check us out at the Mairie if she wished before they got into our car), they were told that under the circumstances a lift into Vasles was allowed but that they had to hike the rest of the way. Before they left they asked if they could do anything for us............. but seeing as how the cars had already been serviced and the house renovated............ I suggested that perhaps they should remember all the people they had met on their hike this summer and that if one day, wherever they were in the world, a group of dripping wet 'scoots' should arrive at their door then they should take them in, cook them pizza and share a lovely afternoon with them............they all laughed and agreed to do so. They were like a group of shiny bright stars that wet afternoon, really polite and a real pleasure to meet and we'll never forget their company.
Do you miss going to the Cinema? If the answer is “YES!” you will be pleased to read that there are cinemas in the area showing films in English. It’s difficult to have advance dates of screenings in time for publication, but you can ask to have your name added to the mailing lists so you are kept up-‐to-‐date of screenings throughout the winter months. Send your email to: Parthenay cinema: cinema.foyer@gmail.com Melle cinema: lemelies.melle@wanadoo.fr La Chataigneraie cinema: stella.freeman@wanadoo.fr
The Hope Association will be holding a Party in the Park in aid of the Winky (blind kittens) Fund on Saturday 21st September 2013. 12.00pm -‐ 12.00am at the Salle Polyvalente, 16450, St Laurent de Ceris. The renowned band Vis-‐a-‐Vis will be playing and there will be lots of stalls, a bar, barbecue and entertainment for all ages.
If you would like a stall please contact Verity Lineham on 05 45 20 79 31. Entrance 2€ for grown-‐ups, free for children.
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Combined Services Support Group (CSSG) by Terri Laverick Our singing group ‘The Keynotes’ are performing at a number of events this year including:-‐
Here we are in the silly season once more, lots of visitors and not a lot to write about. I wonder how real journalists manage at this time of year. Perhaps I could recourse to gossip, but then again, maybe not.
The Deux-‐Sèvres Gardening Club’s Annual Produce Show, 7th September. We will be singing sometime in the afternoon around 2.30pm and would be pleased to see you all. If you do come along, have a chat with some of us and find out what a friendly group we are, you might want to join us. The venue is at Chateau Logis, Du Theil which is off the D19 outside of Parthenay.
Apart from a committee meeting to check on our readiness for forthcoming events, we did very little in August. One of our team, and others from local British groups, are liaising with the Parthenay Administration for the up-‐coming commemoration of the commencement of World War One in 2014. This is a four year event culminating in 2018 to coincide with the end of that dreadful period of our joint history.
‘The Keynotes’ have their own website which can be seen on www.keynotessingers.fr for regular updates and information.
Our future events are listed below, and any members who are willing and able to help at these events would be most welcome. September, as you will note, is rather busy and some of the committee will be away on holiday, how could they? I will own up to a few days away but, as we are going to the brewery to find out all about their beer, and possibly doing a taste test, one could say it is a fact finding mission, not a holiday!
Margaret Round, the Music Director, described the Keynotes as follows:-‐ “Perhaps “Choir” is not the best way to describe our ‘group’ because it implies a certain amount of formality which we forsake in the name of ‘Fun’. What do we sing? -‐ nothing too heavy or complicated so Gaudete to Money, Money, Money covers it. How do we sing it? -‐ we try to sing in multi-‐part harmony when we can and without anarchy when we can’t. How good are we? -‐ we have no history to speak of and the singing experience of our members is varied from beginner all the way to advanced beginner! If you can sing in tune, you’re in ! If you can’t, then sing quietly! Who do we sing to? -‐ ourselves usually, though from time to time we inflict a little pain elsewhere too! Where do we sing? -‐ usually Secondigny on a Friday afternoon. For more details call 02 51 51 38 20 or email us at: keynotesdeuxsevres@gmail.com.” The Art Scene artists will be putting on an exhibition during The DSM Trade Fair in Secondigny where you will be able to see and even buy some of the many paintings that have been completed by the group’s members. Weather permitting some of us will be painting Plein Air around the Lake at the venue, so why not come along and chat with our members and perhaps even join in the fun. Although not part of The Art Scene I will be starting classes in ‘Drawing for Beginners’ at the bar in Fenioux on the 3rd Thursday of each month starting in September, let me know if you would like to come along.
Firstly we shall be at the Gardening Club Produce Show on 7th September, at Le Logis du Theil, and any contributions towards the Tombola would be gratefully received by Pauline and John Tonks, our estimable event organisers. The following day, Sunday 8th September, we have a brocante at the dog show, and then on 21st September we shall be at The DSM Trade Fair in Secondigny, again with a Tombola stall. One of the highlights of the year is our Tea, Coffee and Cake stall at Paperback Jan's. As usual we shall be raising monies for SSAFA France, please come and get your refreshments from us, this is a very worthy cause, the date to remember is 29th September. Last but by no means least, our next group meeting will be on 5th October, 2013 in the Café des Belles Fleurs in Fenioux, commencing with a British style breakfast if required, followed by the meeting when we are suitably fed and watered. Please could all members try to attend as it will be our last meeting prior to the ‘BEER FEST’ on 19th October, in the Salles des Fete in Fenery. You will receive a reminder by email later. One final serious note, all our events raise monies for charity, and all proceeds so far have been donated to SSAFA France, as will monies raised from the above events, this is by agreement with all our members.
Don’t forget our Calendar is still for sale at the following four venues and will remain so for the rest of the year: Restaurant A La Bonne Vie at Le Beugnon, Café des Belles Fleurs at Fenioux, Pause! Cafe at L’Absie and Cafe Cour du Miracle at Vouvant. So let me have your news and views and if you want to join any or all of our groups, send me an email. John Blair: johnblair@btopenworld.com
Contact ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny.
Tel: 05 49 70 26 21 ~ Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr or see our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
For a full list of our advertising rates, please phone 05 49 70 26 21 for an advertising pack or download from our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
The Story Behind the Famous Logo. By Tony Barrett The image of the ‘Laughing Cow’ trade mark is familiar to most shoppers buying their soft cheese all over Europe, but how did it come into being? This article looks at its origins. To start we must go back to the opening days of the First World War. To counter the German offensive in 1914, 600 Paris taxis were requisitioned to transport French soldiers to the Marne to protect Paris from the enemy advance, gaining fame thereafter as ‘Taxis de la Marne’. Less well known is the fact that 1000 Paris motor buses and their drivers were also requisitioned to aid in troop movement, ammunition supplies and providing the army with food, the latter being the most important task.
1914
Benjamin Rabier
It turns out that the original laughing cow was thought up by a well-‐known cartoonist Benjamin Rabier when he was serving as an officer in B-‐70 during World War One. He painted a laughing cow on the trucks transporting the soldiers' meat rations along with the word "Wachkyrie", which was supposedly to poke fun at the Germans' own supply trucks that were decorated with the mythical Walkyries of Norse legend. Said in French, "Wachkyrie" sounds like "Vache Qui Rit", which seemed to amuse the French soldiers, including another member of the unit, a young dairy farmer named Léon Bel.
Although not as glamorous as the front line units, the supply of fresh meat was crucial to the efficiency and morale of the army, and for this purpose the motor bus was particularly well suited. One bus could contain meat for a whole regiment, 3 battalions of a thousand men, each bus could carry about 1800 kg of meat, and this represents 3600 rations at a rate of 500g per serving. Over 250 buses could effectively feed the twenty French army corps who fought on the Western Front. A motor bus of RVF B 70 displaying the unit’s badge.
After the war, Léon Bel set up a company at Lons-‐le-‐Saulnier in the Jura, to manufacture cheese. But what to use for a company logo? He then remembered his old unit's badge, which he thought would be ideal and in 1921 he asked Benjamin Rabier, the original Wachkyrie artist, to make him a friendly cow that would appeal to the public. Thus the Vache Qui Rit was born and it was Léon Bel’s wife who asked them to give the cow earrings!
One of the Paris motor buses displaying the RVF designation during the war.
The units were designated RVF (ravitaillement en viande fraiche),. translating to ‘Fuelling Fresh Meat.’ RVF B70, specialised in the transportation of fresh meat for an infantry division, using 7-‐8 converted Paris buses. It’s original purpose was to boost the morale of the troops, and the General Staff decided to give each unit a specific emblem to be affixed to all vehicles, especially trucks. To get the best possible result, a competition was launched. Perhaps it was because their vehicles swooped down, picked up meat and carried it off to distant parts that the men of the unit had toyed with adopting the nickname La Walkyrie, after the maidens of Norse mythology.
1921
Current Pack
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY More from local writer Alison Morton... Please see back issues of ‘The DSM’ if you would like to see previous articles.
Reading Whilst Writing All writers should read. We all read what we want, what we
love, and most writers I know read their friends’ books, but are you reading your genre? Reading other books in your genre lets you know what current writing trends are in your field, what’s popular with readers, and what other writers are up to. But more importantly it’s about staying current in your profession. A by-‐ product is that you find new reading pleasures, discover new ideas and fresh insights. Reading the classics in your genre will give you a grounding in how it’s developed. Historical fiction for many, ahem, mature readers means Anya Seton’s Katherine, Jean Plaidy’s Tudor, Plantagenet and Borgia series, Robert Graves’s I Claudius or Nigel Tranter’s Master of Gray series. Now, Philippa Gregory, Simon Scarrow and Elizabeth Chadwick are the trendsetters with more detailed, gritty and psychological approaches. You have to know where your genre’s been to know where it can go. As I write alternate history thrillers with a Roman theme, I read a wide range in Roman historical, spy and thriller novels as well as alternate history itself: William Boyd, Lee Child, John Le Carré, Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series), Lindsey Davies (Falco), Simon Scarrow, Con Iggulden, the great Robert Harris (Fatherland, Pompey), C J Sansom (Dominion and the Shardlake series), to name a few. And if you’re approaching agents and publishers with your work, they will always want to know if you know how your book compares to others in your genre and how your book is different. But, if you only read things within your category or genre, you run the risk of developing writer’s blinkers. As your best friend might say if you stay in and do nothing but write, ‘You need to get out more.’ So, if you spread your reading time, what are the benefits? It will get you thinking in new ways, even inspire you. In genre fiction such as thrillers, plots and characters tend to develop in roughly similar patterns. That’s not to say each novel isn’t unique in its way; it is. But reading a completely different author, such as Jane Austen or Isaac Asimov can spark your creativity and make your brain work in a different way. You can discover ways to innovate and adapt your writing. Reading outside your genre allows you to compare what you’re reading to your genre. You approach your genre from a different angle, see new possibilities, and find ways to personalize your fiction that other writers in the genre haven’t thought about. You can take a mental breather. As much as I love alternate history, and I love writing my stories, sometimes I feel inspiration ebbing and need to feed my brain with something different.
You have a mini-‐adventure. Reading something that’s new and different for you means embarking on a personal journey you’ve never taken before. In The Road Back by Liz Harris, I not only revisited the 1950s of my childhood, but learnt about Ladakh, northern India as well as reading a beautifully written love story. I read non-‐Roman historic fiction, modern adventure, romance, sci-‐fi, fantasy – you name it – and it always refreshes my writing brain. Happy writing! Alison will be at the Anglo-‐French Trade Faire/ Foire Commerciale Anglo-‐Française on 21st September 2013 at Secondigny on stand A27. Come and say hello!
Alison Morton writes alternate history thrillers, blogs about wriPng and Romans at hRp://alison-‐morton.com/blog/
Contact ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny.
Tel: 05 49 70 26 21 ~ Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr or see our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
Segora presentation evening of prize-‐winning stories and poems at Chez Didier, St Clémentin, 14th September Come and hear prize-‐winning writers reading their short stories and poetry in St Clémentin on Saturday 14th September, starting at 5.30pm. Jocelyn and Gordon Simms invite you to a presentation evening for the 2013 Segora International writing competition. Winners of the three sections – short stories, vignettes and poetry -‐ will be coming from Spain, Holland and France to read their successful entries. Prize-‐winners from England and Ireland will also attend. John Hudson, judge of the poetry competition, will introduce plans for his installation for next year’s Litfest. We shall announce some of the authors and sessions which will form part of the 2014 festival, 29th, 30th and 31st August 2014. The readings take place at Chez Didier and will be followed by moules, frites and dessert (10€) or choice of salad. Please reserve by emailing gordon.simms@aliceadsl.fr or jocelynsimms@gmail.com or Chez Didier Tel: 05 49 65 98 81
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Going Back
by Sue Burgess
In general, the word rentrée describes the action of going back (rentrer). More particularly, la rentrée is the period at the beginning of September that corresponds to the period when everything starts up again after the grandes vacances (long summer holidays). And so we can speak of la rentrée scolaire -‐ going back to school at the start of the new school year. Some families are entitled to the ARS -‐ Allocation de Rentrée Scolaire (back to school allowance). The teachers have their Pré-‐rentrée (teachers' day) before la rentrée des classes when the children go back. La rentrée universitaire happens three or four weeks after la rentrée scolaire. Shops give deals at this time of year la rentrée des prix, especially on office and bedroom furniture. La Rentrée littéraire is the name given to the boom in publications of new books of all types that happens every year between the end of August and the beginning of November. Editors use the free by word of mouth and media publicity of la rentrée littéraire to push their new editions and to place their writers in the limelight for one of the literary prizes. The Goncourt prize is probably the best known. In 2012, 646 works of fiction were published. In 2010 and 2011 there were 654 and 711 new works respectively.
September / when school starts back up / after I get back from vacation. Of course la rentrée also has other meanings which have nothing to do with the month of September. La rentrée atmosphérique refers to the phase when a solid object comes back into the earth's atmosphere from outer space. And une rentrée d'argent is synonym for receiving money. Vocabulary / Vocabulaire : la rentrée..................................
beginning of the autumn term, start of the school year
une rentrée d’argent................. a sum of money, windfall rentrer.......................................
to go back to a place
rentrer.......................................
to go home
rentrer......................................
to bring in
un rentré..................................
a fold or a pleat (sewing)
bonne rentrée........................... enjoy your new school term (year)!
La Rentrée du cinéma was an operation that took place in France in September between 2004 and 2009. Reductions were offered for the purchase of two places for the same film. In August, major sectors of France slow down or close up shop completely. School is out, the government is in recess, and many restaurants and other businesses are closed as well. La rentrée politique refers to the re-‐opening of parliamentary business. “À la rentrée!”, similar to “bonnes vacances!” (have a nice vacation), is a salutation, a way of saying good-‐bye and an acknowledgement that you'll see the other person when you both re-‐enter the real world after your prolonged vacation. You can also use à la rentrée as a reference to that point in time, to explain when something will happen, as in “Je vais acheter une nouvelle voiture à la rentrée” -‐ I'm going to buy a new car in early
Please mention ʻThe DSMʼ when responding to an advert Page 14
THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Health, Beauty & Fitness... ‘TOP UP’ Health Insurance Small B/W Advert Only 30€
Summer time flies when you're having fun ... but it's that time of year again when you have to start thinking about reviewing your 'complémentaire santé'. Do you have the best cover in place for what you need? Do you understand what you are covered for and how the system works? Are you using it properly to make it pay for you? Are you receiving your reimbursements automatically into your account? Are you getting the best value for money? Are you benefitting from La LOI MADELIN, income tax deductible -‐ for self-‐employed people only? So many questions! Many of us would prefer to put off answering them but it is worth taking a little time to explore it further... Are you aware that even if you are insured up to 100% this does not necessarily mean that you are completely covered for any eventuality, and, that it is possible to insure yourself for up to as much as 500%? The system is certainly confusing for newcomers, especially if you have come out of the NHS system where 100% cover really is 100% cover! The percentage terms refer to the amount payable based on the rate set by the securité sociale/régime de base. Lets take dental treatment as an example; A Crown: the 'base de remboursement' for a crown (metal or ceramic) is 107,50€. This 107,50€ is 100%, it is actually 100% of what the securité sociale say it's worth and the figure that they base their reimbursements on, it is not necessarily representative of the reality, as the average cost of a ceramic crown is actually around 500€. The securité sociale will pay you 70% of the 107,50€ = 75,25€. If you are insured up to 100% with your 'top up' insurance then you will receive the remaining 32,25€ from them totalling 107,50€ = 100%. It is often necessary to insure yourself over and above 100% which allows for some, if not all of the difference to be paid. At Gan Assurances we offer a 'top-‐up' complémentaire that is easily adapted to your own personal requirements. The cover is split into 3 categories; Hospitalisation, General Medical, Optic & Dental. You are free to choose between 5 levels of cover within each category, allowing you to mix and match the cover to suit you. We also offer ‘Hospitalisation only’ cover, which suits most budgets. Hospitalisation is the very minimum cover you should have. In the event of an emergency the very last thing on your mind should be worrying about how you will pay for treatment for yourself or a loved one. For further details, advice and quotations please contact me at the office by phone or email Monday -‐ Friday.
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
What is Reiki?
Pronounced “ray-‐key”, meaning “Universal Life Energy”, Reiki is a spiritual practice developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui. It uses palm healing or hands on healing as a form of complementary medicine to relieve side effects and promote recovery. The idea, in essence, is that we live in a world of energy that nourishes and maintains all living things. When this energy flows uninterrupted, there is balance and harmony within and around us and we experience a sense of well-‐being. The aim of the Reiki practitioner is to transfer and channel this universal life energy through the palms, which encourages self-‐healing, balance and equilibrium. Despite its spiritual nature, Reiki is a holistic tradition which is not dependent on belief and can be used alongside conventional or alternative treatments, with even hardened sceptics reporting palpable benefits. What is involved in Reiki treatment? Wearing loose, comfortable clothing, the recipient usually lies down on a massage table and relaxes. The practitioner proceeds by placing their hands in specific positions for three to five minutes before moving to the next position. Western practitioners often use a fixed set of between 12 and 20 hand positions, while traditionalists use their intuition to guide them as to where treatment is needed. These positions provide coverage of the head, torso, knees and feet, with the session lasting anywhere from 45-‐90 minutes, depending on an individual's needs. There is no massage or manipulation of the body: Reiki practitioners are not usually trained in medical diagnosis and will not predict any specific outcome from treatment. Anyone concerned about their symptoms should see a doctor. What does it feel like? Recipients commonly describe feelings of warmth or tingling in the area being treated. Instantaneous "cures" of specific health problems are not normally experienced. Feelings of relaxation and general well-‐being are the most reported after-‐effects, including by those who felt no immediate sensations during the treatment itself. Also reported are deeper emotional responses, indicating that shifts are taking place, allowing harmony to be restored. Is it safe? There are no known contra-‐indications for Reiki. It is a non-‐intrusive treatment that can be delivered in a variety of settings. Reiki is a safe and soothing treatment that can be beneficial in the short term, but can also ameliorate long-‐standing conditions, helping to bring about comfort, acceptance and a more positive outlook. How do I find out more? For more detailed information, or to enjoy this relaxing therapy in the comfort of your own home, contact Suzanne on 06 02 29 18 46 or email: reiki@cole-‐king.com. With nearly 20 years in the NHS, Suzanne Cole-‐King was a Nurse Practitioner before moving to France in 2008 to develop that wealth of experience into a more spiritual and personal approach to well-‐being. Suzanne is a qualified mobile Reiki practitioner on the Deux-‐Sèvres/Vendée border who is fully registered (Siret no. 531 992 782 00015) and will soon start training in the complementary therapy of Bowen Technique.
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THE DEUX-SÉVRES MONTHLY
2013 Beauty Recommendations... Samantha’s Summer Face Masks
Does your face feel dehydrated after this summer's sun? Why not try one of these simple but effective home made face masks.
Honey Hydrating Face Mask: The honey will moisten and cleanse your skin. Take one egg yolk, a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil and mix thoroughly. I find it is even better if you slightly warm it. Put two layers onto your face leaving a break of 6 mins in between each layer and then rinse off with warm water. Tightening and Toning Face Mask -‐ This requires juice from half a lemon (strained) and 1 egg white. Beat together for three mins and apply directly onto your face avoiding your eyes and relax for 30 minutes while it works its magic! After any face mask I always recommend applying a good serum and moisturiser.
Many people have thinning hair at some point in their lives. With a wide variety of causes such as medications, male pattern baldness, hormones, poor diet, improper hair care and illnesses, thinning hair is a condition that affects men and women of all ages. While some cases of thinning hair can be easily treated, others might require medications or even surgery. Learning how to treat thinning hair is the first step to correcting this common problem. Try to establish how much hair you are losing and which areas of your scalp has lost the most. Then make an appointment with your doctor to rule out any health issues that may contribute to hair loss and discuss any options they may be able to assist you with. Once all health issues are ruled out seek advice from your stylist to guide you with any products that may help. Keep your scalp clean by using a moisturising shampoo and conditioner, massaging your scalp with your fingertips to help stimulate your hair follicles several times a week. Try taking a multi-‐vitamin everyday along with a healthy diet including lean meats, fish and vegetables. Vitamins and minerals will help nourish your hair, stimulate growth and make it shiny and strong. I also recommend that you have a consultation with your stylist to find a hairstyle that can help add volume and show you different ways to style you hair to show thickness.
Samantha's recommended product is Estée Lauder’s Advance Night Repair Serum.
Emma’s Advice on Thinning Hair
Over the past few months I have had clients asking me about thinning hair. I have decided to research this and pass on some tips in order for you to seek the best advice.
Charente Hair & Make Up Tel: 05 45 31 56 93 / 06 50 04 37 30 www.charentehairandbridal.com
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Our Furry Friends...
Girole, a pretty Levrier/Brittany Spaniel cross Girole is a rather special lady, not very large at 10 kilos and only 4½ years old. She has a timid nature and needs a calm and quiet home life to gain confidence. Girole is not suited to a family with young c h i l d r e n , b u t s h e would enjoy the company of another dog, but not a pack. This is a very gentle animal who has no aggression and needs a real dog lover who has patience and understanding. Girole is currently being looked after by Animal phychologist and trainer Julie Stansbridge who will be happy to give advice to anyone interested in adopting her (Ventouse 16460). Girole is micro-‐chipped (250269604862770), neutered, vaccinated and wormed. There will an adoption fee. If you think you can give Girole a good home, please call Isabelle on 09 77 48 71 43 or email: asso.orfee@laposte.net for more information. www.associamon-‐orfee.forumacmf.com/f49-‐english-‐corner Please note that if you are interested in adopting any of Orfee’s rescued dogs, a safe and secure garden with a wire fence of a good height is always required. We also advise that your new family pet has an identity tag with your contact details and we r e c o m m e n d I D E N T I T A G www.identitag.co.uk. Losing a pet can be a heart-‐breaking experience, but a simple tag can get it returned home quickly. Please note: Where possible Orfee Assoc.will conduct a home-‐visit. Orfee Association are always looking for good foster families, if you think you could do this valuable work please contact us now for more details. Email: asso.orfee@laposte.
HOOF (Horse Orientated Open Forum)
HOOF is open to anyone with an equine interest. You do not need to own a horse! We meet about once a month for talks, visits etc. Interested? Contact Jo Rowe on: 05 49 64 30 59
Equine Rescue France
We are always looking for new members and we are in need of donations so we may continue to help equines in France. Please support the ERF.
Please contact Equine Rescue France via their website www.equinerescuefrance.org
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Phew! What a Summer...
We have plenty of kittens of all colours, ages and sex who are looking for a good home.
It's certainly had its ups and downs as far as we're concerned here at Nos Amis Les Animaux 85480 (NALA). Some of the downs were predictable: the annual holiday rush to abandon animals before going on holiday and the kittens abandoned when their owners finally realise that they can't even be given away. It's probably less than 1% of owners who are (ir)responsible for doing this but that adds up to tens of thousands of animals in a relatively short period which overwhelms the facilities for saving them. Not only do they have to cope with the number of animals coming in, but the number of adoptions tails off, as many people don't want a new pet when they're contemplating their holidays. A new one on us was a spate of mayors organising campaigns of capture and euthanasia of stray cats in the Charente-‐Maritime. Luckily we had already looked at the legal position when one occurred in the Vendée, so were able to give advice in the other cases. This led to the mayors reviewing the situation and cooperating with people to find a more sustainable solution. The cats are sterilised and identified and then released. An association keeps an eye on them to make sure that they stay healthy and well looked after. Just systematically killing them doesn't work as it creates a vacuum which is soon filled with new unsterilised cats that fight, caterwaul, spray and produce kittens. ‘Le Bon Coin’ also became a cause for concern: they began to refuse adverts from associations for the protection of animals that complied with the French rules, whilst allowing many from people that didn't. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation and the SPA have separately had meetings with them about this but to no avail. We're trying a different approach: we've written not only to them but also the Managing Director of the company in Norway that owns them. We've had to deal with a number of injured or sick stray cats that mayors refused to help, even though they are required to do so under French law. These are a significant drain on our resources, as often the help required is simply money to pay for the treatment. The positive side is that through this we've met a large number of people who do have their hearts in the right place. Another “up” was creating good relations with the legal department of ‘Trente Millions d'Amis’ who heard of our intervention in a mayor's campaign of capture and euthanasia. As a result, they put some money towards treating the cats that we saved: something that we're very grateful for. We are also grateful to those people who organise events and donate the profits to NALA. They run stalls at vide greniers, organise coffee mornings, afternoon teas, plant sales and a monthly pub quiz (see listings for details). Thanks also go to the participants who turn out to drink beer, eat fish and chips and battle their wits. We salute your sacrifice! We could do with some more human-‐scale help: donations of food, equipment and money, volunteers for events, foster families and people to adopt our very lovely, deserving cats and kittens. If you can help please contact us: Tel 07 70 31 54 59 Email:nala85480@hotmail.com, www.nosamislesanimaux.com We're also most terribly modern and up-‐to-‐date and can be found as Nala Bournezeau on Facebook. Stop press 16/08/2013: Urgent appeal. A local vet has had to amputate the leg of a cat that was caught in a trap for several days. The bill is just over €240. Any donations would be most welcome.
Igor
Ivory
Ilsa & Ingo Nos Amis Les Animaux 85480 (NALA 85480). Tel: 07 70 31 54 59
Email: nala85480@hotmail.com www.nosamislesanimaux.com
Phoenix Associamon, who rescue and re-‐ home animals in need, has a new website. Please visit: www.phoenixasso.com and find out what you can do to help animals in need in south west France!
MAYDAY MES AMIS Mayday Mes Amis has been formed to help animals in need in l'Absie and the surrounding area. For more information please email: jill.zub@sky.com.
APPEAL
Kittens, kittens, kittens
It's kitten time again. Hope has a whole host of beautiful furry, purry kittens, all colours, all ages -‐ wanting to come and live with you. Please go to our website if you want to give a kitten or cat a good home. www.hopeassoc.org/category/cats-‐for-‐adoption Please have your cat or kitten sterilised, chipped and vaccinated as soon as possible. The Hope Book Sale will be held on 18/19/20 October at Clussais-‐La Pommeraie at the Salle des fetes, 10.00am-‐4.00pm. If you have any books, DVDs, CDs, bric-‐a-‐brac and pre-‐loved clothes in good condition, or if you would like to volunteer to help, please go to our website to use our contact form and someone will be in touch for collection very soon. For more dogs and particularly kittens for adoption, please go to www.hopeassoc.org
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The Great Outdoors... by Simon Tee
This month, I’m talking terminal tackle (or end tackle) -‐ what you put on the end of your rod. Differing your end tackle allows you to position your bait in different ways. When fishing for roach and rudd, they tend to be in the upper part of the water, you put the split shot just below the float so that the hookbait sinks slowly through the water. When targeting bigger fish on the bottom, you put most of the shot nearer to the hookbait, it then powers through the water and gets to the bottom quicker in readiness for the bigger fish.
Small Colour advert only 34€
Bonne Pêche
Don’t just use a normal lead when fishing on the bottom, use open ended feeders for groundbait, so when you cast in and it hits the water it pushes it all out around your hookbait; or closed maggot feeders that let them wriggle out slowly. You don’t even need to have a maggot on the hook, try something different like maize or luncheon meat. Don’t think you have to match your hook to the fish, particularly when carp fishing. You need to choose a hook that will match your bait. For instance, when using maize use a size 8 hook, for 16mm boilie use a size 6 hook. Don’t get too complicated, keep things simple. When I started fishing, 40 years ago, the equipment was very different to the array of products on the market today – but the simplicity of putting bait on a hook with a float or lead and putting it in the water has never changed. Hot, hot, hot! You may have found that fishing over the last month has been slow. Sadly, high pressure and baking hot sun don’t make for good fishing conditions. The carp are very much like us and bask in the sun, losing their appetite. On our lakes we went from an angler catching over 250 lb of carp in one week, to the next week’s angler only catching 7 carp in total – but he did leave with a great suntan! It reminds me of last summer when my cousin and I decided to ‘bivvy up’ for the night on our big lake. After a night cap we settled down to sleep with our 3 rods on buzzers. At 2am I had a screaming run and jumped off my bedchair to exit the bivvy, forgetting that I had a small up-‐stand of material across the door. I tripped over it and went head first into the lake. My buzzer was still screaming. I managed to grab the rod and land and unhook the fish whilst still in the water! I was just about to climb out of the water when a second buzzer screamed, so I did the same and landed a second carp! Sadly, I don’t have photographic evidence as my cousin slept soundly through the whole thing. I was certainly thankful for the warmer water temperature and as you can imagine, the bivvy has since been replaced.
Bonne pêche, Simon
Simon Tee is the proprietor of 2 coarse fishing lakes in Secondigny (www.francefishinggites.com)
CONTRIBUTIONS.... We are always looking for new contributions 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@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
THE AMATEUR GARDENER
Our French neighbour has harvested all his cauliflowers now, but cabbages are still increasing in size and he has recently planted his leeks.
Well, we've finally had the hot, sunny weather we have all been waiting for and hopefully your potager has lived up to expectations. For us this has been our first year in the new vegetable garden since we moved to this house. We only planted potatoes, broadbeans, beetroot, broccoli, pumpkins and squash because that was all we had time to do. Tomatoes and lettuce were planted in odd spaces in the flower beds closer to the house.
Our tomatoes are doing well in the flower garden but they are more difficult to pick because I don't want to damage nearby flowers.
by Vanda Lawrence
The broad beans did well and have been picked and frozen. We are half-‐way through lifting the potatoes (Rosabelle and Charlotte) and will store them in potato sacks in the cave. The beetroots are ready and can be picked and cooked as we need them, as with the broccoli. The pumpkins and squash have exceeded expectations; they were a failure in our last garden but here, whether it's down to the weather conditions, soil or situation I don't know, but we have some smashing specimens out there ripening in the sun. I have slipped a tile or piece of wood underneath each of them to stop them rotting away where they are sitting on the damp soil. When I separate them from the parent plant I have been advised to sterilize the knife in boiling water first because pumpkin are prone to disease (oidium). For the same reason don't put the finished pumpkin plant onto the compost heap -‐ it's safer to burn it on the bonfire.
Fruit trees are heavy with fruit now; pears, plums, apples etc etc. This is the really busy time, picking and storing fruit, bottling, jam and chutney making, wine making, freezing, trying new recipes ... anything and everything so that the produce does not go to waste. There is hardly time to think about the flower garden and shrubbery, but as temperatures drop and we get a few more showers it will be the ideal time to lift and divide perennials, move any shrubs or plant new ones and interplant with spring bulbs. Keep some envelopes and a pencil in your pocket so you can pick off ripe seed heads from your favourite flowers as you pass by. Write the name on the envelope straight away so there is no danger of forgetting which is which when you have built up a collection. Hedges need their final trim-‐up of the year and if, like me, you plan some archways with climbing plants to separate different sections of the garden, now is the time to start. If you only manage to get the arches up before the weather turns at least you will be ready to buy your climbers and plant them early next spring. My husband has started giving the fish in our pond an extra scoop of food each day. They will always eat as much as you care to give them, but a little extra now will help them through the winter. Also, if you have trees near your pond cover it with netting before the leaves start dropping. I know, I know, we don't want to think about autumn yet but it is coming so we might as well prepare ourselves .... see you next month.
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY We lost a plum tree in the storm a few weeks ago, thankfully it was old and not very productive. During the same storm we had a chicken drop dead. We think it was a heart attack as it happened straight after a very loud clap of thunder. The polytunnel has been very productive so far and we are now looking to plant potatoes and other vegetables for a treat at Christmas. Yes I know it’s a long way off but the year is moving very quickly -‐ must be my age! Even now with Christmas still four months away we have nearly sold out of turkeys.
Life on the Farm...
by Peter & Jenny Sebborn.
Well, what a month it’s been. Lots of things going on, some planned and others definitely not! New arrivals have come in the shape of Guinea fowl chicks. Some were hatched in the incubator and the rest were hatched courtesy of a broody Bantam hen. It still amazes me that a chicken can talk to a Guinea fowl and it’s great to watch the surrogate mum teaching the youngsters to scratch around. We have also hatched some meat bird chicks from our very own parent stock. The cockerel is a big lad -‐ I weighed him just out of interest and he tipped the scales at 7.5 kilos. We had smaller turkeys last Christmas. It is now tupping time, that is putting the ram in with the ewes ready for the next batch of lambs. Unfortunately the ewes couldn’t wait and it appears they formed a reverse escape committee and broke into the ram’s pen. It’s not a disaster but it does leave the lambing schedule a bit vague! We have also tried to put a raddle harness on the ram to see who he has with but he is not happy wearing it and has managed to get it off twice now. When the ram was freed jenny managed to get him in a pen ( I was in the UK at the time) and was tying the fence up to keep him in when he head butted her arm. Luckily nothing broken but a bruise to show off for over a week.
This time of year in the hot weather we like to give the pigs a shower but when we went to turn on the hose we realised it hadn’t been turned off from the morning when we topped up the drinkers. The result was the pigs had their own pool which they thoroughly enjoyed.....although we had to draw the line at their request for a couple of sun loungers! The two male goat kids are behaving like a couple of naughty teenagers whose hormones have just kicked in. They have started head butting anyone who goes into the field and have become real Houdinis, escaping from their field. On more than one occasion Jenny has ended up wearing the bucket of water she was carrying through their field. On a lighter note to finish, I am sure a lot of us remember Benny Hill and some of the chase scenes he used to have set to music. Well, Jenny re-‐enacted one just the other day. It was a sunny day and one of the young rabbits escaped from the pen. This attracted the cat who thought it a good idea to chase it. The commotion attracted Wallis our young dog who swiftly joined in chasing the cat. Finally Jenny arrived on the scene wearing flip-‐flops and joined in chasing the dog, who was chasing the cat who was chasing the rabbit. The only thing missing was the music and the obligatory scantily clad female. All ended well with the rabbit taking refuge behind a low wall which gave Jenny the chance to catch the relevant parties and restore peace. Finally the master bedroom renovations were finished with a day to spare for the arrival of family from the UK to celebrate Jenny’s mum Rose’s 90th birthday. We had a great party and cooked a whole sheep in the ground. All in all a good month but hopefully we shall have a quieter one next month. Until then....
Jenny planted over thirty squash and courgette plants earlier in the year and we now have a mountain of huge vegetables to store for the winter or to feed to the pigs. She planted some pink banana too which have turned out huge. We haven’t tried one yet and will let you know what they are like! The cucumber crop has also been plentiful and all our visitors get a free cucumber or two to take away.
Peter & Jenny Sebborn. Breeders of pigs, lambs and poultry. La Gauteliere, 79220, Pamplie. Tel: 05 49 28 38 57.
Annual Subscription Costs: 28€ within France, 18€ UK addresses. (Unfortunately the cheaper ‘printed papers’ rate cannot be applied to addresses within France, only when sending abroad) Please tick:
‘The Deux-Sèvres Monthly’
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Full Name: Postal Address: Postcode:
Country:
Tel: Email: Please make cheques payable to SARAH BERRY.
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2nd ANGLO-FRENCH TRADE FAIR 2013 After such a successful event last year, we have worked tirelessly to make sure this year’s event will be even bigger and better! We have more than 65 stands with a vast range of products, produce and services on offer. Tra n s l a t o rs w i l l b e ava i l a b l e throughout the day to help with any language difficulties between visitor and exhibitor -‐ just wave a flag or grab a badge-‐wearer for some assistance! The event location is fabulous. Over-‐looking the lake at lac des Effres, Secondigny, the salle Alauna 21 is perfectly sited for other alternative activities such as picnicking, fishing, walking, cycling and also offers a children’s play area. It’s situated just off the D748 Niort-‐Bressuire road....look out for banners and signs.
View from the salle
La Salle Alauna 21
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Stand Nos. ~ Exterior Exhibitors: CATERING:
Mister T’s Friterie Crêpe O beurre 13. CSSG Group 14. MoniqueGerber-‐Maher 15. Irving Location 16. Domaine des Vignes Hautes 17. An English Nursery in France 18. Caniclôture 19. Cym Cards 20. Sarl Bois Nature Energie 21. Loulesbelles 22. Fosse France Solutions 22a. Le Forgeron 23. Pamela Jayne Photography & RobSmith-‐IT 23a. Gousses de saveurs 24. Le Logis/The Perfect Pig Company 25. La Deuxieme Chance 25a. Domaine de l’Enchantoir 25b. Motor Parts Charente 70. Suzanne Cole-‐King 71. A2B Food Services
PLAN OF the EXTERIOR
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Stand Nos. ~ Interior Exhibitors:
PLAN OF the INTERIOR ‘The Art Scene’ Art Exhibition 69
37 37
36
35
33
34
32
31
30
38 44 39
45 46
B55
51
40 43
56
49
50
57
29
68
55
28
58
52
27 42
67
66
47
65
54
64
63
62
59
26
61
EXTERIOR
TABLE TOP PUBLICITY
BAR
60
72
TEA / COFFEE / CAKES DSM
Toilets
EXTERIOR
41
53
26. Paperback Jan 27. Alison Morton Author 28. Pamela Irving 29. Brasserie du marais poitevin 30. Nathan Foster Building Services 31. Les Ceramiques de Linda 32. LeonieLynne.com 33. MKR Menuiserie 34. Kelly & Sue’s Pampering Events 35. Blevins Franks 36. Kathy Gousseau 37. SDIS 79 38. English Spoken Directory 39. Les Bons Voisins 40. Sarl Ecopower 41. Leggett Immobilier 42. Affordable UK Designs 43. Sue Burgess 44. Satellite TV / JMH 45. Plasma Decoration 46. Hervo Aluminium 47. VMP 49. Arbrecadabra 50. David Watkins 51. Currencies Direct 52. The Spectrum IFA Group 53. Cognac Guy Bonnaud 54. Evelyne Mallet 55. Michel Derosier 56. Bijoux Jewellery 57. Margaret Simmons Cards 58. Pays de Gatine
59. Phoenix Cards 60. Interface Consul\ng & Engineering 61. Neal’s Yard 62. Traducteurs Assermentés 63. Photcreativity 64. GAN Assurances 65. Simon the Tiler 66. Polar Express 67. Sabestini Renovation & Construction 68. Simon Bienz 69. Fabienne Roy 72. Rob Berry & Andy Melling
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LL
PU
e Don’t miss the liv
music!
& Beechy Colclough
A-Vee & Andy-Em
Also at the plan d’eau...
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres A-Z of the Communes of the Deux-Sèvres. by Sue Burgess COULON Coulon is a very popular and very beautiful tourist spot. This small market town is the capital of the ‘Venise Verte’ (the western part of the Marais Poitevin) also known as ‘the wet marshes’ (‘marais mouillé’) as opposed to the ‘dry marshes’ (‘marais desséché’) and is listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France.
Photo: www.campingveniseverte.com
A VOIR / MUST SEE • Place de la Coutume -‐ The Maison du Marais Poitevin: The former residence of tax c o l l e c t o rs fo r t h e ‘d ro i t coutumier’ (tax on merchandise) which is where the name of ‘La Maison de La Coutume’ came from. The officials took taxes for merchandise transported along the Sèvre Niortaise river. The taxes were used to upkeep the water ways. This tax was put into place in the XIVth century and added to another tax ‘le rivage’ which had to be paid in all the small ports and harbours of the different villages of the marshes. Today this building houses a museum full of information about life in the marshes. • The Church of the Holy Trinity (Sainte-‐Trinité): Founded in 830 by the monks of Charroux, the church has been rebuilt several times. It was partly restored in the XVth century after the Hundred Years War and the bell tower was burnt down in 1569. At the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, 158 protestants renounced their faith in it and others took refuge in the marshes or emigrated. During the revolution, the church was used as a barn for storing hay. The Church was partly rebuilt in the XIXth century. There is a painted funeral ribbon that dates from the XVIIIth century and a tower for the staircase. • The alleyways and narrow streets.
Situated on the edge of the Picton Gulf, the Gallic Roman colonial domain was worked by ‘coloni’ (free agricultural labourers (i.e. they were not slaves)) although they were tied to the land. History shows us that Coulon was known as Colunus in 869, Colongia in 944, and then Colums in 1154. Archeological research has discovered a cemetery and Gallic Roman sarcophagus, a neolithic village, and a funeral cart dating from the bronze age. Lately, a Gallic farm has been discovered at the lieu-‐dit Les Grands Champs. Because of its ideal situation between Niort and the Ocean, Coulon was a very busy port from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. The river traffic and the exchange of merchandise ensured the development of the market town. In the 19th century, the original branch of the river was dug out to give the current configuration of the town. This branch of the river which meandered up to the church, was called the Dyve. Because it was dug out in the 19th century, the river was diverted away from the town. So that farmers could still have a direct access to the river, the inhabitants dug out ditches, but later for hygiene reasons, these ditches were replaced by alleyways and narrow streets and new houses were built right up to the water's edge. The ‘Maison du Marais Poitevin’ museum, on the banks of the river, helps you understand and discover the life and traditions of the marshes. Coulon is an ideal starting point for discovering the wet marshes on foot, by flat rowing boat or punt, on bicycle or on the little tourist train.
• Louis Tardy quay which dates from the XIXth century. • The food canning factory in the old dairy. • The house with the blue shutters: the house is only accessible by rowing boat across the river but can be seen from the road. It appears on postcards and souvenirs and is a popular subject for tourists to photograph. The house is in fact lived in. The same family have lived here for four generations and get nothing from the sales of all the photos of their house. • The locks at La Sotterie 54 km of the Sèvre Niortaise river are navigable. The river flows into the Atlantic in Aiguillon Bay. The waterways of the marshes are organised around this river. Until the railway took over, loaded ships sailed up to Marans (Charente Maritime). The longboats and barges then took over and sailed on up to Niort through nine locks. The existing locks were built between 1862 and 1873. The lock of La Sotterie was restored in 2006.
The last census in the market town showed 2211 inhabitants in Coulon.
More ‘A-‐Z of the Communes of the Deux-‐Sèvres.’ next month...
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Take a Break... DSM Easy Crossword Across: 8. Of a slope, set at a high angle (5) 9. The same throughout in structure or composition (7) 10. Removes the triggering device from (7) 11. Very hot pepper (5) 12. A d e v i c e t h a t f i n e l y c u t s documents to prevent the wrong people reading (8) 13. Look at with amorous intentions (4) 15. Not pretty (4) 17. A small booklet usually having a paper cover (8) 21. Slept lightly (5) 22. Dependent on another for support (7) 24 . A person who rows (7) 25. Shine brightly like a star (5) DSM Toughie Crossword Across: 1. Spoke out pompously; like the church leader? (12) 7. Ties up the rest for a change (7) 9. Put money needed to get by on the side for unfriendly bridge guardian (5) 10. Man from Casablanca has no time for sleight of hand (4) 11. Muck up in street results in extra being paid (8) 12. Move to take refuge in a board game (6) 14. This is as I describe vehicle for words with the audience (6) 17. Hold back when there’s rain around disturbing rest (8) 19. We go before the queen to identify maker of joints (4) 22. Part of flower initially seen in our very unusual leaf exhibition (5) 23. Ultimately, sailors force poets’ organisation to lower castle door (7) 24. Bizarrely, Len must train to be of some assistance in getting things done (12)
Quiz-tastic!
Down: 1. Second hand (4) 2. Young cow (6) 3. A part of a broadcast serial (7) 4. Chase down (6) 5. Popular dance music of the late 1970s (5) 6. Fist fighting (6) 7. Close in time; about to occur (8) 12. An air force unit (8) 14. An expression of regret having caused trouble for someone (7) 16. Long-‐bodied reptile with two pairs of legs (6) 18. Face to face (6) 19. A person who rules, guides or inspires (6) 20. Swelling from excessive watery fluid in cells or tissues (5) 23. A burial place of a corpse (4) Down: 1. LP exchange means quaint father comes out of the future (5) 2. Kind of signs held up by hypno]c escapologist? (7) 3. Notion of leaderless side getting top mark (4) 4. Cars set up for Windsor e.g. (7) 5. Summon first lady to include confirmation of agreement(5) 6. Uses overhead materials to carry out attack? (6) 8. One reason you might embrace the producers of technology (4) 12. An element of good French after motorist’s body is up-‐ended (6) 13. Rat’s leg stew turns out to be a really big thing compared to the rest (7) 15. A drop left when exchange in A and E affects musical accompaniment (7) 16. Weak mouthpiece, but many are taken in (4) 18. Reject left when vessel goes against the odds (5) 20. Learn in an unusual way about the organ (5) 21. Maori’s legend involving a little piece of land (4)
With thanks to M.Morris
Monthly quiz by Roland Sco^.....how many can you get?
1) Where is Karl Marx buried? 2) At the time of his death, what was Giacomo Casanova’s job? 3) Who organised the first continental holiday tour in 1855, he called it ‘ The Grand Circular Tour’? 4) To be called ‘vintage’, for how many years must port be matured?
9) Who played Cruella Deville in the non-‐animated version of ‘101 Dalmations’ in 1996? 10) Who was Conservative P.M. when Edward VIII abdicated? 11) How many pieces does each player have in Backgammon? 12) In the nursery rhyme “Yankee Doodle”, what is the horse’s name?
5) In which American state is the Grand Canyon? 7) Which political office did Winston Churchill hold during World War 1?
As always, assuming you have 12 correct answers, each answer or part of an answer has a connection. Award yourself an extra point if you can spot it. Copyright RJS 2013.
8) In terms of weight and average wingspan, which is Britain’s biggest resident bird?
Find the answers on our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
6) Freetown is the capital of which African Country?
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
French Life, Food & Drink... French Village Diaries
by Jacqueline Brown.
The summer months in France are always a great time for browsing the special producers’ markets that you find popping up in addition to the regular weekly ones. The best we have visited this year was the traditional floating market held in Le Vanneau in the Marais Poitevin on the last Saturday morning in July. In addition to the land-‐based stalls selling everything from handmade soaps and linen clothes to saucisson and fresh fruit and vegetables, there were also stalls on the water in the traditional barques. It was the busiest we have seen the Marais Poitevin, which is one of our favourite places to spend a day with the bikes and a picnic, but it was such a good morning out it was worth sharing what is usually a quiet area with the crowds. We came away with the bike panniers bulging with saucisson and goats cheese, including a very strong extra mature goats cheese that was delicious on homemade pizza. The local brewery also had a stall, however buying bottles of beer with the bikes wasn’t practical. A quick chat with the vendor confirmed that the brewery shop in Coulon would be open all day so we could buy some beer when we got back to the car, no problem. We peddled, picnicked and peddled some more, arrived back at the car and then walked over to sample the delights of a locally produced beer. However, the brewery was closed and we were a little disappointed. The problem seemed to be one of a cultural translation as my question ‘are you open all day?’ meaning ‘all day’ was answered with a ‘yes’ meaning ‘all day, but obviously not at lunchtime’. Never mind, it will be something to look forward to next time we are in the area. I like the French way of taking their time over lunch and making it an event rather than a chore, even if for us it will always be our smaller meal of the day. Ed has had school meals in France for the last nine years and has tried a much wider variety of food than he would have done without them. To begin with when he was in Maternelle and a fussier eater, I only gave him a snack in the evenings to encourage him to eat more at school. Now he is almost un-‐fill-‐up-‐able and pretty much eats what he is given, he also manages a meal with us in the evenings too. I do sometimes wonder how he copes during the summer holidays without his school lunch, as I don’t serve him two main meals a day. Now La Rentrée is upon us again I’m sure he will be glad to be back in the canteen tucking into his three courses and chatting to his mates. They do seem to get a good mix of seasonal foods and although sometimes certain things are referred to as ‘disgusting’ at other times seconds are gratefully shared around the table. Bon Appétit
For recipes please email me at frenchvillagediaries@gmail.com or visit www.frenchvillagediaries.com
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Who says there's no such thing as a Perfect Pig? We believe there is and here at Le Logis we have been perfecting our herd of pedigree rare breed pigs since 2009, and are now producing unbeatable pork and charcuterie -‐ such as smoked hams, bacon and sausage. Our top selling pork comes from our Berkshire pigs, a heritage breed famous for their taste -‐ sweet, tender, rich and juicy not like modern pork you find in the supermarket. Mrs Beeton described it as "the most esteemed of our English domestic breeds". Our Berkshires have plenty of lean meat, succulent joints and are full of quality thanks to being raised free-‐ range outdoors and in family groups. In August's ‘Observer Food Monthly’ Berkshire pork received rave reviews: "rare breed pork tastes better, with a fuller flavour than commercially produced pork, and the qualities of the Berkshire are renowned". The pork is highly prized by food lovers in Australia, USA and Japan where it is known as Kurobuta pork or ‘The Black Pork’, which must be one hundred per cent pure bred Berkshire. Our Berkshire herd at Le Logis will be further strengthened this Autumn by the arrival of an exceptional prize-‐winning Berkshire boar “Choller Namatjira” -‐ a Berkshire Champion of Champions. We are planning to show him at the Salon International de l’Agriculture in Paris next February along with one of our pedigree Berkshire sows bred here in France.
THINKING ABOUT PLACING AN AD? For a full list of our advertising rates, please phone 05 49 70 26 21 or download our Advertising Pack from our website: www.thevendeemonthly.fr
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers past, present and future for their loyalty and support. Come and see us at The DSM Trade Fair on 21st September to try our pork for yourself and talk all things pig -‐ we are on Stand 24. For more information about how to buy o u r p o r k , v i s i t o u r n e w w e b s i t e : www.theperfectpigcompany.com
Contact ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny.
Tel: 05 49 70 26 21 ~ Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
or see our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
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Combined Services Support Group Present
The Fenery Beer Fest Saturday
19th October, 2013 Salles des Fetes Fenery
11.00 to 16.00hrs
7LFNHWV ¼ SHU SHUVRQ to include 1 free drink
Admission by ticket only British Draught Beer Sausage and Chips Tea, coffee and cakes Raffle, stalls and Entertainment In aid of SSAFA
Contact: Mick and Terri Laverick 05 49 64 07 24 or Ali Sherwin 05 49 95 62 71
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Only One Careful Owner Reconditioned wine bottles
by John Sherwin.
Are you a fan of those ‘makeover’ programmes on TV, where a dreary, nondescript, drooping dahlia of a housewife is poked and preened into an exotic, sultry bloom? Easy to take the mick, but I find the whole process quite heartwarming. For me, the lady is not being plastered over but rather being allowed to bring her inner beauty to the fore. The difference isn’t in the frocks or the shoes or the slap -‐ it’s in the happy eyes. She’s saying this is the real me. Without bending the analogy to breaking point, or getting too anthropomorphic, wine bottles can get run down and dowdy too: the aristocrat-‐to-‐bag-‐lady syndrome, for I am talking of the aristocracy of wine -‐ the Bordeaux classified growths and the like -‐ not your everyday supermarket bottle. This presupposes that you have some expensive bottles which you have studiously laid down and hope, one day, to enjoy with friends and family, or sell for a profit. But in what way do bottles become a shadow of their former glory, and why does it matter to do something about it? There are three main areas where the blue-‐blooded bottle might go off the rails: label, cork, level. Damage to the label might range from a little nick to a full-‐blown tear, from peeling away to mottling due to excessive humidity. Why does such damage matter? Well, to the extent that it has no impact on the contents of the bottle, it doesn’t matter a bit. But should you want to sell such a bottle, even with just a nick to the label, expect 10 to 15% less than a bottle with a pristine label at auction. If you’re bringing a bottle or two out for friends, you might think the wear and tear add a touch of the louche, of history, of ‘a life well lived’, rather like trundling out a great-‐uncle with a monocle who once met Churchill. Well, if that’s your bag, fine. Or you might think that rolling back the years so the bottle looked like new would be better -‐ like dropping your great-‐uncle in at Specsavers on the way to buying him a new suit. Even the best of corks only lasts for about 25 years. If not replaced, the old cork will continue to degrade, letting in more oxygen, slowly turning the wine to vinegar. Unlike the label, this is not a matter of aesthetics, rather of necessity. The level of the wine is a connected issue. This ‘ullage’ (or ‘the angels’ share’ in French) is the wine lost through evaporation. This is natural. A certain amount is acceptable; too much is, well, too much, and the bottle needs to be topped up to avoid over-‐oxidation and the wine to vinegar scenario. Recorking and topping up (if necessary) would go hand in hand. The place to have any or all of these things done is at the chateau itself. The annoying thing is, some offer the service, others don’t. You will have to phone to find out. Or even better, skype, wearing your best frock and happy eyes.
John Sherwin, French Wine Tours. Tel: 02 51 66 13 05 Email: johnsherwin@orange.fr ~ www.french-wine-tours.com
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Motoring... Turning Japanese
by Helen Tait-‐Wright
You could say we are a little late to the party, but recently our fleet has been swelled by a small Japanese model, the most successful sports car of all time. On a recent trip to England I stopped off to have the Audi A6 serviced, and borrowed an MX5 from our friendly mechanic in order to do a couple of chores while I was waiting......and I loved it! I have driven an MX5 before on the track at Snetterton when I was trying out for the Formula Woman race series, but never on the road.
wrong person -‐ I just drive them! Although I would say it sticks to the road like s**t to a blanket! And driving it always brings a smile to my face!!!” But you can buy into the MX5 phenomenon with the Mk1 and early Mk2 models at relatively small cost. The Mk1 has cult/approaching classic status, and is generally regarded as being the most fun. These models are easily distinguished by the pop-‐up headlights, something I hankered after for years! The Mk2 gives you a slightly less raw driving experience, a more modern appearance inside and out, and the added reassurance of airbags and ABS on every model.
I loved the nippy-‐ness (no pun intended), the rear wheel drive, the short gear change, and just the feeling of fun! Despite having a relatively modest engine size, (our car is 1.8ltr, 128bhp and in fact I can’t remember when I last had a car with an engine that small) the MX5 feels fast, as it is so low to the ground; plenty of thrills at legal speeds!
Don’t be worried about purchasing an older car -‐ not only does it give more smiles per Pound/Euro than practically anything else on the market, the humble MX5 is the only car to appear twice in Warranty Direct’s top 15 most reliable cars ever. Mechanical problems tend to be easy and inexpensive to fix, and parts are easily available from www.mx5parts.co.uk who deliver throughout Europe.
It's hard to believe almost a full quarter century has passed since the Mazda MX5 first appeared on our roads.
So if you like the idea, don’t think about it too much -‐ just buy one ........ I did and it’s great!
Photo: www.pcwalls.net
Mazda’s formula for its little car was practical and affordable simplicity, which was fun and had a boot big enough for a couple of reasonably sized bags. Back in 1989 when it was launched, it filled a market gap left by the demise of the British sports cars such as the Lotus Elan and MG Midget. For further appeal to the UK market which is particularly fond of open top motoring, they made it convertible. Although we haven’t tested ours in inclement weather yet, I am assured that the MX5 works perfectly well in winter too, and the hood is watertight. The MX5 achieved Guinness world record status in 2000, when the 531,890th car was built, and a couple of years ago the tally passed 900,000. Now on its third regeneration, the MX5 is still going strong. My sister owns the Mk3 version. I asked her what she thought of her car ....... Her reply; “Me review the car? -‐ you are talking to the
Contact Helen at: helen@stodel.org.
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Communications... Understanding, Using and Extended WiFi at home by Ross Hendry Modern internet services provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) give you a WiFi router, this router whether it be a Livebox, Neuf box or something similar, permits you to connect your PCs to the internet. Most of my Clients have a desktop PC that they choose to site next to their router and connect from the desktop PC to the router using a cable (known as an Ethernet or network cable). On the latest Livebox or Neuf box there are 4 sockets that will accept these cables. However the router also has the capability of connecting to devices such as laptops, smart telephones, iPods, Smart TVs and tablets (iPad etc) via WiFi. You may also use a WiFi adapter via a USB socket on your desktop PC to enable you to reposition your desktop or tower PC wherever you like in your home and still have an internet connection without the cable! I am often told when clients enquire about WiFi connections for their homes, that the mobile telephone signals in their area are poor and that they do not think that they can get WiFi. The fact is that the WiFi that you use in your home is generated by the router (the Livebox , Neuf box or other device provided by your ISP). You can choose to have it switched on or off without affecting your wired connection. If you have a WiFi enabled laptop or mobile telephone, you can use this simultaneously with the Wired connection, in fact you may use several of these devices simultaneously. The normal range of WiFi is around 100 metres, although this is severely reduced when the WiFi signal has to go through walls and other obstacles. The more obstacles, or the denser the obstacles (thick walls or metal walls) the smaller the range. In fact where you position the router can have a dramatic effect on the range it can provide. The best position for the router depends on the layout of your property and of course where you want to use the WiFi. You should think of the WiFi signal like the ripples in a pond when you drop in a stone. Where the stone enters the water is the position of the WiFi router and the ripples that extend are the WiFi signals. This analogy also helps to explain the drop off of the WiFi signal. The further away from where the stone enters the water, the weaker the ripples are, until they eventually disappear. This means that the further away from the router your device is the weaker the signal to your device will be, this will mean either slower internet speed or possibly the signal will disconnect periodically.
Photo shows the rippling effect of WiFi in a home
The stone in the water analogy is a 2 dimensional concept, in fact the signal from your router extends in a 360 degree sphere from the router, so placing the router higher off the ground helps the signal to go further, even more important if you have a two or three storey home. In the case of a three storey home the router should be on the middle floor not the top or ground floor for the best coverage. There are other factors that affect the range of WiFi, for example other wireless devices nearby such as WiFi telephones (like a cordless telephone used in your home) or a digital sender, used for sending your TV signal from room to room around your home. The digital WiFi signal is exceedingly high frequency and microwave ovens use similar frequencies and so they too have a negative effect on the range. All of these will have an adverse effect on your WiFi range as will the close proximity of other WiFi routers to yours, this is more likely if you live in a town close to other homes or businesses with WiFi. Fortunately all of these restrictions may be overcome using various methods and in the next couple of months I will detail how to overcome these issues. In particular I will look at three methods of extending the range; using wireless methods, using your home’s main electricity circuit and using additional Ethernet cabling and a WiFi access point. 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 for more information).
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THE DEUX-SÈVRES MONTHLY
Contact ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ La Bartière, 79130, Secondigny.
Tel: 05 49 70 26 21 ~ Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr or see our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
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
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01 45 26 33 41
Association La Porte Ouverte (Open Door):
05 49 87 97 36 or www.opendoor-civray.com
Funeral Information (AFIF):
01 45 44 90 03 or www.afif.asso.fr
Passport Advice:
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Small B/W advert only 30€
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ARTISANS & TRADESMEN... Do you have any top tips you can share with our readers? We would love to include them in this section!
For more details, please see the ‘Submit Article’ page on our website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
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Business, Finance & Property... Ask Amanda.
“I would like to speak to a financial adviser about my finances but do not feel I have enough money to warrant talking to one?”
There are many people who feel like this which is why I give people the opportunity to meet me in person for an informal chat over a coffee at the Open Door in Civray (last Tuesday in each month) or Thursday mornings at Café des Belles Fleurs in Fenioux. I aim to give people the chance to ask questions relating to their financial position, changes in tax and inheritance laws or their own personal circumstances since their last review. These informal surgeries allow us to quickly see whether you would benefit from a free consultation in the comfort of your own home. During September and October I will also be at the following events: • The DSM Trade Fair on Saturday 21st September from 10.30 am until 17.30 where you can have a chat and enter a Free Prize draw to win a hamper. • Le Tour de Finance event on October 4th in La Salle des Caleches at the Bouvet – Ladubay Wine House near Saumur. Event format • 10:30 Welcome coffee and pastry platter • 11:00 Forum commences (various presenters will give 15 minute presentations). To keep the topics varied, only one company will represent a specialist area i.e. investments, pensions, currency transfer etc • 12:30 A light luncheon buffet accompanied by local wine and soft beverages will be served allowing delegates to network with other delegates and the speakers, followed by • an optional tour of the caves of Bouvet-‐Ladubay and a wine tasting! If it has been some time since your last financial review, perhaps you would like to attend one of these events? To register for this seminar please contact me or e-‐mail seminars@spectrum-‐ifa.com or letourdefinance@currenciesdirect.com. You can also telephone Pippa Maile at Currencies Direct on +33 (0) 6 72 09 64 95. Amanda Johnson, The Spectrum IFA Group. Tel: 05 49 98 97 46 Email: amanda.johnson@spectrum-‐ifa.com or “Ask Amanda” at finance@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
Money Talk...
by Philip Ryan
Will the PMI data boost Sterling?
Sterling is running alongside the Yen as top performer this month, as the barrage of improved British data since late May continues. The latest UK PMI Services report for July rose to its highest level since December 2006, at 60.2 vs 57.4 expected. The data follows improved July PMI Construction and Manufacturing reports, and supports what has been a stream of improved PMI surveys starting in May. But as much as the British Pound has benefited recently particularly against the US Dollar, will this be the case against the Euro? As per the Bank of England latest policy meeting, Governor Mark Carney made clear that details on the central bank’s new “forward guidance” policy would be set forth alongside the relevant Quarterly Inflation Report. In the July meeting, forward guidance was announced to reflect the BoE’s commitment to hold rates pointed towards zero for the next several years. The response in Sterling was quite negative indeed; we are biased towards a negative reaction to the pound. Governor Carney has recommended that a nominal GDP target could work, and at the current rate of growth, it’s no stretch of the imagination to think that a growth benchmark would be set higher say, four consecutive quarters of growth exceeding +2%; or growth achieving +3%, etc. Irrespective – the UK economy will fall short of whatever benchmarks are established at the present time, which will deflate some of the optimism behind the pound. Over to Europe, Mario Draghi has emphasised that the ECB will keep interest rates low “for an extended period”. Questions in his monthly press conference about quite what “extended period” meant were belted away by Mr Draghi with his usual coolness. The Euro strength then, seems to be stemming from European PMI figures which apart from France, showed expansion across the euro zone. Month end flows also contributed to the Euro rise especially against Sterling. Italian GDP for Q2 was reported better than expected, which was the first GDP release of the three major Euro-‐ zone economies-‐ Italy, France and Germany. The Italian economy contracted 0.2% over the quarter, beating expectations for a 0.4% contraction and better than the 0.6% contraction reported for Q1. In my opinion I think Sterling will recover against the Euro as economic data looks firm in the U.K and Europe still has many difficulties as we are all aware. I remain bullish on Sterling/Euro and feel this should be closer to 1.20 and while I don’t feel we will see that soon I still think that the Pound will claw a little back in the short term.
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Potential Changes to Assurance Vie By Brad Warden, Partner, Blevins Franks Assurance Vie contracts are a popular savings vehicle in France. They offer significant tax benefits, especially the longer you hold them. A government commissioned report recommends adapting Assurance Vie to benefit the economy. The government is considering the report while drafting the 2014 Finance Bill.
Current Tax Advantages
Income and gains accumulated within the Assurance Vie are tax free and only the growth element of withdrawals is taxed. French approved Assurance Vie policyholders can choose to have their withdrawals taxed at the scale rates of income tax or special fixed rates. After eight years, the first €4,600 (€9,200 for couples) of growth is tax free and the tax rate is 7.5%. This applies to income tax, but not to social charges.
Changes Recommended in the Report
• Extend the number of years a policy needs to be held to obtain the tax free allowances and 7.5% rate, from 8 years to 10 or 12 years. • Remove the fixed tax rate option in the first four years. • Date supplementary payments (tops ups) to the policy, so the tax treatment of withdrawals will be based on the date payments are made to the policy. • Reduce the tax free exemption for succession tax to €100,000.
What Will Happen?
We cannot know which of these recommendations will be adopted, if any. The general view is that any changes will not be retroactive, though this cannot be guaranteed. Assurance Vie will continue to enjoy favourable tax treatment, even if all the proposed changes are accepted. However, you should consider establishing or adding monies to a contract now, to take advantage of the exceptionally favourable current tax regime. Summarised tax information is based upon our understanding of current laws and practices which may change. Individuals should take personalised advice.
This tax treatment is based on when the contract was established. Where a policy is established when the life assured is under age 70, there is a succession tax exemption of €152,500 per beneficiary. Tax is payable at 20% up to €902,838 and any excess up to 25%.
To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com
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Changes to Property Capital Gains by David Hardy Taxation Planned President Hollande and his government have recently announced their intention to include further reforms to the taxation of property capital gains in the 2014 Finance Bill, due to be presented to the French parliament in September 2013.
Amendment Act. The government has indicated it will “review” the operation and impact of this supplementary tax but it remains to be seen how finance ministers will reconcile their desire to expand the residential property market with their competing desire to optimise tax revenues to reduce the ongoing public sector deficit!
The reforms are designed to help alleviate the national housing shortage in France by encouraging the release of investment properties onto the main residential market. The measures will affect both French resident and non-‐resident owners of French second homes. Capital gains made on the sale of a primary residence by a French-‐resident owner will not be affected because the main residence exemption will continue to apply. On 1st February 2012 the previous government introduced a scale of “taper relief” reduction applied to gains in accordance with the length of property ownership. The effect of this was that 100% gain relief was given after 30 years ownership. This scale was introduced to replace the scale which provided for full relief after 15 years of ownership, however, President Hollande has described this extension as excessive and now proposes to reduce the length of ownership to qualify for 100% relief to 22 years. The 22-‐year scale is, in fact, a re-‐introduction of an old scale and if the measure follows the same formula as the old scale then there will be relief at 5% per annum after the first 2 years of ownership. Interestingly, the President is hopeful of formulating the proposal in such a way that it can actually come into force with effect from the 1st September 2013, in advance of parliamentary approval of the Finance Bill. The government is also proposing an additional 20% reduction, for a limited period, on capital gains arising on sales of second homes and investment properties. Full details of this measure and the time period for its application will be set out in the 2014 Finance Bill. Commentators have remarked that this additional “incentive” to encourage the release of second homes and investment properties onto the general residential market is somewhat at odds with the capital gains “surtax” of up to 6%, on gains exceeding €50,000, after taper relief, which was introduced at the start of 2013 by the Finance
David Hardy is Regional Manager of Siddalls France, Independent Financial Adviser, specialising in tax, inheritance, pension and investment planning for the British community in the Poitou-‐Charentes since 1996.
Tel: 05 56 34 75 51 ~ bordeaux.office@siddalls.net ~ www.siddalls.fr
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Bucking the Trend
by Trevor Leggett, Chief Executive
So why did Poitou Charentes buck the trend and see an increase in British buyers last year? If you read the last edition of ‘The Deux-‐Sèvres Monthly’ you will know that the latest research from BNP Paribas International Buyers "Investing & Living Abroad" was published recently. It is the 5th year the research has been undertaken and it offers a close up view on just who is buying in the Poitou Charentes region. Many agents claim that UK buyers have disappeared from the market, particularly in the Deux-‐Sèvres, but the BNP Paribas research contradicted this. Interestingly, while sales of French property to international buyers fell in every other region of France they actually rose by 4% in Poitou-‐Charentes with an average purchase price of €145,000. Buyers from the UK lead the way and made up 78% of the market, followed by Belgium (13%), Holland (5%) and Germany (4%). Indeed it's clear that the Poitou-‐Charentes is proving popular with British buyers as they saw their market share increase from 70% to 78%. The reasons for this are not documented in the research but it could be down to the temperate climate we enjoy in western France, with UK buyers being tempted to relocate to warmer climes or simply to look for an affordable holiday home in the sun. The UK as a whole receives an average of around 1,490 hours a year of sunshine while our nearest weather station (in La Rochelle) reports that in 2012 we saw 2,230 hours. This is a substantial difference and one that our local agents in the Deux-‐Sèvres report is often quoted as one of the reasons our clients give for buying here.
End
Access to wonderful beaches will also play a part as will the pretty landscape and plentiful stock of well priced houses in the region. Similarly the Poitou-‐Charentes is easily accessible from the UK with a small but established ex-‐pat community and a great reputation for being a “friendly” region of France. La Rochelle, Poitiers and Nantes all have busy airports and, of course, the A10 and A83 motorways give easy access to the ferry ports while the TGV from Poitiers takes you directly into the heart of London. The good news for us in the Deux-‐Sèvres is that the research highlighted that “quality of life”, “climate” and “gastronomy” are the three main factors behind a property purchase in France -‐ all areas that our beautiful department excels in!
Leggett Immobilier is one of the leading estate agents in France. You can access all their local property listings and articles at www.frenchestateagents.com/poitou-‐charentes-‐property.
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