people - The Bugle

Transcription

people - The Bugle
Paris trouser
ban for women
SIRET: 502 907 108 00018
© 2009 Jason Staten
MPs are attempting to overthrow a rule that
requires women wanting to "dress like a man"
to first obtain police permission.
Page 10
9,000 copies distributed from over 300 points across Haute-Vienne, Creuse and the surrounding areas.
June 2010
Issue #8
INSIDE > > >
INTERVIEW... p6
Bugle Exclusive!
We talk to the
head of the Creuse
Gendarmerie
FEATURE ...p14-15
Jazz in France and
the annual Fête de
la Musique
Brive airport opens
B
rive’s
new
international airport,
Brive-Vallée de la
Dordogne, will be
officially opened on
the 15th June, with flights to and from
London’s City airport beginning on
the 25th June. Although still officially
known by its original name of
Brive-Souillac by airline bodies, the
airport had a recent makeover and
is being promoted as Brive-Vallée
de la Dordogne for commercial and
advertising purposes.
The project has not been without
its problems and controversy has
also surrounded the official launch,
with critical politicians and leaked
press reports. The economic and
social council (CESR) of Limousin
has previously stated that “the
creation of a new regional airport
does not seem justified”, adding
that “Limoges-Bellegarde airport
already has a regional role to serve
all of the Limousin, and seems
sufficient”.
Continued on page 3...
The new airport, Brive-Vallée de la Dordogne, will officially open on the 15th June. CityJet
will run three flights a week to London City airport in 95-seat RJ85 airplanes. The first flights
to London will take off on Friday 25th June.
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION
Welcome to
The Bugle
W
hat a small
world it is
we live in.
I
received
an email this month from a
retired local newspaper editor
who lives in the Limousin
congratulating us on our
paper. She spends half of every
year in France and, having
just returned from wintering
in the UK, discovered our
paper through a local friend
who had kept back copies
for her. Let’s call her Jane
Smith, as I haven’t asked for
permission to print her email.
I am proud to say that we get
quite a few emails and letters
like this every month and they
always give me such a boost.
I happened to have the in-laws
staying this month, which is
always an absolute pleasure
and in no way inconvenient
(unfortunately,
they
are
subscribers so will read this
- I must tread a diplomatic
path!). I read out the email
we had been sent to which my
father-in-law replied, “Oh,
that’s nice. She always was a
nice lady, Jane Smith.”
You know how in cartoons
when something really big
happens, all the characters
carry on doing what they are
doing until a few seconds
later when they suddenly stop
in their tracks and perform
a comedy double take…?
“What do you mean ‘always
was a nice lady’? She’s a
reader, you’ve never met
her.” Unfortunately, when
my father-in-law is right,
he is right (I can’t imagine
where my wife gets it from!)
“Yes, Jane Smith, she used
to live next to my parents in
England.” Admittedly, her
surname is a bit less common
than Smith, but to be able to say
with 100% certainty that you
know someone in a country
of over 50 million based on a
name alone… I wasn’t having
it. “She had something to do
with publishing.” Hang on
a minute, I hadn’t read out
the bit about her editing a
local newspaper – this was
too weird! A quick Google
search revealed the publishing
house she still runs. “I bet the
company is registered to Vale
Road, somewhere between 13
and 15”. A bit more digging…
13, Vale Road. There was no
doubt about it. No one does
smug grin like my fatherin-law, it’s another of his
endearing qualities!
Contact was soon made and
they were indeed the Smiths
from next door. They hadn’t
spoken or seen each other in
30 years or so, but very soon
the clan was packed into the
car and off they went for
tea and reminiscing and, by
all accounts, a thoroughly
pleasant afternoon.
In
other
stranger-based
coincidences, we have a
contribution from Graham
Martindale this month, who
has written us a piece on
jazz in France. I had always
thought my surname must
be fairly uncommon and I
have certainly never met
another Martindale before.
I can assure you we are not
related, just another happy
coincidence.
the Internet, satellite TV and
24-hour rolling news stations,
I imagine those that are
interested have been following
it closely enough and there
would be little I could add
in a few hundred words.
The French are no strangers
to a good coalition and
understand the compromises
involved. The general feeling
in the media over here is
one of general bemusement
at the public love-in being
performed in front of the
cameras by ‘Clameron’, as
team Cameron-Clegg have
been dubbed. The naïve belief
that the Liberals and the
Conservatives are suddenly
best mates and agree on
everything tends to elicit little
more than a chuckle from a
more cynical French media.
We were invited to La
Caserne in Guéret this month
to interview the head of
the Creuse Gendarmerie.
This was a real scoop
for us and made for a
fascinating afternoon. The
preconceptions I had about
the Gendarmerie, taken from
the British police force, could
not have been more wrong. I
left with the impression that
the Gendarmerie really is
an incredible, professional
organization that is dedicated
to serving the community it
lives in. I found the interview
very interesting and I hope
that comes across on the page.
Until next month,
Steve Martindale
Editor
The big news this month for
most of us expats has been the
elections in the UK. I try not
to report stories ‘from home’
that do not carry a French
angle, so we have not included
anything about the elections
in this month’s paper. With
Managing Editor:
Steve Martindale
Editor-in-Chief: Steve Martindale
Registered Address: Les Quatre Chemins
23150 St Yrieix-Les-Bois
France
SIRET: 514 989 748 00017
Printed by:
Sharman & Company Ltd
Newark Road
Eastern Industry
Peterborough, PE1 5TD
Monthly circulation: 9000 copies
All copyright, unless stated otherwise, is reserved
to The Bugle. Reproduction in whole or part of any
text without permission is prohibited
Directeur:
Steve Martindale
Rédacteur-en-chef: Steve Martindale
Siège
Les Quatre Chemins
23150 St Yrieix-Les-Bois
France
SIRET: 514 989 748 00017
Imprimé par:
Sharman & Company Ltd
Newark Road
Eastern Industry
Peterborough, PE1 5TD
Tirage mensuel: 9000 copies
Tous droits réservés. Toute reproduction, totale
ou partielle, des articles et illustrations du présent
numéro est strictement interdite.
The Bugle cannot accept responsibility for claims of advertisers or their professionalism. We strongly advise readers to verify that the company
you are dealing with is a registered trading company in France or elsewhere in the world.
INSIDE this edition
News >>
1 & 3>5 Local News:
A new commercial zone, the "Family Village
Limoges" is set to open this year.
A new pipe organ has been installed at the
12th century Eglise Abbatiale Saint-Barthélémy
in Bénévent-l’Abbaye.
The Bugle went to meet local artist, Lorenzo
Rappelli, this month to hear about his passion
for painting landscapes of the Limousin.
Argenton-sur-Creuse celebrates its first annual
Salon Immobilier.
6 Interview:
The Bugle was invited to interview LieutenantColonel Olivier Pichard - Head of the Creuse
Gendarmerie.
tells us about pesky mice!
With modern films taking 70% of their money
overseas, we look at the dubbing industry.
Peak Oil - Arthur Smith considers the point at
which the oil wells will run dry.
Road traffic accidents - what to do if you are
involved in an accident on the roads.
Vide-greniers - there are more rules about boot
sales than you might have thought.
Feature >>
14-15 Fête de la Musique. The sound of
music will be all around as France celebrates
World Music Day in June. Graham Martindale
takes an in-depth look at the history of jazz in
France.
7>10 National News:
The flight recorders of the Brazil Air France
plane that crashed killing all aboard have been
located in the Atlantic.
Plans for a new 'super-univeristy' just outside
Paris have been unveiled.
France has drafted a bill banning the wearing of
full-face veils.
In a bid to stop money laundering, the UK has
announced it will no longer distribute €500
notes.
Fare-dodging Parisians have established mutuelles to cover fines for being caught.
Sport >>
11 France's manager Raymond Domenech
unveils his squad for the World Cup Finals in
South Africa.
Laurent Blanc has been announced as
Domenech's successor after the World Cup.
French Life >>
12>13 & 16>17
Chicken Corner - Paul Lay worries for one of
his 'girls' and considers what language is best to
talk to her in.
Chapters of a teen expat - In the latest instalment of her regular column, Louise Catterall
Directory >>
18>20 The Bugle Business Directory.
21 Classifieds / Properties.
Letters to The Editor>>
22 Sky-high volcano parking fees.
Where is it legal to walk your dog & do roaming rights exist in France?
Games & Hobbies >>
23 Crossword and our usual easy, medium and
hard Sudokus.
Beginner's guitar lesson with Chris Willis.
What’s On >>
24 Community Notice Board.
25 Entertainment: Dates for your diary for the
coming month.
26>28 Event listings for June.
CONTACT us
Tel: 05.55.41.17.76
General: [email protected]
Advertising: [email protected]
Subscriptions: [email protected]
Write to: The Bugle
Les Quatre Chemins
23150 St Yrieix-Les-Bois
France
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3
Limoges
University
libraries go
digital
In an increasingly digital age, the
University of Limoges’ libraries are
losing their readers. 10 years ago, the
university’s Arts library lent 30,000
works every year; now that figure is
fewer than 21,000, a drop that can
be directly linked to the rise of the
Internet, particularly encyclopaedic
sites such as Wikipedia. “Students
don’t read any more, they lose
their sources and tend to cut and
paste paragraphs straight out of
Wikipedia,” laments Joëlle Cartigny,
who runs University libraries’ pooled
documentation service.
Students are, however, actively encouraged to use online tools. The University itself has published all of its
doctorate theses online since 2002, a
move that has generated 300,000 visitors annually to its online archives.
“Access is simple, can be done remotely using a code and has a wider
variety of material,” explains Marie
Lissart, in charge of purchasing online material for the university, with
a budget of €250,000 for 2010. The
habits of the universities’ bookworms
are changing.
'Family Village' to
open in Limoges
Construction is moving along swiftly of a
new commercial zone on the outskirts of
Limoges. The new centre has been unveiled
as the “Family Village Limoges” and is
situated in the industrial zone to the north of
the city, just off the A20.
The 25-hectare site has proved incredibly
popular; only 2 plots are still available,
with 23 businesses employing 520 people
already
signed
up to open their
doors by the end
of
September.
Companies that
have
already
committed to the
new development
include
Leroy
Merlin (15,000
m²), Darty (3,500
m²), Toys’R’Us
(2,500 m²) and Mc Donald’s. They will join
Décathlon, which has been established on
the site for some time.
The huge project has been driven by the
Communauté d’agglomération Limoges
Métropole along with the Société
d’équipement du Limousin (Séli) and is
aimed at servicing the needs of the family
as a whole. The official opening of the
site is set for the end of September, but
some businesses will be opening over the
summer months (Alinéa for example, a
specialist in furniture and decorations, will
open its doors shortly).
“This new commercial business park is not
only for the inhabitants of Limoges and
its suburbs,” explained Bruno Gardelle,
chief of Séli. “Our catchment area goes
well beyond that. Customers from Creuse,
Corrèze
and
even the Indre,
Charente
and
Dordogne will be
interested by what
we have to offer.”
“We must also
be sure to direct
shoppers towards
Limoges
city
centre,”
he
added, in reference to fears that the new
commercial zone could have a negative
impact on existing smaller businesses.
Access to the zone from the A20 via the
Grossereix roundabout is already a traffic
bottleneck, although work is planned in the
coming months. “We will be trying to improve traffic flow”, said Mr Gardelle. “Two
lanes are planned on the roundabout, with
one giving direct access to the park.” ■
New pipe organ at Bénévent-l'Abbaye
A
new pipe organ,
planned for the
12th century Eglise
Abbatiale SaintBarthélémy of Bénéventl’Abbaye, department 23,
since 2003, is now in the final
stages of completion. At 6.00
p.m. on Saturday 26th June,
Mgr François Kalist, Bishop
of Limoges will give the
traditional Benediction of the
organ at a Mass in the Abbey.
At 8.45 p.m. on the same
evening the first concert to the
public will take place.
The organ, which has 1330
metal and wooden pipes,
has been built and installed
by Denis Lacorne and a
team of craftsmen from his
workshop at Carquefou in
Loire-Atlantique, department
44. Funding for the project
has been provided by the
Commune of Bénévent, the
Minister of Culture for the
Limousin Region, the Conseil
Général de la Creuse, the
Parish of Bénévent and private
donations. This magnificent
instrument will have a triple
function: it will naturally be
used during services held in
the Abbey, but it will also
be used for the teaching
of students of the organ
attending the Emile Goué
Departmental Conservatoire.
Its final function will be of
great benefit to the general
public: a series of monthly
musical concerts and recitals
throughout the year, the first
of which will be the concert on
26th June as mentioned above,
which will be free of charge.
On Sunday 27th June between
3.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. there
will be a free ‘Open Door’
event at the Abbey when
various musicians from the
Creuse region will perform
in the inauguration of the
organ celebrations. Further
concerts have already been
programmed for Tuesday 20th
July at 9.00 p.m. and Sunday
15th August at 5.30 p.m. and
dates for the Autumn and
Winter will be announced
shortly.
Organ recitals will feature
works by J. S. Bach and
renowned 19th and 20th Century
French composers such as
César Frank, Louis Vierne
and Olivier Messiaen, and
future concerts will present
a variety of instrumental and
choral works in the stunning
setting of this ancient abbey.
A warm welcome is extended
to everyone who wishes
to share in this exciting
development, and if you would
like any further information,
please contact Yves Josset on
05.55.81.51.44 or myself on
05.55.62.29.68 or by e-mail at
pete.wakefield@ orange.fr
Chris Wakefield,
Association Musique et Orgue
à L’Abbaye, Bénévent. ■
Brive airport opens
Continued from page 1...
The
president
of
the
Conseil Régional, Jean-Paul
Denanot, has criticised the
lack of consultation that
has taken place concerning
any potential competition
between the new airport
and
Limoges-Bellegarde.
“The president has made his
position loud and clear”, said
Gérard Bourliaud, private
secretary
for
Jean-Paul
Denanot. “We need to get all
parties involved around the
table to avoid detrimental
competition at any cost.”
The announcement of a
low-cost link to London did
not come as a surprise, but
management were angered
as the rug was pulled from
under the planned unveiling
when the news was leaked in
advance via a ‘confidential’
document sent to France
Bleu Limousin.
For its part, Brive airport
says that its plans lay firmly
to the south. Although it is
located in the Limousin, the
airport claims that it will
also serve the Aquitaine and
Midi-Pyrénées regions.
The new airport will replace
the current Brive-Laroche
aerodrome that currently sees
20,000 passengers a year.
Brive-Vallée de la Dordogne
hopes to increase this to
200,000 over the next 10
years. Limoges-Bellegarde
currently services 400,000
passengers annually.
Air France subsidiary, CityJet,
will operate the new London
City line, running 3 flights a
week starting from €59 each
way including taxes:
Brive-London: Fri 17h4018h15, Sat 11h20-11h55, Sun
19h25-20h00
London-Brive: Fri 14h3517h10, Sat 08h15-10h50, Sun
16h20-18h55) ■
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS
Capturing the beauty of the Limousin
This month, Bugle Editor Steve
Martindale went to meet Lorenzo
Rappelli, a professional painter
living in the Limousin, to hear
about his passion for painting
and the inspiration he takes from
the local countryside.
does on the courses he runs from
St Sylvestre.
A
professional painter
of Italian origin,
Lorenzo
Rappelli
specialises in pastel
and oil paysages (landscapes)
and driving up through
the foothills of the Monts
d’Ambazac towards the wooden
chalet which houses his atelier,
it is not hard to see where the
former lawyer finds much of his
inspiration. Mr Rappelli breaks
his themes down into three broad
categories: woodland, sea and
snow. There may not be much
sea in the Limousin, but we are
blessed with plenty of lakes and
there is certainly no shortage of
woodland. Not only that, but it
has been a great year for lovers
of snow-covered landscapes!
Mr Rappelli explains that he
feels a harmony with nature, and
tries to convey in his work the
sense of calm and silence he feels
when surrounded by it. Even on
a damp, drizzly morning, as
we approach the artist’s house
the landscape is magnificent
and this sense of quiet calm
is everywhere. The ability to
translate these sensations onto
canvas is what sets a great artist
apart from a good one.
Mr Rappelli clearly has a passion
for painting, evident not only in
the vast number of his canvases
that adorn the walls, but also in
the way he talks about his art.
He explains to me that before
you can learn to paint, you need
to know the rules, drawing the
comparison with driving a car:
before you get behind the wheel,
you need to know the mechanics
of the car and the rules of
the road. These rules are not
complicated, but are essential in
composing the perfect painting
and Mr Rappelli claims he can
have even the most novice of
painters producing canvases
within hours, as he regularly
Mr Rappelli is a keen exhibitor
and has a solo exhibition at the
Galerie Municipale in Limoges
from 22 – 29 June and will exhibit
at the Festival International du
Pastel in Feytiat this summer; he
also recently won the prestigious
prix du salon at an exhibition in
Bourges. Although adamant that
art should be for everyone, of
all levels, Mr Rappelli tells me
he is often bemused by the fact
that so many local exhibitions
display works by professional
painters alongside those of
novices. “Just because you know
how to play a piano, does not
mean you should be putting on
a concert”. To that end he has
recently established the Société
Internationale des Peintres du
Paysage (International Society of
Landscape Painters), a grouping
of French and British artists of
which he is president. Plans
are underway for exhibitions
in both France and the UK. Mr
Rappelli also writes for Artistes
This winter scene won the prix du salon in a recent exhibition in Bourges
Magazine and will see his first
book published next spring.
The courses he runs are open to
anyone, from novices through
to those with more experience,
although a particular course will
always be aimed at a particular
experience level. The courses
tend to last for four days and
in that time Mr Rappelli says
his students will produce five
canvases. He speaks very good
English and would be happy
to run courses for English
speakers.
You can visit his workshop by
prior appointment. For more
information on any of the above
and to see a gallery of Lorenzo
Rappelli’s paintings, visit his
website:
www.lorenzo-rappelli.com/ ■
Drugs
ring
cracked
16 people have appeared
before a court in Limoges
over the trafficking of 60
kilos of cannabis. The
defendants ranged from
growers, distributors, moneylaunderers to consumers;
every level of an operation
that has now been broken.
Through a combination of
investigation and recorded
telephone
conversations,
the network of buyers and
resellers was eventually
pieced together. For their
part, the defendants all
claimed to be no more than
casual users, caught up in a
bigger picture. When asked
if he smoked much cannabis,
one man claimed, “No. Well,
not much. No more than
anyone else.”
The full picture did eventually emerge and the group were
sentenced to between 4 and
12 months, suspended. Those
further up the chain were
given 2 years, with 6 months
suspended and 5 years with 2
years suspended.
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5
Home-made
bomb goes
off at local
school
A
home-made
bomb,
described later as ‘not very
powerful’, exploded this
month in the Jules-Verne
collège
in
Montluçon,
luckily without any reported
injuries. Three young men
from the area were placed
under arrest following the
incident. “I heard a huge
bang,” explained one witness
who lives a few hundred
metres away. “It sounded like
an explosion!”
The three men were
identified by a local resident
as being behind the bomb,
which consisted of a plastic
bottle filled with a liquid
that has yet to be identified.
According
to
public
prosecutor, Franck Graviou,
“Analysis of the liquid is
ongoing, but it looked worse
than it was. This is closer
to amateur chemistry than a
Molotov cocktail.”
Students at the school seemed
unperturbed, but their parents were not so laissez-faire
about the incident. According to one angry mother, “It
could have injured one of
our kids! I took my daughter
straight out of school.”
Dangerous
drivers
Gendarmes were called
to action recently as
reports came in of a man
driving down the RN145
on a scooter. The driver
explained how he was
heading east from Tarbes
and was taking every
precaution not to be run
over… by driving down
the hard shoulder! The
gendarmes escorted him to
a road more suited to his
means of transport.
Elsewhere, a man in his 40s
was stopped on the A20
near Arnac-la-Poste hastily heading towards Paris
at 209 kph. The man, who
did not have a valid license,
will be appearing before
magistrates in Limoges on
the 24th June.
Argenton's first Salon d'Immobilier
F
ollowing the article
in last month’s Bugle
asking
“Is
now
the time to buy?”
we went to the first annual
Salon d’Immobilier (Property
Exhibition) in Argenton-surCreuse to see for ourselves. The
exhibition, which was organised
by the Union des Commerçants,
attracted a mixture of stands
ranging from estate agencies,
specialist
builders
and
architects, through to finance
experts and companies selling
home furnishings.
The Bugle spoke with many of
the exhibitors and the general
mood was one of cautious
optimism: “I am seeing my best
figures for several years, similar
at this stage to those of 2007,”
said local estate agent Janet
Cailhol, echoing the feelings of
several others. Architect Hetty
Mulcahy booked her pitch at
the event well in advance in
order to hunt for new business,
but when the time came told
us she was already “up to her
neck” with work. Lisa Greer
of M2 Immobilier said “We
have generated some good new
business and will definitely be
returning next year”.
delivery of your keys. One of
my aims in coming here was
to meet people and make my
profession more accessible to
the general public.”
Not all the exhibitors were there
simply to seek new clients.
One architect we spoke to told
us, “People are often reluctant
to approach architects for one
reason or another and do not
realise the range of services we
offer. I can oversee the project
from planning through to the
In answer to the question
“Is now the time to buy?” a
telling statistic provided by one
exhibitor was that his business
is seeing a large number of
investors buying property with a
view to building a portfolio. This
does seem to suggest that, if you
have the money to invest, now
is a good time to buy. That is a
big ‘if’ for many people, but is
encouraging news nonetheless.
deputy for Indre, The Bugle’s
newest addition to its growing
readership.
The event was held in the Espace
Jean Frappat, just a short walk
from Argenton town centre.
Feedback from exhibitors
suggested that those that came
were serious customers with
fewer passers-by dropping in
just to ‘window shop’. Among
the many visitors to the event
was Michel Sapin,
mayor
of Argenton-sur-Creuse and
Organisers of the event were
pleased with the success of the
inaugural salon and have already
scheduled in next year’s event
for 13-15 May. The salon looks
set to become an annual fixture
on the calendar in Argentonsur-Creuse and the organisers
hope that next year’s Salon
d’Immobilier will attract even
more exhibitors and visitors. ■
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
6 ♦ INTERVIEW
One of France's oldest institutions
The Gendarmerie nationale is
the military institution in France
charged with public safety and police
duties within the civilian population.
Although most of us will hopefully
have very little contact with the
gendarmes, a large percentage of
us in central France rely on them to
maintain law and order. The Bugle
secured an exclusive interview with
Lieutenant-Colonel Olivier Pichard,
the head of the Gendarmerie in
Creuse, to find out more about this
venerable institution and put some
questions to him from an expatriate
point of view.
T
he
Gendarmerie
nationale is one of
the oldest institutions
in France, tracing its
origins back to the
Middle Ages. It is responsible for
policing non-urban, rural areas, with
France’s other law enforcement body,
the Police nationale, responsible for
densely populated urban areas. See
next month’s edition of The Bugle for
an in-depth look at the history of the
Gendarmerie nationale and the Police
nationale.
The Bugle had been invited to the
Gendarmerie headquarters at La
Caserne Bongeot in Guéret and as
soon as you arrive at these ‘barracks’,
the military feel is inescapable. The
building is a million miles away from
the stereotype of the cluttered offices
of chain-smoking, coffee-swilling,
middle-aged ‘coppers’ portrayed in
many British and American movies.
Everyone we met was impeccably
turned out and the building looked like
it was literally being run with ‘military
efficiency’.
Colonel Pichard greeted us warmly
and began to explain a bit about the
mission of the Gendarmerie. “We have
an important role to play in Creuse,
especially given the rural nature of the
department. The only area that does
not directly fall under the control of
the Gendarmerie is Guéret itself. We
cover 99% of the territory in Creuse
and that area encompasses 90% of the
population.”
It soon became evident that there are
two central principles at the heart of the
Gendarmerie’s mission: the ideas of
proximité (proximity) and disponibilité
(availability) to which the Colonel
frequently referred. “The whole
essence of the Gendarmerie is that
we are integrated with the population.
We work alongside the public, with
the public and are available to the
kind of informer – who is the eyes and
ears of the community. The Colonel
was open to the idea of local British
référents, particularly in villages
or hamlets with a strong British
presence.
public 24 hours a day.” Whilst many
may be familiar with the fact that the
Gendarmerie is a branch of the French
military, fewer may have realised
that the gendarmes live by military
‘employment law’. “My gendarmes
must be available 24 hours a day there is no 8-hour working day here. I
can say with absolute confidence that
if a serious incident were to occur,
anywhere in the department, I could
have 80 gendarmes on site within an
hour.” The local gendarmes live with
their families at the barracks in Guéret
and their commanding officers know
their whereabouts at all times.
We asked the Colonel if there was a
requirement amongst his gendarmes
to have foreign language skills. He
explained that while there are a number
of gendarmes that do speak another
language, this was more a by-product
of either their military schooling or
their work internationally with the
UN or NATO, rather than a specific
requirement. He had prepared a list
of gendarmes who speak English that
he has given The Bugle permission to
print (see box below). The list is not
exhaustive and there may be other
gendarmes who speak some English
around the department, but any of
those on the list may be contacted if
required.
Si j’ai un vœu à formuler
c’est de montrer les
spécificités du statut
militaire – proximité,
réactivité, disponibilité
“The Gendarmerie has a commitment
on a national level to have a squad
at the scene of any incident within
30 minutes. Here in Creuse, the
average response time is 15 minutes,”
explained the Colonel; an impressive
statistic when you consider how
depopulated some areas to the south
of Creuse are. They achieve this
thanks to a territorial coverage known
as maillage territorial whereby the
Creuse battalion of the Gendarmerie
has one brigade (squad) to cover each
of the department’s 27 cantons. This
means that there is a squad within
minutes' reach of every resident of the
department.
The map of the area covered by each
squad has not changed a great deal
since the 18th century, being originally
established relative to the distance a
man can comfortably travel by horse
in one day.
On a national level there should be
approximately 1 gendarme for every
1,000 residents. However, if this
ratio was strictly applied in Creuse,
there would only be around 100
gendarmes, a number insufficient to
cover the extensive surface area of the
department. This maillage is therefore
critical to enabling the Gendarmerie to
be available to the public. In practise,
In terms of crime, it seems the expats
Lieutenant-Colonel Olivier Pichard - Head of the Creuse Gendarmerie
including administrative staff, the
Creuse Gendarmerie numbers around
300.
The Colonel was already familiar with
February’s edition of The Bugle that
led with the news that Creuse had been
announced as the safest department in
France for a seventh successive year.
When we asked him the reasons for the
impressive crime figures in Creuse, the
Colonel refused to claim any credit,
preferring to take the ‘we are just doing
our job’ line, which again seemed to
reaffirm the military ethos that was
becoming more and more evident
during our meeting. He pragmatically
explained the reasons he saw for the
lack of crime: “Creuse is one of the
most rural departments in France and
subsequently one of the poorest,” he
explained, describing the department
as enclavé (enclosed or isolated).
“Creuse does not attract many
criminals from over its departmental
borders. Our crime tends to come from
within.” He then added with a hint
of a smile and what could be the first
crack in his military demeanour: “and
we know who our criminals are”. He
continued, “The only major road is the
English-speaking gendarmes in Creuse
The Creuse Gendarmerie has provided The Bugle with a list of Englishspeaking gendarmes, all of whom may be contacted in the event of
language issues:
Name
BIALOUX
CHAMBON
FAURE
MICHAUD
PIOFFRET
Location
Chénérailles
Aubusson
Evaux-les-Bains
Guéret
Dun-le-Palestel
Tel
05.55.62.30.15
05.55.66.10.67
05.55.65.51.17
05.55.51.50.00
05.55.89.00.18
RN145 which we police very closely,
so the department is not set up for
making quick getaways. We do see a
60/40 split in crimes between the north
and the south, and one factor is the
effect of this road.” La Souterraine is
the richest town in the department and,
given the previous argument that crime
figures follow money, it is no surprise
to learn that it also has the highest rates
of crime in Creuse.
While crime rates remain low
Creuse is, however, following the
national trend in seeing an increase
in juvenile delinquency. The Colonel
indicated the two main areas of
concern: petty theft and the use of
illegal substances. We asked if the
concept of ‘Neighbourhood Watch’
exists in France: not as such, was
the reply; however the gendarmes
do encourage residents to keep an
eye out for things that are out of the
ordinary in their towns and villages.
The concept exists to the extent that
a local gendarme is asked to make
himself known to each commune as
a point of contact for anyone wishing
to alert the Gendarmerie of an issue.
He in turn seeks out a member of that
community to act as a référent – a
Les Britanniques ne
posent aucun problème
among us are an honest bunch. “Les
Britanniques ne posent aucun problème
– the British pose absolutely no
problem.” We are also apparently no
more likely to be the perpetrators or
victims of crimes than French residents.
All of which makes for encouraging
reading in a department that is already
the safest in France.
The conclusion from meeting the
Colonel and hearing what he had to
say is that we are in good hands. The
Gendarmerie is genuinely committed
to providing the best service it can
for the public it serves. We were
given a guided tour of the operational
centre and saw the impressive level
of planning involved in every aspect
of departmental policing: the 24-hour
patrol schedules; the large number of
patrols that are active at any one time;
vast wall-sized charts displaying the
exact location of every active gendarme
at any one time. It is no exaggeration to
say that having seen first hand inside
the bowels of La Caserne and having
spoken to the man in charge, it is a lot
easier to sleep at night. ■
Feedback and Questions
We have opened up a channel of communication with the Creuse
Gendarmerie. The Colonel was very keen to hear what the general
‘impression’ was of the Gendarmerie within the English-speaking
community. If you have any feedback for the Colonel please let us
know and we will pass this on. Alternatively, if you have any questions
or issues you would like to address to the Creuse Gendarmerie, please
direct them to The Bugle and we will do our best to have them answered.
Phone 05.55.41.17.76 or email [email protected]
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7
Pompidou
Brazil Air France crash New
Centre for Metz
black boxes located
T
Initial efforts to locate the flight
recorder using submarines
equipped with deep-sea sonar
proved unsuccessful despite a
massive international operation.
The cockpit recorders are key
to establishing the cause of the
crash and will contain vital data
about the moments leading up
give a much-needed boost to
the north-eastern Lorraine.
in its policy to decentralise
Paris’ cultural treasures away
from the capital and into other
regions. The Louvre is also
planning an offshoot in 2012
in the former mining town of
Lens.
The new museum is the first
step taken by the government
The speed sensors on Air France's Airbus A330s have been replaced since the crash
to the crash, as well as voice
recordings from the pilots.
With the small amount of
data currently available to
investigators, it is believed
that speed sensors on the
Airbus 330 failed shortly
before the crash, possibly
caused by a build-up of ice.
This led Air France to replace
the speed sensors on all of its
Airbus planes. Air France had
allegedly first noticed this
problem in May 2008 and had
already begun a programme
to replace the sensors on the
advice of Airbus. Pilots' unions
and some of the relatives of
victims of June's crash have
accused Air France and Airbus
of ignoring long-standing
problems with air speed
monitors on its jets in the run
up to the disaster. Whilst the
failure of speed sensors may
have been a contributing factor
to the crash, it is not currently
thought to be the sole cause.
The latest breakthrough came
as new software was used to
process through the data from
the original submarine sweeps
of the area last year, said the
defence ministry, a time when
the data recorders would still
have been transmitting a signal.
The batteries on the flight
recorders will have run out long
ago now, making finding them
that much harder.
Experts from the French
electronics firm Thales made
SIREN: 453 573 388
Brazilian navy divers have
successfully raised sections of
the plane to the surface, and
the search site for the black box
recorder has been narrowed to
a 5 km squared zone. “It's like
trying to find a shoe box in an
area the size of Paris, at a depth
of 3,000 m and in a terrain as
rugged as the Alps,” French
navy spokesman Hugues du
Plessis d'Argentre told AFP.
to a Smurf's house, a magic
lantern and a Chinese hat. It
was designed by the Japanese
architect, Shigeru Ban and
his French colleague, Jean de
Gastines and is expected to
attract around 200,000 visitors
a year to the out-of-the-way
city.
© 2007 Pawel Kierzkowski
T
he black box flight
recorder from the
Brazil Air France
flight that crashed
into the Atlantic has been
located. Officials have warned,
however, that retrieving the box
itself and working out exactly
what happened when flight
AF447 from Rio de Janeiro to
Paris disappeared on 1st June
last year, will not be easy. The
tragedy claimed the lives of all
228 people on board and was
the worst in the 75-year history
of Air France.
he inauguration of an
offshoot of the world
famous
Pompidou
Centre in Metz has been hailed
as signalling a renaissance
for one of France’s most
overlooked regions. President
Sarkozy has officially opened
the Centre Pompidou Metz,
the first regional outpost of
Paris' landmark gallery and
a project that it is hoped will
the discovery when they were
called in to help decipher the
submarine sonar data. “We
found three sounds that are
compatible with the signals
emitted by the black boxes,
given their frequency, their
duration and the various
technical parameters,” said a
Thales spokesman. “These are
the type of signals that come
from black boxes.”
The families of the crash victims welcomed the news and
said it raised hopes but that any
celebration would be premature
until the flight recorders were
raised to the surface. “This is
a sign of hope, it's very good
news for the families after 11
months of waiting,” said JeanBaptiste Audousset, president
of an association grouping the
families of some 60 victims.
“We have a real hope of being
able to bring (the flight recorders) up and get closer to the
truth of this tragedy.” ■
“The Lorraine has suffered
greatly in recent decades
from restructuring, transfers,
changes, the textile and steel
industries, the mines, the
military," said the French
president, standing inside
the entrance hall of the new
gallery.
“This
museum,
which is a strong cultural
gesture, is at the same time
part of a strategic policy of
economic development... In
this remarkable architectural
gesture, we will from now
on be able to take hold of the
renaissance of Metz and the
renaissance of the Lorraine.”
The
building
with
its
distinctive undulating roof
has been variously compared
The €72.5m building in Metz
will not have its own private
collection, but will be able to
borrow works of art and collections from its big sister in
Paris. The Centre Pompidou
in Paris is Europe's biggest
modern art museum and has a
dazzling collection of around
65,000 works, but only enough
space to show a fraction of
those at any one time. Paintings by Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky and Miro are amongst
700 works on display in the
CPM’s debut exhibition, entitled ‘Chefs-d'oeuvre?’ ■
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS
New 'super-university' unveiled in Paris
Hervé Le Riche, who heads
the project in Saclay, has high
hopes for the project: “Our
goal is to rank among the top
10 universities in the world.”
The campus is already home
to respected establishments,
such as the Polytechnique
engineering
school,
but
building plans are under way
for state of the art laboratories,
amphitheatres, student housing
along with shops and transport
links.
The 2007 Nobel Prize winner
in physics, Albert Fert,
already claims Paris-Saclay
as his home. The 62-year-old
physicist currently teaches at
Paris-sud University. There
is also the IHES Institute of
Higher Studies in Science
which has produced on its own
deep into its pockets to
make the dream of a worldclass university a reality.
During a recent visit to New
York's Columbia University,
Sarkozy heaped praise on “this
magnificent place” telling those
present that he wanted to “reform
French universities based on the
model that you have here.” Mr
Sarkozy subsequently got the
academic world talking when he
announced that one billion euros
of his 35 billion euro national
loan programme would go to
Paris-Saclay.
It is hoped the new university will rival such institutions as Trinity College, Cambridge
11 of the total 44 winners of the
Fields Medal, the Nobel Prize
for mathematics.
The
Hautes
Etudes
Commerciales (HEC) business
management school, which
ranks as the best in Europe
according to The Financial
Times, is also nearby along with
the Supelec school of electrical
and computer engineers.
In all nine universities, colleges
and institutes are scheduled
to move to the new campus,
located some 25 kilometres
south west of Paris. When the
project is completed in 2020,
the campus will welcome more
than 31,000 students and 12,000
full-time researchers. “We are
building the university of the
21st century. That's really what's
at stake,” said Mr Le Riche.
The ambitious project enjoys
the backing of one key figure:
President Nicolas Sarkozy
whose government is digging
“We are not going to draw Chinese and Korean students with
small schools that take in 80
students,” said Cedric Dufour,
who heads a students' association backing the Paris-Saclay
project. “It's the first time that
the French government has put
forward that level of resources
in a project. We have the skills
to do something that is really
high performance.” ■
Robin Hood thief given 3 years
T
ony Musulin, the 39-year-old ‘Robin
Hood’ security van driver who stole
€11.6 million in November 2009,
has been sentenced to 3 years in jail. At
the time of the theft, the former employee
of Swedish security firm Loomis was
hailed as an underdog hero, striking back
at the financial establishment. At his trial,
however, he claimed that he was motivated
by a personal grievance rather than political
idealism. “People told me I was Robin
Hood, but I'm not, I'm normal. I had a
problem with my boss. It was not the right
choice," the 39-year-old said. Mr Musulin
testified that his employer often made
mistakes on his pay cheque and complained
bitterly of being under paid. “As I was
single I couldn't have holiday during the
summer, they didn't pay me all my hours,
we were not respected," he told the court.
“In the end, I did something that I shouldn't
have, and for that, I have my bosses to
thank,” he said.
Musulin was on the
run for 11 days after
stealing the money
from a branch of
Banque de France in
Lyon, before handing
himself in to police in
Monaco. The crime
was non-violent, and
the driver simply made
off in his armoured van
while his colleagues were inside the bank.
Police found €9.1 million in a lock-up soon
after, but the remaining €2.5 million has
never been recovered. The heist was carried
out seamlessly and peacefully and earned
Musulin a legion of fans who declared him
a hero of the people. Internet groups sprang
up, T-shirts were made and bumper stickers
reading ‘Tony Musulin: Without Hate or
SIRET: 493 208 888 00021
The US dominates the top of
the current list; 8 of the top
10 universities are American.
Oxford and Cambridge are
the only European universities
in the top ten, and French
establishments have long
feared that they may be left
behind by their international
rivals. The new Paris-Saclay
super-campus will be France’s
answer to years of decline in
higher education.
© 2004 Andrew Dunn
P
lans
have
been
unveiled to create
a new €4.4 billion
‘super university’ in
Paris to rival Harvard, Oxford
and Cambridge as one of the
world’s best seats of learning.
As featured in April’s edition
of The Bugle, despite having
a prestigious name in the
Sorbonne, on the international
stage French universities are
lagging behind those from
around the world. In the
most recent Shanghai world
rankings, France had only 3
universities in the top 100,
with Paris’ VI Pierre and Marie
Curie University the top rated
French university, coming in at
number 40.
Violence’ sold in huge numbers.
Then, when Musulin gave himself up and
claimed to know nothing of the remaining
€2.5 million, his popularity plummeted. At
his trial, Musulin again insisted he did not
know where the rest of the money was. Musulin's lawyer said the decision was fair and
that there would be no appeal. ■
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9
France drafts bill banning full-face veils
T
he government of
Nicolas Sarkozy is
drafting a bill that,
if passed, will make
it illegal to wear a veil that
completely covers the face
in public. Debate has been
ongoing for a long time over
a partial ban of Islamic veils
(see February’s edition of The
Bugle), but a draft text that
is going before parliament
in July is calling for a full
ban. Leaked documents have
also shown that, under the
proposed law, men would be
punished more harshly than
women.
The law would impose oneyear prison sentences and
fines of up to €15,000 on
men who force their wives
to wear a burka. Any woman
wearing a full-face veil would
receive a smaller fine of just
over €150 because they are
“often victims with no choice
in the matter”, says the draft.
The law would create a new
offence of “incitement to
cover the face for reasons of
gender”, and would state that,
“no one may wear in public
places clothes that are aimed
at hiding the face”.
If the bill is passed, France will
become the second European
country to ban the face veil,
following Belgium, whose
lower house of parliament
unanimously passed a ban in
April. Amnesty International
said the ban in Belgium sets
a “dangerous precedent” and
that it “violates the rights to
freedom of expression and
religion of those women who
wear the burka or niqab as an
expression of their identity
and beliefs”.
Since the idea of a ban was
first mooted last summer,
French Muslim women say
they have noticed a rise in
public hostility towards them.
At the heart of all French law
lies the tradition of secularism
and the separation of church
and state, a tradition that
in 2004 saw ‘conspicuous’
religious symbols, such as
Christian crosses and Muslim
headscarves, banned from
schools. This core principle
in French law means that a
religious statement as overt as
the burka makes many people
uneasy.
Details of the proposed law
come as France has reported
its first ever case of ‘burkarage’. A 26-year-old Muslim
convert was walking through a
clothing store in Trignac, near
Nantes, in the western LoireAtlantique region, when she
overheard
a
60-year-old
female lawyer making “snide
remarks about her black
burka”. An argument started
before the older woman is
said to have ripped the other
woman's veil off. As they
came to blows, the lawyer's
daughter joined in. All three
were arrested and taken to
the local gendarmerie for
questioning. A spokesman for
Trignac police said that two
complaints had been received,
with the Muslim woman
accusing the lawyer of racial
and religious assault. The
latter, in turn, had accused her
opponent of common assault.
Sarkozy
said
it
is
“demanding” but “fair” to
opt for a total rather than
a partial ban of the burka.
“It is the government’s and
parliament’s
responsibility
to decide in what kind of
society we want to live, and
with what human values,”
Sarkozy told his cabinet. “In
turn, the relevant judiciary
authorities will have to reach
Women wearing the niqab - a much more common sight in France than the burka
their own decision according
to their conscience and their
vision of what human rights
in our Republic stand for,”
added the president, referring
to fears that the bill could be
challenged in court on human
rights grounds.
In March, France's State
Council warned that a total
ban of the veil in all public
spaces could be deemed unconstitutional. The bill is
also set to meet resistance in
parliament from the Socialist
opposition, which is calling
on the government to limit
the ban to official government offices and state institutions such as schools and
hospitals. ■
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS
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For more information contact The Bugle on 05.55.41.17.76
Paris' new breed of fare dodgers UK phases out €500 notes
W
ho
hasn’t
baulked
at
the cost of a
5-minute ride
on the Métro for a journey
that would only take 15
minutes on foot? Or bristled
at the thought of paying for
a service that many think
should be free?
There are many ways to
travel on the Métro for free,
from the simple turnstilehop (upper-body strength
may be required), to the
more brash tactic preferred
by many Parisiennes of
simply slipping in behind
the person in front with little
more than an “Excusez-moi
monsieur”. For most people
the illicit thrill of free travel
is tempered by the threat of
a €72 fine. The company that
runs Paris’ Métro, RATP,
estimates it loses €80 million
per year to non-paying
passengers.
A new generation of fare
dodgers
have
organised
themselves into a rebellious
collective, determined to
ride the rails of the capital’s
Métro system for free.
For a monthly fee of as
little as €5-€7, perfidious
Parisians are paying into
Why don't we pay
for public transport?
Because public transport
should be free!
unofficial insurance funds,
or mutuelles, which cover
any fines imposed when
caught – a snip compared
to the €53 monthly fee for
a Navigo pass. Members of
these mutuelles des fraudeurs
claim to be combining
personal financial gain with
political idealism.
“Why don't we pay for public
transport?” asked a recent
edition of Lignes gratuites
(Free lines), the newsletter
read by Paris' dozen or so
mutuelles. “Because, just
like education and health, we
believe that public transport
should be . . . free,” came the
answer.
Not everyone sees the new
phenomenon in such simple
terms. Cyndie, an 18-yearold Parisian queuing for the
Métro told a newspaper, “It's
just unfair because the rest of
us have to pay,” she said. “It's
all very well saying you want
public transport to be free,
but who's going to maintain
the stations and everything
else?”
Following a barrage of media
coverage, notably by Le Parisien newspaper, many of the
mutuelles are taking a more
conciliatory tone, perhaps
aware the fare-paying public
may not be as sympathetic to
their ‘struggle’ as their fellow
brothers-in-arms. ■
P
ressure is growing
on
the
much
maligned
€500
note as banks and
bureaux de change in the
UK have been banned from
giving it out with immediate
effect,
putting
further
pressure on Europe to scrap
the note entirely. Visitors to
the UK will still be able to
exchange €500 notes or pay
them into bank accounts,
however. The move is part of
a bid to cut down on money
laundering.
it inside an empty cigarette
packet!
The €500 notes have been
referred to as ‘Bin Ladens’;
everyone knows they exist,
but few other than criminals
ever see them. When the €500
note was introduced, it was a
money launderer’s dream. If
you have £1 million in £20
notes, the money weighs over
50 kg (and takes up a lot of
space). The equivalent stash
in €500 notes weighs a mere
2 kg. It is possible to roll up
€20,000 in €500 notes and fit
Professor Richard Portes,
of the Centre for Economic
Policy Research, says the
Eurozone countries were
warned before the first note
rolled off its high-tech antiforgery printing press. “It
was quite clear from day
one that once they decided
they would have something
as large as a 500 euro note
that it would give the euro an
economic advantage to the
$100 bill. It would be used
€500 notes - a money-launderer's dream
by the Mafia and in all sorts
of organised underground
crime,” he says.
Last September, a crossparty group of French MPs
called for the note to be
scrapped as part of the fight
to cut down on fraud. “Laundering money often resorts
to the use of cash,” the group
said in its report to the National Assembly. “Since the
withdrawal of the Canadian
$1,000 bill, the €500 represents the next highest value
piece of cash.” ■
Metro networking Paris trouser ban
for
women
A
new social networking
service
has
been
launched
in
Paris,
London and New York enabling
travellers on the metro to take the
loneliness out of their commute.
The website, Submate.com,
allows regular metro users to
upload their profiles and the
details of their journeys to the site
and find like-minded commuters
who travel the same route.
The idea was the brainchild of
Paris-based programmer, Laurent
Kretz, who thought of the idea
after regularly using the subway
in New York with the same
‘familiar strangers’ but never
getting to know them. He told
the New York Post, “Every day,
before and after your commute,
you're surrounded by people.
Among them, there might be a
bass player for your band - or a
cute girl you could date.”
The site is already putting strangers
in touch with each other in New
York. Romain Nouzareth, who
commutes daily, said: “I have to
admit that people-watching in the
subway is one of my favourite
activities – how people are dressed,
what kind of life they have. Now I
can make new friends or even find
a new date.”
The site hopes to make money
by displaying advertising based
on the passenger's selected location and there are plans to expand
the service to a further 65 cities in
the future. ■
F
emale readers of The
Bugle should be warned
that if they are planning
to travel to Paris, they should
not pack any trousers. That
is unless a group of MPs
are successful in repealing a
200-year-old law that bans
women from wearing trousers
in the nation’s capital.
The rule was introduced
in 1799 by Paris’ chief of
police and demanded that
any woman wishing to “dress
like a man” should obtain
special permission from the
city’s main police station.
Although the rule has survived
successive attempts to remove
it from the books, it has been
watered down over the years.
In 1892, the wearing of
trousers became tolerated “as
long as the woman is holding
the reins of a horse”. This
became further relaxed in 1909
when women who were “on a
bicycle or holding it by the
handlebars” were also allowed
to ‘dress like men’.
An attempt in 1969 to remove
the unfashionable rule was
rejected by the chief of police
of the time, with the response:
“It is unwise to change texts
which foreseen or unforeseen
variations in fashion can return
to the fore”.
If you do find yourself stopped
by the fashion police and you
have left your horse and bicycle at home, feel free to point
out that another of Paris’ rules
makes trousers compulsory for
all Parisian police women; so
a large percentage of the capital’s law enforcers are all also
breaking the law! ■
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
SPORT ♦ 11
French World Cup squad unveiled
F
has 107 caps, but has not
played for his country since
June 2009. “We have been
following Pat for a while,
hoping he could make it to
the World Cup,” Domenech
said. “It's a difficult moment.
We tried, he did too. It's
tough but there comes a time
when you need to make a
decision”.
back William Gallas, who is
struggling to recover from a
calf injury.
There had been hopes that
Manchester City’s Patrick
Vieira would make an
international
comeback,
but that was not to be. The
33-year-old
ex-skipper
His omission means that for
the first time since France
lifted the World Cup in
1998, they head into a major
tournament without any of
the players that beat Brazil
3-0 on that famous night.
Current captain, Thierry
Henry, was in the 1998 squad
but did not play in the final.
Also in the final squad are
Manchester United's Patrice
Evra, Chelsea pair Florent
Malouda and Nicolas Anelka
along with Gallas’ Arsenal
team-mates Gaël Clichy,
Abou Diaby and Bacary
Sagna.
Domenech had reassuring
Ribéry problems will continue after the World Cup
words for Benzema, who
has endured a difficult year
on and off the pitch. “Karim
has talent and he will come
back,” Domenech said. “He's
had a difficult season with
Real and we needed players
who were fresh and hungry.”
Along with probable starter
Franck Ribéry, Benzema is
embroiled in the prostitution
scandal that threatened to
overshadow France’s World
Cup preparations. According
to Liberation newspaper,
the police investigation into
whether Franck Ribéry and
Karim Benzema knowingly
paid for sex with an underage escort girl has been
put on hold until after the
World Cup. “We're not
moving till the World Cup
is over,” a police insider
told Liberation. “There is no
rush. The implications are
too serious.”
It means that France will
not lose the services of the
influential Ribéry, but the
scandal looks set to pick up
after the World Cup. The
public has been lapping up
more salacious details about
how a blonde Algerian-born
teenager called Zahia Dehar
Ms Dehar recently told ParisMatch how she was flown
to Munich (Ribéry currently
plays for Bayern-Munich) in
April last year on the occasion
of his 26th birthday. The
problem is that at the time Ms
Dehar was 17 years old. Under
French law, paid sex with
someone under the age of 18
is regarded as sex with a minor
and punishable by three years
in jail and a fine of 45,000
euros. Dehar insisted she
never told her age either to Mr
Ribéry or to the Real Madrid
player Karim Benzema, with
whom she also claims to
have had paid sex. The key
question is who paid for her
ticket to Munich, because
that would have necessarily
required information on her
date of birth. No charges have
currently been raised and
the investigation will now
continue after the World Cup
finals.
France are in Group A and
England are in Group C. If
England and France both win
their groups, they will potentially meet in the quarterfinals. Similarly, if England
and France both finish second in their groups, they will
meet in the quarter-finals. All
other permutations mean the
earliest the two sides could
meet would be the final what a game that would be! ■
Blanc to become new
France Manager
F
ormer World Cup winner, Laurent
Blanc, has quit as coach of Bordeaux
and will take over as manager of France
after the World Cup. The French federation
confirmed: “We have reached an agreement
with Laurent Blanc as the coach of France.”
SIRET: 498 499 193 00015
It was a challenge
for me but I will not
be able to play one
last major tournament for France Patrick Viera
“It was a challenge for me
but I will not be able to play
one last major tournament for
France," Vieira told Canal Plus
television. “He [Domenech]
made a choice on sporting
grounds, I accept that.”
worked as a €2,000-a-night
escort to some of the biggest
names in French football.
© 2008 Rani777 - wikicommons
Every country must name
a 23-player squad by the
1st June, but Domenech
had promised to name his
final squad well in advance.
Defender Planus is the extra
man retained in the squad
as fears continue over the
fitness of Arsenal’s centre-
SIRET: 512 218 983 00017
There was no place in coach
Raymond
Domenech’s
plans either for Arsenal's
Samir Nasri, Manchester
City's Patrick Vieira and
Real Madrid forward Karim
Benzema.
© 2009 Steindy - wikicommons
rance
will
take
uncapped
duo,
Mathieu
Valbuena
and
Marc
Planus,
to the World Cup in South
Africa after trimming their
squad down to the final
24
players.
Goalkeeper
Mickaël Landreau, defenders
Rod Fanni and Adil Rami,
midfielder Yann M'Vila and
forwards Hatem Ben Arfa
and Jimmy Briand were the
players dropped from the
squad.
The former Manchester United player won
97 caps for France and was part of the team
that lifted the World Cup in 1998 although
controversially missed the final itself after
being sent off in the semi-final following a
scuffle with Croatia’s Slaven Bilic.
Laurent Blanc had a glittering 2009
managerially, guiding Bordeaux to a league
and cup double, although his side struggled in
2010, ending the year without any silverware.
He replaces Raymond Domenech after the
World Cup.
Domenech has been the manager of France
since 2004, but has been unpopular with fans
since a disappointing Euro 2008 campaign,
where they picked up only one point and finished bottom of their group. ■
Free
tickets for
women at
PSG
The owners of Paris-SaintGermain football club have
come up with an innovative
new way to try and curb
increasing levels of fan
violence and bring a more
family feel back to the
Parc des Princes stadium.
From next season, PSG
will be offering free tickets
to women and half-price
tickets to under-16s, as well
as creating dedicated stands
for families and children.
PSG’s chairman, Robin
Leproux, said the radical
plan’s aim was to “pacify the
Parc des Princes and restore
the club’s image”. Bertrand
Delanoë, the mayor of
Paris, said the new plan
“gives the club the means to
smash the culture of hatred
and violence that has for
too long pitted stands and
groups of supporters against
each other”.
Other tough measures taken
to battle the growing hooliganism at the club include
banning season tickets in the
‘kops’ at either end of the
pitch, the scenes of weekly
clashes between rival ultraviolent fans. Instead, supporters will now have to buy individual tickets with randomly
allocated seat numbers. ■
Please be aware that the deadline for
all submissions for content and
advertising is the 15th of the month for
the following month’s print edition.
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
12 ♦ FRENCH LIFE
Le cock-a-doodle-do? Chapters of a
In the most recent edition of his monthly column CHICKEN CORNER, Paul
Lay worries for one of his 'girls' and considers what language is best to talk to
her in. You can find all his previous columns at www.thebugle.eu/archive/
Louise Catterall moved to France with her
years ago when she was 10 years old. In this
umn, Louise shares her experiences of being
growing up in a foreign land. Chapter 7 - Pe
Several years ago I bought my
first few chicks for the princely
sum of three euros each, and
have been keeping a small flock
going ever since. What started
off as a bit of fun and a way to
get cheap eggs has turned into
a minor obsession, and now I
couldn’t imagine life without
‘my girls’ roaming around the
back garden. The idea behind
my column here is just to share
with you my experiences of
raising chickens and offer my
thoughts on chicken-related
matters.
those who have not been
following this column).
© 2008 uphilldowndale
I have moved her to a separate
field and have been cooking
her favourite treat of buttered
pasta and the wound has now
healed over nicely. But she is
a very frail old lady; she is still
not really getting up and moving
around and has stopped preening
herself… I fear she may be on
Cock spurs - better for fighting than for loving!
injuries over the years from the
spurs of over-eager cockerels.
A few weeks ago I noticed she
was hiding in the bushes and
behaving sluggishly. A quick
once-over soon revealed a
one-inch gash on her flank, no
doubt courtesy of Mr French’s
amorous advances (Mr French
is the resident cockerel for
her last legs. I will be genuinely
upset if she moves on to the great
courtyard in the clouds.
Sat out in the garden with her,
hand feeding her bits of pasta
and talking to her I have been
reminded of a conversation I
had with a French neighbour a
while ago: French chickens do
not speak the same language
as English ones. As every
schoolchild knows, cockerels
go ‘cock-a-doodle-do’. Well,
apparently not! This side of the
Channel they go ‘cocorico’. I
had always assumed that the
word was onomatopoeic, like
flip-flops, quack and bang
and I suppose it is to a certain
extent. But how can chickens
say both ‘cock-a-doodle-do’
AND ‘cocorico’? The two
words sound nothing alike! The
next time you hear a cockerel,
try saying ‘cocorico’ at the
same time in your head. I have
tried; it doesn’t work for me,
although if I had grown up
shouting ‘cocorico’ into the
ears of my sleeping siblings,
maybe it would be different.
In fact (and I’m not trying to
get political here, these are only
chickens after all) Britain seems
to stand alone against the rest of
Europe on this one. The Spanish
cockerels rouse the world to
the sound of ‘quiquiriquí’;
Italian farmers awake to calls
of ‘chicchirichì’; and even our
Germanic cousins, with whom
we share a language root, cry
‘Kikeriki’…. Not a doodle in
sight (or rather sound)! I don’t
know where Mr French went to
school, but he definitely has a
doodle in there somewhere.
When you think about it,
chicken language is all
around us (I believe that,
subconsciously, you are all
as obsessed with chickens as
me!) Who doesn’t regularly tell
their friends: “Oh, I’ve been
running around like a headless
chicken!”; “Don’t count your
chickens before they hatch”;
“You shouldn’t put all your
eggs in one basket”? And
come on ladies, be honest now,
have you hand on heart never
declared about someone’s
estimated age: “Well, she’s no
spring chicken!”
Who hasn’t indulged in a game
of chicken when they were
young or wondered which came
first: the egg or the chicken?
Chickens even have their very
own ‘genre’ of jokes… why
exactly did that chicken cross
the road?
Here’s hoping that Bertha
pulls through, although I fear
an obituary may be coming
next month. I have many fond
memories of Bertha, but she’s
had a good life and let’s face
it… she’s no spring chicken.
Until next month! ■
Do you:
Have you:
Are you:
Would you:
When we discovered we had
mice, we tried everything,
including the humane traps and
the wooden traps. Then, whilst
we were skulking around the
pest control aisle, trying not to
draw attention to ourselves, a
woman kindly approached and
suggested we try mouse poison.
We hadn't wanted to try the
© 2009 www.forfun.us
S
ad times are afoot in
the yard this month.
My favourite chicken,
Bertha, is the last
survivor of my original flock
from way back when. I have
had a soft spot for her since day
one; she has always been the
friendliest of all my girls and
loves to sit beside me and eat
from my hand. Unfortunately
for her, she obviously has some
serious chicken mojo and has
always been an even bigger
hit with the gentlemen. As a
result, she has suffered a few
B
efore we moved to
France, if you got
mice in your house
it was like a dirty
taboo. You felt embarrassed
to say that something had
been nibbling at the cereal in
your cupboard and if you did
buy a trap, you felt equally
embarrassed. The way I
remember everyone getting
rid of mice in England,
and the way they probably
still do, is to humanely
catch them with the safety
traps that are like cages,
as opposed to the good old
Tom and Jerry cartoon traps
that unsuspecting victims
can catch their fingers in.
A latter-day reincarnat
poison, but we were getting
desperate! So, we picked the
‘good’ poison, if there is such
a thing, by recommendation
of the nice French lady and
left with a product called
SOURICIDE. It made us
giggle at the play on words
and we followed instructions
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www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
FRENCH LIFE ♦ 13
a teen expat - Pesky mice
tion of Danger Mouse
about using old coffee lids as
containers and then watched
while the poor, doomed mice
took grains of bright red poison
back to their hiding places.
At first, we never really
found their bodies; I guess
we just expected them to
die in their sleep. But one
day, while sprawled out
over the couch due to a
broken leg (regular readers
will be familiar with my
love of A&E departments!)
with three friends round to
pay me a visit, one of my
friends jumped up shouting
"Souris! SOURIS!!!" The
others turned and saw the
mouse bounding up and
down across the room – it
was heading straight towards
us! By this point we were all
screaming. A crazy, lunatic
mouse was charging headfirst
for the three teenage girls
sat on the floor. So what
did they do? Conforming
to stereotype, my three
friends leapt off the floor and
straight onto the couch…
the one that I was lying on
with my right leg in cast!!
Mum must have heard
the shouts of "Souris"
and "Watch my leg!!" and
came running in, saw the
mouse, and ran away again.
"Deserter" I shouted after her.
To her credit, she did come
back and managed to trap
the mouse in a Tupperware
box. We calmed down a
bit and Mum took the mad
mouse down the road into
the country to release it, but
when she opened the box to
set it free she found it dead…
That's when my friends told
me the mouse must have
been a Souricide mouse.
Apparently, eating the red
grains of mouse poison causes
them to have a massive rush
of adrenaline and they hop,
skip and a jump everywhere
like
lunatics
before
succumbing to its effects.
At least from then on we
knew what to expect. We
have since seen many mice
jumping all over the place
and always tried to stay
calm, but usually we still
end up running from the
room screaming or jumping
up on the furniture (I made
sure from then on that no
one jumped on my couch
when I was lying on it).
It is a truly terrifying sight
to see a mouse making a
beeline for you squeaking
and bounding up and down
– it’s so scary! So we have
upgraded to the ultimate
pest control; better than
Souricide, because it gets
rid of moles, shrews and
any small bird it can catch.
This new form of mouse
© 2009 Baloo - www.baloocartoons.com
family seven
s regular colg a teen expat
esky mice!
Readers’ Contributions
control
does
have
its
drawbacks, though: you have
to feed it and take care of it.
I'm talking, of course, about
a cat.
We got two when they were
kittens. The dog got on well
with them and as soon as they
started roaming the house
and garden, they began to
earn their keep. Catching
mice and moles was once a
big problem for us, but the
cats were brilliant at hunting
them. But be warned… cats
have a huge drawback: not
the food bill or the vet’s
bill for making sure you
don’t end up with more
kittens… it’s their constant
craving
for
attention!
My cat decided one day that
she was jealous that I was
getting so much attention
over a new pair of boots.
So she disappeared out of
Dubbing - the key to overseas success
J
ames Cameron’s movie,
Avatar, is the highest
grossing movie of all
time. The Oscar-winning
animated epic was the first 3D
blockbuster and has marked
a seismic shift in Hollywood
towards 3D movies. According to
recent figures the film has taken
$748 million in America, and a
further $1.97 billion worldwide.
That means over 72% of the film’s
earnings have been generated
overseas, a very high proportion
for a mainstream Hollywood
movie. Most of that overseas
market is in non-English-speaking
countries, which makes dubbing a
very important part of the business
for film distributors.
For those of us originally from
English-speaking countries, there
are always plenty of films to
choose from in our mother tongue,
be they British or American. For
those partial to foreign language
‘art-house’ movies, subtitling
will more often than not be the
substitute of choice. Dubbing
conjures up images of poorly
lip-synched martial arts movies
from the seventies, and is usually
Voice-over artists will then be cast
to play the roles. Often the same
voice-over artist will be used to
voice the same actor in different
films. Koichi Yamadera, for
I swear as I looked down,
horror struck, at my cat, if
she could talk she would have
said: "Look what I got!" ■
French Culture
mouth movements. Actors using
the standard technique can
perform about 10 lines an hour,
but those using ‘rhythmo band’
can often produce three times that
and many believe the synching is
also better.
synonymous with poor production
standards. Not so for the rest of
the world, where it is big business.
Movie posters in France will
typically carry a sign: VO (version
originale),
VOST
(version
originale sous-titrée) or most
commonly VF (version française),
the version that will be dubbed.
Big Hollywood movies are always
dubbed into French, Spanish and
German as these all represent large
cinema-going markets. Often,
there will be two Spanish versions,
one for Spain and one for Latin
America. The first step in the
dubbing process is to have a native
speaker translate the dialogue word
for word into the host language.
This raw translation will then
be tweaked to try and match the
words to the mouth movements
of the actors in the original, with
particular attention paid to labial
consonants (those that cause the
mouth to close such as B, M and P).
the room, and as I twirled
around in the kitchen
boasting about my new
footwear for the umpteenth
time, she sneaked in and to
the amusement of everyone,
placed a dead mouse on my
foot, right on top of one
of my lovely new boots!
Avatar has taken nearly $2 billion in overseas markets - 20TH CENTURY FOX
instance, is the official Jim Carrey
of Japan. Closer to home, Canadian
Richard Darbois is the dubbed
voice of Harrison Ford and Patrick
Swayze. Celebrity voice-overs are
also common for animated movies,
with Disney recently persuading
the French singing legend Charles
Aznavour to voice the lead role in
the movie Up.
In standard dubbing technique, the
voice-over artist will read from a
script whilst watching a video.
Three beeps will sound and the
artist will begin to deliver their
line on the fourth ‘imaginary’
beep. The French use a different
technique called ‘rhythmo band’.
As the movie plays, the lines
of dialogue will scroll across
the bottom of the screen in
calligraphy. This writing will
stretch and compress in different
places, indicating precisely how
to fit the words into the character's
Good dubbing is a skill and the
top voice-over artists can build a
following and achieve significant
popularity, such as Roger Carel,
probably the most famous of all
French voice-over artists. In his
time he has regularly played,
amongst others, Asterix, C-3PO,
Alf, Winnie the Pooh, Benny Hill,
Hercule Poirot and Kermit – quite
a mix! Occasionally, bilingual
actors will dub themselves: Jean
Réno often provides the voiceover for his own roles in many of
his movies.
Finally, the English voices
are stripped from the original
soundtrack to create what is called
an M&E track (Music and Effects
track). The new voice-over is
then overlaid onto the M&E track
and you are ready to more than
double the profits of your movie in
lucrative overseas markets. ■
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
14 ♦ FEATURE
Faites de la musiqu
This month, Bugle reader, part-time jazz musician and self-styled 'real' jazz
lover, Graham Martindale, shares his passion for jazz. He explores the history of New Orleans jazz in France and lets us know where we can catch
some 'real' jazz around the Limousin.
(ED - I will defend myself from charges of nepotism by stating that I am no relation to
Graham. In fact, he is the only other 'Martindale' I have ever met in the wild!)
M
y interest
in
music
started
early in life
playing my
grandmother’s 78s of music
hall songs and watching my
father play ragtime and jazz
piano, something I regrettably
never mastered, and listening
to his 78 records of Artie
Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Benny
Goodman and Glenn Miller.
When I was in my early teens a
friend brought us an egg-timershaped wood and goat skin
drum from Africa which, as a
teenager I turned into my own
drum kit, accompanying my
father with a hairbrush, biscuit
jar lid and knitting needle. Our
duo never made it beyond the
living room but it did lead to
me eventually buying a drum
kit which I still have today and
which has seen me through
forty years of pleasure playing
with some wonderful New
Orleans style and traditional
jazz musicians throughout the
north of England.
Jazz music has taken many a
twist and turn as it has evolved
in the twentieth century but
what I will call “real” jazz has
never varied a great deal from
its New Orleans roots. Yes,
it has wobbled a bit along the
way but there are still bands
throughout the world dedicated
to keeping the music alive;
music which, from the first
note of the improvised melody
can set your feet a-tapping.
Jazz started in New Orleans,
evolving from an abundance of
musical styles brought into the
city in the late 19th century by
cultures ranging from French
aristocracy to African slaves.
Via the cotton field blues
singers through the red light
piano bars and on to the brass
bands playing funerals and
carnivals, jazz evolved into
an improvised music played
by the city’s black community
offering entertainment by
small groups of musicians
playing at picnics, house
parties, church halls and street
parades; music for fun and
dancing.
Many New Orleans musicians
moved out of the city in the
early 1920’s, some to the west
coast but many to Chicago
where a thriving jazz scene
evolved.
The records of
Joe ‘King’ Oliver, Jelly Roll
Morton and Louis Armstrong
made in the 20’s hold testament
to the talent which settled in
the Windy City.
The advent of radio and
particularly recordings on 78
disc meant that jazz music
began to be heard throughout
the United States and on into
Europe.
Black musicians
arrived in London and Paris
and toured provincial theatres
starting the European jazz
revolution. The Paris district of
Montmartre saw the springing
up of jazz cafes and theatrical
shows based around the music,
starting France’s love affair for
jazz that remains to this day.
There are “genuine
jazz”
lovers
and
“genuine” jazz lovers there IS a difference!!
In 1932 the writer and jazz
enthusiast Hugues Panassié
founded the Hot Club de
France,
an
association
for “genuine jazz” lovers
as opposed to “genuine”
jazz lovers - there IS a
difference!! The Hot Club
has its headquarters in Paris,
today presided over by
François Desbrosses, but with
eight regional Clubs, one
of which is on our doorstep
in Limoges. There is more
information available on www.
hot-club.asso.fr/club/plan2.
htm#adresses
the outbreak of WWII. Jazz
was non-existant in France
during the war, banned by the
Nazi regime, but gradually
came back to life in the late
forties, reaching new heights
during the 50’s which saw
more American stars in the
traditional jazz style touring
the country such as Mezz
Mezzrow (who lived here for
many years), Lee Collins and
drummer Zutty Singleton.
There are perhaps two
“adopted” Frenchmen whose
talents and indeed, genius,
have made them France’s most
well-loved jazz musicians.
Guitarist Django Reinhardt
who was born in Belgium
in 1910, stepped outside the
realms of the jazz norm to
create his own individual style
and sound. The Quintet du Hot
Club de France comprising
Django, his brother Joseph
and Roger Chaput, both also
on guitar, plus Louis Vola
on double bass and Stefan
Grappelli on violin, created
some memorable “gypsy
style” jazz never heard before.
Utterly unique, the quintet
played together from 1934,
touring Europe until 1939 and
reforming after the war with
a slightly different personnel
under Django’s leadership.
The other is Sidney Bechet, the
virtuoso clarinet and soprano
saxophone
player
from
New Orleans. He became
France’s adopted son when
he returned to the country
in 1949. He had played in
France in 1919 but was jailed
and subsequently deported
after a shoot-out which injured
a passer-by. Bechet was a
true genious and master of
his craft. From his late teens
he was the star attraction in
many bands touring America
and Europe and went on to
produce some of the most
memorable jazz records heard
dedicated to Traditional and
New Orleans jazz, bur the
nearest to us is the Musiques
de la Nouvelle Orleans at
Louis Armstrong toured France in the 1930s
playing throughout the country
with visiting American jazz
musicians and, in the early
days of his residency, with
Claude Luter’s band.
We are also lucky to have
the Hot Club de Limoge’s
local jazz radio station Swing
FM which you can listen to
on 101.2 fm or on-line or at
www.swingfm.asso.fr/html/
index-en.html
Many
American
jazz
musicians have toured France
since the early 1920’s. Louis
Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins
and Duke Ellington toured
here in the 1930’s, others
remained in the country until
throughout the 20th century.
Apart from a short period
back in the States, he lived in
France until his death in 1959,
Adpoted Frenchman, Django Reinhardt
Traditional and New Orleans
jazz remains alive and well
throughout the world but, like
any form of entertainment be
it opera, ballet or pop, you
have to know where to look
for it. There are around forty
jazz festivals held in France
between June and August this
year. They are not all totally
Périgueux from 9th to 13th
August which, I am pleased to
say, is very much dedicated to
the New Orleans tradition and
this year features native New
Orleanians Evan Christopher
and Wendell Brunious.
If anyone is interested in
learning more about or
listening to “real” jazz you
can contact me by email
[email protected] I will
be delighted to hear from you.
Graham Martindale
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
FEATURE ♦ 15
ue on the 21st June
The Regional Cultural Affairs Directorate
in Limoges (6, rue Haute de la Comédie Tel:
05 55 45 66 00) coordinates events in
the Limousin.
Your local and regional information websites and tourist offices will have details
of all local events and attractions.
See also the official festival website:
www.fetedelamusique.culture.fr
Fête de la Musique - a worldwide celebration
T
he Fête de la Musique is an
annual music festival that
takes place on the longest
day of the year, the summer
solstice – June 21st. The festival has
grown into a huge tourist attraction
with the concept now taken on in more
than a hundred countries worldwide,
from Brisbane to Brussels. The
Fête de la Musique is also known
internationally as World Music Day.
For an event to be
officially sanctioned by
the Fête de la Musique
organization in Paris it
must be free to the public
The idea for the Fête de la Musique
originated in 1976 with the American
musician Joel Cohen who was
working at the time for radio station
France Musique. He proposed an allnight music event to celebrate the
summer solstice. The idea was picked
up by the director of music and dance
for the ministry of culture, Maurice
Fleuret. The minister for culture, Jack
folk, brass band, classical or country.
The second aim of the day is to
engage the wider public with music of
all types and genre – all concerts are
in public and free.
Two conditions for an event to be
officially sanctioned by the Fête de la
Musique organization in Paris are that
all concerts must be free to the public,
and all performers donate their time
for free.
Jack Lang - festival founder
Lang gave the project the green light
and the first Fête de la Musique was
held in France in June 1982.
There are two founding principles
behind the day, the first of which is
to get amateur musicians to perform
in public. One of the slogans of the
festival in France is “Faites de la
musique!” (literally ‘make music’ –
faites is a homophone of fête in this
play on words). Musicians of all
standards, particularly the younger
generation are encouraged to get
out into the streets to show off their
musical talent whether it be for pop,
Across the country, cafés, bars and
clubs are given late licenses and
streets are pedestrianised to make way
for open air concerts. There are also a
number of paid concerts organised to
coincide with the day, but these may
not officially be promoted unde the
Fête de la Musique banner.
The official Fête website is www.
fetedelamusique.culture.fr There is
also an English pdf sheet available
which gives more information www.
fetedelamusique.culture.fr/medias/
kit_int_en.pdf
Whatever your interest, you are
encouraged to get out on the 21st of
June and show what you can do and,
if you’re not participating, just go out
and enjoy the music; it’s all free! ■
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
16 ♦ FRENCH LIFE
Peak Oil - when will the wells run dry?
If we put aside the Carbon Footprint
argument, our dependence on oil
reaches far further than planes, trains
and automobiles. Okay, you might be
able to convert your car to run on chip
fat, but for aircraft it’s a whole different
ball game and there’s no getting away
from the fact that transport is now a vital
part of our everyday lives.
Oil is used in literally hundreds of
products. Here are a few examples:
CD’s and all plastic materials (including
many of the materials used for clothing);
candles; milk cartons; polishes; paints
and varnishes; fertilisers; food additives;
medicines; rubbish bags; car tyres;
synthetic rubber; the colour used in pen
inks – the list goes on and on. All use
petrochemicals and the main ingredient
in petrochemicals is oil.
Another common use of petrochemicals
is in some pesticides and like them or
not, without the use of pesticides, the
food we eat would cost a lot more; some
experts believe food production would
only be half of what it is today without
the use of pesticides.
Did you know it even takes a significant
amount of oil to ‘grow’ a cow?!!
The term ‘Peak Oil’ refers to a time
when demand for oil will outstrip
supply. Some think this will be as soon
as five years from now and although
nobody really knows it is widely
accepted that by the year 2030 we will
have passed the peak of conventional oil
production. From that moment on, the
output of conventional oil reserves goes
into terminal decline.
Because of the need to find new
supplies, oil prices will have to go up
and remember this is a finite resource
that took several million years to
create.
The highest user of oil is the USA
with China holding second place;
however, both of these countries are
also the biggest investors in renewable
technology. France holds thirteenth place
in this oil consumer’s list; maybe that is
one of the reasons for the failed attempt
to introduce the carbon tax on oil?
So what can we, as individuals, do to
Reporting a crime
© 2009 Divulgação Petrobras / Agência Brasil
W
e use 85 million barrels
of oil every single day,
which is enough to fill
over 5,000 Olympic
swimming pools. Demand is expected
to keep on rising but does it really
matter?
Environment
The world currently uses 85 million barrels of oil a day
help conserve resources?
In the home, one of the largest
domestic consumers of oil is oil fuelled
boilers. It is possible to dramatically
reduce the consumption of these (by
90% or more) by fitting an air to water
heat pump that can simply be coupled
to your existing oil boiler without
disrupting your central heating system.
Okay, it’s electricity but it’s an efficient
way of using electricity and whatever
your views, most of our power comes
from nuclear sources in France which
is ‘clean’ energy. Go one step further
and start producing some of your own
electricity with a wind turbine or solar
photovoltaic system, or fit a solar hot
water system and enjoy free hot water
courtesy of the sun.
Practical
Local lawyer, Laure CHAVERON, explains how to report a crime in France.
How to report a crime
If you find yourself victim of a crime in France the law allows you
to demand justice and to seek redress, whether it be a violent act
by a neighbour or someone you know, a burglary, or even repeated
antisocial behaviour.
France’s two security forces - the police and the gendarmerie – deal
with the reporting of crimes. The police are responsible for urban
areas; the gendarmerie is responsible for rural areas.
dialling 17. Between the hours of 6 pm and 8 am your call will be
transferred automatically to a central exchange who will answer your
call immediately.
Your call will be picked up by a gendarme who will be able to advise
you on how to proceed and will notify his colleagues if necessary.
The evening switchboard is in contact with all gendarmes on patrol
at that time.
Where to report a crime
In France, you must report a crime at a police/gendarmerie station. You
can not report a non-urgent crime to a police officer/gendarme in the
street. Instead they will direct you to the nearest police/gendarmerie
station where you will need to complete a Statement of Facts. You can
report a crime in any gendarmerie or police station, be it the closest to
your home or work or the closest to the scene of the crime.
How quickly must I report a crime?
It is always advisable to report a crime as soon as possible. While this
is not always possible, be aware of the time limits set out in French law
(in ascending order of gravity):
- 1 year for contraventions
- 3 years for délits (burglary, theft, injuries)
- 10 years for crimes on adults and 20 years for minors
The crime will be dealt with by the establishment nearest to where
the offence was committed. If you report a crime at a different
gendarmerie/police station, the case will be transferred to the relevant
gendarmerie/police station.
When is it compulsory to report a crime?
A crime must be reported if:
- the victim wants the public prosecutor to prosecute the
perpetrator of the crime
- the victim is seeking compensation
You can also report a crime by writing a detailed letter to the public
prosecutor (Procureur de la République). It is advisable to send your
letter (in French) by recommended post with proof of receipt.
NOTE: This article explains how to report a crime to the gendarmerie.
The same steps need to be taken when reporting an incident to the
police.
Can I report a crime in English?
Details of the crime are required by law to be recorded in French. If
you are not able to express yourself in French you may report the crime
to an English-speaking gendarme (see page 6 for a list of Englishspeaking gendarmes in Creuse) or present yourself at a gendarmerie
with someone who can assist with translation. If you don’t know
anyone who can help translate for you, the gendarmes will call in the
services of a translator.
The incident took place during the night. Can I call the gendarmes
straight away or do I need to wait until the morning?
You should call straight away only in the case of an emergency, either
by calling the telephone number of your local gendarmerie or by
How do you assess the crime?
The crime is either of a bodily or material nature.
Settlement will involve the granting of damages & interests i.e. a sum
of money. The difficulty lies in determining how much to award.
2 examples:
- If the crime involves bodily harm, the victim will be
assessed by their GP or a judicial doctor to determine the
nature, extent and cause of the injuries & conduct further
examinations if necessary.
- If the crime is material, you will be required to provide
documents or bills to determine the value of the loss
For more information on this topic, contact:
Laure CHAVERON, Avocat
5 rue Henri Beaune, 23230 Gouzon
Téléphone 05 55 80 15 76
Email : [email protected]
http://avocats.fr/space/laure.chaveron
Grow your own veg - it’s easy, productive
and rewarding; eat less meat; buy local
produce; and perhaps most important of
all - recycle everything you can. ■
Arthur Smith
Harlequin Developments
www.harlequindevelopments.com
Tel: 05.55.68.67.56
Mob: 06.06.60.46.97
Pork with Camembert
Médaillons de Porc au Camembert
Recipes provided by Chef George and compiled by Frances of La Grande Maison (Tables et Chambres d’Hôtes),
Chénérailles www.grandemaison-chenerailles.com
This recipe originates from Normandy where they have
wonderful produce, most notably Camembert and Cider.
This is a good recipe for a dinner party and easy to make.
You can replace the crème fraîche with whipping cream.
Ingredients (Serves 4):
450g/1lb pork fillet
15g/1tbsp butter
45ml/3tbsp dry cider
175ml/6fl oz crème fraîche
15ml/1tbsp fresh chopped
mixed herbs (marjoram,
thyme and sage)
75g/3oz camembert without rind and sliced
7.5ml/1½ tsp Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh chopped parsley to garnish
1. Slice pork into small steaks about 2 cm thick. With a rolling pin
flatten between 2 sheets of cling film, to about 1 cm thick, and sprinkle
with pepper.
2. Melt butter in a frying pan, on a medium heat. Add pork fillet and
cook for 5 minutes, until just cooked. The fillets should be springy
when pressed. Transfer to a dish and keep warm.
3. Using the same pan in which you have cooked the pork, add the
cider and bring to the boil, deglazing any residue from the pan. Add
crème fraîche and herbs, and bring back to the boil.
4. Add the camembert and Dijon mustard and any juices from the
warmed pork. Check your seasoning to taste, serve over the pork and
garnish with chopped parsley.
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
FRENCH LIFE ♦ 17
Practical
• Over 1,900 local, registered English-speaking businesses listed
• Free private classified ads
• Essential practical information
• It’s your Limousin meeting-place and market-place, in cyperspace!
Road Traffic Accidents in France
Information on what to do when you have a road traffic accident
on French roads: who to call and how to fill in the accident report
document - the constat amiable d'accident given to you by your
insurer after a car crash.
I
t is obligatory for all cars in
France to have third party liability auto insurance (other motor
insurance: fire, theft, vandalism
is optional).
If you are involved in an accident or
car crash, this insurance covers any
injury or damage that you may cause
to another party and may include cover
of any legal costs that may be incurred
(check details with your insurer).
On signing for motor insurance, the
agent will provide you with a green
card (carte verte) which must be displayed in the car windscreen. This
serves as proof of valid liability insurance and is accepted throughout Europe in countries which are signatories
of the Green Card System.
The insurance agent will also provide
an accident report sheet - the constat
amiable d'accident - which should always be kept in the car, along with a
pen.
In the event of an accident with no serious injuries, and if both drivers agree
on the facts, there is no obligation to
contact the police, however all parties
must still complete the accident report
in order to benefit from insurance.
The constat is an agreed statement of
terms. It is to be filled out at the scene
of the accident; it is purely a statement
of facts not an establishment of blame.
Information required includes place of
accident, names of witnesses, names of
drivers with driver licence details (you
should always carry your licence with
you), and details of the insurers.
The Accident Report Sheet
• For an English translation of the
accident report, it can be downloaded from: http://www.ericblairnet.com/useful.html (this could be
printed and kept in the car)
If there are any injuries, contact the police: call either 112 or 17. Do not sign
any paperwork if you do not understand it, it can be used as evidence. If
you do not understand the paperwork,
contact the police (tel: 112 or 17).
A Minor Incident
• Move to a safe place and alert oncoming traffic by placing your red
warning triangle 30 metres down
the road.
• If two cars were involved, use
either your constat amiable
d'accident or that of the other party
(only one form needs to be filled
out as there are carbon copies for
each party).
• If more than two cars are involved,
a separate constat form should be
completed with each party (and if
your vehicle was pushed on to a
vehicle in front, mention it).
• Both drivers fill out the constat,
agreeing the basic circumstances
surrounding the accident. There
are written and graphic descriptions of the accident.
• Both parties then sign the completed document; this is a very important document and can be used
as evidence.
If a driver refuses to sign the form,
make a note of the registration number
and take the details of any witnesses or
police officers.
Once the form has been successfully
filled in, you have five days to return
it to your insurer. If neither driver has a
constat available then the report can be
done by letter and sent to the insurance
company within five days. The insurance companies will then analyse the
evidence to assign responsibility.
Note: The French insurance industry
has a "no claims bonus" structure so it
is possible for drivers to agree to pay
independently for the damage to protect their "no claims" status and avoid
further long-term costs. Even if this is
agreed at the scene, it is still advisable
to complete the constat as a back-up.
A Serious Accident
• Move to a safe place and alert oncoming traffic with the warning
triangle.
• Contact the police or the gendarmes as soon as possible.
• Fill out the constat amiable
d'accident. If this is not possible
due to driver injury, a passenger or
witness can do it.
• Take the names and addresseses
and insurance details of all parties
involved and the registration numbers of the vehicles.
• Take the names and addresses of
any witnesses. Try to obtain as
many as possible.
• If you are hospitalised the authorities will deal with the paperwork
on your behalf.
• If you are not hospitalised get a
medical certificate stating your injuries.
• Keep any clothes or items damaged as a result of the accident.
• If you are not injured but have suffered a shock (loss of consciousness, nose bleed), then seek medical advice after the accident and
send the report to the insurance
company, the social security and
the medical insurers.
• If a third party is responsible then
their insurance company will contact you.
Full information on the legal proceeding surrounding road traffic accidents
can be found at the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR)
website: http://www.fevr.org/anwbfevr
E france.htm ■
The above article has been
provided to The Bugle by
AngloINFO Limousin.
Please visit...
http://limousin.angloinfo.com/
... to find more information
on this and a number of other
useful topics.
www.angloinfo.com
Vide-greniers - rules and regulations
with a brocante, where the
professionals’ stalls are instantly
recognisable by the price labels
(and the prices!)
Vide-greniers usually take
place at weekends or on public
holidays and the Limousin
will host hundreds of these
events each year. To find one
near you visit your local tourist
information office or consult
The Bugle What’s On pages for
a selection organised this month.
Recent changes in law mean
that the rules for vide-greniers
are strict. Private individuals are
only allowed to sell their own,
used goods and may take part
in no more than 2 vide-greniers
per year. These restrictions are
in place to ensure that people are
only selling personal effects and
are not making a living out their
sale. Profits do not need to be
declared for income tax.
As a participant you will need to
sign up to take part and provide
organisers with proof of identity
and some personal details. You
will also need to attest, on your
honour, that you have not taken
part in more than one other videgreniers this year.
As an organiser you are required
to provide notice (déclaration
préalable de vente) to the mayor
of the commune in which the sale
is taking place: at least 3 months
before the event if it is in a public
place and at least 2 weeks before
the event if it is not in a public
place (e.g. in a private garden).
You will also need to compile a
register of sellers (registre des
vendeurs) which must be readily
available during the event to the
© 2008 Mica - wikicommons
I
n the summer months in
France, many small towns
and villages hold their annual
vide-greniers.
Vide-greniers
literally means ‘empty your
attics’ in French and they are a
combination of a village fete and
a car boot sale. For sellers they
are a chance to sell unwanted bits
and bobs you have lying around
the house and are often more of
a social outing among villagers
than a serious attempt to make
money. Buyers can pick up all
sorts of things you didn’t know
you needed at knockdown prices.
Sometimes they are combined
tax and customs authorities if
requested and which must be
deposited with the mayor in the 8
days following the event.
Ignoring these rules could mean
that you risk heavy fines and
even imprisonment for carrying
out unauthorized commerce. For
more information on organizing
or participating in a vide-greniers
visit www.vide-greniers.org ■
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
18 ♦ DIRECTORY
"Advertising in The Bugle turned out to be a very
good decision. Not only does it bring us many
new clients from across central France, but to
our surprise, a growing number of these clients
seem to be French who read The Bugle too."
It couldn’t be easier to place an advert in The Bugle Business
Directory and reach over 9,000 English speakers across Central
France every month. Prices start from as little as €15 / month that’s less than 50 cents a day!
Your advert will also appear in our Online Business Directory
free of charge:
Richard Kroon - Houses on Internet
www.thebugle.eu/directory.php
(see ad page 3)
THE BUGLE
Accommodation La Petite Maison
Beautiful 2-person gîte in
the heart of Creuse.
Perfect for house-hunters &
holidaymakers alike.
05.55.80.04.31
www.la-petite-maison.eu
[email protected]
SIRET: 518 135 009 00018
La Courede
Bed and Breakfast
Animals & Pets
Comfortable B&B. Two double
rooms, en-suite. Guest lounge.
Evening meal on request.
20 minutes from Limoges airport.
05 55 71 08 56
06 75 79 28 71
[email protected]
www.lacourede.eu
Le Grand Bourg, Creuse
Pretty village location.
Rooms from €20 per night.
45 mins from Limoges airport.
Ideal for walking, cycling, fishing,
househunting or simply relaxing
05 55 81 08 96
[email protected]
The Linden House
Self-catering gîte in Creuse
Sleeps 6-8
Prices from €250/week
Dog Holidays
at Valhalla Farm
5 Star Accommodation in
our Home (Dept 23).
4 Walks each day & lots of T.L.C.
Contact Karen & Darren
Tel: 09.64.37.68.87
Mob: 06.28.48.68.93
[email protected]
www.valhallafarm.org
SIRET: 511 629 610 00011
The Orchard
Kennels & Cattery
www.thelindenhouse.eu
[email protected]
Hidden France
The Caring Cattery
Beautiful traditional old French
farmhouse in the Creuse. 3 guest
rooms incl a family room.
Prices from €38/night
05 55 03 76 87 / 06 30 02 35 73
A purpose built secure cattery. Large
individual/family units, tiled floors,
shelving, adjoining outside areas.
Heated, individual needs catered for.
Chambres d’hôtes
Le Grand Villard
23150, St-Hilaire-la-Plaine
05.55.81.30.39
www.hiddenfrance.co.uk
SIRET: 479 965 758 00010
THE BUGLE
DIRECTORY
This colour advert
costs just €360 per year
(€30/month)
05.55.41.17.76
[email protected]
Luxury dog kennels - Training
Pension pour chien - Dressage
Certificat de capacité
Small & friendly, English run.
Viewings welcome.
Also available:
Pet foods, treats & accessories
Contact Dave Grant for details
05 55 67 58 87
www.the-orchard.eu
06.04.17.80.93
[email protected] - 05.55.41.17.76
La Petite Maison
dans la Prairie
SIRET: 511 679 011 00011
Accommodation
Contact us today and let us help you grow your business
siret: 504 584 228 00010
Heated, insulated wooden chalets
Supplier of Dog and Cat food
Aliments pour chien et chats
www.chenildanslaprairie.fr
Tue - Sun 9h - 18h
21 La Bussière, 23450 Fresselines
TEL: 05 55 89 75 55
06 68 66 69 84 / 08 75 23 93 20
SIRET: 477 762 736 00015
NEW!!
Champlong Chatterie
Caring, quiet accommodation
just for cats
JUNCT 22 off A20, Arnac la Poste
Alison & Ray
Tel: 05 55 60 27 83
[email protected]
www.champlongchatterie.com
SIRET: 520 896 671 00010
Building
Services
[email protected]
SIRET: 494 125 016 00019
Renovating your French property?
New build?
Dossiers prepared - Permis de Construire
Déclarations Préalables
Tel/Fax: 05 53 52 36 05
[email protected]
SIRET: 493 770 358 00015
Entreprise
Hines
Building & Renovation
● Roofing - New & Repairs
● Masonry
● Plastering
● Dry Lining
● Sand Blasting
● Equestrian Buildings
● Digger/Scaffold Hire
● ... and much, much more
www.tbscreuse.com
SIRET: 485 369 979 00011
This advert
only
€15/month
SIRET: 503 169 237 00016
05.55.41.17.76
[email protected]
« LE PLATRIER »
Chris the Plasterer
A genuine plasterer
French and English spoken
Traditional Plastering
Rendering, Floor Screeding
Stud partition dry lining
Lime mortar stone pointing
FOR A QUOTATION
CALL
SIRET: 504 612 441 00015
See our Display Ad - pg 3
Tous travaux électriques/All work
undertaken
Renovations – Installations – Repairs
26 years experience
Français/Anglais parlé - Basé en Creuse
05.55.64.04.40 / 06.08.84.29.51
[email protected]
05.55.89.69.46
Le Bourg, 23360 Nouzerolles
TBS Creuse
COFFIN Laurent
Speedy intervention 7/7
www.entreprisehines.com
[email protected]
[email protected]
Complete Building Service
ELECTRICITE GENERALE
28 years qualified experience
05 55 63 53 06
Rochechouart
Certificate of Capacity.
Contact Barbara
Architectural
DRAWING SERVICE
RSW Entreprises
Fosse Septique Specialist
05.55.89.11.84
See our Display Ad - pg 7
Please mention The
Bugle when responding
to adverts
Sand and Blast
Sandblasting & Floor Sander hire
We provide a fully operated
sandblasting service for wood, stone
and metal. Perfect for stripping away
years of grime or paint.
Contact us for a free quote or see our
website.
www.sandandblast.com
05.55.78.43.71 / 06.67.81.63.46
[email protected]
SIRET: 488 522 921 00011
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
DIRECTORY ♦ 19
C&C Carpentry
Carpentry/Joinery/Renovation
30 years experience
Fully qualified
Friendly reliable service
Free estimates
Please visit:
www.limousincarpenter.com
Tel: 05 55 68 35 79
SIRET: 511 294 373 00010
La Noneix
Construction &
Property Services
Established Professional and Personal
Building Services. Fully registered with
décennale insurance covering all works.
Renovations New builds
Roofing Stonework Carpentry
Ground works
Large or small projects undertaken
please view our website.
Contact: Paul or Joanne Rands
05.55.66.44.06
www.lanoneix.com
[email protected]
SIRET: 501 144 596 00019
THE BUGLE
DIRECTORY
This colour advert
costs just €270 per year
(€22.50/month)
05.55.41.17.76
[email protected]
Limousin
Property Care
See our Display Ad - pg 5
Harlequin
Developments
05.55.68.67.56
06.06.60.46.97
All aspects of renovation and
refurbishment, big or small,
undertaken. Harlequin Developments are a System Partner for
Ecopower, an established and
respected renewable energy company based in the Dordogne.
[email protected]
www.harlequindevelopments.com
SIRET: 494.501.067.00016
THE BUGLE
DIRECTORY
This colour advert
costs just €360 per year
(€30/month)
05.55.41.17.76
[email protected]
La Coterie Entreprise
Approved septic tank
installer/renovation
www.lce23.com
See our Display Ad - pg 1
PIERCE
ÉLECTRICITÉ
WE COVER ALL TYPES OF ELECTRICAL
WORK INCLUDING :
● 3 PHASE ● AGRICULTURAL
● SOLAR PANELS & GEOTHERMICS
● ALARM SYSTEMS AND SATELLITES
SUPPLIED AND FITTED
WE ALSO SUPPLY SKY BOXES. ALL WORK
UNDERTAKEN BY QUALIFIED TRADESMEN.
CALL OUT SERVICE AVAILABLE
05 55 60 81 67
06 79 43 03 43
[email protected]
SIRET: 504 253 048 00012
This advert
only
€15/month
The deadline for all
advertising submissions is the 15th of
the month for the
following month's
print edition.
SIRET: 504 976 689 00019
GODSON
Travaux Publics
www.pilgrim23.com
See our Display Ad - pg 28
Please mention The
Bugle when responding
to adverts
Sunman
Carpentry
05.55.60.15.17
06.34.43.55.85
For all your carpentry &
renovation projects. Prompt and
friendly service with over 25
years experience. Fully registered and insured. Call Simon
to discuss your requirements, or
visit us at our website:
www.sunmancarpentry.com
[email protected]
SIRET: 495.276.248.00012
Charles Hodencq
Electricité Générale
French Electrician - fluent English
Speaker. Based in Bellac. For
all your electrical needs - safety
checks, re-wires & renovations
06 24 27 01 86 / 05 55 68 62 26
[email protected]
www.charleselec.eu
Siret : 503 121 279 00015
Plasterer
Platrier
- Traditional Plastering
- Rendering
- Pointing
- Stud Partition and dry
lining
- All work Insured and Guaranteed
- Covering depts 87,16 and North 24
Tel: 05.55.89.05.81
[email protected]
SIRET: 505 346 148 00016
See our Display Ad - pg 8
Tel: 05 55 68 59 24
Mob: 06 37 71 20 57
[email protected]
Computers &
Satellites
● Plastering. Drylining. Studwork
● Kitchens, Bathrooms, Doors &
Windows fitted
● Painting & Decorating etc.
Competitive Rates – Call for a free quote
Property & Garden
Maintenance
DIRECTORY
Renovations
Plasterboarding
All Tiling
Honest, Reliable Tradesman
● Plastering ● Studwork ● Drylining
● Kitchens ● Bathrooms
● Windows and Doors fitted
Whatever your needs just call for
a free quote
Inside Outside
Small jobs no problem!
PLASTERING
Call: MARK CLOUGH
Tel: 09.61.42.55.07
Mobile: 06.43.17.30.51
Email: [email protected]
Phillip Williamson
05 55 63 24 94
THE BUGLE
SIRET: 502 353 675 00015
CP Renovations
All Renovation and Building
work undertaken
ALAN COOPER
Interior Renovations
Creusetec
Satellite Systems
TV/Electronic repairs
0033 (0)5 55 66 60 21
SIRET: 498 849 256 00017 / 512 370 941 00019
SIRET: 510 117 328 00011
[email protected]
http://www.creusetec.com
Limousin Computers
& Satellites
Computer Sales, Repairs, Upgrades,
Website Design, Internet Setup, Sky/
Freesat TV Installations, French Satellite
TV, Dish Alignments, Servicing & Repairs
(see our ad on pg 9)
05.55.80.34.52 / 06.23.29.24.70
[email protected]
www.limousincomputers.com
SIRET: 502 212 269 00018
Property Projects The Design Works
www.proprojects.fr
[email protected]
Tel: 05 55 68 16 70
Siret: 428 824 239 00019
[email protected]
Food & Drink
C’est cheese
Find us at local markets selling a
small and tasty selection of excellent
quality english cheeses.
SIREN: 409 679 578
Satellite Sales, Service, Installations.
TV Receiver & Electronic Repairs. Dish
alignments. Sky/Freesat/TNT/FTA Systems. Dept 23 & surrounding areas
Established over 12 years in Bellac.
We continue to offer a professional, personal service, for all your
building project needs.
From a Kitchen sink to a complete
new roof - we are here to help.
For more information and to view
photos of our work:
05.55.41.17.76
www.cestcheese.fr
05.45.85.31.95
[email protected]
Stephen Toner - 05 55 66 98 58
Graham Biggs - 05 55 66 98 47
Email: [email protected]
Please call for a free devis.
References available on request
Bellac, 87
(€30/month)
Also available online. For more information, see our NEW website:
Internal and
External Work
Advertise your
company here.
This advert only
costs €15/month
costs just €360 per year
SIRET: 512 763 178 00013
Petits Travaux
Small home renovation or repair
Garden maintenance and
landscaping
We ensure fast, neat, quality
work
This colour advert
Websites/Graphic Design/Illustration
See our Display Ad - pg 11
05.55.41.17.76
[email protected]
Sky TV Installations
Sky TV/Tous travaux satellite
05.55.66.33.33
See our Display Ad - pg 3
Le Creusois
Bar/Restaurant
High quality British & French
food at reasonable prices. Menu
du Jour €12, Traditional Pub
Food, Vegetarian dishes, childrens
& snack menus also available
05.55.63.90.79
www.lecreusoisbistro.com
SIREN: 483 988 853
The Corner
Shop
Large range of British foods.
Special orders can be catered for.
Usually cheaper than the supermarkets!!
5km west of Aubusson
05.55.67.58.87
SIRET: 504 584 228 00010
This advert
only
€15/month
CONTINUED
ON PAGE 20...
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
20 ♦ DIRECTORY
La Petite Fontaine
15 Grande Rue, Le Dorat
Café, Bar and Events Venue
Lunch Menu
Free WiFi
Salad Bar
05.55.60.29.74
[email protected]
www.lapetitefontaine.com
SIRET: 489 218 636 00012
Vetriano’s, Bellac
Chez Toi ~ 05 55 76 01 24
06.42.54.24.26
Close to exit 22 on the A20
Salon de Thé & Bistro
Tues - Fri: 09.30 - 17.00, Sun: 11.30 - 15.00
Menu du jour €10
served 12.00 - 14.00, Tues - Fri
Outside catering - Hot and cold buffets
From €7 per person, min 10 people.
Please phone to discuss your requirements.
SIRET: 488 369 224 00016
La Récré
Auberge Ourdeaux
38, Rue de Limoges, 23150 Ahun
Alleyrat, nr Aubusson
See our Display Ad - pg 11
Restaurant/Bar
05.55.62.56.44
5 days a week 10am - 8pm
Sun 10am -3pm, Wed 8am - 3pm
Lunch Mon-Fri 12 - 2
Food served all day incl Sat
Evening/Sunday meals please reserve
[email protected]
www.larecre-ahun.com
SIRET: 509 171 740 00012
Le P’tit
Marchois
Bar
47 Grande Rue
23260 Crocq
SIREN: 508 665 692
Chambres/Tables d’hôtes
LES PAPILLONS
Salon de Thé
Menu du jour.
Teas, coffees, cream teas
and gateaux.
Bar & restaurant found in the
idyllic setting of Lac de Mondon,
Cromac (87160)
Varied lunchtime menu du jour
(11€ weekday, 15€ weekend)
Café le Pont de
la Pierre - Bellac
See our Display Ad - pg 4
Health
& Beauty
1 rue Pierre Chambord, Oradour-sur-Vayres
JJ’s Cafe Bar
Some customer quotes:
‘...more than just a bar’
‘....a bit like Allo Allo and Cheers!’
Come and see for yourself!
Open all week.
39 Place du Champ de Foire
36140, Aigurande
02 54 06 30 77
[email protected]
Bières 23
Independent Brewery
See our Display Ad - pg 8
The Exchange
Rochechouart
SECOND HAND BOOK SHOP. GREAT
SELECTION OF GIFTS, CARDS, CANDLES
AND HAND-CRAFTED PRODUCTS
Tue 2.30pm - 5pm
Thu, Fri, Sat 9:15-12:15 & 2:15-5pm
05 55 78 19 24
www.theexchangerochechouart.com
9 rue Dr Charles Poitevin
SIRET 484 479 480 00010
Soie et Bois
Depot Vente des Vêtements
La ferme du Duc noir
Free range, rare breed pork
See our Display Ad - pg 8
[email protected]
www.soiebois.com
Tel: 05.55 48.28.89
SIRET: 510 995 681 00010
Au Bon Vivre
Comme à la
Maison
Bric à Brac at Soumans
Bar/Restaurant, Parnac
See our Display Ad - pg 12
Relais de la Pouge
Bar and Restaurant (food all day)
St Auvent, Nr Rochechouart
See our Display Ad - pg 9
Consider the signs pointing towards
a positive outlook for 2010 on the
property market:
- French and English language
- famous brand, web site, advertising
- contacts and clients...
- auto-entrepreneur scheme
Will accompany for settlement
06 45 91 94 52 [email protected]
Looking for something special for your
home? Come take a look:
● Crockery ● Home furnishings
● Porcelain ● Antiques ● ...much more
Tue-Fri 10h-12h & 14h-16h30
Sat-Sun 10h-16h30
7, rue Eugène Romaine, 23600 SOUMANS
Tel: 06.98.63.43.35
To raise funds for the SPA dog rescue
centre in Guéret.
Each item will incur a hire charge
of 5 euros, plus a refundable 10
euros deposit.
For more INFO or to HIRE
Call Jean: 05 55 54 96 36
[email protected]
Your Link in France
Handholding Service
www.your-link-in-france.com
See our Display Ad - pg 8
Château Gonflable
Bouncy Castle Hire
Bouncy castle hire for all
events and private parties.
Castles for adults and children.
From 50 € per day.
Fully insured.
La Petite Place
05 55 60 06 10 / 06 15 25 11 88
Hair salon, Le Dorat
[email protected]
www.chateaugonflable.net
See our Display Ad - pg 11
Beauty and Holistic
Therapy Salon
Dress agency and gallery, specialising
in designer and high quality pre-owned
clothes for women and children, together
with accessories, footwear, jewellery, gift
items, and hand made furniture.
4 rue Principale, St Mathieu, 87440
SIRET: 508 754 314 00013
North Haute Vienne, South Poitou,
East Charente...
SIRET: 510 986 490 00017
The Great British
Banger
SIRET: 492 546 130 00013
franchise for sale
Tel: 06.31.22.26.05
Au Beau Rivage Gifts & Crafts Santé et Beauté
05 55 78 25 18
[email protected]
Property Finder
General
Jackie Cawtheray
BABY/INFANT
EQUIPMENT FOR HIRE
High chair, buggy, play pen,
travel cot, fire guard,
stair gate etc.
Full evening a la carte menu.
Snack menu. Childrens menu 6.50€
Every Friday night is our famous
soirée Moules Frites (Mussles) or
pizza night - reservation required
Tue - Sat 10:00 - 5:30
Mon & Sun Closed
Hotel - Bar - Restaurant
Busseau-sur-Creuse
See our Display Ad - pg 7
Best quality home made
sausages and bacon
made fresh to order
Contain NO added preservative
– all natural ingredients!!
Businesses
for sale
SIRET: 503 214 991 00013
Chez
Darling
Rochechouart
Women's and Men's Fashion
See our Display Ad - pg 10
THE BUGLE
DIRECTORY
This colour advert
costs just €270 per year
● UK trained and qualified Sports
Therapist
● Well Established Salon.
● Full Body, Back, Neck & Shoulders,
Indian Head, Reflexology etc
● Waxing, Manicure, Beauté des Pieds,
Tinting, Ear Piercing etc
● Products and Gift Vouchers available
● Loyalty Cards
Limousin Auctions
Auction house in Haute-Vienne
See our Display Ad - pg 4
05.55.41.17.76
[email protected]
(closed for 1 week from 25th May)
La Maison Shopping
Yourtes Chez Vous
[email protected]
See our Display Ad - pg 28
Please mention The
Bugle when responding
to adverts
P&S
Removals Ltd
4m Mongolian Yurt for hire.
A spare bedroom in your garden
when you need it.
Bed and linen hire also available.
05 55 60 06 10
06 15 25 11 88
Tue-Fri 9am-12pm & 2pm-6pm
Sat 9am-2pm
05 55 00 92 97
3, Rue Principale, 87740 St-Mathieu
SIRET: 493 871 826 00019
AVON
05.87.00.40.65 / 06.33.90.07.58
Looking for the perfect parttime, flexible job? Avon could
just be the answer. Have fun,
meet people and earn money.
Full training and support given.
Opportunities for promotion.
[email protected]
THE BUGLE
DIRECTORY
This colour advert
costs just €270 per year
(€22.50/month)
05.55.41.17.76
[email protected]
Weekly trips to/from UK
(0033) 02 54 47 14 08
(0044) 01227 713 738
[email protected]
www.pandsremovals.co.uk
Friendly, professional company,
competitive rates. £25,000 Goods in
Transit Insurance included as standard.
Containerised storage. Weekly runs to
France. Free quotation.
Arfeuille Antiques
All types of English &
French furniture
See our Display Ad - pg 9
Houses on Internet
(€22.50/month)
Yurt Hire
[email protected]
www.yourteschezvous.lechene-vert.co.uk
SIRET: 503 214 991 00013
Jewellery
Making Courses
Learn how to make stunning jewellery and stay at
our beautiful B&B
www.hiddenfrance.co.uk
05.55.81.30.39
SIRET: 479 965 758 00010
Eco Entrepot
www.housesoninternet.com
2500 m2 Discount Warehouse
See our Display Ad - pg 3
See our Display Ad - pg 5
Anglais en Immersion
Please mention The
Bugle when responding
to adverts
Learn English Now!!
www.anglaisenimmersion.fr
See our Display Ad - pg 7
05.55.68.74.73
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
DIRECTORY ♦ 21
CLASSIFIEDS
Contact: [email protected] - 05.55.41.17.76
FOR SALE: Mobile home
for sale. 30ft x 10ft. Reasonable
condition for age but boiler not working.
Please telephone for more info.
€500.00 ono Tel: 05 55 57 11 87
FOR SALE: Building Plot
near Chenerailles Good level plot,
planning permision, electric/water very
close. 1,735 m2. €10,500.00
Contact: 05 55 62 77 41
FOR SALE: A pair of solid
wooden (bois exotique) gates 3m
wide x 1.6/1.8m high. With all fittings.
Unused. €190.00 ono
Tel: 05.55.81.16.05
email: [email protected]
WANTED: Pool Cover 10m x
6m minimum Good condition please.
Contact: 05 55 00 07 90
FOR SALE: DE Lux Compass
Concours touring caravan 16 feet
- 2 berth - gas or elec central heating + gas
fire - gas or elec fridge - separate
dressing/washing area including shower &
cassette toilet - hot & cold running water
- double glazing - sun reflecter blinds - fly
screens throughout - automatic
moving device. £1,950.
Tel: 05.55.60.47.69
email: [email protected]
FOR SALE: A rare opportunity
to purchase HIS MASTERS
VOICE wind up Gramophone
Excellent condition, with opening doors at
front to give improved sound quality,
complete with 2 heads, med and soft tone
needles. Also selection of records mostly
in albums - total of 60, these are in v/good
condition.€120.00
Contact: 05 55 62 77 41
FOR SALE: Aquachap from
Saddlecraft For Horse Rider,
Aquachap from Saddlecraft. Classically
styled half chap. Water Resistance, Dry
Fast, Dry Soft, Breathability. Unused. Size
Med.€30.00 Contact: 05 55 62 77 41
FOR SALE: Automatic Pool
Cleaning System Uses the filtration
system of your pool, easy to install - no
tools required, suitable for above or
inground pools, requires pump of min
0.75 hp. Unused, in org box. €35.00
Classified Adverts are are
currently free for small items
(less than €500). For other types
of classified adverts a small fee
does apply:
● Items less than €500 - FREE
● Items more than €500 will be
charged at €5 per month, with an
extra €2.50 for an accompanying
photo.
● Properties for rent or sale will
be charged at €12.50 for a 75
word advert, with an extra €5 for
an accompanying photo.
Contact: 05 55 62 77 41
FOR SALE: 10 trad Fr. kitchen
cupboard door and drawer
fronts 3 sizes. Open to offers.
Contact: 05 55 03 87 56
FOR SALE: WC and cistern
White. New seat.€5.00
Contact: 05 55 03 87 56
Contact: 05.55.67.58.87
FOR SALE: FREE
MAGAZINES Approx 60 French
FOR SALE: Inflatable pool
FOR SALE: Antique three piece
suite Circa 1930.Rexine covered with
FOR SALE: Citroen ZX Diesel
N reg (on UK Plate) New alt,
brass studs. €50.00 Tel: 05.55.60.47.69
FOR SALE: 50 Limited Edition
Plates As new, with authenticity
certificates, including complete sets.€ 5
each or € 195 total collection.
Contact: 05 55 60 22 27
FOR SALE: Brand new
Rosetta Stone French Course
Levels 1 & 2 Cost € 275 will accept €
150. Contact: 05 55 60 22 27
Cockerel - Free to a good
home Handsome cockerel (18 months -
irridescent black) looking for a new home.
Perhaps as a swap for a few chickens?
Contact: 05.55.80.04.31
FOR SALE: Peugeot 206 1.9 lt
diesel. 2 year controle technique. Very
good condition. 5 doors. 201,126 km. Call
Dean for details. €2,750.00
Contact: 06.25.23.25.36
FOR SALE: Various Old fashioned
2 seater oak slatted sofa - removable
cushions covered with Laura Ashley fabric
in gold and rust 20 euros.Round dark oak
coffee table 8 euros.Dark Oak chair with
cushions 5 euros.Two clothes racks 1 euro
each. Contact: 05.55.03.15.82.
FOR SALE: Double bed Little
used, mattress immaculate. Bed base,
wooden frame with slats. €45.00
Contact: 05.55.03.15.82.
FOR SALE: Fold up bed (metal
frame) with mattress Used once,
very good condition. €20.00
Contact: 05.55.03.15.82.
FOR SALE: Round Intex pool
cover 457cm diameter (15')
Brand new (too small for our pool). €35.00
Citroen ZX N reg. €80.00
Tel: 02.54.24.82.01
engine runs very well, body fair for age.
€300.00 Tel: 02.54.24.82.01
FOR SALE: Irish pub-style bar
Made of carved oak with a marble top &
brass foot rest. 1m20 high, 1m80 long,
80cm deep. Very good condition. €1,500.
Also for sale 3 bird cages (1 large, 2
smaller). Very good condition. Please call
for more information. €1,500.00
Contact: 05.55.65.67.14
WANTED: Bath Jacuzzi &
Wash Basin in Unit White if
possible. Must be as new.
Contact: 05.55.33.43.46
FOR SALE: NEW Drill -24 volt
€55.00 Contact: 05.55.33.43.46
FOR SALE: Sealed box set of
the TV series LOST, Episodes
13 - 25 of Series One, Part Two
Price is if collected (near Ahun) - or will
weigh to add P&P if needs to be posted. €5.00
Tel: 05 55 62 31 89
FOR SALE: Traditional French
twin beds (pair) Horse hair
matresses (not perfect condition but very
comfortable). €30.00 Tel: 05 55 80 04 31
franchise for sale
Consider the signs pointing towards
a positive outlook for 2010 on the
property market:
- French and English language
- famous brand, web site, advertising
- contacts and clients...
- auto-entrepreneur scheme
Will accompany for settlement
06 45 91 94 52 [email protected]
Substantial Farm House
Thiat, Haute Vienne.
3 beds, central heating, numerous outbuildings, 3 acres
land, plus 3 acres woodland.
Rural setting.
Priced for a quick sale.
€155,000
Tel: 05.55 60 47 69
email: [email protected]
House in a hamlet
near Aubusson
New electrics and plumbing required
but this will be an easy renovation.
Three bedrooms with the scope for
more. Semi-detached house with
garden and garage nearby.
€70,000 ono
FOR SALE: Plasterers’ Stilts
House with attached barn
Freehold restaurant business for sale.
Situated in a small village with Bakery,
Superette, Doctor, Chemist
Seats 50 inside, 36 on terrace.
Well presented, 140 sq m - not a cent to
spend. Plus 2 BR modern flat 90 sq m,
luxury bathroom.Cellar & under-cover
parking. Overlooking small lake.
Good takings - good lifestyle.
For Sale due to retirement.
Tel: 05.53.60.52.47
Email: [email protected]
5-bedroom stone
house, Vayres
190 m² habitable living
accommodation plus
outbuildings for possible
conversion into a gite.
Situated on 2.3 hectares of
land. Stunning views.
05 55 78 22 18
Pretty 3-bed renovated
stone house
Pretty 3-bed renovated stone house
with linked 1-bed cottage, exposed
beams, woodburners, large flat rear
garden with trees and shrubs, barns,
plus land opposite.
See link for more details:
http://www.francepropertyshop.com
/PropertyDetails/52384
€160,000
Tel: 05 55 62 31 89
3 Bedroom house near Aubusson
Never used. 50.00 euros. €50.00
Tel: 05 55 81 19 61
FOR SALE: 2 x Left Hand Drive
Renault Megane Headlights
From a 1999 Megane Hatch. Excellent
Condition. €80.00 ono Tel: 05 55 81 30 39
[email protected]
For Sale
North Haute Vienne, South Poitou,
East Charente...
€180,000
Visit www.tdworks.eu/houseforsale for photos
& contact details
Please telephone:
05 55 73 06 61
or e mail [email protected]
cast iron. Excellent condition. Photo on
request. €60.00 Tel: 05 55 80 04 31
RESTAURANT IN THE
PERIGORD VERT
€165,000
Built in 2009. Situated in the town itself, close to
shops, school, doctor, restaurant and bars.
The house comprises 3 bedrooms, one with ensuite
shower room, large open-plan kitchen/dining room,
living room, bathroom, WC and an integral garage
with automatic garage doors. The heating system is
electric with radiators in every room.
The house has a footprint of 135m² on a plot of 2500m².
FOR SALE: Cream Bath and
Basin Bath is good quality heavy
BUSINESSES
Property Finder
3 bed new build bungalow
in Clugnat (23)
magazines, mainly 'French Property News'
and 'Living France'. 2002 to 2006. Free to
collector.Thiat, Haute Vienne area.
Tel: 05 55 60 47 69
FOR SALE: Set of 2 French
headlights New 2009 (still in box) for
Approx 4m x 1m with steps, pumps, filter
etc. €30.00 Contact: 05 55 03 87 56
PROPERTIES FOR SALE
To advertise a business
for sale or rent please
contact us on
05.55.41.17.76
or email
[email protected]
€12.50/month
+ €5/photo
Advertisements in The Bugle Business Directory are available in two sizes: small (50mm x 43mm) and
large (50mm x 66.5mm). They are available in black & white or colour. Prices are based on an annual contract (no TVA/ VAT applicable) as follows: Small b&w €180 (€15/m), Small colour €270 (€22.50/m), Large
b&w €240 (€20/m), Large colour €360 (€30/m). A 10% discount is offered for full payment upfront. Alternatively, split payments are possible every 4 or 6 months. Shorter contracts may be available on request.
For more information about taking out a Directory Advert, please contact us at [email protected] or
phone us on 05.55.41.17.76.
Why not spotlight your business with one of our advertorials? 1/3 page, 2/3 page & Full page options
available. Contact us for more information.
Large house (180m²), attached barn and garden.
10min Aubusson and Felletin (Creuse, 23), in a
lovely hamlet. Attached barn, beautiful mature
garden 1,200m². Ground floor: Sitting/dining with
inglenook fireplace, exposed beams throughout,
kitchen, w.c./utility. 1st floor: 1 very large bedroom,
1 double bedroom, family bathroom, separate w.c.
spacious landing. 2nd floor: 1 very large bedroom,
another room suitable for a double bedroom conversion. O.F.C.H. and new wood burner. Barn 200m²
suitable for conversion to Gite or other.
€180,000 ono
Tel. 05 55 83 82 94 or 06 75 55 19 94
Building Plot
near Chenerailles
Good level plot, planning
permision, electric/water very
close. 1,735 m2.€10,500
Tel: 05 55 62 77 41
10min Aubusson and Felletin (23, Creuse).
Walk in condition. Sitting room, dining room,
kitchen, bathroom/wc. 3 double bedrooms,
1 with built in wardrobes.Woodburner and electric heating. Double glazing, tiled and wooden
flooring throughout.1/4 acre garden, lovely
decking area, two outbuildings, septic tank,
phone, good internet connection.
€150,000 ono
PHONE: 06 85 83 16 11 or 05 55 66 23 94
Large house with
barn and stables
Located in a small hamlet
in the commune of Crozant.
Also includes a second small,
stone house nearby. Large
garden with trees and
vegetable plots - 2,400m²
05 55 89 80 99
PROPERTIES TO LET
Unfurnished
studio apartment
Available from May
Unfurnished studio apartment in
the centre of Rochechouart dep 87
€300 PCM
plus €25 PCM charges.
For more info contact:
Jane & Phil Nicholson
05.55.78.19.24
Gite
Available from Sept. 2010
Long-term (min 3 months):
€350/month
excl. water & elec.
3 ensuite bedrooms - furnished. Located small town all
amenities.
Tel: 05.55.62.61.12
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
22 ♦ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Sky high volcano parking fees
Letters to
The Editor
I
wrote about my problems getting back from
Ireland last month and
it turned out that I was
certainly not alone. One
email we received on this
subject that caught my eye
was from Marjorie Morrow concerning the service
she had received from airport staff over her growing
parking fee. The airport has
certainly gone up a notch in
my estimation after reading
this.
Elsewhere, we were sent an
update from CSF Charente
Marjorie Morrow
Soumans, 23
Via email
Dear Editor,
J
ust as you were stuck in
Ireland, I was stuck in
England and worrying
about how much my parking
at Bellegarde would cost me,
so on to the website I went…
ganisations. There really are
a lot of people out there willing to give up their time and
expertise to help others and
raise money for charities.
Please keep your thoughts,
opinions and feedback coming, they help make The Bugle what it is:
F
irstly, I would like
to thank you for
advertising this event
in your publication and
give a small report on our
successful event.
A dinner dance was held at
L'Hôtel des Mines in Lussacles-Eglises on Saturday 15th
May 2010, with all proceeds
going to Cancer Support
France Charente Plus.
We are pleased to advise that
€569 was raised.
A big thank you to everyone
who donated gifts for the
raffle: both French and
British companies and all
individuals. A thank you
also to L'Hôtel des Mines
for providing such excellent
food and The Phoenix Group
and Jack Law for providing
the music throughout the
The Bugle,
Les Quatre Chemins,
23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois.
Rochechouart
SUMMER SPECIAL - Buy 1 item, get the
second HALF PRICE!
Le Relais de la Pouge
St Auvent, nr Rochechouart
2 Adults, 1 Child < 10 yrs eats for FREE!
AU BEAU RIVAGE
Pionnat, Busseau-sur-Creuse
Table for 6 - 1 person eats FREE!
LIMOUSIN PROPERTY CARE
Trudy Wain
Grand Villard, 23
Via email
event.
A special thank you to Karen
Blewett for organizing this
event for without her hard
work it would not have been
so successful.
Dear Editor
I
have two loves... walking
and my dogs! Obviously
the two go together
rather well, and when on my
daily walks, I am always in
awe of the beautiful Creuse
countryside and how lucky I
am to live here, but I would
like to know my rights when
out and about the in the
Creuse?
Originally only 60 tickets
were available but due to high
demand this was increased to
68.
Everyone enjoyed themselves
and danced into the small
hours! ■
Small Renovation Works &
Gardening Work
... are offering a refund of the cost of the TVA
to any quotes accepted by 30th June 2010.
QUOTE: LPC BUGLE OFFER
CANCER SUPPORT
FRANCE
CREUSE BRANCH
(LUTTER CONTRE LE CANCER EN FRANCE)
IF YOU OR ANYONE CLOSE TO YOU
HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER
AND WOULD LIKE HELP OR SUPPORT,
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.
IF YOU NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO
WE HAVE A HELPLINE AVAILABLE AND
IF WE ARE NOT THERE WE WILL CALL
YOU BACK WITHIN 24 HOURS.
OUR HELPLINE NUMBER IS:
Marjorie Morrow ■
Roaming rights in France...?
Frugal Bugle
Chez Darling
Did anyone else fare as well
as I did?
It is great to hear that companies will still deal with requests on an individual basis instead of
adopting the 'computer says no' approach and this story is a credit to the airport management.
Customer service like this pays dividends in the long term in my opinion.
Or the old-fashioned way to:
€569 raised for CSF Charente
Rosemarie Steven
CSF Charente Plus
Via email
The answer was yes, they
would give me a reduction; I
would only have to pay for the
5 days it should have been,
not the 14 days it turned out
to be. On arrival I went to the
parking office. The gentleman
had my name and e-mail,
was very polite and spoke
excellent English, although I
did try my French on him. So
well done Bellegarde airport.
ED - This letter really cheered me up when I read it... right up to the point I realised that I was
also a day late picking up my car for volcano reasons, but just paid the ticket and wrote it off as
a bad day. It didn't occur to me to try and claim back the extra parking - plus it was well past
midnight when I finally got to the airport!
[email protected]
about a successful event that
they had recently that raised
over €500. It is amazing the
amount of correspondence
we get from charitable or-
I was horrified at the cost!!! It
wasn't even my fault. I put my
thinking cap on and e-mailed
the airport asking if I could
be given a reduction in fees
due to the cancellation of my
return flight for the 5th time.
Nothing ventured, nothing
gained. I had a response
within the hour.
06.06.47.18.60
We provide a service for all English speakers, whatever
their country of origin.
Association No: 02030006004
Can any of you tell me if I
am correct in thinking that
walkers have “right of way”
in France, or are there any
rules that walkers should
adhere to. I never walk down
paths marked privé, or that
obviously lead to houses etc,
but am never quite sure of my
rights.
Also, sometimes I stop off in
towns and walk around the
plan d’eau areas which are
normally beautiful and my
dogs love a little swim when
it is hot. There are normally
“no dog” signs around the
beach areas, but am I right
in thinking that dogs are
allowed in other areas at
these sites?
I know the French are a
nation of dog lovers, and
no one has ever approached
me regarding where I am
walking, but it would be
good to know that I am not
upsetting anyone or breaking
any laws!
Thank you in advance for any
advice.
Trudy Wain ■
European city
guide scam
Debbie Standaloft
Arfeuille, 23
Via email
Hi,
I read with interest the article
that appeared in the March
issue. This is the first chance
I've had to respond to it.
I too have been caught by this
scam. Just over a year ago I
answered a request to update
my details in their guide.
I didn't double check the
small print, reading only the
covering letter which made
no mention of fees.
My
"bill"
is
now
well
over €1,000 and I have no
intention of paying it.
There are two very good
sites which offer advice
and support to people who
have been conned in the
same way: stopecg.org is
one and the other is a group
on Facebook called stopecg
Campaign.
I'd be happy to chat and offer
support to anyone who is
worried by the threatening
mails they send or who just
wants to know they are not
alone in receiving these.
Debbie Standaloft
Arfeuille Antiques
05.55.83.14.47
ED - This looked like quite a plausable scam when I first saw
it and I can see how many have been sucked in by it. When
you are faced with threatening letters demanding large sums
of money it must be conforting to be able to speak to others
in the same boat.
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
GAMES & HOBBIES ♦ 23
Crossword
Beginner’s Guitar Lesson
Clues and answers in English
In the second of his series of guitar lessons for beginners, Chris Willis
teaches us how to play two more chords and urges us not to give up!
W
elcome to my new beginner’s course for learning guitar: a series of basic
lessons for complete novices. The guitar is a wonderful instrument which can
be played alone or with friends In this second lesson, we will learn two more
chords: the A major chord and the E major chord.
Hopefully you found last month’s first chord D major pretty straight forward but if it’s still
proving difficult to master DON’T GIVE UP!! Take your time and after a while it will start
to get much easier!
Practice routine
Let’s take a look at how we are going to use these three chords. Firstly, I suggest starting
off practising strumming each chord in a down/up fashion for around five minutes. Once
you’re happy with that why not try picking the individual notes for 5 minutes. Finally
practise changing between all three chords for 5 minutes.
Here are your chord boxes:
Across:
1. Danger (5)
4. Percussion instrument (7)
8. Deliberated (7)
9. Molten rock (5)
10. Marine mollusks (7)
12. Similar (5)
13. Martial art (4,2)
15. Rigorous (6)
18. Assumed name (5)
19. Accumulated (7)
21. Similar to a giraffe (5)
22. Dizziness (7)
24. Perpetual (7)
25. Book of maps (5)
SUDOKU - EASY
A Major
E Major
Down:
1. Security device (7)
2. Bone (3)
3. Supple (5)
4. Plain (6)
5. Fortification (7)
6. Enlarges (9)
7. Astound (5)
11. Consortium (9)
14. Mode (7)
16. Irksome (7)
17. Wonder (6)
18. Repent (5)
20. Artery (5)
23. Unwell (3)
Music theory
In order to make melodies or improvise over chords with the guitar we will need to use
scales. So what are they? Well in basic terms a scale is a group of notes on the guitar that
compliment each other. A very popular starting point to get going with scales is the minor
pentatonic scale. Next month we will take a closer look at its use and how to practise it.
Chris
Chris Willis is available for lessons from his home in Nouzerolles.
To contact Chris, email [email protected]
SUDOKU - MEDIUM
SUDOKU - HARD
The solution to all this month’s puzzles can be found on pages 26 & 27
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
24 ♦ COMMUNITY
Rules of the Notice Board:
• To place something on the Notice Board, please email us on
[email protected] or call us on 05.55.41.17.76
• This Notice Board is always free for any non-profit events, ie
charity events, book clubs, social groups etc.
• Advertisers may place commercial listings on the Notice Board
for any events they have planned.
• The Notice Board can be used for anything, so even if you just
want to say Hi to someone or announce a special occasion, let us know.
The Orchard
Kennel, Cattery and Corner shop
is now offering a range of pet foods,
treats & accessories
Phone Dave Grant for details:
05 55 67 58 87
New loyalty card scheme starting on
the 1st April for The Corner Shop.
The Orchard, Farges, 23200 ST
MARC A FRONGIER
Au Beau Rivage
Pionnat, Busseau-sur-Creuse
Fête des Pères - Sunday 20th June
Four-course meal - €24
Plus a free gift for Fathers!
(see our Frugal Bugle coupon for special offers)
For more information and reservations phone
Janice: 05.55.62.40.27
JJ’s Café
Aigurande
EVENTS
Acoustic Music Club
2nd Saturday of every month, 8.30 pm.
All musicians, singers, listeners very welcome.
Next meeting 15th June. Free entry.
Sat 19th June - Fête de la Musique
Live music afternoon and evening (various artists and genres)
Darts Night - Prizes to be won!!!!
3rd Saturday of every month.
JJ's Cafe Bar, 39 Place du Champ de Foire,
36140 Aigurande
Tel: 02 54 06 30 77
Email: [email protected]
Auberge Ourdeaux
La Petite Fontaine
Le Dorat
Sat May 29th - Vince Freeman will be back @ La
Petite Fontaine for a very special Album Launch
Night. Booking essential. Tickets 5 euro.
Sat June 5th - We have another great night of music from the French band One Plus One who will be
playing a mix of English & French rock songs. Booking essential. Tickets 5 euro.
Tues June 8th - Phoenix Cards will be here over
lunch time.
Fri June 18th - We have the supremely talented
Bristol based singer Phil King. Booking essential.
Tickets 5 euro.
Fri June 25th - We have the double treat of Lee
Mitchell & Luc Leighfield.
Please check out the web site for more info:
www.lapetitefontaine.com
€500 reward
Fête des Pères
Sunday 20th June - 12pm onwards
3 courses. Traditional Sunday lunch. €16 per head.
Horse Racing Night
Saturday 26th June at 7.30pm
Race night & supper €2.50 per person to enter races.
Prize for winner.
Chicken Curry or Homemade Steak & Kidney pie €10
per head.
Contact Alison for booking
Alleyrat, nr Aubusson - 05.55.66.98.58
News from La Récré
Ahun
Sunday 13th June - Fish and Chips
From 12pm, phone for reservations.
Sunday 20th June - Father's Day
Special 3-course menu and coffee - €24.95
Book Exchange
Bring one, take one or buy one for €1.
Children’s books in French/English needed.
Also wanted DVD’s and videos.
Our large dining room is available for private
group meetings & functions
Dean is also your local Avon Representative.
Pop in for a catalogue.
05.55.62.56.44 - www.larecre-ahun.com
Bugle
Notice
Board
For information about
stolen items
For more information, please see our
Online Notice Board
www.thebugle.eu/notice_board.php
Café Le Pont de la Pierre
Bellac
Watch all the World Cup matches on our large
projection screen, special themes for all England
and France games. The terrace stays football
free for the girls!
Also as part of the Village Etape celebrations in
Bellac we are having Vince Freeman playing on the
terrace on the 26th June at 16h00
05.55.60.20.79 - 15 Faubourg du pont de la pierre
Chez Toi
Lac de Mondon, Cromac
5 June/juin - Jack Law
20 June/juin - Fête de musique - Moby Dick
10 July/juillet - Vis à Vis
31 July/juillet - FAHAM Creole
13 August/août - Jack Law
14 August/août - Rock n Roll Susie
21 August/août - Keith the Hat
Relais de la Pouge
St Auvent, nr Rochechouart
27th June - New and Old Collectables
market (boot sale)
We are also looking for new players to join our
pool teams. All levels of experience welcome.
Call 05 55 03.14.97
Fête de la Bière,
Felletin - 17th July
17th July
Fuses@niment (Felletin's comité de fête) is organising a fête de la bière on 17th July 2010. There will
be beers from La Creuse (3 breweries) Austria (it is
the 50th Anniversary of the twinning of Felletin and
Schladming this year) and North Wales. There will also
be a vide-grenier, food and music, and camping will be
available (so you can enjoy the beer without wondering
how you will get home). We are looking for volunteers
to help us. If you can offer 3 hours of your time, on
the day, we will reward you with a free drink and an opportunity to contribute to your community.
Please contact Bruce or Andrea:
[email protected] if you can help or if you
would like more information. Information also available
from the Fuses@niment website:
(http://lesfusesaniment.e-monsite.com/)
The Exchange
Rochechouart
...are pleased to be able to offer their
customers a Ring and Reserve service.
Check our stock for that book you are looking for before looking elsewhere and if we
have it in stock we will reserve it for you to
pick up at your convenience and if you can't
get into Rochechouart we will even organise
postal delivery .
Call us on 05 55 78 19 24 or email us on
[email protected]
NEW CATTERY!!
Champlong Chatterie
has just opened for business 5 minutes drive from
Junction 22 off the A20 (near Arnac la Poste).
Special Launch offer of 7 days for the price of 6
during May/June.
Tel: 05 55 60 27 83
email: [email protected]
www.champlongchatterie.com
CSF Creuse Branch
in association with
Auberge Ourdeaux
Brocante and Craft Fair
Sunday 11th July - 10am to 6pm at the Castaway
Fishing lake at Ajain.
Hog roast, Cakes & refreshments, Childrens games, Facepainting & Balloon modelling, Tombola, Raffle, Live Music.
All proceeds from the above to go to CSF Creuse branch.
Anyone interested in volunteering on the day or anyone
who would like a Brocante or Craft stall - 5 euros per stall
all donated to CSF.
Contact Alison Toner on 05 55 66 98 58 or email
[email protected]
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
WHAT’S ON ♦ 25
Entertainment
It's the midsummer music pinnacle of the year and the weekend of 19th/20th should see plenty happening in your locality for the Fête de la musique. As for
the rest of June and early July you can put your wallets away. As the entertainment moves outdoors you can enjoy all of this (mostly free)summer fun.. If you have
any events you would like to let us know about, contact The Bugle’s Entertainment Editor, Lucy Kendry - [email protected]
UZ JSME DOMA
Pep's and Clarika
EVENT - UZ JSME DOMA
EVENT -Pep's and Clarika
VENUE - L'Atelier, Royère de Vassivière
VENUE - Place Varillas (behind the
mairie), Guéret.
DATE - Friday 18th June
DATE - Friday 9th July
TIME - 21h30
TIME - 21h30
PRICE - gratuit/free
18th June
BOX OFFICE - 05 55 64 52 22
The Atelier will be holding their 3rd festival
of political documentaries - Festival Bobines
Rebelles
- on the evening of Friday June 11th and all
day Saturday June 12th. If this sounds a bit
heavy why
not let your hair down to experimental prog
ressive punk from the Czech Republic. UZ
JSME DOMA
(pronounced oosh-smeh-dough-ma and roug
hly translated as "well, there we go") on Frida
y 18th
June - could be just the remedy. ■
ataires
b
li
é
C
s
e
d
d
n
e
Week
The first of several free open-air concerts as part of the Nuits d'été à Guéret festival. A double
headliner from popular French artists Pep's and Clarika. ■
Urbaka: 23rd - 27th
June
The Urbaka is a free four day
festival that attracts 200,00
0
spectators and around 600
artists to Limoges and surrou
nding
towns.
Over the course of the 4 day
s you will stumble across stre
et
theatre, music, clowns and
circus acts in and around
Place
Saint Etienne, Place des ban
cs, Place de la Motte and Pla
ce
Barreyrette. There are various
formal concerts of world mu
sic
to see at the La Fourmi, Afri
can drumming and dancin
g at
the Ile de Vassivière, the cre
ation of a graffiti wall and
hip
hop dance event in Place St
Etienne, children's worksh
ops,
ballet with a mechanical dig
ger in the Esplanade du Par
c des
Expositions and comedy at Pav
illon du Verdurier to name but
a
few highlights.
For the full programme see http
://www.urbaka.com ■
s Célibataires
EVENT - Weekend de
e, La Saunière
de la salle polyvalent
VENUE - Esplanade
June
June to Sunday 13th
DATE - Saturay 12th
PRICE - gratuit/free
g a certain someone,
like your life is lackin
g
lin
fee
the
sin
ou
Lim
und the
ataires. Included in
If you're rattling aro
le week-end des célib
d
ize
an
an
by
org
ed
ve
low
ha
fol
e
ièr
on Sarturday
Les Amis de La Saun
d
an evening of dancing
an
&
rs
g
ove
tin
ke
da
ma
d
,
ee
ke
sp
ities such as karao
programme will be
tiv
ac
s
iou
or
var
h
56
wit
55 80 01
on Sunday
r more info contact 05
all day vide-greniers
n dance to finish. Fo
oo
ern
aft
an
h
wit
e
clairvoyanc
[email protected] ■
email lesamisdelasa
PRICE - gratuit/free
Pep's and Clarika
TEL - 05 55 80 01 56
23rd-27th June
57ème Festival National de Bellac
EVENT - 57ème Festival National de Bellac
VENUE - Bellac
DATE - Sat 26th June - Sat 3rd July
BOX OFFICE - 05 55 60 87 61
www.theatre-du-cloitre.fr
26th June - 3rd July
Bourbon Street - 27th June
The 57th Festival National de Bellac is a mixture of cabaret, spoken
word, theatre and music in equal measure. The performances will take
place all over town from Saturday to Saturday with many free evening
concerts in the Jardins de la Mairie, the Jardins du Cloître and Place
Carnot. Other ticketed events will happen at the Théâtre du Cloître and
the public swimming pool.
Sat 26th June:
«La Confession d’un enfant du siècle» Inauguration of the festival &
fête du Village Etape. 17h30. Parc de la Mairie.
«Traversée de Paris» Theatre with Francis Huster. 21h. Théâtre du
cloître.
«Les Cordes timbrées» Concert (jazz). 22h30. Place du Palais
Sun 27th June:
Zaragraf - 3rd July
«Bourbon Street» Concert (folk blues). 21h. Stade Léo Lagrange.
«Séville 82» Ciné TV Concert - Red + Tessier + Marinescu. 22h30.
Stade Léo Lagrange.
Mon 28th June:
«Minor Sing» Concert (swing manouche). 21h. Piscine Municipale.
«Le Cabaret de la vie» Textes et chansons réalistes. Théâtre de la
Passerelle. 22h30. Piscine Municipale.
Tue 29th June:
«Patrik Cottet-Moine» Theatre and comedy. 21h. Théâtre du cloître.
«Causerie sur le Lemming» Theatre and comedy. 22h30. Jardins du
cloître.
Wed 30th June:
«Words Words Words» By Léo Ferré. Poetic theatre. 21h. Théâtre du
cloître.
«Entre deux caisses» Concert. Quatuor burlesque et poétique. 22h30.
Théâtre du cloître.
Thu 1st July:
Anne Baquet tour de chant. Concert. 21h. Théâtre du cloître.
«Happy Hour» Cabaret concert. 22h30. Jardins du cloître.
Fri 2nd July:
«Ah!» with Bernard Azimuth. Comedy. 21h. Théâtre du cloître.
Marianne Aya Omac. Concert. World music. 22h30. Jardins du cloître.
Sat 3rd July:
«On ne badine pas avec l’amour» Musset. Theatre. Compagnie Pirate.
21h. Théâtre du cloître.
Zaragraf concert - musique tsigane / Balkans / flamenco. 22h30.
Jardins du cloître.
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
26 ♦ WHAT’S ON
MONDAY
Evaux-les-Bains
Mérinchal (1st Mon)
TUESDAY
Auzances
Bénévant-l’Abbaye
Bussière-Poitevine
Champagnac-la-Rivière
Genouillac
Gouzon
Laurière
Limoges (Le Vigenal)
Peyrat-le-Château
Rochechouart
Royère-de-Vassivière
Saint-Sulpice-les-Feuilles
WEEKLY MARKETS
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
Ahun
Bourganeuf
Chambon-sur-Voueize
Cognac-la-Forêt
Clugnat
Le Dorat
Isle
Limoges (pont St Martial)
Nantiat
Séreilhac
Boussac
Coussac-Bonneval
Dun-le-Palestel
Guéret
Limoges Bastide et Corgnac
Magnac-Laval
Oradour-sur-Vayres (except
3rd Thu)
Peyrat-le-Château
Saint-Sulpice-les-Champs
Saint-Victurnien
La Souterraine
(Friday - cont.....)
Saint-Sulpice-Laurière
Verneuil-sur-Vienne(15h-18h30)
All markets are in the morning unless stated otherwise.
BY DAY
Aixe-sur-Vienne: 1st Fri
Ambazac: 1st Wed
Auzances: 2nd Tue
Bourganeuf: 1st & 3rd Wed
Boussac: 1st & 3rd Thu
Bujaleuf: Last Mona
Châlus: 2nd Thu
Châteauneuf-la-Forêt: 2nd Sun
Cognac-la-Forêt: 1st Tue
Cussac: 4th Sun
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Aixe-sur-Vienne
Ambazac
Bessines-sur-Gartempe
Bosmie l’Aiguille (16h - 19h30)
Bujaleuf
Châlus (except 2nd Fri)
Châteauponsac
Châtelus-Malvaleix
Couzeix (16h30 - 19h30)
Le Dorat
Felletin
Limoges (place des Bancs et
Beaubreuil)
Nexon
Pierre-Buffière
Rochechouart
St-Etienne-de-Fursac
Aixe-sur-Vienne
Aubusson
Bellac
Bonnat
Bussière-Poitevine
Châteauponsac
Condat-sur-Vienne
Eymoutiers
Feytiat
Flavignac
Guéret
La Jonchère-Saint-Maurice
La Souterraine
Limoges (place des Bancs et
place Marceau)
Le Palais-sur-Vienne
Nantiat
SUNDAY
Bessines-sur-Gartempe
Blond
Crocq (1st and 3rd Sun)
Panazol
Peyrat-le-Château
Saint-Paul
Saint-Vaury (2nd Sun)
Veyrac (2nd Sun)
(Saturday - cont.....)
Peyrat-le-Château
Rochechouart
Saint-Junien
St-Léonard-de-Noblat
Saint-Mathieu
Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
MONTHLY FOIRES
Domps: 2nd Tue
Dun-le-Palestel: 1st Thu
Evaux-les-Bains: 1st Mon
Eymoutiers: 1st & 3rd Thu
Feytiat: 1st Sat
Magnac-Bourg: 2nd Sat
Meuzac: 4th Mon
Mézières-sur-Issoire: 2nd & 4th Mon
Nexon: 3rd Fri
Oradour-sur-Vayres: 3rd Thu
Peyrat-le-Château: 3rd Mon
Peyrilhac: 3rd Sun
Pierre-Buffière: 1st Fri
Royère-de-Vassivière: 2nd Tue
Saint-Germain-les-Belles: last Sat
Saint-Jouvent: 1st Sun
Saint-Junien: 3rd Sat
Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat: 1st Mon
Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche: 2nd & 4th Fri
Sauviat-sur-Vige: 2nd Mon
Veyrac: 2nd Sun
BY DATE
1 (day before if public holiday): Bellac
3: Bellegarde-en-Marche
3: Châteauponsac
5: Bussière-Poitevine
5: Chénérailles
6: Bussière-Boffy
8: Compreignac
9: Saint-Sulpice-Laurière
11 (Sat if 11 is a Sun): Bessines-surGartempe
12: La Souterraine
13 (Sat if 13 is a Sun): Le Dorat
15: Oradour-sur-Glane
17: Mortemart
18: La Croisille-sur-Briance; La
Jonchère-Saint-Maurice
20: Chénérailles
21: Ambazac; Saint-Sulpice-les-Feuilles
22 (Mon if 22 is a Sun): Magnac-Laval
23: Razès; St Laurent sur Gorre
24: Nantiat
25: Blond - St Paul
26: Nouic; Rochechouart
27: La Souterraine
28: Cieux
29: Laurière
CLUBS, CHARITIES & ASSOCIATIONS
Charente Limousine Exchange
CLE is a non-profit organization which helps people to settle into the
area and integrate with their local communities. CLE organizes regular
discussions on aspects of living and working in France, together with a
variety of social activities. Members are sent a regular newsletter keeping
them up to date with group news and upcoming events.
Membership costs EUR 15 per family per calendar year. For more
information visit www.charente-limousine-exchange.com
---------------------------------
Christians together in Limousin La Souterraine Area
We hold a time of fellowship and Bible study every Tuesday afternoon.
Barbara and Cedric look forward to welcoming you. 05 55 71 09 04
---------------------------------
Cancer Support France, Creuse branch
Drop-in service, Maison des Usagers, Guéret hospital
(For directions call the hospital reception on 05.55.51.70.90 & ask for the
Maison des Usagers at the Acceuil on arrival)
The service is manned by two active listeners, there to answer any queries
or questions. We provide a forum for anyone who wishes to discuss aspects
of cancer, be it for them or a family member. The service provides a face to
face opportunity which some people may find more useful than talking on
the telephone.
28 June 14h – 15h30
26 July 14h – 15h30
23 August 14h – 15h30
27 September 14h – 15h30
25October 14h – 15h30
22 November 14h – 15h30
27 December 14h – 15h30
--------------------------------The St Jean English Library - the friendly library - is rapidly
growing and becoming popular. Our café, Caxtons, is becoming a
regular meeting place in La Souterraine. We serve fresh coffee, tea and
hot chocolate, as well as fruit juice for our increasing numbers of junior
members.
The Library opens every Thursday and Saturday from 9am -11am – the
same time as the La Souterraine market. You can find us just below the
Porte St Jean, between the Hotel St Jean and the newsagents.
---------------------------------
“The Library” at Dun le Palestel
Located in the Route des Rateries, just behind the Biblithèque Municipale,
you will find the Anglophone Library, which offers a wide variety of
reading material, DVD’s, talking books and videos. This is not a ‘shhhh,
quiet’ type of library but one where members are encouraged to have a chat
and a cup of tea and during their visit.
For more information, go to www.ententecordiale-creuse.org or telephone
Linda Ward on 05 55 89 69 65. We look forward to seeing you there soon.
Activities taking place at the English Library
Opening hours: Thursday (Market Day) 10 am – 4 pm, Saturday 10 am –
12.30 pm
Café Club Franglais: First Tuesday of every month. 10 am to noon (Linda
Ward)
Club de Scrabble: One Monday each month. 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm (Mme
Charmillon)
Café Philo: One Saturday each month (Mme Brell)
Art and Craft Group: Thursdays. 2 pm to 4 pm (Chris Hardy)
Aide à l’Anglais: Wednesday morning for young children wishing to learn
English and Thursday evening for adults
--------------------------------Faceaface is an association founded to facilitate and encourage
interaction between all members of the local community. As our first
venture we have created a library.
Where? In the Mairie of St Priest which is just off the D4 between
Mainsat and Chenerailles
When? The first and third Monday afternoon in every month between
2-5pm.
To join all you have to do is donate six books and pay €5 per person or €8
per household. (The fee is for publicity, boxes, insurance etc.)
Already we have over 400 fiction books from such authors as Rankin and
Binchy, to the last five year’s Booker Prize winners and nominees. There is
also a selection of about 100 non-fiction books which includes Biography,
History and Popular Science. We also have a small selection of French and
Dutch novels, which we hope will grow.
If you would like more information please contact us at: faceaface23@
gmail.com or just come by and see us. Everyone is welcome!
---------------------------------
The Harmonics
This is our 6th season of singing as a group, previously known as
Performing Arts Group and this year renamed to 'The Harmonics'.
A group of 18 and although predominantly English, we have had French,
Dutch, American and Belgian folk join us. Our concerts are in support of a
variety of charities including British Legion, L'Oregon at Civray and Retina
and thus non profit making.
Our music is varied classical, madrigals, spiritual, songs from the shows
etc. and we sing in French, English, Swahili, Latin, whatever the music
demands.
We meet Wednesday 14h – 16h in the Salle d'Annexe behind the
Mairie in Civray. Interested? We'd love to see you so contact: Heather
Rathbone tel 05 49 971078 or Dolly Ait Boualou email address sylvia.
[email protected]
The Harmonics 2010 Summer Concert – Friday 9th July
Venue: Civray at the Salle de Spectacles
Time: 19h45 (doors open 19h30)
Tickets: 5 Euros (children under 12 free)
Our newly constituted choir The Harmonics (formerly PAG de Civray)
hosts an evening of exciting musical variety and in addition to its own
programme will be delighted to welcome:
* The folklore group of Confolens
* The choir of St. Secondin
Enquiries to: Heather Rathbone 05 49 97 10 78 /[email protected]
(English) or Dolly Ait Boualou 05 45 22 89 32 /[email protected]
---------------------------------
Alcoholics Anonymous
If you or someone you know has a drinking problem, there is now an
English-speaking meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous at 2 Avenue Pierre
Traversat, Limoges. Thursday evenings, 7.30 to 9.00 pm.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a Fellowship of men and women who share
their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve
their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The
only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are
no dues or fees for A.A. membership and A.A. is not allied with any sect,
denomination, politics, organization or institution. Our primary purpose is
to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Contact - Roger 05 55 76 22 65 or Nancy 02 54 24 09 74
Or check our website at www.aafrancesud-ouest.com for details of this and
other English-speaking meetings in the South West of France.
--------------------------------‘Amitiés Internationales du Pays de Boussac’ (AIPB), will
be holding an English Style Summer Fête at the Football Stadium (Stade
Municipal) in Boussac on the 4th July, starting at 3.00 pm.
The fête will provide fun for all the family with lots to do, to listen to and
to see, including: live entertainment; music with the well-known Limousin
groups ‘The Tartiflettes’, ‘Frogs Blues’ and ‘Déjà Vu’ from 6.00 pm; a
children’s painting competition; face painting; a bouncy castle; horse and
carriage rides and walks with llamas; a quoits competition, where we shall
revert to using horseshoes instead of the more modern rings; pétanque;
traditional family games; Boussac Scouts demonstrations; local artisan
stalls; typical English fête stalls; BBQ and a bar.
Entrance to the fête is FREE and we hope that you will all please come
along and enjoy the fun! EVERYONE IS WELCOME.
For more information on the fête or the AIPB, you may contact us directly:
Tel: 05 55 82 03 41 / Email: [email protected] /
Website: www.aipb.webs.com
---------------------------------
Amateur open mic night @ Vautredeix
(Just outside Gouzon, next to Saint-Sylvain-sous-Toulx).
Poets, musicians, whatever you may be....
Everyone welcome to perform or just enjoy the company.
Every Friday night 7pm onwards. Free. Bring a bottle.
For more info contact [email protected]
---------------------------------
Ensemble Vocal de Guéret - Summer Concerts
Sunday 6 June - 1700 - Magnac-Laval church ('Cantora')
Tuesday 15 June - 2030 - Guéret church ('Gaudiamus')
Friday 25 June - 2030 - Grand Bourg church ('Cantora')
Saturday 3 July - 2030 - Bourganeuf church (Péchenart & Lechien).
EVG's repertoire this year, entitled 'Romance', features songs by Vaughan
Williams, Verdi, Schumann etc.
The EVG will share the bill with other performers: Cantora will sing
spirituals, religious & popular songs; Gaudiamus will perform songs by
Bach and Monteverdi; Vincent Péchenart (violin) and Claire Lechien (piano)
will play pieces by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Bloch, etc.
For more information contact Steve Chicken on 05.55.81.16.05 or at stephen.
[email protected]
www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ JUNE 2010
WHAT’S ON ♦ 27
Sun 6th Jun LES GRANDS-CHÉZEAUX
D-Day Concert with the Musicordes British
Quartet
Fri 11th Jun LEYRAT
Birdsong
Come and listen to and learn to recognise birdsong with bird
expert, Tim.
French & English spoken.
Place de la mairie. 18h45. €2.
Please reserve with the Office de Tourisme, Boussac. Contact: Tel
05.55.65.05.95.
Fri 11th Jun LIMOGES
Gizelle Smith & The Mighty Mocambos
Hamburg based The Mighty Mocambos join up with British funk
star, Gizelle Smith, for an evening of deep funk and soul. Their
first single together, "Working Woman", is an underground dance
floor favourite. Their energetic set of psychedelic soul with gospeltinged rhythm & blues will be supported by local nine-piece soul
funk roots band Bookmaker.
Centre Culturel John Lennon, 41 ter, rue de Feytiat, Limoges.
20h30. 16€/14€/12€ .
Contact: Tel 05.55.10.00.84.
The Musicordes Classical and Folk String quartet will perform an
exciting programme of classical, international folk and celtic music
in celebration of the D-Day Normandy Landings. The concert will
take place in a prestigious and historic setting, opened exclusively
for the evening, with music matching the breathtakingly beautiful
surroundings.
The meeting point is Place de La Fontaine in Les GrandsChézeaux at 6.30 pm (in front of La Fringale Restaurant.)
Ticket prices: Adults €8, Under 25 €4
Further information can be obtained by phone (05 55 76 70 15) or
by e-mail ([email protected])
Seats are limited so tickets need to be booked and paid for in
advance
- by post (Cazalibus 14 place de la Fontaine- 87160 Les GrandsChézeaux)
- at the Syndicat d’initiative in La Souterraine (near the railway
station)
- at the Syndicat d initiative in St Sulpice les Feuilles ( 05 55 76 92
66)
We can arrange an after-concert dinner with limited numbers - € 12
per person + wine.
Mon 7th Jun to Sat 3rd Jul CHÂLUS
Art exhibition
Exhibtion of the work of local artist, Ann Lamb, including
portraits, landscapes & animals.
Châlus tourist office. Mon - Fri 14h30 - 17h. Free entry.
Wed 9th Jun MORTEMART
Concert of Bach and Monteverdi
Concert at the Eglise de Mortemart by Limoges choir 'Gaudéamus'.
21h. €10, tarif réduit €5, children free.
Contact: Tel 05.55.93.23.77.
Fri 11th Jun CHABANAIS
Theatre Chabanois present FULL CIRCLE
The members of the Theatre Chabanois are proud to present
a summer evening performance called FULL CIRCLE. As a
reflection of their diverse age group and nationalities the evening
offers something for everyone. FULL CIRCLE will be a melange
of drama, dance, poetry and prose. It will include a shortened
version of Peter Pan in French and excerpts from the musical
Oliver. We will perform some well-known monologues and
sketches in English and French but also some original material.
Salle des Fêtes in Chabanais (16) 19h30.
Tickets: Adults - 7 €, Children under 16 - 3€, Children under 5 –
free, members and groups (min 10) – 6€, available at the door or,
in advance, by contacting Barry on 05 45 31 88 70, Penny on 05
45 94 10 71 or Evelyne (in French) on 05 45 89 20 13.
Whatever your age or experience, if you are interested in joining
the theatre group on Monday evenings at the Salle des Fêtes,
Chabanais, you can be assured of a warm welcome, whether
as an actor, backstage crew or front-of-house staff. Our next
performance will be a Christmas Panto.
Email – [email protected]
EASY
MEDIUM
HARD
Sat 12th Jun BELLAC
Concert
Concert de la chorale Diapason et du Choeur d'hommes.
Eglise de Bellac. 20h30. Free entry.
Contact: Tel 05.55.68.70.55.
Sun 13th Jun GUÉRET
Brocante et Vide-greniers
Rue de Londres. All day.
Fri 18th Jun BOURGANEUF
Concert by the Harmonie Municipale
Eglise Saint-Jean. 21h.
Contact: Tel 06.76.64.60.78.
Sat 26th June - 15h
Sat 26th June - 21h
Sun 27th June - 14h
€39/€63. Tickets available from Box Office Limoges tel 0 892 68
36 22 and FNAC Limoges tel 05 55 49 17 50.
Sat 26th Jun to Sat 3rd Jul BELLAC
57th Festival National de Bellac
17 performances of theatre and music are programmed for the
2010 Bellac Festival.
See our Entertainment page for more information.
Sat 26th Jun BOSMOREAU-LES-MINES
Balade nocturne en vélorail
Evening outing by vélorail. 20h30.
Bring some warm clothing and a torch!
€25 per carriage (2-5 people).
Contact: Tel 06.72.24.81.97.
Sat 26th Jun BOUSSAC
Chopin bicentenary celebrations
18h - guided tour of the Château de Boussac
21h - Concert at the Eglise by the Conservatoire Départemental
Emile Goué.
Concert: €5, Tour of Château & concert: €10
Please reserve tickets at the Office de Tourisme, Boussac.
If you have an event going on in your area that
you would like to see featured in The Bugle,
email us at [email protected] - 05.55.41.17.76
Cigale in the Limousin
This month the Place d'Église in Rochechouart was alive to
the sound of Cigale – of the Dutch variety!
Sat 19th Jun BOSMIE L'AIGUILLE
Soirée Flamenco
An evening of flamenco dancing from El Compas Centro de
Flamenco Lina Maria.
Salle G. Bizet. 20h30.
Contact: Comité de Jumelage de Bosmie l'Aiguille tel
06.83.74.34.92.
Sat 19th Jun DOMPIERRE-LES-EGLISES
Summer Fete
Dompierre campsite - 18h.
Local produce market. Produce can be cooked and eaten on site.
Bar - Frites
Free Disco - 80's Theme by SONO 87.
Bonfire - St Jean
Sun 20th Jun PEYRAT-DE-BELLAC
Vide-greniers
Vide-greniers organised by the Association de Loisirs de Peyratde-Bellac (A.L.P.B.) from 9h at the Stade de Peyrat.
Pitch price €1,50 per linear metre.
Produce market, chidren's entertainment, tombola... Food
available.
Evening - Fête de la musique.
For reservations call 05.55.60.24.39 (French) or 05.55.68.40.77
(English).
Sun 20th Jun SAINT-YRIEIX-LES-BOIS
6ème Fête de la randonnée
4 organised walks (5 - 25 km), departure from 8h30.
Exhibition in the église/ market/ animations - all day. Music from
Les Troubadours des Bruyères de Domerat from 16h30 - 17h30.
Fri 25th to Sun 27th Jun LIMOGES
Mozart, l'opéra rock
Musical produced by Albert
Cohen and Dove Attia. A
huge hit on the stage in Paris,
'Mozart, l'Opera Rock' is now
touring France.
It tells the story of one of the
greatest musical composers the
world has ever known. From
his childhood in Salzburg, to
his difficult relationship with
his father and patrons of the
Arts, his loves and the famous
rivalry with Salieri.
4 performances at the Zenith Limoges:
Fri 25th June - 20h30
Cigale is a prize-winning chamber choir from Holland and
this month they were guests of Cantique, a choir based in
Rochechouart. Anyone missing the joint programme of
music, varying from 16 th Century motets to 20 th Century songs
and folk music, missed an evening of splendid singing from
both choirs. The choirs sang separately and then together.
At one point the joint choir split into groups standing in
the four corners of the church to sing 'Immortal Bach' by
Knut Nystead. This was clearly a highlight and brought the
audience to its feet. The evening ended with an arrangement
of La Mer, which both choirs sang together with relish, to the
evident delight of the largely French audience!
Young musician Merlijn Wackers directed Cigale and Colin
Cartwright Cantique. Colin said of Merlijn, “He is an
immensely affable young man and I feel sure he has a great
future – we have made music together but we have, perhaps
more importantly, made friends. We must thank the commune
of Rochechouart and Père Caillaud for giving their support to
our project. Cigale are very keen now to see a return visit by
Cantique for a concert tour in Holland and I know we are all
very keen to sing with them again.”
The choirs also gave a concert in Busserolles church, which
was attended by the mayor and his wife. The audience were
most appreciative and both churches rang to much applause.
One audience member commented that “It was amazing to
hear live music of such quality, performed to such a high
standard, in a small local church.”
Cantique are currently recruiting and would welcome
applications from experienced singers. An ability to read
music is desirable and applicants will be invited to attend an
informal audition.
For further details see the Cantique website: www.cantique87.fr
or phone Colin Cartwright: 05 55 03 60 42=
JUNE 2010 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu
28 ♦ WHAT’S ON
June events in Creuse & Haute-Vienne
As summer approaches, there is more and more going on across the region... too much to ever fit in these pages. Here are our highlights for the month of June,
but these are only a small selection of what's on offer. Get yourself down to your local Tourist Office - you'll be amazed at what there is to see and do!
Mon 1st Feb to Tue 15th Jun SAINT-LÉONARDDE-NOBLAT
Exposition "Plaisir de froisser et joie de créer"
Exhibition of origami and froissages by Paul & Annette
Hassenforder.
Le Moulin du Got, Le Pénitent, 87400 Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat.
Tue - Sat and 2nd & 4th Sun of the month. 14h-18h. 1 € / person.
Contact: Tel 05.55.57.18.74. More information about the
paper mill & this season's workshops can be found at www.
moulindugot.com or at the tourist office in Saint-Léonard-deNoblat.
Sat 1st May to Sun 17th Oct LA CHÂTRE
Exhibition « Chopin en Berry 1839-1846 »
Exhibition to mark the bicentenary of the birth of Frédéric
Chopin.
Château d’Ars. Every day 14h - 19h. Free entry.
Contact: Tel 02.54.48.52.06.
Sat 29th May BOUSSAC
Book launch « Les Pierres Jaumâtres, murmures
de granit »
This beautifully presented book traces the history and myths
surrounding the Pierres Jaumâtres and contains some truly
stunning photographs which allow the reader to discover this
exceptional site.
10h30 - 12h30 Meet the author at the Office de Tourisme de
Boussac.
The day continues at 16h at the Pierres Jaumâtres. Story-teller,
Zhor Tazi, will read extracts from the novel Jeanne written by
George Sand in 1844 and recount legends about the site and there
will be another opportunity to meet the author.
For more information contact the Boussac tourist office, tel
05.55.65.05.95.
designers, it will host: an international 24hr non-stop competition
where the best web designers come to confront each other;
conferences & workshops; training sessions, round tables and
debates treating innovative themes; public exhibitions etc.
Parc Ester, Immeuble Cassiopée, 87069 Limoges
Contact: Tel 05.87.21.21.82 www.webdesign-festival.com
Sat 29th May LA SOUTERRAINE
Otxote Lurra
Sun 6th Jun BOURGANEUF
Concert de chants africains
Basque polyphonies sung by male choir, Lurra.
Eglise St Jacques. 20h30. Adults €14, Concessions €10, Free for
under 14s.
For reservations contact the Office de Tourisme Tel
05.55.63.10.06.
Tue 1st to Wed 30th Jun AUBUSSON
Exhibition: Lieux de Travail – merveilles et
mémoires Workplaces - marvels and memories
An exhibition of watercolours of
former industrial sites in the Creuse
by Neil Parkyn.
Au Fabuleux Destin Café, 6 rue
Roger Cerclier, Aubusson, Quartier
St Jean (tel : 06 74 01 46 54).
Presentation & launch of book by Anthony Perrot « Les Pierres
Jaumâtres, Murmures de Granit »
Sat 5th to Sun 6th Jun SOUMANS
Fête Patronale
Foire régionale - Exposant d'art - Fête Foraine
Vide grenier - Feu d'articice - Barbecue - Buvette...
Contact: Tel Comité des fêtes : 06.59.07.39.27.
Concert of African song (traditional and modern) at the Eglise
Saint-Jean at 15h30. Free entry.
Sun 6th Jun MOURIOUX-VIEILLEVILLE
9ème Concentration de véhicules anciens - Bourse
d'échanges de véhicules miniatures
Classic car event & sale of miniature cars.
Vieilleville town centre. 8h - 19h.
Sun 6th Jun SAINT-MÉDARD-LA-ROCHETTE
Brocante et fête de la Saint Médard
Brocante, vide-greniers.
7h - 18h.
(continued on page 27)
Thu 3rd to Sat 5th Jun LIMOGES
Webdesign International Festival 2010
The 4th edition of WIF takes place this month in Limoges.
An international event aimed at interface and digital content
From the 3rd of May, the « Welcome en Limousin » association has a new
representative: Julie NOGAREDE.
Julie, 25, is from Limoges but has been studying in the Dordogne and
the Ariege regions for 5 years. She has a Master degree in Tourism and
Development and different experiences in tourist offices, national parks and
…in England! She worked as a receptionist at “Wonderland Theme Park”
in Telford, Shropshire. She particularly appreciated the English culture (way
of life, food and sense of humour!) and remembers the warm welcome of
people everywhere she went throughout England.
Now, she is really happy to take part in the life of the “Welcome en
Limousin” association and participate in return to welcome British people at
the airport of Limoges and to promote Limousin’s tourism as well!
The “Welcome en Limousin” association was created in 2002. Its purpose
is to promote local tourism and economy to foreign customers who use
Limoges International Airport.
Their services include:
• a personalised welcome at the airport by their official representative,
Julie. She is at your service at Limoges International Airport.
• a network of professionals of the Limousin region (restaurants,
accommodation, tourism and leisure sites, shops, estate agencies,
services, …) committed to welcoming you in English in the Limousin
region. They sign the “Welcome in English” charter.
• a website - www.welcome-en-limousin.com - created to provide useful
information needed to make you want to come to the Limousin.
• an ambassadors’ club: this club is made up of British people who have
integrated successfully in the Limousin and of French people, who work
to create a link between the two communities. The aim of the club is to
gather people living in the three departments of the Limousin so that
they can share their points of view and discuss their own experiences.
For further information, do not hesitate to contact Julie:
[email protected]