Two little mittens, / Home found together

Ok we have two little kittens at Najac needing homes they will be chipped and later sterilised 

If anyone is intetested in one of these cuties let me know and I will pass you onto the French friend

Bonjour Val, je m'excuse de te déranger et de te solliciter. Une chatte errante a fait ses 5 petits chatons chez moi dans ma nouvelle maison à Najac il y a 2 mois, je m'en suis occupée de mon mieux et leur ai trouvé des acquéreurs, mais une des personnes qui devait en prendre 2, n'a pas pu finalement et je pars dimanche m'occuper de ma mère pendant le mois de juillet , alors je cherche quelqu'un qui les adopterait d'ici la fin de la semaine ! Ils sont adorables, propres, mangent et boivent seuls , jouent bcp ensemble et sont très habitués aux humains, ils sont très sociables...je t'envoie 2 photos, le tigré est un male et la petite isabelle une femelle...Merci de me dire si tu as une idée de ce que je peux faire...J'ai tout essayé avec l'association Chats Libres de Najac, mais nous n'avons trouvé personne...Merci d'avance et à bientôt.

Contact taglines82@ gmail.com

Festilit Parisot

David Nicholls Thursday 25 June 17h00 France/16h00 UK  A reminder that our last LockdownLit of the summer will take place on Thursday instead of the usual Friday slot.  Join us to hear David, the best-selling author of One Day, Starter for Ten, The Understudy and Us talk about his latest novel Sweet Sorrow, a wonderfully funny, tender and nostalgic tale of first love.

Join the session

LockdownLit, like Festilitt, our festival in October, is completely free of charge.  We make this possible by working hard throughout the year to raise funds, but this year's restrictions and social distancing requirements will make that more challenging than usual.  If you would like to help secure the future of the festival, please sign up to be a friend or patron and give us much-needed financial support.  Thank you!

Click here to support us

Civil Funeral Celebrant

Art at Parisot

A painting by Tudor Powell

A painting by my brother in law of the route to Mas del Sol in Varen. It was painted from a photo

taken 8 years ago. The trees have since been cut down.

Pique nique musical

The new outside dining area at the bar in Varen

A follow up to the Mains Tendues story

What a fabulous photo to wake up to.

Besha Ahmed returns after his travels

I cannot tell you how much love and respect not just I, but friends and family hold him in.

If ever I am a bit low I will remember this photo 💖

Besha says

« Even kids when you hug them feel like you need cuddles and not them nothing is more honest, beautiful and influential as a baby smile. »

One of the young men who arrived here from Sudan, escaping being killed, was Besha. He made an immediate impression, cooking for everyone ,making meals sometimes for 50, in the waiting stations, waiting for asylum.

He has a passion for cooking and when he got his asylum papers with a bit of help from a friend of mine who has a big hotel in Toulouse on the Place Capitol, a job was secured as a cook in a restaurant on the Place Capitol. He spends two days at cookery school and even with the struggles with his now third language French, he comes top in his exams.

He has saved his wages to go to Ethopia next to Sudan and arranged for his mother and sister to meet him there. He had not seen them for nearly five years.

Life in France has never been so diverse. I have learnt not just about France but life around the world, and feel enriched by it all

taglines82@gmail.com

How Mains Tendues 82 came to be

How Mains Tendues 82 was formed

These lads did not know it but then again neither did we. This was the start leading us towards our association Mains Tendues.

Malc and I started gathering clothes, shoes, tents and bedding and sending up lorries and vans to Calais. Our house was packed with stuff as it neared the time for it to go. A couple Laura and Sid even took things up and helped to build chalets.

Then we heard as the Calais Camp was being disbanded  we had 

17 refugees arriving in St. Antonin at a site called Reoboth.

Sarah Brown and I joined a group of  mainly French volunteers and started making up beds and packs of toiletries, bedside lamps and plugs in each bedroom for phones. I remember how all the group were nervous but so keen to help.

We had people who could teach French, and English speakers were particularly useful as the common language was English.

Well they arrived and for 4 months what fun we had, finding them clothes, shoes, bikes to get around, gym equipment, teaching them about life in France and showing them the area. . As I already had a blog, Tag on line I could summon up help and funds. Malc who in a previous life had been a tax inspector and Sarah Brown who had been a lawyer, between us all we monitored funds and kept records, as at this stage we had no association to funnel the cash through. 

Our first young men were dispersed through out France,  at this point whilst they waited for asylum. As we had a gite we often had a houseful of lads as those who could, came back for weekends.

Then we heard another larger group were coming and would be housed at Verfeil.

The three of us decided we needed an association to run the money through and we had started by my constant posts and badgering to get not just money but articles needed.

That was basically how and why Mains Tendues 82 was formed.

When we started selling in the old mairie in Varen, the pace of the association went up a step. We got more volunteers we got plenty to sell and we started talking about not just helping refugees but anyone in need.

With myself, Terence Harker, Sarah Brown,Jill Williamson, we make up the bureau and have the most brilliant committee members French, Dutch and English.

We have achieved a lot for others in the area, including other

 associations that help people and animals.

My heart will always be with my lads who brought so much joy to our lives, they were grateful we helped them, but we were grateful for what they brought to us.

In conclusion

Mains Tendues 82 , what a team. 

May we grow from strength to strength.

One of our next projects will be helping young families in the camps In Greece.

Look at the photos of the young men and smile that for the most part their lives are safe,they have jobs, some partners, one a beautiful baby girl, and they can look forward without fear.

Learn more about refugees in Greece, article to follow

Friend Simon  Farmer talking to some of Mains Tendues committee about helping refugees in Chios in Varen today. An interesting morning listen to Simon who was spurred on to go and help refugees in the Greek Island in sept 2015 when the picture of the small  child  washed up dead on the beach was shown around the world. The childs name was Aylan Kurdi

A picture most of us will never forget

Simon will write a piece about his work soon and if you want to see the association he is involved with look at Offene Arme e,V./CESRT

In German it means Open Arms, appropriate that our symbol is Hands outstretched.  / helping  hands

Along with other associations we help, this one will be added to our list.

Bouncing Nero

Nero  has a bounce, but he does  not have anyone to bounce with

He is stuck in Figeac refuge, so sad for a boy who wants to be loved and is happy to play. If we local people all share this fun picture I am sure we could find him a home  with someone amongst us.

You need to contact San Baro from Helping Homeless Hounds, for more information and arrange to meet him

He is chipped, vacinated and castrated.

Mains Tendues 82  will pay any rehoming fee.

Mains Tendues 82, Varen

Mains Tendues 82 , Varen,  opens this afternoon,

14.30 to 17 h

Come with your mask please

Excited? we at Mains Tendues are.

The Old Smoke House

What a fantastic opening day yesterday at our new retail shop in St Antonin Noble Val. - it was so successful that we had to re-stock our fridge by 11.00am !

A huge thank you to all of our old and new customers and we look forward to seeing you next Sunday 9.00 - 1.00

[www.theoldsmokehousenajac.com](http://www.theoldsmokehousenajac.com

Le Bal des Chateaux, Bruniquel

Fêtes des Meres

The restaurants that are open will be full of French families today. I passed  The Moulin de Varen this morning whilst walking the dogs and Patrick the chef and staff were putting everything in order ready  for a busy lunchtime on the terrace. Full except for two tables of French families I was told.

The weather is a bit indifferent but warm enough to be outside with a cardigan. Do men wear cardigans ? Oh yes they do, Malc had two  or three he wore and looked liked  “a proper grandad”

taglines82@ gmail.com

Rioting on the streets of Paris last night

And a lot of my friends fit into this category. Their lives were in danger, in for example Sudan, where the blacker your skin the more likely you were to be targeted by the Arab government and killed. Having escaped here with many of their families and compatriots killed, I want them to be safe and not feel second class citizens. The saddest thing I heard when one of my boys was being harrassed, said «  my skin is black but my heart is white « 

No one should ever have to say something like that. 

We are Equal.

The rioting on the streets last night was against racism and the way black lives do not seem to matter to some.

We know they do matter.

This bundle of fun awaits... maybe you

Well all you animal lovers who support Mains Tendues 82  raise funds to rehome cats and dogs , look at this joyous chappie. He is at Figeac refuge and San Barto who works so hard for Helping Homeless Hounds, knows it is the time for him to find a home. i like him because I smile just looking at his face, I laugh out loud seeing his bounce. Who is there for this boy?

I can NOT believe that nobody has fallen for these ears yet!!!

I mean, come on... they're gorgeous! Silky soft...

Néron was found and I was 100% percent convinced his owner would show up in no time... how wrong was I?

I was then 100% convinced that Néron would 'fly' out of the refuge as he is just so gorgeous... how wrong was I again?

But what I am not wrong about is that Néron will make you laugh every day he is around you. He loves life! And I know that he would much rather be in your home than stuck in our kennels... so who is going to prove me right on this?  😉

Néron is in Figeac (Lot, 46) and is chipped, vaccinated and castrated.