Spread the word

If you know of anyone interested in reading tag or selling and buying items  from it please ask them to send their email address. The more people we have reading and contributing articles etc. the more interesting it will be and a greater chance of buying and selling items.If you know of anything happening in the area that may be of interest to readers let us know. Articles relating to life in our area gratefully received and creative writers from St. Antonin especially welcomed .

Chambre d'hotes Open Again

After the closure last year of 'Chez Phillipe' in Varen due to the sad death of Philip Price the chambre d'hotes tres particuliere  is now open again for the summer .
Reservations can be made with Howard on tel. 0563 26 30 80

Correction to Yard Sale

Please note Jill's sale is at 2.00pm, May 10th and not 10.30am as quoted below.

Jill Spearman is decluttering

Yard Sale

Tuesday May 10th* 2 -5.30pm

books; glassware; rugs; bric-a-brac; small items of furniture etc

details 0563 264557

*cancelled if it rains

Gardeners spring into action

If you missed the garden fair at St Antonin last weekend (or even if you didn't) next Sunday - 24th April, also Easter Sunday, will be the annual Spring Fair at Laguepie. Probably the biggest local garden fair all manner of growers will be there with ready to plant flowers, shrubs and vegetables. Plus lots of advice.

Many local French people advise that this is the signal that it is now safe to plant out your geraniums etc.
So dust off the spade and trowel, sharpen the secateurs, get the lawn mower serviced and dig in.

Sanglier or Sangria? by Malcolm Johnstone

A conference in Montauban recently suggested that in 20 years time the department would have the climate currently enjoyed by northern Spain. An apparently eminent climatologist (did such people exist 20years ago?)  was convinced that the data pointed unmistakeably to a rise in temperature of 1C over the interim.

Should we be worried? Why invest in one of those so profitable solar voltaic panel heating systems when we will be needing air conditioning? And not only economic questions arise – rather more important would be the cultural implications.

For example are our French lessons going to be redundant as we need to learn Catalan – or worse Basque – a language whose spelling is so full of xxx that every other word is an expletive deleted. Even Welsh people may be perplexxxed.

When we Brits struggle to eat after 7.30pm, imagine the French having to wait until 10pm for dinner. Though the compensation may be the siesta. Unfortunately if this is coupled with the French “pause de midi” it could be a long wait for the plumber to call après-midi as promised. The 35 hour week may well become the victim of the 5 hour lunch.

And what about our beloved chasseurs? Will they abandon the fruitless pursuit of sanglier in favour of the bull-fight? Will we be required to give up Toulouse rugby and start to support FC Barcelona?

We could have moved to Spain if what we wanted was sunshine and sangria. It’s probably some EU plan to make us integrate, or a Front National idea to rid France of some undesirable foreigners by designating Midi Pyrenees as Spain. I for one will be waiting in 20 years time ready to burn my sombrero and shout “you was wrong, you xxxBasque”

Hasta la vista.

Cleaner / Femme de Menage available for work

French 'femme de menage' interested in working in the areas of Varen, Milhars, Laguepie. Charges 12 euros an hour. Relevant experience, good references [ from Alison Croft and others] hardworking,cheerful personality.  Tel. Chantal Malonni   mob.   06 31 75 70 99

Easter at St Antonin

EXPO
L'INVITATION | INVITATION | UITNODIGING
Durant le weekend de Pâques du 22, 23, 24 et 25 avril, l’agence immobilière DISC organise en
collaboration avec l’ambassadeur d’art Claus Burgers et l’association Beffroi une exposition d’allure
internationale. Seront exposés à la Mairie de Saint Antonin Noble Val des sculptures en
bronze avec notamment pour thème l’Oeuf, ainsi que des peintures de muses hautes en
couleurs et des peintures de matières. Les artistes professionnels participant à l'ARTPOSITION
2011 seront: Kasper Kuckelkorn (Belgique) Willebrord de Winter (Pays Bas) Miriam Monchen
(Allemagne).

[GB] During the Easter weekend from the 22nd until the 25th April, DISC Estate Agency is
organising an exhibition with international appeal, in collaboration with the ambassador of art
Claus Burgers and the Beffroi Association. On display at the city hall of Saint Antonin Noble Val
will be bronze sculptures notably with an Egg theme, as well colourful paintings of graces and
paintings in a variety of media. The professional artists taking part in l'ARTPOSITION 2011 will
be: Kasper Kuckelkorn (Belgium), Willebrord de Winter (Netherlands) and Miriam Monchen
(Germany).

[NL] Tijdens het Paasweekend 22, 23, 24 en 25 april organiseert DISC Makelaardij in samenwerking
met art ambassadeur Claus Burgers en de vereniging Beffroi een expositie van internationale
allure. Sculpturen in brons met o.a. ei als thema, kleurrijke schilderijen van gratiën en
materieschilderijen pronken in het gemeentehuis van St. Antonin Noble Val. Deelnemende professionele
kunstenaars tijdens l'ARTPOSITION zijn: Kasper Kuckelkorn (België), Willebrord de
Winter (Nederland) en Miriam Monchen (Duitsland).

24 AVRIL | 24TH APRIL | 24 APRIL
Kasper Kuckelkorn et sa compagne Anne Charline Rondas animent
un atelier terre pour les enfants. Eric Faure, céramiste à
St Antonin, propose également un atelier.
[GB] Kasper Kuckelkorn and his friend Anne Charline Rondas
are going to give a workshop in working with clay for children.
Also Eric Faure, ceramist at St. Antonin, is going to give
a workshop.
[NL] Kasper Kuckelkorn geeft samen met zijn partner Anne
Charline Rondas een kleiworkshop voor de kinderen. Ook keramist
Eric Faure uit St. Antonin geeft een workshop.
OUVERT | OPEN | OPEN
22-4 10.00 - 18.00 h. Vernissage 18.00 - 19.30 h.
23-4 10.00 - 19.00 h. 24/25-4 10.00 - 19.00 h.
www.artambassadeur.com +33 (0) 563 68 27 50

Figeac Dog Refuge

Would anyone interested in finding out more about the Refuge, and its problems, please attend the meeting of the association Coup de Patte 46, at the village meeting hall in Lissac et Mouret, about 3 kms from Figeac.
The meeting room is attached to the local school, across the road from the salle des fetes.
On Saturday 16 April, 6.30pm.

For details contact Nicci Halton on 0565 29 20 58 or 0621 99 61 99 (mobile).

Ceiling Fan for sale

 Brand new ceiling fan with light, four blades, white , unused and boxed,
 bought for 49.90 euros a month ago

 For sale as our ceiling and beams turned out to be too low ( 2.30 m
clearance needed below blades of fan).

 bargain at only 25euros.  Contact sue@carter82.net

Dog,cat and small animal Kennels

Within a year I am planning to start a dog, cat and small animal pension in a small comfortable 'living room style'.I would like to find the level of interest and if there would be enough potential customers for this project. I am an experienced and licensed dog trainer, veterinary assistant and dog groomer and have been working with guide dogs for 10 years. I would like to ask you to let me know what you think about this and if you would entrust me with your pet? please respond to anke.terbruggen@orange.fr
Many thanks in advance

Solar Sun Rings for pool heating.

Hoping to extend the season using the swimming pool we debated ways to achieve this. We have had a bubble cover which is great for keeping leaves out and certainly useful covering at night. We have had an abri [ like a poly tunnel ]  which is certainly the most effective way of keeping temperatures up. We have had electric heating which worked but there was a high cost factor. This was all on earlier pools now we wanted something that was cheapish! simple to use and was not glaringly ugly. A friend told us about solar sun rings and so after reading all the info on the net we decided to  invest in them. Our pool is 10 x5 and to cover that area we needed 11  the cost was about 400 euros. The manufacturers say we get solar heating of pool during the day and they act like a thermal blanket at night. Each ring has magnets along the edge which makes them attach to each other , a fail safe for windy days. We will make a report at the end of the season on how effective they have been.
Val says two seasons on  ''not worth the  faff''

Free bed for spare room or gite

Free Dunlopillo Queen size mattress and divan base for collection. In good condition but 10 years old.
Available now. Tel 0563312532    
NOW SOLD

Vive la difference

Vive la Difference  by Alison Croft
We migrated from Australia to retire to France about three years ago.
We now live in a very small village of about 150 inhabitants near
Laguepie. We have found it interesting to compare life in the French
countryside with living in a village, called Toodyay, in the
Australian bush in Western Australia. There are some similarities but
a lot of differences – the most important difference is our
relationship with the local Maire. In Toodyay, we never met nor saw
the Shire CEO but his councillors were to be seen conspiring in the
local cafe on Saturday mornings. Here, in France, the Mairie is
opposite our house and the Maire is directly involved in all aspects
of village life.
One similarity is that both villages have a river running through. In
Toodyay, the river is called the Avon and there is an annual Avon
descent in the winter where canoeists from around the world
participate in shooting the rapids and skirting the mudbanks. Near our
village, there is a swimming area and the Aveyron river flows with
water all the year.
One major difference is that the social life in Toodyay centres around
three pubs, where the local labourers and 'cockies' (farmers) meet and
drink. Flinging snakes at one's friends seems to bring an extra
comradeship there! And of course there are the weekend 'barbies' where
everyone brings a dish and lots of beer, and wear shorts, T-shirts and
thongs (flip-flops). In the French village the social centre is
definitely the 'salle des fetes' where well-dressed and elegant people
of all ages attend the 'the dansants', wedding receptions and birthday
parties.
The other significant difference is the involvement of the Maire in
supporting and caring for the villagers. He is very popular in the
village and often there are tractors and cars stopped alongside him
when he is cleaning the local noticeboards. The Maire ensured that
all the villagers could manage when we had a 2–day power cut 2 years
ago by personally visiting the houses. He takes a dustpan and brush to
clear up broken glass lying in the road after a minor crash. He
officiates at weddings at the Mairie. He drove to Albi, one Friday
afternoon for a new modem to replace our defunct one to ensure we had
a functional phone and internet line when my husband was incapacitated
and I had to go to a funeral in England. He also arranged for a
telecom engineer to install the modem.
We love village life in France and prefer it for all these reasons but
also because of the lack of insects! Hardly any flies in spring and
summer (no fly screens obscuring our views), a few tiny spiders and no
snakes. In Toodyay, we had 'blowies' (big shiny flies) in November,
mud wasps nesting in the mud bricks of our cottage in December, ants
varying in size between tiny to 'soldier ants' of 2 cms length that
bite, and big hairy 'huntsmen' in the hot summer months.
Vive la Difference!!

Advice from the Gendarmerie

Although we are very lucky in this region not suffering too much crime one still has to be on ones guard and take sensible precautions. An absolute give away to thieves is leaving gates or garage doors open when 'just nipping out'. So close those gates if there is nobody left in the house. A friend can testify to the need of this advice and although the burglar did not end up stealing things he did make a terrible mess of the house. The gendarmes visiting the scene were adamant that the opportunist  thief would have recognised this signal.

Cuckoo heralds Spring

Changing the clocks to summer time [wonder what they call it in French?] Sunday 27th of March heralded the arrival of our first cuckoo. Within the week we expect our first cry of the colourful Hoopoe. Swallows have also been spotted in Varen - yes it is official  Spring is here.

Orchids - add colour to your country walks

If you are enthused by the natural world of our region, the variety of wild orchids cannot fail to excite interest.
More than 50 varieties - excluding many hybrids - exist in Tarn and Garonne alone. And this is the season when they start to appear.
Often at first sight they seem just like any other wild flower - pretty, but unexceptional. But take a close up view and see just how different  and beautiful they can be.
They grow in many different landscapes, but on your country walks look out for them and if you have a camera take a close up. But don't pick them. Some are protected, but all need to be left to amaze the next person along.

For a comprehensive list and identification aid look at Lilliane Pessotto's web site at http://www.premiumorange.com/orchidees-papillons-82/ - not only orchids, but butterflies and other flowers as well.

Orchis male - Early purple orchid seen 19/3/2011
A readers comment   The photo actually shows the Green-winged orchid, Orchis morio, which is the most common orchid in the area at that time in March.
Michael Fontes

Goats - dead or alive

For sale: goat kids (abattu), whole or half, well portioned in cartons, BIO label, raised with their mothers, first class meat. 10 euro per kilo, delivered at home if within Najac region. 
Also for sale, Chevrettes (female goats), app. 2 months old, ideal for milk/cheese, or just as pets! BIO raised, very pretty. 80 euros.

Also: horsebackriding with English speaking guide at Ferme Equestre de Daoudou! Weekly groups, for beginners or more experienced riders, children very welcome! 

For more information please contact: anke.terbruggen@orange.fr

TAGlines could be back

Do you remember TAGlines? Conceived as a means of keeping English speakers in the "golden triangle" where Tarn, Aveyron and Tarn & Garonne departments meet - around the lovely medieval villages of St Antonin Noble Val, Varen and Najac it was published quarterly from 2003 - 2005, growing from four A4 pages to twice that size.
Given away free around the area it was supported by local advertising and a few generous donations.
The editorial concentrated on local events and personalities, but with the emphasis firmly on our hosts the French population (and indeed many of them were pleased to read something  in English of interest to the area).

The publisher, Val Johnstone of Varen, would like to re-establish TAGlines, but via the electronic media and first steps are  to establish an on-line blog version. So if you have news, views, items for sale, events to publicise etc why not let TAG on-line know  at taglines82@gmail.com

Le Bon Vivre in Toulouse

Having read an article in The Telegraph on good places to eat in Toulouse [ written by a French chef in London] we made a rendezvous for lunch at  'Lebonvivre' on Place Wilson. Totally unprepossessing the small restaurant looked nothing special but the food belied its looks. It does not do 'menu du jour' but we had a splendid meal for 30 euros including wine and coffee. A family owned restaurant with excellent service and lovely atmosphere. Apart from the food it appealed to me as it had 'bandes dessinees' [cartoon books] along a ledge as decoration. A reservation would be wise  Lebonvivre.com   15 bis, Place Wilson. Toulouse  Tel 0561 23 07 17