Snowy flakes are falling softly, covering all the world in white.

Making hay while the snow falls!

Most snow we have seen at Mas del Sol since having a house up here, around 6 years. Must be about 15cms deep [ Malc has measured}. Last year with the snow we had we were stuck in for 3 days so glad now we have loads of books and DVDs. Anyone with good snow pictures or snowy tales please send.
Just heard of a friend out and about at 6.45 am and even with snow chains on he ended up in a ditch near Daudou, which is on the way to Najac. Not the best way to start your day.
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Someone wants a kitten.

Hi Val
I thought that you may know of any kittens needing homes. I have a friend looking at present. Any ideas?
Anne Johnston
anniemj3101@hotmail.co.uk

The Clenches, friends to everyone need a removal firm

David and Joyce Clench of Verfeil are soon to be moving to Varen, a distance of a few kms. and will  need a furniture removal van at the end of January. Has any TAG reader used any firm they can recommend?
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Ceilidh At The Folk / Jazz Club.

Message from Charles concerning the next Jazz/folk club

As the snow falls and the roads become impassable, many of you will be staying by the 
cheminee staring at the computer avidly reading TAG's latest missives.
Now is a good time to remind you of the ceilidh at Le Riols 31st January.
Trevor Carter has kindly ageed to provide the music, as I will be incapacitated, and two 
beautiful ladies, Sue and Carole (oh! and Alan) will be there to show you the dances .
Don't worry if you you don't want to dance, it's not compulsory, just turn up and enjoy the 
spectacle. After all a ceilidh would not be a ceilidh without all the aunts and uncles sitting 
round the edge of the hall watching the 'young 'uns' enjoying themselves.
We do need a couple of recitations of Burns' poems or a song or two. Come on, don't be shy.

Charles can be contacted  at email       chas5strings@orange.fr
Val says Just a bit worried where we are going to find the " young uns"
Sue Carter says

I hope Charles realises that not being able to play the fiddle means he

will be fair game as a partner!

We have chosen VERY easy dances - some Scottish and some French so I do

hope there will be some willing dancers.

Varen gets a photo in the Depeche

A car with roof  covered in snow managed a picture in the Depeche yesterday, today the same car would be practically invisible with a few cms of snow and still snowing. Risks of avalanche in the Haute Pyrennes. Who still likes the seasons? Me, but ask me again tomorrow !
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"Vigilance Orange "meteo in the South West

The snow arrived through the night and this morning our view is of a beautiful white carpet laid out to the Pyrenees. A shopping trip planned with friends to Toulouse will have to be shelved as we will certainly be  trapped "en haute". The snow looks quite deep and donkeys are shouting for hay, not finding anything to eat.
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The donkey on the left of the picture, Rosie is the 'naughty escape artist'.Lucy on the right is the good 'un.

We must stop sending folk home in tears

West Side Story with Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, great singing and dancing if ever you get chance to see it again , you should. At least  6 people were seeing it for the first time, but even though some knew the ending, there were still hankies and sniffles in evidence. As the audience was a mixture of French and English it was useful to be able to have French " sous titres"
Jean Marie and Winnie  Nosal expressed their thanks to everyone who was supporting Via Sahel Enfants d' Afrique. Jean is on the phone daily with his staff in the school and hospital and there are great worries for the many French people living and working in Mali. He said there are real fears for the school children and hospital staff and patients as they are the sort of  soft targets al Qaeda would go for.
Back to our cinema evening, one French lady who is a regular at our evenings said it had made a difference to her life, so that in itself is satisfying.  Thanks to Jill Spearman for the " apero dinatoire" and we were able to give two cheques to the cause.
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Spiced Cuisine will deliver to you.

Spiced Cuisine was formed 6 six years ago providing authentic Indian Cuisine to the discerning palate offering favourites such as Tandoori Chicken, Baltis, Dopiazas, Bhunas as well as a host of vegetarian options. All our dishes are freshly prepared and cooked to order. We currently deliver individual orders to the Aveyron and the Lot departments in France, often to customers’ homes or to a pre determined and convenient meeting places.

Now is the time to expand and arrange to deliver bulk and/or freezer orders initially on a bi-monthly basis free of delivery charge to a destination near you.

As everything is cooked to order we can cater for the individuals needs so if a hot korma or a mild balti is required we can deliver. We know exactly what goes into everything we cook and confirm that none of our dishes contain additives, added colourings, preservatives or artificial flavouring.

In addition to Indian dishes Spiced Cuisine have expanded into other areas of food production and are proud of our range of good old British sausages which include Lincolnshire, Pork & Mustard and Pork & Ale as well as Sweet Chilli and Thai. All our sausages come in ½ kilo packs either large size or chipolata.

For menus please see our website www.smc-cuisine.com and click on the chilli & BBQ icons. For more details we can be contacted by email at spicedcuisine@orange.fr, by telephone 06 27 72 01 07 or 05 65 43 45 20.

We anticipate commencing bi-monthly deliveries to a destination near you at the end of February/Early March. A further advert will be placed detailing when and where. 

Lasy year was a bad one for us "old folks"

Statistics have been published. There are 65,8 million inhabitants living in France which includes d'outre -mer but not including Mayotte.
Last year was exceptionally high for deaths put down to the " froid exceptionnelle, grippe et gastro enterites"
Men are now living on average to 78. 4 and women still have the advantage at 84.4
The average number of children for each woman is 2.01 and women are late having a first child, on average  age 30.1
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A light covering of snow, nothing significant

We awoke this morning to a light covering of snow, nothing too significant. We will monitor the meteo  today as we are hosting our first music evening after Christmas tonight.  The roads up to us  are clear and the forecast is sun and a little rain,  so why not be upbeat.
S'no more. All the snow has melted away, the sun is shining and we are getting ready to "Rumble" starting 6.30pm
Stay cool boys, real cool. Will you support the Jets or the Sharks ?
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We cannot go it alone.

France seeks allies help in the Mali operation. We cannot continue to act alone. We have the full backing of the UN, now we need help from other European countries. By intervening in Mali we have assumed our responsibilities and fulfilled our International obligation. Key interests were at stake for Africa, Europe and the wider International community.This is the line of our government here and I hope other countries will step up and confirm their mouthed support with more than two planes, one which broke down full of provisions.
France's brave move has brought a threat from al Qaeda who has vowed to retaliate on French soil.
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In Belguim and Hollande , it is just marriage.

In Belgium and Hollande , it is just marriage, not homosexual marriage. On France 2 this morning were interviews with people in Belguim who could not understand the "homo phobia " happening in France. Marriage and adoption for all has been accepted there for ten years nearly. As a person with humanist sentiments I am happy to live and let live.
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A film and discussion at Parisot

Sur les chemins...
... de Paris à St Jacques de Compostelle...
avec Ginette et Pierre
Film Echange Discussion.
Samedi 19 janvier 2013 18h—19h30 Salle des fêtes
PARISOT

Book and DVD swap, very busy for January

We were surprised at the number of books and people at the swap, it has really caught on. Circulating  was a very dog eared copy of  " Fifty shades of Grey", well I never! A now regular French lady who comes was surprised how much crime fiction we seem to read, not to her taste but she always managed to find an armful of books that she likes.
Martin was surprised with the DVD collection that there was so much interest and he also has some new titles to take away and add to the collection. It all ran very smoothly, so thank you Martin for your organisational skills. He  says before the next one if people want to order he will be happy to reserve a title or two.
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Air strikes continue on rebel centres

Air strikes continue on Lere, Douentza in Central Mali and on Kidal, the epicentre of the rebellion. President Hollande says he is determined to eradicate Islamist terrorists who threaten the security of Mali, France and all of Europe.
French flags are draped from windows throughout Bamako.
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Three young " rugby men" killed in the Lot

Three young rugby players were killed after a night out in a Brive  night club. Travelling home in the early hours of the morning, in the fog they went between  a road barrier and were hit by a train travelling the line from Brive to Rodez. Three were killed instantly and a fourth boy  was thrown from the car and taken to hospital gravely injured. The boys were between 20 and 25 years old.
Martin Malvy, President of the region has expressed his shock and has passed on his sympathies to the families.
These level crossing barriers have caused numerous deaths and accidents over the years. We were once sitting having lunch on the terrace, at the Deux Rivieres  in Laguepie when the barrier came down. An elderly lady, who was known to have memory problems came wondering through. The train stopped with a screech of brakes and missed her by a couple of feet. The driver shouted and swore at her but the lady shuffled on seemingly regardless. These barriers work well when every one has their senses about them, when they do not, disaster  happens.
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Book and DVD swap tomorrow morning

Could be good tomorrow with all our new Christmas books to swap, if you read as fast as we do. Also remember if you have any DVDs you can add to the swap, Martin will be there with the present stock to borrow. See you then.
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All seats booked

Our Cinema evenings for charity, West Side Story on Tuesday, Les Miserables in Feb. The Magic Flute in March are all fully booked. We still have a few places left for the April  16th showing of " Sing along with Mamma Mia". On Tuesday evening the organisers of Via Sahel Enfants D'Afrique, Jean Marie and Winnie Nosal are coming to support us in our aims to raise money for their charity. If Jean Marie has any news from Mali we will pass this on to our readers. All seats fully booked now, even Mamma Mia
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Huge Protest rally against same sex marriage

In Paris today a huge rally has taken place  ( 340,000 people )with groups from all over France coming in on buses, car and train all protesting against  same sex marriage. Regardless of this 65% of voters are in favour.
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'' Affectionate Old Nick ''needs a home.

Altered male (12 years) with Russian Blue bloodlines seeking loving home. Nick is a special, smart, affectionate cat and it is with great sadness that I am trying to rehome him because as an alpha male he is intolerant of a young, recently acquired feral and unadoptable blind male cat who now lives with me. For details please contact: Kate  katemerlin@wanadoo.fr  (12 kilometers from St. Antonin Noble Val in the Tarn et Garonne).

 

Doyenne des Tarn et Garonnais n'est plus

The oldest lady in Tarn and Garonne  age 106, has died. Living in a Maison de Retraite for only the last three years Jeanne du Pin, born in 1907 at Montech was described as charming, approchable  and willing to listen by the Director of the home .
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"Reinforced red " state of alert in France

Heightened protection at airports and meetings around France, including heightened security at a big march today in Paris against " marriage for all"
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Hollande gives grave news from Somali

Sitting in a hotel in Toulouse having  just listened to Francois Hollande giving the grave news that two soldiers have been killed trying unsuccessfully to rescue  a hostage. It is thought that the hostage will also have been killed. He was a secret agent / intelligence officer called Denis Allex who has been held since 2009
It has been confirmed that Denis Allex has been killed by his captors.
Better news from Mali where rebels have been pushed back out of Mopti, a strategic town.
Francois Hollande has also raised the state of alert  here in France incase of reprisals from militant groups.
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It's official, I am not just a greedy pig!

The answer was obvious, it is not that I gobble more food than most, it is because I gobble more quickly than most that makes me a few kilos heavier than I should be.
A French inventor from Paris has invented a fork that monitors the speed you eat and makes you slow down. Japanese scientists have shown the benefits of eating more slowly stopping your weight gains, giving better digestion and reduction of gastric reflux. The fork comes on sale in the summer but I hope by then following this advice to be miniscule.I am thinking of all the really slim people I know and am determined to watch their speed of eating and go at that speed.
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6,000 French citizens in Mali

The ties between Mali and France are strong, since France was the Colonial power. Francois Hollande says 6,000 French citizens are in Mali at the moment, and 7 hostages are still being held. The country has been declared in a state of war . The sending of French troops is supported by the UN and in England the Foreign Minister William Hague agrees with the sending of the troops.
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France sends troops to Mali's Aid

Francois Hollande has taken the decision today to send French troops to Mali. Talking  to the press he made it clear  it was a matter of urgency  to get troops there to stop the Islamist Army  moving and menacing further into Malian territory. We, readers will watch this situation more closely being involved with the Assoc. Via Sahel which raises money for street children of Mali, concentrating on the areas around Bamako. Jean Marie Nosal has some good friends and staff working in Bamako with the hospital and school and makes it clear  that even more money is needed at these dangerous and perilous times rather than shrugging shoulders and saying " well ,what can we do ?"
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SALE AT MAISON NOBLE VAL

                 3 for 2 - 3 for 2 - 3 for 2 - 3 for 2

On ALL stock, including our hand-crafted bags and stock sofas and armchairs. Lowest priced item free.

For one week only- starts Sunday 13^th January.

Special opening hours:

Sunday 13^th- 10-13h

Wed 16^th, Thurs 17^th, Fri 18^th, Sat 19^th – 15-18h

Also by appointment.

See you soon!

Michelle and Gareth

Maison Noble Val

23,place de la Halle, Saint Antonin Noble Val

Emmanuelle Riva 85 year old actress nominated

For her role in the Michael Hanake's production "Amour" Emmanuelle Riva has been nominated for a best actress award.  The Hollywood ceremony is Feb 24th. I must put this DVD on my wish list on Martins site. You never know someone might buy French films.
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The French do not want our blood

When you see signs to go and be a blood donor in your town or village, do not bother going if you lived in England from 1933 to 1980. Apparently the fear of mad cows disease, Kreuzfeld Jacobs  makes our  blood not worth the risk.
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Protests in Toulouse with dead rabbits

I was considering wearing my mink coat going to stay in Toulouse for the week end. I feel the need to apologise for having a mink coat, but when Mum died it came to me or Oxfam ! Decision has been made when I read the headline in the Depeche " Ils manifestant avec des lapins mort.  Pas leurs peaux pour nos manteaux, pas leur vie pour nos habits"  This was  the Assoc. anti- fourrure Animal Amnistie protesting in Toulouse about animals  fur and leather being used for fashion items. It is becoming a bit of a liability this fur coat as I look just like a bear when I wear it and Malc always jokes that  "the chasse will  get you"
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TAG adverts and donations

Perhaps a little confirmation needed for 2013 on TAG adverts. If you are a private person just wanting to sell something then there is no charge . If you sell the item from TAG I would then ask you to donate something to one of our charities. Obviously if you sell a car I would expect more than if you sell a light fitting.  If you are a business I ask you to donate 10 euros up front and if you gain business from the advert think of giving another donation. The two charities at the moment are Via Sahel Enfants d'Afrique based at Castanet and raises money to help street children in Mali and Liberte des Anes, a donkey Sanctuary in the Lot. If any reader has a charity close to their hearts and it is based in France or has French connections I would be happy to consider helping.
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Passion in Les Cabannes

Just back from "Passion" Hairdresser in Les Cabannes.
She charged 28 euros for a wash, cut and blow dry - the normal rate.

She has cut my hair really well, and I'm very pleased with it.

So she's worth a recommendation if anyone else is looking for a stand-in

hairdresser while Beatrice is off poorly.

Kind regards, Alice 

VAL says Gosh! I have to laugh, I wonder how many weirdos will click for passion in Les Cabannes when they see that on the net, but thanks for that information Alice.

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The Talk by Martyn Cox must be repeated

Martyn will be delighted to hear that we booked in 25 people within 48 hours for his talk and now we are getting people who really would like to hear it. I am sure we can prevail upon Martyn to repeat it in the Summer.Martyn who calls himself an ''oral historian '' will be talking about the real Charlotte Grays of our area and the Resistance in general.
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Throwing away a printer?

Hi Val,
We have a second home in Promilhanes, LOT and have need of a multi-function printer (scanner/printer/copier) for infrequent use. After missing a flight connection because I hadn't printed our boarding passes in advance, I am now very motivated to get a printer! But, many new printers are designed for the newer computers and Windows 7/8. My traveling netbook has Windows XP and I would prefer to connect by USB cable. I don't need fancy photo printing capability or large paper, just a basic model.  I wonder whether any of your readers have a spare multi-function printer that they would like to sell?  Perhaps someone is upgrading?  Our next trip to France is not until early March, but I have an obnoxious habit of planning ahead...
Best regards,
Maggie Herbert
maggie.herbert@violetsbrook.ns.ca

PS I am SO very sad that we will miss your 'real Charlotte Gray' lecture! Would you forward to me any info you have, like reading lists, as we are quite taken with the film and the general subject.  We very much enjoyed the Musee de la Resistance in Cahors a few years ago.  We had a wonderful time chatting with the veteran of the resistance who was at the main desk.

Four new titles for the book swap

Monday 14th will be the book and DVD swap at the Gazpacho at St. Antonin, starting at 10.30am
If you have not been before why not think of coming. The choice of books to read is extensive and seem to cover all genres. If you have books to take along, work on the basis of never seeing them again, and take away as many as you like to bring back in two months time. The DVD swap is a bit different in that any DVDs you take will be returned to you when you want them back and will remain yours  whoever has borrowed them. The  DVDs you borrow will be the property of their owner so please treat them with care. Martin Mackenzie will be there on the morning to show you the ropes.
I will be bringing 4 books we bought whilst in England. Jojo Moyes, The last letter from your lover, a romantic read which won the 2011 RNA book of the year. I enjoyed it but  not one for Malcolm. Jonathan Kellerman Victims, apparently the No.1 international bestseller, it was Ok. The Last telegram by Liz Trenow, a piognant love story, quite enjoyed. Ian Rankin Standing in Another Man's Grave, so popular it was published in 2012 and is already into its 6th printing. Malc enjoyed it and I hope to get it finished in time to bring.
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Who is up for it ?

The couple who run the Domaine de Sautou, Jean Marie and Winnie Nosal, wondered if there was anyone who had a few hours to spare to entertain the slightly mentally and physically hancapped children in their charge. Really they need lots of stimulation and things to interest them says Jean Marie. Anybody with a reasonable level of French who would like to set aside a few hours each week would be really welcomed. Jean Marie is having a stage built in their hall, just so the children can put on plays. That should be great fun, I think organizing that could be a bit of a challenge and stimulate our minds. Contact  the Nosals at the Domaine which is in between Parisot and Castanet ( a beautiful spot) remembering they only speak French. Tel  0563 65 7264
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A machine that takes your little money and gives you points

We have heard and we are not sure which Supermarche at Villefranche, HyperU or Leclerc has a machine which you can put all your stupid little money into, you know the bronze cents that end up weighing your bag or pockets down. You just tip in your coins and the machine sorts it out and gives you points or you can choose a charity to donate to. If anyone knows which Supermarche please let TAG know.
KAREN says Leclerc in Montauban has one.
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African Village by Jeremy Rewse Davies

Jeremy Rewse-Davies was trained as an illustrator and graphic designer at the Royal College of Art, London. He spent his working life in design; first as an art director / production design with the BBC, then as managing director of a design consultancy, and finally as Director of Design and Architecture for London Transport.
He has always been active in the design profession, and has lectured and contributed to publications in many countries  He was President of the Charted Society of Designers.
Board member of the Business Design Association and the Arts Club, London. He has published two books on design and architecture.
During his working life he has always found time for drawing, and has been greatly influenced by the English romantic movement and by the draughtmanship of Toulouse Lautrec and Degas.
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The French being careful shoppers

The sales in Toulouse although being well attended by shoppers, shpokeepers are finding that  people  are being careful with their money "Les clients sont tres vigilante"
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Not just Toulouse, all the big cities

Taxis are demonstrating and blocking  major cities through out France, not just Toulouse. A good day for getting out in the garden and for those in rainy England  you might like to know, we have seen the first  snowdrops and I have hyacinths and daffodils pushing through.
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It is my opinion, but Malc will tell you, I am always right!

Gay marriage, I say yes. Homosexuals couples adopting children , I say yes. A couple of very controversial subjects constantly in the French news at the moment with marches from people for and others against. I want people to be able to express their love to who they want and if that love in a partnership runs over in to having love for a child, how can that be bad. You, reader are entitled to disagree and your feelings can be expressed.
In 2012 in the area 230 couples asked to adopt a child.  Pierre Izard, President du Conseil General has already agreed to some adoptions by homosexual couples.
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Chesterfield wanted

 We are looking for a leather Chesterfield type sofa, or similar, and if any of your Taglines readers have anything like this for sale we would be very interested. Contact Helen or David Graham

 daxlore@wanadoo.fr

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Mary Parkes paints Africa

Mary Parkes born in Lodz, Poland in 1927, and is still able to visit the house where she was born from time to time.She  now lives in Verfeil sur Seye, in Tarn and Garonne.
She trained at The Kunst Academy in Dusseldorf and has been an artist all her life. She concentrates on Portrait painting now but finds it very relaxing to sit and paint the cliffs at St. Antonin. She explains that painting portraits is very exacting and tiring, getting every detail just right, so it is nice to relax with a different subject at times. Here she offers a painting done in 2002 which is of Marrakesh in Africa.
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Rowling, J.K. The Chamber of Secrets, First edition

A shot in the dark, into the Chamber of Secrets
As you know we were antiquarian booksellers in our former life. We have a few little gems of stock left, which we send to auction when needs must. At the moment we have  the following book
Rowling, J.K.   Chamber of Secrets.  First edition, Bloomsbury 1998, a mint copy in mint dustwrapper, no inscriptions, no blemishes as a collectable book should be. It is the second book in the series. We are offering it for sale for £1,500  and if we sell it we are going to give £500 to Via Sahel, Enfants d' Afrique. The market value is £2,000 and there  are copies listed on the internet not as good at this price. So is there anybody who would like to have a very collectable item and help us give money to the street children of  Africa. Notice I have put the title with book and edition as it could be picked up anywhere in the world, by any book collector searching for Harry Potter material. It would be so exciting to sell from TAG and to be able to donate some money at the same time.
Contact   Val Johnstone  mail@bromlea.com if interested in knowing more about it.

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Has your tussle with the Social charge been resolved?

It would appear that retired people who have already  paid in England their National Insurance payments are no longer been asked again here, a back pedal on that one from Montauban. How about if you have a rental property in England and you are being asked to pay social charge here. Anyone who is still having problems with this let TAG know and I will pass the email address to the group, not listing on TAG of course. Strength in Solidarity, heard that somewhere before!
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An idea for that old Christmas tree

It can go to recycling and be shredded but why not make a home for hedgehogs or other wild life in the garden. Cut it in to lengths and pile it up in a quiet, out of the way part of your garden and let hedgehogs nest there, insects will love it and you will have created an interesting ecological habitat with trouble free pets.
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A new " entente tres cordiale"

Francois Fillon and Jean Francois Cope are entering a new phase,  a calm, friendly phase ... until the election in September to see who gains leadership of the UMP.
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The Poor steal from the poor

At Castelsarrasin "le hangar d'Emmaus cambriole a deux reprises" Broken in to with things taken twice in the last few months. Emmaus the charity which raises funds for the poor and homeless can surely only be a target from people who have little themselves. If you have been to an Emmaus hangar you will know the goods there are all our second hand throw outs. I am not saying that there is not the odd little bargain, a garden chair, a light fitting, a picture, but everything there some one has discarded. I think it shows that there are some people struggling at the bottom of the heap in these times of austerity and Emmaus is an easy target.
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TAXIS blocking Toulouse tomorrow

More than 1,000 taxis are going to block the roads of Toulouse tomorrow from 6am to 6pm. They are protesting against the reforms planned for money  received from the Security Social. Taxis are reimbursed for their trips back and forth to hospitals, and it is all about " reforme du transport sanitaire"  Before Christmas it was tractors and now it's taxis, what next?
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He is just a "flippin "actor for heaven's sake

Publicity seeker Gerard Depardieu is hitting the headlines every day with one or other of his escapades . Makes you wonder if Max Clifford is his promoter. ? He missed his day in court, being charged with an excess of alcohol in his blood whilst driving, so he will now proceed to a Criminal Court. He appears to have 3 passports from France, Russia and Belgium and is declaring himself " a citizen  of the world"  The end of the world scenario he was to be seen at Bugarach, Monday night he was seen  at the FIFA ceremony at  Geneva. Has he not had any decent film offers of late so he needs to rack up his profile. Let's be honest he is not short of of a bob or two, and if he thinks as many do the tax rate is too high ... go quietly into the night, never mind rage, rage. Gerard, we are all fed up with you.
Ps. I forgot that he is lined up to play  the part of Strauss Kahn in a  new film !
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Beatrice, Hairdresser in Varen temporarily closed

We send Beatrice all our best wishes, she is still having serious problems with her leg. The shop will be closed whilst she recuperates,  possibly the end of Feb.
Alice Smee suggests in the meantime if anybody has any ideas of interim hairdressers we can use to send in ideas. Her sister is happy with ''Passion'' in Les Cabannes and I think we will try the hairdresser in Laguepie called ''o' Tiff '  who is supposed to be good.
Denise says
I go to the hairdresser in St. Antonin in the Halle - "Allo' Coiff" tel: 0563302010. There are 2 girls there, both very good hairdressers and one of them is Dutch who also speaks English. Not too expensive either!
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DVD swap full steam ahead

After a few concerns raised by readers, we were in the process of checking out if we were contravening any digital rights by organizing the DVD swap. I am more than delighted that we have a reader living  in the area who works for the European  Commision at Brussels. He  phoned to say he actually wrote the report on digital copying on the  Intellectual Property of DVDs for the Berne Convention and we have no problem with the swap. He suggests that we get people who want to swap to sign a disclaimer for Martin saying they will not copy DVDs. Malcolm says we will also add to the disclaimer that DVDs are swapped at the owners risk [ so do not lend any discs that are important to you ] So by tonight the site will be up and running again... all systems go. Martin has added a ''wish list'' to the site which is a great idea.
LORRAINE says  What a brilliant site Martin. We are away on the swap date but will certainly be there for the next swap.
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Charlotte Gray / THE TALK NOW FULLY BOOKED

Charlotte Gray is coming to call on the big screen at Mas del Sol, Friday 18 th Jan at 6. 30pm. You are invited for aperos and to come and watch with us. This is a prelude to a talk by Martyn Cox, WW2 oral historian on "The real Charlotte Grays"  This talk which sounds fascinating, will be held once again at Mas del Sol but on Tuesday 5th of Feb. at 6.30 pm. Both of these events  are free.
Seats are limited so book early for  both evenings. Bookings to Val    mail@bromlea.com
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Anybody with swings or outdoor toys?

Dear Val
I would like to ask on taglines if anyone has good quality swings and outdoor toys which I could buy or rent or borrow, as our little granddaughters will be visiting for two weeks in July.The children are ages 4 and 2 years old.
Wishing everyone a very happy 2013.....
With love
Diana            Diana Jackson   email    dianajackson5791@hotmail.com

Ten euros gets you trouble FREE parking

Apparently if you go in to the Mairie at Cordes you can pay 10 euros to get a sticker for your car window which means you can park in Cordes for free all year. Much better than the fines if you are caught, worth thinking about if you are a regular visitor and you do not need to live in Cordes to use the scheme.
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Evelyn and others await the talk

 I'm very excited to hear what he can share. I've become intrigued with WWII history in the Lot. In my area ( Cajarc to Figeac) there isn't much written about the Resistance, although I've heard the museum in Cahors is quite good (haven't been yet)

I watched my DVD of Charlotte Gray again last night. It has special features about filming in St. Antonin and a voice-over of the whole film with the director's comments. I love hearing the behind the scenes story. And of course, my favorite scenes are the ones of the lovely Notre dame des Graces in Lacapelle-Livron.

I'll be watching Taglines for more information about when and where he may be speaking.

Thank you again not only for sending the reading list, but also for the work you do on Taglines sharing information about activities in the area.

Evelyn Jackson 

Val says I will announce next week the date of the talk by Martyn Cox, '' WW2 oral historian''

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Tarn and Garock

Saturday 2nd Feb.21h  at the Salle des Thermes, St Antonin Noble Val, a concert with The Florentines, Burnin Flowers, Les Braquerus and Le 4 Noir. Entree Gratuite      www.ADDA.CG82.Fr   tel 0563 91 83 96
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Atelier Dessin / Drawing workshop

For children and adults at Laguepie, Saturdays 10 am till 12 in the salle des associations [ mediatheque] starting 12th of January. Information Arne d'Avignon  tel 06 31 72 00 73 mail    arne.davignon@dbmail.com
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Keep Fit at Parisot

Bon Année à tous!

J'espère que vous avez passé un super Noel et que vous êtes prêts avec les bonnes resolutions pour notre rentrée ce lundi!

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and you are ready with your New Years resolutions for classes restarting Monday!

 Les cours:

 Lundi 10h Parisot Salle des Fêtes - Gym

 Jeudi 11h15 Parisot Salle des Fêtes - Cardio Gym

 Vendredi 10h30 Parisot Bibliothèque à l'étage - Cardio Sculpt

 Les cartes pour 10 séances toujours 50€, sinon 6€ la séance

Cards for 10 sessions still 50€, otherwise 6€ a class

 Il me tard à vous voir !

I look forward to seeing you!

 Trudi 

Immediate interest in Resistance history

I would absolutely love to hear what Martyn Cox knows about the real Charlotte Grays and the Resistance in this part of France. Please let me know what's on the reading list, so I might prepare, and any information about when and where he will speak. I'm assuming his talk would be in English??

Thank you,

Evelyn 

Val says The talk will be in English
and another wanting the reading list. I knew there would be interest.

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The Real Charlotte Grays

Martyn Cox, WW2 oral historian, a specialist on war time happenings in France lives at Lavaurette
and he is offering to give a talk to TAG readers and Fifi members, which we 
will certainly arrange. He has also supplied a list of reading material of 
interest around the subject.If readers would like the list sending please 
contact me.
Part of an email received about Charlotte Gray.

I mention this because it all started in 2001/2 when I was the instigator

and Associate Producer of the Channel 4 documentary "Behind Enemy Lines: the

Real Charlotte Grays" after I'd tracked down the whereabouts of all of the

then eight surviving women of SOE's French Section's original 39. Four

appeared in the documentary.

As with the movie itself we filmed some reconstruction sequences for the doc

in and around St Antonin and Lavaurette, and as the programme was first

broadcast two nights before the Royal premiere of Charlotte Gray I ended up

becoming involved with that too.

I'm pretty confident that a number of your members would be interested to

hear about local resistance activities, the German presence in the area, RAF

drops etc. I've filmed interviews with surviving Maquis members from

Tarn-et-Garonne and the Lot as well as other members of 'the resistance' who

operated in many other parts of France.

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Concern from a reader about the DVD swap.

Are we infringing any DVD rights by organising our swap, a concerned reader asks? Until we have verified we have taken down the DVD link. We are pretty sure that if there is no money involved, that no copying of DVD,s takes place there should not be a problem.
 The book and DVD swap will be Monday morning 14th 10. 30 am at the Gazpacho, St. Antonin
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Epiphany the time for "La galette de rois"

Stories on the local news and in the Depeche as always at this time of the year about the galettes you buy in the boulangeries, and are given a golden crown with the pastry / cake. Inside the cake is a little charm / feve which if you get in your piece of cake you gain the crown. Many people and children collect the feves, and we have seen people at brocantes going through bags of feves for that elusive one they need to complete their collection. Noticed on the Tarn news on TV that an enterprising boulangerie at Cahuzac sur Vere has had feves made with interesting buildings in the village on. Whilst at Caussade another boulangerie has a collection of pigs in hats, last year they had cows, not nearly as cute.
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A good time to buy the house of your dreams.

Mortgage rates have hit an historic low, perhaps making it the year for the French to come back in to the house market and house sales could start moving at last.
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Terrible story from Maleville, Aveyron

Having being alerted by "la factrice" the pompiers entered a house at Maleville, Aveyron to discover alive the elderly Mother age 76 in bed with the partly decomposed body of her 51 year old son. An investigation is being mounted to discover if a crime has been committed. The cadaver was several weeks old, so the smell must have been awful. A sad story and one hopes the Mother can receive appropriate help to recover.
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La Seye et Vous and the Moulin de Varen on winter break

The Restaurant at Verfeil sur Seye  called " La Seye et Vous" is closed till the 16th of January and the Moulin de Varen is also closed for its winter break till about the same time. We had lunch yesterday at "Les Deux Rivieres" at Laguepie, which was not only opened but packed out with French workmen and  French holiday makers.
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"La Grippe" at its height

In the region, flu is at its height. Stay at home, drink a lot and wash your hands frequently, that  is the advice Doctors are giving out.
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Prenoms preferes des parents Toulousains en 2012

For boys the most popular names in the area were Paul, Theo, Mathis and Lucas and for girls Manon, Chloe, Juliette and Jade. Malc thinks Jade would probably be prounced like Jard. Suprised at Manon as it sounds quite old fashioned and Mathis not Mathias, unless the Depeche have made a spelling error!
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James Sweeting points the way.

Just to let you and your readers know that I invested in a new professional satellite finder so I can now point satellite dishes more accurately. So if anyone is having problems receiving channel 5 - I can come and tweak their dish (channel 5 being on the new Astra 2F satellite with tighter beam - see astra hoo-ha).

 I adjusted our dish and the decoder reports that I have 5 bars out of 5 for everything apart from Channel5 and family which have 4 bars out of 5.

 Thanks

James

0621467743!

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Mary Parkes, artist all her life celebrates.

Mary Parkes of Polish origin who lives at Vefeil sur Seye will be 86 years young on Monday 7th of Jan. Mary has lived in the region now for more than 20 years and is well known for her portrait painting. She has restored paintings and painted all of her life and exhibited around the world in the past. Very well known on the local boule pitches, Mary has a good eye. In fact will have two when she gets her cataract operated on in the next few weeks. Happy Birthday for Monday Mary and enjoy your day with the family on Sunday.
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Bring back Segolene Royal

There are rumours that Segolene Royal will be given a Ministerial post in the new reshuffling.( remaniement ministerial)  Quite right too, a talented, hardworking politician who has been slighted too often.
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"Gangnam style" dance comes to Toulouse

Apres la morosite de 2012 ( after the morose 2012) come and " participer en flash mob " and join more than 2,000 people after lunch in the Place du Capitole, Toulouse Sat.5th all dancing " Gangnam  style"  This is a dancing phenomenon with  more than 5 million U tube views and the dancer / singer who made the video is now a millionaire. We were dancing Gangnam and Eton style over Christmas and even made up our own "donkey style dance" which included lots of kicks. I can tell you it certainly keeps you fit and makes you smile. So if in Toulouse take your dancing shoes.
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"Poule au sol " is what ?

I bought today at HyperU a nice sized "poule au sol" . I asked a French lady at the counter what it was, but she did not know. I always buy a  free range chicken ( poulet elevage en  plein air) so thought perhaps it was a hen for boiling. Googled it to find I think that it has something to do with one of the new European  rulings where hens have to have more space in their cages, so they can perch and scratch around. So the hen is still locked up but has more room in one of those big sheds. A step forward but still not what I wanted. I am prepared to pay a bit more to eat a chicken that has been raised properly.
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1685 The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes

This resulted in a mass migration of French Protestants, known as Huguenots. The change in the law stripped non Catholics of their civil  and religious rights, resulting in the flight of around 250,000 skilled and wealthy refugees. Many were silk weavers who settled in England and particularly in Spitalfields, East London.
I am reading a novel  "The Last Telegram" by Liz Trenow and that is a snippet of information from it. The book will be going to the Book Swap on Monday 15th of Jan.
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60% of French people agree

"We will still ask more of those who have the most" vows President Hollande, and 60% of French people agree with him. High tax payments for high earners is a popular stance.
Report in The Guardian.
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I asked Martin if you could reserve before the date?

Hi Val,
In reply to your question concerning the reservation of particular DVDs prior to the Book Swop — I think the easiest solution at the moment would be for the 'reservist' to simply leave a message to that effect directly in the Comments box on that DVD film page. We can try that for now and see how it goes. 
I'll be collecting a few more titles this weekend and will enter those as soon as I have them.

So if you want to inform the readers that they can do this, it's fine by me

Regards, 
M

A June and Terry sitcom, no it happened.

New Year's Eve and a 73 year old [ not old then]  lady got trapped in an Intermarche store all night  in the Northern town of  Roubaix. Even though the alarms went off through the night no one came to her rescue. It was not until 10.30 am on New Year's Day that someone came to let her out. The poor soul had not even had the nerve to eat some of the delicacies on the shelves or sleep in the office.
I know Roubaix  well as Middlesbrough was twinned with Roubaix and it is where age 12  I met and made my lifelong friend Annie Depoorter, who still lives in the town.  Gosh, hope it was not Annie, better give her a ring.
Doreen  Porter says
Read the story about the old lady in the supermarket but was interested that Middlesbrough is twinned with Roubaix. When we lived in Ealing, we were twinned with Marcq en Baroeul, which is next to Roubaix. Going there was our first real experience of extended French hospitality, long lunches and copious food and wine. On one occasion, for some reason, our hosts took us on an extended tour of the industral estates of Roubaix. We're not too sure why as on previous occasions we were nearly always taken to Bruges. I think it's a shame that St Antonin isn't twinned with anywhere! Doreen x
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Buying a car from today.

It starts today, on buying a new car a tax bonus is available if you buy a small car with low CO2 emissions. Beware if you are buying a large new car as there are penalties which could be as high as 7,000 euros if the car gives high emissions of carbon dioxide. This is to  try and meet the targets  for green house gas emissions to prevent global warming. Nice to see someone is taking it seriously, keep up the good work Nicholas Hulot.
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Great idea for entertaining relatives

The French family from Brittany, all nine of them who stayed over Christmas in our house and gite had lots of ideas to entertain themselves. One day they arranged for the artist Michel Brassac of Verfeil to come and give them a lesson in making papier mache animals and objects. Apparently they covered our long kitchen table ( thank goodness) and under Michel's tutelage all had a great time producing masterpieces. I will certainly think of arranging a session like that when our family come. They also had a day  planned with a potter at Najac throwing pots, must have been a creative family.
Michel Brassac contact details   Plasticien: BRASSAC: Michel: 0563272391 : plasticier@yahoo.fr: 82330: Verfeil: ...  http://www.artmajeur.com/?go=user_pages/bio&login=plasticerie or  www.artmajeur.com/plasticerie

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Between 22nd and 29th Dec. four deaths

In the Haute Pyrenees between those dates, four skiers lost their lives. Not something to be flippant about, take care in situations that can be dangerous.
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That's a good way to start New Year, burn a car!

In the city centre in Toulouse, twenty cars were set alight at St. Sylvestre ( New Year's Eve)  and 14 people were arrested.  They do seem to have a liking for car burning the young, maladjusted French. We are planning an overnight in Toulouse on the 13th (any burglars reading, we are leaving pet sitters in our house ) We had planned on taking the car but maybe we will go on the train. If anyone can recommend an exceptionally nice Hotel, I fancy a one night indulgement... and what Malc may not have realised is, it will be the start of the sales. A perfect time for a visit!
Sue Carter replies
We went by train to Toulouse recently and it was a great success - much less hassle than taking the car and very comfortable. The section between Villefranche and Lexos is particularly picturesque as it snakes along the side of the river Aveyron ( good for us but maybe not so convenient if you live "down south")
Val says  The Connexion newspaper says through out France 1,193 cars were burned for fun, hope they were ''old bangers''
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Bumpy ride for Champage sales

The sales of champagne give a good  idea of the strength of world wide wealth and gloomily sales are down by a third. 2011 was  a good selling year, 2012 has not been. In England champagne sales are down but Prosecco sales are up.
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Baguette and butter pudding with a difference

Gordon Ramsay' s recipe, I seem to have got off  to a fine art without any trouble. Today I am doing the same recipe but in the style of Nigel Slater, using up things in the cupboard . As a present from a Dutch friend I was given " jopie appelstroop" which is apparently made from apples, delicious on pancakes.  From a French friend I was given "pain d'epices au miel" so I have made my own version using these products. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, I will let you know!
It worked and was scrummy.
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Amazon 100% satisfaction

Val - I had a similar experience with Amazon recently. I bought a new computer through Amazon UK  After less than 2 weeks it just died. No nothing, not even a power light. I contacted them & got an immediate answer: Did I want a replacement? Or did I want a refund as they were now out of stock of that particular computer? As I liked the computer I said I wanted a replacement. This was all on December 18th. 

The new stock must have come in because on the 21st I got an email saying that my replacement computer would arrive the next day. It did!

That's what I call service! No wonder they're so successful.

David Hatfield

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A story worth telling of an omen for 2013

December 31st and our nearly one year old Russell Hobbs steamer gave up the ghost. { Do sometimes wonder what our Dutch readers make of this blog!] January 1st and we found the guarantee, with just 4 days left before it expires. We bought it from Amazon but as Malc checked who to contact, Amazon said the maker and Russell Hobbs said the retailer. Malc decided to tell Amazon so sent an email at 10am. I went out to feed the donkeys hay and collect eggs, came back at 10 past 10 to hear Malc on the phone. Within minutes a French  lady speaking reasonable English was explaining another steamer would be sent to us and a label  emailed to send back the defective item. Wow! Now  in 2012 we either would not have been able to find the guarantee or we would have found it on the 5th of Jan.
 Hope this means everything will run smoothly in 2013 ... but I doubt it.
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Start of the Winter Sales

The sales start  Wed. 9th of January and continue until February 12th. In France shopkeepers cannot decide just to hold a sale, it has to be within the allocated period. This year there are 10 weeks of sales previewed.
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"Wev'e set the course " says Hollande

Wev'e set the course, jobs, competiteveness and growth and I will not deviate. It's for the future of France. I intend also to tackle useless spending in Government. Ending his speech saying " give a thought to the sick, lonely,disabled and unassisted. A few promises and wishes from our President that I have picked out.
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New Years Day concert at Arnac

The Ecole de Piano at Arnac is offering an hour of well known tunes at 17.00 (5pm) today at the school in the centre of Arnac village. Just one hour of live music to get 2013 under way.