Soon to be given away in February, socialised puppies

 New arrivals at Moulin Druilhet,..
The lovely little dog on the picture is called Patate. She is a 1 1/2 year old cross bred dog (some border collie, some beauceron, a touch of terrier perhaps?) and she is expecting pups any day now! Since her owner, a very caring french girl called Delphine, was living in a campervan, les filles du Moulin (me and my colocatrices Anne Claire and Nathalie) decided to offer Patate a warm corner of our house to give birth to her litter (oh, and yes, Delphine too was welcome ;-) )
The father of the pups is the dog on the second picture. He is a similar type, border collie cross, very friendly and a working sheep dog. We are expecting the pups to be middle size, probably black & tan with some white marks, a bit rough haired like both parents, fairly active, intelligent and probably with some guarding instinct (both parents are good guard dogs without being agressive). They would make good family or farm dogs, if they get enough exercise and a friendly treatment!

Since I used to work with guide dogs, both in breeding and training, I can guarantee that these pups will grow up in the best of conditions; lots of care and attention, socialised with many people, children, every possible animal, both inside the house and outside at our farm. I will be available for help and advice once placed in their new homes, so even if you have never owned a dog, this is your chance!

If you are considering having a pup, please contact me, so we can meet and decide together if one of these puppies would make a good dog for you! They will be ready to leave for their new home at the beginning of february, but their future owners will have the unique opportunaty to visit them as often as they like before that, to see them grow up and choose the right pup!

Keep checking out TAG for news on Patate and her pups! The story will be continued in " Pets to go"

Anke Terbruggen
anke.terbruggen@orange.fr

Christmas cards still available

If anyone needs Christmas cards, we still have a good selection of attractive designs, though stocks are starting to run low.  

They're all good quality, bright and cheerful, with prices ranging from 25 to 75 centimes per card.  Many were originally printed for Marks and Spencer, WH Smith, Boots, etc., plus various charities. 

Email or ring us, and we'll fix up to show you the range.  

Chris & Karen   

chezfoz@gmail.com,     

05 63 31 70 84.  

Two bird feeders, two birds

Penny distinctly missing tail  and side feathers. Peck is in the hen house, laying a brown egg.

Scratch looking well groomed, Lucy and Rosie in the background. The Christmas tree will be cut this week end and Scratch will go.I wonder how many pet moles we have?

Two good reasons to be in Parisot tonight

Kim the zumba and pilates teacher has organised a Fete tonight along with young friends to raise money for sick children and Sethi. This is being held at the Salle des Fetes at Parisot. We are certainly going to go along and support the girls ( anyone under 50 being a girl to us!)
Later there is a jamming session  that has been organised for Friday 6th December  tonight in the Cafe du Foirail in Parisot. It starts at 7pm and is open to all musicians and singers. The plan is for it to happen every first Friday of the month.
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It was not love at first sight, but he is falling under my spell

The great big donkey with the fat tummy and face too broad for his body Filou, was very shy at first with me  [not with Rosie of course!] to begin with. Both donkeys we are looking after are very timid and in their short lives have had numerous owners and some unkind treatment. Little Coco nicknamed by me Napoleon,  will have nothing to do with me. Filou would let me stroke and scratch him and whisper in his large ears but always shyly turning his head away, just occasionally turning to sneak a peek at me. If he saw me looking at him directly he would turn away quickly. Just in the last few days persistance has paid off and he will let me stroke him and we can gaze into each others eyes. We are falling in love, I can feel it, he trusts me. At the moment the owner is away for 6 weeks visiting family in the Alsace region. There have been jokes that they have left the donkeys and gone... but I stress these are jokes!
Anyway would I care if I can win Filou over,  my next objective is to work on Coco. I feel I am just the luckiest lady in town with all these pets. [ well, the heights of Mas del Sol]
Val says  Malc does not like my " yukky" pet posts but I have readers who tell me they like those best. So like everything, read the bits you like.
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Mandela, décédé à l'âge de 95 ans, est entré dans la légende

The world mourns Mandela.
 Nelson Mandela, héros de la lutte anti-apartheid, est mort à l’âge de 95 ans à son domicile de Johannesburg, a annoncé hier soir le président sud-africain Jacob Zuma en direct à la télévision publique.
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More on Ragondin

Dear Val,

Ragondin are certainly not to be encouraged. They did a lot of damage in the Norfolk  Broads until the sixties when a program using contraceptives (oral!)  eradicated them. They are not native but were originally imported for the fur trade (c.f. mink) . They can be  vicious and one of my Dalmatians was severely attacked when a large adult one was disturbed in a ditch near Varen.  The wounds  were very deep and my vet tells me that the ragondin carrries streptococcus on those nasty yellow incisors. They are also carriers of leptospirosis  ( Weil’s disease in humans).The virus  passes in their urine and can infect any dog which eats grass or licks his coat after a  run by the river. The disease can be fatal in both dogs & humans.  I am lucky as our local ragondin family was systematically  trapped and/or shot by my neighbour farmer on the other side of the Cerou, but not before they had ravaged his maize  crop and made a mess of the river bank on my side.

I am told it appears on some menus in the Dordogne  as Marsh Hare.

Best wishes,

Sally.

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Ragondin / Coypu

If you successfully trap them, you can let them free in our etang (we just lost our snowy white chap, run over by  car).  Rather sad.  We like to have them and the chasse has been banned as far as I am concerned!
Victoria China       vikkichina@gmail.com

Val says you need to read an earlier post to understand this one and because there is some discussion about them I looked them up.


The Coypu is sometimes also called the Nutria - the Spanish word for otter and also the name of its rich grey coloured velvety under fur. The outer fur or guard hairs are a reddish dark brown or yellowish colour.

The Coypu can be up to a metre long including its tail (about 40 cm) and weighs up to 7 kg. its hind feet are webbed and its incisor teeth are coloured orange. The coypu has small eyes which are positioned high on its head for swimming and blunt face.

A COYPU FEEDING

Unfortunately for the Coypu it is responsible for much damage to rivers banks, vegetation and consequently native species, and in most countries including France it is considered a pest, with many local authorities taking steps to eradicate it.

Although well adapted to the more temporal climates of Northern Europe numbers tend to be reduced during very cold winters and the Coypu is susceptible to frost bite particularly to its tail which can lead to infection and a slow painful death.

Breeding takes place throughout the year but the gestation period is about 4 and a half months. The female Coypus' nipples are positioned high up on her sides almost on her back this is so that the young Coypus can climb on their mothers back and easily feed whilst she is in the water.

In France the Coypu has few natural enemies apart from man although the young may occasionally fall prey to foxes or dogs

Lifespan - up to 6 years.

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The Brit Stop

The Brit Stop

10 quai Tour des Rondes

81500 Lavaur

tel 05 63 83 07 85

I've taken this off yellow pages - no web site. I have never used them but they have been around for about 5 years I think and are very highly thought of by people in the south of the Tarn. She also has a cafe in the shop and does fish and chips and has curry nights - useful knowlege for people who decide to take a day trip to try them out.

Ginny

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Téléthon

Dear Val,

As a mum of a child with a neuro muscular desease, this coming weekend is so important for us. Of course first friday evening, the charity evening Kim is organising and also Téléthon. I want to ask all of you to donate, buy things or going to the organised activities. It is so important and so many families are involved. And really, the money arrives with the families who are in need of help. It is such a big and good organisation, I contact them for the first time last may. Of course I had heard before of them, but never realise what they are doing. Every region in France has a director, every department has a responsable person and many many volunteers. Marylyne Vigroux is responsable for the Tarn et Garonne and she is great for us. Helping us with all the paperwork (she knows a lot of people), going to (docter) appointments with us, going to schoolmeetings and she is there when we need here. Besides that, there are also groups from AFM who are working from Paris. Laurent, my son, was in need for a portable computer. He had the right to have one from the academie, but there is a very long waiting list. Till ten, Laurent is borrowing one from AFM, a computer specialist came over from Paris to explain and install special programs and mouse.

Special holidays camps for the parents as for the children, congresses, appartements for rent when your child is hopitalised in Paris, so many supports. And it is great to know that you are not alone. And I’m only talking about the direct help to the families. A big part of the money is going to research. There are still so many ilnesses unknown. There are only 600 till 700 neuromuscular diseases I don’t know for the rest but it is clear that research is so important.

So, I hope I confinced you all to donate. You can donate online, english version available,https://don.telethon.fr/?xtor=SEC-2-GOO&idm=42575

Many, many thanks, Miranda

Val says  - you make me feel very humble Miranda. you are writing the above in a second language and have I know  been working raising money for Sethi,  when now I realize you have your own family problems. We have other friends with a sick child at the moment and it is a heart breaking situation. Miranda, I have found that TAG readers are a very compassionate bunch and I am sure they will support Kim' s efforts and the Telethon and it is great to hear  that you have a direct link  to the Telethon.

Malc as a child had cancer and at 12 years old had to have his leg amputated to survive, now at 70  he has a special empathy with the plight of  sick children. I often think of his Mother and how hard it must have been for her. Everyone will do what they can Miranda. 
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Concert de Noel

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Book swap

I am a keen shopper from John the Butcher even if sometimes there are mistakes in the orders such as when I accidentally ordered 14 chicken and mushroom pies and when I ordered a 6kg turkey and his fournisseur delivered a 9kg one - wouldn't even go in my oven. Currently we pick up from Salvagnac on 3rd Saturday in the month and he goes to Caussade the same day so I am not sure that SA would be considered to be too near Caussade and a Monday is never a good day for fresh stuff.

Have you come accross the Brit Stop at Lavour. They might be interested in an order and pick up service, without having to have the order size to get it free

Ginny
Doreen says

Hi Val I think it would be great to have people deliver. it probably wouldn't fit John Price's schedules,  but the curry ladies, Farzana's samosas, the bio people and a bulk delivery from the British Corner  Shop would be marvellous, but someone would have to coordinate and pay upfront for the BCS  (not you!) Doreen x comments to taglines82@gmail.com

The next bookswap will be the 6th of January

The next book and DVD swap will be on Monday the 6th of January, as usual 10.30am at the Gazpacho.
As  regulars know the book swap is bi monthly. I have had it suggested that it would give residents more chance if it was monthly as if you miss one being away, you have no books for 4 months, quelle horreur !
Can readers let me know if they think we should change to the first Monday every month, tick enjoyed if you think monthly or drop  me an email with your preference.
I also wondered if it was worth contacting people who offer services to be there that day for example people who could deliver their products, a bit like Spiced Cuisine, or even asking someone like John Price English butcher or Sticklers the bio farmers at Najac if they would want to come. Another reader has moted an idea about getting deliveries from somewhere like the British Corner shop but everyone ordering on one order to save postage costs. Orders with this firm are half price  over 100 pounds.
Please get back to me with your ideas for the coming New Year.
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No frost on the donkeys buckets

I do not need the outside thermometer that Malc likes to check hung at the edge of the barn. At the moment I can tell if it has been a minus night by the donkeys water buckets. This morning I did not need the watering can of hot water I usually carry over with me. I did pour it in as Lucy seems to enjoy drinking the warm water. As I left the donkeys and chickens the mist started to roll in across the fields and distant wood and as I sat having breakfast the Christmas tree soon to be cut down disappeared from view. The hens who raced me back to the wild bird feeders will not be able to see a "claw in front of them" Malc is worried that we will loose the ground feeding wild birds like the chaffinches as the hens spend all day catching the scraps and seeds  which fall, turning their beaks up at their own special food for laying / pondeuse hens. I love watching the hens antics  jumping and half flying up to the bird feeders. Infact the grassy ramp up to the salon window is often alive with pets. Bonny and the cats sit on the mossy steps ( a job there to clear the moss) whilst the bird life plays below. The cats are so well fed and indolent, they are too lazy to do more than flick an eye at the birds. Old Twister sensibly prefers just inside the window and sits on a patch of tiles where there is a strip of underfloor heating!
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Friday at Parisot salle des Fetes

Bonsoir a toutes et tous!!!

Juste pour vous rappeler notre grand événement caritatif vendredi soir à parisot!!
À partir de 18:30 pour les enfants ( ateliers, jeux, grimages, zumba et hip hop, et beaucoup d'autres choses .. Suivi à 20:00 de la zumba et hip hop adulte, musiciens, ..
Tombola avec de nombreux somptueux lots( wii, PSP, Pc portable, nombreux bons d'achats..)

Petite restauration ( pain saucisse) sur placeJe vous attends tous demain soir pour un bon moment de fun en famille et un geste pour les enfants malades de la région juste avant noël!!
Bizz
Kim
sent by Miranda
Val says  Kim and many young people in the area are working hard to raise money for Sethi' s expensive treatment and the treatment of other sick children in the area. They need our support.
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Do you want to vote for your maire?

The municipal elections in 2014 will be held on 23rd and 30th March and if you are  from the EU living full time in France, you are entitled to vote. Local maires and their lists are very important in the running of your commune and so it may be important to have your say in who gets elected.
You can also vote in the European Parliament elections on May 25th, but in each case you must be on the electoral register. The usual justicatifs plus the relevant application forms from the mairie must be handed in by 31st of December next, so only 26 days left to do it. Once registered your electoral card usually lasts as long as you live in the commune.
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A man with no remorse dies age 96

Disgraced former French general Paul Aussaresses, who was stripped of his rank in 2003 for confessing and defending the use of torture during the Algerian War, has died aged 95, according to a veterans’ association.
Aussaresses, head of military intelligence in Algiers in 1957, admitted in an interview with French daily Le Monde in 2000 that he had “no remorse and no regrets” for the acts of torture he had carried out.
"Once you have seen with your own eyes as I did, civilians, men, women, and children quartered, disembowelled and nailed to doors [by the rebels], you are changed for life,” he said. “What feelings can anyone have towards those who perpetrated such barbaric acts and their accomplices?"
In 2001 Aussaresses published his memoir “The Battle of the Casbah: Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Algeria 1955-1957”, in which he wrote that the French government had “ignored, if not openly recommended” the use of torture.
The book, and subsequent unrepentant press interviews, led to then-French President Jacques Chirac stripping Aussaresses of his Légion d’Honneur, as well as his rank as general and his right to wear the French uniform.
In April 2003 he was condemned for defending the use of torture and war crimes and subsequently fined 7,500 euros. Aussaresses remained defiant and stated that his conviction was an act of state hypocrisy.

Val says - What this disgraced General did not see was he was as bad if not worse than the people he was fighting. How can you defend democracy if you practice torture, and he never did acknowledge or admit he was wrong. No wisdom with age for this man.

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La Seye et Vous at Verfeil sur Seye

Vendredi 6 décembre nous aurons le plaisir d'accueillir Lise-Marie Eudier dans notre restaurant.

Son spectacle  " DIRE DURAS " est un texte de Marguerite Duras, " L'homme atlantide ", mis en scène par Philippe Salti.

C'est le récit d'une abscence, d'une volonté de s'en saisir.

 Et ça se laisse entendre comme 8 ou 9 poèmes enchaînés, 8 ou 9 jours, 8 ou 9 mois...

Lise-Marie nous emmène avec Marguerite Duras à travers des espaces intermédiaires ouverts et bâtis entre les êtres et les choses et encore les êtres.

Nous servirons à manger à partir de 19h jusqu'à 20h30.

Ensuite à partir de 21h place au spectacle !

Renseignements : 05 63 65 22 18.

A trés bientôt.

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Tax relief on charitable donations

Tax relief on donations to charities in the UK

Many of us are domiciled in France, and pay our taxes in France, yet would still like to support our favourite UK charities, and may feel saddened that the UK Gift Aid scheme is not available on any donation we make to them.

However, far from all being lost, things may in fact be better. Under EU regulations, a registered charity in the UK, which is entitled to receive gift aided donations in the UK, is able to receive donations from anyone domiciled in France, and these may be tax deductable.  When the donor declares these gifts on their ‘declaration des revenus’ each year, they can receive 60% tax relief on the donation.  A simple example is that a donation of £100.00 would result in £60.00 tax relief to the donor and so actually only cost the donor £40.00.

The only catch is that the English charity would reasonably be expected to conform to the same standards as a similar French charity that merited such tax relief. As a simple rule of thumb, donations to charities that specialise in humanitarian work are much more likely to be accepted: at the other end of the scale, contributions to the preservation of an English cathedral would not. French accountants tend to be wary of such declarations, and a visit to your local office of the Direction Génerale des Finances Publiques will usually provide definitive advice on whether the UK charity qualifies or not. The receiving charity must complete a form CERFA 11580*03 - available on the internet - and return it to you: this is your official receipt. As it is all in French, of course, it may be easier for you to complete it for your chosen charity and ask them to sign it where required.

However if you want to benefit from this in this financial year donations must be made by 31 December 2013 and the tax declaration will be made in 2014. Too late to budget for this year? You will receive the tax relief for any year in which you make a donation.  

Humanitarian work covers such diverse areas as medical research, human or animal welfare both in the UK or in the rest of the world.

Ginny Jenkins 
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Coypu

I wonder if any readers of taglines have any advice to offer on the subject of coypu. In our Laguepie garden large holes have being appearing. We filled the first one and put chicken wire over the area. Now a new hole has appeared and we are worried that deep burrowing could undermine our swimming pool. The size of the holes has led us to conclude that they are being dug by coypu, the garden is situated close to the Aveyron. The Mairie are unable to suggest any solution and the RAGT say there is no poison available.
Has anyone else been bothered by these creatures (called ragondin in France) ? We would welcome any advice.
Fingers crossed 
Jill W
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Val says  Maybe worth contacting the fishing club as they might try and trap them. I remember in Cordes a few years ago men from the Mairie put out traps as they were worried about the banks of streams  being dislodged by their activities. Any ideas anyone?

All sound yummy!

Homemade Samosas for Sale

1€ per samosa.  10 per box.  Can be cooked from frozen.  

Deep fry on a medium heat till golden brown.  Serve with lemon wedges or mint yoghurt dip.

If you don't want to fry you can have the same filling in a spring roll.  2 € per roll.  5 per box.  (Equivalent to10 samosas)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.  Place on a grease proof dish and brush the spring roll with melted butter or oil.   Cook for 12 to 15 mins

Buyer to collect.  However happy to deliver orders of 20 plus within a 10 Kms radius.

Farzana Tubby

Tel 0563245206

Mob 0604030708

Hunting for the adrenaline

As far as I can tell hunting is not a sport. Not sure how one can call murdering animals a sport, but I'm not a man, so what do I know? Not sure what is fun about surrounding a wood, letting the dogs in and then shooting anything that comes running out. This is not even skilful, in my opinion, nor do I see it as necessary. If anything, it's humans that need culling.

What would be a great game is this: Each hunting day the hunters draw straws (or whatever) to determine who is "it". This person is then let loose in the woods and the remaining hunters try and shoot "it". Think of the adrenaline rush for everyone.  They would probably end up with fewer fatalities too...
L
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My stance on hunting

My own view on hunting is I can understand the need for controlling herds of sanglier and deer, but hunting should not be a sport and it should be much more highly regulated. The number of fatalities and injuries to innocent country dwellers is just too high. I also think there are far more walkers and families who would enjoy the countryside on a Sunday if hunting was banned that day.
My ideal would be recognised controlled country rangers who had permission to shoot when pack numbers became excessive. Will never happen will it?
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Six hunting fatalities and 34 people injured this year.

AFTER six fatal accidents since the opening of the hunting season, wildlife charity Aspas has called for tighter controls on hunters: including a no-shooting zone around houses.

In all, there have been 34 shooting accidents since September with half involving non-hunters. In the most recent a 50-year-old man out checking his beehives was shot and killed by a hunter out hunting wild boar near Clans in the Tinée valley in Alpes-Maritime
Mr Athanaze, president of ASPAS said that hunters too often just “let fly” and shot without getting a clear sight of what they were shooting at. People out enjoying the countryside were being injured and even killed by careless hunters. He called for tighter safeguards including a non-shooting zone around homes, “an annual health check for hunters - especially their vision – before they can renew their shooting licence, set maximum alcohol limits and start checks on hunters and, above all, a ban on Sunday hunts”.
At the weekend a bullet meant for a wild boar smashed through the windscreen of a car on the D913 near Fleury, Moselle; earlier in November a fisherman at Isle sur Tarn in Tarn was killed while he was repairing his boat; on October 31 a motorist in Thonon-les-Bains (Haute-Savoie) was shot in the head by a hunter who mistook him for a wild boar.

• In the most recent incident, in Alpes-Maritimes, the hunter has been arrested and charged with manslaughter after the death of the beekeeper. The president of the local hunt association has closed the district hunt season until September 2014.
 - See more at: http://www.connexionfrance.com
Val says  remember the story below and see why I was rightly frightened!
 I have a brown coat, my donkey coat, covered in burrs and with pockets seemingly full of straw. I wore it this morning to go out down in the fields to repair the donkey fencing. I was working away bent over next to one of the woods which roll off down a steep valley, when I heard voices and then gunshots. With pounding heart I heard  thuds behind me, turning I saw apples falling off a wild apple tree but I suddenly thought to a  half blind man with a gun I could be taken for a sanglier. I ripped off my coat and was relieved to see I was wearing a red spotty blouse. The voices,gunshots and shouts moved away and I sat on a grassy hummock and heaved a sigh of relief. The sun came out leaving only the mist in the valley bottom and I continued taking out  and replacing posts and electric line  embedded in clumps of brambles and rose briars. All day I have been out there, but one field is done and the donkeys braying and cavorting are now in pastures new.
The donkeys may be cavorting but I certainly won't 
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Fancy a walk? get a health certificate

Ever wondered why you need an annual health certificate just to go walking - or even play boules? Allegedly it is the insurance companies of the sporting associations who demand cover in case the participants need urgent medical intervention or accidentally propel a 750gm boule against an innocent bystander. If you practise these sports independently then no certificate is needed, but join an association and straight away you need photo, ID and a health certificate. Of course most of us are at the doctor's cabinet every 3 months anyway so getting a certificate is not a hassle, but just a waste of the doctor's time. The government has proposed to scrap the need for an annual check-up in favour of 5 yearly certificates and 2 years for children.
One zumba teacher (not Kim) said she will continue to insist on annual certificates, presumably in case a student has suddenly, but unknowingly, developed a fatal heart condition.
Strangely you can continue to drive your car without any such certificate...
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Malc says reading the post above it seems that hunters don't need a check-up - presumably hunting is not a sport.

Family greed, very sad

Albert Uderzo, the co-creator of Asterix,

"I have kept my mouth shut for years, but today I have decided to act," the 86-year-old Uderzo told reporters at his home in the Paris suburbs.
"I want to turn the tables on those who are attacking me. Enough is enough," Uderzo said.
In a statement, Uderzo and his wife said their daughter and her husband were not seeking reconciliation and were "introducing and extending legal procedures that have no foundation".
"The sole purpose of these acts is to undermine our psychological integrity and to hasten our debility, in order to get their hands on our legacy, which they covet," the statement said.
"We have decided to make Sylvie Uderzo and her husband understand that we won't let them do this to us," said Uderzo's lawyer, Pierre Cornut Gentille.
The 35 books in the Asterix series have sold 352 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 110 languages and dialects.
Malc says  Where there is a will, there is a family!
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A prostate operation with no further complications

François Hollande aurait été opéré de la prostate en février 2011, soit quelques semaines avant sa candidature à la primaire socialiste, selon les informations de France Infoce mercredi. Une intervention chirurgicale qui est restée secrète puisqu’elle n’apparait dans aucun document officiel.

Val says  A bit of a ruckus in the party that FH had this operation before his candidature with out telling the party. There was no other need for further intervention, why should he declare it? Surely there are some things including non threatening medical conditions you do not need to tell everyone about.

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On sale or return, chickens

When our granddaughter Annie was here for half term, she was desperate to go and get two chickens, she had after all spent every evening whilst we were in the Costa Brava working out names. We even ended up with a sondage / poll to get the final names. Scratch and Peck were decided upon and you all know the rest of the story. Peck the good looking black hen is a good layer and non agressive.
Scratch on the other hand has still to lay an egg and I get the feeling she is an old " boiler" She does dance and sing and she has some amusing antics but her crime not to be forgiven is pecking at Penny's bottom and removing all her tail feathers. Penny against all odds has kept laying, smashing great big eggs.
We need more hay and straw for the donkeys and as this is the farm where Scratch came from we checked we could take her back.
So she must go this week, the closer it gets to Christmas the harder it will be for me to take her back. She is a certain candidate for the pot, but it has to be farewell and adieu Scratch,  go out singing girl!
Kleenex tissues provided with this post.
Mimi / Farmer replies
Hi Val,
Don't worry about Scratch, the girls never go into the freezer only the boys. For some reason it doesn't seem right to do it! Scratch can live here with the others who never lay a bloomin' egg for as long as she likes.
Mimi x

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A reader states

If I can't pay for sex, how will my wife get her housekeeping money from me?

ANON
 I daren't put my name to this one.

Malc says " don't worry Chas, I will still pay her"

Another reader has sent an email to Malc " time to go into hiding Malcolm"
Val says -  will you boys stop lowering the tone!
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John Betjeman on sending Christmas cards

For the twenty-fifth day of December,
The birth of Christ? For some it means
An interchange of hunting scenes
On coloured cards, And I remember
Last year I sent out twenty yards,
Laid end to end, of Christmas cards
To people that I scarcely know -
They'd sent a card to me, and so
I had to send one back. Oh dear!
Is this a form of Christmas cheer?
Or is it, which is less surprising,
My pride gone in for advertising?
The only cards that really count
Are that extremely small amount
From real friends who keep in touch
And are not rich but love us much
Some ways indeed are very odd
By which we hail the birth of God.
 
A couple of years ago I received donations to our charities for Christmas from people who had decided not to send cards but give a donation. I thought this such a good idea that I did it last year in a small way and am doing it in a bigger way this year. Any way I want to say a big Happy Christmas to all my readers and friends and explain that all the money for cards and postage will be going to street children of Mali.
Sign of the times
The cards have changed from hunting scenes , too politically incorrect
Now the card relates to the person much more,  you will detect.
For example for us it can be pictures of donkeys or cats
Or even a cute couple of  dogs sporting  natty little hats
The message remains the same " Have a wonderful Christmas time" 
Sent to you all -  in terrible rhyme.
Val
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Customers are now fined.

French MPs have voted to impose punitive fines on prostitutes' customers as part of a controversial new law going through parliament aimed at helping sex workers throw off the shackles of pimps and organised criminal gangs.

The measure, part of an anti-sex-trade bill, was approved by a show of hands in the Assemblée Nationale in the early hours of Saturday.

If the rest of the law is approved, customers of prostitutes will face a fine of €1,500 for a first "contravention", rising to €3,750 for subsequent offences, which will be considered crimes.

The proposals, introduced under a private members' bill, shift the criminal responsibility away from the estimated 40,000 prostitutes in France and on to their clients. Prostitution is legal in France, but soliciting, pimping and selling underage sex are not.

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So far removed from our life in the country

French authorities have arrested 45 people across France and in French overseas territories as part of an operation targeting international arms traffickers, police said Monday.
Thirty-eight people have so far been placed under formal detention and more arrests are expected, French police said in a statement.
Some 300 officers were involved in the sweep, which targeted military-grade arms, ammunition and weapons parts trafficked into the country from the Balkans and Slovakia since 2009.
The investigation into a possible smuggling ring was launched after military-grade handguns and rifles were seized during an arrest in the Haute-Marne region in February 2012. The inquiry initially implicated a Slovak arms trafficking syndicate, with links later discovered to another smuggling group based in the Balkans.
An influx of military-grade weapons, particularly Kalashnikov assault rifles, has been blamed for a rise in gang-related shootings in the southern port city of Marseille in recent years.
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Things to sell?

If you have things to sell consider taking a stall at the Domaine de Sautou Christmas Market on the 14th and 15th. The advert about this is below with tel. numbers to contact.
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Cold, cold Christmas without you

I am a " cuppa tea addict" so imagine my shock when I went to the supplies cupboard to discover that the  last box of the tea bags was nearly empty. The thought of a Christmas without  a cup of tea loomed large and it shows how good life is at the moment for us when it is the worst scenerio I can think of. Friends going to England are going on the plane so do not have luggage allowance and those going in cars will not be back till after Christmas. We discovered a site www.britishcornershop.co.uk
and found we could order a bag of 1,200 for £35. Buying the equivalant amount here would cost 134 euros. When we had placed our order at the last click we discovered we could not proceed because our bank had the old telephone number in their records, so there will be a delay till that is changed. We need a code of verification by post!
Our daughter has now put in the post a box of Pg tips so Christmas is beginning to look rosy again.
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Marché de Noël

 14-15 décembre 2013

Au Domaine de Sautou 82160-CASTANET

Venez nombreux petits et grands

 Restauration sur place : Hotdogs, crêpes, gâteaux  

Le père Noël apparaîtra le samedi et dimanche à 16 h

Vin chaud, thé, café, chocolat chaud (gratuit)

 

 

Réservations : 05 63 65 72 64 – 06 60 67 33 74 – 06 31 96 50 81

Au profit de Via Sahel Enfants d’Afrique

 

www.viasahel-enfantsdafrique.fr

See the 120 Femmes page for an up-date.

Quai Branly Museum in Paris

Exhibition in Paris

Just as New Caledonia, the furthest-flung French territory, is about to embark on the final steps for 

self-determination, the Quai Branly museum in Paris has timely put together a rich and wide-ranging exhibition of the art and culture of the archipelago’s indigenous Kanak population that reveals a people debunking 160 years of colonialism and redefining themselves. Joseph Confavreux outlines the 

political context of the show, and calls on anthropologist Alban Bensa, an authority on Kanak culture, 

to decode the exhibition’s vast array of exhibits.
The exhibition started on 15th of Oct. but runs till 26th of January.
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Make your own pork pie

See Cooks page for an A-Z guide to making your own pork pie from super cook Victoria China.

Bruniquel. Rencontres d'art aux châteaux ce week-end

Vernissage - samedi 7 décembre à 11 h 30 et apéro/concert avec Ninon, la Violonneuse. Démonstration de forge, dimanche 8 décembre par Milan Gravier, forgeron/coutelier. Sur place, petite restauration le midi vin chaud et autres boissons revigorantes. Entrée libre, vendredi 14h/18h30, samedi et dimanche 10h/18h30. Renseignements - 05 63 30 44 01 - atelier.tissage@gmail.com .

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Assurance décennale

On the subject of builders providing a 10 year insurance on the work they have done - e.g. roofs - sometimes it can be difficult finding out which insurer to approach, should there be a problem after a builder has gone out of business. It's probably a good idea to ask for a copy of his assurance décenelle, and hold on to it for the 10 year period.

It would be wise to check now that this was the insurer the builder had at the time the work was completed.  He may have changed insurer since, but I believe the run-off of responsibility would remain with the original insurer, not be something picked up by his new one.

There is an interesting article on assurance décennale (well, interesting to those of us from the world of insurance, at least!) on French wikipedia : http://fr.wikipedia.org   

xC 

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Bacon before Christmas

I was staying with friends SW of Toulouse and came across an English butcher who had the most heavenly bacon.   I have brought bacon back from the UK for 10 years but this bacon is far superior to most you buy in the UK, let alone here !  I am trying to persuade him to send here but in the meantime he has a friend driving to Rodez on 19th where I can collect.  I will be make an order but if anyone wants some, I would be happy to collect and arrange a drop off in Villefranche de Rouergue.

Cost:
Unsmoked back       €12 per 500 gm (16 rashers)
Unsmoked streaky    €10 per 500 gm (20 rashers)
Smoked Back             €14 per 500 gm (16 rashers) - I can vouch for this – delicious dry cured.
Smoked streaky          €12 per 500 gm (20 rashers)

Ham hocks €5 each
Loin roasting joint with crackling €7.50 per kilo

Vx
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Roofs and Christmas Lights

Hello Val, 
As the resident architect, I noticed the post about roofs. A certificate of conformity is just for cars.
French roofers (couvreurs) give a 'décennale' which is a 10 year guarantee on roofs.
They are obliged by law to conform to French building regulations but there is no authority to verify whether this has been done or not.
Here in France there are no building regulation officers nor a building regulations department. A big shame as I always found them very helpful in the UK.
Best to employ an architect, have a decent technical specification and a good contract in place!
Yes I would say that wouldn't I...

On a Christmassy note, I went to a lovely restaurant last night in Cordes-sur-Ciel.
Our meal was excellent so I highly recommend the Hostellerie du Vieux Cordes for special occasions!
Cordes was magical with all the Christmas lights.

Best seasonal wishes to everyone!

Leila McLellland

leila.design@hotmail.com

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Gulli remembered with affection

Gulli the wild boar / sanglier is no more.
Gulli was saved by a local Dutch lady when he was a few days old, found in her woods. He needed constant feeds  two hourly through the night but he survived and because of his gently handling and treatment he became a very docile animal. The lady felt he was lonely so bought a black Gascon lady pig, Freya to keep him company. You may all remember this story, then Gulli and Freya had 5 stripey and 5  black piglets. Those are now long gone and another set of piglets was born.
In the last few months Gulli's tusks had grown quite large and he appeared slightly more aggressive. Because he was now huge, there was some fear that if he escaped someone could get hurt.. A tough decision was made and Gulli was shot last week. He gave a lot of pleasure, photo opportunities and in his short but happy life of two years he had  time that he never would have had.
Sad though the lady is, she knows safety had to be the top priority.

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Certificate of conformity

Hi Val,

Wev'e just had a walk and met a couple locally who have had a new roof on their house,they wondered if French builders give a certificate of conformity when completed.

We don't know and said I would ask TAG.

Do you or any other readers have any insight into this? 

anon.
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Villefranche fountain finally finished

 The redevelopment of the market square has been a sore subject for many all summer and the iconic market stalls had to move out for the installation of the fountain at huge expense. Work didn't start until half way through April ( and last year they had said it would be finished for Easter 2013.)

It will be finished before the tourists arrive for the summer they promised - the tourists arrived - the end of July arrived ...................
No chance

At times progress seemed painfully slow
August came and went
September came and went and the tourists departed.

October came and went
But at last yesterday evening the square was crowded with locals eager to see the fountain in all its multicoloured glory in full spout. We were frozen after an hour of speechifying from the local, departmental, regional and national  dignitaries who were all very pleased with themselves and we left just as things were getting lively but it is finished and it works. I have reservations about the coloured lights which just seem a bit over the top and tasteless to me  but I do appreciate the beautiful workmanship which has gone into the paving ( I am sure my mother would agree it will be a great improvement for anyone crossing the square in a wheelchair not to be shaken to bits!

Sue Carter

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Le Jardin de la Mothe

Earlier in the year, John and I visited this privately owned garden, kids in tow, and received a lovely warm welcome from Marion, Harty and their family. As we sat in the kitchen, enjoying the home-made chocolate cake, and talking about the history of the garden, which Marion and Harty started from scratch, 25 years ago, I knew this would be a brilliant  venue for a gardening group outing: a gorgeous garden, fantastic company, and good cake – what more could you want?

This garden, occupying a plot of 3,500 square meters, was developed by Marion, an artist, for the function of creating a beautiful space. She modestly describes herself as “Not a trained gardener” and “not a plants woman,” but she has taken what was an empty field and has created a stunning garden,which has won the distinction of being named a Jardinremarquable.

This prestigious award, which can be presented to gardens big or small, public or private, is bestowed by the National Council of Parks and Gardens (part of the Ministry of Culture and Communication) to those gardens deemed to have achieved a high level of remarkable achievement. See theComité des Parcs et Jardins de France’s website for the comprehensive list of all such gardens: www.parcsetjardins.fr

For Marion, her garden is all about shapes and textures and the different forms of the garden. Approaching gardening from the perspective of an artist rather than a horticulturalist, she uses evergreen hedges and shrubs to good effect, creating portholes in hedges and spiral topiary in cypress to add interest and to frame the views. Inspired by Sissinghurst, the garden is designed as a series of enchanting 'rooms' which you enjoy before discovering another one. I love the gloriette, which provides elevated views of the surrounding valley, and the lime walk is my personal favourite, as it creates a grand approach to the pool garden, with its lovely herbaceous border. But to be honest, it’s all gorgeous, and each new glimpse of a new vista, and each new path, beckoning you to follow it into another part of the garden, creates a magical ambience, so it’s not surprising to discover that a film crew used the garden as the set for a recent adaptation of Alice inWonderland. (There’s a new family member in residence atJardin de la Mothe – a celebrity rabbit – as the film crew gave the lapine star to Marion’s children once filming was complete).
Debbie

Val says Read more of Debbie's report with more pictures in the Gardening Label

"The English are not masochists"

So thinks Alain Gayrel vigneron around Gaillac and Campagnac. His domains produce 55000 hectolitres of wine, much with the Gaillac appellation, but much which cannot be accorded the label. But Alain is not daunted by this and invents names and labels (including "Vin d'enfer" with appropriate health warning) under which he markets wines which "suit the international taste". One best seller is called "French Pinard" and Alain says he didn't sell a single case in his two Tarn outlets, but 26000 bottles in America and 300000 in the UK. He puts this down to the English having more sense of humour than the French and they are not so masochistic that they would drink bad wine.
Malc says perhaps it's because we don't all know that "pinard" is a slang word for "plonk". But we've all had plenty of so called good French wine that tasted like plonk anyway.
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Young and French

We went to a party last night, the second time we have been invited to a rave with the young French. There were couples, singletons, children, dogs a plenty and rockers, jammers, musicians, singers all arranged by Anne Claire a young friend who has just finished her course in the summer at Monteils on " Party planning " it would seem. There was dancing, gyrating, hopping, clapping, a tent outside was for the smokers of whatever! Our young neighbours were there with their home brewed beer and Lucas who danced all night proclaimed to Malc " J'ai bien gouté."
The food for the party was a great success and something worth emulating, we were told to bring our filling of choice for  a crepes for yourselves and to share. There were 3 huge piles of crepes, one gluten free and 3 flat crepe fryers. One picked your crepe and warmed it yourself adding one of the many choices of toppings, some went back for more than a couple, didn't they Malcolm? There were sweet and savory choices and our apple and  raisin compote seemed quite popular.

As we drove home we both admitted we felt our age but as Malc reminded me , we were probably 50 years older than some of the young people there!

Interestingly many were thinking of going to the jamming session at Parisot on a Friday night.

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A couple from Moissac and their inspiring walk

A couple in their late seventies a year ago walked from Biarritz to Rome. It took them just over 3 months. Suzanne de Beaumont and husband Phillipe enjoy walking and have just decided long distance walking is for them. Suzanne has written a book of their experiences on the walk called " De Biarritz à Rome, 2,200 km à pied. 

À lire

«De Biarritz à Rome, 2 200 km à pied», de Suzanne de Beaumont. Ce récit de 140 pages illustrées raconte de manière simple et vivante, l’extraordinaire voyage à pied de Suzanne et Philippe. 15 €. Disponible par internet sur le site www.bopresse.fr/biarritz-a-rome.htm

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Goats

Guy Tourette in Najac keeps goats as pets and one of his died in the autumn. He moved her companion somewhere because she would be lonely. He is in the phone book, possibly also under his father René Tourette's entry. He might well rehome a goat.....
Sally
Val says, thanks Sally but - Alison really loves her goat. I think she wants to find another goat for hers for company.  Having discussed this with a friend who keeps goats (and would look after another) she suggests asking  La ferme de Daodou who along with horses keep some goats and the owner does sell them. The farm is very near Najac.
Sally says Well Guy is an expert on finding goats. I had a chat with him about it last time we were down. I believe he mentioned a convent as a source as well as goat farms....he's worth talking to on finding as well as rehoming.
Val says - Perhaps Alison can try to look up M Tourette's contact
Val says later. I have found Guy Tourette's tel number and address and Alison is going to contact him.
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