Monday, 17 March 2014

Bill Abley has memories of flying on Concorde

With reference to Concorde, I actually flew from Bahrain to Heathrow on the supersonic jet in 1978. I was working on chicken farms in the middle east and the company I worked for paid for standard return flights from Jeddah to London, so I paid  an extra £100 to fly Concorde which meant Jeddah-Bahrain-Heathrow. It was worth every penny!
The inside of the plane was small with two seats on either side and I could not stand up straight in the middle.
There were only about thirty passengers on the flight, there was a digital clock in front of you informing you how fast you were going, I remember it reading Mach2.2. The service was first class all the way, flying about 55,000ft altitude and I could see the curve of the earth. You could stand a coin on edge there was so little turbulence and we the Captain telling us when we went supersonic, although I did not hear the sonic boom.
The flight took 2hr 15 min which was incredible and yes you were served champagne and caviar!
One coincidence was one of the crew had the same rare surname as myself and came from the same area as my father, so we could have been related.
Bill Abley

Some good news on passport charges

Some good news for British expats in France. They will pay a third less for new passports after UK authorities slashed the price due to the "efficiency savings" they have made over the last three years, by closing passport offices abroad.
The fees for a UK passport for British citizens applying from overseas countries, including France, will fall by 35 percent from April, the British government announced this week.
James Brokenshire, Immigration and Security Minister, said that from April 7th the passport fee for customers applying for a UK passport from overseas will be reduced by £45 for adults and £28.50 for children.
The changes will see 32-page adult passports costing £83 while passports for children will cost £53.
A 48-page passport, which is available to adults and children, will cost £91. 
Reports inThe Local   and the Connexion              Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

That poor little Peking Frizzle still needs a home

Hi Val,
I still have my bantam, peking, frizzle cockerel who needs a good home. If anyone is interested. My phone number is 05 63 67 99 17. I am in Castanet near to Parisot.
Thank you 
Selena

Val says  I cannot believe someone has not got a spare bed and a bit of outside space for this little  ''frizzly'' chap.

A rechargeable lightweight Hoover in perfect condition

32 euros for a Hoover, sounds good


Many thanks, Sue Cutter
suecutter@hotmail.com
0565 297996

Horrific sight for waiting passengers.

The body of a cyclist hit by one of France's high-speed TGV trains was embedded into the front of the driver's carriage and carried 40 kilometres (25 miles) before anyone noticed.
Police and the national rail company SNCF were unable to say on Monday whether the 48-year-old man's death was accidental or a suicide.
He was struck by the train on a level crossing in the village of Petit-Croix, near Belfort in eastern France on Sunday, but his body was not discovered until staff and passengers got off at the next stop, in Mulhouse.
"The body was found, stuck to the front right of the train, out of the driver's vision," an SNCF spokesman said, adding that an incident of this kind was "relatively rare".

It it Spring and love is in the air

The Canadian couple renting the gite have just said " everything up here at Mas del Sol is at it!"
The donkeys are cavorting in the fields, the kestrels are in the mating tree, the little birds are pairing, the answer is " It is Spring "
What would we do without the seasons?
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Disruptions with all French planes tomorrow

A  strike by air traffic controllers tomorrow will disrupt all flights in France we are told. If you have friends or family that you know are flying tomorrow  pass on the news.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

MCL design also does building surveys

Dear Val,
As you are now putting houses for sale on TAG, I thought that readers may be interested to know that I am adding building surveys to my list of services provided by MCL Design.

These building reports will establish the current condition and state of repairs based on a detailed visual survey of the property + photos and my professional expertise. They include information on the materials and construction of the building for sale. This will provide buyers a good guide before they buy and outline defects that may require work, repairs or further investigation as well any obvious structural problems. A measured survey can also be carried out on request to produce existing floor plans.
Please contact me by e-mail or phone for a quote and more information.

Also, don't forget to contact me if you require plans or advice on French planning permissions in this area!
Kind Regards, Leila McLelland.

MCL Design
05 65 65 84 83
06 24 89 79 60
http://mcl-design.blogspot.com 

Natural slate roof tiles for sale

Dear Val
Natural slate roofing tiles for sale.
Rounded shape size 40 x 20cm, 6mm thick
8,000 tiles (7 pallets) for 300m2 roof.
PRICE: 0.56€/tile (4,500€ for the 8,000 tiles) OR NEAREST OFFER.
Never laid, so in new condition, the slate tiles are robust and with out defects.
Offers/questions to Leila.design@hotmail.com
(Requests for a minimum of 1,000 tiles only please.)



Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Do you know it is just brilliant today.

I was not going to give a weather forecast today as I thought, well it always includes animals and pets,  and you must be getting fed up, but you have to have one. The view from our salon window as I sit with my ipad writing this is STUNNING.
 Blue sky, birds everywhere, mist in the valley, (do not worry you valley bottomers, the sun is on its way ) The forecast is to be hot and all the pets are sunbathing already, whilst Malc and I will be  joining them shortly.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

The Red Cross is very active in St. Antonin

Val says  So sad that there are people so close to us that need to ask for charity, but how good that there is charity waiting to help.

To be eligible you need to go and inscribe, with your documents to show how little you have to live on, and go at the stated times. 
I notice on the committee are two people Rene and Nadette Curato from Espinas who seem to have "fingers in so many pies"
In each commune there must be people like these two who spend time giving back to the community.

Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val. Croix-Rouge : reprise de l'aide alimentaire

La reprise de l’aide alimentaire de l’antenne locale de la Croix-Rouge de Saint Antonin Noble Val aura lieue le jeudi 3 avril à partir de 13h30 (distribution sur rendez-vous). Les inscriptions et les prises de rendez-vous pour la distribution, qui se dérouleront au local de la Croix-Rouge, place François Pomiès (cour arrière de la mairie), débuteront le mardi 18 mars de 14 heures à 16 heures, puis le jeudi 20 mars de 9h30

I quote the Depeche and now the Depeche quotes TAG on line.

Talking about the number of the  St. Antonin anglophone electorate living in Tarn and Garonne, 10 % apparently, a reference was made to one of my posts. A meeting in St. Antonin with political officials had been arranged for a certain time but it was late to start and so a number of  UK residents got fed up and left.
They obviously were fairly new on the scene, as anyone who has been living here for any length of time knows there is " French time " and " English time"  it takes some getting used to.
Classic examples include going to concerts, always at least half an hour late starting.
Playing in the boules tournaments especially the nocturnes, the Brits arrive at the time stated, say 8 pm, nobody else arrives till 9.... and it goes on. After a while you learn to work around it!

The snippet from the Depeche
 En février dernier, lors d’une réunion de St-Antonin demain destinée à envisager une collaboration plus étroite avec cette communauté étrangère, une petite cinquantaine de personnes s’est présentée à l’heure dite «mais quelques-uns sont repartis à cause du retard», commentent sur leur blog (tag-on-line),ces anglophones visiblement étrangers à la notion de «quart d’heure tarn-et-garonnais». 
Read the full article in the Depeche
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Cremation becomes more common

Lack of space is one of the reasons cremation is on the rise. A national assembly of L’association crématiste de Tarn et Garonne, presided over by  Joël Garrigues at Montauban, tells us that the cost just of using the crematorium is around 3, 463 euros. Taking out assurance / insurance which is fixed to inflation was advised. In the Depeche there is a picture of urns which one can choose for your loved one's ashes.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

The tree pollen is flying

A friend said earlier in the week " Val, it is too early for pollen"
My response "try shaking that fir tree there," the cats as they pass and rub against it send clouds of pollen in to the air. Malc has started rubbing his eyes and sneezing so there are no doubts pollen is flying.
TV French news this morning, had the same story and shook the same variety of tree to show the pollen.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Sunday, 16 March 2014

New restaurant in St. Antonin Noble Val

L'auberge des sens.
We decided to take our first visitors of the year to L'auberge basque in St Antonin and booked by telephone. We arrived to discover the restaurant has changed hands (again) and is now l'auberge des sens.

It was lucky that we had booked as it was full ( market day ) and too chilly on the terrace.
Although we were disappointed to find the basque restaurant had gone (it was a great place to take fish eating vegetarians) its replacement is a welcome addition to the eateries available in St Antonin.
The service was cheerful and friendly, if a little slow even by French standards, and the food was presented beautifully and most important of all was absolutely delicious. It would have had a TOF rating of 5 except for the fact that one main option from a choice of three on the menu was not available leaving our confirmed red meat eater having to choose between chicken or fish, they had also run out of the pear tarte tatin by the time we came to order our deserts and Trevor had set his heart on that. Nevertheless we all came out saying what a lovely meal we'd had and promising to return soon. It is early days for this restaurant, apparently we were the first to book a table by telephone, and  I  look forward to seeing if it can improve on an excellent start and I do hope they get more staff before the busy season starts - it could be a winner.
For now a TOF rating of 4 and we will definitely be back soon.
Sue Carter
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Looking for work, contact Rich

Hi Val,
Can you post an add please for me “if you do this type of thing”  
I am looking for 2 labourers for a large renovation project about to start soon.
Thanks,
Rich.

Labourers required near St Antonin (82)

No site experience needed ; just good work ethic
Must be registered to work in France
€12 ph for first 3 months/negotiated after
Contact Rich: rich@renovationswfrance.com

Kestrel facts I wondered about

Kestrels tend to mate for life, but our last years chicks will not mate in their first year. They could mate in their second year if they are still alive, but  on average half of the brood will be dead with in 18 months. It is rare for kestrels to live 10 years but a ringed one was known to live for 16 years.
They mainly eat voles and when I have watched them hovering and diving for prey I wondered how the bird knew prey was there. Well the silly voles leave a trail of urine as they go and as kestrels are able to see well into the ultra-violet spectrum,  this enables them to track voles through grass very easily, as the wee trail reflects ultra-violet light, sending out a big beacon to the Kestrels. At the end of the trail, there is either the vole itself, or its nest. 
I know from experience they will eat moles as when Bonny catches them if I can I retrieve them and leave them on a fence pole for the birds, they take them. They also catch lizards and crickets and only very occasionally small birds.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

The French Intifada: The Long War Between France and its Arabs, Andrew Hussey's study of the legacy of French colonialism.

A review of this book in the Guardian by Nick Fraser today which is said to be a courageous view of modern France. I have given a snippet below of which the end sentence "French jails are said to have figures of 70% North African inmates," seems quite shocking. 
Sometimes understanding the past problems gives you a clearer picture of present and future problems and then that way changes can be slowly made. The book sounds interesting but with a bleak outlook, but I might have to buy it... no chance of it turning up at the book swap.

"A snippet" However, the rights enjoyed by European immigrants were never handed on to Arabs. In the late 1950s, Algeria exploded, and after a long, bloody war, in which torture was freely used, and horrifying reprisals became commonplace on both sides, the French colons were forced to leave under the most humiliating circumstances. Their forced return coincided with the arrival in France of a large North African migrant workforce, who were housed first in shacks, then segregated within newly constructed tower blocks. Desperate banlieue kids adopted English football clubs ("French football is shit," one of them tells Hussey), hip-hop argot, and, when this got them nowhere, fell prey to violent antisemitism and an admiration for Osama bin Laden. As one might expect, that got them into the hands of the police, who infiltrate these gangs. At least 70% of the inmates of French jails are said to be North Africans.

Book Description on Amazon

6 Mar 2014

Beyond the affluent centre of Paris and other French cities, in the deprived banlieues, a war is going on. This is the French Intifada, a guerrilla war between the French state and the former subjects of its Empire, for whom the mantra of 'liberty, equality, fraternity' conceals a bitter history of domination, oppression, and brutality. This war began in the early 1800s, with Napoleon's aggressive lust for all things Oriental, and led to the armed colonization of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, and decades of bloody conflict, all in the name of 'civilization'. Here, against the backdrop of the Arab Spring, Andrew Hussey walks the front lines of this war - from the Gare du Nord in Paris to the souks of Marrakesh and the mosques of Tangier - to tell the strange and complex story of the relationship between secular, republican France and the Muslim world of North Africa. The result is a completely new portrait of an old nation. Combining a fascinating and compulsively readable mix of history, politics and literature with Hussey's years of personal experience travelling across the Arab World, The French Intifada reveals the role played by the countries of the Magreb in shaping French history, and explores the challenge being mounted by today's dispossessed heirs to the colonial project: a challenge that is angrily and violently staking a claim on France's future.
Val says and it does not touch us here in SW France, unless we want to read about it. 

Malc tells me there are exactly 100 photos by our local expert photographers

Look in  the label "Wild Photos" if you want a treat. There are 100 pictures mainly of our local wild animals, flora, fauna, places in the area, you can spend a happy time looking and if you are like me wishing your photos were  "that" good.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Finch fight

Scrapping little beggars are greenfinches, they come in hordes and there are plenty of seeds for everyone, but there are always those who like a fight over them.   Snapped by Malc.
Malc prefers  - photographed by Malc!

Hi Val
Brilliant photograph of Malcolm's! 
Shutter speed, aperture, focal length...? 
The world should be told!!
Chris
Malc says pictures taken with 400mm  lens set at 240mm, f5.6 and 1/2000 sec (ISO auto at 1000). Fortunately the birds were only about 3 metres away.

Hi Malc
Great action photo! Like it
Peter
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Le Bouton Rouge

Dear Val,

I would be very grateful if you felt able to include the attached poster and short text below in TAG on-line if you felt that was appropriate:



Le Bouton Rouge is organising a Marché des Createurs on Sunday 13th April at the Salle des Fetes in Parisot between 10am and 5pm in association with the Parisot association, Rencontre et Partage. It promises to be an exciting event with a wide range of exhibitors who will be selling their original pieces. We will be showing sculpture, furniture, clothes and accessories for both adults and children, handmade cards, jewellery, cushions, objets d'art, picture frames, mosaics and upholstery. There will also be a tombola where you will have the chance to win an original piece from our recent 12x12 project.
The Bouton Rouge cafe will be open all day selling tea, coffee and soft drinks in addition to home-made cakes and biscuits. We really hope that you will be along to come along and enjoy the day with us. We look forward to meeting you there.

Kath Humphries and Ankie de Jager
Le Bouton Rouge
www.leboutonrouge.co.uk
Many thanks,
Kath Humphries

Father Le Pen predicts his daughter will become President in 2017, God forbid !

Le Pen predicted a major FN foray in this month's local polls, which pollsters and analysts have also forecast, would lead to more electoral victories and eventually shatter the bipolar order of French politics.
"This (municipal) election is the first in a series which must drive us -- I sense that profoundly -- to Marine Le Pen's election victory in 2017," the 85-year-old said, addressing a crowd of supporters in the southwestern city of Toulouse.
He spent much of the rest of his speech vilifying the European Union and blaming France's economic woes on immigrants.
Still the party's honorary leader, Le Pen has repeatedly been convicted of racial hatred and Holocaust denial.
He has sparked outrage by calling for HIV carriers to be put into forced isolation, attacking France's World Cup winning football team for not being white enough, or, most notoriously, describing the Nazi gas chambers as a "minor detail" in the history of World War II.
Val says and the truly horrendous thing is people  still support them! God help us all if that ever did  come to happen.

The smog is BAD in Paris

France is to limit vehicle use in the capital Paris from Monday morning amid a spike in pollution to health-threatening levels, the French government announced Saturday.

A system of “alternating traffic”, whereby vehicle use is restricted to alternate days depending on licence plate numbers, will come into effect in Paris and its surrounding suburbs from 5.30 am (04.30 GMT) Monday morning.         Val says   I am surprised people are not wearing face masks walking and cycling around Paris                                                
 comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Sapeurs- pompiers de Paris not firefighting but playing music!

A grand musical moment proposed by the Villefranche de Rouerque comité des fêtes, a brigade of Paris pompiers in a musical parade. 5th April at la collégiale.

Grand moment musical, le samedi 5 avril, à la collégiale, où se produira la musique de la brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris. Un événement exceptionnel proposé par le comité des fêtes de Villefranche.
Aujourd’hui, recrutés pour leurs talents musicaux et issus des conservatoires français, les 55 musiciens et musiciennes des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris constituent une formation de renom. Partie intégrante de la brigade, la musique participe à la vie du corps à l’occasion des cérémonies à caractère militaire et des festivités internes. D’autre part, elle contribue à maintenir le prestige et la renommée de la brigade, et se produit également en province pour servir avec fierté le prestige du corps.
Val says  Sorry I cannot give times but more information from the Tourist office.

You need a local French chasseur to tell you what is happening.( but before rather than after the event)

This morning Malc was out with the dogs for their morning constitutional, when he met Rene Allo, now his name is spelt Allaud, but is pronounced " allo"
Rene is a local  good  egg, very helpful neighbour( neighbour as in the sense,only 2 kms down the road) and member of the local chasse. Malc had quite a chat to him about the events yesterday with dogs and hunters.
Apparently it was a" battu administratitif" to kill foxes. A full team were out with a pack of dogs and two guards adminstratitif
Rene was there stalking in the valley bottom, and he says he was frozen, the sun just never got down there.
Malc forgot to ask about the traps but we think maybe the two days before the hunter was laying bait in certain places where then the fox would go back.
It would be useful if we, local landowners that we are, French, Dutch and English were told these things before being alarmed by it being thrust upon us.
Read the email below and you will see what I mean, and Charlotte could have been out in the woods with dogs all unsuspecting.

Dear Val,
Your post about the hunters and the setting of traps in the woods is very alarming! I heard the shots yesterday and wondered if I should ring the Mairie.
But now that you've mentioned traps, that is very worrying as my dogs run all over those woods on walks with us.
Can we report this as it is illegal to set any type of trap?
Charlotte.

Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Water, water, everywhere and plenty of good stuff at Bruniquel

The maire of Bruniquel Michel Montet in the presence of the architect M. Boissiere  unveiled the new station for water treatment which will cover the area of Bruniquel/ Puygaillard and the two communes.
So you lucky beggars in that area will have super water quality with no rise in the price of your water.
Well done that Maire, he does seem to be a mover and shaker, and he managed to get the opening in just before the elections, smart guy.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

A lot of ladies asking already, when is the Fifi friperie?

The news is the Friperie is going to happen again this year but is being renamed for a more up market image now called  " Bourse des Vetements", well it is a rather  "chic" affair after all.
They are asking for good quality clothes to be donated and after clearing out your wardrobes ready for new creations, the clothes can be given now to committee members. Check out the Fifi website to see who to contact.
Judith Reynolds who lives in the centre of St. Antonin is a good bet and she can be contacted to arrange delivery at   judith.reynolds@orange.fr
The actual FIFI sale will be the 3rd of May and once again opening at 10.30am at the salles des fetes at Verfeil sur Seye,  a definite date for your diaries.
For those of you who have asked, monies raised from the event are for Fifi' s funds.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

The misty valley and hills ring with kestrel cries

A misty morning, not sure how the day is going to go, certainly no sign of sun so far.
We have disturbed the kestrel pair  twice this morning. Once by Bonny barking up at the nest, it takes a while and a few tellings off for her to accept a largish bird, not a hen on her territory, flying in to the house wall!
Then when I went out to feed the cats, hens and donkeys I once again frightened the pair away.
They did soar above us all screeching at each other, hopefully they will soon get used to us all again.

Two years ago we were plagued by magpies and after the kestrels decided to use the nest, the magpies decided they did not want them on their territory. Each time the kestrels came the magpies arrived " mob handed" to fight them off... and it worked.
The magpies were a real nuisance chattering all summer around the house, advice from the French locals  was to ask the "chasse" to shoot them. We would not have taken that option, but we found a deterrent by accident.
We had a long  hedge at the end of the garden cut down to waist level  for the view down the valley, without realising it we destroyed the magpies nesting places, and they moved to pastures or hedges new.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Saturday, 15 March 2014

Dodgy place to stand, says Ness

John and Ness Ainsworth  after living many years in St. Antonin Noble Val  are now back in  Lymington.
Ness saw these donkeys and thought, it would not be wise to stand outside a butchers shop in France!
Hope you are settling in and  have found the bridge club.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Kestrel update


We have had actual mating in the mating tree this afternoon, not as impressive as the donkeys but just as exciting, the harbingers of new life and as far as we know the 16th time of the nest being used. Amazing to think the same rituals year after year resulting in 5 to 6 baby kestrels each time. The birds seem to have quite a lot of " love ins" before settling down to lay eggs  and then raise their chicks.  Here is our first picture of this years " Kes" He  looks a bit grumpy in this photo, or is it the female saying " I told you to give the nest a good clean before you left, but do you listen"
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Talking about collaborators

Priscilla: The Hidden Life of an Englishwoman in Wartime France  by Nicholas Shakespeare

Nicholas Shakespeare when he was younger thought his beautiful Aunt a very romantic, glamorous figure  and that from the family gossip he pieced together she must have worked for the Resistance. The truth when he researched after her death proved to be very different. 

As he investigated his aunt's life, dark secrets emerged. Nicholas discovered the answer to the questions he'd been puzzling over: What caused the breakdown of Priscilla's marriage to a French aristocrat? Why had she been interned in a prisoner-of-war camp and how had she escaped? And who was the 'Otto' she was having a relationship with as Paris was liberated?
This book was published in 2003, might be worth a read.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

A folk club at Montauban

I happen to like both rock and folk and in April 2012 I started a monthly Folk Club night in Montauban (north of Toulouse) which has seen some fine performances from people of all nationalities. If you live in the south west or are visiting the region call 05 63 66 15 34 to book a place. The Folk Club is held at ‘Le Quetzal’, 18 Rue Des Augustins Montauban every first Sunday evening of each month
Val says might be worth making  contact or even booking a slot and taking supporters with you, Folk' n' Jazz. just to see how others do it and I am sure you will show ' em how it is done!

Our pair of Faucon crécerelle has arrived

We saw them last week at Kestrel corner on the power lines but we have been awaiting the first visit of our kestrels to the  Mas del Sol niche/ nest.
Malc and I seem to have sort sort of sickness bug today so we are taking it easy in the salon. Looking out of a back window I noticed two largish birds in the mating tree, one swooped over and into the hole in the gite wall and the other followed. Unmistakably our kestrels, what a shame Tudor missed their arrival by a couple of days.
 They are now making their distinctive  high pitched call and flying around. I do hope once again they decide to stay and provide us with our very own Spring Watch. We will remember when they came " the Ides of March" and they are just as beautiful as ever.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

How can this be?

Two hunters vans up the road and a pack of dogs, screaming and yelping round the valley, did I not say the chasse season had ended? One of the reasons you do not want dogs in the valley and we do not let Bonny go in the Spring is the baby sangliers, deer etc. need time to birth and grow. We have also seen a man down in the woods setting traps/ pieges, we think.
We have just heard 3 gunshots so something is being killed, could be a fox, but any old excuse as far as I can see.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Beware the Ides of March

From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, 1601. 'Beware the Ides of March' is the soothsayer's message to Julius Caesar, warning of his death.

The Ides of March didn't signify anything special in itself - this was just the usual way of saying "March 15th". The notion of the Ides being a dangerous date was purely an invention of Shakespeare's; each month has an Ides (often the 15th) and this date wasn't significant in being associated with death prior to 1601.

Temperatures still high but not so much sun.

The forecast is looking fairly settled till next week end although today the sun may be veiled.
Tudor has left to go back to the North East of England after a sunny week.
He will be going to watch the Opera at the Met on Saturday night in Middlesbrough, and we have friends watching the same production at Gaillac. These live broadcast showings seem to have caught on.
The donkeys after a great deal of shouting this morning were surprisingly equable whilst being fed. Sometimes I feel ashamed of Rosie' s bullying tactics but there is always a dominant one in a herd... and we knew it would be her, the little madam.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Impossible to imagine numbers like these.

A Paris court has delivered France's first-ever conviction for genocide, sentencing a Rwandan former intelligence chief to 25 years in prison over the 1994 killings of at least 500,000 people in the African country.
The landmark trial of 54-year-old Pascal Simbikangwa sets off what could be the first of dozens of French trials into one of the 20th century's greatest atrocities - two decades after it happened.
In a late night verdict after 5 ½ weeks on trial, he was found guilty of genocide and complicity to crimes against humanity. It wasn't immediately clear whether Simbikangwa's lawyers would appeal.
While French officialdom wasn't on trial, critics say France was too supportive of Rwandan government and for too long turned a blind eye to the genocide.  the Telegraph

Sales drop in China for Bordeaux wines

Sales of Bordeaux wines slid by 1.4 percent last year, with exports dropping by 6 percent as Chinese drinkers cut their purchases by nearly a fifth, winemakers said on Thursday.
While the volume of wine from the southwestern French region sold edged up 0.3 percent to 557 million litres, or 742 million bottles, by value it slipped 1.4 percent to €4.24 billion ($5.9 billion), the CIVB association of Bordeaux winemakers said.
Exports fell 2 percent by volume to 213 million litres, and by 6 percent in value to €2.14 billion.
CIVB president Bernard Farges blamed the slump in exports on "the slowdown in China which has had exponential growth since 2005".
Sales in China fell 16 percent by volume and 18 percent by value, a drop of about €60 million. China and Hong Kong together account a quarter of Bordeaux's exports.   from the Local

Following on from an earlier post I wanted to know more about " the Milice"

The Milice française (French Militia), generally called the Milice (French pronunciation: ​[milis]), was a paramilitary force created on January 30, 1943 by the Vichy regime (with German aid) to help fight the French Resistance during World War II. The Milice's formal head was Prime Minister Pierre Laval, although its Chief of operations and de facto leader was Secretary General Joseph Darnand. It participated in summary executions and assassinations, helping to round up Jews and résistants in France for deportation. It was the successor to Joseph Darnand's Service d'ordre légionnaire (SOL) militia.
The Milice frequently used torture to extract information or confessions from those whom they interrogated. The French Resistance considered the Milice more dangerous than the Gestapo and SS because they were native Frenchmen who understood local dialects fluently, had extensive knowledge of the towns and countryside, and knew local people and informants.
Milice troops (known as miliciens) wore a blue uniform jacket, brown shirt and a wide blueberet. (During active paramilitary-style operations, a pre-war French Army helmet was used.) Its newspaper was Combats (not to be confused with the underground Resistance newspaper, Combat). It employed full-time and part-time personnel, and had a youth wing. The Milice's armed forces were officially known as the Franc-Garde. Contemporary photographs show the Milice armed with a variety of weapons captured from Allied forces.

Friday, 14 March 2014

Blogs mentioned on France 3 tonight

Two French blogs were discussed on TV tonight,  one a restaurants in Toulouse  blog and I was quite gratified when they said they have an amazing audience of up to 300 a day... and you know how many  clicks TAG has. [I am always telling you]
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

I was loved by a monster

Tonight on France 3 local news Philippe Druillet, originally from the Gers, was talking about his parents who were collaborators in the Second World War. It made quite an impression on me when he said '' I was loved by a monster''. His mother he says was a Fascist through and through,  in her bones. His father was Head of the local  Milice, who were the worst kind of collaborator. Phillipe has tried  put all this behind him and now writes and does the art work for bandes dessinees / comic books which are an important genre of book in France. He has published an autobiography "Delirium" - without pictures.
If you are a fan of sci fi, fantasy artwork this man is a genius, worth googling him to look at his art.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Properties are moving if the price is rock bottom.

This snippet taken from Prime property market
However, many buyers have simply been motivated by the fact that prime prices, in some French regions, are at a seven year low, and many are starting to see buying opportunities.
‘Despite the Euro’s resilience we are seeing a tentative but reassuring number of British Buyers, including expats originally from the UK, buying in South West France, the Côte d’Azur and Provence. With prices at a seven year low in some regions there are a number of cash buyers who are seeing value in the market,’ said Kate Everett-Allen, head of international residential research.
‘That said, with the cost of borrowing at historic lows many dollar and sterling purchasers are financing their acquisitions with a Euro mortgage as a way of mitigating any future fall in the Euro,’ she added.
She also pointed out that the market continues to operate on two tiers. ‘Where property is priced accurately interest is generated, viewings are arranged and sales are agreed. However, there are still far too many properties that are unrealistically priced and languish on the market due to a lack of realism on the part of some vendors and a lack of transparency in the marketplace,’ she explained.
Val says some properties I have seen  here have been on the market for years, if you want a sale one has to be realistic, prices have dropped dramatically in the last  four years. No good saying we paid "x" amount for it if it is now worth "x minus ten" 
If you decide you want to sell and after 6 months you have had no interest, start thinking " over priced"  it always amazes me that people never do, and we will probably be just the same if we ever sell.  We all like our own  properties, which is why we bought them but remember , price is always  the deciding  factor.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com 

Who restores mirrors?

Hello both - hasn't it been glorious and even though I have been told it's going to change tomorrow - the winter is behind us and good things to come cheers
 Yvonne

Could you put another search into Tag for me Val.  I am looking for a Mirror Restorer but its a Venetian type

 I am searching for a Mirror Restorer but it is of Venetian design and possibly made in Belgium early last Century
Yvonne Milner Tel. 05 63 33 13 00  

Despicable act bringing his party in to disrepute

The French Socialist minister sacked for lying to President François Hollande about his secret Swiss bank account, also reportedly had €2.5 million (£2 million) stashed in an account on the Isle of Man.
Jérôme Cahuzac, whose brief as budget minister included cracking down on tax cheats, plunged the government into crisis a year ago when he admitted, after repeated denials, that he had secretly €600,000 in Switzerland.
Sources close to the investigation suggested to Sud Ouest newspaper that Mr Cahuzac, a former hair-transplant surgeon, may have kept a lot more money hidden from French tax collectors.
The Telegraph
Val says and his job was cracking down on tax cheats. It sounds a bit " Daily Mail"  I know, but throw the book at him.

Great fun at the Opera

Malc has just spent time bringing records up to date, and he tells me over the winter for  the Opera we will have had 100 people coming to enjoy. We have one more evening to go in April and then we will let you know how much we have raised for Via Sahel Enfants d'Afrique.
It makes buying that home cinema that was advertised on TAG, worth every penny.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

A step too far

A youth of 16 picked the wrong people's car to try and steal.
He was busy breaking in to the BMW when the owners arrived, hit him and bundled him in to the boot of the car.
They then drove him home, tied him to a chair and burnt him with cigarettes. Let us hope they all ended up before the courts.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Selling your house on TAG

If  house buyers come to TAG before making the move to SW France why should I not feature a house every now and then for sale, at no cost, but if you sell through TAG a donation to one of  my charities.  If you would like to try send a jpg and a bit of description and contact details and every now and then I will put one on.
If the immobiliers do not come to TAG let us show what we can do, TAG does seem to be a selling tool.

I am also changing the selling of items to a donation to be made when sold whatever the price. Before it was  200 euros but I have found everyone very trustworthy on paying.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Varenly Regatta Wed. 20th of August

Our second phone call asking the date of Varenly Regatta, so visitors can book their holidays. This year will be the 11th Varenly Regatta, and what a fun family day it is.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Size is not everything

We have just been watching the donkeys at play, play fighting very much as the two dogs do.
 Filou the huge white donkey is really a gentle giant, and at the moment Coco the smallest donkey has been biting his neck and legs forcing a game to develop. They then run madly around  the fields, watched by my two prim girls.
Tudor wondered why we have brought the field so close to the house  (not being a donkey lover)
It is for the reason we love to watch their antics and the donkeys enjoy being near to us.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Concorde, that now mythical aircraft

45 ans après son premier vol, le mythe est tracté ce matin à Blagnac, de l’usine Lagardère au futur musée Aeroscopia. Plusieurs autres avions de légende vont y être ensuite installés.
Val says  We never went on Concorde, if you did and have memories of this trip let TAG know. The plane will be on show at Toulouse Aeroscopia. Tudor says he saw it at Blagnac when he came in.
When we lived in Henley it used to go over the bungalow morning and evening, the noise was tremendous but it was always a pleasure to watch and visitors often got out their cameras to snap it.

When I was working, most evenings I would end up changing trains at Turnham Green station. Waiting for the elusive Ealing Broadway tube, I would watch Concorde fly over - a marvellous view every day.

Doreen

Good for them says Val, but Malc disagrees.

POSTAL workers in one Paris arrondissement refused to deliver campaign leaflets for the Front National on Monday, according to the Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques (SUD) and General Confederation of Labour (CGT) unions.

The leaflet, which was among a bundle of advertising mailshots, was not in an envelope. Olivier Rosay, of SUD, said: “At least a dozen out of 40 postal workers removed the leaflet before their round.”

He claimed that La Poste was putting “political propaganda of the Front National” into the hands of the delivery people, effectively turning them into “activists” for the far right party.

The Connexion
Malc says It is against the law not to deliver them. They deliver double glazing leaflets and that does not make them double glazing salesmen.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Dangerous manoevres, avoiding frogs

WHY did the frog cross the road? To meet the female in the pond at the other side.

Every year, thousands of frogs, toads and other amphibians come out of hibernation to make the same treacherous - and often fatal - journey across busy French roads in order to reproduce.

This year, the mild winter has meant that the animals, many of which are protected by law, started their migration earlier than normal.

Now, researchers in Bourgogne are asking for help cataloguing amorous amphibians that are risking their lives in search of love. They have asked anyone who spots an amphibian - dead or alive - on roads in the area to report it as soon as possible on the website www.bourgogne-nature.fr - which can be accessed by computer, smartphone or tablet.
from the Connexion

Val says often up our road at this time of the year in the evening we have frogs crossing the road, and it takes some dangerous manoevres trying to miss them
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Why are the young leaving France ?

Val says It is a big accessible world, surely it is only natural that young people want to stretch their wings, simply because they can. They can in England, Spain America etc. and they do. Our children work globally, how many of us have children in the States for example?
Does a lack of jobs and high taxes really explain why more and more French people, especially young ones, are heading abroad.
That means some 60,000-80,000 French people head through the departure gates each year. And they plan to stay away longer and longer, with about 38 percent of French expats, up from 27 percent in 2008, expecting they’ll be abroad for more than a decade.

People who lunch

(oops, no Hi Val)
Perceptions of people who lunch can be very different. When I was working as a chief executive there was the following said about us and those who worked with us
At lunchtime Chief executives network, their deputies exchange information,
their staff gossip
So what happens today now that none of us is working, well I think we all do it all, at the same time, in a spirit of good socialist equality
Ginny

Val says - great Ginny and I know a lot of you enjoy it... but I do not.
I think the basic difference is we are still working and only semi retired. We have two meduim sized houses with big grounds, 20 weeks now booked in the gite.  The maintenance on house and grounds takes a lot of time which we happily do, but comes before lunching. Dogs that need walking twice a day, donkeys that as I do not walk them enough try " jolly walkabouts" on their own,  the cats and hens are not much trouble. TAG is a joy for me but it takes time to research and then write....  so sorry, no lunching in big groups for me,  more important things to do.

Let us leave it there, some like lunching in big groups, others do not.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Concert and repas at La Seye et Vous, Verfeil sur Seye

Bonjour à tous,
 Pour fêter le retour du soleil, Kristel de Rio sera en concert à La Seye et vous.
La rue, la misère, la prostitution, la liberté et la fête à ces cochons de bourgeois !
C’est une rencontre entre une gouailleuse du 21 ème siècle et Aristide Bruant un auteur avec un grand A du 19 ème, dans un français argotique marquant bien son époque.

Kristel vous propose aussi un répertoire de reprises allant de la jazzvanaise, duswing à Didi guitare aussi m’a dit.
Du gogol punk avec une chaussure noire.
Un Brassens à qui on fait pousser les moustaches.
La gouailleuse nous promène avec tendresse dans l’univers de : Brel, Piaf, Frehel, Kurt Weill, Lou Reed, Gainsbourg, et autres contemporains. 

Pour un avant gout : Kristel gouaille.fr
Au menu : lasagnes aux épinards et au saumon.
Renseignements : 05 63 65 22 18.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Your Post Office might be closed today

The Post Office is on strike today in a grievance about reorganisation.
Val says our PO in Varen was open and when Malc asked the counter clerk why they were not closed, she said " I cannot afford to strike, I would lose 80 euros"
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Australians are here and the Brits are back buying houses

STRONG sterling and low property prices in France are persuading many British buyers to look again at owning property here. Estate agents, mortgage brokers and currency exchange specialists are all reporting a surge in interest in properties across the country. 
Richard Kroon, of Houses on Internet, said that 2013 had been their best year, “with a 56% increase in sales” and enquiries from 45 different countries. There were many Aus­tralians, as “they get a lot for their money!” 
He added: “The British are much more active in buying and are definitely back. Enquiries have doubled which means people are prepared to spend again – and that means they must be optimistic for the future but also want to take advantage of the low prices. I think the French market has hit the bottom and this is the time to buy.” 
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

20 euros to watch tennis at the French Open at Roland Garros

TICKETS for tennis’s second Grand Slam tournament of 2014 - the French Open at Roland Garros - go on general sale today. Tennis fans with deep pockets have been able to buy VIP packages since January, but all ticket options will soon be available to the public, with prices starting from as little as €12 for an “Evening Visitors” ticket. 
All-day passes start at €20 for the early qualifying rounds, though prices will vary depending on the day of the tournament and the court.

Tickets for the men's final on Sunday, June 8, on the Philippe Chatrier court, cost €170 for category 1, €136 in category 2 and €102 in category 3.

Excitement is mounting ahead of the tournament, which starts on May 20.
from the Connexion
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Three Museums in Toulouse who encourage us all to go and take the children

Le Musée des Abattoirs a lui aussi mis en place des ateliers et visites pour les enfants. 
Réservations: Musée Saint-Raymond (place Saint-Sernin). Tél. 05 61 22 31 44. www. SaintRaymond.toulouse.fr Musée des Augustins (21, rue de Metz). Tél. 05 61 22 21 82. www.augustins.org Musée des Abattoirs (76, allées Charles-de-Fitte). Tél. 05 62 48 58 00. www.lesabattoirs.org
Val says I was not sure about the Museum des Abattoirs but Malc assures me that the Abattoir is just the building.

The Maire at Bournazel in the Aveyron killed

Gilles Bousquet age 49 had a few roof tiles loose so up he went on to the roof to try and sort it out. He slipped and fell, was taken to hospital and died.
 Very sad that a man giving to the community had a moment's lack of sense.
If you are not used to heights and not as agile as you used to be, keep your feet on the ground and get in a professional.
Malc says  the trouble is you always think you can do it!
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Watch out for the Monuments Men

HOLLYWOOD war movie The Monuments Men, which opens in cinemas today across France, has finally brought recognition to one of the unsung heroes of the Second World War: Rose Valland.

Played in the movie by recent Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, Ms Valland, who died in 1980, was a highly respected Resistance fighter who located thousands of works of art, stolen by the Nazis during the conflict.

The film was loosely based on the biography written by French Senator Corrine Bouchoux, who told France 24: “If someone had told me before that my book could be the inspiration of such a big production, I would never have believed it.”    From the Connexion

Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Carmen recorded live at the Royal Opera House, played at Mas del Sol

A wonderful production from Dec. 2006, hard not to sing or hum along. The evening was another success with Gill  Catterall providing the apero dinatoire for us all, she does it with such style. Many  thanks Gill.
All the money from the evening going to Via Sahel Enfants d' Afrique
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Seems early for hay fever, but there you go.

Allergies : alerte aux pollens dans le Tarn, le Tarn-et-Garonne, l’Aveyron et l’Aude, seen in the Depeche today

It is becoming Orchid time

By the way your orchid photo reminded me of the website of Michael Fontes in Najac:http://www.orchideesdenajac.fr/engindex.htm
 
John

If only you could turn back the clock

One young farmer in the Pyrenees Atlantique will be wishing to turn back the clock today and realising that it was not a good idea having his 3 year old child in the cabin of his tractor with him.
The door of the cabin swung open and the child fell out on to the road and was killed. I am sure it will be illegal to have children in heavy farm machinery,  but think how that Father is now going to suffer.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Choeur de Parisot at Villefranche de Rouergue and Parisot


For a larger image click the picture, once again fab! posters.
Thanks Karen R.for sending.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Our first orchid sightings

Checking at "kestrel corner" last night we spotted a few tiny orchids appearing. Guest photographer Tudor was there this morning and fired off a couple of shots for the Wild Photos page.
Here's one. It's early and it's purple - but I hesitate to call it an early purple.
comments to taglines82@gmail,com

Plant your seeds in March

Hi Val,
Here's a quickie entry for TAG on seed sowing. We're rested and refreshed from our recent mini break at La Reverie and are really busy seed sowing, dividing and  potting-on in our nursery and veggie patch - really enjoying working in the sunshine! The good weather is forecast to continue into next week - hope you're enjoying it!
Debbie
x
Val says Check out the gardening label to see what to plant.

Piano lessons for all

Hi Val, how are you on this sunny morning?! Andrew is up on a roof somewhere sorting out satellites and I'm having a very leisurely morning with the boys. I know there are lots of budding musicians out there and I just wanted to let you know that as well offering piano lessons for kids I am now also doing lessons for adults.

Lessons are suitable for adults at beginner level and can take place here in Parisot or at the student's home (depending on distance.) Lessons are 20 for the hour (half hour sessions also available.) There will be more details soon on our websitewww.minimonde.net but in the meantime I can be contacted on info@minimonde.net at home on 05 63 67 33 01 or mobile 07 85 20 01 66
Hope everyone has a great day!
Becky
La Famille Brown – family blog about our move to France!
www.lafamillebrown.com

Airline beacons and kisses in the sky

Following an earlier post:-
There is another one at Gaillac which is why those who recognise the geography may on a clear day see the chateau at Bruniquel and the village of Puycelsi if they look out of the right plane window.

We had a friend, now sadly dead, who said her autobiography if ever written was to be called 'Kisses in the Sky' after the crossing vapour trails 
Ginny 

First morning Tudor has managed an early morning rise to see the donkeys fed.

I might add from the safety of his bedroom window, Tudor who likes the donkeys from a good distance ( approx. a hectare) enjoyed the fun this morning watching me filling the water buckets.
We decided yesterday to put back up the "tuyau" / house pipe to run from one of the outside taps near the house over to the stable.
Over the winter I trudge over with a couple of buckets of water every time I go.  With hopes that very severe frost which could damage the " tuyau" have gone, I can now have an easier life.
My girls are used to the noise of the water hitting the bucket but poor Filou was not and he was standing the closest to the noise. He bolted knocking into the others as he ran for safety and there was the resulting shambolic panic. All watched by Tudor, thanking his stars he was not stood in the middle.
When calm reigned again I fed the donkeys with the usual routine of Rosie back on form dictating  who gets what, before peace and calm once again.
 Nothing so relaxing as watching donkeys eat... even if the moments before were horrendous.
All that to tell you it is the most wonderful sunny morning.
Tudor says  a hectare is not a distance but an area and should be an acre anyway... blinkin Welsh
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

A directional beacon at Tonnac

I am told that planes flying high over Tonnac in the Tarn use a directional beacon there, which is why plane trails are seen high up crossing at right angles to each other, east to west. this was "dinner party conversation" so has not been verified.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Le drive Leclerc opens 26th of March at Villefranche.

Order your shopping on line, then drive in for it later, saves you time.
This facility now being offered at Leclerc at Villefranche and they have taken on 10 new members of staff to implement the scheme.
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

Paris might be smog bound but it is still number one

Some 32.3 million tourists say France's City of Light and romance can't be beat.
Paris was once again last year the world's top tourist destination, the regional tourism body said on Monday, citing hotel occupancies. The figures come after Paris authorities were angered last month by reports that their mantle of most visited city in the world had been taken by London.
Despite some tough global economic conditions, it said 2013 was a very good year for tourism in Paris and the surrounding Ile-de-France region, with foreign visitors at "the highest level in 10 years".

Sarkozy's comeback increasingly hampered.

A French court on Tuesday threw out a plea by Nicolas Sarkozy against the seizure of his diaries by judges probing a corruption case, in what has the potential to harm his chances of a political comeback.
The former French president appears increasingly threatened by a labyrinthine web of graft cases, and Tuesday's ruling is crucial as it paves the way for the potentially compromising diaries to be used against him.
The documents were initially confiscated as part of a probe into allegations Sarkozy took advantage of France's richest woman, 91-year-old Liliane Bettencourt, when she was too frail to know what she was doing in helping fund his successful 2007 election campaign.      (the Local)

The Tour de France 2014, comes to Betty's of Harrogate

Anyone from the North East of England would know that " Betty's of Harrogate" is a very up market coffee and tea shop and more importantly known for its cakes. Tudor who is from the North and here on holiday tells us that Betty's is gearing up for all the French visitors in the summer who will be following "The Tour de France"
Betty's is advertising for extra waitress staff with a knowledge of French, Eh! by gum.
The other very noticeable event is pot holes along the route are all being filled in, no "upsy daisy"wanted on the Yorkshire roads.
There has been some grumbling from the Yorkshire  men " do we want these frogs on bikes clogging up our roads?"
comments to taglines82@gmail.com

More Museums to view in the Tarn

Musée de la Mine at Cagnac- les- Mines

Musée du Textile   at Labastide Rouairoux

Musée du Verre at Carmaux

Maison des Métier et du Cuir at Graulhet

Maison du Cuivre at Durfort.

Comments to taglines82@gmail.com