Mother's Day at the Chateau

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Recipe for Tomato and Parmesan Tart

MELANIE'S TOMATO AND PARMESAN TART

Pastry:
7 oz (200 g) plain, unbleached flour
pinch of salt
3 oz (75 g) butter
1 ½ (40 g) freshly grated parmesan
1 egg yolk

filling:
2 ½ lb (1.25 kg) ripe tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium-sized red onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
¼ - ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
heaped tablespoon fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar
salt, freshly ground black pepper and caster sugar
2 tablespoons torn basil leaves

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and cheese and either rub in or process until the mixture forms breadcrumbs. Bind the pastry with egg yolk and 2-3 tablespoons cold water (or whatever necessary to bind). Press together to form a ball, wrap in foil and chill for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5 (190° C, 375° F), then roll out the pastry to line a 10 in. (25 cm) round tin or a 12 x 9 in. (30 x 23 cm) oblong tin. Protect the sides of the pastry with strips of foil, prick the base with a fork then bake blind for 15 – 20 minutes until pale brown, removing foil after about 10 minutes. Allow to cool a little.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Skin the tomatoes by covering with boiling water for 30 seconds. Set around ½ lb (225 g) aside. Halve, deseed and chop the remainder. Heat half the oil in a non-aluminium pan and cook the onions and garlic over a gentle heat until just beginning to brown and soft (allow 15 – 20 minutes). Add the chilli flakes and half the thyme and cook a little longer. Add the chopped tomatoes and vinegar. Cook 15 – 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thick. Season with salt, pepper and pinch or two of sugar to taste. Cool, then spoon into the prepared flan case. Heat the oven to Gas Mark 5 (190° C, 375° F). Slice the remaining tomatoes and arrange them on the tart, layering with the basil. Season well with black pepper and a little salt, then sprinkle over the remaining thyme and olive oil. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes and serve hot or warm with salad. Serves 6 – 8.

Variation:
Make the tomato sauce as above using all the tomatoes. Season very well, then purée. Whisk together 2 eggs and ¼ pint (150 ml) double cream, whisk in the tomato purée and the torn basil. Pour into the flan case and bake at Gas Mark 4 (180° C, 350° F) for 20 – 25 minutes, until the filling is risen and set. Delicious warm.

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The joys of Summer in the Dordogne

Between the birds and myself, there is a scramble every morning to get to the ripe strawberries first. Sometimes we share (-- meaning they eat half of the ripe berries and I eat what is left) -- but we do not waste a morsel! Never has fruit tasted so sweet!

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The Dordogne: Home is where the heart is

Antony Mair, in his article about Returning home to the Dordogne --
Impressions of a former Londoner expressed the emotions and thoughts that I and so many of my friends here share.

Antony ends his article with these observations: "..........

But this exile, for one, rapidly longed for what had been left behind. The heady richness of London life seemed, as the hours wore on, to be out of kilter with the quiet and steady pace I'd grown accustomed to. It was as if a swarm of flies was buzzing round me all the time. I found myself wanting to get back to the peace of our Périgord home, to Paul and the dogs, to the unpolluted air, to the spacious interiors of the houses, to the luminous landscape, to the shops where people say "Bonjour monsieur" as you enter and "Bonne journée" as you leave.
That's why I felt like the Pope when our plane touched down. I didn't kiss the tarmac, of course. But I loved the sight of the late evening sky stretching wide over the Dordogne valley, with its mass of purple storm clouds streaming in from the west. In Bergerac's makeshift airport I pulled my suitcase off the rollers that act as the carrousel, in the tent that acts as the arrivals hall, and went to the field that acts as a carpark. I drove up towards Ribérac in the gathering darkness, listening to a radio programme about French music in 1937. The wooded hills and little valleys with their clear streams, and the sleepy villages with their dishevelled shutters, crumbling facades and deserted streets, were like so many welcoming hands that greeted the passing car then sped it on its way, upwards and northwards, to the track that led to the open courtyard under the stormy night sky, the dogs jumping up in barking joy, the light spilling through the open doorway. When I turned off the car engine the silence was a sponge that had wiped away all the chaotic scrawl of noise and confusion, leaving a single word gleaming in the darkness. I was home."

And this morning, when a friend and I went on our early Sunday morning walk, (and I could not stop myself from taking these photographs at every turn!), Antony's words came back to me again, and I wanted to say "YES! And so am I. I, too, am home!"






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Keeping Fit and Healthy : Pilates and Fencing in the Dordogne

If you are looking for an activity holiday or simply the most enjoyable and most efficient way to get and keep fit and healthy, there cannot be too many forms of exercise that fit the bill better than Pilates and Fencing - and especially when the instructors are as good -- and as charming as Robyn and Patrick!

So, what exactly IS this Pilates phenomenon?

It is an Exercise in Balance : "I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They'd be happier.", said Jo Pilates in 1965, at the age of 86.

Well, maybe not the whole world, but certainly much of it is experiencing the explosion in demand for Pilates, a method of exercise and physical movement designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body. With systematic practice of specific exercises coupled with focused breathing patterns, Pilates has proven itself invaluable not only as a fitness endeavour itself, but also as an important adjunct to professional sports training and physical rehabilitation of all kinds.

Widely embraced among dancers for years, the exercises--"elephant," "swan", the language--"pull navel to spine, find the core connection! and breeaaaathe," and the look--bright-eyed, refreshed, buoyant-without-necessarily-sweating, is popping up in fitness classes, physical therapy offices, corporate retreats, luxury spas and wellness centers across the country. Another fad? A cult for the over-privileged? Think again. With the aging of our world population and the increasing trend toward mindful, moderate health practices, Pilates is more likely to find itself with a wait list at the YMCA, and in your local public schools--shaping the fitness ideals of our next generation. Practiced faithfully, Pilates yields numerous benefits. Increased lung capacity and circulation through deep, healthy breathing is a primary focus. Strength and flexibility, particularly of the abdomen and back muscles, coordination-both muscular and mental, are key components in an effective Pilates program. Posture, balance, and core strength are all heartily increased. Bone density and joint health improve, and many experience positive body awareness for the first time. Pilates teaches balance and control of the body, and that capacity spills over into other areas of one's life.

If you are like myself - someone who hates aerobics with a passion, finds doing the circuit in gym beneficial and satisfying -- but utterly boring, but rrealises that a good form of exervice is absolutely crucial to keeping fit, supple and healthy, then look no further: the day you discover Pilates, a new world will open up for you!

And now Pilates has come to the Dordogne as well! Robyn Haigh, from Lalinde, has recently started Pilates classes in Lalinde as well as in Eymet. She works both with groups and in one-on-one classes.

And Fencing? Did that activity not go out with the Three Musketeers?

No! Not at all! Fencing, or l'Escrime, became very popular again in France during the last few years -- especially after the 2004 Olympic Games when the French won the most gold medals for fencing.

Fencing is a is a fantastic way to improve balance, co-ordination and flexibility - and it's great fun as well!

There are three types of fencing - epee, foils and sabre.
In all three, weapons are wired electronically to record when a hit is scored.
In foils and epee, points can only be scored by the point of the weapon hitting. In the case of the foil, only a hit on the torso counts. In the epee, the whole body is the target. In sabre, points can also be scored by hitting the arms and head.
As well as the three different types of sword, fencers also need protective clothing, including a wire mesh face guard.
A metallic over jacket is also worn. This is placed over the scoring area and conducts electricity. Every time a valid hit is scored a lamp lights up on the scoring equipment.

Fencing originated as the practice of swordsmanship to prepare men for duels and warfare. A fencing match is depicted on an Egyptian temple that dates to about 1190 B.C. and the ancient Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, and Romans all had some form of fencing. The use of armour during the Middle Ages made swordsmanship virtually obsolete. The broadsword was used against armour, but only as a crude hacking device requiring sheer strength rather than skill. By making armour obsolete, the development of firearms ironically brought swordplay back into prominence during the 15th century. Soldiers once again had to acquire some skill with the sword, and fencing also emerged as a pastime for gentlemen. Fencing masters organized guilds, which taught various moves to initiates while protecting them as trade secrets from outsiders.


Fencing as an exercise based on speed and skill began when the longer, lighter rapier was developed in Italy during the 16th century. Because of the rapier's length, opponents had to fight at a distance and quick but controlled lunges, attacking the enemy with the point of the sword, replaced cruder hacking techniques. But the rapier wasn't a good defensive weapon, so the fencer often had to use his gauntleted left hand to parry his opponent's thrusts.

Under Louis XIV in France, a change in fashion led to a new kind of sword. The rapier simply didn't go well with brocaded jackets, breeches, and silk stockings, so French courtiers began wearing a shorter sword. The court sword, as it was known, turned out to be an excellent weapon for fencing because it was both lighter and stronger than the rapier, so it could be used for defense as well as offense. As a result, the modern one-handed fencing technique developed, with the left hand and arm used primarily for balance.


A special version of the court sword, the foil, was developed for practice. Meanwhile, another type of sword, the colichemarde, had been created for duelling. The blade had a triangular cross-section, with slightly concave sides to reduce weight without reducing strength. The colichemarde evolved into the modern epee.

The third of the fencing weapons, the saber, was introduced into Europe in the late 18th century as an adaptation of the Turkish scimitar, used by the Hungarian cavalry. It was so effective that other armies began using it and another variation, the cutlass, became a standard naval weapon.

The saber was originally a very heavy, curved sword, but a lighter, more easily wielded weapon with only a slight bend was developed in Italy late in the 19th century for duelling and fencing. The modern fencing weapon is straight, like the foil and epee, but it still has one cutting edge which can be used to make hits on an opponent.

Fencing is one of only four sports that have been on every modern Olympic program since 1896. The Fédération Internationale d'Escrime, founded in 1913 to standardize rules, is the governing body for international fencing, including the Olympics.

There are fencing studios for anyone, from beginner to professional, in various centres in the Perigord -- the Cadets de Bergerac in Bergerac, of course!, with a studio in Eymet as well. To find out more and to find a class close to you, contact Patrick Wynn-Simmonds.

Patrick is a sabreur(sabre fencer), and recently received a bronze medal for the team Epée event at the Championnats de France at Alès in the Cevennes.
This past Sunday (28 May 2006) he also became Champion d'Aquitaine (Vétéran V1 Individuelle) at Mont de Marsan at the Championnats de Ligue Vétéran, again at Epée --- and after beating the Maitre d'armes of Périgueux in the quarter finals, and his club president in the semi!

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Sight-seeing on Horseback : Update

I have just had a call from David from Cheval-Voyages and he says he is on his way to the Cathares Chateaux with a group ---- if you have read Da Vinci Code or seen the film (OK! You don't have to admit publicly that you enjoyed it!) or Kate Mosse's best seller Labyrinth, then you would want to do this ride -- to all those wickedly romantic and historic places, like Carcassonne.



And on 3 June David is off to Millau -- I am leaving the same day on a motorbike for Spain and will be travelling over the Milau viaduct as well! On horseback or on the back of a motorbike -- this Foster and Partners design is the most amazing engineering feat, and I cannot wait to see it!

Kate Mosse: Labyrinth : Review from Publishers Weekly
Mosse's page-turner takes readers on another quest for the Holy Grail, this time with two closely linked female protagonists born 800 years apart. In 2005, Alice Tanner stumbles into a hidden cave while on an archeological dig in southwest France. Her discovery—two skeletons and a labyrinth pattern engraved on the wall and on a ring—triggers visions of the past and propels her into a dangerous race against those who want the mystery of the cave for themselves. Alaïs, in the year 1209, is a plucky 17-year-old living in the French city of Carcassone, an outpost of the tolerant Cathar Christian sect that has been declared heretical by the Catholic Church. As Carcassonne comes under siege by the Crusaders, Alaïs's father, Bertrand Pelletier,entrusts her with a book that is part of a sacred trilogy connected to the Holy Grail. Guardians of the trilogy are operating against evil forces—including Alaïs's sister, Oriane, a traitorous, sexed-up villainess who wants the books for her own purposes. Sitting securely in the historical religious quest genre, Mosse's fluently written third novel (after Crucifix Lane) may tantalize (if not satisfy) the legions of Da VinciCode devotees with its promise of revelation about Christianity's truths.

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Adventures on Horseback

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Discrimination?..No! Just French logic!

It seems the French do not think too much of the Brits' ability to read signs --
so the people get pictures,
whereas............. French dogs can read,
--- but of course!








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Deauville and Cowes : Two harbour towns on opposites sides of the spectrum

I am currently spending a lot of time preparing to qualify to skipper a boat -- and most of this is being done either in Cowes - on the Isle of Wight, or in Deauville - on the Normandy French Coast.

Deauville, lady of the French coast, its most glamorous seaside resort, symbolizes elegance, prestige and sophistication. The city of the race horse, the gateway to Calvados, the playground of the rich.

Deauville started off as a small farming village on Mont-Canisy, a hill rising above the sea. The hundred or so inhabitants of Dosville whose houses were clustered around the church of Saint-Laurent, lived mainly from agriculture and livestock farming. The marshes and the dunes, down from the village, where the future Deauville was to be built, were pastureland where cattle and sheep grazed.
It was during the summer of 1858 that the Duke of Morny, Napoleon III's half-brother, who had been invited to Trouville by his physician, Doctor Olliffe, became inspired by the idea of building a kingdom of elegance close to Paris on this stretch of sand and marsh : the seaside resort of Deauville.
Morny, in partnership with Doctor Olliffe, the banker Donon and the architect Breney, created a town in four years, whose casino, Grand Hotel, beach and racecourse were soon to attract a clientele from the Parisian and international aristocracies...
Over a period of three centuries, Deauville has remained up to date, developing from seaside resort, active for a few weeks in the year, to embrace the culture of the all year round week-end retreat, without for all that renouncing its cultural and architectural roots. It is beautiful, and one does not wonder why the rich and the famous come to play and relax in Deauville. The half-timbered gingerbread house style of the buildings, the masses of flowers everywhere, the flying flags from every nation, the beach huts, and fountains, wide white beaches and colourful sun umbrellas, the swish little boutiques and the imposing casino -- all make it look like a giant Hans Christian Anderson film set.

One of the most impressive buildings is the Normandy Barrière Hotel. Built in 1912 on the instigation of Eugène Cornuché, a businessman and the creator of Maxim's in Paris, Désiré Le Hoc, the Mayor of Deauville, and the architect Théo Petit, the Normandy Hotel, with the casino, replaced and updated the Second Empire style of construction. The new luxury hotel was immediately successful thanks to its level of comfort, facilities, furnishings and novel interior decoration. The exterior façades are finished with imitation wood panelling in celadon, the pale green used in Chinese porcelain.
Another wonderful characteristic that gives Deauville such a picturesque image, are the decorative finials on the roofs of the beautiful buildings. An oriental tradition since the 12th Century, decorative finials in varnished terracotta have been a typically Augeron speciality since the 15th Century. These terracotta ornaments have diversified and now confer a veritable identity on the manor houses whose roofs they grace. There are three main categories of motif : flora, fauna, and the allegorical.
And of course, if you go to Deauville, there are three things you have to do:
Either spend some time on your yacht in the harbour to make sure it has been efficiently 'de-wintered', or have a quick game of bridge with the world champion, Omar Shariff; go to the the Deauville-La Touques racecourse and see which horses the Aga Khan is racing this season and catch up on the latest wine gossip with the Rothschilds and have a chat with your trainer and jockey while you are there; and of course, visit the Casino!
The Casino first opened its doors in 1864, but was demolished thirty years later in 1895. It was replaced in 1912 by an edifice designed by the architect Georges Wybo, which took its inspiration from buildings dating from the 18th Century, evocative of festivals and the simple pleasures of rustic frivolity, like the Petit Trianon, the opera house of the Château de Versailles, and the small theatres on the Champs Elysées built during the Restoration period. Its neo-Louis XVI architecture has been modified over time to suit the tastes and fashions of its aficionados; the façade has been moved forward by 6 metres, enabling a large gallery to be created, and it is now open on the seaward side. It is ranked among the major casinos in Europe and is the third largest in France.
A visit well worth your while is the C.I.D or Centre International de Deauville. Inaugurated in 1992, it was built 14 metres below sea-level in order to preserve the view over the ocean. A veritable technical feat, both with regard to its architecture, the idea of a Deauville architect facilities and fittings, it has opened Deauville to business tourism and an international clientele. Or, if something more old-fashioned grabs your fancy, visit the Pompeian Baths. In 1921, the Deauville town council organised a competition for the renovation of the wooden bathing cabins. The prize-winner, Charles Adda, built the Pompeian Baths in 1923, whose atrium enfilade, arcades and mosaics refer back to the archaeological models of Antiquity. At that time, the establishment consisted of 250 cabins, a bar, shops and Turkish baths. The Pompeian baths are registered on the additional list of historic seaside monuments.

My favourite place though will always be Les Planches -- or the boardwalk. This famous promenade along the beach, made in 1923 of ekki or eba, a species of hardwood from Madagascar that is reputed to be totally resistant to decay and rot, is 643 metres long. It is lined on one side by small cabins sporting the names of the American stars who have come to Deauville during the American Film Festival, and on the other by the celebrated coloured parasols, whose dominant blue and red are the colours of Deauville.
There is much else to see and do besides. To name but a few more: Le Circle, where the race-horse owners from major stables have been meeting since 1875, the Elie de Brignac Establishment, one of the world's leading thoroughbred horse markets, or the Villa Strassburger, which is on the site of a farm belonging to Gustave Flaubert's family: Henri de Rothschild had a villa built by an architect from Caen, Pichereau, which came to be called the Ferme du Coteau (the hillside farm). Following the Great War, the villa was bought by the wealthy American Beaver Strassburger, it became his favourite residence. His son donated it to the Town of Deauville in 1980. Its design is a combination of both the rural architectural style and that of Pays d'Auge manor house. The luxury of its fittings and furnishings and its picturesque style make it one of Deauville's most beautiful villas. It has been listed on the additional Historic Monuments register since 1975.

"The two great Cowes that in loud thunder roar, This on the eastern, that the western shore".

Cowes, on the other hand, did not tempt me away from my books and my studies, and the one ray of bright sunshine during an otherwise grey and wet and cold sojourn, was our VHF radio instructor, Angus!

Cowes is a seaport town on the Isle of Wight, an island due south of the major southern English port of Southampton. It is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina and the only thing that can really be said in its favour, is that it hosts the world's oldest regular regatta, Cowes Week, which occurs in the first week of August, and is home to the world famous Royal Yacht Squadron, which ranks amongst the world's elite yacht clubs.

East Cowes is home to Norris Castle, and Osborne House, the former summer residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Prince had a major influence on the building of St Mildred's Church in Whippingham, East Cowes, which features distinctive turrets imitating those found on a German castle. -- and do not forget:
Visitors arriving at East Cowes find it hard not to notice the worlds largest Union Jack on the hangar doors of the building originally used by Saunders Roe and successive marine and aerospace manufacturing companies.
The story goes that Cowes and East Cowes derive their names from the time of Henry VIII, when fortifications called cowforts or cowes were built on the east and west banks to dispel a French invasion; or else it is possible that Cowes and West Cowes were named after two sandbanks, one on each side of the River Medina estuary, and recorded in 1413 as Estcowe and Westcowe, which were named after a supposed likeness to cows (animals).
It was not until the reign of keen sailor George IV that the stage was set for the heyday of Cowes as 'The Yachting Capital of the World.' In 1826 the Royal Yacht Squadron organised a three-day regatta for the first time and the next year the king signified his approval of the event by presenting a cup to mark the occasion. This became known as Cowes Regatta and it soon grew into a four-day event that always ended with a fireworks display.

Local industry in both Cowes and East Cowes has always centred on the building and design of marine craft, including the early flying boats, and sailmaking. It is also noted as the place where the first hovercraft was tested. East Cowes was also once home to the manufacturer Saunders Roe, who built the flying boat The Saunders-Roe Princess.

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A Sunday in the French countryside

A beautiful summer's day, lovely friends, a superb meal, delicious wine -- how can one spend a better Sunday?





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Visiting the Chateau: Francoise Alleysson

Picture and Photographer : Béatrice Monéger

Through a chance encounter -- actually, as a result of me making friends with two delightful little boys, David and Gabriel, and inviting them up from the river's edge onto the chateau terrace to come look at my fishing rods and trout flies!, their mother, Francoise Alleysson and I are now looking for a place and an opportunity for her to come back to Lalinde to share with our community some of her many wonderful talents.

And many and wonderful her talents truly are: After studying the flute at Grenoble National Conservatory and then at Geneva National Superior Conservatory and winning a first prize, her taste for drama, she says, naturally lead her to opera. She also went on with the baroque repertoire in Arnaud Pumir’s class and studied stage direction at Schola Cantorum with Patrick Crespini. Apart from continuing her flute and piano studies, she took part in various productions and recordings with “Les musiciens du Louvre” under Marc Minkowski’s direction (Haendel’s Messiah, Charpentier’s Midnight Mass, Dardanus) and collaborated with Montreux Opera Studio in various operas: The Medium and The Telephone by G. C. Menotti, The Savage written by Dominique Lehmann, and A proposal (creation) by Richard Dubugnon.
She tours with Evasion Company, a vocal sextet who draw their inspiration from traditional songs and regularly gives recitals and oratorios, dating from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries.

A few comments in the press about Francoise's work:

“A great musical success served by an exceptional duet: Françoise Alleysson, soprano, and Pierre Perdigon, organ and harpsichord.” -- Dauphiné Libéré, April 2005
“Very high quality voices, evenly registered and beautifully mixed, for Savage by Dominique Lehmann.“ -- Vevey Hebdo (Switzerland), Frédéric Vallotton
“On the stage of the Vevey theatre, under the spell of the Opera Studio”
“In The Medium, Françoise Alleysson, soprano, bewitches us through her sincerity and sings in the first act the Berceuse with her bright voice”
“In The Telephone, Françoise Alleysson, voluble, extraverted, irresistible, stands out unquestionably”-- Presse Riviera Chablais (Switzerland),
“Françoise Alleysson has a superb coloratura soprano voice.
The tone is clear and generous, the high notes come easily, and her highly musical rendering brings captivating nuances to the all the texts.” -- Dauphiné Libéré

Illuminations
One of the programmes which Francoise Alleysson offers, is called Illuminations.

In 1886, Paul Verlaine - known for the musicality of his own poetry - published a collection of poems written by his life-long friend Arthur Rimbaud, entitled Illuminations. The text of these poems have the character of a diary -- Verlaine describes them as "short pieces, exquisite prose or purposely and deliciously expressed verse. Either there is no leading idea," he continues, "or we cannot find it. There is the obviously joy of a gifted poet, of enchanted landscapes, romantic allusions and a grandiose ambition of style."

In 1940 Benjamin Britten chose to set nine of these pieces to music. True to the coloured engravings of the poet, the musical arrangements are illustrartd with sharp outlines and vivid colours. They extend the effect produced by the poet's vision, the fantastic descriptions and the disjointed adventures.

And thus the music programme "Illumnations" bursts with freshness, fantastic dreams, the insouciance of the adolescence and the alliance between poetry and music. The second part includes such themes as nostalgia for childhood (Brahms), a conversation with the beyond (Schubert), a love vision -- and a ride with a lovable witch (Strauss), as well as a series of Spanish songs of Rodrigo that are each in its turn melodramatic and sparkling.

Francoise's accompanist is Tatiana Baklanova-Feeley, the ideal partner to set these Illuminations ablaze! Having had her outstanding training in Russia as well as the USA, and having received numerous awards for her excellence as concert pianist, she is a perfect partner in the performance of Francoise.


Francoise lives in Grenoble with her husband, Michel, himself an accomplished organist and musician, and two sons, Gabriel and David.

I shall most certainly be working towards organsing an event to have this delightful family -- and talented artists -- return to the Dordogne and the Chateau Lalinde to perform for us!

Recordings:
M.A. Charpentier - Te Deum - Midnight Mass
Les musiciens du Louvre - Marc Minkowski
Archiv, 1997 - Ref. 453 479-2 GH

G.F. Haendel - Messiah
Mark Minkovski, Original Soundtrack of William Klein's film
Deutsche Gramophon, 1999 - Ref. 459 479-2 AH

Françoise Alleysson - Recital
Works of Monteclair, Verdi, Bizet, Menoti, Strauss, Weber, Ducol, Berberian
Françoise Alleysson, Soprano
Demonstration Album (CD), 2005

Michel Alleysson - Voice, flute and two organs : Works of Bach, Fauré. First recording of “Horizons” for Soprano voice, flute et two organs, by Michel Alleysson
Organ : Michel Alleysson, Dominique Joubert - Voice, flute : Françoise Alleysson
Manhattan, 1999 - Ref. MA-44 (Audio Cassette). Available on CD (2005)







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Listen to an example of Francoise's work.

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Allergy Alert! A Yellow dust cloud hits Europe, But Save our Trees!

A yellow-green haze is visible thanks to new satellite technology

Last week, a friend of mine suffered the worst asthma attack she has had in years. Everyone is complaining about allergies -- people who have never had a problem, are rubbing eyes, complaining of unbearable itches, nursing sore throats, grabbing for the kleenex at every turn. And cars, furniture indoors and out, window panes --- every surface everywhere is covered in the finest of fine layers of yellow powder. Even the pool looks as if there is a thin layer of pale yellow oil covering the entire surface.

Apparently, weather experts at Met offices have been inundated with calls from baffled people all over Europe and Britain. And the answer? It appears that the phenomenon is caused by birch pollen that is being blown across the North Sea from Scandinavia. Satellite images taken over the last two weeks show a large yellow-green plume sweeping up the coast.
A Met Office spokesman said a wet April followed by a warm, sunny early May had produced record levels of birch pollen in Denmark.

"The explosion of birch pollen in Denmark this year has been caused by near-perfect weather conditions over the last few weeks," he said. "A late start to the pollen season, a wet April followed by a warm, sunny early May have combined to see birch catkins releasing an enormous amount of pollen grains over just a few days."

There had also been widespread arable burning in the fields of western Russia which could have blown across Europe and contributed to the dust.

Recently, as I imagine in Spring every year, there was much written in the local press about allergies and the cause of allergies. Pollen and allergy experts abound these days -- and the consensus seemed to be that the Cyprus and the Birch trees are the most culpible in causing allergies. All local council botanists and gardeners have been asked not to plant these trees in public gardens and spaces, and even nurseries are encouraged to take these plants off their catalogue lists.

I get the impression that trees will have to stand firmly rooted if they are going to survive. Particularly in France, with its beautiful tree-lined avenues, some of which have been there for hundreds of years. Most of the older canals as well, such as the Canal du Midi, where the trees date back to the 1600's and today still form leafy cool green tunnels where a barge may float serenely for hours without ever being exposed to the harsh southern sun. Many of the main routes in France are similarly tree-lined thanks to Napoleon who wished to provide some shelter to his soldiers on their long marches across Europe to go fight in campaigns.

But -- as beautiful and attractive and comfortable these tree-lined avenues are for the traveller and the beholder, so they are a menace to the small-minded little bureaucrats who sit in their dingy little offices. And whenever they can get away with it, over the last thirty years, they have felled thousands of maples, planes and poplars because of fears that they distract drivers and cause accidents!

"Personally I have no hesitation in saying we can cut them down and plant elsewhere" says Jean Glavany, Agriculture Minister. I have no hesitation in saying let us cut M. Galvany down and deport him elsewhere -- such as to the Sahara dessert.............

But the policy may be about to change. A government crackdown on drink-driving and speeding cut the carnage on French roads by almost 20% last year, leading campaigners to argue that booze rather than bark is the real problem.
"People are at last realising that the trees are not what cause these deaths," said Chantal Fauché, of Arbres et Routes, (Association for the Protection of Road-side Trees (APRT)), a tree-protection group in the southern Gers region, where some of the worst felling has happened.
"It's drinking and speeding that are the real problems. If you tackle them, the deaths drop."
About 750 people a year are killed on tree-lined rural roads. The writer Albert Camus died in 1960 when he drove into a tree.
In 2001 a study suggested that road deaths in France would be halved if fixed objects were removed from roadsides. Barely 400,000 so-called arbres d'alignement are left today, compared with 3m a century ago.

But Ms Fauché argues the decades of felling did nothing to reduce road deaths.
The recent government regulations - reducing speed limits, tightening speed and breathalyser checks and increasing penalties - have had an almost instant effect.

(I was stopped on Saturday night at 40 minutes past midnight, just outside Lalinde -- the second time in so many months! -- and breathalysed. The monitor showed 00.000 -- the police loved it -- so did I! Does not happen too often!)

Ms Fauché has always argued that trees can help drivers to gauge their speed. She has faced death threats in the past and aggression from local communities. But now that drivers are slowing down and avoiding alcohol, her campaign is beginning to win support.

Ms Fauché founded her group when she noticed trees were disappearing in 1996. Five years later she convinced regional authorities not to chop down 120 trees. In Gers, where roads are lined with stumps, they have promised to replant 10,000 trees over the next 10 years, set further back from the road for safety.


Good for you, Ms Fauché and all who assist you!




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