For Gardeners, Food Lovers, Health Conscious people: The Fourth Organic Fair of Bergerac -- Foire Bio

This is definitely a date not to be missed!
There will be seventy stands of organic producers/farmers, bio-organisations, dealers, artisans. There will be fascinating and informative talks on, for example, how to grow an organic garden. There will be organic food available, including tapas prepared by the top chefs of the region -- from Le vieux Logis in Tremolat, La Tour des Vents in Monbazillac, from Restaurant Etincelles, Epicurius and Auberge de l'Eclade. -- Just for that alone, you simply have to be there!
And in the evening on Saturday, the group IGOR will be providing the entertainment.
I look forward to seeing you all there!




Plus de 70 stands: producteurs bio, associations, commerçants, artisans...

Conférences:

samedi 15h " Jardiner bio, c'est facile" par Brigitte et Serge Lapouge-Dejean des Jardins d'Albarède à St Cybranet

Dimanche 15h "La construction passive" par Jocelyne Ortolan de l'association La Maison Passive France

Nocturne le samedi soir: Concert à 21h par le groupe IGOR

Restauration sur place: Assiettes bio sur les stands des producteurs, soupe bio, tapas bio des restaurateurs et des grands chefs périgourdins

Navette en calèche (contact 06.14.28.86.98) entre le Vieux Pont et la salle Anatole France de 10h à 12h et de 14h à 17h les 2 jours (payant)

Renseignements: 05.53.35.88.18



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Relocation Orientation in France

Saint Sauveur de Bergerac takes initiative to bring the French and the Brits closer together.

The community of Saint-Sauveur de Bergerac got together this week and discussed ways and means to encourage dialogue between the local French and the British expats.
The president of the forum, Christian Billa, explains that there is a large group of British in the village and the region and that it would be beneficial for all if an active dialogue could be initiated. A good start would be to invite about 15 from each language group -- not only from Saint Sauveur, but also from the neighbouring Issigeac and Mouleydier.
The first meeting is already decided for 12 December at 18h30 where the topics for discussion will be established as well as the dates for weekly meetings. They also plan, furthermore, to arrange other activities, such as games, topical meals, talks about different regions in France and England -- with the aim, through better understanding of each other's cultures and countries, to bring the two groups closer together.


Well done, and good luck, M.Billa and the council of Saint Sauveurde Bergerac!

(Story and photo credit : SudOuest 25 November)

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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

Camaroun vegetables grown in Lalinde!: Toutes les saveurs du Cameroun

Marie-Hermine Ngo-Bayiha from Lalinde, opened her farm gates and allowed visitors to come see all the wonderfully exotic fruits and vegetables from her motherland, Camaroun, that she is growing, right here, on our Lalinde doorstep!
What a pleasure for someone like myself, African born, who only buys and uses locally grown produce from within 50km, to now have butternut squash, sweet potatoes -- and peanuts straight out of the soil! -- available right here in Lalinde!

Chapeau -- et merci, Marie-Hermine!

Marie-Hermine explique la culture de la cacahuète.

Macabon, manioc, patate douce, melon patate, ndole, nkeye, bam, arachides... Des saveurs que l'on a pas l'habitude de retrouver dans nos assiettes. Que ce soit la massep, une plante aromatique, ou le tarot, aucun de ces légumes n'est utilisé dans notre région. Ils proviennent du Cameroun et ne sont pas importés, mais tout simplement cultivés sur les hauteurs de Lalinde, chez Marie-Hermine Ngo-Bayiha. La jardinière camerounaise : a organisé pour la première fois une journée portes ouvertes.

Le public est venu de tout le département, et l'après-midi a été très instructif. Valérie Zunino, éducatrice dans la section insertion de l'association Au fil du temps, à Cadouin, était présente. Après quatre ans de travail, Marie Hermine va enfin pouvoir voler de ses propres ailes. Cet après-midi était placé sous le signe de la solidarité et du partage. Il était temps pour Marie-Hermine Ngo-Bayiha d'annoncer la création de sa structure associative, peut-être au départ sur le thème de l'échange, comme pour cette journée entre la France et le Cameroun, et ensuite pour commercialiser sa production d'arachides (200 kg en 2007).

Cette journée était aussi une découverte culturelle pour les novices. Si l'arachide pousse si bien dans notre région, Marie Hermine ne s'explique pas pourquoi. C'est dans le champ près de chez elle que le public est venu ramasser l'arachide juste sortie de terre. Après la récolte, il a fallu procéder au séchage naturel et à la transformation de ce produit en pâte d'arachide, nougats, cacahuètes salées et sucrées. Délices aussi, la pomme de terre douce au goût de châtaigne cuite, et le melon patate au goût de châtaigne et de citrouille. Le public n'a pas été insensible aux saveurs nouvelles.

Contact au 06 26 30 08 39.

(Story and photograph from SudOuest 25 November)

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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

An apology to my blog readers!

I have to apologise to all my readers who consistently come to visit my blog -- and recently have only found -- nothing! I have had several e-mails from readers asking after my health and welfare -- and I thank you for being so considerate! The reason I have not been posting articles is that I have been keeping my nose to the grindstone, writing up to 12+ hours per day, to try to finish my book that I am writing about my Camino pilgrimage in February and March this year. But it has not been all work and no play --- below are a few articles in which it is my pleasure to share with you a couple of the more exciting things that have been happening here in the beautiful Dordogne over the last few weeks!


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An international art centre is launched in the Dordogne

During October, artist Marthijn de Groot launched his dream: an art centre in the Dordogne. Marthijn, an acclaimed international artist, moved from Amsterdam to Le Cariol, an idyllic little commune situated next door to Naussannes, between Beaumont and Issigeac. There he is building a large art centre -- studios, ceramics centre, accommodation and canteen facilities. Master classes will be on offer as well as personal artistic creative space and opportunity.

The launch was attended by about 150 art lovers from all over Europe. Marthijn's studio/gallery was officially opened by the mayor of Naussannes, a noted Dutch tenor opera star flew in from Munich to perform a 'duet' with Maria Callas (the latter in film on screen), a pianist provided the back ground music on a grand piano under the chestnut tree and the chefs and staff from Chateau les Merles served delicious food and kept the champagne flowing.

The grand finale of a superb evening was Marthijn de Groot painting a large, thought provoking work of art during the 12 minutes of Mozart's Concerto No.20. The painting was donated to the town of Naussannes.

Keep an eye out on the Chateau Lalinde Blog for updates on the development of the project!






Photo credits: Sandy McCutcheon

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An evening of mystery and magic in the Dordogne

To celebrate the fourth anniversary of his language school, Albert Croce hosted a superb evening at the chateau where Aquitaine Langues is housed. Zigou was the artist behind the stunning decor -- with her usual artistic flair, she transformed a bare dull conference room into a festively baroque hall of colourful and beautiful elegance. Delicious food was aplenty, champagne flowed, Fellini's Dolce Vita silently played off against the far wall, and Jonathan provided the superb musical accompaniment for the guests to dance the night away.

Chapeau! Albert, for a successful first four years! May the Aquitaine Langues School for Languages grow from strength to strength!






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French winegrowers march against wine plans

Hundreds of French winegrowers staged rallies recently against plans to ban free wine tastings and online advertising for alcohol, saying it would amount to "prohibition".

Winegrowers are alarmed by plans, unveiled in a health ministry bill last week, to ban open bars and the handing out of free alcohol, which would include tastings in winegrowers' cellars.

The wine industry is also urging the government to clarify a 1991 law that tightly restricts advertising for alcohol, to officially allow wine ads on the Internet - despite fierce opposition from anti-alcohol campaigners.

In the southwestern wine capital Bordeaux, some 150 wine professionals and lawmakers from the region gathered to press their point home.

"I am committed to fighting alcoholism, but history shows that prohibition is not the answer," said the city's mayor, former prime minister Alain Juppe.

The head of the Bordeaux great wines federation, Laurent Gapenne, attacked the idea of a wine tasting ban as "disastrous" for the industry.

Another 200 to 300 winegrowers joined a rally in the western city of Angers, while several hundred more protested in southeastern Lyon against what they called "censorship" towards their industry.

"If they wanted to kill off winegrowers altogether, this would be the right way to go about it," charged Agnes Payan, head of France's Independent Winegrowers' association.


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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

Click on Link:

Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France