Emergency Call

Its not every day that you get an urgent call to get you to the hospital but I felt really sorry for the two young boys I picked up this week when they asked me to get them to the hospital casualty department as quick as I could.

They started telling me their story of how they were a happy family, just the two brothers and their mother when all of a sudden without any warning whatsoever that the mother suffered a stroke. Apparantly she is only 53 years old I was told and the two boys were quite upset not knowing what was going to happen. I got them to the casualty department and wished then the best of luck and hoped that things weren't too bad but I couldn't help but think afterwards how lucky we all are.

Someone once said to me that theres always someone worse off than yourself. We take everything for granted and one day it could happen to anyone of us and from that day on your life and the lives of the people around you are changed forever.

All I can say to you is enjoy life while you can as you never know whats round the corner., I felt really saddened for these two young lads as there life will now change forever, and from such a young age.

They did tell me that whatever happens that they love their mum and will do whatever they can to look after her.

If only more families were as caring for each other like this. There's too many people out there that think of only themselves and only visit family as and when they want something. Life's too short. Give someone close a hug today.. Go on.. do it right now.. Tell them that you love them. Just do it and see the smile on their face.

After all, this is life. We only get one chance at it. Its not a rehearsal, its the real thing ...

So live it........

Bread and Gutter

This week I picked up a passenger who had been to a local supermarket to buy supplies to sell in his own shop. He loaded the car with numerous goods which included about 15 loaves of cheap supermarket bread which he was to then sell in his own shop for a bigger profit.

Whilst unloading the bread at his shop, one of the loaves of bread spilt open and about 4 or 5 slices landed in the gutter. I would have expected the passenger to throw this loaf away but to my dismay he just calmly picked up the bread, put it back in the wrapper and re-sealed it ready to place on a shelf in his shop for sale.

He didn't seem to think it was wrong and didn't seem to care as all he was interested in was the taxi fare which was 20 pence higher than what it should have been because he asked me to wait whilst he went into an off licence to by alcohol for his shop.

He also pointed out to me that I shouldn't charge him for waiting as he was a regular customer but I pointed out to him that it was my living and if he wanted me to wait then he has to pay for it. He expects very cheap taxis but sells his goods at raised prices and moaned at me over the fare costing an extra 20 pence.

Compensation

You may well remember that I mentioned that I had an incident occur on Boxing Day last year and the case went to court in January this year with the courts awarding me £100 compensation...

Well, finally, after 10 months of waiting I have received my first instalment of £20 which is being paid monthly. The first payemt arrived this week so I guess I will have to wait til the end of March 2010 for the final payment.

I really cant see the court awarding compensation when the defendant doesnt even miss it and can pay it at £5 per week.

If you missed the original post then take a look HERE

- An excerpt from The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage

That night, in Calzadilla de la Cueza, a village with a name longer than its main street, I sat alone in front of the monitor, tucked away in a dark back corner of the room, trying to get to grips with a keyboard with only blank keys – the letters having been completely worn away by the fingertips of thousands of pilgrims who had preceded me. As I looked down in exasperation at this tired and worn keyboard, I suddenly had a wave of recognition wash over me. I felt the presence of all those pilgrims who’d sat where I was sitting; who had tried to have their fingers remember which keys represented the letters they needed to write a message home to loved ones – to tell them they were still safe on their pilgrimage. I could
almost hear them cursing under their breath when they typed and the wrong letters came up, turning their messages into gobbledegook. I could almost feel their breath on my back as they paced the floor waiting for me to finish so they could have their turn. I could almost see their smiles as the screen lit up and they found messages in their inbox from someone back home telling them that they were missed. In that moment of solitude, I felt utterly and wholly part of this confraternity of the Camino. At the same time, I was aware that this feeling had slowly been creeping up on me for a long time. In fact, it was a feeling that had started to manifest itself on that very first night in Roncesvalles when I shared a beer with Thorsten and Akira and we spoke late into the night – about why we were on the Camino, about our fears and hopes and expectations.

It was over that first meal from the pilgrim’s menu, bought for the princely sum of eight euros – a delicious and nourishing broad bean and potato soup, a huge plate of tender veal stew and a large glass of ice-cold, frothy beer – that we quickly recognised in each other fellow-pilgrims.

Perhaps it was that the three of us were starting our pilgrimage from the same place and at the same time. There was definitely something special about the bond formed between we strangers who had embarked on a journey together. Or perhaps it was that we’d been brought together by a common purpose. As individuals, we were different in every way – age, background, culture and language – yet we sensed subconsciously that
where one lacked, another might be able to compensate. Each individual’s assets and characteristics complemented those of the others – a type of a synergy where the combined whole of our little band was far, far greater than the sum of the individuals.

In his book on the Camino, Coelho speaks of being more accessible to others around you on the journey because instinctively you know that they may be able to help you in difficult situations. The Camino was in many ways a survival course: you had to dig deep to find the resources within yourself in order to get through each day. It was astonishing to find resources you’d never been aware of, but it was also frightening when a needed resource was simply not there, no matter how deep you dug. And it was then that you came to appreciate the other pilgrims around you.
Everyone has talent. Sometimes we only discover that talent late in life, but the talent is there for the finding. And the Camino was the perfect place for the ‘big reveal’ of those hidden talents. If I could find resources within myself that I’d never known I had, so could every other pilgrim. And it was the pooling of those resources that created the bond among pilgrims. Not only did each have the wondrous pleasure of discovering their own latent potential, but each also had the unrivalled pleasure of being with other people who had a need for their particular talent.

Later I learned that for many pilgrims this was the one special aspect of their Camino – the remarkable goodwill, generosity and voluntary interdependence among pilgrims. I frequently heard pilgrims talk about this wonderful phenomenon of the Camino. It could be something that a fellow-pilgrim had offered in the form of advice or spiritual guidance, clothing or toiletries, water or food. Often the biggest source of surprise was the fact that the generosity came from someone who ‘wasn’t even a Christian’. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that someone who
walks the pilgrimage has to have some degree of religious motivation, and the expectation is that, to show kindness, their religion must be Christian. Whenever this subject came up in conversation, I was astounded at people’s preconceived ideas about other religions, because almost every time an act of random kindness surprised a pilgrim, it came from a non-Christian. My only surprise was that those who offered assistance seldom realised that what they were really offering was not necessarily something tangible or material, but something of themselves. They were releasing a small piece of their own spirit into the universe, and the universe was the richer for it.

I have always believed that ‘what goes around, comes around’. My smile, my positive attitude, my helpfulness, my generosity of time and energy almost unfailingly generate a similar response from people around me – friends and strangers alike. The payback may not happen immediately, and perhaps it will come from someone completely different, but people’s actions and behaviour towards you are often a reflection of what you transmit. And yet many pilgrims seemed to find this to be the most amazing thing about their pilgrimage, because they’d obviously not come across this side of the human spirit very often before. How incredibly sad that people should be surprised at the random kindness of others; but how incredibly wonderful that they make this discovery on the Camino. For this seemed to be the way of the Camino – bringing the spirit of people together from all ends of the planet, all walks of life, all faiths and creeds, but with a single goal, to walk ‘the Way under the Stars’.

Whatever it was that acted as the glue binding us together, my little ‘Camino family’ was formed that night: Thorsten, a 24-year-old university student from Cologne; Akira, a 38-year-old gay musical theatre actor from Japan; and me, a 57-year-old Eurocentric African woman from France. And even on that first night we knew the bond between us was stronger than most people experience among their blood relatives. ‘You two are my Camino family,’ Akira said many times during the following three weeks. ‘You are my Camino mother and Thorsten is my Camino father.’ That Akira was years older than Thorsten, whom he called his ‘father’, and was possibly not quite young enough to my ‘son’ was neither here nor there. For once, age was not the issue, and for me this was wonderfully refreshing. The three of us – without having to say anything about it – felt that a close bond had been forged that night, and for all of us the bond was to prove very important over the next few weeks.




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The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage by Wilna Wilkinson

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A Chic parisian party cocktail: le cointreau teese

After taking Paris by storm in her showcase appearance at the Crazy Horse, burlesque diva Dita Von Teese was honored earlier this year by French beverage company Cointreau with the creation of le Cointreau Teese- a high glam mixture of apple, Cointreau and violet.

According to the wonderfully fabulous Parisian Party site, now, just in time to be added to your “Naughty or Nice” list, Cointreau has unveiled the Cointreaupolitan Box- designed by Mademoiselle Von Teese herself. This sexy little gift box is lined in the hottest pink, and houses a set of cocktail glasses, a shaker, and a bottle of Cointreau. Oh, and my favorite part- it plays “La Vie En Rose” when you open it!

In Paris, the Cointreapolitan Box will be available from December 8th, and in limited quantities sold exclusively through Lavinia at Madeleine.

Recipe: Le Cointreau Teese on the other hand, is available chez vous whenever you want it, using this simple recipe:

le cointreau teese

1 ½ ounces Cointreau

¾ ounce apple juice

½ ounce Monin Violet syrup

½ ounce fresh lemon juice

Slice of ginger.

Rub the edge of a chilled martini glass with the ginger slice, then discard the ginger. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well, and strain into the glass.

Enjoy!




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Things to do in the next few weeks!

If you are not going to be in the beautiful Dordogne, or even in France over the next few months, it better be because you are participating any one of these amazing events worldwide that is there for your enjoyment!


If you leave right now, you can be in Mexico for the Day of the Dead.

On the 1st and 2nd of November, every year, Mexico has their famous commemoration of the dead - el día de los muertos - it is both a joyous and touching celebration. In Oaxaca, the people remember their ancestors by decorating the cemeteries, praying, singing, eating and drinking there through the night.

The festival's origins lie in pre-Hispanic Mexico, when a month was dedicated to commemorating the spirits of the dead. After Christianisation, it was moved from July/August to coincide with the Christian feast days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day in November.

In Oaxaca, like most of Mexico, there are two days of the dead: the Día de los Angelitos on 1 November, dedicated to the souls of children who have died; and Día de Los Muertos on 2 November, dedicated to the spirits of the adult dead.

The preparations for the festival begin weeks in advance, shops filling with decorative paper skulls, morbid little lanterns, costumes, plastic skeletons and themed candy, like white chocolate skeletons. Often cemeteries are decorated and favourite food and drink of the deceased taken there, along with a photograph of them.

On the Día de los Angelitos, cherished toys and other objects are brought out and placed on altars in the home. The spirits of the little-ones are invited to come and partake of the feast, and often a place is set for them at the table.

The second day is the main day of the celebration, and is marked with street colourful events in the Xócalo main square, Palace Museum, restaurants in the Old Town and most of the theatres. Much of the day is spent in cemeteries, and there is a traditional communion meal in the evening. You'll also find public altars throughout the city, along with flower offerings, concerts and the wafts of chicken with chocolate and tomato mole sauce.



On your way to Mexico, why not stop off in Pushkar for the annual Camel Fair -- another unmissable annual event!
Pushkar Camel Fair : 25 Oct - 2 Nov 2009 (annual)

The peaceful lakeside town of Pushkar fills to bursting during this unmissable annual event. Originally intended to attract camel and cattle traders to do business during the Katrik Purnima festival, Pushkar Camel Fair has grown into a major tourist attraction.

(Pic: The one that got away!...)Indians flock with their camels to the small town on the edge of the Thar Desert a week in advance of the Pushkar Camel Fair, which officially lasts for a few days around the full moon. The highlight of the fair is undoubtedly the camel racing, which takes place amidst singing and dancing in the amphitheatre. In addition, camels, sporting ornamental saddles and head-dresses adorned with ribbons, are bought and sold. Although the fair is traditionally a sideline to the main Hindu festival, the carnival atmosphere makes the event accessible to all.

As well as being able to ride on camels or in carts, it is also possible to arrange camel treks into the surrounding desert with, well, just about anyone that you meet in Pushkar. At festival time the streets are overrun with tourists, travellers, hawkers, painted and bizarrely contorted sadhus (holy men), children, animals and bicycles - all of Indian life concentrated in one mass, funnelled through the narrow streets of the town.

Once the Pushkar Camel Fair is over, life in Pushkar returns to normal. The town is peaceful and, without hordes of people, a very beautiful place to stay - countless hotels have rooftops on which to soak up the sun and enjoy the sight of locals flying kites high over the surrounding hills.



If you have never had the pleasure of visiting Cologne during their Carnival time, NOW is the time to go! :
Cologne Carnival : 11 Nov 2009

The Cologne Carnival is one of the biggest street parties in Europe. The famous Altstadt (old town) is transformed into a dazzling and colourful celebration, with what seems like the entire population of the city in fancy dress.

Prepare for lots of dancing and partying in the streets, pubs and bars and plenty of Kölsch, the delicious local beer. At 11.11am on 11 November, Germany's "fifth season", Karneval, begins and the whole country goes barking mad.

The craziness reaches its real climax the week before Ash Wednesday. At 11.11am on 11 February the main carnival week in Cologne is declared officially open with the Women's Carnival Day, when the women of Cologne are deemed in charge of the city. On Carnival Sunday (14 February) a parade of local school children takes place. Then on Monday 15 February it's the turn of the main event (known in Germany as Rosenmonntag), when a cavalcade of groups with fabulously decorated lorries, tractors and bands starts out on a six-kilometre route through the centre of Cologne. Keep an eye out for the lorries carrying huge effigies lampooning Germany's politicians.

The day after (Shrove Tuesday), various parades take place in Cologne's suburbs, but if you're unaccustomed to partying Cologne-style you should probably just prepare for a hangover instead! It all draws to a more sedate close on Ash Wednesday when the tradition is to eat fish - pick any pub or restaurant on this day and you'll find it on the menu.

Cologne is said to be "the most Mediterranean" city in Germany. During the period of the Carnival, this hot temperament - usually hidden - comes to the surface. Get to know this facet of Germany, and celebrate with the locals during their biggest party of the year.



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Counting the pennies

It seems to me that this is not a one off thing but a regular occurrence between most drivers and their customers. Usually its a bunch of young lads or girls and its the same routine everytime.

At the end of the journey you ask for the fare. In last nights example the fare was £4.50p so I would have thought it would be easy for the fare to hand over a £5 note and I give her 50p change but no......

I`m parked up in the Town Centre whilst these girls take a good 4 minutes to start counting out their money to pay me. After adding up all the small change it comes to £4.10p and they had the cheek to ask if £4.10p will do for the fare as they dont want to break into a note.

"No it wont do.. The fares £4.50 and thats what you pay" is what I said.

"But I don't want to split ionto a £5 note" was the reply from this girl.

In the end she paid with a £5 but it annoys me to think that they get a taxi into town and want to use their loose change to pay for it as they don`t want to break into a banknote. I don`t mind the loose change but when they try and pay you less than the fare when they have the means to pay is not on.

You know whats next. They go into a pub and have no change so what do they do. pay with a note and I bet they dont try and say to the bar staff that they are 30p short for a drink.

At the other end of the scale I dont mind letting someone off with 10 or 20p p their way home if they get in the cab and ask how far can they get for their money but when they are going into town for a night out then it doesn't wash with me,. If they've got money for their night out then they have money for the fare into town.

Maybe I should go into my local pub tonight and order a pint and then haggle the price... I know what they would say...

Taxi smash

A collision between a police car and a local taxi at the junction of Abbey Road and Holker Street.
The local paper reports as

A police van and a dark green Peugeot 306 taxi collided in the middle of the road. Police say investigations are underway and it is not yet known how the collision occurred.

An officer said the police van may have been either on its way to or returning from a job, and it is not yet known whether its sirens were in use.

An additional police van was also called to the scene, and an officer kept traffic moving freely by diverting cars around the scene.

Rural Cumbria

Reading an article lately in a taxi magazine. What do you think. A good idea or not.
Personally I dont know much about this or how it operates. Anyone care to explain?

4000 minks let loose in the Dordogne

Four days ago over 4000 minks were let loose from a breeding farm at Saint-Cybranet (Dordogne), in a "hostile act". I would like to rather call it an act of mercy or and act of kindness or an act of humanity, but unfortunately releasing these animals into the wild is not necessarily in their best interest: By the time about 3000 of them had been recaptured, there were already more than 200 that had died our in the wild where they had no resources of their own to survive.


From this
to
this?



The local prefecture maintains that they would rather trap and kill the remaining minks than leave them in the wild "where they will only de-stabilise the local eco-system". Around fifty volunteers came to help set traps for the remaining animals.



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Another fine mess

I know the law is the law and it is supposed to be upheld but there should be discretion used when dealing with blind or partially sighted people.

We pick up a few of these people and our drivers will always (NO EXCEPTION) help this person from where they are picked up at to where they are going and that means getting out the car, guiding them and offering help in every way possible. This of course does mean leaving the vehicle unattended for a short period of time.

The issue is how long is a short period of time as each person will maybe vary depending upon their disability. Maybe 5 mins should be enough. 1 minute certainly isn't as can be seen in the story below.

Double click to enlarge

The Tour de France route is announced

The Tour de France watchers will be pleased to know that they are in for an exciting contest next year. Some of the mountain stages for the tour have been called "savage" by the experts, and mountains dominate the 2010 Tour de France with a total of seven mountain stages including two ascents of the iconic 2115m Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenées.

The number of climbs will suit this year’s winner, Spaniard Alberto Contador, especially as the final summit is the Col du Tourmalet three days before the race ends in Paris.

Starting from Rotterdam on July 3, the route heads across the wind-blasted dams on Holland’s North Sea coast to Brussels and then four sections of narrow cobbled roads towards Spa. The Tour misses out the whole of the north-west of France and over the next days heads to: Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, Reims, Montargis, Gueugnon, Station des Rousses, Morzine-Avoriaz, St-Jean-de-Maurienne, Gap, Bourg-lès-Valence, Mende, Revel, Ax-3 Domaines, Bagnères-de-Luchon, Pau, Col du Tourmalet, Bordeaux, Pauillac and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 25.

It covers a total distance of 3,600km, with only one individual time-trial – of 59km.

Britain’s Mark Cavendish was at the launch and the winner of six 2009 stages said he thought it would be “hard, really hard, harder than this year. The mountain stages are savage.” But he added: “I counted five sprint stages I could win and maybe eight.”

Seven times winner Lance Armstrong was sitting alongside Cavendish at the launch and admitted he was disappointed at the lack of a team time trial: "I think it will be much more open than last year because the team time trial really eliminated some people last year and you won't have that again.

"Whereas this year you had three or four guys who could win the Tour, this year you'll go into the tough sections with 10 guys.

"I think the first week is potentially complicating for guys, with the wind and the mix of the Ardennes and also the cobblestones," Armstrong said. "It's a very untraditional start to a Tour. It's going to be a hard Tour."

Deadly rival Contador will have plenty chance to show his climbing skills – especially on the two ascents of the Col du Tourmalet. The double honour for the stage is to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tour's first visit to the Pyrenées and it will be a killer finishing point as the Tour nears its end.

The 19km climb is at an average gradient of 7.4% and the first to reach the summit in 1910, Octave Lapize, bawled at the organisers "Vous êtes des assassins! Oui, des assassins," “You are assassins. Yes, assassins.”


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Rail strike chaos from this evening -- 19 October

Connexion reports that rail passengers across the country will be hit by cancellations and crowded trains from this evening as the SNCF walks out on its first national strike in more than a year.

Photo of high-speed trains at the Gare de Lyon in Paris: Feuillu/Flickr

The industrial action, which is expected to run until the end of service on Tuesday, will affect travellers on TGV, Corail, regional TER services and the RER network in Paris. Eurostar and Thalys are not affected.
SNCF employees are walking out in protest at proposed reforms of the national rail operator’s freight operations, which they fear will lead to up to 6,000 job cuts. The strike is supported by three of the four main SNCF trade unions and is part of a series of industrial action taking place across several sectors this week.

Tuesday will see a strike at the Pôle Emploi (job centres) and France Télécom. Industrial and nuclear energy workers will go on strike on Thursday and hold a demonstration in Paris.

Here is the latest running information from the SNCF:

TGV
Normal service in the east and on Thalys and Eurostar. Half of trains will run on TGV Atlantique, Sud-Est and Province-Province. Two out of three trains will run in the north.

Corail and TER (regional express trains)
Expect one train in every two to be cancelled. There will be no sleeper train services on Monday night.

In Paris
Two out of three services will run on the Transilien network. RER lines A and E will operate a normal service, but the other lines will run at between 50% and 75%.

The www.infolignes.com website has the latest running details for TGV and Corail trains. For local TER services, see www.ter-sncf.com. If you live near a major mainline railway station, you can get see the latest departure and arrival boards, with details of delays, at www.gares-en-mouvement.com



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Missing your Heinz baked beans or your stilton or Bisto gravy granules?

From the website for expats in the Dordogne, French Entree, news about a shop that could be straight from the high street 'back home' :

Having travelled and shipped goods to destinations throughout the world when running his logistics and shipping business in the UK, it seemed a natural choice for Geoff Butterworth to call his new enterprise here in France ‘Le Petit Monde’. What a small and accessible place the world now is and what a wonderful selection of international foods and products it offers.

In June, Geoff working in conjunction with his wife Jo, opened the doors of their new shop. Situated in the north of the Dordogne and on the edge of the Charente border they are located between the picturesque villages of Champagne et Fontaine. Equidistant between Angouleme and Perigueux, ‘Le Petit Monde’ makes an interesting stop off.

Le Petit Monde offers a little world of decorative house and garden gifts, greetings cards and international foods, including many of our English favourites. Amongst our food range we will be stocking several food brands including Heinz baked beans, Sarson’s malt vinegar, Bisto gravy granules, complemented by mature cheddar, stilton, back bacon and pork scratchings! ‘Our aim is to sell all the good old British favourites alongside other international and regional specialities’ says Geoff.

Their home and garden range includes a selection of quality enamel garden seating, kitchenware and accessories, lanterns for the garden, and a good selection of tasteful reasonably priced cards.

Geoff & Jo moved to France permanently at the beginning of the year after finding their new home here last summer. Too active and too young to retire from enterprise, they both soon realised there were many items that they had previously spent their careers transporting which would be welcome here.

Le Petit Monde is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm and Saturday mornings 10am to 1pm. Geoff and Jo look forward to you popping in for a complimentary cup of coffee whilst you browse their shop.

Le Nept, Champagne et Fontaine, 24320.
Tel: 09 62 35 87 72
Email: sales@lepetitmonde.eu
Website: www.lepetitmonde.eu

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How far will Ryanair go?

Ryanair scraps airport check-in - yet another step in their campaign to save money -- at the cost of their customers.

RYANAIR recently scrapped all of its airport check-in desks and made it compulsory for passengers to print their own boarding card online.

The company has gradually introduced the online-only policy since May at all of the 150 airports it serves – including 22 locations in France.



Travellers who are flying Ryanair from today must log into the website up to 21 days beforehand to print their boarding pass. Online check-in is available up to four hours before take-off.

The mandatory web check-in procedure is charged at €5 per person per flight, but will remain free of charge on promotional fares – the seats priced at €1, €5 or free.

Passengers who forget to print their boarding card will have to pay a €40 fine at the airport ticket office – called a “boarding card re-issue fee”.

A Ryanair spokesman said the fine was designed to remind passengers that printing their own boarding card is as important as remembering a passport.

“If somebody goes to the airport without a passport, they don’t travel. We want to remind people that they should never show up without a boarding pass again," he said.

“It’s a bit like in Ireland you pay €150 if you drop chewing gum. You’ll remember to never do it again.”

The new scheme, which Ryanair says has gone smoothly so far, allows travellers to go straight to security – or to the “bag drop” area if they have decided to travel with more than hand luggage.

Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: “This will allow Ryanair to lower our airport and handling costs and pass these savings to all passengers in the form of even lower air fares.”



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Thats Just Fine...

As taxi drivers who carry disabled passengers it is not always easy to find somewhere for these passengers to get in or out of our vehicles due to obstacles such as double yellow lines or cars parked on both sides of narrow roads.

What would you do? go on, answer honestly. Would you park as near to the disabled persons house as you can so as to make it easier for them even if this meant blocking a road for a few minutes or being on a double line or would you park somewhere where there is a parking space and let the disabled person walk back and you carry any shopping for them. What would you do. Lets hear some answers.

OK, so its illegal to park on a double yellow line but you would have thought that some local officials would give a little leeway to our disabled customers but in the story below, this doesnt seem to be the case. It just seems like the usual money grabbing councils are interested only in your cash and even if you have a right of appeal the chances are that your voice wont be heard. Our local council is no exception. In fact I think they are all like this.

The story is below. Double click to enlarge

Oh and on a similar note. What if the person you are picking up is not disabled. Should you park a few metres away and make them walk to your car or will they not come out the house as they cant see you parked outside.

Lazy hazy summer days in the Dordogne

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Le Jour du Patrimoine - Heritage Day in the Dordogne

Every year in the middle of September, France once again celebrated its heritage. The erstwhile Minister of Cultural Affairs, Jack Lang made several wonderful contributions to the cultural preservation of France -- and one of them was to declare the 'Journee du Patrimoine'.








On this day every city, town, village an smallest of hamlets, celebrates the rich heritage of France -- by giving access to its beautiful and historically precious buildings, gardens and homes. The public is invited into private homes, chateaux, water mills, art collections, -- anything that forms part of the rich French culture, and on this one day, everyone can, free of charge, enjoy and appreciate their history and beauty.







This year, once again, Joris van Grinsven, opened his home, the 12th Century Chateau de Clerans, to the public and in his inimitable "If you are going to do something, don't do it unless you do it well"-kind-of-way with champagne and delicious nibbles on the lawns of the 'courtyard' of the ruined/restored castle.




Joris is an interior architect from the Netherlands and is best known here in the Dordogne for his passion for this beautiful corner of France and for his bold and edgy interiors of Chateau les Merles.



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French Travels and a new book about the Dordogne, its people and its food

Kimberley Lovato is a freelance writer and author based in Brussels, Belgium. Her articles have appeared in various print and online media in the US and Europe and her culinary travel book about the Dordogne region of France will be released by Running Press in April 2010. To read more of her musings about life as an expat or about her other edible adventures, log onto

Kimberley's site:

A broad in Belgium

Kimberley's culinary travel book about the Dordogne will be available in April 2010 www.runningpress.com.

Now available as pre-order on www.amazon.com!

Read some of Kimberley's excellent articles on French Flavour

Kimberley launching The Way of Stars and Stones on 25 September at Chateau Lalinde






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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

Brantome : A beautiful gem of the Perigord-Dordogne

Ce fut une histoire incroyable qui commença au temps lointain de ce peuple que l'on appelait les Celtes. La jeune cité lovée dans la colline et caressée par une rivière tranquille cherchait son nom. Sa petite communauté s'agrandissait de jour en jour tant la vie y était douce autour de la fontaine extraordinaire et de sa source vénérée sortant du rocher.

Le seigneur du lieu réunit le conseil des sages pour rechercher un nom à la mesure de cet éden terrestre où régnaient le calme et l'harmonie. Toute la nuit les esprits phosphorèrent mais il n'en sortit rien de concret. Au petit matin le seigneur décida d'en appeler au ciel et brandit son épée étincelante vers l'azur en prononçant les paroles magiques. Un coin de brume alors se dissipa pour laisser place à une fée d'une grande beauté.

Le seigneur et les sages devant l'apparition se mirent à genoux et la fée leur dit :

"Bien-aimés, cette cité que vous avez créée doit recevoir un nom digne de l'éternité, par l'eau et le rocher je la nomme pour vous BRANTOME et je vous le dis, prenez-en grand soin. " Ainsi le sort en fut jeté et la belle vous accueille encore aujourd'hui.

Ancienne halte sur le chemin de St Jacques de Compostelle, aujourd'hui une porte du Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin et joyau du val de Dronne

Les hommes préhistoriques, ont occupé les surplombs rocheux creusés par la rivière Dronne.

Le dolmen de Peyrelevade (dit "Pierre Levée") témoigne des premières manifestations d'art religieux .

La présence romaine se retrouve sur les tronçons, encore visibles des voies " romaines", dans les noms de lieux se terminant en ac, as, an ou at.


A Brantôme, deux femmes ermites, Ste Maine et Ste Galle (vitrail du porche de l'église abbatiale), s'abritent, à leur tour, dans le pied de falaise.
Dès le 8ème siècle, ce sont les moines bénédictins qui vivront en troglodytes, la falaise fournissant abris et matière première de qualité pour la construction. La tradition veut que ce soit Charlemagne qui consacra l'abbaye St Pierre de Brantôme en y déposant les reliques d'un enfant martyr, un des saints Innocents, Sicaire (deux panneaux de bois doré, 17ème siècle, dans le chœur de l'église, illustrent la donation et le massacre).

Ravagée à deux reprises par les incursions normandes, l'abbaye retrouve une certaine prospérité au 10ème siècle (construction du clocher campanile à gables de style roman limousin 11ème siècle)
Son rattachement, à la fin du 11ème siècle, à l'abbaye de la Chaise Dieu, donnera un nouvel essor qui se poursuivra durant les 12ème et 13ème siècles.

L'occupation anglaise à trois reprises (1382, 1404, 1408) viendra mettre en péril l'existence de cette communauté. L'église et le cloître seront en partie détruits. Les reconstructions n'interviendront qu'à la fin du 15ème siècle (style gothique).


Le 16ème siècle voit l'avènement du principe de la commende (concordat de 1516). Le pouvoir royal choisira parmi ses favoris, clercs ou laïques, pour occuper la charge d'abbé. Le plus célèbre, Pierre de Bourdeille, chroniqueur mieux connu sous le nom de "Brantôme" (auteur notamment des "Dames Galantes").

La commende entraine le développement d'une architecture de prestige de style Renaissance, palais abbatial et son jardin, cadre d'une vie mondaine où l'abbé vivait en grand seigneur (16ème, 17ème, 18ème siècles).
La vie monastique disparut en 1790 à la suite des décrets révolutionnaires ordonnant la dispersion des communautés religieuses.

Les 19ème et 20ème siècles s'attacheront surtout aux contingences urbaines et aux exigences économiques et ouvriront définitivement l'abbaye sur le bourg.
Aujourd'hui, les bâtiments de l'abbaye, propriété de la ville de Brantôme, hébergent, à la fois, les services administratifs de la cité, et un "pôle culturel" composé d'une bibliothèque ainsi que des salles d'exposition, dont le célèbre "Dortoir des moines" à la superbe charpente en carène de bateau.


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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

Sorry, we don`t accept Cash.....

This week I have to submit my details for my CRB check renewal. For those not familiar with this, we need to have a CRB (Criminal records Bureau) check every 3 years to make sure that we are what the council deems as "Fit and proper" people for the job.

In all honesty I wouldnt like to think that any of my family were being picked up by a convicted killer or rapist so in my eyes the CRB check is a good thing.

However, what I do not agree with is the cost of £36 to the Town Hall and they don`t accept cash. Payment by credit/debit card or cheque and the procedure to make this payment is as follows.

First you go into the Town Hall and see the "Floor Walker" who takes your name and issues you with a ticket. You then sit and wait til its your turn and then they realise they cant deal with it and then ring someone from taxi licensing to deal with it.

After someone from licensing has seen you then you need to pay the fee and to do this the taxi licence person gives you a little slip of paper and you have to get another ticket from the floor walker and queue all over again just to pay.

Today, handing in my CRB check and paying for it took near on 35 minutes.

And these are the people that boast that the new payments system, speeds things up.

No match for a sad chav

Found this video on youtube. How this man stayed calm for so long I`ll never know. Personally I wouldn't have had the patience and he got what was coming to him.

Air and Water

It seems that Tesco have started charging the motorist for air and water. Well not exactly water but it seems like water, it looks like water but it has a very small hint of screen wash in it and the charge for this, £1 for an 80 second squirt of the stuff. Hopefully 80 seconds is enough to fill an empty window washer tank.

If you just want air for your tyres then it costs you 20p



The photo above is of the machine and closer look at it shows a pipe sticking out the side. Pressing a button on the pipe will send water coming out of it. This is free but the pipe is fixed so there is no way you can put it in your radiator.

Its the last time I go to Tesco for my air and water when others are supplying it free. Even the screenwash is cheaper to buy and mix with water

Double click the image to view full size

Fixed Fares

This week I picked a fare up from the Town Centre and took him into the nbext town and aksed him for the £6 fare. He paid it but started asking questions like.

That's extortionate, we`ve only just come up the road?
Is it a higher rate on a Sunday?
Why do you charge so much?

The fact that he said we had only just come up the road made me calculate the mileage to around just short of 4 miles. I explained this to him but he said it seemed like a few hundred yards.

The guy spoke with a broad irish accent and told me that where he came from that the same journey would cost him around 75 pence.

Is there any taxi firm out there that has a minimun rate this low?? speak up...

Inflation

Today, I picked a fare up from the local hospital. It was a lady who`s battery had gone flat on the car and had got a lift to the hospital but needed a taxi back home.

At the start of the journey she asked me how much it would cost and I estimated around £3.00p to which she exclaimed that it was too expensive and I must have got it wrong as she had never paid that amount to get home before.

I asked her what she normally pays and she said about £1.80p. This had me a little baffled as I knew that £1.80 would only get her part way to her house so I started digging a bit deeper and decided to ask her when the last time she got a taxi was.

Her reply...... "I don't normally use taxis as I have my own car but last time I got one from the hospital to home must have been about 5 years ago or maybe longer"

Did she not realise that due to inflation, the rising costs of running a car that taxi fares would have increaded in that periood of time

Seems to me she was stuck in some sort of timewarp and expected to pay 2003 prices.

Bargain wine sales extend to October

Last week I had a little look around the local supermarkets and was bowled over by the excellent deals on excellent wines! While the pickers are in the vineyards picking grapes, NOW is the time for wine lovers to go pick up these good deals in the supermarket nearest you!

From the October 2009 Connexion edition:
A number of supermarkets and online vendors are extending their foire aux vins into October. Here are the key dates

Remaining supermarkets and hypermarkets

• Auchan: until October 4
• Centre Leclerc: September 30 – October 10
• Magasins U: September 29 – October 10
• Carrefour Market: September 30 – October 11

Online wine sellers with wine fairs still running

• www.idealwine.com from September 18
• www.savourclub.fr until September 28
• www.ChateauOnline.fr until September 28
• www.cave-gustumo.com until September 30
• www.ochato.com until September 30
• www.vin-bio-naturel.fr until September 30
• www.nicolas.com until October 6
• www.xo-vin.fr until October 11

For details of other online sales and tasting notes, see the website
www.vinogusto.com

Subscribe to The Connexion newspaper before October 31 and get a free bottle of award-winning 2005 Bordeaux Supérieur from Château Plaisance in Saint Emilion, worth €8. French addresses and over-18s only.



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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

Another One Bites the Dust

I got a call recently to pick up a fare at the Kings pub at Hawcoat in Barrow In Furness. When I got there it turned out that one of the men I was picking up was Barrows Ex Mayor councillor Jack Richardson who was quite the worse for wear. As he tried to climb into the back seat he fell off the pavement and landed on his backside and had to be helped into the car by his friend.

Councillor Richardson was so drunk that it wasn't easy to understand his slur of words as he tried to explain where he wanted to go to. Eventually we made it to his house then carried on the journey with the other passenger in the car.

So why was our ex mayor so drunk that he couldnt stand up or speak? Was he preparing himself for a council meeting? No.. Nothing like that as his friend explains.


For a number of years now the councillors son has been running the village pub at Hawcoat which is actually a nice quiet pub with its regular local yokels from the village visiting their local hostelry most evenings. Now this pub is one of the oldest in the town and a little bit of history research tells me that it was built in 1860 by a Mr King who then applied for Cliff Lane (the street that the pub is on) to be renamed King Street. The application was refused so he named the pub the Kings Arms and it was granted a full license in 1874



So why is our councillor drunk?? Because it was to be the final night of the pub being open.
135 years that pub has been serving beer and its now the end of an era. Another pub bites the dust and possibly due to the credit crunch.

Unfortunately the pub will not be handed over to a new tenant as the brewery have stated that the pub isn't profitable and it will no longer be a pub.

I guess it will be converted into houses or flats like other pubs in the town have been.

Some of the regulars that live in the village never see many people and are quite elderly. Some of these people use the pub to meet up and socialise. What will they do now? The village pub is dying out. Not many left in this area.

So now you know, Councillor Richardson was supporting his son and enjoying a last drink with friends in a pub which has been home to many people in the village and very soon will just be a fond distant memory