ewsletter - Entente Cordiale Creuse

ewsletter
Autumn 2008
Welcome to this new Autumn edition of the Entente Cordiale newsletter. You didn’t receive one this
Summer because we now have a new pattern for the coming year which reflects the seasons:
Autumn 2008 - September
Winter 2009 - January
Spring 2009 - April/May
I always feel that September is the beginning of a new year. The
lazy summer is behind us (what summer?), and this month we have la
Rentrée, fresh starts and plans for the winter evenings. So have a
Happy New Year with Entente Cordiale and ‘bienvenu’ to all new
members. No new resolutions for me, though – just continue to
appreciate living in this beautiful part of France.
Linda Bates, Editor
Tel: 05 55 63 00 15 e-mail: lajaussee@gmail.com Autumn in Crozant
P.S. Don’t forget you can read the newsletter in full colour
on the website: www.ententecordiale-creuse.org
President’s Edito
Issue 05
This has been a summer and early autumn ‘mouvementé’ for the Association with two successful concerts
organised, more new members joining (French and European) and plenty of new outings and evenings in the
planning. Not forgetting the ‘Fête des Vignes’ on the 4 October. (The best dressed Bacchus will get a glass
of wine for his efforts!) Thanks to the Bureau, the Committees and all the fidèle members for all their hard
work and to all who help at the events. But to avoid any ‘burn out’ within the ranks, new members would
be much appreciated. Please contact me or the heads of the Committees.
David Johnson
President, Entente Cordiale
Pantomime is Postponed
Because of some difficulties with casting the pantomime and the short
time left between now and November – it has been decided to postpone
the performance until 2009. Preparations will still continue and we
won’t lose the momentum – but it means that we now have more time to
put on a fantastic performance next year. Thank you to everyone for all
your hard work so far. We wish a speedy recovery to Chris Willis who has
had a bad accident.
Susie Richards O5 55 89 24 08

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Entente Cordiale Past Activities
There have been many events organised by Entente Cordiale this spring and summer – catering for all tastes.
Two concerts, a quiz night, visit to a member’s beautiful garden, a méchoui to raise money for the
Pantomime, a visit to the museum at la Tuilerie de Pouligny at Chéniers and a party at the vineyard. All
were very well attended and successful. Here is a selection of photographs taken during these events,
followed by a piece written by Gyn and Paul Freeman about the quiz night at St. Sébastien.
Jean-Pierre and Philippe’s Garden Jazz at l’Arborétum de la Sédelle
Entente Cordiale Future Activities
(Details to follow)
The méchoui at Villeneuve
4 October from 11am First ‘Vine Festival’ at the Clos Brégeot vineyard
9 November ‘Repas Gastronomique’ at the Moulin Noyé at Glénic
(for Entente Cordiale members only)
5/6 December Téléthon
21 December Christmas Carol service at Dun-le-Palestel church

THE ENTENTE CORDIALE QUIZ - 2008
Page 3
Let me take you back ......
Saturday 29th March - the first sunny day for some time- and Paul and I
made our way with a loaded car to the Salle in St. Sébastien to find our friends - who can't really remember
volunteering for this - pulling out tables and chairs and setting up the room for that evening's quiz. Chris
and Rob, Sharon, Charles and Annie all hard at work and most of them with a bad back or a note from their
Mum to say they couldn't lift more than a glass to their lips. We were impressed that the total of people
coming had gone up to 85, but this was now something quite new ... what do 85 portions of Waldorf salad
actually look like - and what if someone has a nut allergy? I was sent off for more tomatoes, just to get me
out of the way.
At 4 o'clock we were back there, time to collect the bread and pies (isn't that just the best potato pie ever?)
from the local traiteur. We meet up with David Johnson who arrives to stock the bar. This is the time we
discovered that the huge ovens only have a single shelf each and so will only take four pies at a time to
warm through and we had 15! Paul started laying cables and speakers for the music round, while I worried
about the lack of forks!
By 6 o'clock we have laid out the best plates from the Salle, and packed away the paper ones. The salads
are being portioned onto 60 plates, and then re-apportioned onto 75. The lettuce is clearly too limp to get
from the bowl to the plates, but not to worry for all will be well for now Catherine arrives, looking
wonderful, and still wonderful some hours later, up to her elbows in hot soapy water, washing plate after
plate. Then we had to remove Chris from the sink because of a wrinkly hands problem, because she had
washed up so much. After putting in a huge amount of work, Kath and Brian arrive with the questions under
lock and key - they are real stars - and discover a fault on the microphone which is receiving traffic reports
from Mexico!
And now at 7 o'clock everyone is arriving and it's beginning to get a bit exciting, matching those arriving in
two's and three's into teams of French and English: the true meaning and test of both the Association and
the message we had received from President Nicholas Sarkozy on his visit to the UK where he said, ..."not
only Entente Cordiale but Entente Amicale ".... He should have been with us to see how that really can
work!
It's now very very early Sunday morning, and we are drinking champagne with the winning team and
wondering whether the clock goes forward or back ... and who cares? What we really want is a cup of tea
and some painkillers! Ten rounds of ten questions, a few prizes, a bar and a supper: that - and the labours
of friends - is all it took to make a very friendly and jolly time in St. Sébastien. So thank you for making it a
great night and "playing the game". And let us remind the winners that the tradition is they organise next
year's quiz!
Paul and Gyn Freeman
WEBSITE
Our Website: www.ententecordiale-creuse.org
(Please note the new address)
I am amazed by the numbers of people accessing the website and where
they come from! A large number of hits are from outside France, a lot from
the USA and a few from around the world. The vast majority, though, are
from France and the UK. As we are linked to a number of other websites for
people interested in France, many of the visitors to our site are channelled
through these. In fact, some new members first heard about Entente Cordiale through the website. We try
to keep the site as up to date as possible, but we need lots of news and information about what is
happening out and about with Entente Cordiale. So please let us know via our E-mail address:
information@ententecordiale-creuse.org
Robert Bates

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The Library
How it works:
The library of books in the English language is open for borrowing every Thursday from
10 until 4, then on Saturday morning 9.30 until 12.30. Membership is 5 euros a year for
a family ticket for EC members and 8 euros for non- members.
Where is it?
In Dun-le-Palestel Rue des Rateries, behind the main town
library in Parc Benjamin Bord.
We opened the library six months ago, have nearly 100 library
members, and are almost the victims of our own success.
Donations of good quality books have been generous and this
last month we have installed more new shelving. We have
totally reorganised the library to arrange our five and half
thousand books in a comfortable browsing order. Also, we are
fully computerised - well some of us are! I couldn't turn it off after a shift there last week! We all love
stamping the books out - any upside down will be mine, I’m afraid. We have a good selection of fiction to
suit all tastes and a whole collections of the popular authors. Our children's corner is popular and the nonfiction
section is rich in biography, gardening, cooking and hobbies - and much more. We have a good
reference section ready and waiting for students learning English, once a Commissioner is appointed to
supervise this enterprise. Our selection of videos is popular too. It's not like a library as we know it: the
kettle is on the boil and our tea and coffee service is more Kardomah than Wimpey. Avid readers often
recommend a favourite author and new readers with retired time to fill are discovering the joys of a good
book. But most important, we are finding time for one another. There's always time for a chat, and a bit
of problem solving and sharing. Our notice board is proving popular too. Financially - balancing the books
has been an emotional roller-coaster but we've paid our way so far. However - there is always an however
.... we would like a small kitchen and plan to raise the cash for this and to help with other running costs.
Now we have finished our reorganisation, we will put our energy into bringing in a bit of money. We would
like to do a "vide grenier" before the end of the season. Please can you HELP!
Appeal
We're looking for good quality "bric a brac" and clothes. For example, if you and a friend could fill a
"vegetable box" with stuff you don't want, we would be very grateful. If you can't bring your box to the
library then we can collect. Especially if you have a larger item or two (someone has a wooden globe which
opens into a cocktail cabinet - that is a must!) We will let you have the date of the sale - but obviously not
until we have enough stuff to sell. We have some other ideas of events, but one at a time I think!
I am indebted to all volunteers. It has been tough sometimes but it's always been fun. If you'd like to join
the team, do let me know, new hands are always welcome. We are about to start our publicity push now we
have the library more or less as we want it. We also want to promote the meeting area. For example, if
you have Thursday afternoons free and enjoy art - a bit of drawing or painting, new to it or something you
already enjoy - we thought we would meet as a group on alternate Thursday afternoons, to help one
another, encourage and just chat, hopefully in two languages. The alternate Thursday afternoons - perhaps
your hobby is needles - not acupuncture, but knitting, sewing, patchwork etc. We need to hear from you
please. And spread the word to young Mums. They could have a morning to meet up and catch up - with or
without prams. We have a lovely outdoor area for the summer too. Get in touch for more information and
we hope to see you at the library soon.
Contacts:
General stuff, bric a brac etc.
Gyn Freeman gynfreeman@free.fr 05 55 63 25 88
Art Group Chris Hardy chrisrayhardy@yahoo.co.uk
Stitching Linda Ward lward@wanadoo.fr

Café Club Franglais
Page 5
The Café Club Franglais is a very pleasant way to meet and chat with old
friends and to make new ones over a coffee and a cake in the pleasant
surroundings of the Library. It meets on the first Tuesday of each month
between 10 am and noon. The idea is for those who would like to attempt
a little or even a lot of the other language to get together and have a go.
You can speak as much or as little as you wish in English or French. It
might be that you only know a very few phrases in French. So, you can say
them and then lapse back into English. The French people may also only
know a few phrases in English, so when they have tried those, they fall back into speaking French. So the
conversation goes back and forth and some folk are better than others, but it really doesn’t matter because
everyone is enjoying the tea, coffee and lovely cakes. I always come away having learnt a few new things to
say without actually "hard learning". Do come and try it.
The next one is on Tuesday 7 th October.
Linda Ward Tel: 05 55 89 69 65
Vineyard
How much healthier the vines look compared with the same time last year. Regular treatment since May
against mildew and oidium seem to have avoided repetition of the premature leaf fall that left us with little
good wood to prune this April. It is clear that vines take longer than we thought to recover from neglect,
and that actions taken one year are more for the benefit of subsequent years.
We held a ‘parrains’ barbeque at the end of June to give them a chance to see how their ‘investment’ is
being managed. The vineyard provided a delightful setting and we pic-nicked in the shade of the oak and
chestnut trees on a warm sunny evening. Uneven ground proved quite challenging for some deck-chairs –
the occupiers insist it was unrelated to their wine consumption! Some 60 people attended and we added
several new ‘parrains’. It was also a good opportunity to thank those regulars who work so hard to maintain
the vines.
Clearing the cave is well in hand in the hope that we will be able to do our first wine-making. There should
be grapes to harvest in October, perhaps a little late due to the relatively wet summer, and not in great
quantity. About 100 plants have fruit continuing to develop. We hope to see a lot of visitors for the
forthcoming ‘Fête des Vignes’ on 4 October (see details elsewhere in the newsletter). Meanwhile we are
always keen to welcome new participants for our Monday morning working parties.
Charles Walker Tel: 05 55 63 78 31
Tying vines in June At the Vineyard Party

Page 6
Proverbs of the Month
As you may remember from previous articles – I love cats! So I’ve been delighted to find the furry friends
popping up in lots of French proverbs. Here is another selection:
Chat echaudé craint le feu Once bitten twice shy
(The burnt cat is afraid of the fire – oh!!)
Je donne ma langue au chat I give up (quiz, riddle,
etc.)
(I give my tongue to the cat)
Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter To have other fish to fry
(To have other cats to whip -oh!!)
S’entendre comme chien et chat i.e. Not to get on at all
(To get along like dog and cat)
Acheter chat en poche To buy a pig in a poke
Talking of pigs:
You know when we say – ‘That will be the day/pigs might fly’ and we imagine a pig flying by the window?
Well, the French make use of another animal.
Quand les poules auront les dents (When hens have got teeth)
I didn’t know that hens didn’t have teeth. Is that why they are so rare?
Editor
PC TIPS - Backing up your data
I can bet with confidence the majority of PC users don’t back up their data regularly.
If it’s you, please save yourself a lot of grief and start to backup NOW
The easiest way is to put your data on a CD, DVD or a USB Memory stick.
But if you have lots of data, photos or video, by far the best thing to do is either to fit another internal
hard drive into your computer or buy or make an external hard drive (usually USB). It’s then easy to ‘drag
and drop’ or ‘copy and paste’ onto that backup drive.
If your PC has died and your data seems lost and there isn’t any backup, don’t despair. There may
be a simple way to get your data back.
Buy a caddy, take out the hard drive from your PC and fit it into the caddy, as you would for making an
external hard drive. Make sure the caddy you buy is appropriate for your hard drive i.e. IDE or SATA, 3 ½
inch or 2 ½ inch (laptop size).
If you’re unsure how to do any of these bits of engineering, go to the Entente Cordiale website ‘IT
Information’ page or E-mail: information@ententecordiale-creuse.org
Robert Bates

Let the Train take the Strain!
(From our Railways Correspondent)
Page 7
This is a very old slogan from the days of British Rail, before it was sold off to private operators, but it is
very appropriate for many journeys here. France is a huge country, and although the roads are excellent,
and by UK standards fairly empty, distances and times between major venues are often deceptive, and it is
worth considering using the rail services instead.
Many of us will have depressing memories of rail services in the UK: expensive, overcrowded, rarely on
time, and so on, whether in the days of British Rail or its successors. So a certain anti-train bias is perfectly
understandable. The contrast between SNCF, the French national rail company, could not be greater: clean,
fast, spot on timings, reserved seats on all but local trains, and very reasonably priced. A standard 2nd class
return ticket to Paris from la Souterraine costs €64, (about £51) without restrictions, and cheaper options
are available on certain trains. With the exception of a few tourist and preserved routes, all trains in France
are operated by SNCF, despite having a confusion of different names for their services, such as Corail, Teoz,
Rhealys, Thalys, TER, RER, Eurostar, TEE, and so on. Some services inside the Paris banlieu are operated by
RATP, the Paris regional transport authority on behalf of SNCF, and vice versa.
There are frequent direct trains to Paris and the north
daily, and to Limoges, Cahors and Toulouse in the south,
with local TER stopping trains in between. The
introduction of a direct service to Lille from Brive la
Gaillarde has bypassed the need to go via Paris for
Eurostar trains to London, although the timings of the
connections in Lille are a bit long winded. Nonetheless,
this train, which leaves la Souterraine at 08:13, has
opened up a few other interesting possibilities. For
example, it is feasible to get off at Juvisy, south of
Paris, and get an RER service to the centre of Paris and
on to Versailles. This train stops at Gare d’ Austerlitz,
Notre Dame, Palais de Luxumbourg, Les Invalides, Arc de
Triomphe and Tour d' Eiffel, before crossing the Seine on
it's way to Versailles. So it's an interesting journey
through the heart of the city. TGV’s in Gare du Nord, Paris
Other options on the Lille train are that it stops at Marne le Vallée, which is the station for Disneyland, or
you could alight at Aeroporte Charles de Gaulle, where you can catch one of the new ultra fast TGV's to
Strasbourg and the East. These double-decker trains are holders of the world speed record for conventional
railways, at a speed of 574.8 km/h (357.18 mph), although the public service is not quite that fast! Finally,
another advantage of the 08:13 train is that it stops at a number of stations en route, including Vierzon,
where you can get trains to Bourges, Nevers, Clermont Ferrand & Lyon. Also, because this train has become
the stopping service, the earlier 07:16 train now only stops at Chateauroux, getting to Paris 10 minutes
earlier than before. Just as all roads lead to Rome, so in France, all railways lead to Paris, but there are
many cross country routes that are worth exploring. There is a remarkable train to and from Bordeaux and&
Lyon each day, which takes about 11 hours to wander between the two cities, and it stops locally at
Limoges, St Sulpice Laurière, Guéret, & Montluçon. Of course, there are much faster ways to get to both
Bordeaux and Lyon, but it's a nice casual journey!
So far, I've only touched on journeys inside France, but this is a fantastic place from which to take trains to
many European destinations. For example, did you know that there is a sleeping car train to Barcelona from
Limoges each day at 23:55? (This train actually starts from Amsterdam Central). So, with the Editor’s
permission, in the next newsletter I'll write a bit about Trans-European services. I’ll also mention some of
the various discount cards you can buy, some of which can get 50% reductions on trains, hotel and car hire
discounts, and even cheap tickets on the ferry from Marseilles to Corsica!
Bon Voyage! Michael Overs

Page 8
From our Health Correspondent:
Get your EU Healthcard online
Anyone covered by the French healthcare system should pick up a CEAM card
before they visit the UK, or anywhere else in Europe, for a holiday. This can be
done online. The CEAM (Carte Européenne d’Assurance Maladie) is the French
equivalent of the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) which is the
replacement of the E111. You could pick up a CEAM (one needed per individual,
including children) by taking your carte vitale to your nearest CPAM office
(Caisse Primaire Assurance Maladie), or you can order online at : www.ameli.fr
This is quite simple to do:
Click on Assurés, then the blue tab vos services en ligne.
Underneath the list vos démarches you will find number 3: demandez une
carte européenne d’assurance maladie.
Mine arrived through the post in under a week – they promise within 15 working
days.
Please Note
The above applies if you already have an E121 (i.e. receiving a state pension from UK or you are employed
in France.) If you have an E106 (temporary cover in France) the situation is a little more complicated.
Some CPAM’s will agree to issue CEAM’s, others will not. But holders of the E106 who have been refused a
CEAM should apply to the UK authority, enclosing a photocopy of their E106 to:
EHIC Applications, PO Box 1115, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE99 1SW.
The Year of the Tick – Beware!
Doctors are warning that 2008 is turning out to be one of the worst years on record for tick bites.
Ticks are blood-feeding parasites that are often found in tall grass and shrubs where they will wait to attach
to a passing host. Physical contact is the only method of transportation for ticks. Ticks do not jump or fly.
Many ticks carry the extremely unpleasant Lymes disease. Lymes is transmitted to humans by the bite of
infected ticks. Early symptoms of infection may include fever, headache, fatigue, depression, and a
characteristic skin rash called ‘erythema migrans’. Left untreated, symptoms may to develop to affect the
joints, heart, and nervous system. In the majority of cases, symptoms can be eliminated with antibiotics,
especially if diagnosis and treatment occur early in the course of illness. Late, delayed, or inadequate
treatment can lead to late manifestations of Lyme disease which can be disabling and difficult to treat.
The Limousin is the second worst affected area of France falling just behind the Alsace. The weather and
the environment of the area combine to provide a perfect breeding ground.
Doctors advise avoiding walking in long grass where possible and going straight to the doctors if the area
around the bite develops a reddish rash. Ticks must be removed using the specially designed tick removal
hooks that are readily available to ensure that the head of the creature is completely removed.
A Word of Warning………….
Several people, members and non-members of our Association, have drawn our attention to a French man
who speaks good English, offering his translation services free of charge to non-French speakers. Then he
demands payment and sends nasty anonymous letters. If you are approached, are already in this situation
or know anyone that is, please phone David or Dominique Johnson on 05 55 89 14 61 or 05 55 89 16 54

MEMBERSHIP OF ETETE CORDIALE
www.ententecordiale-creuse.org
Our part of France is le Pays Dunois in beautiful northern Creuse (Limousin)
• Like to join in our social activities and outings?
• Want to find out more about the local area?
• Interested in getting involved in projects
• Like to meet new friends?
Join Entente Cordiale!
Our aim is to help people of all nationalities integrate into French society by organising activities, projects
and social outings.
Annual membership fees are 15€ (single) or 20€ per couple
Want to find out more?
Contact David Johnson, President Tel: 05 55 89 16 54 or 05 55 89 14 61
Or e-mail: information@ententecordiale-creuse.org
L’ADHÉSIO A ETETE CORDIALE
www.ententecordiale-creuse.org
otre coin de France se situe dans le verdoyant Pays Dunois, au nord de la Creuse
(Limousin)
• Souhaitez-vous nous rejoindre pour des sorties culturelles?
• Des rencontres amicales franco-britanniques?
• Pour participer à des projets fédérateurs
• Pour découvrir notre patrimoine?
Devenez membre d’Entente Cordiale!
otre but est d’aider les nouveaux arrivants de toute nationalité à s’intégrer dans la societé française locale,
en organisant sorties, rencontres, projets novateurs.
Adhesion par an 15€ (célibataire) ou 20€ couple.
Pour en savoir plus, contactez:
David Johnson, President Tel: 05 55 89 16 54 ou 05 55 89 14 61
Ou e-mail: information@ententecordiale-creuse.org