Pau Anglophones have been fundraising as part of their
20th anniversary celebrations. At their AGM, the club
presented the charity Perce Neige with a cheque for €2,000.
The money will be used to provide musical instruments for
adults with learning disabilities. As one member of Pau
Anglophones commented, “handing over the cheque is a nice
way of giving something back to the community”.
For sure, the cuckoos are singing loudly, but cricket
groundsmen are in despair: the rains are promoting lush
growth in the outfield but with petrol at today’s prices and all
the post-Grenelle whistle-blowers watching out for waste,
who can afford to mow down to match-height any more?
Plenty of excuses are already being prepared about not
scoring enough boundaries. Now, with catastrophic exchange
rates, will all the touring sides be able to come over as
planned?
The 'bac' is always a
source of stress for
parents and students,
especially at this time of year.
The introduction of a surf
option has been greeted with
delight by many students. At
the moment, the Académie of
Bordeaux is the only
educational area to offer
surfing as a choice. It has
proved highly popular, with
the number of students
growing from 46 to 70 in one
year.
In May, the Bordeaux-Lac exhibition centre will play host to the largest commercial event in the Aquitaine region, ‘The Bordeaux International Fair’
Before buying a plane ticket for a
vacation abroad or spending
hours trying to entertain the kids,
take a trip to the Bordeaux International
Fair. The event, which attracts around
300,000 visitors a year, offers four
different sections to be explored.
The international pavilion gives
visitors the opportunity to explore the
world with five continents and 40
countries taking part. Normally, around
81% of the fair’s visitors make this
section their prime destination as they
are given the chance to discover new
travel destinations, cultures, crafts and
exotic products from Egypt, Colombia,
Brazil and India. Performing arts,
Bollywood photography and a Sari
fashion show are just
some of the events
planned for India’s
showcase.
Ever since 1900, the Bordelais have been going to the
station balnéaire of Soulac-sur-Mer for the sea air.
Each June, the inhabitants, shop and restaurant owners
revert to this so-called Belle Epoque. This year, it will be the
weekend of June 7-8.
Ladies in ruched and flounced silks and satins, holding
lacy parasols, stroll arm in arm with their well-tailored
husbands; villagers return from the oyster-beds; others
set off for the beach in their bathing suits – knee-length,
striped affairs for the men and blouse-tunic tops and
ballooning shin-length trousers for the women; soldiers
in smart uniforms escort their belles about the town.
The annual Fête de l’Europe comes to Bordeaux this month.
On Tuesday, May 6, countries from all over Europe set up
their stands, showcasing their culture, tourist attractions and
much more.
The fete is staged in the heart of Bordeaux, in the
shadows of the beautiful Saint-André Cathédral, in Place Pey
Berland. It will include a stand from Britain, jointly hosted by
the British Consulate and the Bordeaux International School.
Given the increasing strength of Britain’s relationship with
the Aquitaine, the event will be a chance for the French to
find out Britain’s place in Europe.
There’s something for young people too, with the young
Bristolian band, ‘I am the mighty jungulator’ performing a
concert at 8pm in the Place.
The APF (Association des paralysés de France) is one of the
main groups looking after the interests of the disabled, and its
Lot-et-Garonne branch recently sent a delegation of 120 by
TGV to Paris to join a three-hour national demo. Subject: a
recent decision by Sarkozy to increase the AAH (adult
disability benefit) by only 5%. This means that pensions for
the handicapped are limited to the AAH ceiling of €628,
instead of being able to reach the €1,300 designated for
professional employees. Patricia Sazi, director of APF 47,
complains loudly that pensioners can’t be expected to live on
this amount, and the disability organisations are pressing the
government to put matters right.
Further to recent articles in French News about women's pensions, the UK Department of Work and Pensions has issued a press release explaining that "women pensioners could boost their state pension or even be in line for a windfall payment under special terms.
"CITIZENS’ UPDATE" French News April 2008
Sign your car insurance slip...."
This was our April Fool's Day hoax. Then we heard that it might have been fact. Now we're sure that it is a hoax.
Apologies to any readers who have been unsettled in any way.
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