The Gascony branch of CSF (Cancer Support France),
registered in January, has been holding a series of events
to introduce its services to English-speaking residents in the
Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, Hautes-Garonne and parts of
Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
At a wine and cheese party held at the home of Rosemary
Humphrys, a member of CSF, vice-president Paula
Strangeway explained how the group functions.
The population of griffon vultures in the Pyrénées is
rapidly declining. Augustin Médevielle, founder of the
Falaise aux Vautours in the Ossau valley (64), has reported
that there were 123 vulture couples with 72 chicks in 2006,
but in 2007, the number of couples had fallen to 105 with
only 32 chicks.
Young vultures born in the Pyrénées migrate to
North Africa as soon as they can fly the distance. They
stay for three to four years before returning to find a mate
and reproduce. Staying with the same partner for up to
30 years.
Griffon vultures breed according to the availability of
food. In Spain, the increase in industrial farming methods
in the 1980s provided large quantities of unuseable meat.
Five per cent of intensively-reared animals died before
slaughter and the remains were thrown to the vultures.
The practice resulted in a significant rise in the rate
of reproduction.
In 2002, a new EU ruling banned the dumping of animal
carcases; farmers had to dispose of them in special centres.
Starving vultures were forced
to fly north in search
of food.
The resulting drop
in numbers is a
cause for concern:
vultures are
needed in the
Pyrénées as
‘cleaners of the
mountains’.
Their presence is
no longer
certain. How
many of the
young birds will
return to a place
where they cannot
find sufficient
food?
This year’s Cinéma Muet et Piano Parlant in Anères was
again a great success with record visitor numbers topping
4,000. The programme included a Super 8 section with some
very interesting personal items, but the most popular film was
‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ with a very young Ronald Colman.
The season opened with a grand aperitif in the Café du
Village and closed with a late-night concert.
Véronique Minozzo meets the musical medic who masterminds Auch’s choral festival
For three weeks in June, Auch, the
historical capital of Gascony, will
live to the beat of the 11th Éclats
de Voix festival, the only choral event in
France to offer such a varied repertoire,
ranging from medieval to modern, this
year including Finnish, Latin, English
and American influences.
Éclats de Voix is spread over three
weekends and run by around 50
volunteers who commit time and
enthusiasm to the choral festival. The
‘conductor/mentor’ is Patrick de Chirée,
who is not only the artistic director but
also a doctor in Auch’s general hospital.
No finer honour can be
bestowed in Pézenas
than to be made a Chevalier
of the Petit Pâté de Pézenas.
Nikki Quist, who founded
the local magazine
‘Blablablah’ was honoured
last month at a ceremony in
the town’s museum. Nikki
knows a bit about moving
around and why a good mag
is important: she was born in
Bexley Heath, educated in
New York and has lived in
Florida and Paris. It was in
Paris that Nikki tried out the
concept of a medium to
bring together Anglophones
and the French with a
website. A printed journal
started when she and her
husband moved to Pézenas
four years ago.
‘Blablablah’ has grown
from a monthly 500 copies
of just four pages in black
and white to the quality
28-page colour magazine
produced today, with an
estimated 20,000 readers.
“We are fortunate to have
such a ‘can do’ person who
has driven the magazine to
its present prominence,” was
the tribute Jean-Luc Beguile
paid to Nikki’s work with
the community, which
includes the local Occitan
language school in Pézenas
and the other successful fairs
including the Château
Cassan Christmas Fair.
It is not often that a potholer
can put a town on the
map – but that is the
achievement of Gabriel
Rodriguez.
His discovery of a maze
of underground rivers and
passages led to the discovery
of a 7,000-year-old
civilisation around, or rather
under, the town of Saint-
Pons-de-Thomières. His
enthusiasm for his findings
developed into a fascination
with archeology and the
founding of a local society.
Now the treasures and
history, after years in lessthan-
excellent buildings, are
presented in a bright modern
building near the town’s
fine cathedral.
Atmospheric ‘theatre’ displays fibreglass copies of the regions standing stones in Saint-Pons new museum
Work has begun to take the
road back from the edge of
the 10-mile stretch of
unspoilt Sète/Marseillan
beach. Soon the sea will no
longer nibble away at the
road as it has done most
winters, and holiday makers
won’t have to cross a busy
road to get to the sea. The
plan involves diverting the
entire route to run alongside
the railway. Work from the
Sète end is well advanced
but the project is enormous
and may take years.
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.
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