Peter Hackett casts a humorous if slightly jaundiced eye around the Dordogne in search of the odd, the amusing, the outrageous or the plain daft
The scene is Bergerac Airport,
Departure Control. Enter Mrs
Hetherington-Fanshaw-Smythe,
a lady in her mid-sixties. She
approaches the luggage
inspection control. Airport official: Good morning,
Madame. Have you a telephone,
a laptop, a pair of scissors
or any other metal objects
on your person? Mrs Hetherington-Fanshaw-
Smythe (HFS): No.
He checks her ticket and her
passport, and places her bag on
the conveyor belt. Official: Thank you, this way
please.
There is a loud ringing noise. Official: My God! Come here
quickly, everybody. Air hostesses, policemen,
baggage handlers, pilots,
passengers and a small dog
appear from all directions. On
the screen is the unmistakeable
outline of a large bullet.
Missing your Shreddies and Ocean Spray cranberry
juice? Meet Amanda Davison and Karen Guest at
their market stall, A K Wholefoods, around the Dordogne
for English, Indian, Japanese, Thai, organic and speciality
culinary delights. Besides English tea and cheeses, the
English duo also have a large selection of products for
those with dietary restrictions, like vegetarian, glutenfree
and dairy-free items. Contact them before
November 14 to make your order for authentic
mincemeat, Christmas pudding, mince pies and
Christmas crackers.
Keeping kids healthy starts with eating right. Here in the Dordogne, administrators are working hard to make sure students not only eat well, but organic
It’s just another day of school for
Léa Ravidat and Kenza Féniche at
Collège Yvon Delbos in Montignac.
Only today, something is slightly
different... slightly better. Instead of
the usual boring meal at lunchtime,
Léa, Kenza and their friends will be
eating organic lunch at the cantine
all week as part of the Conseil
Général de la Dordogne’s pilot
program to introduce bio meals into
Dordogne schools.
On the menu this Wednesday,
October 8, is pâté, an omelette with
cheese, ratatouille, bulgar, and fruit
and cake for dessert. “It’s better than
usual,” says Kenza, taking a bite of
her ratatouille. At another table in
the cafeteria, 5e students Dorian and
Alice are raving about their
omelettes. “It tastes better,” says
Dorian. “Especially the vegetables.
Normally, they’re frozen.” Alice adds
with a smile, “It’s so good.”
Sandrine Lemasson interviews the increasingly influential Claude Bérit-Debat, who was elected a senator in September
Claude Bérit-Debat is a discreet sort
of politician, not one who seeks the
limelight. Yet, over the years and
without effort, this highly efficient man
has become a force to be reckoned with
for his opponents. His latest achievement,
beating the incumbent senator
Dominique Mortemousque (interviewed
here last month) by 147 votes, further
proves the point. “Yes, I am pleased about
the result because it was by no means
won in advance,” he admits. Elected
mayor of Chancelade, (near Périgueux) in
1995, 2001 and again this year, he still
remembers the municipal elections there
in 1989 and a feeling of a job well done:
“We have always kept our promises and
that's important.” Another emotionally
charged memory is when he became
president of the CAP (Communauté
d’Agglomération Périgourdine, a
partnership of communes in and
around Périgueux).
Les Toqués bar in Périgueux was hopping on Saturday,
October 18 for its opening night celebration. Under
the wing of new Irish owner Toby Brown, around 250
people drank, gabbed and danced to traditional Celtic
and popular French bands. The bar, which has existed
since the 19th century when it was a hotel/restaurant, is
finding new life with the Brown family. Toby, along with
his brother, sister and a friend will be taking turns behind
the bar and in the kitchen.
In a show of traditional and
innovative spelunking
methods, the Fedération
Française de la Spéléologie
and the Ministry of Sport
held their national caving
day on October 5 at the
popular Gouffre de
Proumeyssac show-cave near
Le Bugue. Regular
participants, the Périgueux
caving club, not only gave
demonstrations of caving
techniques, but also invited
visitors to partake in the
activities. Principally aimed at
youth, the youngest child to
abseil down a ten-metre
roped pitch at the cave’s
entrance was five-year-old
Molly Horne from England,
who, like all novices, received
a certificate for the feat.
The French Socialist party is locked in a fierce procedural struggle to establish clearly who won last Friday’s election for the post of Secretary-General.
Jaguar Cars Ltd will celebrate sixty years of XK on the Hackett Beaujolais Run 2008. In a fitting competitive tribute, the 'Big Cats' will compete among a varied and spectacular field including everything from Morgan to Maserati.
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