Deux-Sèvres Life

REACTION THEATRE - Spring Production, Le Petite Theatre, Secondigny

2012-02-20T05:42:00+00:00

Sue Blair has sent me the publicity for the forthcoming production from Reaction Theatre.

'Thank you for your praise for The Perfekt Crime. Indeed, your comments on both the play and the Saturday matinee pleasantly surprised us. Now for our next show…………….. something completely different.

'AROUND THE WORLD IN (about) 90 MINUTES (approx.)’

A variety extravaganza of songs, sketches and monologues with an international theme; some new material, a few old favourites, all with the emphasis on fun and comedy.
Come prepared to have a laugh with us, even to join in with some of the songs, on our voyage around the world.

We look forward to seeing you at one of our performances at Le petit Theatre, Secondigny (by the Mairie in SuperU carpark)

Thursday - 26th. April 2012, doors open 19.00 Performance starts 20.00
Friday - 27th. April,2012 doors open 19.00 Performance starts 20.00
Saturday - 28th. April,2012 doors open 13.30 Performance starts 14.30

Tickets €10 each, available from 1st March 2012.

Bookings by email to: reaction.tickets@yahoo.fr or tel 05 49 70 29 86.
Want to know more? Then check out our website www.reactiontheatre.fr

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO WHEELCHAIR ACCESS AT SECONDIGNY

UK schoolchildren injured in coach crash in northern France

2012-02-19T11:34:21+00:00

A coach from Tamworth, Staffs, has crashed in northern France, killing one person and injuring others. The party of schoolchildren were returning to the UK after a skiing holiday in Italy. More on the story here.

Seasonal Work - Annual Forum, 29th February 2012 in Parthenay

2012-02-19T08:09:30+00:00

The yearly forum for finding seasonal work will take place on 29th February 2012 at 14h00 in Parthenay.

Date - 29th February 2012
Time - 1400 - 1700
Place - Maison de l'Emploi et des Enterprises, 13 Bld Edgar Quintet, Parthenay

Julia Salvat of the Pays de Gatine will be on hand to help you and answer any questions that you may have.

Telephone 05 49 64 25 49 for more information. Entry is free

Le Cinema Foyer, Parthenay - Sherlock Holmes - Saturday, 18th February 2012

2012-02-15T21:39:29+00:00

There will definitely be a screening of Sherlock Holmes in English on Saturday 18th February at 2.30 p.m.

The Cinema le Foyer is a "not for profit" association, run by volunteers under the 1901 French law.

Le Foyer French website: http://194.250.166.231/csjbasket/foyer/English language website: http://sites.google.com/site/cinemalefoyerfilmsinenglish/

Seat prices

Full price : 7,00 €
Reduced price : 5,80 €
Members' rate : 4,80 €
Under 7s : 3,20 €
Registered groups : 4,20 €

"Golden Oldie" films: once a month on a Tuesday evening a chance to see a classic film in English with French subtitles again. All seats for these screenings are 4,20 €

3D supplement : 2,00 € Includes hire of glasses and a hygienic wipe

Reduced price under 16s years, the disabled , the unemployed and holders of the French "carte de famille nombreuse"

Loyalty card Available to all: buy ten full price tickets and get five at reduced rate.

Membership 15 € per year (from January to December). Entitles members to the special rate at the cinema and a reduced rate at certain other shows in Parthenay. Please provide a passport-style photo, your name, phone number, address and e-mail.

New regulation - carry a breathlyser kit in your car

2012-02-15T10:20:43+00:00

St Pardoux isn't what one might call a centre of riotous behaviour on a Sunday afternoon! The church has closed its doors by midday and you're lucky if there are more than 3 or 4 locals propping up the Lok'at bar. So it was with great surprise that last Sunday, when David set off in mid afternoon to drive to Secondigny, he found the road through the village blocked by a posse of gendarmes - equipped with breathalysers!

A new regulation is due to come into force in France this year, when everyone will be required to carry an alcohol breathalyser in their car. Craig McGinty has been finding out.

CPAM and your Attestation - update

2012-02-10T14:28:11+00:00

Non-French residents of the Hexagon used to receive an annual Attestation from CPAM which many hospitals would ask to see, when registering a new patient. Do not worry if you have not received a new one. Julia Salvat of the Pays de Gatine recently spoke to CPAM and says 'It is quite normal that you have no attestation. (I have not had one for ages). CPAM are trying to cut down on costs and you do not actually need one. Your green Carte Vitale is enough. So please tell anyone who asks you.' This link will give you more information about health issues in France.

Redwings in the hedgerows and red squirrels in the trees!

2012-02-06T16:52:22+00:00

It looks Christmas card pretty, but the snow and ice and freezing temperatures have caused several events to be cancelled, including the monthly Book Library which I organise for Get Together, the British group in 79. This afternoon, with sunshine on the snow, it's caused leaks into the house; that I CAN do without! The problem is that the snow has blown underneath the tiles on the roof, and then frozen. Water finds all the little gaps, doesn't it. A couple of friends found their attic full of snow; same thing, it had blown under the tiles. Luckily they checked today, as they are going away on holiday tomorrow!

One of things I find delightful to watch is the antics of the birds around the garden. Beside the usual blue tits, coal tits, great tits, robins and sparrow after the seed and grease balls on the bird table. Even the pair of collared doves are back in search of pickings.

The berries on the cotoneaster and pyracantha are a great attraction to blackbirds and thrush, but there was another bird which I haven't seen before. It looked like a thrush, but its belly was white, it had read under its wings and a yellow stripe above its eye. There was a flock of about a dozen of them, picking the orange berries.

A visit to the RSPB website and their Bird Identifier section provided me with the answer - Redwing, from the Mistle Thrush family. They are smaller than a song thrush, delicate and their flight is lark-like. They are generally found in meadows with fieldfares and in summer they migrate to the birch woods in Scandinavia.

So this year that makes two bird visitors I've never seen before, last month the Cirl Bunting and now the Redwing.

Plus the red squirrel was playing in the trees yesterday too. Out and about now the hunters have packed their guns away!

If you've had any interesting visitors to your garden, send me the details and a photo.

Eurotunnel buys Sea France Ferries

2012-02-03T10:07:25+00:00

Eurotunnel has bought 3 cross channel ferries from Sea France, which was made bankrupt in November. Read the full article here.

Literary Festival, St Clementin, 31 August, 1 & 2nd September 2012

2012-01-30T12:01:00+00:00

There's been an active Writing Goup in Deux-Sevres for about 5 years, whose members include several published authors, winners of writing and poetry competitions. Exciting news from the group is that they are organising a Literary Festival in picturesque St Clementin, north of Bressuire, on 31 August, 1 & 2 September. Several well know authors, including Helen Dunmore, will be holding workshops, and any published authors, including French, will be promoting their publications.

Jocelyn Simms, one of the organisers, says 'we don't know of a similar event in France, certainly not in this region of France, although there are some well-known literary festivals in the UK.'

All the information is available on the festival website.

http://segorastclementincelebratetheword.blogspot.com/

'Sherlock Holmes' at Parthenay cinema - lst & 2nd February 2012

2012-01-29T10:26:49+00:00

Le Cinema Foyer in Parthenay has got the new Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes in English this week:
Wednesday 1st Feb at 2.30 p.m. and
Thursday 2nd at 6 p.m.