Welcome! to Issue 102
of ‘The Deux-Sèvres Monthly’ magazine.
Just as we thought we had said farewell to the last of our visitors... I was doing some light hoeing in the vegetable patch when I heard a ‘chomping’ noise behind me. On looking round I saw a large creature on the compost heap munching on a decomposing courgette. Ascertaining it was a cat and not a rat, and that we don’t have a cat, I called Anna to come and have a look. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she beetled off to get some tuna for the emaciated puss, which it wolfed down. The following day I left for a week in the UK. On my return, the cat is still with us, is having two hearty meals a day, has its own food and water bowl, a fluffy cat bed and is called Fabergé. Having two children allergic to cats and not wanting Fabergé squirting his scent on our furniture, if he wants to stay, he will have to live in the outhouse. We have been a dog family for the past fourteen years and are not used to the ways of Br’er cat. Having lunch we heard a scrabbling at the back door and saw the cat appearing through the glass as, spiderman-like, he clambered up the fly screen. In bed that evening as we were nodding off there was a commotion at the window, the passion vine started shaking aggressively and two eyes appeared through the darkness. Fabergé is struggling to accept the concept of living outside. The cat is not the only one taking time to adjust. Our Labrador never used to leap on the table and lick the food when we weren’t looking or sink its claws into our legs as it scrambled onto our laps. The dog, on the whole, seemed to do what it was told. But, I’m sure, over time, we will get used to each others ways. Whether you have a cat on your lap or dog at your feet, we hope you enjoy our September issue of the magazine.
à la prochaine Stephen & Anna
Tel: 05 49 64 21 98 Email: info@thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr Website: www.thedeuxsevresmonthly.fr
Contents
What’s On Getting Out & About Clubs & Associations Hobbies Spotlight Home & Garden A-Z of the Communes in the Deux-Sèvres Take a Break Health, Beauty & Fitness Our Furry Friends Food & Drink Motoring Building & Renovation Communications Business & Finance Property
This Month’s Advertisers
ABORDimmo Adrian Butterfield (Handyman) Affordable UK Designs (Kitchens & UPVC Double Glazing) AKE Petits Travaux (Builder) All Seasons Cleaning Amanda Johnson - The Spectrum IFA Group Andrew Longman (Plumbing & Heating) Arbes et Abeilles (Plant nursery) ARB French Property
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Ark 79 (Animal Charity Association) Assurances Maucourt (GAN Parthenay) Bayleaf Books Beaux Villages Immobilier BH Assurances / Allianz - Isabelle Want Big 3 Day Book Fair (Hope association) Blevins Franks Financial Management Building & Renovation Services Cabinet Papin Immobilier Château L’Orangerie (Chambre d’hôtes) Cherry Picker Hire Chez Lou (Upholstery and Furniture) Chris Bassett Construction Chris Parsons (Plumber/Heating Engineer) Christies (English Book Shop & Tea Room) Cindy Can Help (Translation services) CJ Electricité Clare Sweeney Cleaning Clean Sweep Chimney Services Cosmetic Contour Craft Fair and Farmers’ Market Darren Lawrence Discover Yoga ELG Translation Services Firewood Franglais Deliveries (Transport & Removal Services) Green and Tidy (Gardening Services) Hallmark Electricité Helen Booth (deVere Group) Hiley Location (Groundworks) HMJ (Renovation service) Inter Décor (Tiles and Bathrooms) Irving Location - Digger Hire and Gravel deliveries Jeff’s Metalwork John Purchase - Mobile Mechanic Jon the Carpetman J.W.Services (General building work) Keith Banks Pool Services La Deuxieme Chance (Decorative paint specialists) Le Bon Co’ Thé - (Pâtisserie) Leggett Immobilier Le Regal’on (Bar and Restaurant) LPV Technology (IT services) Mark Sabestini - Renovation and Construction MD Project Management Me and Mrs Jones (Property Cleaning and Services) Michael Glover (Plasterer, tiler, renderer)) Michel Barateau (Cabinet Maker) Mike Sweeney (Sports car and motorcycle specialist) ML Computers Motor Parts Charente Mushroom Festival Mutuelles de Poitiers Assurances Needa Hand Services (Grass cutting etc.) Pamela Irving (Holistic Therapist) Pinnacle Garden Care Plombier 85 (Plumbing, Heating, Sanitation) Projet Piscine (Swimming Pool solutions) Restaurant des Canards R J Coulson Building Services Rob Berry (Plasterer) Robert Mann (Upholstery) Ross Hendry (Interface Consulting & Engineering) Safe Hands 79 (Garden maintenance) Saugé Vintage Tea Room Simon the Tiler Smart Moves - Removal company Steve Coupland (Property services) Steve Robin (Plumbing, heating, electrics) Strictly Roofing Sue Burgess (French Classes & Translation) Sunny Sky Cars (Cars, Motorhomes and Vans wanted) The English Mechanic & Son - Tony Eyre The Fixer - Rick Denton The Hope Association The Perfect Pig Company Tony Wigmore(IT services) Town Renovations Val Assist (Translation Services) Van For Sale - Ford Transit Vienne Tree Services Zena Sabestini (Translation service)
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© Anna and Stephen Shaw 2019. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission. While care is taken to ensure that articles and features are accurate, Anna and Stephen Shaw accept no liability for reader dissatisfaction. The opinions expressed and experiences shared are given by individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the publisher. Please ensure you verify that the company you are dealing with is a registered trading company in France and/or elsewhere. It is strongly advised to check details of published events with other sources before setting out on long journeys. <<The Deux-Sèvres Monthly>> est édité par Anna and Stephen Shaw 2 Jaunasse, Louin, 79600 Tél: 05 49 64 21 98. Directeur de la publication et rédacteur en chef: Anna and Stephen Shaw. Crédits photos: Anna and Stephen Shaw, Clkr, Shutterstock et Pixabay. Impression: Graficas Piquer SL, 29 Al Mediterraneo, Pol. Ind. San Rafael, 04230, Huércal de Almeria, Espagne. Dépôt légal: octobre 2019 - Tirage: 4500 exemplaires. Siret: 839 041 282 00014 ISSN: 2115-4848 TVA: FR 48 839 041 282
The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, October 2019| 3