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PUB QUIZOur first "pub quiz" was held on 12th October at L'Univers in Villefranche. Owing to the size of the room we had to limit the number of entrants and were sorry that some people were not able to take part as a result of this. Ably hosted by quizmaster Jonathan who kept us on task and provided varied, interesting and quite challenging questions, it was a lively entertaining get together which gave the little grey cells a thorough workout. The winners were " The Quizzlings" who were presented with bottles of red for their efforts and good memories. It seemed to be a popular activity which we have been asked to repeat in the near future. Watch this space!

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WHAT’S ON – November and December The cold weather is upon up and November and December are the time for Quines (bingo) and local evenings to eat aligot, choucroute or grilled chestnuts. But there are a few big events on too. Check out what’s happening near you at your local Office de Tourisme. 7 Dec – AGM. Make note in your diary/agenda. Buffet lunch followed by Library AGM. See page 2.BROCANTES/VIDE GRENIERS3-4 Nov – Figeac, Salon des Antiquites, Brocante, at the Espace Francois Mitterand Figeac.11 Nov, 9 Dec– Marche aux Puces, Barqueville (Halle Raymond Lacombe)30 Dec – Brocante de Noel, under the Halle at Figeac.Every 3rd Sunday of the month between November and April, except Janary, when it’s the 4th Sunday – Rignac, Annexe de la Salle des FetesMUSIC16 Nov - Accordeon Gala at the Salle de 13 Pierres, Villefranche 17 Nov – Celtic Night in Figeac with five different Irish Bands (Tickets 20 euros: info: 06 85 34 98 21)22 Nov – the ‘Caveau de la Gare ‘ (local arts group) present ‘Standard de Jazz’ with the AMAD Quar-tet at Capdenac’s Salle Atmosphere. Check them out on Youtube.23 Nov – Titi Robin and Les Rives in concert at Figeac’s Salle Charles Boyer …music from India to Asia and back to the Mediterranean – a taste on Youtube. Tickets 19 euros.21 Dec – Cirque de Moscou sur Glace. Dynamic contemporary circus on ice with 28 artists from right across Russia at Figeac’s Espace Francois Mitterand. Tickets 37 euros.3rd Thursday in November – it’s Beaujolais Nouveau! Look out for events near you.24 Nov – Villeneuve Salle des Fetes, Christmas Fair – if you fancy taking a stall, contact the organiz-ers, the Association Familles Rurales on 05 65 81 74 88 (Mme Clapier).APPLE PRESSINGDo you have a good crop of apples this year? Bring them to be pressed on the 9th November from 9am onwards – you’ll get superb, long-keeping apple juice bottled for you at a reasonable price. A ‘Journée Pressage’ is being organized by the Conservateur Regionale du Chataignier, La Croix Blanche, 12390 Rignac, in partnership with Terre Paysanne. MUST BOOK AHEAD on 05 65 64 47 29. If Rignac is too far, call the Association ‘Croquers des Pommes’, and see if there is something be-ing organized nearer to you. The Aveyron branch can be contacted on 05 65 42 62 46.CONVERSATION GROUPWant to improve your spoken French in an informal way? How does a convivial weekly chat in a bar over a drink sound? If this appeals, come and join our small conversation group. It’s free (apart from buying yourself a drink) and we meet at 6.30pm every Thursday (apart from holidays) at L’Univers bar in Villefranche. If you are interested in finding out more call Jenny Fieldgrass 05 65 81 54 28 or 06 78 38 59 60. CHRISTMAS FAIRS and IDEAS - see page 7.

BOOK REVIEW – Amor Towles ‘Rules of Civility’Clever, witty and very well written, this tale of a year in the life of Katey Kontent, an ambitious, intelli-gent young secretary from Brooklyn, instantly grabbed me . The year in question is 1938, when the De-pression is beginning to lift and war has not yet cast a shadow. By day Katey earns her rent typing depo-sitions at Quiggin & Hale. By night she gets her kicks sneaking into the Capitol Theater or slipping into smoky jazz bars in Greenwich Village. Perched on stools with her room-mate Evelyn Ross, they can make a Martini last an hour. On New Year's Eve 1937 a chance encounter with handsome, rich and single Tinker Grey is destined to change all their lives and set them on the paths they will follow into the future. Whirlwind friendships ensue, with Tinker introducing the pair to upper crust New York, and Katey doing a credible job of hid-ing her less-than-upper-crust past. Yet, as the novel develops, her innocence and naiveté are quickly transformed into hard-won experience and, by the following New Year the meeting between Katey, Eve and Tinker seems a million miles awayI find it hard to believe that this is a debut novel as the writing is so self assured, atmospheric and well plotted. It beautifully evokes the spirit of an era in the crack of light between economic recovery follow-ing the depression and a nation being dragged into a world war. Katey is a cross between Dorothy Parker and Holly Golightly – both an amusing, likeable narrator and a memorable character with the brains of a bluestocking and the legs of a flapper. The book is about love but also about ambition and social mobility, and it has that aspirational quality that will transport you back to a time when every-thing seemed possible. There are echoes of "The Great Gatsby," not only in the character of Tinker Grey and in the atmosphere created but also in the precise and descriptive prose. Part love story, part social observation, 100 percent absorbing. “In our twenties, when there is still so much time ahead of us, time that seems ample for a hundred indecisions, for a hundred visions and revisions—we draw a card, and we must decide right then and there whether to keep that card and dis-card the next, or discard the first card and keep the second. And before we know it, the deck has been played out and the decisions we have just made will shape our lives for decades to come.”

PD

FLIGHT INFORodez--Stansted by Ryanair. What a relief! I think that all of us who use this route will be very happy to learn that the service will be continuing throughout the winter on Thursdays and Sundays. Having been told that it was not to fly after November 5 th we can now look forward to seeing friends and family throughout the winter. Consult the website. www.ryanair.com#

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ANNUAL LIBRARY AGMEach year we have our library AGM in December. It will take place this year on Friday De-cember 7 in the Centre Sociale, Villefranche. There will be a Buffet Lunch starting at 12 noon followed by the AGM at 14h15. Everyone is invited. This is usually a convivial occasion being just before Christmas and it gets us all in the mood for the forthcoming festivities. Please being some finger food to share and we will provide the liquid refreshments. Do note it in your diaries and agendas and we will of course send a reminder beforehand.

The fo#owing paperbacks are new additions to our shelves this month:We, The Drowned - Carsten JensenWhy be Happy when you could be normal? - Jeanette WintersonThe Shape of Water (Montalbano 1) - Andrea CamilleriThe Terracotta Dog (Montalbano 2) - Andrea CamilleriMe Before You - Jojo MoyesRules of Civility - Amor Towles (Reviewed above)

FRENCH VERSUS BRITISH BEEF CUTS

Confused when you buy bee f ? In a two-part article, we explain which French cuts to use for f r y ing , grilling, fondue and wok cooking. Cuts for roasting and braising will be covered in the next newsletter. Getting the right piece of meat can be problematic in France. Our cookery books give us the English cut and, while there are translations which give the French name, the meat has probably been butch-ered in a different way. French butchers divide the carcass along the muscles whereas English butchers cut across muscle groups to form a joint. Searching for a cut of beef on Google France shows that the French themselves find it almost as difficult so, don’t despair. FILET fillet steak. Some butchers separately tie up the pointy end, FILET MIGNON and charge more for it. It’s the most tender [and expensive] steak, but often lacks flavour, which explains why “tournedos” often comes with a sauce. FAUX FILET/CONTRE FILET. Sirloin steak. It’s the bit next to the fillet, a prime cut, although less tender than fillet. It needs longer to “rest” after cooking. ENTRECOTE This is the eye of meat in rib of beef, another prime cut. Look for a butcher who trims off the gristle. ARAIGNEE, POIRE, MERLAN These are col-lectively known as “morceaux du boucher” because they are often kept for his own consumption. Araignee, for example, is a smallish piece of meat weighing 350-500g and there are only two per ani-mal. By the time the butcher has taken the nerves out, it looks like a ragged starfish. I’ve recently found out that my own butcher only sells it on Thursday morning, and by lunchtime, it’s all gone. All three have short fibres, cook very quickly and are delicious. If you marinade strips of beef for the plancha or for cooking in a wok, you could try these.

BAVETTE D’ALOYAU/BAVETTE DE FLANCHET These are muscles with very

long fibres and, when cut across those fibres, make for very tender steaks. Bavette de flanchet is a fattier cut, but

both need very short cooking times. HAMPE/ONGLET Two more cuts with very

long fibres. Onglet needs to age for at least 10 days because it contracts at slaughter and needs time to relax.

ROND DE PARIS/ROND DE TRANCHE GRASSE This is a little worked muscle in the thigh. The whole muscle weighs 500-800gr, with up to 1100gr on larger beasts. It makes a superb beef roast with fabulous cold beef leftovers. Slices cut off it are cooked as steak. PALERON/MACREUSE A BIFTEACK These two cuts are better known for long slow cooking because they come from the forequarter of the animal, but some people say they make tasty steaks. They do need to be very underdone though, so don’t try them if you like meat “bien cuit”. RUMSTEACK This used to be my favourite in England, but I don’t find it as tender here. It does have good flavour though. Finally PIECE DE BOEUF. Offered at some res-taurants, it can be one of several cuts of meat. Technically, piece de boeuf is top rump/pointe de culotte and is cooked slowly, so it ought to be of-fered as “morceau de boeuf” to be more accurate. When it’s on the menu, always ask which piece it is. Judge from the list above whether you fancy it or not. To get the best out of these cuts, it pays to ask your butcher, whether at the supermarket or an independent. In general, they recommend a non-stick frying pan with no added fat. If it needs oil for the barbecue or plancha, this should be lightly brushed on the meat. The pan should be really hot. Even quickly cooked steaks taste much better if they “rest” for up to 15 minutes. You can identify the location of these meat cuts on www.universboucherie.com which, if you change to English language, gives a fair translation.

LS

PLEASE NOTE - The next newsletter will be published in January 2013 . Deadline for inclusions is 20 December. In the meantime enjoy the end of year festivities.

Many thanks to all those who contributed to the newsletter during the year. Do keep sending in your articles and items for inclusion.

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PROTECT YOUR ARTWhether you are an artist or a collector you need to protect your art. Not just from theft, but from fire, water damage, light, heat, damp etc. Art works come in many forms, from stone, metal, canvas, paper, plastic, fabric, ceramic, glass, plastic and combinations of all those. Metal and stone my be left outside but then you need to think about security. Is it on a solid surface and won't topple over? Can it easily be lifted and therefore "lifted"?Glass and ceramics also need to be on a solid surface to avoid risk of breakage and damage. Either put them in a display case or keep them away from children, dogs, cats and all clumsy adults. Works on canvas, paintings, paper art including photography should be correctly attached to a wall to avoid falling. A light painting will suffer damage to the stretcher and could tear if it falls even a short dis-tance. If your works are very valuable they should also be screwed to the wall and not just hung. Many of these fragile works should also be kept away from direct sunlight as well as heat sources and that in-cludes radiators and televisions. The same applies to damp. Damp can cause damage that can never be repaired. You might have seen books and watercolour paintings with spots, well, these spots can never be removed, so it's best to avoid that happening in the first place. A cold unheated house can get quite damp during winter and even during a humid summer. A steamy bathroom will not be beneficial either so if you do have art work (not works on paper obviously) in the bathroom, make sure you keep the room well ventilated and aired after your bath or shower. Don't forget insurance. Many artists and even collectors do not have adequate insurance. If your home is already insured then you might be covered, but it's worth checking to see if it covers the value of each item or just a global amount. Most people are under insured and if that is your case and you have to make a claim, the insurance company will regard you a being a co-insurer and will not fully compensate you in case of loss, fire, theft, damage and so on. Ask your agent, it won’t cost anything to check and if you have several art works have a per-item insurance. The same applies for other items such as jewellery, antiques etc. The extra cost could be minimal and well worth it. Lastly, take photographs of all your works, including jewellery, watches and any other items such as fam-ily heirlooms, furniture or expensive acquisitions. Keep the purchase receipts and store them in a safe place such as a metal box, vault or as a last resort in a trusted friends/family's home or filing cabinet. If you home goes up in smoke there is not much point if the photos and documents are in cinders too.

HM

HUMOUR

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Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates."In honor of this holy season," Saint Peter said, "You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven."The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It represents a candle," he said. "You may pass through the pearly gates," Saint Peter said.The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're bells." Saint Peter said, "You may pass through the pearly gates."The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's glasses.St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And just what do those symbolize?"The man replied, "They're Carol's."

A guy bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas. After hearing about this extravagant gift, a friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty four-wheel-drive vehicles.""She did," he replied. "But where was I going to find a fake Jeep?"

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDENNovember in the gardenMost of our gardening jobs are now done until next spring, but November is the traditional time to think about planting trees. The first things we planted in our garden were the 3 B i rch t rees . These are very g race fu l t rees with lovely sil-ver y bark and now 4 years later are now three times as tall as me. We do have quite a lot of space so each year we plant a few more trees. Ideally I would plant more fruit trees, but espalier and cor-dons which take up less room. Why are they so difficult to find here? They look great and the fruit and blossom is so much easier to protect and pick. This year we need to find space for a Ginkgo and Koelreuteria, all seedling trees which now need to be planted out. Thankfully, they are all reasonably small trees, but I have a real longing to plant a big tree.At the beginning of October I visited RHS Rose-moor in Devon and the trees were just wonderful. Only a few had much in the way of autumn colour, but one tree was outstanding. I was thrilled to find that this was a Koelreuteria, I hadn't realised it had such wonderful autumn colour. The fruit and vege-table garden had a wonderful display of apples. The cordons and step over trees were just dripping with lovely juicy apples. As usual the great old oaks dominate the meadow, but it is a real thrill to be in the presence of such wonderful statuesque trees. This is something I really miss in France. Can we find a space in our garden to plant a large tree, a tree which can be allowed to grow to full size and maturity?Think carefully before planting any tree. Do some research, find the ideal tree for you and your gar-den and then position it so it can grow to it's full potential. You might have to wait awhile, but a tree allowed to grow to full size and maturity has such a wonderful presence in the garden. Most French people tend to plant for shade and then proceed to pollard them every few years to keep them from getting too big. Many people here inherit trees planted too close to buildings and these can then become a real problem. If a tree needs pruning, find out when is the best time to do this and find

someone who can do a good job. (Ask around and go to see the trees they have pruned.) We have a large walnut tree near the house which has in the

past been butch-ered . It looks fine in summer when the leaves cover the badly c r o s s i n g branches and holes in the main trunk where the

water has got in. We have tried to rectify the dam-age, but walnuts don't like much in the way of pruning. There are too many trees which are badly pruned and then the tree is open to infection. If you pay someone to do the work find someone who knows what they are doing as a badly pruned tree is an eye sore and more problems for the future.As a rule of thumb, fruit trees with a pip are pruned in winter when dormant and fruit trees with a stone, pruned in summer when in active growth. Most deciduous trees are pruned in winter, but some weep badly so need to be cut in early winter. Many trees don't like to be pruned at all and this includes conifers. All the more reason to choose wisely and think carefully before planting.A good pepinierist will give you advice if you are unsure, but he will need to know something about your soil and site. Make sure that it is you who de-cides what size of tree and don't be persuaded to plant a tree which is going to be too big for your garden and need to be pruned every 5 years. (excep-tion fruit trees). Personally I don't like pollarded trees, mainly because it is normally done so badly. The main fault is cutting the branches back too close to the main trunk so that the wound dies back causing a hole and then the water gets in and the tree is open to infection. If you look closely, nearly all the trees in Villefranche now have this problem.Some trees like Horse chestnut, Birch, Hornbeam, Catalpa ,Walnut, Laburnum, should be pruned be-tween now and mid winter but the main aim should be to remove dead, diseased and badly place branches. They tend to bleed after pruning so there will fewer problems if there is less sap in the bark.

See our web site http://www.amisdujardin.frY&M

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HOME SWOP

It was in the planning for about 12 months which might seem like a long time. But neither of us had done this before. Some good friends of mine who live near Dublin suggested a house swop. They come here for two weeks and we go to live in their home. I jumped at the idea. As I am busy during the summer with Gite rental we settled on September. I though there should be a bit of an overlap so I could show them around and they could get used to driving on the left as we were swopping cars too. They arrived on Saturday and we would leave on the following Tuesday. For the first few days I showed our friends where the supermarkets were, the good butchers and traiteurs and of course a list of the restaurants. As they are both lovers of fine food they enjoyed Cote Saveur in VF and Ostel del Barry in Najac. They visited St Cyr la Popie, Figeac, Sauveterre among other places and enjoyed an overnight in Albi so as to have plenty of time to visit the cathedral and the museum and of course sample the restaurants. The days were warm enough for BBQ's and sitting on the terrace with a coffee or apero. Thanks to direct flights with the airline that no one likes but everyone uses, we arrived on time, quickly collected our bags and found their car in the long term parking. Looking at all the cars in this huge long term car park I thought everyone must have left the country. Although it was rush hour, thanks to new motorways and tunnels we ar-rived speedily to their house located south of Dub-lin.

The first few days we spent in Dub-lin going to galler-ies & museums, looking at shops and having pub lunches wi th glasses of Guin-ness.

Sunset over Watervi#e, Co. KerryThen we set off for the south of the country. My OH had never visited west Cork and Kerry, two lovely counties and we were lucky to have some beautiful weather. We never book hotels in advance preferring to stop when we feel like it and see whats available. We spent two nights in Waterville, on the ring of Kerry in the Butler Arms Hotel. A family run hotel now in it's third generation. They specialise in seafood and I must say we had some of the best and freshest seafood for a long time. Sitting in their dining room eating a seafood platter with a glass of white wine and watching a beautiful sunset, well, that's my idea of bliss. Back in Dublin again and the next few days were spent visiting family and friends. Then it was time to buy some items not available in this neck of the woods before weighing the suitcases to make sure we would not be charged extra for overweight bag-gage. All in all our house swop was a success and I would do it again. There are various websites on the net and its worth comparing them as they have differ-ent charges and possibilities.

HM

GINGERNUT BISCUITSScrummy to eat and simple to make – a great recipe

'om the divine Delia!110g self-raising flour1 slightly rounded teaspoon ground ginger1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda40g granulated (or caster) sugar 50g margarine (or butter)50g or 2 tablespoons golden syrup

Preheat oven to gas mark 5, 375oF or 190oC. One large or two small baking sheets, lightly greased. Begin by sifting the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl, add the sugar, then lightly rub in the margarine until the mixture is

crumbly. Next add the syrup and mix everything together to form a stiff paste. Now divide the mixture into sixteen pieces about the same size as each other and roll each piece into a little ball. Place them on the baking sheet(s), leaving plenty of room between them because they spread out quite a bit when they are cooking. Then simply flatten each ball slightly with the back of a spoon and bake just above the centre of the oven for 10-15 mins, by which time they will have spread out and cracked rather attractively, Cool on the baking sheet(s) for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling, then store in an airtight tin.

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ADVERTISING

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Je fais de la traduction de documents français-anglais pour des anglophones qui ne parlent pas le français. Ils peuvent me contacter: Vania BELLECHASSE au 06-50-97-93-14 ou par email: arachmee@yahoo.ca

DISCLAIMER - READERS PLEASE NOTE

The English Library takes no responsibility for articles, reviews, financial advice, adver-tisements etc. published in this newsletter. The views of the reviewers are personal and do not necessarily represent those of the Newsletter nor the Association. Readers should verify all articles for sale, trades per-sons etc. before handing over money. The Editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit any ad or article sent for publication.

Has anyone has any plans to drive to the UK (anywhere near the west) and would have some space for a box of things in their car ? If so please contact Martin: (0)5 65 29 36 82, or mobile: 06 24 17 03 85 or Pella at mobile : 07887 384844, landline : 0117 279 6178.

Ch!"mas IdeasThere will be a Christmas Fair at La Barriere Lacapelle Livron 82160 Near Caylus on Saturday 1st Dec 14h-19h and Sunday 2nd Dec from 10h-19h. Tel: 0563240005 for more information 

Marion, one of our members is organising a courrone (Christmas Wreath) making workshop in her barn (heated!) at Jardin de la Mothe Salles Cour-batiers 12260. This will be the following weekend Dec 8th-or 9th at 14h . People will need to bring a pair of gardening gloves, everything else pro-vided. We will help everyone make their own christmas wreath. The cost will be 15 euro which includes refreshments included. Reservation needed 0565815146. (The example above was photographed in Kensington, London)

More IdeasI have several Stained Glass Sun-catchers that would make ideal Christmas presents, prices ranging from 5 to 12 euros. If you would like to come and have a look, please ring Libby on 0565804719 or email libbydowle@gmail.com

Les musiciens de l'Harmonie de Figeac,Peter NOWFEL, Chef de Musique, V éronique BOTELLA, Présidente

Seraient honorés de votre présence, au prochain concert de L'harmonie "Les Artisans Réunis",

Concert Anniversaire 125 AnsVendredi 30 Novembre, 20h30 Salle Balène, à Figeac

Compositions deElmer BERNSTEIN

Quincy JONESDarius MILHAUDPeter NOWFEL

Dizzy GILLESPIEEntre autres

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BIBLIOTHÈQUE ANGLO-FRANÇAISE# NOVEMBER 2012

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