Bonjour à tous !
The Paris Olympics are now in full swing and I recall that some of our friends in Charenton-le-Pont were not well pleased with some of the travel restrictions placed upon them during the games! Nonetheless I am sure they will enjoy the French successes as much as we will those of Team GB. The cycling time-trials (contre la montre) actually went along the Avenue de
Gravelle in Charenton, which is where Pascale lives. In July, 24 members and friends visited Cadenham Manor to see the unique Frenchstyle garden. Following an introductory talk by the owner, Victoria, we were free to wander around the relaxing and enchanting gardens. They were a delight, topped off by a convivial chat over tea and delicious cakes in the front court. I would recommend a visit next June when the gardens are open as part of the National Garden Scheme. The roses, peonies and foxgloves will be in full swing. You will enjoy it.
Next up for members will be our annual Boules game in August and a fun wine-tasting event in September. On September 14th Trowbridge will hold its annual Uniformed Services Day in the park. We will have a joint stand with the other Twinning Associations, giving us an opportunity to promote TFTA and perhaps attract some new members. I will be
there complete with beret and if any other members would like to spend a happy hour or so extolling the delights of France and the positive experiences of twinning, please e-mail TFTA and we will set up a rota nearer the day. At the time of writing, the sun is shining and I hope you are all enjoying some semblance of
summer.
A bientôt. Phil (Chair of TFTA)
Boules and pub lunch at The Bell on the Common (Broughton Gifford) 10.30 am with lunch at 12.30 pm
Time again for our annual not-very-serious game of boules. It’s a mix and match event – you can come to play boules and/or have lunch. Whichever you want to do, it’s a good opportunity to meet up with other members and do something French! Don’t worry if you’ve never played before – all will be explained.
We’ll start with a coffee or other drink at 10.30 and get playing on the piste at the back
of the pub as soon as we can. The pub restaurant serves a considerable variety of food with a good range of prices. They have said they do not want us to preorder. Please book using this email address and say whether or not you will want lunch, so that we can reserve tables. There’s a charge of £2 per person to TFTA funds, payable on the day.
If you have a set of metal boules, please bring them along. And if it happens to pour down on the day, so that we can’t play, we will go ahead with the lunch. Hoping you will be able to join us. Please note, friends of TFTA are also welcome to come along.
Wine-tasting: a selection of mediumpriced supermarket wines PLUS a presentation on the 2024 members’ visit to Charenton 7.30 pm Friday 20 September Southwick Village Hall.
£10 per person, with usual refreshments included in addition to the tasting wines. Members and friends equally welcome to take part, but no under-18s are allowed. Booking by email to the address on this page and pre-paying are essential. Please pay online (preferred) to Trowbridge French Twinning Association, account number 66091624, Sort Code 60-21-36. Use your surname and WINE as payment reference, eg JONES WINE. Send an email to summersonrob@gmail.com after you have made the payment, to say it’s been done. Or pay by cash or cheque (payable to Trowbridge French Twinning Association) to Rob Summerson, TFTA Treasurer, 40 Marsh Rd, Hilperton Marsh, Trowbridge BA14 7PR.
News from the English Twinning Association in Charenton
We’ve been notified of various changes of personnel on the Charenton committee. Pascal Melse is stepping down to be replaced by Phillippe Troubat as the new Président, but she’s staying as a member of the committee. Philippe was formerly the Treasurer, but that role is now taken by Cathérine Le Hoay. Michèle Chevallier is the new Secretary and Annick Mongin is also remaining on the committee. All of these are well-known to us, with the exception of Cathérine. We’re looking forward to a Zoom meeting to be held sometime in September between some members of the Charenton committee and ours to discuss future plans. This is likely to include setting the date for their members’ visit to Trowbridge in 2025, and what the visit might entail. Watch this space!
Le mot juste
It’s August, which is août in French. A strange looking word which you might wonder how topronounce. There are in fact two different
pronunciations: oo and oot. The ‘t’ is nowgenerally sounded in France, but not in otherfrancophone countries and areas, includingQuebec. So, in France, it’s oot to rhyme withthe English ‘boot’. This helps avoid confusionwith ou meaning ‘or’, où meaning ‘where’ andhoux meaning ‘holly’, all of which arepronounced oo to rhyme with ‘boo’. Also,pronouncing the ‘t’ avoids confustion betweenle mois d’août (the month of August) and lemois doux (the mild month)!40% of businesses in France shut their doorsat some time in August. It’s hot and it’s when
you’ll see signs in independent shops, artgalleries etc saying things like ‘Fermé tout le mois – vacances annuelles’. Parisians inparticular often take a month of annual leaveto head for the beaches, mountains orcountryside. In consequence, France can berather disappointingly quiet. But equally it canbe a good time to visit, especially Paris, asthere will be a lot fewer people around. 15 August is a public holiday and the CatholicChurch Feast of the Assumption. Watch out ifyou are taking an August holiday, particularly ifself-catering, as shops will be shut. This year, 15 August is a Monday, so in small towns you could find shops shut from Saturday midday through until Tuesday. Many of the shops that are open in August, including supermarchés and hypermarches, will be full of special offers and notices reminding you of la rentrée. That is the equivalent of ‘Back to School’ and takes place at the beginning of September. But, besides going to school, it also implies going back to work. It’s la rentrée for everyone in France! I’ll finish with a quotation from writer and comedian Pierre Desproges: ‘Vivre la ville en août, vivre la mer en juin, c’est l’ultime aristocracie et la rare élégance de l’estivant hexagonal’. Experiencing the town in August, experiencing the sea in June, it’s the ultimate in aristocratic style and the unusual elegance of the French summer holiday-maker.
À bientôt !
Use our email address: trowbridgefrenchtwinning@gmail.com for any replies and enquiries.
