The LLC Choir The Gersabelles news

The Gersabelles are a world famous choir of the Ladies Lunchclub de l'Armagnac in the Gers 

We would like some more Ladies, who like to sing to come and join us. All ladies who like to sing are welcome.  No special range or experience required. 

We rehearse every Wednesday morning in the Cinema of Nogaro from 10.30 to 12.

Please come and give it a try. You will discover how much fun it is.

Kat Planckaert - The new choir leader for LLC
 
For more information please contact:

Ladieslunchclub secretary at lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com

Garden Club March Meeting 2018

The Garden Club  will be meeting on Thursday 8th March at Averon-Bergelle, near Manciet.  We shall be meeting with M Alain Dumont to view his large collection of orchids. 

We will meet at the church at 14:00 in Averon-Bergelle.  We can park in the church car park. 

Please wear sensible shoes as the ground will be very wet.

Pat Wright - Leader of the Gardening Club


For more information about any of the above or our next meeting and venue, please contact:

LLC secretary: lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com
or you join the blog here:follow by email (click on this link if you want regular info) or ourfacebook page (see widget on the blog)
Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac.
or 
come to the Ladies Lunch on every 2d Tuesday each month or you join the blog here:follow by email 
(click on this link if you want regular info)

Attention!!!!! CHANGE OF VENUE for LLC lunch on Tuesday 13th of February 2018 in Nogaro

Attention!!!!! Please!!
CHANGE OF VENUE ON 
Tuesday 13th of February 2018 in Nogaro 
HI Ladies, 
The Commerce Hotel Nogaro have told us that they have, for reasons beyond our control, changed our venue from the Hotel to the Brasserie (Café du Commerce opposite of Le Progres). 

CAFÉ DU COMMERCE,

 

Place Jeanne d'Arc, 32110 Nogaro 

T. +33 (0)5 62 09 03 14

We look forward to seeing you between 12 and 12:15 on Tuesday. 13th February 2018.

This is located in the centre of Nogaro 6 Place Jeanne D'Arc - you turn right at the T-junction at the top of the high street).
The Brasserie have assured us that they will make sure that we have a good lunch and the Committee are doing all possible to ensure that this change in venue will not detract from our lunch. We will be following up with you during, and after, the lunch to get feedback on this venue (food, location, staff, etc). This important is important in future planning,
This venue is new to us, although some ladies meet there before they go to the cinema at Nogaro, and we hope that you will have a great experience with your friends and colleagues.
We look forward to seeing you between 12 and 12:15 on Tuesday.
Best wishes Janet Jones, secretary LLC
Since the deadline for signing up is finished the email went only to those who has inscribed, however
for more details about the menu please see our blog post:

Sign up for LLC February 13th, 2018 lunch

Welcome message of the new LLC president

Thank you again for your confidence in me and for electing me as your new president. 

As I said at the AGM 2018, I intend to focus on the original objectives of the LLC d'Armagnac;

• To promote and facilitate friendship between ladies of all nationalities. 

The questionnaire that we sent out last year provided us with many useful insights in how to do this. An important point that came to light from the questionnaire is that members, especially new members, sometimes feel uncomfortable when attending lunch meetings. This is because they do not already know any of the other members. 

We (myself and the new committee consisting of Treasurer Riet Smulders and Secretary Janet Jones) have decided to allocate the task of welcoming and integrating new members to a designated LLC member at the lunches.

The intention is that we all work together to welcome new members 
and help them to get to know each other, make new friends and integrate into the subgroups. We hope that you will help this new LLC member in this activity, which may involve organising local coffee mornings for new members.

We realise that communication is essential to really promote friendship, therefore, we would like to ask you all to think about ways of making communication between members of the LLC easier. 
This can be by sharing a new activity, a club, a local or cultural event or by sharing the activities you have enjoyed in the subgroups.  This information can be useful to new as well as longer-standing members - if it is of interest to you it may be of interest to someone else.  
If you have anything to share please send an email to lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com.

In order to facilitate friendship and communication, we would also like to be more supportive of the subgroups, especially if they need financial support. For example, last year, we supported the singing group with the various expenses they have like the printing of concert posters. The committee will meet with the leaders of the subgroups in March, to find out how we can best support them. 
Please start to think about your group’s needs so that your leaders can discuss these with us when we meet.
In addition to the above, we will continue to develop the website and integrate the blog into the website (ladieslunchclubarmagnac.com.) This is a key communication tool that we would like to make even more beneficial to you.  There is currently a map accessible on the website that shows where the members of the LLC live. Knowing where our members live helps us decide which restaurants to choose for our monthly lunches. 

There has been much discussion about adding  contact details to this map.  We have had very mixed reactions to this suggestion. If we do go down this route we shall need to think about data protection. With more than 100 members, we would need to have implicit consent to publish details on the website, have an opt-out mechanism, have an assigned data protection administrator and also be likely to incur legal fees to set this up.  
Therefore, at this stage, we are thinking of alternative ways to identify members who live close to each other.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to us at lunchclugascogne@gmail.com. 

We look forward to hearing from you. 
The president
Margaretha Liddell-Grainger

Sign up for LLC February 13th, 2018 lunch

Dear Ladies and Members,  

Please find below your invitation to the next lunch on 

Tuesday 13th February 2018 

at HOTEL RESTAURANT LE COMMERCE  

2 Place des cordeliers 32110 Nogaro
Tél : 05 62 09 00 95 - 06 71 74 55 98

This venue has been selected for its convenient geographic location and positive feedback from previous lunches.  After many constructive discussions with the chef, the menu proposed by M. Sorbet, the Chef of the Commerce is:

Salade de Betterave et  Chèvre frais

Beetroot with fresh goat's cheese

Ballottine de volaille en farce

Stuffed chicken ballottine

ou / or

Cassolette aux fruits de mer

Sea food casserole

Crêpes et beignets de carnival

Carnival of pancakes and fritters

The cost is 17 euros, which includes wine.

The deadline for bookings is Monday 5 February, 

Please submit your booking form (attached to your email) as soon as possible with your choice of main course.We will send out a list of responses just before that date.  

If you have any problems with booking please email me on ladiesclubgascogne@gmail.com. 

Please can you bring along either your cheque for 17€, made payable to "Ladies Lunch Club de l'Agmagnac" or 17€ cash in envelope marked with your name.  

This helps to speed up the checking in process.  Please note that you may be charged if you cancel within 72 hours of the lunch.

​Check-in will commence at 12 o'clock and I look forward to seeing you on the 13th February.
​​​

Following the AGM,  the minutes of the AGM were sent to all member by email, please can you send me any comments. 

Thank you to everyone who has already renewed their membership for 2018, we already have 54 confirmed members.

In case you have not already renewed your membership,​​  please find attached a Membership Renewal form.  

You can either bring this form to the next lunch, together with 10 € (cash or cheque made payable to Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac).  Alternatively, you can send your membership forms and cheques to me by post: require postal address from ladies lunch club by email:  ladiesclubgascogne@gmail.com. 

 2018 MEMBERSHIP FORM.doc

​

The deadline for subscriptions is the end of February (unless you have made a prior arrangement).  

If you have any problems please contact me on ladiesclubgascogne@gmail.com. 

We look forward to seeing you and / or receiving your membership renewal

Best wishes

Janet Jones

Secretary LLC.

LLC website

LLC Blog

LLC Facebook Page

LLC garden group: The next meeting will be on Thursday, 8th March 2018

Please Note: LLC garden group: The next meeting will be on Thursday, 8th March, 2018
see M. Dumont Orchids, near Manciet

Happy New Year 2018

We wish all our members of the Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac 

and their family and friends a wonderful vital and 

Happy New Year 2018   

LLC member filmclub in Fleurance

A new filmclub in Fleurance:

If any LLC members would like to be informed about upcoming films, they can send me an email at susan.brissaud@wanadoo.fr 
and I will put them on the mailing list. 


The cinema in Fleurance in about to launch a regular rendez vous featuring recent films in English (with French subtitles).

 
The first film is going to be the star studded version of Agatha Christie's famous Poiret mystery, "Murder on the Orient Express". 
Some of our most wonderful English actors (Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi) are performing in it alongside a clutch of Hollywood film stars (Michele Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz). The BBC proclaims that "First class steam travel has never seemed more glamorous. Its worth buying a ticket just to savour the alpine scenery, gleaming art deco fittings, foot tapping jazz and mouth watering catering," while the Guardian says "It's classic Branagh: sweeping landscapes, thundering score, capital A acting."
Showing at the Grand Angle Fleurance on Thursday 18th January at 5.30 pm.


The following Thursday 25th, also at 5.30pm, there will be a chance to see the "icily brilliant" (Guardian) Christopher Plummer playing John Paul Getty in "All the Money in the World", a thrillerised account of the true story of the kidnapping of Getty's grandson, Paul, and the chaos that was unleased when Getty, despite being a billionaire, refused to pay the ransom. The Guardian and the Telegraph have given it four stars!

The cinema is also showing "The Battle of the Sexes" on Monday 8th January at 8.30 pm. This is a thrilling film about the famous tennis match of 1973 between Billie Jean King and the "male chauvinstic pig" (in his own words) Bobby Riggs. It's also about Billie Jean King's love life. 

Again, the Guardian and the Telegraph have both awarded four stars to the film, which is directed by the duo that produced Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathon Dayton and Valerie Faris).
I think this initiative is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to see some of the latest film releases in vo. 
If any members would like to be informed about upcoming films, they can send me an email at susan.brissaud@wanadoo.fr and I will put them on the mailing list. 
Following the first two screenings, the cinema is going to try to get films as they come out, so if there are any films members of the Ladies Lunch Club (and their friends and husbands!) particularly want to see, they can let me know and I'll pass the word on (under consideration for the moment are Phantom Thread and Film Stars don't die in Manchester and perhaps Darkest Hour, the acclaimed new film about Churchill).

The cinema is also hoping that the public, both French and English, will hang around afterwards and chat to each other and that it will become a friendly social event, possibly with an apéritif after the film from time to time. They are very open to feedback, so any suggestions you may have are more than welcome. 
Many thanks in advance for your help in spreading the word. 
Best wishes for 2018,Susan Brissaud

Sign up for LLC Annual General Meeting and January 2018 Lunch with Ladies Lunch Club de l’Armagnac

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING and JANUARY LUNCH

Tuesday 9th January 2018

Salle de Fetes – 32800 Réans

Dear Ladies,
Our 2018 Annual General Meeting will take place in the Salle de Fetes at 32800 Réans, on 
Tuesday the 9th of January. 
Coffee will be offered from 10.45 am and the Meeting will start promptly at 11.00 a.m.

An Agenda for the Meeting have been sent in email to members and so were the  Minutes of the 2017 AGM. Copies of the minutes will be circulated on the day.  
We will ask for your approval on the day by a show of hands of those present.

Election of new Committee:
Carol Scott will be standing down as President and in her place, Margaretha Liddell-Grainger has been nominated as President and Janet Jones as Secretary. 
Riet Smulders will remain as Treasurer.  

In accordance with the Constitution of the Club, a decision will be taken by a simple majority vote of the members present.  The new Committee will then have the power to co-opt one or more additional members, as necessary.
A.O.B.  (Any Other Business):  Under this heading, we welcome your suggestions and ideas on how we can continue to offer all our Members a choice of interesting activities and any other points you would like to raise.  
If you are unable to attend but have something to offer please e-mail the Committee at the above address.

The Meeting will be followed by our normal Lunch which will be prepared and served by Michelle Chavenon and Dagmar Bunnemann, two of our Members.  
The cost of the lunch is 18 euro, which includes the wine and coffee.  
A Booking Form was attached to member email. If you have difficulties in submitting the form please send an email giving your choices to lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com.

MENU 18 Euro 

Punch Planteur/ Planter's Punch

Verrines à la Courgette/ Courgette Verrines

Chips de légumes/ Vegetable Crisps

+++

 Cocktail sans alcool/ Non-alcoholic Cocktail

+++

 Velouté de Champignons, Chantilly au Piment d’Espelette et Croûtons

Cream of Mushroom Soup with Espelette Red Peppers and Croutons

+++

Méli-mélo de Poissons en Papillotes

Fish Meli-Melo en Papillotes (Paper Packets)

Ou/or

Emincé de Filet mignon sauté au Miel et aux Epices

Filet Mignon Flavoured with Honey and Spices

Brocolis, Riz thaï/ Brocolli, Thai Rice

+++

Verrines de Panna cota, Mousse au chocolat et Délice de fruits rouges

Pannacotta, Chocolate Mousse and Red Fruit Delight Verrines

+++ 

Vin blanc, vin rouge/ White and Red Wine

Café à la fin du repas/ Coffee

                       

DEADLINE FOR BOOKING IS THE 

3rd OF JANUARY 2018

Membership Renewal Forms will be handed out to those who haven't received it with the member email. 

Please bring €10 (cash or cheque made payable to Ladies Lunch Club de l’Armagnac) membership fee or send membership forms and cheques to the LLC Secretary by post.

The deadline for subscriptions is the end of February (unless you have made a prior arrangement.) 

If you have any problems, please contact the Secretary, lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com. 

To ease organisation of signing in and up:

Please bring your membership form and 10 Euros in a one envelope with your name on it.

Please bring the money for the lunch in a separate envelope with your name on it.   

Please do not forget your name tag. 

We look forward to seeing you on the 9th January, 2018.

Best Wishes for a merry christmas 

and a happy New Year to you all, 

the LLC committee

LLC bookclub meeting December 14th 2017

Our last book club meeting of the year 2017 

The Festive One, is next Thursday 14 December.

Special Christmas time of 3.30pm

Please bring your favourite Christmas reading, if you have one, and a little plate of snacks/sweet or savoury, or a bottle of fizz.

I have Jo’s selection of books for the January 2018 meeting which I have printed below.  Have a look at them and we can then choose the book on Thursday.

Jackie

I have actually opted for 4 books; two by women and two by men.  Books written by incredibly intrepid travellers, both through life and through adventure. Tales of Derring-do and “gung-honess” (is there such a word?). I have enjoyed them immensely – hope the bookclub also enjoys.

 Jo B x They are:

Ted Simon – Jupiter’s Travels 

Jupiter's Travels -Ted Simon's astonishing 4 year motorbike journey around the world 

The book that inspired Ewan McGregor's Long Way Round 

In the late 1970s Ted Simon set off on a Triumph and rode 63,000 miles over four years through fifty-four countries in a journey that took him around the world. Through breakdowns, prison, war, revolutions, disasters and a Californian commune, he travelled into the depths of fear and reached the heights of euphoria. 

He met astonishing people and was treated as a spy, a welcome stranger and even a god. For Simon the trip became a journey into his own soul, and for many others - including bikers Charley Boorman and Ewan McGrergor - it provides an inspiration they will never forget. 

Brought up in England by a German mother and a Romanian father, Ted Simon found himself impelled by an insatiable desire to explore the world. It led him to abandon an early scientific career in favour of journalism, and he has worked for several newspapers and magazines on Fleet Street and elsewhere. Ted Simon is also the author of Riding Home and The Gypsy in Me.

Alain Bombard – The Bombard Story 

A fascinating story about one man's perilous journey across the Atlantic in a tiny open dinghy, to prove his theories that castaways could survive on only fish (from whose insides a certain amount of fresh water is procured), plankton, rainwater and a small amount of seawater. Dr Bombard was influenced by the Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947, but unlike that famous voyage, Bombard's trip is now largely forgotten, though it caused a sensation at the time in 1952.

Paula McLain – Circling the Sun 

Beryl wrote a book about her trans-Atlantic flight called “West with the Night?” which was heralded by Hemingway, is available online.

As a young girl, Beryl Markham was brought to Kenya from Britain by parents dreaming of a new life. For her mother the dream quickly turned sour, and she returned home; Beryl was brought up by her father, who switched between indulgence and heavy-handed authority, allowing her first to run wild on their farm then incarcerating her in the classroom. 

The scourge of governesses and a serial absconder from boarding school, by the age of 16 Beryl had been catapulted into a disastrous marriage - but it was in facing up to this reality that she took charge of her own destiny. 

Scandalizing high society with her errant behaviour, she left her husband and became the first woman ever to hold a professional racehorse trainer's licence. After falling in with the notoriously hedonistic and gin-soaked Happy Valley set, Beryl soon became embroiled in a complex love triangle with the writer Karen Blixen and big-game hunter Denys Finch Hatton (immortalized in Blixen's memoir Out of Africa). 

It was this unhappy affair which set tragedy in motion while awakening Beryl to her truest self and to her fate: to fly.

Rosie Swale Pope - Just a little run around the world

After her husband died of cancer, 57-year-old Rosie set off to run around the world, raising money in memory of the man she loved. Followed by wolves, knocked down by a bus, confronted by bears, chased by a naked man with a gun and stranded with severe frostbite, Rosie's breathtaking 20,000-mile solo journey is as gripping as it is inspiring. Rosie's solo run around the world started out of sorrow and heartache and a wish to turn something around. 

Heartbroken when she lost her husband to cancer, Rosie set off from Wales with nothing but a small backpack of food and equipment, and funded by the rent from her little cottage. So began her epic 5-year journey that would take her 20,000 miles around the world, crossing Europe, Russia, Asia, Alaska, North America, Greenland, Iceland, and back into the UK. 

On a good day she'd run 30 miles, on a bad day she'd only manage 500 yards, digging herself out of the snow at -62 degrees C, moving her cart inches at a time. Every inch, every mile, was a triumph, a celebration of life, and 53 pairs of shoes later Rosie arrived home to jubilant crowds in Tenby, Wales.

Remember, Book Club is always on the 3rd Thursday of the month. All meetings, unless notified, are at Pam’s at 2.30.

For more information about any of the above or our next meeting and venue, please contact:
LLC secretary: lunchclubgascogne(at)gmail.com
or you join the blog here:
follow by email
(click on this link if you want regular info)
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Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac.