LLC garden group meeting June 2016

Dear Gardeners

It’s almost time for our next Garden Group outing !
Thursday 2nd June meeting at 2.30pm

We are visiting a lovely garden created by 

Ann and Jamie Jowitt 

L.D. Taillefer

32310 Saint Puy

056 228 9704

This private garden is a mixture of both English style borders and a Mediterranean dry garden round a romantic ruin covered in roses, four colour themed borders, a rockery, an Albizia avenue and a pool surrounded by lavender and roses. 

Map Co-ordinates: 43.874158, 0.497105

Directions: From St Puy, take the D654 towards Fleurance. After 2 km, take the track on the left marked Taillefer (poubelles on the corner). The track is 1 km long and Taillefer is right at the end

Parking space is limited so please car-share where possible. 
Tea and cake will be served. 
Hope to see you all there.

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) or our
facebook page (see widget on the blog)
Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac.
or
come to the Ladies Luncheon on every 2d Tuesday per month or you join the blog here:follow by email
(click on this link if you want regular info)

We would like to get your suggestions for garden visits.
Please let us know if you have ideas or wishes. Also let us know who would like to host one of the meetings of the garden group.

Sign up for 2016 June lunch with the Ladies Club de l'Armagnac

Dear Lady members,

It is with great pleasure that the Committee invites you to next lunch on 

14th June at 12 noon 

at

La Pizzeria Guilietta in 

40240Labastide d’Armagnac, 

(not far from Cazaubon).

La Pizzeria Giulietta is an Italian restaurant, which is situated under the arcades of the beautiful 

Place Royale, providing the inspiration of the place des Voges in Paris. 

It is run by a lovely French couple who make all the delicious food in house. 

We shall be eating outside absorbing all the medieval charm of Labastide d'Armagnac. 

Take a look at the following link to inspire you to come and join us.

http://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/photos-labastide-armagnac-489.htm

This is a brand new venue for us and it may be a good idea to organise car sharing with other members. To further tempt you to this wonderful new venue we shall be offering extra special raffle prizes, this month kindly donated by Carol Scott.

Please complete the emailed Booking Form to let us know that you wish to attend. 

If you are unable to submit the Form please send us an email <lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com>

Deadline for places is 8th June, so please hurry! Contact numbers for the committee if you have any last minute queries are: Diana Shaw 05 58 44 69 98

Your cheque for 17 euros should be made payable to Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac or cash and put 

into an envelope with your name on it. 

Please remember to wear your name badge. 

A list of members who have booked will be sent out in due course.

MENU

Kir cassis au vin blanc

Blackcurrant Kir

*****

Tapas: Melon, Jambon et Tomates Mozzarella

Melon, Ham and Mozzarella Tomatoes

*****

Lasagne Maison (a la viande de boeuf)

Homemade Beef Lasagne

Salade Verte aux Noix

Green Salad with Nuts

OR /ou (vegetarian option)

Pizza Vegetarienne

Vegetarien Pizza

*****

Salade de Fruits Frais

Fresh Fruit Salad

*****

Café, the et vin inclus

Wine, coffee and tea included

17 €

*****

Special event : 

We are having a BBQ with music for all our members with their family and guests on 2d July 2016 at Chateau le Bedat near Lupiac. 

A special invitation has been sent out to you already with leaflet, you can and please prebook on June luncheon. We would like to know how many members and guests can be expected to have it organized properly.    

Looking forward to seeing and sharing lunch with you all on 14th June 2016. 

We hope to receive your prebookings for the BBQ on 2d July.
Best wishes from the 

LLC Committee

LLC May 2016 bookclub meeting

LLC Bookclub - What's next?

Next meeting on

May 19^th:  

We will discuss 2 books chosen by Ann P and Nellie: read one or other or both!

Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani

and/or
A Desert in Bohemia Jill Paton Walsh

June 16^th:  

Paula’s choice is 

Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser

Paula comments: “I was not able to put down Michelle de Kretser’s book Questions of Travel when I found it in my local second hand book shop.

July 21^st:  

The book chosen from my suggestions was 

As I walked out one midsummer morning – Laurie Lee

At the age of nineteen he sets off from his native Slad in Glos and walked to London and then travelled on foot through Spain, where he was trapped by the outbreak of the Civil War. He writes of an age in which it was considered perfectly reasonable for a teenager to set off "tramping" from home, with a minimum of luggage, to walk 100 miles to London, sleeping in fields and barns along the way, to find gainful employment - which turns out to be manual labour. On a whim, he extends the journey to a foreign country with no forward planning, no means of contacting home besides old-fashioned post, and no safety net. In a way it would hardly matter what the subject matter was - the lyrical prose of Laurie Lee is enough to light up the page. The 19-year old Laurie leaves his home in Stroud and starts walking. He walks to the sea (which he has never seen) to London and subsequently the entire length of Spain. Living on his wits and his ability to play a tune on his violin he finds 1937 Spain a country on the verge of civil uprising. Lyrical, hugely evocative of period and place and beautifully written by a natural storyteller and poet.

The other 2 that were suggested were:

A PLACE CALLED WINTER by Patrick Gale 

(Notes from an Exhibition/A Perfectly Good Man) A sage, romance, historical fiction, based loosely on truth and a story of self-discovery. A shy but privileged elder son, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence - until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest force him to abandon his wife and child and sign up for emigration to Canada.Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war and madness that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before. an irresistible, searching and poignant historical novel of forbidden love, secrets and escape.


The Man who Forgot his Wife – John O’Farrell. 

Several novels including The Best A Man Can Get, This is Your Life, May Contain Nuts and The Man Who Forgot His Wife. He has also written 2 very successful history books. A former comedy scriptwriter for shows such as Spitting Image and Alias Smith and Jones, he is the founder of the satirical website NewsBiscuit and is well known for appearing on TV programmes including Grumpy Old Men, The Review Show and Have I Got News For You.

Lots of husbands forget things but Vaughan has forgotten he even has a wife. Her name, her face, their history together, everything she has ever told him, everything he has said to her - it has all gone, mysteriously wiped in one catastrophic moment of memory loss. And now he has rediscovered her - only to find out that they are getting divorced. This book is the funny, moving and poignant story of a man who has done just that. And who will try anything to turn back the clock and have one last chance to reclaim his life. "It's a rare treat to come across a novel that is both comic and thoughtfully acute about love, and life, and stuff... Hilarious and heart-tugging, this is indeed a memorable comedy"

August will be our Garden Party and we’re suggesting anyone can bring a poem to read.
Also bring books to swop.


September: 

Theme month and we have decided on 

French authors. 

So any book written by/about a French author, in English or French.

We had a lively meeting last week with the book Housekeeping providing some interesting discussion. Opinions were quite split with some loving it and some disliking it!

Thanks for all your support which helps to make our book club an enjoyable, successful one.

Jackie

LLC Knitting group “There is love in every stitch”

Everything made by the Knitting Group  is made from donated materials, and their motto is 
“There is love in every stitch”.
 
The Knitters meet regularly at 

Le Progres in Nogaro

The knitting group are continuing to knit for the Salvation Army, who currently need hand-knitted garments for HMP Bronzefield, Ilford Homeless Project, Ilford Baby Bank and the Lovelight Project in Eastern Europe. 

All items are delivered personally to the Salvation Army by Marion to ensure safe arrival, no costs involved.

Marion showed the meeting a wonderful 
Thank You card from the Salvation Army and a wonderful selection of knitted garments.  

Photos of these to update the Blog.

Marion further advised us that one member has started to collect second-hand clothes to donate, but that costs were involved in sending these items.  

It was agreed that the LLC Committee will give every alternate month’s raffle proceeds to Marion for these costs.  
Marion will look into whether the Salvation Army has a collection point in France. (In case someone can be of help here? please contact us)

If you do have any unused and spare wool which you no longer want and would like to donate to this group, please bring it along with you to the LLC lunch. Thank you.

For meeting dates please and more information 
about any of the above, please contact Ladieslunchclub secretary:

lunchclubgascogne(at)gmail.com

or you join the blog here:

follow by email 

(click on this link if you want regular info)

LLC garden group meeting May 2016

Dear Gardeners, 

First of all Pat and I would like to welcome our new members to the Garden Group and look forward to meeting you at the next outing. 
We meet on the first Thursday of every month in the afternoon, mostly to view interesting gardens although during the winter months we also organise other garden related activities. We hope you will enjoy being members of this group.

For the second month running we have had to change the date of our outing - this time because of a bank holiday on the Thursday !

Our next outing will therefore take place on WEDNESDAY 4th MAY 

We will be visiting the wonderful garden of  
Renée Boy-Faget, Le Jardin d’Entêoulet, 32550 Lasseube-Propre

We will meet in the car park at 14.30h.

This 2 hectare garden has been entirely created by Renée & was voted “Le jardin préféré des français” in 2014

I would be most grateful if you could all let me know as soon as possible if you will be attending - if we have 20 people Renée will give us a guided tour

There is an entrance fee of 7€ if we are more than 10 people.

Pat & I will look forward to seeing you on the 4th. As always car-sharing is recommended. Tea & cake will be served after the visit.

Lasseube-Propre is south of Auch on the road to Pavie, after a few kilometres you will see the right turn to the village. Go into the village, it's set below the church, you will easily see it laid out, and the car park.

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) or our
facebook page (see widget on the blog)
Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac.
or 
come to the Ladies Luncheon on every 2d Tuesday per month or you join the blog here:
follow by email 
(click on this link if you want regular info)

We would like to get your suggestions for garden visits. 

Please let us know if you have ideas or wishes. Also let us know who would like to host one of the meetings of the garden group. 

Sign up for 2016 May Lunch with Ladies Lunch Club de l’Armagnac

Dear Ladies,

It is with great pleasure that the Committee invites you LLC members to our 

10th May 2016 lunch at 12 noon

at the

Hotel-Restaurant du Commerce 

Place du 4 Septembre, 

32240 Estang

Please complete the emailed Booking Form to let us know that you wish to attend.  
If you are unable to submit the Form please send us an email to: lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com

Deadline for places is 2nd May, so please hurry! 

There is a small car park opposite the hotel.  It may be a good idea to organise car sharing with other members.

Please note that there is NOT a separate vegetarian menu this month - if you have a problem with an item on the menu please contact us separately in plenty of time.

MENU 17 €

Feuilleté d'Asperges

Flaky pastry with Asparagus

*****

Pavé de Thon aux Petits Légumes

Tuna filet with small vegetables

*****

Bavarois Fraises

Strawberry cream

*****

Café, the infusion et vin inclus

Wine, coffee and tea included

Your cheque for 17 euros should be made payable to Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac and put into an envelope with your name on it.  
Please remember to wear your name badge.  
A list of members who have booked will be emailed in due course.

Looking forward to seeing you all on 10th May.

Best wishes from
The Committee

For more information about any activities 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) or our
facebook page (see widget on the blog)
Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac.

The Ladies Club meets on every 2d Tuesday per month (except July and August)

The Gersabelles - LLC choir

The Gersabelles 
was founded and led by Sue Treeby until September 2015 when she returned to the UK. 

However the Gersabelles continues under able  the leadership of Val Ashplant.

We welcome new members,especially "middles" and altos.
Don’t worry if you think you can’t sing! 
Enthusiasm is more important!

We meet on Wednesday mornings, 

10.30am-12.00pm, 

in the room above the cinema in Nogaro.

For more information please contact:
Ladieslunchclub secretary at lunchclubgascogne(at)gmail.com

We are still looking for a volunteer (male or female) to play the piano at our singing sessions.

If you are able to help, or know of someone who might, please contact LLC secretary at lunchclubgascogne(at)gmail.com

LLC April 2016 bookclub meeting

LLC Bookclub - What's next? 

Just a reminder about the April meeting which is coming up next week. We will be discussing Ginster’s choice of book, 
Next meeting is on 

Thursday April 21st 2.30 pm

  
Housekeeping by Marilyn Robinson  (GM)

Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, the eccentric and remote sister of their dead mother. The family house is in the small town of Fingerbone on a glacial lake in the Far West, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." 
Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.

All meetings, unless notified, are at Pam’s at 2.30.
Ginster’s list of questions have been emailed to the bookclub members 

For the next bookclub meeting on May 19^th:  

2 books were chosen by Ann P and Nellie:

1, Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani 

and/or  

2. A Desert in Bohemia  Jill Paton Walsh

The June book has been chosen by Paula who will be back by then, June 16th. 

Here is some info on the book below.

Michelle de Kretser - Questions of Travel

Paula comments: “I was not able to put down Michelle de Kretser’s book Questions of Travel when I found it in my local second hand book shop.

When I read it, I thought, the LLC group would like to know this book, and I believe that there would be good discussion.

It does have violence, but it is in the context of devastation that leads to a migrant’s path, and this is why I think that it is so suitable a theme for now and what our world is facing in the displacement of lives and events that shape destinies. 

Michelle de Kretser was born in Sri Lanka and now lives in Australia.   Her book Questions of Travel won the Australian Prime Ministers Award in 2013 as well as the literary Miles Franklin award.

I found it a very moving book of great literary standard.  I’m glancing at the back cover right now and quote Hilary Mantel

“I so much admire Michelle de Kreser’s formidable technique - her characters feel alive, and she can create a sweeping narrative which encompasses years, and yet still retain the sharp, almost hallucinatory detail.  It’s brilliant.”" 

Jackie will be choosing the July book, and may have my selection ready by Thursday.

Hope to see as many of you as possible on Thursday.

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) or our
facebook page (see widget on the blog)
Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac.

For Exponants of ART&NATURE Exhibition on Sunday 17th April 2016

Dear LLC members,

Martine from APR Rèans, organizer of the ART&NATURE Exhibition on Sunday, requests

 

all exposants to go to Réans 

between 2-3pm on Saturday 

to set up the stalls/stands

because it might be too far to travel then 

Sunday 9 -9.30am the latest as doors open at 10 am.

Welcome 

All other members we invite to come and see our

ART&NATURE EXHIBITION 

ON SUNDAY 17TH APRIL 2016 - 

10.00 – 18.00

at Salles de fetes in Réans.

Sign up for 2016 April Lunch with Ladies Lunch Club de l’Armagnac

 

Dear Ladies/Members,

It is with great pleasure that the Committee invites you to our 2016 April lunch at a new venue, 

The Hotel/Restaurant Le Continental in Condom

(20 rue Marechal Foch, 32100)

at 12 noon.

Deadline for places is 3rd April, 

so please hurry! 

It may be a good idea to organise car sharing with other members.

Please let us know that you wish to attend. 

There is a small car park opposite the hotel on the (Riverside) on Quay Jaubert (turn sharp first left as you go over the bridge). 

Info parking in Condom please click here 

If you are unable to submit the emailed Form 

please send us an email lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com

Your cheque for 17 euros should be made payable to Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac and put into an envelope with your name on it. 

 Please remember to wear your name badge. 

 A list of members who have booked will be sent out in due course.

MENU

Gaspacho Andalou et Crème Fraiche
Gaspacho with crème fraiche

*****
1.option

Longe de Porc longuement braise

Slowly cooked pork loin

*****

2. Vegetarian option

Pavé de Saumon frais

Filet of fresh Salmon

*****

Far Gascon, Crème Anglaise

Pancake with custard creme

*****

Café, thé infusion et vin inclus

1 glass of wine(white or red) 

+ coffee or tea included

17 €

Looking forward to seeing you all on 12th April.
Best wishes from the LLC Committee