LLC Gardenclub meeting October 2016

Dear Gardeners


We hope you have all had a wonderful summer with friends and family.
Our next outing will take place on 

Thursday 6th October 2016

We will be visiting a hydroponic micro-farm 
‘Les Sourciers’ in Lagraulet du Gers

 
 run by Marion and Nicolas Sarlé, a Franco-Argentine couple passionate about producing herbs and vegetables with no pesticides or herbicides and NO SOIL !

(Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil as I’m sure you all know !)
We will meet there at 2h30 at 
Berdale, 32330 Lagraulet du Gers -
on the D 254 between Saint-Lanne and Lauraët

Please let us know if you are able to come so we have an idea of numbers.
We look forward to seeing you there, Tea and cake will be served after the visit.
See also

http://www.hydroponicmicrofarm.com/blog/les-sourciers-lagraulet-du-gers-france

Any questions : Caroline 06 50 41 67 30

Sign up for October 2016 Lunch with the Ladies Lunch Club

Dear Ladies, 

Our October lunch will take place on 

Tuesday 11th October at 12h 
 
and we are delighted to be able to offer another new venue –
Restaurant la Ferme de Flaran

 route de condom,32310 Maignaut-Tauzia /Valence-sur-Baïse 
 
Many of you may have visited Abbaye de Flaran, and the restaurant is just a few minutes away.(see link)
Where possible we suggest car sharing.

The deadline for reservations is 4th October, and
although there are no restrictions on numbers, we would appreciate an early reply.
MENU - 17 EUROS


Pate en croute de saumon a l’oseille , 
pousses d’epinard -

Salmon with sorrel in pastry on a bed of spinach leaves

……

Aiguillettes de Canard aux girolles

Filets of duck with mushroom sauce




Or (vegetarian option)


Filet de Julienne aux agrumes

Filet of Julienne with citrus sauce

....

Crème brulée au pousse rapiere

......

Wine and coffee included

Booking Form is attached to members emails.
Should you have any problems please email Ginster at lunchclubgascogne (at)gmail.com.
 
Please try to remember your name badge and bring your cheque (made out to Ladies Lunch Club de l’Armagnac), or cash, in an envelope with your name on, which is a great help in checking everyone in.

A list of everyone who has booked will be sent out before the 4th of October.
A reminder also that Kathy Franklin will be collecting any clothes, either new or in good condition for the BLOOPS sale to be held in November, for which details have already been circulated.
Looking forward to seeing you all again.
The Committee

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

Dear Lady-Members,

Welcome back after our summer break! 
Hope you have all been enjoying this wonderful weather!
It is with great pleasure that we invite you to our lunch on 

Tuesday 13th September 12.30h

at

L'Auberge Les Caprices d'Antan,

Lannepax

which is always a very popular venue. 
We will be seated on the terrace. 

If however the weather is poor and we cannot be outside o the terrace, we will have to limit our booking number to 45 to max 50 persons.

MENU 17 Euros per Person

Tartine grillee et sa quenelle de thon au epices de fraicheur et sa crudite croquante Toasted bread with spiced tuna and crunchy vegetables

Frigatelli de porc noir, sauce aux champignons Black pork with mushroom sauce

OU Végétarien: Filet de Cabillaud panne, sauce au citron
OR Vegetarians: Filet of Cod with lemon sauce

Creme caramel et sa tuile a la fleurs d'oranger Creme caramel with a wafer of orange flowers

vins et café inclus Wine and coffee included

Deadline for bookings is 7th September 2016

Please submit your booking by using the emails booking form quickly - as usual we will be sending out a list of those who have booked just before that date. 

If you have any problem with the Booking Form please email 

Kate at lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com or call 

or text me on 07.81.56.05.78

Please remember to wear your name badge on the day and to bring along your cheque made payable to Ladies Lunch Club de l'Armagnac for 17 euros (or cash) in an envelope with your name clearly marked. This speeds up the checking in process.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

The Committee, LLCA

LLC August 2016 bookclub meeting in the garden

LLC Bookclub - What's next? 

Just a reminder for the August book club, in the garden at Pam’s on 

Thursday 18^th August at 4.00pm.

As before we’ve enjoyed little eats, champagne (sparkling wine) and tea for anyone who would like.  Please bring a small plate of something to share.  If you get the time please give me an idea of who will come and with what (sweet or savoury) – thank you.

The idea is also to have a miny poetry reading so, if you like, bring a poem with you which you could read out.  
Please also choose a book for the Lucky Dip, which will be drawn out of a hat and used as our December book.  If you’re super-efficient have it written on a piece of paper to be folded up and popped in to the hat!  If not, we’ll have some paper!

Caroline will be presenting her choice of books for the October meeting.

September 2016 meeting: 
15 September, has a French theme.  
So any book written by a French author, or about a French author etc etc. 

See you then

Jackie 

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

LLC July 2016 bookclub meeting

LLC Bookclub - What's next? 

Next meeting on Thursday 21st July, 2.30 at Pam’s in Reans.  

The July book is 
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"

Please bring a few books we can swop for some summertime reading. If anyone has, or has read my other choice, A Place called Winter by Patrick Gale, it would be good to know what it is like.

outlook:

August 18th will be our Garden Party and we’re suggesting anyone, who would like, can bring a poem to read. 

Offers of champagne and canapés welcome!

September 15th: Theme month and we have decided on French authors. So any book written by/about a French author, in English or French. 

October book will be chosen by Caroline (G)

November book will be chosen by Carol (D)

 

Look forward to seeing you on the 21st.

Jackie

LLC garden group meeting 7th July 2016

Dear Gardeners

Our next outing takes place on Thursday 7th July 2016 at 2.30 pm

We will be visiting

THE JARDINS DE BEAUCHAMP

AND THE JARDINERIE JAY

Rue des Isserts, 47200 Marmande

The Jardins de Garonne were renamed the Jardins de Beauchamp in 2009 when the garden was awarded the 'Jardin Remarquable' classification.

There are various themed gardens including an English Garden, Italian garden, beautiful pond and lots more.Water plays an important part in the garden. A large pond has an oriental inspiration and is gorgeous when the water lilies are in full bloom.The Italian garden has long water rill with clipped box on either side and tall cypruses as well as roman style columns.

You can see and be inspired by pretty much everything for the garden from Japanese style ornaments and beautiful koi carp to topiaries, garden pottery and pergolas.

The garden centre, the Jardinerie Jay,  is a good one too and so once you have been inspired you can buy the plants

The garden and associated garden centre - the Jardinerie Jay can be found on the outskirts of Marmande.
how to find  Jardins de Beauchamp  - follow signs to Jardinerie JAY

Rue des Isserts

47200 MARMANDE
CONTACT
Tél. : 05 53 64 30 12
Contacter Jardins de Beauchamp COORDONNÉES GPS 44° 30'35.8"N, 0° 10'16.31"E

We will meet in the car park at 2h30

Tea & cakes will be served after the visit

Entrance fee for a group is 5 euros per person

VENEZ NOMBREUX !!!

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.

LLC June 2016 Bookclub meeting

Next meeting for the June book has been chosen by Paula and is on June 16th. 

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.”" 

All meetings, unless notified, are at Pam’s at 2.30.

Outlook for this summer: 

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 2016 will be our Garden Party and we’re suggesting anyone can bring a poem to read.
Also bring books to swop.

September 2016 : 

Theme month and we have decided on 

French authors. 

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

Remember, Book Club is always on the 3rd Thursday of the month.

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.

Sign up for LLC BBQ on 2d July 2016 for members and their guests

Dear Lady Members, we are delighted to invite ALL members, their partners, friends and families to our

SUMMER BBQ - Saturday 2nd July 2016 

at 6 pm - at the beautiful Château le Bédat, 

address: L.D.Bedat,  route de Lupiac,32290 Aignan 

Tél.: 05.62.08.58.59

Program: 

Admission to grounds will start at 18h 

when the Chateau de Lisse Vineyard  will be offering free wine tasting with the option to buy should you wish.  

Dinner (buffet style) will commence at approx.19.30 under the wonderful canopy of trees, accompanied 

by music by Vitalmoment Olivier Romanute. 

Between main course and dessert we are delighted to announce THE GERSABELLES will once again be entertaining us with some new music. 

This will be followed by a free Raffle.

After dinner for those who like to dance we are hoping to have some dance music to suit all moods.

MENU

Appetisers

Port & chicken liver pate

Antipasti Mozzarella, chili & lemon

Served with rustic breads

***

Hog Roast

Tahini dressed courgette, green bean & herb salad,

Patatas Bravas,

Walnut, apple & cheese coleslaw

OR

Vegetarian Option

Garlic & Cheese Tart

***

Pudding

Lemon Tart served with

Vanilla Cream

***

Wine and coffee and truffles included

Musical entertainment will be provided

17,00 Euros per person,

or 7,00 Euros for children under 12 years

to be paid by cheque to LLCA, in advance please

Maximum tickets is 6 per member

Deadline for bookings Friday 24th June 2016

sign up by using the booking form to members or send your email to: <lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com>

​--------------cut off here and print-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

for prepayment please cut off booking slip to add to your cheque and send to below postal address or bring to our June Luncheon on 14th June :

Ladies Lunch Club de l’Armagnac      SUMMER BBQ   Saturday 2nd July 2016 at 6pm

Member’s name

………………………………………………………

Please reserve me  …….  tickets for adult guests,

and  .…..  tickets for children (u 12yrs)

Please make your cheque payable to LLCA, postdated until 2nd July 2016 and send this

completed slip along with your payment to:

Kate Notman, Fitan, 32290 CASTELNAVET

Any queries please email us at lunchclubgascogne@gmail.com

__________________________________________