Newsletter 17th July 2009

Dear Members,
We are writing to you to confirm arrangements for the forthcoming visit of our friends from Thury-Harcourt. Please read this letter carefully and reply as soon as you can if you wish to participate in any way.
The dates are 21st August to 23rd August. The French party will arrive at St. Clare’s at about 5pm on Friday 21st August, and that first evening will be spent at home with host families. On Saturday 22nd we will meet at the coach park opposite the tram station at 8.30 am, to travel to Exmouth for a boat trip from 10 o’clock until 12 noon. The coach will then collect us and take us on to Exeter. We will be dropped at the quayside . Pick up from the quayside will be at 6pm and we will then go straight to the Harbour Inn at Axmouth for the dinner at 7.30pm. It may help your daytime choice of meal to know that the menu for dinner is roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
The boat trip and meal for our guests are as always paid for by the twinning association, but hosts pay for their own meals and entertainment. The costs are
Boat trip: £6.50 per person
Dinner, including wine and entertainment £20 per person
Please note that it is not necessary to attend both boat trip and meal. We are hoping that there will be a good number taking part in the boat trip. Please feel free to invite friends and family to come along and join in the day.

Please find attached booking slips for both the meal and the boat trip. It is important that you make your bookings and pay by cheque by the 1st August. We need to know numbers in order to make final arrangements.
We are also looking for people to host our guests. We have already spoken to some of you who have hosted before, but would like to give everyone the opportunity to share in this rewarding experience. If you would like to host, please contact any member of the committee, as soon as possible so we can answer any questions you may have

Garden Party - 26 June

The second posting is about the garden party on 26 June. More than 20 members were there for a memorable evening, and the Association is indebted to the Bradshaw family who not only opened their beautiful garden, (surely one of Seaton's hidden gems) but also did all the hard work providing a splendid meal together with a number of tempting raffle prizes including one of Bob's prints.

Photos of the event have been added to the on-line album of social events at

http://picasaweb.google.com/Seatontwinning/SocialEvents

or via the blogs album links

2 New Postings Today - This one forthcoming events

Two postings today

The first gives advance notice of two events, both on Friday July 10th

In the morning between 10 - 12 a.m there is a coffee morning in the upstairs in the Town Hall at Seaton organised by Chris, Tina and Avis who are looking forward to meeting everyone for delicious homemade cake and coffee.

In the evening, weather permitting there will be a Boules evening at 7 p.m. at Cliff Field Gardens. Come along and enjoy an informal boules session, watching or trying out this dece[tively pitching a few ends

Thury-Harcourt - Google Earth Upgrade

Just in case anyone has missed it, Google Earth has been slowly upgrading its coverage in France, and Thury is now available in much higher detail than before. The print below does not do it justice, so for the first time individual houses etc become clear. Well worth a look to find your way around, and work out the shortest route to Lidl's.

Give it a try

New Photos and French Newspapers

If anyone wants to see what is happening in Thury-Harcourt, the regional French Newspaper Quest-France has a website which has a easily accessed search engine for its archives. Go to the Ma Commune tab, which brings up a menu of departments - click on Calvados. then clink on T which brings up a list of communes beginning with T, including Thury-Harcourt
Two recent offerings relate to the visit to Thury by Heimbuchenthal, (spot the stray Englishwomen in the photo) and details of the Battle of the Green Way (don't ask)
The Thury Page on Quest-France is at
http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuLocale_-Thury-Harcourt_14689_actuLocale.Htm
and the German Visit on
http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuLocale_-Une-quarantaine-d-Allemands-accueillis-a-l-Ascension-_14689-avd-20090527-56115874_actuLocale.Htm

While at it, a new photo album of some 40 photos has been acted of the visit. At the same time a few additional photos have been added to the Thury Town file

The links are listed in the list of albums to the right. and also below

http://picasaweb.google.com/Seatontwinning/Thury2009HeimbuchenthalVisit#

June Newsletter

Dear Members
Firstly huge thanks to those members who helped in marshalling the Grizzly Run. They raised for us the staggering sum of £350, whilst having a very good time in the process they say, so many, many thanks!
Secondly we are approaching the arrival of our French visitors this August and we want to update you on the programme we have arranged; more on this below. Then we have some social events to announce.
Also very importantly, and despite as excellent AGM, an unprecedented number of members have overlooked their subscription and we urgently need them to contact Avis with their payment, please. If this refers to you there will be a handwritten note here or a separate email. The subscription is £7.50 individual, £15 for couples/families.

Social events:
Bob, Audrey and Mark Bradshaw have very kindly offered to host a garden party at their home. This will take place on Friday 26th June beginning 7-7.30pm. Tickets costing £10 per person include a meal and a glass of wine. Places are limited to 30 people and demand is expected to be high so it will be first come first served. To secure your places send £10 per person to Avis, with a covering note, as soon as you can.
Jerry announces the first walk of the season on Wednesday June 3rd meeting at 6.30pm at the Old Inn in Kilmington. This will of course be followed by a sociable gathering in the Old Inn.
We would also like to start a series of boules meetings. We can provide the boules, but would any member like to come forward to organise a programme? Contact Graham Jones if so.
Programme for the twinning weekend:
Friday 21st August: French guests arrive about 4.30/5pm at St. Clare’s. The evening will be spent with hosts.
Saturday 22nd depart 9am for Exmouth for a cruise from 10 to 12 noon. The coach will then take us on to Exeter where hosts will make arrangements for lunch. The afternoon will be spent in Exeter. A drop-off and pick –up point have to be finalised but the quayside has been suggested.
Saturday evening: dinner at the Harbour Inn Axmouth.
Sunday 23rd : nothing is planned but it is anticipated that people may want to get together to entertain their guests during the morning and for lunch.
This is the broad programme. It is subject to change if necessary and more details will be forthcoming as we have them.
Looking forward to a very sociable and congenial summer!
Best wishes from your committee.

Taking Coal to Newcastle - Heimbuchenthal Visit to Thury

Nathalie was clearly intrigued by the concept of English white wine

Thury-Harcourt celebrated the 20th anniversary its twinning with the Bavarian town of Heimbuchenthal between May 21-24 and invited representatives from Seaton to join them during the Germans four day visit to France. Clare and Graham Jones, Secretary and Vice-Chairman of the Seaton Association attended and took full part in the varied program that the hosts put on which included visits to the picturesque town of Honfleur and to the fashionable resort of Calbourg, a canoe trip down the river Orne, and a cider tasting. The 20 anniversary itself was celebrated by a dinner and folk dance as well as more formal presentations including exchanges of gifts between the two towns and dedication of a bench on the town’s scenic footpath called the Chemin des Jumlages (Twinnings Way). The new bench complimented the existing one dedicated last year to celebrate 25 years of twinning with Seaton.
As well as taking greetings from the Seaton Association, Graham and Clare also presented a gift of bottles of white wine to the French mayor, Paul Chandelier. The wine was a gift from Seaton Town Council to the people of Thury-Harcourt on behalf of the people of Seaton and came from a Devon Vineyard. Paul Chandelier was both delighted and intrigued by the gift which he accepted on behalf of Thury Harcourt. Nathalie Casas, president of the French twinners said that there would be a special tasting at a future date, but before Thury visits Seaton in August.

Request from Thury-Harcourt

Our Association has received a request from Guy Le Coz to help in accommodating a 45 year old French woman for between 2 and 4 weeks in May this year. The woman is currently unemployed and seeks to improve her English in order to widen her job prospects. She is willing to pay towards her keep, but would hope that she will be able to offset costs by baby-sitting, etc. With the examination season arriving, she might also be able to help with French conversation practice.
If anybody is interested in helping can they contact Graham Jones and he will put them in contact with Guy who is dealing with it at the Thury end

News (and Photo Appeal)

The inactivity of the blog recently should not be taken as a indication that nothing has been happening with the Association. In fact a lot has been going on unreported and members have been involved with both social and fundraising events. Last month 10 members travelled to Axminster to play the Axminster twinners at skittles. Last month also saw the Grizzly Run and the Association supplied a number of race marshals, and in return the organizers made a very generous donation of £350 towards the work of the Association. This is possibly the biggest single donation in our history the Association is grateful to the members who made this possible by volunteering to be marshals.
Does anyone have photos of our members at either event for our archives and/or publication on the blog?. Please contact our archivist Graham Jones or any member of the committee .

2008 Photo Competition Result

Those of you at the AGM will know that Peter Motson emerged as the winner of the 2008 photo competition, winning a bottle of wine (French of course). Many asked for the winning photo to be published on the blog so here it is

Val and Jeff listening out for the death watch beetle on the ferry. Peter also submitted some others, and these have been loaded onto the Association's Picasa web album
http://picasaweb.google.com/Seatontwinning/PeterMotsonsPhotosThury2008#

The link has also been added to the photo links to the right

February Newsletter about AGM

Please find enclosed the minutes for the 2008 AGM. Please bring them with you to this year’s AGM on Friday the 27th February at 7.30 in the Crossroads Christian Centre in Homer Lane Seaton. If you’re not sure where this is do phone a member of the committee to find out. Please also remember that the annual subscription is now due (£7.50 for individuals, £15 for families). It can be paid to Avis in advance or at the meeting itself.
There will be wine and nibbles available and the evening is always a pleasant one.
After the business of the meeting there will be a quiz, as well as the usual raffle, for which donations of gifts would be appreciated.
At the meeting you will learn about arrangements for the visit of the French this August. Our plans are almost complete and we believe we have a very enjoyable programme.

Bookings for the skittle evening with Axminster Twinning Association on March 16th may also be made at the meeting.

Members of the committee are helping with the marshalling of the Grizzly Run on March 8th this year, in order to raise funds for the twinning. If any member would also like to help please inform the committee at the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you at the AGM

Thury-Harcourt makes "The Independent "

Our twin town got a rare mention in a British national newspaper on the 1st January. The "Independent" ran a small article about the introduction of the euro into Europe and cited some experiences from Thury-Harcourt which are reproduced below. The only greengrocers I can remember on the market square is shown below in a photo from our archives taken in 2004 , so perhaps that is the shop in question . The resolution is not enough to blow up the price tags clearly, but there does seem only to be the one price. Pity the article was less specific about the nearby shop of Marie-Elizabeth
(thanks to our members Richard and Sandra Worthington for flagging this article up)

(From the Independent)

Catherine, a green-grocer in a small Norman town, has all her prices neatly marked in euros and nothing but euros. Ten years after the creation of a single European currency, seven years after the appearance of euro notes and coins, large French shops and most restaurants and cafes still defy Brussels and list their prices in two currencies.
In Catherine’s small shop on the market square of Thury Harcourt, the prices are exclusively chalked up in euros and euro-centimes. Does this mean that she is a fan of the euro, which is ten years old tomorrow?
“No, not all. The euro has been a calamity for ordinary people. Inflation has been higher, whatever the politicians say. The gap between rich and poor has grown. In France, there are no in-between people left any more. Either you rich or you are struggling.”
Marie-Elisabeth, a shop-keeper in the next street, is more positive – sort of. “Most customers think only in euros now. It is just the very old ones who like everything to be converted into francs. And yet there is no real affection for the euro yet, not like we had for the franc. The franc was like our mum. The euro is like our step-mother.”