Highlights this month -
- Member of the Month - The DLCI's previous President - Sue Heyes
- Book Club - An extract from "Prisoners of Geography" by Tim Marshall
- Gardening - Chris's September update - its time to think about Bulbs for brightening up your spring garden.
Message from our President
Bienvenue!
Welcome to the website of the Dordogne Ladies Club International. We are a vibrant and enthusiastic community of women of all ages and nationalities (with English as the lingua franca) who have settled across a wide area of the Dordogne. The DLCI was formed almost 35 years ago with the original aim of cultural exchange and providing mutual support for new lives in another country and we remain true to that today. There are many opportunities to meet regularly, both informally and through more structured events, which are designed both to entertain and inform. We enjoy exploring the beautiful countryside through our guided walks. We are also very proud to acknowledge that we raise significant funds for local charities. Some of our members work and many, though retired, are active on a voluntary basis in our local communes. Some of us have been in France for many years and others have only just arrived. Whatever your situation, you will find a warm welcome from the DLCI. I hope I have whetted your appetite and that after you have browsed our website, you will get in touch! I feel very privileged to belong to such an active and friendly association and I look forward to meeting you in the near future. Cordialement Kathy John |
Book Club Passage
The Dordogne Ladies Book Club
This is an exert from Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall. A book we should all read..... ... it's actually two bits of text to whet your appetite. . When we are reaching for the stars, the challenges ahead are such that we will perhaps have to come together to meet them: to travel the universe not as Russians, Americans, or Chinese but as representatives of humanity. But so far, although we have broken free from the shackles of gravity, we are still imprisoned in our own minds, confined by our suspicion of the "other," and thus our primal competition for resources. There is a long way to go. There are fifty American states, but they add up to one nation in a way the twenty- eight sovereign states of the European Union never can. Most of the EU states have a national identity far stronger, more defined, than any American state. It is easy to find a French person who is French first, European second, or one who pays little allegiance to the idea of Europe, but an American identifies with their Union in a way few Europeans do theirs. This is explained by the geography, and the history of the unification of the United States. Below is a link to a fascinating interactive map illustrating these thoughts https://images.app.goo.gl/JbtRBj2fnSaqiiQ56 Prisoners of Geography Tim Marshall Monthly Book Club meetings are taking place in Monpazier, St Foy and Bergerac. There are always a lots of books to discuss as you can imagine and its great to be able to share the reviews of the book each group has chosen to read. Everyone's feedback about what they had been reading and enjoying is shared over a coffee and the next book to read is chosen.
Our next meetings are scheduled for - Bergerac at Rody Chocolaterie, Rue du Mourier, Bergerac at 10.30am on the 3rd September. We will be reviewing our chosen book - The Shadow of the Winds by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Monpazier Group are meeting Thursday 2nd September at 'Bière de la Bastide', 14 Rue Saint-André, 24540 Monpazier, at 3 p.m. If you wish to attend please contact Sue Morrison. This month's book, which we will be discussing, is The Shadow of the Winds by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, For details of the meeting in St Foy please contact Lin.green100@gmail.com Keep an eye on the DLCI book club facebook page for updates. The book club page on Facebook has the reviews of the books the group has read and we encourage all members to share their reading experiences with us. To join the Book Club or for more information please email: Patricia.a.fielding@gmail.com Once you join you will have access to our Facebook page. |
Gardening Column
|
|
Member of the Month -September 2021 Sue Heyes
Sue Heyes
I have been selected as Mrs September! This is rather apposite as I was born in September 1947, rather a long time ago now. It also reminds me of the time I was chairing a DLCI committee when the suggestion of putting together a calendar along the lines of Calendar Girls was made. I didn’t oppose the plan, but felt it very unlikely to be successful in boosting our profits in any way at all! Since my first September I have married, brought up three children, survived a career in management and finally reached retirement in France, where I have become a citizen. So this is the ‘sunny uplands’ to which many of us aspire. Actually it is not bad. I live amidst beautiful countryside with two dogs and a husband (management skills come in handy here). I am a keen walker and gardener. I follow a daily keep fit programme (and keep Chardonnay on tap in the frig). I am often out meeting friends, I play bridge and I sing in a choir. I enjoy meeting people and look forward to making new friends while keeping old ones. An example of this is the above photo, taken at last month’s lunch, at the Chateau les Merles. My guest is a friend from my student days, over 50 years ago, and the photo is taken by newly met DLCI member, Canadian Sheila Harrell, from Beaumont. |
Members on the MapYou are never far away from another member; we are in total - over 100 members across the region. Everyone who comes along to a lunch will be given a badge. Each badge includes a small dot in different colours. This indicates members who live in similar areas so if you spot someone with the same colour take the opportunity to say hello. Pink dots - Bergerac and surrounding area Green dots - South East Blue dots - South West Yellow dots - North East Red dots - North West Events are held in different parts of the region so you will have the opportunity to join activities close by. Our previous 6 months of Members of the Month articles - Click on the members name to read the members stories
August 2021 - Julie Goatham July 2021- Sue Morrison June 2021 - Gillian Beattie May 2021 - Juliet Acland April 2021 - Sheila McPhee February 2021 - Mary Clabaut December 2020 - Philippa Tillyer |
Charities
The Dordogne Ladies Club International was founded to provide friendship and support as well as to raise money for local charities. We aim to do this in a way that is sustainable and maintains the beautiful environment in which we live. We look after our planet the way she looks after us.
We are proud that in the last five years we have given in excess of 20,000 euros in donations to local charities chosen by our members. Each year the members will nominate and choose new charities to receive the donations.
We are proud that in the last five years we have given in excess of 20,000 euros in donations to local charities chosen by our members. Each year the members will nominate and choose new charities to receive the donations.
