A storm warning has been issued by Meteo France for Saturday evening and Sunday 27/28 Feb 2010.

Winds gusting up to 100 km/h have been forecast  for the region. See http://france.meteofrance.com/ for more details.

Working Opportunity Normandy - Suzannes story...

If you are looking for work opportunities here in Normandy and have an interest in fashion and cosmetics, then read this encouraging story from one former resident of Normandy who now lives in the Poitou Charent region.

My name is Suzanne and I have lived in France for nearly eight years. My first house was in Normandy, very near to Flers, but I now live in the Poitou Charente region in Deux Sevres.

I sold my house in Normandy just over a year and a half ago and have been renovating this house. Looking for work proved to be as difficult here as it was in Normandy, until I came across a small ad for Vie at Home (Virgin Vie). Having worked for The Body Shop for ten years and always having a passion for cosmetics, fashion and customer service and a good training background in all of these, this seemed an ideal opportunity to do something I love.

I telephone them and duly signed up to what was then just about 4 others here in France and all of them based near to Duras further south from me. Since then I have become part of the same team but now have 11 ladies that I have recruited in various regions of France and we are growing steadily. I’m hoping to make Branch Manager myself this month.

Vie at Home has been operational in the UK since 1997, in Spain since 2007 and here in France less than a year. We have been given a wonderful opportunity to work for a fantastic company which is now owned by Ros Simmons.

I was invited to a Xmas meeting in Barcelona, travel costs etc paid for by the company and as well as earning good money, we have the chance to work towards our own cars, amazing holidays, free products are always given out to us for just doing our job and we are rewarded and fully trained every step of the way.

Vie at Home offers flexibility to those that want to work around other commitments. As well as superb cosmetics, skin care, aromatherapy, jewellery we also have fabulous Homeware.

There are opportunities to recruit and build your own teams, increase your earnings or work your way up the ladder if you want to. Training and support are given all along the way and the products are enjoyed by everyone.

Vie at Home would like to recruit across France so if you or anyone you know, would like to be part of this fantastic company here please call me 05 49 26 27 74 or email me for more information.

In today's uncertain financial world, it pays to make every pound, euro, dollar and yen work as hard as it possibly can for you. To this end, First Rate FX has joined forces with Jennie Poate of Siddalls France, and with Joanna Reintjes of AFA Expertise accountants, to run a short and lively seminar entitled: "Planning for Retirement". This event will cover topics such as moving your money abroad, understanding your pension options, and the tax implications for UK and French pensions when living overseas. There will also be a brief update on new French finance initiatives for 2010, and on your RSI obligations. There will be ample time for questions at the end of the seminar over an aperitif and nibbles.

Date: 25 February 2010

Morning Session: 10am - 12.30pm -  at La Salle de la Pérelle,  53190  LANDIVY

Afternoon Session:  2pm - 4pm -  at Château des Etoyères 53150 SAINT CENERE

Space is limited, so please register your interest for one of the 2 events ASAP! For more information, or to register, contact either Judy Mansfield at First Rate FX or Siddalls

A NOVEL OF CLAUDE MONET

A new novel is due in the bookshops in April by Stephanie Cowell, the New York based author of several historical novels. Her latest book Claude and Camille took six years to research and write, as Stephanie says in her own words "Monet’s discovering art and who he was, the journey of the motley group of obscure painters who are now known as impressionists; and then the story of his impulsive passionate love for the upper-class Camille".

Here is a brief outline provided by Stephanie about her new novel.

THE STORY:
Monet is one the world’s most esteemed painters, known as one of the founders of the Impressionist movement, as the old man in his garden at Giverny, and as the master behind the famous painting Water Lilies. But what is known of Monet before he was “Monet,” when he was simply “Claude”—a handsome, obscure, twenty-five-year-old painter, loyal to his friends and in love with an enigmatic upper-class girl? In Stephanie Cowell’s CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A Novel of Monet (Crown; April 2010), she tells the tragic love story of the young, unknown painter and his great muse, Camille Doncieux.

In his early twenties, Claude Monet comes to Paris, determined to make his fortune as an artist. Instead, he finds poverty but also camaraderie in a group of similarly unknown painters—Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Bazille, Manet, and Cézanne—who share his vision and passion. After a few years of living as a penniless artist, Monet walks into a bookshop in Paris and finds Camille Doncieux, a mysterious and beautiful upper-class girl. His life is irrevocably changed. Monet falls madly in love with Camille, who rejects a life of privilege to be with him and lives as his greatest muse. Through years of painting, misunderstanding, and love, they carve out a life together, but adversity eventually takes its toll. Even as Monet begins to sell his work, his marriage to Camille descends into tragedy—and Monet realizes that he has never completely known his true love.

Stephanie Cowell’s cinematic writing transports the reader to nineteenth-century Paris and blends three stories: Monet’s discovery of painting, his passionate love for Camille, and the struggle of a small group of painters who would bond together to form the most famous art movement in history: Impressionism.

CLAUDE & CAMILLE also offers readers an intimate portrait of the muse behind one of history’s most esteemed artists.

REVIEWS AND ENDORSEMENTS:

"To be swept up by this novel which reveals the man and woman behind--no, in, the waterlily paintings, the seascapes and landscapes -- is a heartbreak. The story is lovely, touching, delicately written, and extraordinarily compelling. Read it with a book of Monet's paintings by your side, and be prepared to marvel, and to weep." -- SUSAN VREELAND, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue and Luncheon of the Boating Party

"One winter's day, a young, frustrated Claude Monet waits for a train on his way to boot camp; through the crowd, he spies a lovely young woman in tears. Captivated, he sketches her face before she disappears with her mother and sister into the bustle of the station. A few years later, he has not forgotten the girl's beauty and is stunned to meet her again in a Paris bookshop. Her name is Camille Donceaux, and she is destined to become Monet's first wife and greatest muse. Moving through war, illness, prosperity, and poverty, Cowell writes the couple's love story with an eye for perspective as skilled as any painter's. By novel's end, readers are left with not only the satisfying drama of life among the Impressionists but also a greater appreciation for Monet's art and the driving forces behind it....a rich, artsy read." LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Beautiful bourgeoise Camille Doncieux leaves her family for Monet, whom Cowell depicts early on as a rebellious young man trying to capture in his paintings fleeting moments of color and light. A convincing narrative about how masterpieces are created and a detailed portrait of a complex couple, Cowell's novel suggests that a fabulous, if flawed, love is the source of both the beauty and sadness of Monet's art." - PUBLISHERS' WEEKLY

"CLAUDE AND CAMILLE is a wonderfully absorbing and romantic novel, the story of Claude Monet's passion for his painting and his equally passionate love for a woman who is as elusive as the water lilies that he strove to capture on canvas. This elegant novel was hard to put down, and once I did, I rushed to view Monet's paintings with a deeper understanding. Stephanie Cowell is a wonderful writer. - SANDRA GULLAND, author of the Josephine B. Trilogy and Mistress of the Sun.

Stephanie Cowell, is also the author of several acclaimed historical novels and winner of an American Book Award. Here latest book is to be published April 6th, 2010 by Crown. Available at that time from all online and independent booksellers.

Stephanie has also written other novels and for more information, reviews, readings, appearances and translations, please visit http://www.stephaniecowell.com or e-mail Stephanie at StephanieCowell@nyc.rr.com.