Category: Events

Books galore, 47!

Marion writes:

The now traditional English book sale in Monteton (Lot-et-Garonne) will be on October 11th/12th. This is a very well-established event, with hundreds of books, CD’s etc., also with good coffee and English cakes to restore the energy of tired browsers. For those who don’t know the picturesque hill-top village, this would be a good reason to go.

All books at 1€, and proceeds to charity.

A similar event for French books  will be held on 25th/26th October, with the added attraction of the sale of second-hand jewellery. 

Books 1€, jewellery 2€.

There is a restaurant in the village, and plenty of possibilities in the area.

Information at the Mairie de Monteton : 05 53 20 20 08

2025 AGM

OXFORD UNIVERSITY SOUTH WEST FRANCE

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Friday 10 October 2025, 11h.00 for 11h.15

Restaurant Château des Verdots, 24560 Conne-de-Labarde *

A message is being sent to all members. The AGM will be followed by a lunch to which guests are welcome. The price of the three-course lunch, payable on the day and including wine and coffee, is €39. Guests will be able to enjoy a wine tasting while members are in the meeting.

Members: please can you let us know by replying to the email also naming any guest(s) and dietary requirements, not later than Thursday 2 October.

For more details of the site, please see https://www.verdots.com/en.

Marion writes: Chopin in Duras and Art in Nerac.

Here are two events which might interest members :

1.  Sunday 14th September, at 17h30, Château de Duras, a Chopin concert “Chopin, l’âme slave du piano” concert with the Symphonistes d’Aquitaine and soloist Alexey Chernov. On-line reservation possible at helloasso.com/associations/duras-association-du-chateau/evenements/les-ducales

2. A fantastic exhibition at Nérac in the former sous-préfecture (a grand building) “Art d’Asie et les influences sur l’Occident”. really interesting and beautiful exhibits, well presented. Open until 26th September (longer than first stated). Tuesday – Friday 14h – 19h, Saturday and Sunday 10h – 19h. Entrance 10€. Address : 2 Avenue du Maréchal Foch, easy parking. While in Nérac, don’t miss a visit to the château. Great fun.  Among the exhibits there I was taken with the medieval beauty treatments described. While, at a pinch, I suppose I could try sleeping with raw veal escalopes covering my face, the one which requires marrow from the bones in a wolf’s paw is a bit more tricky.

I would add that there is also Chopin to be heard in Prayssas on the same date https://www.institutmarcderanse.com.

Chateau de Portets, 11 September

Our fifth 2025 event will be on Thursday 11th September 2025 when we will have a chai tour and tasting at Château de Portets, 33640 Portets, on the left bank of the Garonne and some 30 km SE of Bordeaux. This will be followed by a lunch at Cambes.

Chairman Greg remarks that this follows a very successful visit to France Truffes. He hopes to see even more members and friends at this event. Members should contact him directly if they wish to attend.

Wine has been produced in Portets for over 2000 years. From 1587, the château fort and surrounding area was governed by the barons de Gascq. When in 1781 the direct male line died out, the estate was sold to the Séguineau de Lognac family, in whose ownership it remained until the end of the nineteenth century.

Visited in July 1808 by Napoleon on his way back from Spain to Bordeaux, it was requisitioned by the Germans in 1940 and subsequently abandoned. Ten years of neglect and decay were to pass before it was purchased in 1956 by Jules Théron, grandfather of the present owner, and restoration work began.

August Truffles and July Madrigals

France Truffes (Penne d’Agenais), Wednesday 6 August 2025

This is our fourth visit of 2025: https://www.acheterdestruffes.com/truffe-lot-et-garonne.

The visit starts at 10:00.

We have booked a guided tour of just over the hour with Bernard Rosa, one of the two partners involved in the enterprise. A trufficulteur for some 25 years, he will also tell us a little about the history of truffle growing. 

Members should book with Nigel no later than Wednesday 31st July.

As recorded in this post, the Queens College choir perform on July 28th: Madrigals by Queens, Monday 28 July

Join our Cambridge friends at Carsac, 11 July

The Cambridge alumni group have kindly invited us join them on a visit to the Jardins d’Eau in Carsac, near Sarlat, with lunch to follow in a nearby restaurant. If you have never been there, this place is really worth visiting as it has an eye-popping collection of water lilies, lotuses and other aquatic plants. 

Located on the north bank of the Dordogne river on the outskirts of Carsac-Aillac at St. Rome is the botanical garden of the Jardin d’Eau. More than 25 years in the making, the ponds, waterfalls and water maze have been created by the Bernard family and inspired by the tropical garden of Monte Palace in Madeira. The garden is home to 30 varieties of exotic lotus and 55 varieties of stunning water lilies. Seeds within the remarkable lotus trumpet have been found to be viable for as long as a 1000 yrs.  In addition to the extensive ponds, the tour goes through areas of shaded gardens with collections of approx. 200 plants, shrubs and trees labelled for the inexperienced botanist. 

Members should send a message to info@ousswfrance.com before Tuesday 8th if they wish to participate.

Madrigals by Queens, Monday 28 July

The Queen College choir will be singing madrigals at Saint Sernin in Toulouse starting at 7 p.m. Entrance is free with a retiring collection. The concert is open to all and should be an exceptional opportunity to hear these Renaissance part-songs, typically unaccompanied and arranged in elaborate counterpoint.

Here is the poster for their French visit this month:

Millau and Roquefort Visit, 8th July

Our next 2025 event will be a visit on Tuesday 8 July 2025 to Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in the Aveyron. 

On the Causse du Larzac, the town is famous for its blue cheese. We have a no-cost one-hour guided tour in the late morning of the Caves d’affinage of one of the best known producers, Roquefort Papillon (https://www.roquefort-papillon.com/).

There will be a light lunch in the town and an afternoon tour (€6) of the Museum and viewing platform of the Millau Viaduct, 20 mins (19 km.) away. On the building of the latter, the world’s tallest bridge, there is an excellent documentary available on YouTube and entitled‘Viaduc de Millau : le défi architectural du siècle’.

Both in Roquefort and at the viaduct, there is a certain amount of walking involved.

Given the travel distances involved for many of us, a number will be spending one or even two nights in the town of Millau itself and so there will be a chance for those coming to meet up in the evening, should they so wish.

Members should contact Nigel if they wish to book this visit. The deadline is 30th June.