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From the Chairman
As I write this it is the longest day of the year and the dark days of winter seem a distant memory. However there was at least one bright spot in those dark days, the beer and cheese tasting evening. A great event, highlighting British beers and cheeses, led by very knowledgeable Waitrose staff. Some participants were even heard to say that, on the odd occasion, they might swap their evening glass of wine for a beer.
I think that the start of the warm weather coincided with our Twinning Weekend in Voiron and what a weekend it was. With a varied programme there was something for everyone and with numbers at the final dinner approaching a hundred it shows that our association goes from strength to strength.
There are more activities planned for the coming months so check your diaries and book early. Many thanks to Carol and others who plan and organise these events.
Not everything goes as planned though. Those of you who visited the Droitwich Spa Food Festival might have noticed the empty stall near to the band stand. It was booked by farmers from Voiron but unfortunately their van broke down during the journey through France to Droitwich. With no chance of a quick repair and no possibility of catching their ferry from Calais they had to abandon the trip. Let’s hope that they have not been put off and that we will be able to welcome them back next year.
Long may the summer continue but autumn will arrive and the thoughts of your committee will turn to the 2019 Twinning Weekend to be held in Droitwich. Key to the weekend will be the selection of attractions for the collective day out, so put your thinking caps on and let us know of your ideas.
Again it is time to dust down the ‘Could This Be You’ sign that was missing from the last newsletter and erect it again as we seek to fill the Vice Chairman’s role on the committee. Give it some thought, meeting over a glass of wine, or beer, to plan and organise the future of our association can be quite enjoyable.
Finally I must say thank you for all the hard work and support of your committee without which the Twinning Group would cease to exist. Also to thank you, our members, who by attending and participating in events make them special.
Have a great summer, John Everard
The Voiron – Droitwich Tennis Match
The date was set – the Saturday morning of the twinning weekend and the venue was named – Coublevie tennis club in Voiron and so the bets were on. The French seemed confident of a win and there was plenty of talk of “On va écraser les Anglais” in the build-up. The relish with which this was said was evident to all but it was slightly more alarming that it was accompanied by a charade of someone avidly crushing something undesirable underfoot. Gisèle Barral-Barron was undisputedly the ringleader of said sentiment and it was a concern that she was the organiser, and probably referee, of the match and she was seemingly unaware of the requirement of impartiality.
However, les Anglais had no desire to be ‘écras-ayed’ and were also feeling confident. We were stronger in numbers, and perhaps skill, from previous visits and surprise is always a good form of attack and surely our training sessions were going to pay off…
The teams assembled at the club but immediately it was apparent that les Anglais were perhaps not so well-prepared as we thought. In order to ensure Flybe did not gain any profits from excess baggage, tennis rackets did not seem to have ‘made the cut’. Gisèle was only too happy to oblige in finding dodgy rackets from the Lost Property Department for us to use. Tennis shoes also seemed to be a luxury for some. Were those walking boots that our Carlos was sporting? They were not going to allow Nadal-like sliding over the clay. And attire? The All England LTC would not have approved and although Beth’s ensemble was to die for and was definitely tennis wear, could the same be said of Dominique?
Play commenced under Gisèle’s instructions as to who was to play with whom and against whom and for how long. We were not made privy to the details and knowing that any request for explanation would not have aided comprehension, we kept quiet. The morning ensued playing sets with a few changes to partners and opposition at irregular intervals in glorious sunshine. The results were recorded but not put on general release.
Perhaps the heat led to muddled thinking by the organiser but all thoughts that this was a straight English/French fight were put aside when our own Daveed was seen to be playing alongside one of the enemy, none other than Gisèle’s daughter. This was considered to be the equivalent to playing football between the trenches and surely meant that no-one could be the winner?
And so it was. The declaration by Madame Organiseuse was Egalité.
An excellent morning was had by all on the courts and in the bar afterwards followed by a wonderful lunch of saucissons, frites et salade et, sans doute, beaucoup de vin. The Entente Cordiale was intact but the question does remain – did les Anglais actually manage to écrase le pied de Gisèle?
And if so, we must have been the champions… Dee Smith
A Visit to Annecy
For the first day of our visit to Voiron, our hosts organised a bus tour to the historic town of Annecy. We were escorted by a guide who outlined the cultural and historical events which had shaped the appearance of this very charming, photogenic town.
Annecy’s origins go back to the Neolithic period (4000 BC). The Romans settled here in the 1st century and a dramatic series of events occurred throughout the centuries until the present. Thriving high-tech industries, evolving tourism and cultural activities are present in a town of many intriguing features. As we wandered at leisure through streets lined with cafes and book shops and toured around the eighteenth-century prison and castle, we easily acquired a flavour of the town’s colourful past and its charming present with its nearby mountains, lake, quaint old streets, the Saint-Pierre Cathedral and its dominating 13th-century castle. From Annecy, our tour took us to a museum and manufacturer of bells (Paccard) at nearby Sévrier. A fascinating tour and introduction to our weekend in Voiron. Roy Murphy
An Artistic Outing
As you know, the Twinning visits include events organised by the local twinning group, but they also allow time for hosts to share their area with their visitors. These often provide a deeper immersion into French culture.
Thus it was that on the Saturday morning, bright and early (well, early) we drove with our host, Marie Noelle, to the nearby town of Châbons for a trip with a local group called “Sur le pas de Jongkind”, a group who share cultural interests.
The coach first took us to Crémieu, a small town to the east of Lyon. On exiting the coach, we were all given pastries and buns. The “Isle de Crémieu”, is a diverse countryside composed of hills, plateaux, plains and valleys, dotted with pretty towns and villages that sits to the south of a bend of the Rhône river. In the nineteenth century a number of landscape artists decided to paint from nature and based themselves in this area.
We were guided around the ancient streets of Crémieu to see the sites chosen as subjects 
for paintings. One scene was of a narrow street, near the church painted by François-Auguste Ravier. We were shown reproductions of the picture to compare with the view today. The view was made a little more interesting by removals taking place at an old house. The staircase must have been a problem as furniture was being handed out of an upstairs window to a man standing on top of a van.
After stopping on the far side of town for photos, we visited various sites in the area that had been painted by artists such as Corot, Daubigny, Tassier and Claudel.
In the view here, the étang de Gilieu Siccieu fed nearby mills. Today the mills are ruined, the étang is no longer maintained and has almost disappeared and the landscape changed dramatically as a result.
In Optevoz we saw artist’s pictures on a wall of the restaurant “Auberge de peintres”. We also visited Brangues which is associated with writers Stendahl & Paul Claudel. We ended at Corbelin for drinks and cakes (sanguines? – a local speciality) before returning.
It was a long day, but very interesting and rewarding. Peter Hawkins
2018 Visit: A Twinner’s view
What an action-packed fun time we had! Non-stop from the word go. Our hosts, Jean Louis and Bernadette, made sure that we used every minute available to learn about Voiron and environs. This included extended talks in the French way, around the kitchen table.
On Sunday, our last day, we were up early to visit the superb Farmers’ Market by the lake. It seemed to sell everything and what wonderful quality. We picked up a rotisserie chicken, freshly cooked, for lunch. The stall was so popular, you had to place your order ahead of time by phone. During this lunch at home, we experienced the French custom of eating radishes as a course. The French will often eat these with a wad of butter inserted into a cross cut into the tip of the radish.
Round the market there were several children selling small bunches of lily of the valley. This was for the French custom of giving and receiving flowers on May 1st, May Day, to bring luck, similar to our heather. The more florets, the more luck. This is the only day that the children are allowed to do this. The French spend 31.8 million euros on Lily of the Valley plants, which symbolise love and affection.
Lily of the valley – muguet des bois
Then we were off to Grenoble. Pleasant enough, but I think that I was expecting more from it and indeed this might have been the case, if we could have caught the cable car to get a better view, but it was so windy this was not operating.
Grenoble riverside panorama
Undaunted, Jean Louis set off on quite a journey through the Alps to see what looked like an igneous intrusion of rock, which was known as The Needle.
We arrived home just in time to turn around and join everyone for a hilarious evening of fun at the farewell meal at the Golf Club. A perfect evening to a perfect trip.
I have been involved in several Town Twinnings since 1974 and I have to say that the Droitwich Twinnings far outshine all the others. The way everyone works together to put on both the Exchange Visit and the other events through the year, is most commendable. Praise and thanks to all the hard working committee members and all those participating. Pat McAlpine
More Twinners’ Tales
As a complete novice to town twinning, I must admit to being a little apprehensive about the event and living with a family that we’ve never met before. But I need not have worried. Our stay with Jean-Louis and Bernadette in the village of La Murette was superb and the view across the Alps from our bedroom window was stunning. Their house was a 6-bedroom palatial residence and we took up the whole of the first floor. A far cry from our 2-bedroom new-build house in Droitwich!
Arcabas, Ange espiègle (playful angel)
There were many highlights from our stay, but my favourite was a visit, organised by Jean-Louis, to the museum of Saint-Hugues-de-Chartreuse to see the works of the brilliant contemporary artist Arcabas, which was housed in a quaint chapel deep into the Alp foothills. Afterwards we went to a traditional family-run restaurant in a remote Alp location, where the food was locally French and absolutely mouth-watering. I will always remember the views on a beautiful April day.
Another highlight was the visit to the Chartreuse liqueur tasting evening on our first day. It was wonderful to meet our hosts and the other Droitwich ‘twinners’ in convivial surroundings with plenty of the green liquid tasters and a lovely buffet-style meal. I must admit I was enjoying it so much that I was disappointed to leave!
Can’t wait to entertain Jean-Louis and Bernadette next year! John Harris
Le Monastère de Chalais
On our second outing, our hosts, Madeleine and Jeane Pierre took us to the Monastère de Chalais. Located in the Chartreuse mountains at a height of 3085 feet, the Dominican monastery is approached along a winding, tree-lined road. The monastery has a cemetery, Romanesque church, a hostel, library, offices, laundry room and the cells of the nuns. The nuns follow the rule of St. Augustine. From the summit is a view of neighbouring mountains and the valley of the River Isère.
Today the nuns of Chalais manufacture monastic biscuits and provide accommodation for visitors to cover their expenses. Pictured are buildings which comprise the monastery and our hosts, Madeleine and Jean Pierre. Roy Murphy
Social update
22 people attended Film Day in January – 9 in the afternoon and 13 in the evening. The film was “Jour de Fête”, another enjoyable Jacques Tati classic, followed by refreshments and a chat.
20 enjoyed the Waitrose Beer and Cheese Tasting evening in February. The drinks expert, Ingrid Bauer, showcased a selection of beers and matched them with a selection of cheeses. Ingrid gave a presentation about the beers and a cheese specialist answered our cheese-y questions!
26 signed up for the Summer Lunch and 27 people enjoyed a 6-course French meal at the Bistrot Pierre in Kidderminster at the end of June.
Don’t forget to check the programme for forthcoming events for the rest of this year, including the important AGM and pop them in your diary if they’re not already in there!
Carol Nott
Ian Peden adds a note about the summer lunch:– As always, the selection of food was excellent. It had all been wonderfully prepared by Carol N, Carole M, Chris and Celia on the catering side. (Setting up was done by Mike with the help of David McIntosh and Peter helped Chris with the raffle.)
We were able to choose from home-baked fresh salmon, beef, ham, quiche lorraine, egg mayonnaise, french bread and a delicious selection of salads. Our delicious desserts were trifle, profiteroles, tarte au citron, tarte aux pommes, bakewell dessert, and fresh strawberries. Of course, this was all followed by cheese and biscuits and the reverse raffle! We had a wonderful time, and I’m certain that we all look forward to next year’s event.
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Droitwich Spa French Twinning Group 