Dear SHTA Friends,
Towards the end of this month Honfleur celebrates the annual ‘Fête des Marins’ on 28th and 29th May. First held in 1861, this takes place mainly at the ‘Vieux Bassin’ with around a hundred model boats parading through the town and a mass held at Sainte Catherine’s church in honour of sailors lost at sea.
Many of you will be familiar, from a previous SHTA group visit, with Monet’s garden in Giverny. The Normandy Impressionist Festival is a multidisciplinary event which is currently underway and continues until September with over 450 events throughout Normandy for five and a half months. The region is regularly described as the birthplace of Impressionism because it is where the greatest masters of this
pictorial style were born and developed their style, like Claude Monet, Eugène Boudin, Edgar Degas or Raoul Dufy.
On the local side, over 50 of you came to The Empire Cinema on 19th April to see last month’s film, ‘Des Vents Contraires’, and we’re expecting a similar turn-out for this month’s film on Wednesday 17th May. ‘Les Femmes du 6ème Étage’ (‘The Women on the 6th Floor’) is, according to IMDb, “a delightful romantic comedy based on the fight of classes and cultural differences between the French upper class and the Spanish.”
This is a synopsis from UK Cinemas;
‘Paris, in the early 1960s. Jean-Louis Joubert is a serious but uptight stockbroker, married to Suzanne, a starchy class-conscious woman and father of two arrogant teenage boys, currently in a boarding school. The affluent man lives a steady yet boring life. At least until, due to fortuitous circumstances, Maria, the charming new maid at the service of Jean-Louis’ family, makes him discover the servants’ quarter on the sixth floor of the luxury building he owns and lives in. There live a crowd of lively Spanish maids who will help Jean-Louis to open to a new civilisation and a new approach of life. In their company – and more precisely in the company of beautiful Maria – Jean-Louis will gradually become another man, a better man.’
The film was written and directed by Philippe Le Guay; it was released in 2011 and has a 12+ certificate and runtime of 104 minutes. If you’d like to come along to see the May film, as usual, send an email to Jan Cooper on jannicooper@icloud.com and ask her to reserve you a seat. As always, the cinema doors will open at 7.00 for a 7.30 pm start; the cost per head is £7.50 and can be paid in advance online, or on
the night either by card or in cash.
Following this month’s film we have one remaining film night for this season on Wednesday 14th June. If you like films set in the French countryside and those which star François Cluzet, then you’ll want to put ‘L’École Buissonnière’ under this date in your diary!
In case you’ve missed previous adverts for other events in May, June and July, here are some details:
- Monday 22nd May: Pique-nique on the Quay, 1.00 pm onwards.
Bring along your lunch and a drink for a chat with friends and maybe try your hand at playing Boules. - Thursday 25th May: Honfleur Meeting in the Jury Room, 7.00 – 8.00 pm.
If you’re included in the group going to Honfleur towards the end of June, do your best to attend to find out all you need to know. - Sunday 4th June: Chez Nous, 122 St George’s Road, 3.00 – 6.00 pm.
Sandra and Stuart Jones invite you to a relaxed afternoon, hopefully in the garden. Please contact me if you’d like to come. First come, first served for a maximum of 12 members. - Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th June: ‘Le Week-end’, 10.00 am – 4.00 pm.
Come and see us at the SHTA stall; better still, volunteer to do an hour (or even two!) promoting our Association. If you’re able to do so, give your name to Christine Ratcliffe – contact details at the end of this newsletter. Thank you. - Friday 23rd – Monday 26th June: Group Visit to Honfleur.
For many members the highlight of the year. A trip to our lovely twin town and 3 nights staying with our Honfleur hosts. - Thursday 27th July: Bangers & Boules at the Anchor Pub Wingham.
You won’t need a beret, pastis, gauloises or a breton top to take part in this event! However, you will have the chance to play boules in a team of 3. Sign up asap since there’s a maximum of 24 players but anyone is welcome to come along to spectate and enjoy the company.
If you’d like anything to go into next month’s newsletter, please do get in touch. Meantime, we look forward to seeing you at one or more of our forthcoming events.
Best wishes, Stuart & the Committee