Dear SHTA Friends,

In Honfleur, Normandy and France:

November 1st is ‘La Toussaint’ (All Saint’s Day) when church services are held to commemorate the saints. The day is followed by a commemoration on the 2nd for departed loved ones (the ‘Day of the Dead’). At this time of year the chrysanthemum (le crysanthème) is a popular flower in France as it is customary to lay them on graves – because of this association they are never given as a gift.

As it is in the UK, 11th November is a significant day in France, marking the end of World War I. Honfleur hosts various events and commemorations to honour the sacrifices of those who fought in the war, providing a unique opportunity to witness French traditions and pay respects to the fallen.

Many thanks to Vice-Chair, Mark Moorhouse, for the piece above.

What’s happening in the Sandwich Honfleur Twinning Association?

In the case of this particular month, what’s just happened within SHTA? Well, the dust has now settled after, what many have referred to as, one of the most successful visits ever by the Honfleur Group to Sandwich, from Thursday 31st October – Sunday 3rd November.

Following an afternoon trip to Canterbury, the Honfleur group spent a convivial evening with their hosts, many being in Sandwich but others in the surrounding area. Their first full day here included an excursion to Whitstable and then, for them at least, an evening with a difference held at St Mary’s Arts Centre. The venue was transformed into a Halloween-themed visual marvel, while guests were treated to a similarly inspired three-course meal. The Mayor of Honfleur, Michel Lamarre, and the Mayor of Sandwich, Councillor Paul Carter, both spoke of their pleasure at seeing evident friendship, unity and harmony on display, and gifts to both Committees were exchanged. Entertainment came professionally from local singer, Hollie Firmin and band, Lefevre, with slightly less professional songs from both the Honfleur and Sandwich contingents.

Saturday 2nd November gave the Honfleur guests the opportunity to discover parts of Sandwich in more depth as 4 groups embarked on separate Town Trail quizzes. This was followed by an excellent lunch at the Aqua Park and an afternoon guided tour of the Guildhall’s Museum and Courtroom. A full day was rounded off by a trip to Quex Park Birchington to see the Fireworks Display.

The Honfleur party said their farewells on the Sunday morning before setting off for some time in Deal and their onward journey back to Normandy. A huge thank you goes to all members of the SHTA Committee for their hard work and preparation, starting in 2023, for the exchange visit. Furthermore, all of the SHTA hosts are to be thanked for their part in making the four days a triumph; their hospitality, patience and attendance at rehearsals are all very much appreciated!

For those with long-range diaries and thoughts already about our own group visit next year to Honfleur, the most probable dates, although still to be confirmed, are likely to be Thursday 19th-Sunday 22nd June 2025. Many firm friendships have already been made, and the vast majority of Honfleur guests from this visit will most certainly want to reciprocate next year.

However, no sooner is one event over, than we start to look ahead to the next. SHTA will be represented at the Remembrance Sunday service, held this year on 10th November. As in previous years, a representative from SHTA will lay a wreath at the War Memorial in front of St Peter’s Church.

Three days later, we shall be showing our French film for this month. While this will still be shown on the advertised day of Wednesday 13th November, it should be noted that the title has changed. We hope to show ‘Un Singe en Hiver’ later in the film season; instead, we shall now be screening ‘Indochine’, originally due to be shown as our February film. Apologies if this causes any confusion.

‘Indochine’ is a 1992 period drama set in colonial French Indochina during the 1930s to 1950s. It is the story of Éliane Devries, a French plantation owner, and of her adopted Vietnamese daughter, Camille, set against the backdrop of the rising Vietnamese nationalist movement. It was directed by Régis Wargnier. The film stars Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Pérez, Linh Dan Pham, Jean Yanne and Dominique Blanc. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards, and Deneuve was nominated for Best Actress.

If you’d like to reserve your place for next Wednesday please send me an email on stuartpjones100@yahoo.co.uk. Admission to film nights remains at £7.50 per head and priority will be given to members who book in advance. You can pay in advance online to SHTA, account number: 42027168; sort code: 30-90-09. Alternatively, you can pay by cash or card on the night at the cinema.

As I’m sure you know, the nearest Saturday to the end of this month is the day when Sandwich has its Christmas Lights switched on. Always an occasion to enjoy, whatever the weather, the date this year is Saturday 30th November. As usual, SHTA will be holding a stall where our much sought-after Vin Chaud will be on sale at the bargain price of £4.00 per cup. Many thanks to those members who have volunteered to do a stint on our stand selling our brew and promoting the

Association. The rota is complete but if you’d like to help the helpers, please get in touch; the more the merrier!

If for any reason you’ve overlooked or not been able to pay your annual SHTA Subscription, could I please ask you to pay your £12.50 per head as soon as possible. Thank you.

With less than a month before the SHTA Christmas Dinner & Party we’d like you toreserve your place(s) as soon as possible for one of the highlights of the year, along with your menu selection. As for the past couple of years, we’ll be at Tan Bueno Restaurant in Sandwich on Thursday 5th December. The prices are also the same: £32 for 2 courses or £37 for 3 courses with a complementary glass of fizz on arrival at 6.30 pm. Places are limited to 50, so I’d advise you get in touch pronto!

Please make your choices from the following:

Starters:

• Pork Belly, Honey, Chilli, Cumin Glaze, Sesame, Apple Galette
• Smoked Salmon, Warm Beetroot Winter Salad, Beetroot Crisp
• Tofu Scallops, Pea Purée, Barberries (Vegan)

Mains:

• Turkey Relleno, Pork, Sage
• Roast Duck, Cranberry, Orange
• Wellington, Mushroom, Chestnut, Cranberry (Vegan)
• (All of the above served with festive trimmings)
• Roasted Monkfish, Squash & Spinach Risotto, Pea & Basil Velouté

Desserts:

• Christmas Pudding, Brandy & Cointreau Crème Anglaise
• Almond Tart, Raspberry, Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream
• Mousse, Chocolate & Orange (Vegan by Request)
• Citrus Sorbet, Blood Orange & Lemon (Vegan)

Apart from the meal itself, there’ll be the usual combination of fun and games with dressing for the occasion, so can I suggest you kick off your festive period in style?

To close the newsletter this month, below are some excerpts from a tea-towel given to us by our Honfleur guests: Les Shadoks was an animated television series created by French cartoonist Jacques Rouxel which caused a sensation in France when it was first broadcast in 1968–1974. The Shadoks were cartoon birds and had beaks with teeth; they were characterised by ruthlessness and stupidity and inhabited a two dimensional planet.

“Plus ça rate, plus on a de chances que ça marche.”

(The more it fails, the more likely it is to work)

“La plus grave maladie du cerveau c’est de réfléchir”

(The most serious brain disease is thinking)

“S’il n’y a pas de solution c’est qu’il n’y a pas de problème”

(If there is no solution, there is no problem)

“C’est pas parce que un et un font deux que deux et deux ont le droit de faire quatre”

(Just because one and one make two doesn’t mean two and two make four)

“La notion de passoire est indépendante de la notion de trou”

(The notion of a strainer is independent of the notion of a hole)

“Excusez-moi! J’ai oublié que j’étais amnésique”

(Excuse me! I forgot I had amnesia)

“Je pense donc je scie”

(I think therefore I saw)

That’s all the news for this month. We look forward to seeing you at next week’s film or one of the other events mentioned above.

Best wishes from Stuart, Mark and the Committee