Welcome to April’s edition
You can contiue to read our editorial below with links to all the articles on this website or flick through our virtual magazine by clicking the magazine image at the bottom of this page . Either way we hope you enjoy reading.
April also carries with it that quirky tradition – April Fool’s Day – a time when everyone is given a licence to play practical jokes on the unsuspecting. These hoaxes range from minor japes played on family and friends to major hoaxes involving thousands of people.
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But when and how did April’s Fool day develop and why?
Extensive research suggests there are many theories but no one satisfactory answer. It would appear that many of the developed countries for some reason or other each adopted a single peculiar custom on one day of the year. One theory about the establishment of April Fool’s Day originated from the alteration of the French calendar in the sixteenth century. Some sources claim that in 1564 France moved the start of the year from the end of March to the date we all use today, January 1st.
As with most changes to the secure rhythm and routine of people’s lives some were resistant and adverse to change preferring to continue celebrating the beginning of the new year at the end of March. The suggestion is that these poor souls were made a laughing stock by having a paper fish pinned on their back and had jokes played on them. Today the French still adopt this tradition called ‘Poisson d’Avril’.
However this theory does not fit the historical development of the calendar reform and there are many countries claiming ownership of the Aprils Fool’s Day tradition, including Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands.
Most countries such as the UK and Canada the jokes can only be played up until midday, after which any person initiating a prank then becomes the fool. However in others countries such as Italy and France the jokes can last all day. There have been many famous hoaxes played on us the unsuspecting public by people and organisations that we trust and respect. Our favourite prank was played by Sir Patrick Moors and BBC on his Radio 2 show. Both the BBC and Sir Patrick Moor are such bastions of truth and knowledge that we would never have suspected them of playing such a prank!
Sir Patrick Moore announced to an eager audience that trusted his expertise in all things celestial, that on the 1st April a unique alignment of the Planets Pluto and Jupiter would create a counter gravitational pull to the earth’s own gravity. He advised the listeners that if they jumped in the air at precisely 9.47 am they would be able to experience a floating sensation. Hundreds of people did exactly that and many reported back to the radio station with reports of families and friends suspended in animation in their homes and floating around their rooms.
We wish you all a happy April Fools day and can assure you that there are no japes or hoaxes in this month’s magazine. Or are there?
N 4 Normandy Team
Contact us at N for Normandy Magazine using the form at the bottom of the page.
APRIL’S CONTENTS
- Foreign Currency Exchange
Bonjour! A quick article this time, as I have been on study leave for much of the last month. I'm doing a Marketing diploma with the Open University, and as it has been some years since I did anything academic, it has taken up a great deal of my tim...
- Fresh Tomato Sauce -
for soup, chilli, pizza & bolognaiseFresh Tomato Sauce - a simple way to use your large crop of tomatoes to make a versatile base for many meals - which is freezable .. .. .. What you need: (approx!!) 2lb of tomatoes 3 - 4 red onions 4 - 5 garlic cloves (optional) Fresh ...
- Les Traversees de Tatihou
Enjoy the magical music festival on the rugged little island of Tatihou, its annual concerts with its varied music styles and genres is a must for the sences. Walk out to Tatihou from pretty St-Vaast- La-Hougue over the oyster beds exposed at low tide,...
- Renting out property - where and who to pay what!
There are of course cross border agreements in place between the UK and France which make life complicated when it comes to where to bank your income from your property and which side of the Channel to pay any taxes and social charges due on it. There ...
- Guest Châteaux of Normandy
Fall Asleep in a Normandy Château Shakespeare wrote, “To sleep, perchance to dream”, in his play ‘Hamlet’, but he was certainly not writing of dreaming about a French château and realizing your dream to fall asleep in one! So, let’s ch...
- KAS - Sweetheart to the Forces
My name is Kas, Sweetheart to the Forces. I am a singer and dancer. As an entertainer, I started my business four and half years ago. I enjoy dressing up in the 40’s fashions, I just love the cloths. My mum and all my family would say, I was b...
- Choosing a Gite in France
Thousands of people every year come to France for their holidays and choose a gite to stay in. Many have a great holiday but sometimes things do not go to plan and the holiday turns into a nightmare. To make your holiday in a French gite an enjoyable ...
- Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man??
Have you ever noticed how a lot of the expats who manage to make a go of life in France, which as you know can be tough, have more than one string to their professional bows? I’ve been talking to some people, who certainly fit the versatility pro...
- Foreign Currency Exchange –
Make your money work harder!A statistic I read recently showed that over 80% of people are still using the very first bank where they first opened an account. They may have added other accounts along the way with other institutions, but in general, we tend to stay with that sam...
- Living and Settling In Normandy
We love living in the north of France and after seven sometimes turbulent years would not dream of living anywhere else – but lets have a realistic look at how this can be achieved, and at what cost – and we are not just talking money! We are goi...
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- August's Virtual Magazine
The August Issue - we meet KAS - the New Sweetheart to the Forces Click the Cover to view the online version
- Mont Saint Michel Story Part 2
Nestled at the base of the abbey, ensconced behind impressive walls and towers, the town of Mont-Saint-Michel was born of the abbey, to which it is inextricably linked, and it is this which gives it a special and unique character. The town gre...
- The D Day Story Part 7
Back towards Utah Beach, the first town that the soldiers reached was Saint Marie du Mont. Near here the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment landed and advanced towards Utah Beach, to clear the way for the landing party. Other paratroopers from the 501st...
- Chateau de Crevecoeur Medieval Festival
For one week in august be transported to ages past at the wonderful Chateau de Crevecoeur medieval festival. Historians have made sure that this extravaganza celebrating life in the middle ages is as accurate as possible, so that visitors really do fee...
Click the image below if you prefer to read the articles in our virtual magazine
It had been one of those weeks which had underscored the old adage ‘Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans’. Doing a fair imitation of a ‘whirling dervishes’ I moved from task to task without hardly time for my feet to touch the ground. Motivated by the solemn promise I had made myself – that Sunday morning I would lie in bed indulging in fresh jam on newly baked croissants from our local bakery, listening to the radio where others were taking care of the world while I smugly snuggled into the luxuriant warmth of the duvet. 
Given our homework for the week we had to return with an account of what we did during the week and what new words we had learnt. We decided on a walk around our local nature reserve knowing that along the walk there were notice boards displaying detailed information about the natural wildlife.
Enjoying our sojourn and pleased with the progress we were making, we were challenged by a particular notice that because of its location was hard for to us to read. Placed amidst some interesting looking mini wigwams made from birch wood, we strained to read the wording on the board placed as it was in a rather awkward position between us and a number of small ditches.
Fortunately the only damage done was to my pride and dignity, as I had attracted the attention of a amused audience of hikers along with a group of bird watchers, who diverted from the rare birds, eagerly trained their binoculars on the strange creature they quickly named the Lesser Spotted Man with flailing arms and red face
One particular landing site for the American 82nd and 101st airborne paratroopers was Ste Mere Eglise. Despite the drop starting after 12 pm many of the paratroopers were illuminated by houses that had caught fire. The occupying forces opened fire and ordered the civilians who were trying to put out the house fire back to their homes. Some paratroopers were caught in the house fires, others on telephone poles and trees.
If like me you are a fan of intricate French pastries, and marvel at the wonders which are gorgeously displayed in the elegant windows of Normandy patisserie, then no doubt you have been an avid viewer of Channel 4′s excellent gastronomic delight “Glamour Puds” and being entertained by the Charming Eric Lanlard. 
Feeding chickens is more than simply putting out some grains for your birds. If you are planning to grow chickens that provide you with high quality eggs on a regular basis you must know several basics about chicken feeding. When chickens first begin laying eggs, through the initial laying phase, they are still maturing. During this phase they must have a greater amount of protein. As the amount of eggs begins to diminish their protein requirements also fall. 
In under a decade, eBay has grown into an incredible auction website that commands an audience of around 37 million people around the world. Some look for bargain second-hand goods, others look for cheaper versions of something they’ve spotted in the shops, and others just find themselves addictively browsing five times a day, which has to be a bit healthier than smoking, though perhaps no cheaper.
“Plus, people love an auction. There’s something about bidding that gets the heart pounding.”
Every month seems to bring its quota of auto entrepreneurs scams. From 
