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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 1^st.

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 1^st 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 & bolognaise

  Fresh 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...

• Free e-books Special Offer

  Click the ad below for more info

• 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...

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