During our holiday in Portugal in June, we visited the very fantastic castle of Pena (here on the photo)

it's in the town of Sintra near Lisbonne. (It's like in a dream !)

We visited many magnificent towns and villages and met very pleasant people but it was difficult sometimes to communicate (problem of language)

We made an itinerant trip during 3 weeks through this country

Christiane

I love it

I would just like to say a big bravo to everyone involved in the twinning between Cholet and Solihull. This year was really wonderful !

I just thought I'd let you see what lots of people are talking about in Solihull at the moment:

VILLAGERS said they would take any action needed to stop gypsies setting up camp on green belt land in a leafy part of the Midlands.

Residents set up a 24-hour vigil to stop construction work taking place on the site in Eaves Green Lane, Knowle, after they managed to secure a last-minute stop notice when travellers tried to start building over the Bank Holiday weekend.

David McGrath, from the village’s Residents Against Inappropriate Development group, said: “There’s no chance this building work is going ahead.

“Whatever it takes, we’re going to win this battle and put that land back to how it was.”

The row erupted on Friday when gypsies lodged a last-minute planning application to start building permanent structures on the land, which they own, just before Solihull Borough Council closed for the long weekend.

Mr McGrath said: “At the same time, with almost military precision, 17 caravans as well as heavy earth-moving equipment arrived on the site with a large amount of people.

“They used stealth tactics. That’s no way to send a signal you want to live in harmony in a certain area.”

Villagers persuaded Solihull Council to send out planning officers on Saturday and issue an emergency 28-day stop notice, preventing work from going ahead.

They also stood firm at the site and refused to let more than 90 lorries containing more than 1,800 tonnes of hardcore and building materials pass.

Now they are staying put to make sure no work goes ahead in the meantime.

Mr McGrath was on holiday in Torquay when he got the news and immediately packed up and returned to help organise the village’s response.

Yesterday morning, villagers staged a demonstration outside the council with heavy farm vehicles to show the strength of feeling against the development.

And last night, a public meeting was being held at Meriden Village Hall to discuss the issue.

Villagers said there was already an authorised travellers’ site at nearby Bickenhill and the Knowle site could not support the development.

At the weekend the leader of the gypsy group, Noah Burton, 45, said he had been branded the Bin Laden of Meriden.

“We are Romany gypsies and we have to live somewhere,” he said.

“None of us are stood here going ‘ha ha ha’ – this is a fight for survival for us.

“We have not broken the law. When we got the stop notice, we stopped.

“But we’re not leaving easily.

“It’s going to be a long, hard battle now.”

He said he had to move on to the site, which he bought for £100,000 a year ago from a building contractor, after separating from his wife.

Mr Burton admitted: “It is a bit of trick, a plot, the way we move on to sites. But that is the way we have to do it if we want a chance of staying anywhere.”

Twinning weekend in Cholet 13-16th May

Right I've got to get this blog going again!! I do hope that the twinning weekend will allow me to get a few English people to write on here for us!! Fingers crossed.

Juliet

Just thought this was fun!!

Bienvenue à Solihull College

Staff and students at Solihull College put their French skills to the test as they welcome the Mayor of Cholet - the borough’s twin town in France, onto campus.

Accompanied by the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Norman Davies, Monsieur Gilles Bourdouleix spent the day at the College’s Blossomfield site this week where he met with students and took a tour of campus.

Both guests also enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the College’s onsite Animal Care Unit with resident donkeys Eeyore and Archie in tow.

The visit was Monsieur Bourdouleix’s first to the College. He comments: “I’ve had a great day at the College, the staff and students were very welcoming. The campus itself is very impressive. There seems to be a lot going on here and plenty of activities for students to get involved in.”

The Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Norman Davies said: “Our visit to Solihull College was a great start to the Cholet official visit. Sharing educational practice is a large part of the twinning relationship and by seeing the college and meeting students our guests were able to learn about the further educational facilities available in the borough.”

cabaret evening

Our cabaret evening for Rumania was a success with about 700 people.
We were all bluffed by the great illusionist and we enjoyed listening to country folk music
Thank's to everybody !
Christiane

http://www.solihullnews.net/solihull-pictures/2009/07/22/strolls-around-solihull-1-105074-24214287/

This is a link to go and watch a little video clip about Castle Bromwhich Hall and Gardens.

Have you ever been there?

A new year of lessons !

Off we go again with lots of resolutions of course...I've found an interesting site with podcasts...go and have a look!


http://www.listen-to-english.com/index.php?cat=podcasts&page=2