Archives : Events

Time to get outside! Get on those hiking boots and take some time to revel in the great outdoors! The idea is to organise an easy walk once a month – approximately 10 km, 2 to 3 hours, in the afternoon – in order to discover or re-discover the beautiful hiking paths of the Maine-et-Loire. Come along with good walking shoes, protection against rain, cold or heat according to the season…. a bottle of water and a little « en-cas » to keep you going ! Maximum group is 20 so make sure to sign up!

Want to sign up? Easy as pie!

Sign up by sending your name, email address and phone numbers (perferably cell phone) to this email address. You will be sent full details of the walk in due time.
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Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 romantic sports and Indian-themed comedy-dramafilm produced, written, and directed by Gurinder Chadha, and starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis, and Archie Panjabi.

A kaleidoscope of color and culture clash humorously as an Indian family in London tries to raise their soccer-playing daughter in a traditional way. Unlike tarty elder sister Pinky, who is preparing for an Indian wedding and a lifetime of cooking the perfect chapatti, Jess’ dream is to play soccer professionally like her hero David Beckham. Wholeheartedly against Jess’ unorthodox ambition, her parents eventually reveal that their reservations have more to do with protecting her than with holding her back. When Jess is forced to make a choice between tradition and her beloved sport, her family must decide whether to let her chase her dream…and a soccer ball.

Screening begins at 15:00 sharp. This activity is free of charge for all library members. Please reserve by signing up at the front desk in advance. A discussion in English will follow the film.

The October read for the bookclub is « Hallucinating Foucault » by Patricia Duncker. In this ravishing tale of sexual and textual obsession, the young unnamed narrator sets forth from Cambridge on a quest. He is to rescue the subject of his doctoral research, Paul Michel, the brilliant but mad writer, from incarceration in a mental institution in France. What ensues is a drama of terrible intimacy and tenderness played out one hot and humid summer in Paris and in the south of France. « Hallucinating Foucault » is a literary thriller that explores with consummate mastery the passionate relationship between reader and writer, between the factual and the fictional, between sanity and madness. In blurring these boundaries, Patricia Duncker has written a novel of astonishing power and beauty.

For any enqueries about joining the bookclub please send an email to bookclub@ellia.org.

The Saturday Reading Group is for anyone who loves to read, socialize in English, and meet new people. Come join us on October 15th at 3pm at the library. There is the line-up of great reading for 2016-2017! Click here for full schedule and line-up of titles 2016-2017. 

The October selection is the book « Revolutionary Road » by Richard Yates and its 2008 film adaptation (of the same name) starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. In the hopeful 1950s, Frank and April Wheeler appear to be a model couple: bright, beautiful, talented, with two young children and a starter home in the suburbs. Perhaps they married too young and started a family too early. Maybe Frank’s job is dull. And April never saw herself as a housewife. Yet they have always lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. But now that certainty is about to crumble. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Frank and April mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves.

When and where: Meetings will be held in the library once a month on Saturday afternoons starting at 3:00. Cost: FREE to all members of the library. To join: Please contact Anne Kaar at bookgroup@ellia.org

Treat yourself to an afternoon of a collective reading of Shakespeare. The activity consists of watching a BBC production on DVD and then reading relative scenes. This is a great activity for lovers of language and fans of the great wit. The activity is free for library members. Please sign up at the front desk.

This is a special moment when the community gathers together to talk about everything and anything (…in English of course!) and sips coffee and tea. Coffee House is free and open to all library members. Just drop in, no need to reserve! Coffee house is every Friday except during school holidays.

Come along and bring your knitting,

Have a natter while you’re sitting,

Or learn to knit with wool provided,

Needles loaned and stitches guided.

Knitted garments are très chic,

So be in vogue and start this week.

Knit and natter is a free activity open to all members. No need to reserve, just come and enjoy yourself!

Amanda Johnson from Spectrum Financial Advisors &Karolyn Chauvigné from Currencies Direct will be present at the ‘Coffee House’ every two months. Should you need any free, friendly advice on any of the following issues they will be present to advise you:

RETIREMENT PLANNING
Forward planning for your retirement can mean the difference between having the reassurance of financial security in later years rather than the worry of wondering how you will cope

INVESTMENTS FOR EXPATS
How do you choose your investments when you are an expatriate? Taking personalised Investment Advice can be vital, especially in the current economic environment, with high inflation and record low interest rates

INHERITANCE TAX PLANNING
Inheritance Tax Planning for expatriates requires careful consideration. At home or abroad your plans to pass any assets in the future to your family will be determined by the place where you live and if you are UK domiciled

CURRENCY EXCHANGE
Currencies Direct is a foreign exchange company, which is fully regulated in the UK (FCA) and in France (AMF). Karolyn will be able to give you invaluable information on how to get the best out of your currency exchange. From just £150 upwards, we can save you between 3 and 5% on bank rates and with no charges at all!

No need to sign up, just stop by and meet Amanda and Karolyn!

« Books and Tea » is a monthly meeting for bookworms and tea drinkers. Bring a book you’ve really enjoyed, talk about it and pass it on! The group meets from 2 to 3:30 at « Les Casse-Croûte de Suzy » 3 rue de l’Espine. No need to sign up, just come and enjoy!

The pizza and board games evening is scheduled one Tuesday a month from 6-8 pm. Cost is 7 euros (covers pizza and non-alcoholic drinks, 5 euros for children 12 and under and native English speakers). No reservations necessary, just come and enjoy! Dates up to Christmas are Oct. 11th, Nov. 15th and Dec. 13th.