The Passadoc Gazette - No 152

The weekly 152

All lace...

What good are all these fan threads, all these color pins?
These are the essential tools used by the serpents and tooth pads; Let's add these small tubinoes of special shape called spindles.

When you think « lace », we think delicacy, elegance, finesse, refinement... when you think « lace »In the 16th century, it appeared only on the costumes of men belonging to the nobility, that it was forbidden to the petty bourgeoisie under penalty of a fine. In the 17th century, women finally took it! Napoleon reserved it for women's clothing only.

The one that interests us in this gazette is said « lace with spindles ». Coming from Italy, it will develop in France: in the 18th century, there are almost 20,000 tooth-trees in Normandy, 40,000 in the North – Pas-de-Calais, in Valenciennois, 100,000 in the region of Puy-en-Velay... At that time, she was everywhere: on the collars, at the bottom of the sleeves and male panties... She's hanging her handkerchiefs... Nobles, cardinals, bishops are covered in lace!

Las... the industrial revolution is in progress; In the 19th century, many serreliers and too many dentels were replaced by mechanical trades.

Today, lace « needle » or « spindles » – a high cost given the number of hours of work it requires – is mainly purchased by large sewing houses.

Curiously, little lace in Occitanie, it seems that she did not find her place on the costumes so colorful from Provence and elsewhere. Yet in the Treasure, Frédéric Mistral talks about « damo squash » [lady's neck] thus designating the working support of the lacemaker.

– Where is our lace?

Patience... Here she is with this beautiful photo of André Abbe!

Jeanne Monin

Research on many sites.

The Echoes of the Week
Fishing!
The lying stone
An unusual quiz
Passadoc
Next show.
Dragui-Retro
Abbe Photo

Fishing!

Claude Boyer
My father was a fervent man, but he was fishing to throw in the Verdon, the Roya and other mountain torrents. Besides, the place of the annual holidays was chosen according to the possibilities he had to practice his fishing art but on this side I did not resemble him.

Fishing has never been my thing and much less being planted for hours to fix any shimmering of the plug. If, like a whole mother Nature dressed up with some qualities, she forgot to join the layette with patience. Or maybe at the longliner like Andre, go in the early morning off on a pointed and see the sun rise on the sea on the horizon, but I never had the opportunity to embark.

All I had left was the bush, but that I know, I practiced and I loved. I remember the slices of bread that grilled in front of the fire, pasted with odorant cheese that rusted as it was cooking. If it was a treat for the taste buds, accompanied by a glass of red wine, it was necessary to prohibit any rendezvous after tasting.

Jeanne Monin
My father was a fine fisherman... He didn't need much bait.
Solitaire, silent...
On vacation, he spent his afternoons – and sometimes a few mornings! – by the river to watch the stopper or to throw the wire and never came home without a go.

Ah! wonderful memories that those of the little fryings that were snacked by chattering or Loire pike that Mom served with white butter and that were enjoyed in silence... or almost because from time to time one would let escape one: « Mmmm... What's good! «

Marie Martin
I liked to try fishing by hand...
Well, I didn't catch anything, hit anything, yes, but no more because it's hard, and I was lucky not to touch a snake!

The pros, kids too, caught some of them, some fun, and then we released everything!

André Abbe
I never liked fishing on the line because I'm not careful enough. It happened to me to fish longline, without having to bother with a cane, when I was on a friend's boat.

What a surprise it was when I bought some dust at the entrance to winter! The grocer asked me if it was « for eating or boiling ». The broumège is a mix of old cheese and other ingredients that anglers throw at the place where they will launch their line to bait fish.

Brossin is a strong cheese preparation of which there are dozens of variants, called cachaille in the upper country. The smell is rather repulsive but the taste is exquisite. Don't give me the recipe, we can find it on the internet. The best brush contains a hint of water of life."

Giselle Penat-Lorde
Fishing, but what a horror! When I was a child, a pain to stay there without moving or talking, because I was running away from the fish.

It was first with my brother at the edge of Argens; He discovered a very ephemeral passion for freshwater fishing, on the side of the Iscles lock at Roquebrune-sur-Argens. We took the stream that passed in front of the house and went down to the shores of the Argens. A nightmare with thorns from all over the world, a weeds maze not possible, and I was imagining in the depths of I don't know what tropical forest. A modern-day Robinson!

These burlesque adventures quickly ended on a stormy day, where the whole bardas and the frisquin saint had to be repacked quickly to return soaked like soups and dripping from head to toe. We were not greeted upon return with enthusiasm and had to even get seriously yelled, to have gone stupidly under a threatening sky ...

Guy, as far as I can remember, had never brought back anything but a fry menu for cat soup.

A few years later, while I often spent a holiday at Farlede, with friends of the family, rebelote! I had to stuff myself with meditating hours on the shore of the Gap and/or by the sea, near the Hyères or Porquerolles, which was already more fun!

I knew the mix of the famous broumege and I said « burk, burk » ...

Even if I managed to make myself forget by the sea, by occupying a few rocks further along with the searings, the sea urchins, I had found the lethal weapon: « Okay for your fishing and I'll keep quiet but first we'll go to the bookstore! »

I plunged into reading, so I was not heard all day! And I was going back to Roquebrune with a suitcase full of books!

I also remembered fishermen, who later became friends with the family, and more particularly a couple who lived in Cannes. They came to the area of Vergers, in the 1970s, still on the edge of Argens in Roquebrune.

Dad often put the cabanon at their disposal and a place for a small caravan. It was actually their leave. At the time, we didn't necessarily fly overseas and they were happy to spend 2 to 3 weeks in peace, a few weekends during the year, and enjoy fishing.

It was a real paradise for this couple. Fruits and vegetables at will, in return planes some fish. They've been here for several years. I spent hours paddling, not at the edge of the water with the risk of further frightening the fish, but with the wife of one in between.

We often spoke in German. She was of German-Polish Jewish origin and carried in her the stigmas of the Shoah, for she had known Auschwitz-Birkenau, where all her family had perished including her baby, the death walk and Ravensbrück.

Her past, which we never mentioned, if only indirectly, made her unadaptable to the world in which she survived with powerful anxiolytic and sleeping pills. I've never forgotten her eyes and smile so sad. I learned a great deal about the Jewish religion, all rites, festivals, some Hebrew terms but especially Yiddisch and Poland of course, its native country.

She said to my father: « When Giselle is there, I see again, your daughter is a sun, listening and exceptional empathy, a great understanding of the other and unimaginable generosity, she brings so much and so much...«

Sometimes, in a conversation, she went out and came back suddenly trying to smile. I have never forgotten Maja, this meeting of chance, our communication beyond silence. This certainly remains my greatest memory of fishing.

If I like fish very much, I still hate fishing so much!...

The lying stone

André Abbe
The Stone of Fairy, in the commune of Draguignan (Var) remains one of the most beautiful dolmens of Provence, despite the dynamiting of one of the raised stones (orthostate) supporting the huge slab.

It seems that this act of vandalism is due to a Dracénois dissatisfied with the transfer from Draguignan prefecture to Toulon, nearly 40 years ago.

Toulon is located in the southwest part of the Var, really out of reach. Draguignan, for his part, was no longer in central position since the district of Grasse was generously given to the young Maritime Alps.

Brignoles should have been chosen if we wanted to give the prefecture a central position. He missed a fairy to convince the planners not to move our prefecture to the bottom of the Var...

Claude Boyer
It must be said that the case is unique.

For the first time, in 1974, the central government decided to transfer a prefecture. The news is unexpected although the issue of this transfer has been underlying for a long time.

In fact, regardless of geography, the decision is purely political and the confrontation of two heavyweights of Varoese politics is the trigger; Maurice Arreckx Mayor of Toulon is rewarded by the Chirac government for his support of Giscard in the presidential elections, to the detriment of Edward Soldani, socialist and former SFIO, Mayor of Draguignan... The two, however, found themselves under the common label of the "employers" « Business » that shake the Varian microcosm of the time...

In short, politics and « Business » formed an unstable explosive mixture that ended up with the draconian riots that we are not near to forget... .

Dolmen... In other words, « laid stone (men) » ; word of cornic origin.
Fifty thousand dolmens are said to have been recorded in the world, of which twenty thousand in Europe, with a very high concentration in Western Europe.
J.M.

An unusual quiz

Next show.

It will take place in Draguignan.

The theme
« Women of Provence«

Already note the dates: from 13 January to 9 March 2024.

We'll talk about it very soon!

Dragui-Retro

The publisher specifies: The Fountain of the Pyramid.

But the sharp eye of more than 30 Dracene corrects:

– It's Market Square!

And Pierre Espitalier specify:

– Bien sûr ! Cette fontaine se trouvait dans la partie haute de la Place du Marché, face au café « Les Négociants » qui existe toujours, au carrefour de la rue G. Cisson (ex rue Nationale), de la rue F. Mireur (ex rue du Collège) et de la rue Montée de l’Église (ex rue de la Porte d’Aurange)… au coin de laquelle mon grand-père avait son salon de coiffure dans un pâté de maison qui a été détruit…

Abbe Photo

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These are cited in The Gazette :
André Abbe
François Abbe
Claude Boyer
Pierre Espitalier (Dragui-Retro)
Marie Martin
Jeanne Monin
Giselle Penat-Lorde
Jean-Philippe Tinois
Editor in Chief :
Jeanne Monin