The 35 hour week

Now that we have a new president (M Hollande and not M Sarkozy) we can all breath a sigh of relief and assume our working week is again safe. You see it was M Sarkozy who was proposing to make France more competitive and that involved relaxing the rules on the working hours each week. Here in France it is, and will probably stay, illegal to force people to do more than 35 hours a week. It was M Hollande's party that brought it in and M Hollande is sure to champion it!

The park over our garden hedge

So the notice on the gate to our park says "closed each day at 19:00". And during the week, it is. But, as a passing gendarme explained to me, it is not so at the weekend.
One day we arrived home at midnight. It was a hot evening and we opened the window only to find there were a group of youths chatting in the park. They were not being bad but they were having fun loudly late at night. In order to sleep we shut the window.
So we went to see the agent for the house. "What can we do?" we asked. "Can we get the Marie to change things?" She threw up her hands in horror! Not a chance it seams, the Marie is democratic and this is France. It would have to go to committee, you would need a petition, it would take ages even if you were successful; which is unlikely. But we did agree that we could ask for the notice on the gate to be actioned - after all that would not be a change!
As suggested by our friendly agent, I visited the Marie after work that Tuesday. The receptionist patiently listened to my request and sent me to the mayor's secretary. The mayor's secretary was very sympathetic and suggested the officer for security should be approached. He is available Mondays from 17:00 to 18:00.
I planned a visit the following week. As we waited June and I debated the reasons for the unwritten exceptions. Did they forget? Was he ill? - but this would not explain why the gendarme thought it was normal. Perhaps it was his time off each week?
So today I have been to see the security officer. He was not there but a small lady, an exact reincarnation of Edith Piaf, was there, and very helpful she was too. She proposed that the officer for security was not the right person, he being concerned with buildings and not parks. She proposed the gendarmerie. And she rang them.
Then, having explained the position as best she could she handed the phone to me. The man on the other end was very nice. He explained that the man who shuts the gates does not work weekends or holidays and that's why it was open. You see, he works a 35 hour week too. I explained that the weekend is when the problems occur, so he kindly suggested I simply phone the gendarmes when it happens. Dial 17. So I will.
I thanked Edith (actually I heard her say she was 'Elizabeth'), and she asked me how I got in. "The door was open" I explained. It appears it is normally shut as there is no reception Mondays (35 hour week) so how did I know where to go? I explained my visit last Tuesday. As I said to June, it has taken a week but we are making progress!

Café Gourmand

I have just learned that "café Gourmand" means literally "greedy coffee". And now I have to confess it is one of June and my favourite choices at the end of a meal. I am so glad we usually chose it as an alternative to the desert and not in addition!

Café with all the trimmings!

You can select this option at most eating places these days. We have had the standard café, as seen here, (small, black, and very strong), but also we have achieved 'café au lait' and 'chocolate chaude' versions just by asking!
Some come with more bits than others. And the bits themselves are very varied; but it is always interesting to see what arrives and there is usually a creme brulée in there somewhere.
And yet it was with a little surprise that we found a café gourmand version in a motorway cafe. I took a closer look and there, perhaps for the English since this establishment had most things translated, there was an explanation of just what it was. It said "coffee with mini-twix". Well that's the spirit of the thing anyway! I almost wish I had ordered one to take a photo for you, but I could not bring myself to do it.
So now we are home.
And the garden has produced our first rose. Not that I can take any credit, it was June who fed it and pruned it to get the best out of the old bush. The best I can boast is to have carried the heavy compost home.
But I can at least take a photo for you and here it is.

Our first rose. 

And next day a little more open

And it's over all too soon

Bank Holiday Tuesday

Bank holiday Tuesday.

Selling flowers in Reims centre

Remember the French do not move their bank holiday days, and Nobel chose to 'bridge' this one so June and I have had a 4 day weekend. And it's a fête (the banks are always close on Monday so 'bank holiday' often makes little sense) - so all the shops, well almost all, are closed. May 1st. And lilly of the valley is lucky. So opportunist French men and women, boys and girls, sell bunches on street corners and in squares. Just about anywhere it seems. Our lilly of the valley is not out yet in our garden.

The laughing angel is still happy

We visited Reims just for fun and checked on the progress of the cathedral restoration. They are doing fine but still lots to do.









Now we are home, and June is preparing a chilly con carne. Half way through and she has just found that we have no kidney beans. It's a fête. The shops are all shut. Even the ones that were open this morning. It will be an interesting meal tonight!

Some more pictures.

Restored house - now a museum

Hotel de Ville - and more flower sellers

The door of a champagne house in the centre of town.

Lac du Der

A full lake earlier in the year

Lac du Der is full again. I am sure Paris is relieved (Paris drinking water is here, it also stops flooding in winter and drying up in summer).

Sailing?

And on bank holiday weekend the sun came out. Here some enthusiasts enjoy being in and out of the water.

Flying?

Walkabout

April. Time to get out into the parks, although this April has been spectacularly wet!

Beautiful borders

Here the Mayor's garden in Vitry has been beautifully planted and tended. It is too early for photos of the roses, but this border was worth a picture using my phone.

Bluebells

And there are bluebells in France! We have seen very few but these were in a park in nearby Chalons.







And in the same park, another rare bird, a 'space-age' toilet. Most impressed, and also in need, I approached it to understand its workings...

Modernity

As you can see there was a complex-looking control panel. It had an electronic display.

Use, don't abuse

There is audio help if needed. 

The seat is disinfected, washed, and dried after each use. 

The floor is cleaned too.

The control display said

"Pas Disponible"

or in other words

"Out of Order".

Moving house

We moved.
Not far.
Just a few streets away.
But now we have a small garden and lots more space.
It went quite well. Not least due to the 3 men, a car and a small van, that turned up from our church to help on the day.
All done by noon.
Phew!
And we are nearly straight. Already Brian has visited (he came the day after we moved, but we spent most of our time at the country house - see pictures). And we have lots of space to host families, 3 bedrooms and an attic to be precise. We even still have our sofa-bed in the living room.

Dining in Vitry

Here a view of the dining room ready to entertain you....
There is a little more furniture now and the plant has moved! But you get the idea I hope!

Hot Cross Buns

Just baked buns

Hot Cross Buns don't exist in France (at least we could not find any). So June did the logical thing and made some. Kind of hard to get all of the ingredients exactly the same but I can vouch for the taste.