If you can't stand the heat.....

What a busy week we are having. Here is Gregoire in full flow. You can almost smell what's cooking......

anti-theme park

Futuroscope. The theme park for those who dislike theme parks. Trop cool. We saw some disco dancing robots, saved Atlantis, went through a black hole into the depths of outer outer space, investigated the bottom of the sea, swam with dolphins, rode a train without brakes through the Alps, learnt about the solar system, cried through a movie about a black stallion and a little girl in a north African desert after the 2nd world war, admired weird fat bottomed statues...and had a ball.

sunshine and ponies

well, the sun is back out and it is glorious. Scarlet and Maude are big buddies again and here they are hanging out at the Pony Club. Sun is out in St F, the 70th wedding anniversary was a success, I need to plant my flowers or will be publicly shamed. This IS an award winning flowering village after all....

Rain rain go away

Will it ever stop? Damp and dull and dreary. Ascension Thursday passes unnoticed. Except for our 93 year old this lunchtime. We seem to be specialising in the fourth agers right now. Last Saturday we had George Sexis – the “doyen” of the village for lunch..he and his friends warbled some smutty French music hall songs post-lunch and seemed to have a ball. George can get rather raunchy once he has had a few glasses of wine. The old devil. This lunchtime was much more sedate…but hold your breath for Saturday. We are hosting a 70th wedding anniversary. Yep. 70 years ensemble. Husband and wife are 95 years old apiece. They are here for lunch and dinner. Gulp.

Snapshot

8th May tomorrow, so a public holiday, and all is quiet. This being the countryside and rural organisation being what it is, the ceremony for the 8th May (capitulation of Germany) is this year being held on the 13th May. Just to make a change. What are a few days between old war veterans anyway? Sunday saw the polling booths open and the village was alive. From 8am the salle next to the mairie, normally quiet and sedate was alive with the voting population coming and going. No question about voter apathy. The village turnout was a staggering 88%. Not bad for a heavily aging and busy farming population. Sarkozy was heavily favoured (la campagne being a very conservative place) and he did indeed wipe the proverbial floor with his socialist rival. Such a shame that France isn’t going to have a woman Presidente…but not a surprise really. Lots of men voted Sarko this time just to keep her out as the idea of having a woman in the Elysée made them shudder with horror.
Meanwhile today Grégoire drove off with Louis OuiOui Vester to pick up our new (old) car. A 1995 Citroen XM – with low mileage , but still quite old….here we go again methinks ..cost a mere 900 euros so was a bargain. Here is a picture of it in its full glory. Got some weird features – like the emergency brake on the floor (rather than it being a hand-break …same as in the DS and in Mercedes). Now have to go and – sob – drop off the posh hire car….

Sarkozy it is

53% Sarkozy, 47% Royal, 85% turn out at the booths.

Sarkozy wins

France stays blue.

No more centrist politics. This Thatcher-lovin' Bush-worhippin' boy is gungho and ready to take on the world.

Would the last person to leave the country please turn the light out?

Monsieur or Madame le President?

France goes to the polls. Will it be Sarko or Sego? Looks like Sarko will get in, unless a miracle happens. St Fraimbault is already buzzin with voters. We'll find out at 8pm what's what.

The incredible journey - part III - happy endings?

Jacques and Gregoire had a fun but mainly uneventful journey to and from the nord pas de calais. They ate lots of chips, crisps and sandwiches and drank much coffee, so were merrily buzzing most of the day. End result is : hire car returned. Trailer returned. Evasion chez Jacques awaiting new gearbox. Elvis the deudeuche sold on eBay. Rachel, Gregoire and Scarlet now without car. Possibility of new car on the horizon. Borrowing car tomorrow morning to go to Promocash. Hiring car tomorrow afternoon to bale us out.