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….