A man walks into a bar ......

Sounds like a joke, but this is yet another day in the life of....us.

A young man walks into the bar. "I need a shower" he says (in English, no hello, no do you speak English, nothing). Grégoire looks around, wondering why he has walked into Papillon on such a bright and sunny Tuesday afternoon. "I'm sorry " says G " we aren't a hotel - have you tried the campsite - there are municipal showers there"....the man looks at Gregoire as if he has stepped off another planet. "But I went up there and could only see toilets and apparently a shower costs 5 euros! 5 Euros? Ridiculous - I'm not paying that for a measly shower" This time it is Gregoire who returns the 'you've-just-fallen-off-a-planet' look. He replies "But water costs money. And it is heated, also costing money....erm...did you think it would be free?" "But I've only got a bloody bath and I really need a shower" insists the by now somewhat irate (and increasingly smelly) young man. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to suggest" shruggs Gregoire helplessly. And so the young man storms off to accost someone else.
You gotta wonder sometimes.

sunday spinners and splashes

What a fabulous day. With glorious sunshine to boot. A select group of spinners complete with baby alpaca in pen took up residence on the church square, whilst 15 or so artists using differing media set up in the trees around the plan d'eau. The sun shone bright and strong and Saint Fraimbault filled with happy tourists. Meanwhile Patrick Chopin continued his training class showing his eager and by now much-muddied students how to finish off the traditional wattle and daub bread ovens, Denis Leroy set up a solar powered oven to roast some chickens and Christelle the head gardener held rose petal jam-making demonstrations. Papillon did a roaring trade - kicked off by the picnic bags we prepared for artists and artisans alike - and a good time was most defintiely had by all. Ron the baby alpaca had to go home early though as the church bells scared him a little and he got awful tired being the subject of total and utter admiration all day long.

customer service

god I hate 'em sometimes. Customers that is. Well only one or 2, and fortunately the remaining 99.99999% are sweet enough to take away the bitter taste left by the nasty ones. Yesterday lunch we had a coach party of 55 people in at lunchtime. We are only a small restuarant and they were having a full on top notch 7 course slap up lunch banquet. Being French they arrived bang on midday and settled in for the afternoon. We were rushed off our tootsie pegs, and closed to other customers - at least for the duration of lunch. Turned away a number of French customers - who upon hearing the word banquet and full, gave us understanding and sympathetic smiles and wandered away to look at the flowers. And then, just as lunch kicked off, along came a Brit couple who managed to annoy the pants off me and only very slightly escaped without being decked with a left jab. They sat at a table on the terrace and started to drum their fingers on the table and tap their feet impatiently. Leaving the lovely and fortunately very capable Savina to carry on serving 55 (hot) starters I zipped outside to offer my standard "terribly sorry, full this lunchtime, there's sausages and chips down by the lake if you're hungry - gotta dash" spiel. But no. They weren't having any of it. The guy looked pissed off and grumbled loudly that we were too bloody lazy to serve them and obviously didn't want to do any work, despite the fact there was a recession. Now, given that Gregoire and I had been up since the crack of dawn and I knew full well that we were likely to be working until the fall of night, and that the recession is being very much felt in France too, this rubbed me up the wrong way. Ever so slightly. He then swore at me and about me. And I lost it. I got really cross in fact. Decided it wasn't even worth justifying myself. I asked him and his good lady friend to please vacate my terrace and not come back. Now I know for sure that I have lost this customer and his family and circle of friends for good. But frankly, his sort of trade we can do without. We love most of our customers and we love what we do and wouldn't change it for the world, but why is it that every now and then someone comes along who makes you completely question your lifestyle choice? So come back nice lovely friendly customers - we love you and need you...just don't send in the nasties too often, cos after the couple had stomped away complaining bitterly, loudly and angrily and I had been shaken to almost tears, I then had to return inside to my 55 happy lunchers and look the perfect smiling hostess once more.

strange people

there's nowt as queer as folk. This week we have had many strange and unusual customers ranging from the slightly eccentric to the downright bonkers. Yesterday an old man wandered in off the street asking of he could shelter from the guns - topped the week off for us really. What else can happen we wonder?

bad blogger points

I have been a bad blogger recently. Life seems to have become unepectedly busy - not with work, just endless rounds of meetings, and sub committees and sub sub sub committees etc.....The restaurant trade is picking up - it ain't the mad rush just yet, but not far off. June was officially our worst June ever so that's heartening (wry grin), and we just received a nice fat VAT bill.....let's hope we win the lottery this weekend or I might have to consider selling my body (or soul) to the highest bidder. Doubt that either my soul or my body would get that much though - both being second hand, used and rather worn.....still, would give a whole new meaning to baring one's soul. On a more positive note, Gregoire and I had a much needed ego boost with a full page spread in the local rag (see picture from Pub. Libre - suspect I am maybe breaking copyright laws, so may remove it soon...) - nice photo as well, for a change, as usually their photographer fails to see the importance of including heads as well as feet, and this morning we received a free copy of the landscape gardeners trade mag as we are also featured in that too. Fingers crossed it will do the biz and bring the punters in.