Grey skies

 

Well, now France has joined the UK in the ‘rule of 6’ – not an actual rule in private of course, but advised by M. the P.résident of the Republic, and certainly a rule for public get-togethers guidance for us all.  We ought to be getting used to this kind of sudden variation, but it makes a rather nervous backdrop to daily life.  More cancellations chez nous anyway – a wine tasting postponed for the second time, Tuesday French often impractical even for the smaller group of 8 we’d settled on.  But we’ll keep inviting our friends here in ones and twos.

On the outside, apart from lots of people in masks things seem normal – Lunel last weekend was very busy, we have had the usual beautiful sunshine until the clouds rolled in, and the seasonal tasks loom up – we have to arranged the pruning of trees soon before they shed all their leaves and make a whole lot more work clearing up.  But hovering behind it all is a mist of uncertainty, and a growing sense that the idea of ‘normal’ is receding.

We are quite enthusiastic about sports, and cycling has been a constant backdrop to our tv watching since the Tour de France since the summer. Living in France you can scarcely avoid the sport, with small groups out across local roads in the continuing fine spell here. There is special enthusiasm for French riders who so often come just behind the winners, but Julian Alaphilippe has won the World Road Race championship so national pride is a little assuaged.

But when other nationalities claim the glory there is inevitably a backlash in France, with experts claiming that nobody could ride so fast without illegal drugs. After Armstrong of course, there is bound to be suspicion, but on the whole I’m inclined to just sit back and admire the extraordinary young athletes who win the races or fight so hard to get to the podium, and after years of British domination it was exciting to see young Slovenian talent to the fore in the Tour. 

We were watching with interest to see if Froome could return to his best form in the Vuelta d’España after Geraint Thomas crashed out of the Italian Giro early, and just now after Covid delays the races across Europe are crowding in this Autumn.  So the Vuelta has started in a rush before the Giro finished, and Froome has turned out so far to be a bit off the pace

Mary checks on the larger tortoise, about to hibernate.  The smaller one (called Tonic) still lives indoors in a little cage

Meanwhile in English football, being champions is not straightforward. Luckily for Liverpool, being a ‘a top club’ in England is not that easy either. The only unbeaten Premiership club now is Aston Villa - who’d bet against them at the moment? But it is early days.

A report in the Guardian of growing mounds of recycling – a sign of the times for cash-strapped councils in the UK. I’ve no idea if things are as difficult in France, positive news that our Commune will accept all plastic packaging from next year.  But it seems obvious that one should celebrate increased recycling if, as it should, it goes with a reduction of general landfill or incinerated rubbish. Lunel has always been a bit ahead of the game with rubbish and recycling, and we are fortunate to have a well-organised déchèterie very nearby, so taking rubbish to the tip is never a problem especially now I have realised that arriving just before 8 am at the tail end of the business slot is ideal, you are welcomed in with no queue and nobody seems to mind you’ve jumped the gun. The problem, (as I discovered as an office manager trying to get rid of waste paper 40 years ago) is that it’s an economic activity, so if the price of waste drops or technology changes, recycling is suddenly much more difficult.

So, a bit of light relief:

For some weeks Quentin Blake has published a drawing in Le Monde of an unexpected encounter. This is from last weekend - gives a new twist to taking the dog for a walk!

Finally a quasi-musical thought - who was "Jean François" in the shanty "Boney Was a Warrior"?   The song goes: 

Boney was a warrior, Away, a- yah!  A warrior and a terrier, Jean François!

Boney fought the Russians, Away, a- yah!  [and so on]

Apparently, Jean François probably came from the French shanty Jean François de Nantes, which had a similar tune.  There are also similarities in the lyrics of the two songs: the French song has oué, oué, oué instead of away ah-yah, and at least one version of Jean François de Nantes uses the word terrien (landlubber) which mirrors the use of terrier.  We can't even sort our own sea shanties without French help!!

Resonant with me since I eat an avocado for breakfast nearly every day!