Earlier this year I wrote about roof repairs. Tiles replaced, tiles made secure, woodwork treated, well done if at some expense. That led to two things. One was the firm which did the work coming back for the first 'guarantee inspection' and of course recommending more work. Of course, they had 'forgotten' to tell us things. So the other, luckily, was that we discovered that our splendid factotum (gardener and general Mr Fix-it) Monsieur Beaumann is, perhaps first and foremost, someone who mends roofs. If we'd realised thhis sooner we might have saved some money, but never mind, and better late than never. He checked things over and found things the others missed. He has now taken over all our roof needs, and has installed new insulation as well as removing mountains of pine needles which were apparently built as nests by rats. Warmer and less rodent-ridden now!
Then there are my teeth, or what remain of them. When I was about 10 some girls caused me to fall off a swing and break two front teeth. After a few years of unsuccessful crowns and some pain, I had a dental plate that lasted over 30 years, then another fitted in France in an emergency over Christmas (when we discovered the efficiency of French health services), and now a new one is due. The old method was to take an impression from the mouth with a kind of plasticene, but I discovered last week that this is old hat - everything is now scanned with a kind of glowing pen, and I should receive the result tomorrow. The wonders of modern technology!
Our dog Edmond is in surprisingly good spirits at the age of 14 plus, and keeps us active getting up to give him breakfast and taking him for walks. He does not seem to miss his twin sister Elvire, who died at Easter, and despite failing eyesight he's always at hand when his meal times arrive, and he still enjoys his evening walk with Mary.
We are looking forward to family visits over the winter, the first to Wirksworth for new year. Apart from Sam and family we have several good friends there, and are kept in touch by regular mailings of Community Fayre, the amazingly longstanding community newppaper (which has just arrived by post). Fewer and fewer things arrive in the letterbox - so much now is electronic - but another paper mailing just now has been the latest news from Médecins Sans Frontières, an absolutely admirable organisation engaged in relief work round the world. There are so many good causes appealing for our support, and this seems to us as good as any recipient of our contributions. A lovely watercolour shared on Faceboook reminds us of what we have to look forward to in Derbyshire.
Our reading in French continues twice a week with the splendid help of Danielle who corrects our pronunciation and explains French culture! Mary reads a lot in French anyway, currently rereading the diaries of Edmond de Goncourt, while my serious reading is of British history in the long and detailed accounts of the British Emipre, One fine day by Matthew Parker. This has fascinated me, starting as it does in the Pacific Islands and Arthur Grimble (whose stories, popular in the 1950s, were shared with us at school) and going on with the harrowing accounts of Amritsar. The subequent topics, Malaya and Aftrica, are less familiar to me, but the sheer brazen brutality of the British in Kenya makes sobering reading. "The Rev. Ryle Shaw, in a letter to the settler-supporting East Africa Standard, asked whether the British settlers should really be classed with ‘Asiatics imported for pick and shovel work’ who were ‘alien in mind, colour, religion, morality and practically all the qualities Europeans regard as necessary for constitutional citizenship’" is a mild example. We have new book arrivals in Christmas parcels (delights for the Day itself) just received from our friend Ruth in London whose failing sight and other difficulties never seem to deter her from thinking of us so generously.
The chaos of governments over immigration is not confined to the UK it seems: a report in the Guardian this week describes French indecision at its more rational but no less confused best: "The French government has said it will push on with a planned immigration law in the face of a political crisis after opposition parties from the left to the far right refused to even debate it in parliament. The president, Emmanuel Macron, and the centrist government were surprised... on Monday – the first time in 25 years that a government bill was rejected before even being debated by parliament. The immigration bill is intended to show Macron can take tough measures on migration while keeping France's doors open to foreign workers who can help the economy. But its contents have been rewritten several times, first toughened by the right-dominated senate, then partially unpicked by a parliamentary commission, resulting in ... fierce opposition.".
To finish, a sad song from Syria by a refugee
Take me to any country, leave me there, and forget all about me
Throw me in the middle of the sea, don’t look back, I have no other option
I am not leaving for fun, neither for a change of scenery
My house was bombed and destroyed; and the dust of rubbleblinded me
Let me try, no matter what, I am a human being
Call it displacement or immigration … just forget about me
Christmas greetings and our best wishes for the new year to all our friends
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