2nd January 2011

Any point in new resolutions? Well, yes. Ever since Janus - he of the 2 heads - started looking both back and forwards in the year 153 BCE, it's been a good time to reflect on your life. Here are a few of my own, made from personal experience here in France:
1. Take a tip from the French and never sing Auld Lang Syne on new year's eve. No-one knows all the words anyway, even the Scots.
2. Improve your language skills. Here's Happy New Year in various languages: French: Bonne Annee; Hebrew: Leshonah Tovah Tikatevu; German: Prosit neujahr; Hindi: niya saa mubaraak; Chinese: Shu ten shan; Arabic: Kulaam u antum salimoun. But, I quite like the Brazilian: Boas Festas e Feliz anno Novo - enjoy many good parties. I'm all in favour of that.
3. Get more exercise. At a recent occitan dance I was amazed at how even 80 year olds had so much stamina - they were still dancing when I left exhausted at 2 a.m.
4. Learn from listening rather than looking things up in the dictionary. You can easily come a cropper without realising it - and you don't have to be English to do that. Below is how a perfectly knowledgeable French gite owner fell into the trap:

'Warning! Do not put hot bottoms on the worktops.'

No answer to that. A very happy and healthy new year to you all!

26th December 2010

So, it's Boxing Day. Some say it dates back to medieval times when the poor used earthenware boxes to save up all through the year. At Xmas they would break open the heavy boxes and share the money around to fund Xmas festivities. I'm all in favour of DIY saving, much preferring the old box under the mattress to being ripped off by today's financial institutions. At least then you know that the amount of notes and coins hasn't alarmingly reduced or the wicked taxman hasn't suddenly grabbed it all away after all your careful planning and patience.
It seems that the custom wasn't just English either. Back in the 17C, the French called those boxes tirelire, having a cleft on the lid or the side through which you put spare cash. Apparently in France it was used by begging friars. I don't like the sound of that, but I suppose it does give a link to the tradition of giving 'Xmas boxes' to tradespeople who had served you well all year.
But today, glancing at all the papers, Boxing Day has come to symbolise sport. Whether it's English football or French rugby, that's all that dominates today's news.
Him indoors, who's not interested in sport, says what happened to the ancient custom of rewarding long-suffering husbands......

19th December 2010

My mother would have been 100 today. Certainly in her lifetime she would have enjoyed futuristic comics and those early TV black and whites showing flying cars and aliens in our midst. Somehow nothing was as frightening as those early Quatermass stories and aliens who could only be identified by a bent little finger.
But, no-one could have predicted the deadly advance of the PC, something that has altered all our lives. Now, with one click of that same little finger, we have the whole world at our fingertips. I remember my mother's confusion in '71 with the advent of the UK's decimal currency. How would she have coped with or even comprehended today's confusing techno world?
However, the older I get and the more different people I encounter, some things never change. It matters not a jot what you wear on your head, nor what faith you espouse, nor how technology has changed your life. It's what's in your heart that matters. The essential things remain the same, wherever you live: treat others as you would yourself and always do the 'right thing'. What was it Mill, the philosopher said? Do whatever it takes to make yourself happy, as long as it doesn't hurt others.
That's what my mother would have said back in 1910. Plus ca change, plus la meme chose. Bon anniversaire, Mom.

12th December 2010

What has the recent ridiculous vehicle conflab between Prince Charles and the public got to do with the French? Not much you would think. And, it's not often the French copy anything English. In fact, ever since Chirac, English as a language is almost banned. It's common to buy goods here in France and search in vain for instructions in English - one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world. Regularly included on product ads are words in Portuguese and Dutch - hardly international tongues.
So it came as a surprise to find that Paris is soon to buy a product that is a byword in London: the humble black cab. Paris taxi drivers have been eying up the TX4, the latest version, with a 2.5L diesel engine that emits 212g of CO2/km. What the French like is the classic 5-seat passenger configuration. A lady called Elisabeth Young, from importers EMG, said that the French were particularly interested in the ramps for wheelchairs and the security partition between cab and passenger area. Well yes.
So, Prince Charles, if you're listening, perhaps now is the time to order one (a snip at 334,000 euros) via www.london-taxis.fr.

5th December 2010

It's icy. Even our visiting Canadian friends say it's warmer back home. Only one thing to do. Eat! So, the four of us went to a famous truffle market in the nearby pretty village of Limogne in Quercy. Despite the cold, there were trestle tables laid out under the oak trees in the square, and the farmers set down their wicker baskets before carefully removing the checked cloths. But, the contents are worth a fortune. Last year, some went for as much as 4,000 euros per kilo! They're found under oak trees at this time of year, especially in SW France. Farmers used to use pigs to root them out, but now generally use trained dogs with good noses. The truffles are a kind of fungi about 7 cm in diameter and have their highest perfume in Dec and Jan. Some say it's the perfume rather than the taste that makes them so delicious.
Him indoors? He says he prefers that other delicacy in this region, especially this weather: Armagnac. Here's a recipe just for him: Soak some raisins in the alcohol, then drain. Mix in some ricotta, 2 whole eggs and pepper. Whip 2 egg whites and stir into the ricotta mix, adding some cubes of some local Roquefort cheese. Bake in buttered ramekins at 200C for 20 mins. Ah, le bien manger!

28th November 2010

'Tis the season. It's curious comparing French attitudes. In the UK, for months there's been the usual false glitz on all the ads. But, it's always the women of the world who spend all their money on others. You only have to look at the Boots' ads. Where's the lesson on charity for others for the kids? All it is for them is 'me, me, me'.
Rural France is so different. No outward signs of the season at all until at least the week before, and then usually only some sparkling decorations strung across the village main road. Oh, and a few Santas climbing up crepi walls. What the French do well, though, is the numerous Xmas fairs all over the country. It's like the summer 'vide-greniers' (car boot sales), but better.
Some enterprising English expats in the Lot region have even taken it a stage further. They've used the idea to set up un marche de Noel to thank all the locals for welcoming them to their region. The Maire has agreed to waive the rent on the Salle des Fetes village hall and all proceeds will go to their own village to fund equipment for the school and retirement home not provided by government.
What's so great about this is that, not only are these expats actively integrating into local life, but they've used local customs to actually pay back the village for welcoming them. Now that's what I call the way to live in another country!

21st November 2011

There's a new law in France. Cyclists and pedestrians now have absolute priority on French roads, from immediate effect. Whereas before they had priority only at certain spots like pedestrian crossings, now they can cross wherever they please. Pedestrians only need to show an ostensible gesture to cross, e.g. a hand gesture (!), and all approaching trucks must come to a crashing halt. Drivers who ignore the new rules face a fine of 135 euros or lose 4 points from their licence. Cyclists too are now allowed to skip red lights to turn red. But, they've always done that anyway! Cyclists have always loved the apparent flexibility of the road: to choose whether to obey the road laws or the pedestrians' - so now the law agrees.
Chaos looms. And what should French parents teach their children? Now they can cross wherever they like?? But at least I don't see in France what always happened in the UK: mothers pushing baby buggies down the kerb, using it as a battering ram, and placing their vulnerable child on the road until a vehicle stops. Ordinary people don't generally have the knowledge of precise stopping distances for large vehicles like trucks and buses. They often wander into the road, chatting to friends.
Quel catastrophe!