November 2007

This time I include a link to some pictures, mostly taken this morning, to give a feel for Bergerac in a wintry setting. Every Wednesday and Saturday, from early morning, there is a steady stream of "oul wans" walking towards the centre, wheeling their empty trollies. They all converge on the market stalls, grouped mostly around the giant Notre Dame church which dominates the Bergerac streetscape. You can buy almost anything there, especially fruit and vegetables, much of which is exhibited by the actual growers. I spotted at least three vegetables this morning which I did not recognise; I wrote down the name of one of them for later dictionary perusal. Topinambour, that's what it's called! ( Helianthus tuberosus for the classicists!). Looks like ginger root on a bad day. I think it's known as the Jerusalem Artichoke, and makes great soup when mixed with potatoes. But, I never saw it before. Another one looked like a bunch of dandelion roots (known as pis-en-lits) and maybe that's what they were.

This area is full of fortified towns or "bastides", which were built in the 1300s mostly for easy defence. Part of the technique la in joining all the buildings together, so the enemy couldn't sneak up on you using a short-cut.  We visited one recently, about 20k from here, called Issigeac. You can look at the website (http://www.issigeac.fr/) where you will see that it's built in a circle. The strange contradiction is that, despite its shape, it doesn't have a centre! Anyhow, we had lunch there, and survived. It has two big buildings; one that used to house the bishop of Sarlat (was he that big?!). The other is the church of St. Felicen, and is the coldest building that I have ever set foot in.

I'm not sure if the bastides played a part in the wars between the Catholics and Protestants, which were big stuff in this area, at one time. Bergerac was a predominantly Protestant town. It is still the only French town that I have ever seen that has a sign for Protestant service at the speed limit "Ballybofey go mall slow" warning. All others have the Mass times, but here it says "Culte Protestant, Service Dimanche 10:30 Place Le Cayla". I'm not sure my friends in Donegal would like to be referred to as a "cult". Could be worse, of course. I understand that we live on the Protestant side of the river. At the other side of the old bridge (there is also a "new bridge") there is still the foundation of a fortification that was capable of being closed, to prevent the Protestants crossing the bridge and wiping out the Catholics!

Anyway, Christmas is coming. They have been erecting lights and trees for the past two months, but none of them have been turned on yet. I think Saturday is the day for the switch-on. There are daily announcements on radio (insofar as I can understand them!) of planned appearances by Pere Noel at various shopping centre venues. Already, some shops are offering all toys at half-price.

Yesterday, a chicken came into the garden. She clucked and scraped for a while, ate some of my grass seed, then flew up on to a wall, considered her options, and disappeared. I don't think any of the seven neighbours with whom I share a boundary keeps chickens. She must have come a distance, - "chicken on tour".

I have another French class tomorrow. The topic is OVNIs (UFOs to you and me!). She will read a story, a sentence at a time. We're expected to write it down, make sense of it, translate it, and repeat it back.

Early November 2007

The other morning I awoke early (09:00!) to alarming sounds of activity. I thought, at first, that it was the resumption of building work on a river-bank site about 150m away,

which had been stopped recently. However, when I emerged on a bicycle to go to the boulangerie, I discovered that it was much nearer home. Three men with high-viz hats, armed wth drills, had surrounded Mme Rumeau's house. It emerged that a termite attack had caused their visit. From the look of them it seemed to me to be an uneven battle; it was brown trousers time for the termites. The men were not, of course, drilling holes in Mme Rumeau, but in the walls of her house, a foot apart and a foot up from the ground. Termites will eat your house given a chance, particularly any part of it made of wood. They look like ants, but paler, and with one less body section. You cannot sell a house without a recent termite assessment. You can sell it with the termites, as long as it's declared, and the buyer is happy. Maybe keep them as pets! There are a dozen or more companies specialising in termite obliteration in  this area. This group spent two days on the job, and then departed, tired but happy. (And probably well paid. €2,000 or more).

We had the great feast of Toussaint the week before last, all saints to you. A bank holiday here, in a country that's officially anti-religion. The country is covered in chrysanthemums for a week or two. They are sold to be placed on graves, and graveyards are a mass of colour just now. Huge pots, some several feet across, are everywhere. Even places that open on Sunday were closed on Toussaint. But, the boulangerie was open!

I joined a French class, at last. Of course, it will never be as good as the one I left, but........

It's given by an older lady with very big teeth. But she's very helpful and competent.

Every second class is spent using a book "ASSIMIL Using French - Advanced Level". It's quite a small book with 70 2-3 page "lessons".

She reads a sentence from the book and picks on someone to repeat it as heard (this rotates). (The books are closed). She then asks for a translation. Then, in turn,

everybody else repeats the sentence. Finally, she writes it on the white-board for all to see, and explains a bit about it. There are short exercises in the book for each lesson as well.

As I have been to only one class, I don't know what the other class type is, but I understand that the most recent subject matter is "flying saucers"! There were six others in the class, five English and one Dutch. It costs €20 for the year, or €30 for a couple. Tres cher.

Still working on the garden which is coming along. Nothing died while I was away, but weeds thrived as well.