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.