Enough is enough

On the basis that this is the type of hacking cough that hangs around for weeks (seems to happen at roughly the same time every year) it's off to the doctor.

Dr J is tall and pretty and listens patiently, with a smile, to our joint coughing. As is usual with the French we come out with several medicines each - yippee - we will really get better now!

Apropos of nothing, have you ever stopped to consider the large number of people that frequent pharmacies - and if not why not - pay attention at the back? There is a large one on the outskirts of our local town, the nearest one to us in fact, that is always full of people. What are they all doing there? This only a small town!! Is every one ill? The owner drives an X5 - this is the business to be in!

Pharmacies are a little different to the UK inasmuch as they still dispense medicines but have shelf after shelf of dubious beauty products, weightloss programmes, anti-aging or rejuvenation products and flea control for your dog, but can you find a packet of tissues or an aerosol deodorant?

I don't believe it!! The plumber turned up this afternoon. He is very popular and has taken on more than he can deal with. He has been visiting us on and off for about two years now and the most urgent, but lousy, job requires sqeezing under the house to cut and repair merde blocked drains. It's mostly accessible but in one crucial part it is so low that I suggested that he knock a hole in the wall from the outside in order to be able to get into it. Repairing this small section of our mains drain has been going on for over a year now. His timing is uncanny, inasmuch as I'd had enough of phoning and pleading and had just decided to call someone else (he has done this before) and then he shows up out of the blue. He has a fantastic sense of my ultimate tolerance!! It might be helpful to get him to talk to Jan!