It's Bastille Day today, a national holiday. Bastille Day marks the storming of the former Bastille prison in Paris by angry crowds on 14 July 1789, sparking the revolution that signalled the end of the French monarchy and the start of self rule, a sort of Independence Day.
(OK, that's enough of the history lesson - Ed.).
We, and the rest of the village, are invited for aperos at the foyer, village hall, at midday. Jan drags herself along, never turning her nose up at a free drink. It's amazing how many people we know. At a rough guess, we recognise at least half the people there and we chat to lots. We are now starting to feel a real part of the village and this makes us feel good.
During his relaxed speech, sitting on the bar counter, William, the mayor, made reference to an edict by Jacques Chirac, that France should observe a minute's silence to respect those killed last Thursday in London. We were very touched by that and I suppose this means that I should have a 'be nice to Jacques' period. I'll see how long I can keep it up.
About Me
- Alex
- Jan and I moved from England to France in July 2002 and then, in February 2011, after nearly 9 great years in France we have moved to North Yorkshire, England, to be nearer to my ageing mother. The move to France was primarily motivated by the opportunity to, 'have an adventure', after our children had flown the nest. Well now the adventure continues. After six years back in England our delightful Beauceron Max has died and leaves a confused Minnie who has only ever known her beloved companion . She is a Beauceron, a large but very congenial, French breed of sheep dog. By a total coincidence my mother told Jan that North Yorkshire, Ripon, is where I was conceived. Frankly, a bit too much information but it just goes to show that what goes around comes around. This journal reflects the thoughts, likes, dislikes, fantasies and observations of our latest life in Yorkshire, for me, Jan, Minnie and my alter ego Ed.
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