French doctors

It was overcast and threatened rain this morning, so not much fun for our visitors A, T and their two children. Undeterred by minor inconveniences like driving rain they headed off to Nimes for a look round the arene.

Nimes is where we also headed to see a couple of doctors. Consultants in France seem to behave differently to those in the UK. For instance they will hand write, or type their own prescriptions and they dress very casually. The cardio, who was running over an hour late, was wearing a black shirt, black jeans and what looked like black boxer's boots. We also had to pay him cash, he didn't take cards, and he whipped the cash off his receptionist's counter and stuffed it in his pocket as he walked past. The rheumatologist, who was older and a bit more patrician like, was also dressed casually but a little more conventionally and took his fee himself right there in the consulting room after handwriting a couple of scripts. As usual, the overall medical attention was good, with both doctors being careful and thorough and left you feeling well cared for.

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Whilst reading about a German woman driving down the stairs into an underground station, because she mistook the entrance for an underground car park, I came across this, which really made me laugh. Maybe the French aren't such bad drivers after all.

Thank you, now how much do I owe you?

So there I was basking in the afterglow of my new found stardom when Jacqui posted a really nice comment on yesterday's post. Being unable to email her directly I have to say 'thank you' here.

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Chris and Delphine popped round on their way to Sauve, to say hello, accompanied by a very homesick Ella. The poor child was enduring her first solo trip away from home and kept bursting into tears. I suspect it was more about having to spend a week with Chris that was really upsetting her but then I was too polite to suggest that.

Life in the 'Doc

I've just won an award. Not your run of the mill, "I want to thank the Director, his mother, my mother, my father, whoever he might be," type Oscar, but a real, from the heart, well observed and researched award. Whilst I fully appreciate that this is a huge piss take, 'Sandy' has voted me the best blogger, out of three, in Languedoc. But then, I suppose you knew that anyway!

At least I beat that awful woman in third place. Have a look at her blog and if it doesn't want to make you throw up, then nothing will. So, never one to be churlish about these things, "Thank you. This is a very emotional moment for me. I'm sorry but I haven't written a speech because I didn't expect to win, being in competition with so much great talent, but before I go I'd like to thank................................."

Baptism French style

On 3rd May, when we were back in England, we spent some time establishing details of my father's past life which I wrote about here. Having then discovered that I had a step-mother and that she was still alive, I wrote to her, and introduced myself. It was quite a difficult letter to write because I wasn't aware of how much of my father's history she knew and I didn't want to cause her any distress. Well, it must have been a good letter because, bless her, she rang today. She said that she was aware of my existence and that she had even seen a letter that I wrote to my father (even aged 5 I could read and write, and they say that the education system is getting better) and that she would dig it out for me. I'm not too sure why, but afterwards I found it all quite emotional. My long search was coming to an end.

Alison mentioned over dinner the other night that, of late, my ramblings have become a bit bitter and twisted. Look, sweetie, I can't help what I see, and, more to the point, how else am I going to change the world? So there you go, a bit of sentimental old rubbish above to keep you happy.

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William mentioned an interesting thing the other day. Did you know that you can have a secular, 'state baptism' here in France? It's not a baptism in the pouring water on the child's head and absolving it from original sin sense, but an affirmation by the parents that the child will basically uphold the laws of the state and be a good citizen. That's all well and good, but how do they know that?

A quick search found this interesting piece.

Joe Cocker

A couple of years ago we went to see Joe Cocker in concert, in the arene (above), in Nimes. What a good crack. He was excellent and if he'd have been playing the following night we'd have gone to see him again. Anyway, by chance I saw that he is playing in Carcassonne on Monday 30th July and, despite the 2+ hour drive, we're going to see him again. Highly recommended.

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I love gadgets and I came across a neat one the other day that I have finally managed to get my hands on. The Butter Wizard keeps a block of butter at exactly the right temperature for ease of spreading no matter how hot or cold the ambient temperature. They're not available everywhere and eventually we got ours in Carrefour in Latte near Montpelier. They are also available online here. It really does work. (Sandy will have a field day with this one - Ed)

Feria de Nimes

Yesterday was the start of the Feria de Nimes. The whole of the centre of town is taken over for partying. It's a good crack, if you like that sort of thing. Like last year, when we saw the Gypsy Kings, they have built a huge stage on one side of the Maison Carré. I wandered over to ask a roady the name of the band. He ran off a few names and expected me to be impressed. I stared at him blankly but out of politeness registered an acknowledgement. Such is growing old.

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I noticed this morning that 'The Sun' and 'The Daily Mirror' websites are blocked from viewing in Sudan. So their government isn't all that bad then.

Customer service, French style

It's still only May and the temperature hit 33C this afternoon. The hottest day of the year so far. I poured with sweat just thinking about work! (So nothing new there then! - Ed)

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OK, my favourite topic, customer service. I arrived at the dentist five minutes before my appointment. She (the dentist) is chatting away to someone in the surgery, almost certainly a sales rep. I know this because I'm sitting on the other side of the door and neither of them stop talking. She is definitely not climbing in and out of his mouth. Twenty five minutes later the next patient comes in and she is now running late for this person as well. Look, I don't mind running late if an emergency has to be squeezed in but I take big objection, having made an appointment, to having to wait 25 minutes because of some inconsiderate chin wag. It was similar in Nimes this morning. We are sitting in the doctors waiting room and two women start to chat right in the doorway. People come and go and they have to excuse themselves each time in order to get passed. One woman is the more dominant and eventually her friend, who looks to have a little bit more savvy, suggests that they sit down out of the way. This behaviour is something that I see a lot. Take supermarkets for example. I can't tell you how many times I have had to move a shopping trolley because some inconsiderate soul has gone off down the aisles and left their trolley blocking a passage. Instead of getting out more, maybe I need to stay in more?

How not to run a business

I've just remembered! Eleven days ago, when I had problems connecting to the Internet, a chap from a computer store in Quissac (who also happens to live in our village) called round, at my request, to help. He promised to return the NEXT DAY with a different router, to eliminate my router as the problem. That was eleven days ago. You know what, my expectations of dealing with French artisans is now so poor, that I don't believe a word of what they say and expect nothing from them. Sarkozy is so right when he says that he needs to get the French back to work. Start work more like!

Anyway, because I got fed up waiting I went out and bought a new router and the web connection has been pretty good ever since. Frankly I'm still not convinced that it wasn't FT messing about with the exchange but I can at least try both routers now to check if the old one is at fault. But, to get back to my rant. This chap had the opportunity of selling me a new router, charging me for his time and he could do all this on his way from work, or at some other spare moment. For all he knows I'm still having problems but because I am not continually on his back, he ignores me and I'm someone he doesn't have to deal with. What a way to run a business, what a tosser.

Olive oil

I've often wondered about the process of making olive oil, so today was the day for finding out. Laren, one of the proprietors of Moulin a Huile de la Voie Domitienne on the outskirts of Beaucaire, speaks reasonable English and explained to about 40 of us what was involved. In principal it's a process not unlike wine making. I won't bore you with the details because you can read about that here, however one or two interesting facts came out.

1 Watch the sell by date. It should never be more than 2 years old.

2 The oil is at its best within 1 year of pressing, but will keep up to 2 years.

3 It does not improve with age. After 2 years it will start to deteriorate through oxidation.

4 Buy the taste that you like and do not be influenced by price.

5 If you are lucky to live near an oil mill (in France), the oil is extracted and bottled between November and January, so buy it in February.

Bring on the clowns

For my money, Sarkozy has made a very impressive start with his ministerial appointments. At long last there is a minister of North African origin and other senior appointments come from a wide political base. This is one clever man and he has hit the ground running. At long last France has a dynamic and forward thinking leader.

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Not too far from the political theme, it's our fourth annual Festival du Clown this weekend. Clown events are programmed to take place all over the village. It should be fun, especially for the kids.

It's made by who?

The phone call told us that the motor of our 4 years old Whirlpool washing machine had given up the ghost. To replace it would cost about 300 euros and we would have to wait three weeks for the part. Great. Given that we also had problems with our Whirlpool fridge, which was three years old at the time, to put it mildly, my faith in this brand has started to wane. Anyway, we popped out to buy a new one and we bought one called a Laden. I was quite amused when I received the news that Laden are made by Whirlpool. I told the salesman that I knew his brother Bin, but he didn't see the joke.

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I had to laugh this morning. The mother of a British journalist (above) who has been held captive in Gaza for several weeks now, broadcast a birthday message for him, hoping that he might get to see it. He is probably held in solitary confinement, with a hood over his head and shackled to a wall. But anyway, she was filmed standing in an idyllic setting near a lake in Scotland and wished him happy birthday. She told him not to worry (couldn't quite figure that one out) and that they would be thinking of him as they ate lunch with friends at a local restaurant. I presumed that she would think of him again after the pudding because she wouldn't want to spoil her lunch! If she was my mother I'd divorce her. Insensitive or what?

Under the skin

Jan's dermatologist is about to put her on a very powerful drug to help her psoriasis. This drug is an auto immune suppressant, so in order to ensure that there are no conditions that haven't surfaced yet, she is undergoing a series of tests. This means that we have to make regular trips in and out of Nimes, and yesterday was one such day. Unfortunately some trips only last a few minutes, so we console ourselves with shopping and lunch. Past-Port, 6 place de la Revolution, Nimes, 0466 676468 looked promising from the outside and offered one or two mouth watering specials. (What a convoluted way of starting a restaurant review - Ed) The young owner is half Italian and half French and this was reflected in the menu. You just cannot beat simple, well cooked, Italian food and the starter measured up, but the meal was let down by a very average main course. Maybe we didn't choose well, so another trip will decide it, but if you are nearby, try it and see what you think.

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We got invited to the launch of a bed the other day. A strange invitation you may well say, but before you start to imagine some huge bed sliding down a slipway into a river, having been christened with a bottle of shampoo then look here. Me old mate Mark Humphrey, a highly respected London based designer, has just designed a new bed. Can't say I like much myself. For instance, where are the reading lights, apart from the fact that I haven't got several thou' to spend on a bed, never mind the odd shaped sheets needed to cover it? But hey, what do I know? Mark, by the way, who split from Nick Haslam some years ago, is pleased to announce that he is the only heterosexual male designer in London. I'll take his word for it.

Bluetooth technology

Is this what they mean by a hands free car kit?

A political bunny

Not knowing his political leanings, this morning I asked Alain, the hairdresser, what he thought of Sarkozy's victory. Well, you should have heard the torrent. He's a definite Sarkozy fan and every time I said something positive about Sarko, it just encouraged him to say more. I've never seen him so animated.
At this early stage, I have to say that he's one smart kooky that Sarkozy. He is has halved the number of ministers, he's aiming for female parity in the cabinet and is appointing socialists to big hitting posts. The next five years will be interesting, if not the next few months.

I'm not too sure why I have taken such an interest in French politics, It's probably something to do with having too much time on my hands, anyway, for what it's worth, here's what I wrote on the France24 news site this afternoon.

"Chirac's lethargic, pompous and patronising leadership is at the core of many of France's ailments. At first glance Sarkozy appears to understand the problems, and solutions, and he says a lot of the right things. However, given that there wasn't a huge difference in votes separating the candidates, many voters appeared to want more of the same, as offered by Royal. Sarkozy will need to be very dynamic and resolute because it won't be an easy ride."