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Well…as you know…we have lived in Paris 3 times over the last twenty five years. Everytime was fantastic. 1990’s Montpansse was one of the best places I have lived in my life. It was magical. That said…I would not waste my time visiting…dare the thought living in Paris again. Paris has become a shìt hole. It really is truly awful place. The olympics…well….we shall see. It could be a blood bath or France might get away with it. I personally would stay well clear of that place during that period. French police are very stretched at the moment. I dunno how it will play out.

Yes, our daughter, who lives in Paris, will be arriving chez nous on 25 july. She will work from our home (employer agreed). She'll be here for 10 days. Sounds an absolute nightmare to me. I wouldn't want to be in Paris during this time.

Good luck with the new one. Seems like, these days, you'd better bury the posts in cement to try to keep the storms from destroying it.

This article seems about right. ALBF, what does your extended tribe say about the Games? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/18/you-think-parisians-grumble-a-lot-dont-get-them-started-on-the-olympic-games

I spent a couple of very frustrating days trying to recover my little greenhouse which was destroyed in a storm a couple of years ago. Whilst I could probably have put it together without the original instruction manual ( definitely put somewhere safe), and having straightened the twisted aluminium bits, I eventually gave up when I realised how many of the plastic linking bits were broken, snapped etc beyond recovery. And have ordered another one!

Well I hope things move towards the better for you and soon. At least we had a touch of sunshine today. Got tons of weeding done. We've had so much rain the huge water butt slid off its bricks !

Big debate in the Daily Mail again… https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13432823/french-officials-remove-britains-union-jack-dday-normandy.html Maybe they just ran out of bunting. 🤫 But you do get the feeling that this has Macrons paws all over it. They have plenty of EU bunting for **** sake. How many people in France need, buy or want EU bunting ? Not exactly sort after is it ? Lets be clear…Macron could start a fight in an empty bar, lose the fight…and cost the French tax payer 2 billion euros to clear up the mess. That is basically his legacy. Except it is more 10 billion euros over 6 years so far. Marons paws…no idea. Probably. You get the feeling that history is changing….and that the d-day landings will soon only be celebrated by Russian speaking French and Germans politicians. Well that is my history debate for the day….I wish you all a very happy bank holiday weekend.

I don’t….but now I do. Certainly will visit next time I am there. She lives near the rogate woods….which judging by the pictures is about the same.

Lori, don't listen to Wooly. Certainly I am, lets say "paddling hard to stay afloat". I will send you a PM shortly though maybe not in the next few days.

Oh, I'm glad she's okay, but sorry to hear she is off her feet (that's what you mean right?). Hopefully she'll be feeling better soon and we'll see her back here. Sending good karma your way Menthe.

She’s OK, just a bit pi**ed off and flat.

Not bought one yet. I thought it was really odd - the scent thing.

Any one manage to buy one? https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/may/17/french-post-office-releases-scratch-and-sniff-baguette-stamp Wonder if they will do the same for Saint Isidore and what "fragrance" would they choose?

Oh it's lush green here too...it should be, never been so well watered 🤣 It's frustrating though, only being able to do jobs in between showers and then only things that don't require a dry spell afterwards 🙄

Calling Menthe !!!! Hope you're okay. Storms gave us power cuts in the last few days/weeks. Hopefully that's not the case for you Menthe. Perhaps she is out in a sunny place for a long hike.

Anyone got any news of Menthe? She seems to have gone very quiet all of a sudden.

albf, West Sussex, do you know Halnaker?

Went to see my mum in West Sussex a few weeks back…and her garden is blooming. Its a sight to see. Its like a Monet painting. Surrounding countryside areas where she lives is just lush green.

Bordeaux is a dump…who cares if Ryanair pulls out. Every Tours - Stansted flight we have taken is packed out. I flew with my son to Stansted a few weeks back…18 euros each way. Then the baggage and all that. So lets say…250 euros return for both of us. Try doing Tours-Paris return on a tgv for the same price……good luck with that.

Well, you know Michael O'Leary - any hint of higher landing fees, handling fees or higher costs and he'll pack his bags and go somewhere else. As you say, Bordeaux airport should have considered that some older cheaper fees from Ryanair would be better than no future fees at all.

Wow, the article doesn't state exactly what the 'beef' was - Ryanair asking too much of BOD or BOD asking too much (€) from Ryanair. Considering the Ryanair traffic out of BOD, it doesn't appear very smart to let them go.

That'll be Bordeaux Airport that has the money problems - not Ryanair. Ryanair forecast after-tax profit for the year to end March (2024) of between 1.85 billion and 2.05 billion euros, easily beating its previous record of 1.45 billion euros in 2018. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/ryanair-forecasts-record-annual-profit-promises-regular-dividend-fares-soar-2023-11-06/ Bordeaux hikes their charges - Ryanair closes the base and moves to another as yet unspecified. https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/ryanair-blames-airport-charges-hike-bordeaux-base-closure

Yes, it has rained nearly every day since October here also. And it continues. We're not sure if it will EVER stop. Gardens are completely saturated and can hold no more. Rivers overflowing their banks often. Rock slides and fallen trees blocking roads are frequent. Everyone is talking about it. Any outdoor workers are so far behind on their jobs, it could take a year or more for them to catch up. That is, if it ever stops raining.

Yes, it's hardly stopped raining here in Lot et Garonne since last October. Some winters/springs are like that, some winters we have quite a bit of frost and some are pussycats. We never know what we're going to get. It's a great shame for all the Associations that try to organise events as they're usually relying on the success of them to keep their heads above water. Ditto artisans and not to mention agriculteurs! A freak hailstorm a couple of Sundays ago wiped out most of the crops round here. Not too drastic for the tournesol, though, because that seed drowned soon after it was sown. What makes me really spit is that the weather in central and SE UK is often better than it is here, at least for gardening 🤐