letrangere

Another glorious day for nearly the end of September. On a gite thread (I think) earlier in the summer I waxed lyrical about the weather in France in late September/early October yet could sense the scepticism of all those reading it.  I remember this time two years ago having temperatures in the high 30s in the Lot.  Spent an entire Sunday morning driving around looking for sunscreen.  Rest assured it will all change next week though for I'm coming up travelling only with cabin baggage.  So what do you reckon, cords and pullovers or chinos and tees?  Either way, I think I'll bring a brolly just in case... M

I had my WD40 out twice tonight.  First to get some oil picked up on the beach off the soles of my feet.  Came off in seconds.  Then to take the sticky price label off a pair of shoes.  Am I alone in liking the smell?  Other interesting thing about keeping wine labels with comments is to monitor price inflation.  Painful when I think how little we paid for a good bottle of white Burgundy (aka nectar) in the spring of '86....  M

Gunner, agree with you entirely about the LGW/BOR route.  I've often bought return tickets on that route for fifty quid and never more than sixty even if I book late (which is invariably the case).  It takes off on time and, as importantly, arrives back on time, which is critical for me on the return as I have a long haul connection to make.  Also, it's rarely full so if you move around you can usually get an empty seat next to you.  You get an almost edible roll, chocolate and so so cup of coffee or a drink.  I think it's excellent value.  M

I prefer the "real" France to the ancient, bepinafored paysan sucking on his olive tree But these irritating individuals pop everywhere, especially in all the we-bought-a-house-in-France books.  How come new arrivals with a publishing deal always happen to have such interesting, colourful neighbours? Writing about sex in any language takes particular skills.  I've taken a couple of creative writing courses (not that there's much evidence of it in my postings...) and it's an element that crops up eventually on them all.  Personally, I'd rather read the cerebral stuff to the blow by blow graphics of novels (autobiographies) such as la Vie Sexuelle de Catherine X.  Goodness was that tedious! M

Not in the least bit sad, we do the same and more.  Not only do we take them off, we then stick 'em in a book with comments on where we bought it, how much paid and what we thought of the wine.  (Re the last bit, you've never read such pretentious twaddle in your life!)  Have a collection going back almost 20 years, which we enjoy flipping through and re-reading.  Love Alcazar's tip about WD40, must try that for the rubbery gungy ones.  When we can afford it, we splash out on these special sticky things that you place over the label, rub with a wooden spoon and then rip off bringing the label attached to the sticky.  They go in a rather posh "wine label" leather binder that some generous soul once gave us for Christmas.  M

or at a push Interrail, for the really well-off bourgeois from St-Mich'. Dear old Interrail, didn't you just love it?  All those nights spent sleeping on platforms (Beograd was the best for me, Charleville-Mezieres (where was I going???) the worse), lugging your rucksack on and off trains (Bale/Basle and that blasted station change) and remember how it was always such a steep climb up on to European trains?  You had to be in Olympic athlete condition to even get on.  Not the same today, thank goodness.  Though at least you could throw your luggage in and out through the windows then, which is no longer possible and always frustrates me now.  But I digress. Vraititi as always makes a very interesting point, namely why shouldn't young graduates consider working in areas where there are jobs, such as plasterers, etc.  All highly skilled professions, personally I've always been entranced watching bricklayers at work.  But by and large isn't it a question of status in France and elsewhere?  Middle class parents who've encouraged their children to work hard, win a place at university, graduate with a good degree may possibly (tho' wrongly in my opinion) regard it all as a waste of time and money if their offspring then decide to take up plumbing.  And that's irrespective of how lucrative their chosen profession may be. M  

Certainly readable enough, but so far not wildly illuminating or intellectual or philosophical or difficult to understand. I've been so busy and stressed out at the office since I last posted on this subject I haven't even finished the Mondiano.  However, picking paragraphs at random out of Houelle, I would come to the same conclusion as you, SB.  Perhaps we've chosen the wrong book?  Mentioning his name to friends is interesting though for everyone has heard of him, even if they haven't read any of his books.  But even the young, over educated French I know pull a face and speak of him dismissively, saying simply that he writes too much about sex.  Where??? Further on the Mondiano, I continue to enjoy the first person narrative.  A crazy thing to say as I've never read a Raymond Chandler (spelling?) but is the style not a little similar?  Settings too, I'd imagine, though swap Paris for wherever he set his stories, LA?  It's the pace that I like especially.  It's almost as if we're following this guy around as he searches for his true identity and we're right there with him - or perhaps a few steps behind, lurking in the shadows - as he traipses around Paris.  Can't wait to find out who he really is. M

We've lived in Aus and it is marvellous.  If you earn loadsa money, Sydney must be the best city on earth to live in.  If you want to bring up a family, I can't think of anywhere else better than Perth, WA.   It has the best climate on the planet too.  Didn't get to Adelaide but Melbourne was terrific, if a bit damp in the winter.  Don't recall meeting any French people during our time there but thinking about it now, I can't think of a country or people that's more different to France.  It's so forward thinking, free and easy, in-your-face, though pleasantly so.  Possibly the only thing the Aussies share with the French is pride in their country.  (Won't say wine as my views on that revolting old oaky stuff are unprintable!)  Will it be that easy for these French youngsters to get working visas though?  Many Brits we bumped into found it quite tricky unless they already had a job lined up or relatives to sponsor them.  I guess I'm in an odd position compared with many on the Forum in that some of my closest French friends are in fact expats themselves, and have been for many years.  Most are in their 40s and 50s but to a man they sadly see France as an old, dying country out of step with everyone else in the world today.   I'm not saying I agree with them, incidentally, just representing their view.  Several have children who have graduated from French universities and cannot find work, one has been unemployed for approaching two years.  His parents are putting pressure on him to move to Quebec where they have friends and feel he will have far more opportunities.  The others just shrug and say what do you expect, it's France. M

ever tried giving yourself a cortisone injection in the heel? The heel's easy, it's those medications that have to be injected into my backside that cause the problems.  Sitting on the wretched needle doesn't always do the trick... I was actually talking about the world beyond the UK, and France for that matter.  Though I wonder what the figures are for no shows at specialists' clinics in Britain.  Far higher than France, I bet.  Most patients are probably either fully recovered or dead by the time their appointment comes around. M

I think they come looking for me! That's even more scary!  M

who up to now have been able to book any number of appointments without a referral and in many cases not take them up and/or waste the consultants time, can no longer do so Is this a recognised fact?  Are there statistics to back this up?  And why would being referred by a GP make you any more likely to turn up? Personally I've never been able to understand the British practice of first seeing a general practitioner.  If it's something minor, most pharmacists throughout the world can diagnose and prescribe medicine.  If it's not, a GP is invariably much help beyond writing you a referral letter.  So unless you're totally clueless, why go through the process?  I remember there was such a debate on the excellent BBC World programme, Dateline London, a few years ago and the London based correspondent for a SW France daily (forget which one) memorably described the British system as, "treating patients like children", something I fully agree with.  M

Only you can tell how it compares with all the others you've seen in the same location and price bracket but if you've looked at lots of places already and this one is by far, far the best, I'd snap it up at the asking price.  You don't say where it is, nor how small, but if the Paris rental market is anything like the buying market at present, I wouldn't hang around. That said, if it's been on the market for several months (exclude August, few people look then) and it's in relatively bad state, you've probably got a better chance of having an offer accepted.  Why not ask your agent?  Sure it's in their interest to sell it at the highest price but if it has been sitting on their books for a while, they may be only too keen to offload it slightly cheaper. M

Back on planet earth after Rael, great to see her interviewed on TV5 this morning.  Bit nervous and rather defensive even with an adoring (and very young) audience, she's ageing well and still sounding fabulous.  What an icon for a generation.  Just seeing her floppy (now attractively grey) fringe and big eyes I was transported back to my youth when I suppose if the word had been part of our vocabulary I would have described her as so "cool".  But I was also curious to note some of the people in the audience.  There were several good looking young mecs who looked as though they'd walked straight into the studio from manning the barricades on Boulevard Saint Germain in May '68.  Does she have a cult following still? M

How do you find these people, SB?  And may I possibly ask why you look for them? Do you think that volcanic crater was in the Auvergne?  I've always thought of that region as having a scary weird landscape and a likely hangout for aliens.  (With sincere apologies to all Forum members currently living there....) Incidentally, I'm now crazy about Houelle too.  Rather suspect he knows everything about everyone.  I'm not into scifi at all but I know a lot of French people who are.  And have you noticed how you often come across exclusively scifi dedicated shops in the most unlikely of places?  Sure there's one in the Marais (Paris) but I also stumbled across one in quaint little Albi... M  

SB, no surprise at all.  And it's only going to get worse, don't you think?  M

Don't know where you are, pinkfluff, but has it been a bad year for you with mossies?  I only ask because a friend was saying she had her worst summer ever at her place in the Lot & Garonne to the extent that it almost ruined her holiday.  She couldn't stop scratching so is still bearing the scars.  M

I know a retired French couple who divide their time between their house in the Lot and their apartment in Bordeaux.  So it's the country from roughly Easter to Toussaints, and the winter months - apart from Christmas/New Year - in the city.  It's the perfect solution but something few of us can afford to do unfortunately.  I agree when Alexis mentions the dark mornings in France, this gets me down no matter where I am. M

Well I for one am jealous of Ray and everyone else enjoying their retirement in France.  Can't wait to join them...  M

I would suggest that those attacking Ray and accusing him of supposed "smugness" are simply jealous.  It's your decision whether you move to France with a small family to live and work.  You know it's not going to easy but presumably that's your choice.  Whereas Ray may have longed to live in France for many, many years but felt it was worth the sacrifice to wait whilst he pursued his career elsewhere.  What on earth is wrong with that?  On discussions we've had about why some people move back and others stay, there's been a general agreement that money is often a key factor and that those who've retired with reasonable means are invariably the ones who are better equipped for life in France.  M

OK, picked up Rue des Boutiques Obscures last night in the library.  The opening paragraph is what persuades me to read a book but I was hooked on this one by the opening line, "Je ne suis rien."  Sat down and read the first six chapters right there in the library, it was a real page turner, I'm hooked.  Also picked up Extension du domaine de la lutte simply because it was the only Houelle on the shelf.  I approach this one with a very open mind especially in the light of the extract on the cover, "Vendredi soir, j'etais invite a une soiree chez un collegue de travail.  On etait une bonne trentaine, rien que des cadres moyens ages de vingt-cinq a quarante ans.  A un moment donne, il y a une connasse qui a commence a se deshabiller.  Elee a ote son T-shirt, puis son soutien-gorge, puis sa jupe, tout ca en faisant des mine incroyables.  Elle a encore tournoye en petite culotte pendant quelques secondes, et puis elle a commence a se resaper, ne voyant plus quoi faire d'autre.  D'ailleurs c'est une fille qui ne couche avec personne.  Ce qui souligne bien l'absurdite de son comportement."  Is this typique or just a tasty sampler to entice more readers? M

the above mentioned forum is overrun by three or four members who despise each other and don't even acknowledge a question if a newbie shows up And to think some people say we're cliquey!!!  Hi Dawn, big warm welcome.  You're not in the Doubs are you by any chance? Incidentally, please ignore my next remark. pssst: has anyone noticed how this board is being taken over by Americans???   M

One side of the paper had the finish of waxed paper and the other side was like sandpaper. Ray, the horrid stuff was called Izal.  I had an aunt and uncle who used nothing else so whenever I went to stay, my mother used to put a roll of Andrex in my suitcase for me.  It stank of disinfectant too, quite disgusting.  M

Our first Christmas out here there was nothing in the shops until December - quite right too!!!  The first year we were in France I was beginning to think the French didn't celebrate Christmas at all for there was no sign of cards or decorations in the Paris department stores even in early December.  I was about to write to the UK asking friends to send me a few packets when I finally fell upon a ropey old stall outside the side entrance of Printemps selling a few Unicef seasons greetings cards.  I didn't realise that the French do not send out Christmas cards so happily sent them to all the Frenchies I knew.  They were all extremely well received so I continue to send them today, even though I know I'm unlikely to get many back, at least until early Jan. I only buy stuff early, stash it away and end up buying more because I've either forgotten that I've already bought stuff or forgotten where I've hidden it!! Oh Coco, me too, EVERY YEAR.  And it's very irritating with young nieces and nephews because what you buy for them one year, they've usually outgrown by the time you unearth them and want to send them the next.  I now keep all the things I pick up throughout the year in a box clearly labelled pressies. Re seasonal groan, I clearly remember a Christmas Eve in the late 70s.  I was working in London and dashed into Marks at the Pantheon around 9.45 in the morning to pick up some of their extra thick fresh cream.  But I was too late, they'd sold out!  And as I made my way out through the entrance onto Great Marlborough Street, shop assistants were busy putting out shorts and sleeveless tops.  On the 24th December... M

650 novels out in September in France, and all they can talk about is Houellebecq ! I was reading the July edition of Lire magazine in the library yesterday morning and one of the columnists was discussing just this (september launch of so many books) and just him (Houellebecq).  His name came up repeatedly and I made a mental note there and then to read him, for what will be the first time I'm ashamed to say.  Really interesting post, Vraititi, could you recommend perhaps one or two novels by the modern writers you do respect, Modiano, Perec, etc.?  I wonder if Houellebecq is tax resident in Ireland, as so many writers are?  Something else of enormous interest that I noted in referenced magazine was just how many hours of TV airtime are devoted to discussing literature in France, there's something on practically daily.  Very civilised. M 

but why is it that French loo rolls are so small?! Absolutely, why?  Don't you find you're always buying the blessed things in France?  And the quality is nowhere near as good either but now I understand, it's so it breaks up quicker in the foss.  This is something that's been troubling me for years...  Pre paper people presumably used their left hand (as they still do in some parts) or a bit of grass or perhaps water?  M