Thank you my generous commune

[woolybanana]

Xmas food package arrived this pm, last of the 23 eligibles because they know I sleep in the mornings.

So, three sterling ladies of the commune turned up with a big paper bag of goodies whilst I was planting an apple tree and my daughter was houseworking.

Bid heavy bag of goodies: stonking heavy and fresh pintade, two bottles of white wine, brioche, jam, coffee, buche de Noel (very good according to my grandson), chocolates... local produce where possible.. whooo, thank you Aix en Issart.

France at its caring best.

[NormanH]

That is the sort of waste of local taxpayers' money that you would usually moan about..

[woolybanana]

Well spotted, oldboy. The G J dichotomy, want to pay less, receive more. It can be done in France but there is not a real will or understanding of spending.

Hope you have a Merry an Drunken Xmas. Your son there?

[CeeJay]

Yes, we also had the usual Xmas goody bag yesterday from the Mairie.

We are a commune of about 4500 so quite a few had to be distributed, but I have often wondered if this is a common experience throughout France or limited to those that can obviously afford to do it and generally limited to a commune size.

[NormanH]

Probably CeeJay

I have never had a sniff of any such thing in Béziers nor even in the village of 3500

[mint]

We have the goodie bag plus an invitation to a sit-down meal which is apparetnly excellent.  We don't go because OH doesn't eat meat and I am too young to be invited in my own right and can only go as OH's tag-along[:)]

We also have the New Year drink-up when prizes are given out for the best garden and we hear about what communal projects were achieved the past year and what are planned for the year coming.

We are a titchy village....around 450 inhabitants.

[Judith]

No goody bag here, but we are a somewhat larger commune.  Do get the OAP lunch invite, and usually go, if I am not elsewhere, or indeed, one year, leaving hospital on that day after my hip op! Usually go to the NY do too, but likewise, unless we have other things happening .. which is now occurring more and more! 

Actually, I think the goody bag is probably more useful than the free lunch ('cos we know that one doesn't exist!).

[Mac]

Our commune is well under 500-mostly elderly. No goody bags here. No OAP lunch. In fact no anything-including road repairs, verge trimming etc.

[mint]

Goes to show yet again how varied things are and you never do know how even local administrative areas do things differently.  Mac, I think I am North Dordogne as well.

The elderly here also get a Saturday afternoon every month when they can meet and play cards and board games, be served with hot drinks and cakes.  The mayor and many of the councillors are in attendance and even those who are not mobile are taken by volunteers in their cars.

As for road works, we are expecting our little chemin to be upgraded in the spring with a new road surface, new LED lights (I have seen the mark outside our pedestrian gate where we will get our "very own lamp", yay!) and plentiful plants.  Don't expect flowers these days as it's all about saving water and not using pesticides but I have no argument with anything to do with saving our little planet.