Meet the neighbours

[Gardengirl]

Are 'official' neighbours get-togethers fairly widespread throughout France? We went to one near us on Friday night - the first we've heard of around here, although I know they've been going on in some other places for 10+ years. The man who organised ours had done so where he lived previously in the north. About 60 people were at this one, held on a nearby boules pitch, with masses of food and drink - everybody took something along, and most of the amazing amount of food had disappeared by the time we left at about 22.00, having begun from 18.30. There was still a lot of wine and punch left though!

How widespread are these get-togethers? A photographer from the local paper came along, so it will be interesting to see how many photos there'll be in Thursday's paper; I know of at least one other of them nearby. I doubt if my glass will show up from right at the back of the crowd  - I held it as high as I could!

Gardian's latest post about bees got me nodding about accents - it's so tricky at times down here! A couple of our apartment neighbours and one particular friend in town who are locals are bad enough, especially as they just launch straight in to things at vast speed without any pre-amble - it's always useful if there's a hint before somebody gets really going on something. Some of the market traders can be difficult to understand too, but at least their chats are shorter, and usually a bit more predictable - maybe produce-based, or about the weather, money or the government!

At Friday night's 'do' we got chatting to one couple who really were almost unintelligible to us at times. He's very keen to visit UK, would love to speak more English ;the few words he said were very good, and he can say 'th' perfectly! They plan to visit UK next year when their daughter has finished her engineering degree, and goes to Manchester to perfect her English, so they attached themselves to us, the only English people there. She asked apropos of nothing was it true the English don't have 'peinnnng'. After she'd repeated it twice more, a neighbour standing nearby started teasing her - she was asking was it true the English don't have bread! It gave rise to a lot of laughter around us, as there were people from a number of areas of France there, a few of whom also found this couple's accent tricky. That really was the most difficult to understand pronunciation of 'pain'  we've ever heard in many years of visiting this area.We spent most of the evening with this lovely couple, and there was even greater hilarity as the punch level went down. We've been invited round to their place, so we'll get a bit more practice - but we need a little rest first!  [:D]

 

[Gastines]

Our neighbours have organised a first one next Saturday along the same lines,starting lunchtime ending with a dance in the evening. Plus a tirage to pick who does it next month. I believe we are the only Ukers in this area so our take-in dish will be a surprise.

[Quillan]

Funny enough there was one in our village on Friday night as well, couldn't go unfortunately. I wonder if it might have been some national thing like "Meet the neighbours day" or perhaps it was just coincidence.

[krusty]

Yes Friday was an official "Fete des Voisins" ........do you not read your "Connexion" ? [Www]

[Clair]

Fête des voisins

[Judie]

We had our first one in our tiny commune (50 habitants). All the 11 permanent British attended, which I thought was great, and another 21 French. It started at 19.30 and ended at 01.30. I think that it was really appreciated by all. Loads of food and drink, which we each provided for our own consumption, but ended up sharing with everyone.

[Chancer]

Nothing whatsoever in my area, but then a sense of community does not seem a prerequiste around here. Out of curiosity I went for a drive that evening to see if anything was going on, some comunes being a bit more open, well less closed really, than others but ther was nothing.

Its often been a bee in my bonnet after hearing how many people died in the canicule, I do find that as soon as there is a hint of les vacances in the air and well before August everything stops and people retrench even further behind their locked gates and high clotures, my diving club has its year end repas in June!

I think a part of the problem (perhaps it is different in other areas) is the tradition of having high fences and locked gates on all front gardens, even the terraced houses that front onto the footpath have their volets closed at 7pm in the height of summer.

I saw on a programe a report on a lotissement in the Paris suburbs that was created as a social experiment in the 80's  no fences of any kind were allowed in the front gardens and neighbours could see each other coming and going, cutting their lawns, washing the car etc, from period video footage and the current footage it had a real sense of community just like I was used to in the UK but is so lacking where I am now.

Now of course other than detached houses set back from the road, fencing in a front garden is usually not allowed in the UK., my neighbour here (I back onto a lotissment) and the only one that will speak with me tells me that he was made to plant sapins all around his property by the covenants of the lotissment.

I have experienced a similar lack of community when I lived in a HLM block in the UK. It really is the thing I dislike most about (my part of) France