Why I like it here

[Anton Redman]

Forum seems to have become a bit legalistic and down beat for my tastes

This afternoon reminded me of why I like living in France.  I caught the 4:37 bus into Libourne had to run 30 metres up the road because to quote the bus driver when I had got my breath back nobody ever catches the bus there. Bus driver asked where I was going and I said local Peugeot garage. I handed over 5 Euro note and she said sorry no change. She said the first stop will be a little slow but don’t worry

 

First stop was “Le Mexant” which is restaurant de travail which was staffed by the mentally challenged. The bus driver knew everybody by name and asked them all if they had any change. Everybody slowly went through their purses and somebody gave their purses to the driver eventually somebody had enough change. She helped lots of people through who had not got the right bits of plastic and paper . Told two people to have their photos stuck on their application forms for bus passes. We then had a role call on the bus with everybody checking everybody was on board.

 

Driver stopped at the right cross roads, which was not a bus stop, and told me to get out quickly. I had to say good afternoon to everybody on the bus before I left.  

[Ty Korrigan]

 I am fed up with shaking hands with all and sundry in each and every shop/situation/social gathering as I have now developed repetitive strain syndrome and have lost many hours of good Anglo Saxon working time satisfying French etiquete...

 Bugger the place.

 I only wanted to pay nothing for a house and cut grass on the black, not socialise with drunken sons of paysanes and their ugly daughters who smell of the byre, fags and their husbands.... UUURRRGHHH!

[Tresco]

I like both these tales equally. [:)]

Is this proof of how well adjusted I am, or does it mean something else? [:D]

 

[Anton Redman]

Call be a tad fastidous if you like but I have spent the last 45 years avoiding ugly daughters who smell of the byre, fags and their husbands

[Tresco]

Living where I do, Anton, if I avoided all those people, who would I get to meet?.

Hang on a sec! Who would I get to be?

I think you're a tad fastidious. [;-)]

[Tag]

Funny Ty, thought your lady was French. Not one of the "ugly daughters" by chance?

[Gardian]

I met a nun today.

There's a monastery nearby housing a Greek Catholic order of nuns (it should be called a convent I suppose, but there are allegedly long-bearded monks there too, so maybe ....) 

Anyway, they make very good jam - 10x better than shop-bought stuff, but pricey with it. We were virtually out of stock at home and visitors always want to take some away with them, so we went to get some. Delightful young sister, sold us the goods, took our money and virtually blessed us as we bade our goodbyes. Seriously, she made me feel good for the rest of the day.  Then I got back to Clarke, Prescott, Hewitt etc ......

By the way, this monastery is in the deep countryside and they're having what I would conservatively estimate to be a €1M+ renovation / extension done on the place. They must sell a lot of jam.

[Dick Smith]

Have you seen that The Sun is now calling John Prescott 'Two Shags'?

ROFLMAO!

[JohnM]

I have heard that his Mrs Prescott is not too concerned about John's affair, she says it's been a great weight off her chest.

[Owens88]

From nins in subsidised clover to John Prescott in one easy posting. Quelle Diversion ?

[ChezShells]

                        I caught the 4:37 bus into .............

They have buses here [:-))]

 

[Owens88]

From nins in subsidised clover to John Prescott in one easy posting. Quelle Diversion ?

 

To get back to the original thread. Its good to recognise that France is different and that is why we (the wider we) have all landed there.

[Vanessa]

It is pretty much the same on the trains round here, in Sussex UK; staff place ramp for wheelchair users every morning here , they have basic BSL, they are without exception helpful and friendly. And yes, I do travel every day. Experiences on buses have always been excellent, unless skanky schoolkids were involved.. And yet sometimes the grammar kids are pretty nauseating too. If  not more so.

[Cerise]

I went to a meeting of the local Tourist Office for this weekend's  Spring fête.  Enormous arguments ensued over who would do what, everyone shouted at once, people started recalling disasters that happened years ago, people recalled family feuds of even longer standing, the guys from the Mairie went all 'jobsworth' over putting the Salle de Fêtes back to rights on Sunday night, a huge 'planning' was taken out of the even huger 'dossier' and everyone claimed not to know anything about the timings which had been allocated weeks ago - total chaos and unbelievable amounts of noise.  A passer-by would have been forgiven for thinking World War III had broken out.   Nothing constructive appeared to happen but, suddenly, the chairman closed his diary, smiled and said 'Well good, that's everything sorted then'   Everyone then kissed and shook hands and toddled off home - and do you know the strange thing, some how or other this weekend it will all work.

Maggi

[Christine Animal]

Yes, that's it Cerise!

It was said that when God made the Earth, when he had finished France which had everything, beautiful countryside, mountains, coasts, forests, etc. it seemed unfair on the other countries who were less fortunate, so to even things out........  he created the French!

 

[powerdesal]

Sorry Christine Animal,

That was Canada and the Canadians !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Christine Animal]

You mean the French ones ? !!!!!!!!!!!!   [geek]

 

[Vanessa]

What I would not give to be called Cerise. Go girl.

[Catalpa]

And the nationality featured in the version I've heard is the Aussies [:)]

[Blanche Neige]

"I went to a meeting of the local Tourist Office for this weekend's  Spring fête ...............................................................................................................................................................Nothing constructive appeared to happen but, suddenly, the chairman closed his diary, smiled and said 'Well good, that's everything sorted then'   Everyone then kissed and shook hands and toddled off home - and do you know the strange thing, some how or other this weekend it will all work."

 

Don'tcha just love it! rural France at its best.

 

[Patf]

Cerise - you've got it just right! Reminds me of a local meeting we

went to about the new fosse regulations when everyone was shouting out

and asking questions at once and everyone answering everyone else's

questions. I understood about 25%, husband 50%. Most of it was about

money. Pat.

[vervialle]

I am running a cake stall at our local fete in July with my english neighbour, the chairman is very pleased that we are getting involved but my neighbour has been called to the marie to report  what type of cakes we are making and how many we are proposing to make we are unsure whether or not to give our english cakes french names or not. what seemed like a nice idea is being taken very seriously and starting to worry us.Should we do english cakes or should we not, when in France !!!!!!!

[Harley]

[quote user="vervialle"]I am running a cake stall at our local fete in July with my english neighbour, the chairman is very pleased that we are getting involved but my neighbour has been called to the marie to report  what type of cakes we are making and how many we are proposing to make we are unsure whether or not to give our english cakes french names or not. what seemed like a nice idea is being taken very seriously and starting to worry us.Should we do english cakes or should we not, when in France !!!!!!![/quote]

Lovely idea.  Why not bake French and English cakes allowing for some to be cut into small bite size pieces to "try before you buy" for those French who normally would not touch English food and to allow any English visitors to try out the French recipes.[:)]

[vervialle]

Smart idea Harley, that would please everyone,will brief my neighbour before her hearing !!!!

[Gardian]

Cerise's post was graphic - the only bad thing about it was that it reminded me a bit of my former business life. Except the ending. Better.

The move from a nun to John Prescott was lightning fast. When you think about it, she will never have heard of him, but would treat him as a 'friend' if (in the somewhat extremely unlikely event) that he or the like of him should ever fetch up on her doorstep. Puts all the nonsense of the last 24 hrs into perspective.

By the way, she told me very proudly that they've been awarded a 'Medaille d'Or' for their jam at some Salon in Nimes, so like wine, chickens and foie gras, their produce will have an appropriate label on it.

Maybe I should volunteer to act as their selling agent?