It's that time of year again!
Guess what we've been doing-
We have had a few lovely days here so Tim
and I attacked the garden like people possessed. It does look much better but
there's still a lot to do.
Some people (often men, it has to be said) become a bit obsessed
about cutting the grass. Unfortunately, that is not the case with my dear Husband so I
normally decide to go and do it myself whilst mumbling ‘who needs a bloody man
anyway’ under my breathe -but I need Tim to start the mower as I can’t, which rather takes the wind out of my sails.
I read a great article by Emma Pearson, Editor at the local France (www. the local.fr) entitled "6 things that are surprisingly cheap in France (and 5 that are shockingly expensive)". They are the following and I have put them in order of importance to me:
Surprisingly cheap-
Wine- as it is made here there are no
import costs - it’s cheaper than petrol in some places.
Bread- In Paris 9 out of 10 people live within a five-minute walk from a
boulangerie- why am I living here? mine is a 10
minute car ride- just as well really as I'd be the size of Napoleon's tomb.
Museums – free to anyone 18-25 and the
first Sunday of every month in Paris they are free to everyone.
Electricity- as 70% of it comes from
nuclear power. There is a nuclear plant just up from Dieppe, so if you visit
the beaches up that way you’ll be pleasantly surprised how warm the water is-
only joking!
Mobile phones calls and roaming charges- not sure why but probably as the French aren't quite as obsessed with their phone as we are.
Condoms and Contraception – they are free to anyone 18-25 – they even have vending machines on the walls in towns.
Oh well, in the words of Meat loaf “ 5 out of 6 ain’t bad ” - he actually sang "2 out of 3" ain't bad Here is a clip if you fancy listening it.
https://www.youtube.comp/watch?v=k5hWWe-ts2s
My dear friend Maria is a Paramedic and she has some very interesting anecdotes about Meatloaf (the person not the dish)- not my story to tell unfortunately!
Shockingly Expensive-
Books –All Main towns have a book store (Librairie)
and they are a joy to wander around. Even the book section in or local Leclerc
is rather special.
Towels – Bouchara has gorgeous towels but
I wait for the sales in January and August.
Washing powder- Should care but I don’t.
Light bulbs- they’re even more expensive
in Germany so I’m not going there. Did you know that a LED lightbulb's lifespan is 25,000 hours? not
in my house!
Paint – Though it is a good quality but I don’t care anymore as the house is finished and there’s always Action for cheap white emulsion.
There has been a lot on the news about the
demonstrations in the main towns. We have been lucky so far and have not been
affected. I have seen one person walking along with a flag and that’s about it
but I have heard there have been road blockages in nearby towns.
The French are used to demonstrations, we once drove through a demonstration by farmers and we had to squeeze through bales of hay that they had placed around a roundabout, they were very friendly though. The local published a photo of a couple in Bordeaux sitting having a drink only 100 metres from a bonfire for a demonstration - they are so stoic !
Off to Italy for a few days and I can tell you now that I will not be in supermarkets comparing prices of washing powder, wine yes, washing powder no!!
Ciao!
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