Excuse me ! Excuse me !

On the bus yesterday we were just going through Gambetta, a place used as a rallying point for demonstrating strikers. I watched people furling their banners and idly thought of how they'd all come to town by bus and tram and of what fun it would be if a bus driver did a selective strike and refused to let strikers on his bus on the grounds of solidarity.

As I stared gormlessly at the strikers one signaled to another that she was off to find some food. I thought, "Aha ! You're glad the cafés are not all striking aren't you !"


Anyway I don't know what's wrong up there in Paris or over there in Lyon, but here I don't think there's been any cars burnt or anything like that here in Bordeaux. No more than usual anyway. The buses are running normally, much to Gwilym's chagrin. Some of his comrades are striking. One day there were 9 in his class, another day 12. Normally there's 20. All seems pretty well normal except for the marches and the fact that the radio channels are playing more records than usual. Apparently some high school kids have been naughty in the streets.

I think people are panic buying wood - we phoned a couple of suppliers to be told that they were either sold out or inundated with orders. One lady said she can deliver "des chûtes de chêne" before the weekend. These are off-cuts, not fallen trees as I originally misunderstood !

French friends reckon that once the vote takes place today the strikers will shrug and go back to work. Anyway you can't do a six-week "May '68" lock-down in November ! People will die !

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