tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84271062024-03-18T09:10:31.228+01:00les Davey de FranceAlan and Pat live and work in Bordeaux. Alan is a pastor and Pat was a nurse. Now we work with UFM worldwide. Read on! (If you'd like to know what took us to Bordeaux, then start with the archives from September 2004)Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.comBlogger8292125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-27072100697243173342024-03-18T09:09:00.005+01:002024-03-18T09:09:37.002+01:00Feels like spring<p>The magnolias are flowering, the weather is mild, the rain is gentle and fine and I'm going to a garden centre! I'm after troughs to put on the balcony, compost, seeds for lettuce and tomatoes and also perhaps some trailing petunias and African marigolds (if I can remember the French name for them!)</p><p> </p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-82806561318320424722024-03-15T07:58:00.003+01:002024-03-15T07:58:25.434+01:00Living in terror<p>On Wednesday evening we took our stagiaire, Hannah, who has been camping in my office since January, to her forever home not far from the boulevards. It's a journey by car of about 12 minutes, but we needed to do it at rush hour so it took about 30 minutes to get there and about 45 coming back. </p><p>On the way we were overtaken on an uphill stretch by a pastor friend on his one-speed bike. </p><p>Going was easy but slow and good for learning patience. Basically we spent the majority of the journey in a traffic jam, and the rest looking out for bicycles.</p><p>Coming back was a NIGHTMARE. We let the Citiz car's GPS guide us, but the GPS in the car had not been updated to reflect Bordeaux' ever more complex of one way streets and bus lanes. Such it was that we were rarely able to follow the GPS directions without deviating wildly, and at one point we found ourselves heading down a bus lane for about 250 meters with no obvious way of escape. Vigilance is always essential as bicycles come from all directions, including straight for you the wrong way down narrow one-way streets (usually completely legally).</p><p>When we got back to the point where we park the pool car we vowed NOT to buy a car. But now I'm living in terror of getting a PV (procès verbal = traffic violation) for driving down the bus lane.</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-30279624266242823072024-03-14T16:00:00.007+01:002024-03-14T16:00:39.183+01:00First MRI scan done<p> The ophthalmologist noting an "anomaly" on my optic nerves, he ordered a series of tests which will happen on a month from February to May.</p><p>February was a Doppler Ultrasound scan of my carotid arteries and of those which feed the eyes. The doctor turned out to be a long-lost cousin from Brittany, he found nothing untoward and we parted vowing to search each other out next time there's a family reunion. (It's a celt thing).</p><p>March was today, and an MRI of my pituitary gland to look for any inflammation that might have affected my optic nerves. The scan found quite the contrary, a pituitary on the small side.</p><p>Next, in April, I see a psychiatrist for a sleep study. I have six questionnaires to fill out first. </p><p>Then in May another MRI of another part of my head.</p><p>I'm half-way through, and that's very encouraging because these tests tend to set off attacks of hypochondria.</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-34432740125758299692024-03-12T08:02:00.001+01:002024-03-12T08:02:22.733+01:00Flooding in Bordeaux<p>The Spring tides are very high just now, with a coefficient of 117. 99 is considered exceptionally high. </p><p>So much for that. </p><p>The upshot is that several streets on the right bank around the Bastide area flooded yesterday and are flooded again this morning, and the fancy shops, restaurants and cafés down by the waterfront are faced with a walkway under about 6 inches of water.</p><p>This is because of the coincidence of very high tides linked with the recent persistent, constant, incessant, torrential rain.</p><p>Meanwhile in the Gard several people are missing following the downpours in that area.</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-76353004333113319412024-03-01T14:00:00.002+01:002024-03-01T14:00:14.187+01:00Saint David's Day<p>When I was a child this was the happiest day in the school calendar, except, of course, for the end of term... We prepared for weeks beforehand. </p><p>The school was divided into four houses - Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd (my house) and Powys. The houses were named after the old kingdoms of Wales. Dyfed's colour was red, Gwent's was blue, Gwynedd's was green and Powys' was yellow. </p><p>Some time before in February the competitions were announced. Each subject would set a competition, and there were additional competitions for music and for choral recitation. Each competition could win points to your house's score for first, second or third place, and there would be bonus points for especially good additional entries.</p><p>I remember the following : </p><p>For Maths : Make an icosahedron. Make a dodecahedron. We had to find out what it was and construct one.</p><p>For Religious Education : Make a model of a first century Palestinian house.</p><p>For History and Geography it might be essays.</p><p>For English you'd have to write a poem.</p><p>Choral recitation - the poem would be published and we'd have to memorise and rehearse it. We won, I think, with our 'Destruction of Sennacherib".</p><p>For music there'd be brass, strings, piano and others... I'd play my tenor horn. Others played piano, cello or harp.</p><p>Then the big event. The choir competition. We'd sing, in Welsh, in four part harmony, a traditional Welsh song. I remember us singing Cwm Rhondda, I bob un sydd ffyddlon and Dyma gariad fel y moroedd. One year we had to write and perform our own song. We often won the choir competition because we had the school's best pianist and several people who had musical skills.</p><p>At the end of the morning the total scores were announced, the shield presented to the winning choir and we all got a half-day holiday.</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-13712626497582543422024-02-26T12:38:00.004+01:002024-02-26T12:38:48.371+01:00Montpellier<p>ICC-Eurasia is the network of International Churches to which we belong. Last week they held their annual Prayer Retreat in the city of Montpellier, somewhere I've never been before.</p><p>It takes five hours to get there by train. The deal was to stay in a hotel together for which a group price had been negotiated. It was quite a pleasant little hotel in a residential part of the city, but close to where the Montpellier church meets and not far from the edge of the city centre.</p><p>Montpellier seems to exist mainly because of being a staging post on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostella in Spain. It's right on the Mediterranean, so it's sunny and bright most of the year though it doesn't have beaches itself.</p><p>We spent the bulk of our time sharing news of the churches and of the ICC, and praying for the various issues raised. Pat didn't come with me, though some wives came. She was kept pretty busy at home.</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-78100434886587513542024-02-11T09:12:00.002+01:002024-02-11T09:12:34.698+01:00Remodelling the city<p>The southern approach to Bordeaux is changing beyond all recognition. When we first moved here the main access road passed disused abattoirs, demolished warehouses, a municipal dump and dingy hotels. It was dead, dirty and unattractive. This didn't matter too much because you passed it on an urban freeway with a 70kph limit.</p><p>But our area of the city is part of all that and the plan is only partially accomplished. They aim to take away the urban freeway and replace it with a city boulevard, limited to 50kph, or maybe even 30kph. This will be punctuated by crossings to allow people access to the river from the offices and apartments of the newly redeveloped southern part of the city.</p><p>The quays of the Garonne, transformed from a disused dockland into a wide and airy garden promenade, will be extended down to this southern part of the city. A new bridge, the Pont Simone-Veil, will open this year, linking the southern banks of the city. It will have wide cycle paths, dedicated bus lanes, broad pedestrian areas, and will close the loop of the city's inner ring road, the boulevards A separate study is trying to work out how to bring life back to the boulevards, which once were dotted by little shopping centres with cinemas, but have been turned into mere access roads.</p><p>During this remodelling the city has tackled one of the cycling blackspot of the Bordeaux - the area where you have to get under the railway line and the roads that lead from one bank of the Garonne to the other. They've done it by converting half of the southern urban freeway into a huge cycle path. You have a very wide surface to travel. Getting onto it is a challenge, because there are still extensive roadworks at the southerly end, but once you got through those you are faced with a virtually unbroken passage along the quays right through the heart of the city.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-70749542509902448062024-02-11T08:59:00.003+01:002024-02-11T08:59:40.856+01:00A sad week in Bordeaux<p>Three people have been fished out of the Garonne this week, maybe four.</p><p>The first is a young man from Montpellier who was last seen in the wee hours mid January near a night club in the old dry docks area of the city. One of the dangers of Bordeaux is that young people, coming out of the night clubs, fall into the Garonne. The currents are strong and if the alarm is not swiftly sounded, there is little hope of survival. Often the currents and tides take the bodies up the Dordogne even as fas a Bergerac. </p><p>The second was a young woman who fell to her death from the Pont d'Aquitaine - the suspension bridge that closes the northern loop of the motorway that rings the city. </p><p>The third was a man in his forties who fell into the river and was quickly rescued by the firemen who have rescue boats in the city.</p><p>The fourth was a man of 86 years old. As Pat and I cycled home from the café on Friday we took the new express cycleway from the quays to our area of the city. As we turned the corner we saw numerous emergency vehicles with lights flashing (gyrophares). Pat saw a covered stretcher. I saw lots of water. We later learned that this elderly man had been discovered on the banks of the Garonne. </p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-74234982865394115292024-02-08T09:12:00.001+01:002024-02-08T09:12:38.113+01:00Echographie-Doppler<p>Four rendez-vous had to be made. Two seemed relatively straightforward.</p><p>Firstly an ultrasound scan of my carotid arteries and the arteries supplying my eyes.</p><p>Secondly a sleep consultant to explore possible apnoea.</p><p>Thirdly an MRI of parts of my head to explore possible inflammation.</p><p>The first two were quickly made via our website doctolib. The third was far more complicated. Different MRI machines do different things. I found a clinic, who said to contact them in two weeks' time. Meanwhile my own doctor suggested that his secretary could find me an appointment. I asked her - she found me two - on in March, one in May.</p><p>The issue is an anomaly on both optic nerves which does not affect my vision. This was first noticed a year ago my the ophthalmologist and has not changed since that time.</p><p>Well on Monday I rolled up at the clinic at 9:00 for my ultrasound. </p><p>"Sorry, we can't do this. You've booked an ultrasound and you need an ultrasound-doppler. We do that here bit it's a different doctor. You can wait to speak to him or make another appointment."</p><p>I went home and phoned the number. "We can do you tomorrow morning at 8:45."</p><p>Thus it was that a charming Breton vascular specialist did an ultrasound-doppler scan of my carotid arteries and of the arteries that feed the eyes. "How come I haven't seen you at the family reunions?" he said, own discovering that we are Celtic cousins. "There's nothing wrong there", quoth he, before wishing me "Gwenn a vo", while I replied "Da bo i chi".</p><p>Listening to your own arteries reminds you of those early scans to find the baby's heartbeat. It's kind of cool, especially when the doctor is friendly.</p><p>Thinking over this issue with my optic nerves reminded me of some years ago, perhaps 2015 or 2016, when I was unwell during a service at Dan. My vision was affected and for a while I couldn't read properly. At the time it was put down to a sudden drop in blood pressure - a faint, though friends who suffer migraines put it down tone of those. Perhaps what we're exploring now is linked with this episode, now long-forgotten.</p><p> </p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-40939165911559561412024-02-06T13:18:00.000+01:002024-02-06T13:18:15.759+01:00La vie associative<p>In France it's really important to join groups to do things. They're called "associations", registered with the government, some which are of public utility qualify for tax relief on gifts, and they fulfil lots of different functions.</p><p>Local churches are associations, as are the denominations to which they belong.</p><p>Some associations are there to play games or do sport.</p><p>Others run cafés or cultural activities.</p><p>Some support humanitarian projects in the majority world. Others help immigrants and asylum seekers to navigate the winding paths of settling in France.</p><p>One we saw in Strasbourg runs a cooperative restaurant, where people sign up to cook and eat lunch together. This is a great idea for students living on knackipâtes (hot dog sausages cut up into pasta shapes - it's a thing...)</p><p>Others are concerned with recycling and the "circular economy" - that is repairing, reusing and reselling things as well as producing things locally.</p><p>Just up the road from us we have just discovered a splendid association called Récup'R. It's situated in an old house that they have been allowed to use as an anti-squat measure, apparently, after being moved from an old property that has now been demolished as part of the urban renewal going on around us.</p><p>The group has two main activities - bicycles and sewing. </p><p>There's a big workshop - essentially the kitchen and living room of the house - given over to industrial sewing machines and with stocks of cloth and wool. Groups meet to knit and crochet, too, and someone will teach you to knit, crochet or sew and help you with your project.</p><p>The garage, back room and garden are given over to bicycles. The association clears bike storage areas of abandoned bikes and stocks them in the garden, then lets people find one that suits them and do it up in their workshop using their tools and spare parts. They have every tool imaginable and stacks of everything you can think of. On Thursday afternoon there's a collective workshop where people get together and fix bikes which are then sold to bring in funds for the association.</p><p>The place is run by some younger people who know their craft, but is largely frequented by serious old people from the area. If you have a problem with your bike you can always drop by and someone will look at it for you.</p><p>It's magic !</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-36025537149346714642024-02-05T13:24:00.003+01:002024-02-05T13:24:18.311+01:00Surprising things in France<p> One reason that the blog is so much more infrequently updated is that France doesn't really surprise us much any more. I was thinking about this this morning as I wondered whether Pat and I should get a picture taken of us on our bikes, buying baguettes etc... (we draw the line at the stripes jumpers, gauloises and berets...)</p><p>But France can still surprise us.</p><p>For example, our towns have now imposed a 30kph limit. Bègles was the first. Bordeaux soon followed suit. So in town, unless indicated otherwise (on particularly wide roads, or urban expressways etc.) the speed limit is 30kph. This is about 18 mph. And there was no outcry, no petitions, no scoffing, no real comment at all.</p><p>Contrast this with the reaction to the Welsh Government's recent decision to do the same.</p><p>This morning we read that the Parisians have voted to multiply parking fees threefold for large SUVs. I knew they were voting on it, and I know that almost everyone I know thinks that the proliferation of Chelsea Tractors in our towns and cities is one of the more regrettable aspects of modern life. But then very few of the people I know own a car anyway! So the vote took me by surprise.</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-56463213537634828932024-01-24T08:35:00.006+01:002024-01-24T08:36:28.846+01:00Manifs<p>The political process in France includes marching in the street. It's what you do. Nobody writes to their MP. Everyone marches in the street. </p><p>In the past few days there's been a pro-palestinian march, and one to protest at the new immigration law.</p><p>At the moment it's the farmers. The current economic model puts huge pressure on farmers - supermarkets demand uniform produce of high quality for low prices and with minimal use of chemical products. It makes it very hard for farmers to stay in business. So they've taken to the streets and, this morning, to the motorway ring-road around Bordeaux.</p><p>The government meanwhile is proposing talks and promising to take any reasonable measures.</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-42486238893510666022024-01-23T07:57:00.001+01:002024-01-23T07:57:13.319+01:00What Bordeaux lacks<p> Flocks of feral parrots.</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-73663348240645340762024-01-17T08:13:00.008+01:002024-01-17T08:13:54.096+01:00Macron speaks to the nation<p>M. Macron spoke to all the French yesterday evening. Last week he reshuffled the government, appointing Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister. Attal is the youngest person to hold the role, at 34, and he appointed his cabinet of ministers gradually over the course of the week. In France the government is presidential, that is the people elect deputies to the National Assembly, Senators to the Senate*, and the President. So the President is not guaranteed a majority in the National Assembly. </p><p>The President then appoints a Prime Minister and the Prime Minister appoints his government ministers. They can choose anyone. They don't have to be from the same political party or even from the National Assembly. However the Prime Minister is expected to do all he can to enact the promises that the President made during his election campaign.</p><p>Yesterday evening M. Macron made a direct broadcast to the nation. One newspaper said "to counter the rise of the far right". Another said "to upstage the Prime Minister". Another said "to consolidate his presidency". </p><p>Whatever.</p><p>He announced various measures to tackle issues that French people have and also others that face France just now. These included :</p><p>> A new parental leave to encourage people to have children. This to combat falling fecundity in France.</p><p>> Measures to put controls on kids' use of screens.</p><p>> Extra classes in sport, in theatre and in the arts. France is seen as losing its culture.</p><p>> A trial of school uniforms with a possible national rollout in 2026.</p><p>> No more "imams détachés", muslim missionaries, typically sent from the Arabian Gulf</p><p>This alongside the current concerns such as the cost of living, the cost of energy, the transition to carbon-neutral, inflation, immigration and asylum, etc.</p><p>*I am not certain that Senators are directly elected. It is possible that they are appointed on merit and experience.</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-46868777754513742312024-01-10T21:05:00.001+01:002024-01-11T21:08:13.458+01:00Snow in Bordeaux<p> We're in a period of "grand froid" - when temperatures plummet and emergency accommodation is organised for the folks who live on the street. It won't last. Next Wednesday we expect 18°C. </p><p>Meanwhile today it snowed. Pretty much all day.</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-35547722250269833822024-01-04T08:36:00.005+01:002024-01-04T08:36:58.326+01:00The rotters!<p> Mrs Davey and I have both been battling with plantar fasciitis for a while. </p><p>I talked to the doctor about it. He sent me for x-rays and for ultrasound examinations of my feet, which confirmed my self-diagnosis. The doctor said that I must wear good shoes and massage my feet hard.</p><p>Patricia talked to him about it and after her ultrasound examinations he prescribed unlimited physiotherapy until she's better.</p><p>I rooted around for ideas and tried various measures : stretches for the achilles tendon, massage with bottles and balls for the foot, a sock to keep my ankle flexed at night. What REALLY helped was a brand of shoe that has arch support built in. I'm really thankful that after some long months my foot is pretty-well pain free and I can walk as far as I want, as long as I wear the right shoes!</p><p>Patricia went to see her physio and a podologue, who ordered insoles for her feet. Her case is worse than mine, and has not yielded to treatment. She has the arch-support shoes. She's had lots of physio. She does the massage. She's used the flexi-sock. Her foot continues to hurt.</p><p>The big relief she has is cycling everywhere instead of walking.</p><p>Well, had. Yesterday she went to get her bike to cycle to her cardiology appointment and there it was, gone! Stolen from the bike room! They bent the bike rack in the process of breaking her lock. Other bikes around were left where they were, despite being only ill-attached to the rack. I examined the bike. It looks like its brakes don't work. Discerning thieves!</p><p>So we're a little aggrieved, and I'm trying to persuade Patricia to get a new bike. </p><p>In the last year about 10% of the church has had their bikes stolen. It's city life.</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-70920936180130438352024-01-02T08:59:00.003+01:002024-01-02T08:59:38.209+01:00Thinking about daily Bible reading<p>It's a good time to think about how to give to the Bible the place it deserves in your life. I'll begin by trying to suggest we still engage our common sense as we think it through.</p><p><b>Make reading the Bible the first thing you do every day</b> : Yeah. Right. That will be great for some people, but for others it's a disaster. Some of us provide the best supportive evidence for the theory of human evolution every morning as we slowly pass through various stages - emerging from the depths, discovering the ability to stand erect, communication by grunts, then the first words emerge... it takes quite a lot of coffee to push-start our one remaining synapse and get it to fire. Hey - find the time that works best for you.</p><p><b>Read 30 minutes a day.</b> OK... But might it not be better to have a more constructive goal? Imagine if we advised people to cook their main meal for 1/2 hour a day. "Cook 30 minutes then eat whatever you got." That's nuts! Or "let's drive 1/2 hour then holiday there." Now you may know that you have 30 minutes, or 15, or whatever, so that does limit your choices. Duck cooked three ways, or a full roast can't be done in 30 minutes. Pasta with a spicy tomato sauce can... What if our goal in reading the Bible wasn't so fixed on the time spent, but on the goal of growing as Christians by knowing Jesus better?</p><p><b>"This is the way to do it. Read, colour in the promises, commands and stuff, pray then go."</b> Imagine if every meal was boiled. Or fried. Now sometimes you have to. If you live in a bed-sit with one gas ring then stir-frying will be a big part of your life. But a variety of ways of cooking brings joy as well as health benefits.</p><p>Here's some things that have helped me at different times.</p><p>1) <i>Reading big chunks.</i> When I was a student I discovered that you can read a whole Bible book at once, so on Sunday afternoons I'd just read through 1 Samuel, or Obadiah, or John, or 1 Thessalonians, or Revelation.</p><p>2) <i>Bible reading notes</i>. A series of little books that were published together as "Adventure with God", edited by Ro Willoughby, had a huge effect on my life when I was first working and commuting in the big city. The book is out of print, but "This morning with God" and "Search the Scriptures" edited by Alan Stibbs, have similar approaches. Search the Scriptures is so good that we buy second hand copies and give them away. It's also available in French as Soif de la Parole, as well as in pdf format.</p><p>3) <i>Bible reading plans.</i> The McCheyne bible reading plan gives passages to read each day to take you through the Bible in a year. Some people do half the plan and so take two years. There are other plans like the 5x5 plan that gives you readings for week-days allowing you to catch up at weekends for days missed. Chronological plans take you through the Bible in chronological order. The advantage of plans is that you get readings from different parts of the Bible each day.</p><p>4) <i>The One Year Bible.</i> This is the Bible Reading Plan for dummies. You get a book with the Bible chopped up by date. If you can find out the date you can find your reading for the day. I LOVE these books.</p><p>5) <i>Apps.</i> There are now apps that will do the same os the One Year Bible, right there on your phone! You can read in the bus, in the tram, in the café, in the waiting room, wherever you are. The best place is still in a nice armchair with a hot drink within reach.</p><p>6) <i>Podcasts!</i> This was the major discovery of the last few years. People will read the Bible to you! Every day! They'll do it in other languages, too! And you can get excellent short reflections on passages, too, delivered to your phone each day by normally inaccessible people like Sinclair Ferguson, R C Sproul or many others. For language learners the Bible is our secret weapon. Read the psalms in whatever language you are learning, for example. Or get it read to you!</p><p>7) <i>Videos</i>. This may be the discovery of this year. Readings where you can see the reader and carefully chosen images of deep-space or ants or rolling waves. I'm still a bit unsure who to recommend, but The Bible Project is generally pretty good, with a few odd things here and there. I have just discovered sixminutesermons.com, and what I've seen so far seems great. I have a few warning notes to sound. Firstly if people won't tell you what they believe in the form of a confession of faith or a well-known group they belong to, then maybe they're hiding something. Secondly, when food smells off or tastes weird you know not to swallow. Similarly, if something sounds way out there, then that maybe be because it is. If you're confused, get advice. I'm waiting for the videos that show cats reading the Bible to you. That would be just so addictive!</p><p>In short, find a way that suits you and go for it. And remember, your goal is not to succeed at doing your daily readings. That's just unworthy! Your goal is to get to know Jesus better through his word, and so to grow more like him.</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-48872911283285808772023-12-21T14:42:00.004+01:002023-12-21T14:42:47.530+01:00Immigration<p>French politics is quite confusing for British people. Brits are used to static parties that don't change their names and which occupy a certain space in political thought - be it left, centre or right. Those positions drift, and there are spectra within the parties, so you can talk of the Tory left, the right wing of the Labour Party, etc... But it's always Labour, Conservative and whatever the other one is called.</p><p>In France it's different. For a start there's more parties. Also they change their name so it's hard to keep track of them. At the moment Emmanuel Macron's "En Marche" (EM, get it?) is the centre-right party and he has a minority government just now, sometimes backed by the centre-right party, currently called "Les Republicains". The centre-left is still represented, I think, by the Parti Socialiste. France also has a Parti Communiste. Then there's the far-right party currently called "Le Rassemblement National", headed by Marine LePen, daughter of Jean-Marie LePen.</p><p>Now please remember that French politics is confusing - and in what follows there are sure to be many errors! To get to the real truth read several newspapers, preferably in French!</p><p>M. Macron had two big issues to deal with in his presidency. The first was to reform the retirement system and introduce a later retirement age. Retirement age in France was 62, assuming you had made enough quarters of contributions to the system. Otherwise you can still retire but you get a proportionally smaller pension. Against such popular opposition, Macron succeeded in raising the age to 64, with other provisions I won't go into now. With a minority government and insufficient cross-party support, Mme Borne, the Prime Minister, used the 49.3 - the equivalent of the Parliament Act, to force the law through the Assemblée Nationale. It also had to get through Senate, and then be passed by the constitutional Council, which ensures that laws are in accordance with the French constitution.</p><p>The second big issue was to revise immigration law. France, like the whole of Western Europe, is faced with the Demographic Timebomb - falling birth rates mean a smaller workforce, an aging population and a shrinking economy. This law has just been voted through, and it is a bit of a problem.</p><p>The first problem is that the law is much harder than originally envisaged by the Macronists. They envisaged a law which would encourage immigrants to work in sectors that need more workers, and make it easier for employers in those sectors to find workers and get their papers sorted out. They have ended up with a law that stops overseas students having the right to bring their families with them, and that requires them to prove "serious studies" in order to come and to stay. The law also says that children born in France to immigrant parents will no longer have French citizenship (Droit de sol). It also restricts access to certain social benefits until you have spent some years in France, and establishes the need for a basic level of French to get the right to stay. (I'm puzzled by this one because Pat and I both needed to prove our level of French in order to get our visas...)</p><p>The second problem is that to get the law through the Assemblée Nationale Macron's minority government needed the support of people from other parties. It is here that Marine LePen played her had very skilfully. She refused to support the bill. It was toughened up. She still refused. And so on. Until at the last minute she decided to support it and the bill passed partly because of her backing. Crafty, eh! The problem is that this made the bill tougher than Macron wanted AND it makes him look further right than he wants to be...</p><p>Another problem is that the law will almost certainly not be approved by the Senate or by the Constitutional Council as it stands. France proudly proclaims "Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood" as its motto, and this law explicitly does not treat all people equally. It is pretty obviously unconstitutional.</p><p>Of course, M. Macron may be counting on this, so that the Senate and the Council will excise the parts of the law that have had to be added, and we end up with a law that is much closer to what was originally intended.</p><p>However - the optics are not good... And from now on the government will have to read very carefully indeed.</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-55809757062752154352023-12-18T13:43:00.005+01:002023-12-18T13:43:30.013+01:00Rain, and lots of it<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-urMmGobDUe0cO88bG1KDdq2S5K5ptLALQ7wLguIkaMIRT53v65DosG9LYs6jui6x8h9FnszTQiJmcIqbn1aJg74UGOoPYisnIshdFOdgCNkw-h-I8yl9usxAB8Gpb0lwU39oigLzjd50lO9HoGQBpOZ_eGhM9i7JW2FxT9cEk68AOTcN3kd/s1290/IMG_8790.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1290" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-urMmGobDUe0cO88bG1KDdq2S5K5ptLALQ7wLguIkaMIRT53v65DosG9LYs6jui6x8h9FnszTQiJmcIqbn1aJg74UGOoPYisnIshdFOdgCNkw-h-I8yl9usxAB8Gpb0lwU39oigLzjd50lO9HoGQBpOZ_eGhM9i7JW2FxT9cEk68AOTcN3kd/s320/IMG_8790.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLQhCt1_BwR_2vog8LA22hyphenhyphen_Jzw1boZS_zVwDhgWK5z0YSr42gaPTMcWWAZj5DRtpllwx1B7F2-r1Y9ScoWI8-rqqwnWME62fkdHifo5tq9UM5C-GoiFOUspiSpzM-B209BCIwx-cdRkb2uH0wZBZDx0yd02kRLax8rgt2WXreNNY-ziWl-_w/s698/Image%2018-12-2023%20at%2011.03.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="698" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLQhCt1_BwR_2vog8LA22hyphenhyphen_Jzw1boZS_zVwDhgWK5z0YSr42gaPTMcWWAZj5DRtpllwx1B7F2-r1Y9ScoWI8-rqqwnWME62fkdHifo5tq9UM5C-GoiFOUspiSpzM-B209BCIwx-cdRkb2uH0wZBZDx0yd02kRLax8rgt2WXreNNY-ziWl-_w/s320/Image%2018-12-2023%20at%2011.03.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-45037246083794546402023-12-18T08:41:00.007+01:002023-12-18T08:47:51.209+01:00Unusual Birthday celebrations<p>The tram system in Bordeaux is 20 years old this weekend!</p><p>Hurrah for the trams!</p><p>To mark the occasion two trams collided one the C/D line right in the middle of Bordeaux at 8pm on Saturday evening. A points failure is suspected. The weather was mild, no icing up is possible. </p><p>Anyway, whatever the cause, the first effect was the collision of the two trams, resurgent in one being squarely derailed. Nobody was hurt in the accident. The trams we moving at low speed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hyiWnabkWh6cZSv7rCMP7I-Cblz_Ufnm-W3b9IEh5zfAKoGSIbkglOkjSqG-cDA7_Gr509z8hyphenhyphenPAJ-R4ZL1wloPueOf1u7xfv754G0v3UgCRQI_71VbmM8y0iA2Zk2YZuifVQVqRtSotp1elijPkafqhK_BgP8PX634GeaSOopd_Qa7jLhXw/s1000/Image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hyiWnabkWh6cZSv7rCMP7I-Cblz_Ufnm-W3b9IEh5zfAKoGSIbkglOkjSqG-cDA7_Gr509z8hyphenhyphenPAJ-R4ZL1wloPueOf1u7xfv754G0v3UgCRQI_71VbmM8y0iA2Zk2YZuifVQVqRtSotp1elijPkafqhK_BgP8PX634GeaSOopd_Qa7jLhXw/s320/Image.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>This meant that on Sunday afternoon, when we hied us from our cosy nest to go wassailing with the singers, there were no trams. We contemplated waiting for a bus de substitution, but there were no signs of life whatever at the stop. So began a somewhat crazy and frustrating journey to church, which involved much waiting at stops and perhaps too much crowding into Bus 9, which does the circle fo the boulevards - this Sunday very slowly indeed...</p><p>We joined the merry band of wassailers about an hour late.</p><p>Happy Birthday Trams !</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-43918884301390934252023-12-12T08:42:00.001+01:002023-12-18T08:43:47.871+01:00Mincemeat making<p>Mary Berry's recipe, slightly amended because of the difficulty of obtaining candied peel.</p><p>Yes, I know you can candy your own peel, but life is too short for such shenanigans. </p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-80942746668707445472023-12-07T14:46:00.003+01:002023-12-07T14:46:39.265+01:00Chutney making<p>I doubled the quantity, but it takes a shocking amount of grating to fill two tablespoons with orange and with lemon zest! And why add 1/4 teaspoon of chopped garlic? Doesn't the author of the recipe like garlic? Anyway, here's the recipe I followed - same as most years :</p><p>3 large tart apples. diced 1/4 inch 8 cups. ( I used Granny Smith) <br />1 cup cider vinegar <br />3/4 cup finely sliced dates.<br /> 3/4 cup brown sugar. <br />1/2 cup dried apricots finely sliced. <br />1/4 cup orange juice. <br />1/4 cup raisins <br />1 table spoon each of: <br /> orange zest, <br />lemon zest, <br />grated ginger, <br /> dried onion flakes and <br />mustard seed. <br />2 1/2 tea spoons salt <br />1/4 tea spoon chopped garlic.</p><p>In non reactive sauce pan bring to simmer all ingredients over low heat.<br />Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until thickened. <br />Stir as needed to prevent burning. </p><p>We shall have chutney with our cheese this Christmas !</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-77788440567303540222023-12-07T08:03:00.003+01:002023-12-07T08:03:22.416+01:00What we brought back from Strasbourg<p> Covid.</p><p>Mrs D.</p><p>I was jabbed couple weeks ago.</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-44293521026596311052023-12-06T08:06:00.001+01:002023-12-06T08:06:24.548+01:00Escapade to the east <p>We had s credit note with a budget airline company that flies to small and mid-size cities in Europe. I wondered how we could use it, where we could go and when.</p><p>The answer was a brief escapade to Strasbourg.</p><p>Our flight was at 8:40 on Sunday morning. It takes an hour to get to the airport by tram. The 30" shuttle doesn't start running till 7:30, so we got up at 5am and scuttled out. We arrived at the airport at about 6:30. The airport was pretty well deserted. We got through security in seconds. Thankfully the cafe was open, so we bought some drinks and sat in fine but grubby armchairs looking out on the silent runway. Boarding was simple. The flight was almost full. The flight was comfortable and we landed just after 10.</p><p>Near the central railway station in Strasbourg is a café run by a church. The café looks quite anonymous and there were no signs that a church was meeting. We arrived perhaps 20 minutes late for the service but we had been told not to worry, so we went in and found the back room where the church was meeting. I counted about 60 to 70 chairs in the air-conditioned room with maybe 50 people present. It was great to be there. The church is doing a series for Advent on the words "Wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace". The sermon talked of humankind's quest for wisdom, referring to the Larousse definition of wisdom, and to a book written by three friends, one a psychologist, another a philosopher and the third a Buddhist monk, then to Christ as the wisdom of God, and the Spirit's role in the Christian's life.</p><p>After the service we found one of the "good addresses" we had been given and began our gastro-tourism - we began with potato-pancakes (galettes de pommes-de-terre). Hearty.</p><p>Strasbourg proclaims itself the Capital of Christmas, and much of our time was spent wandering round the beautifully decorated streets and browsing round the Christmas markets. As Christmas markets go, this was wonderful. There was little absolute tat, and lots of hand-made crafts being sold by their makers. Also lots of vin chaud (red or white), hot chocolate, waffles, crêpes, bretzels, choucroute, etc. etc.</p><p>It was also bitterly cold. On Monday it snowed.</p><p>We indulged ourselves by taking a boat-trip in an air-conditioned boat from which we could watch the people on the riverbanks as they shivered.</p><p>We managed to visit the cathedral - the queues to get in on Monday were enormous and we assumed there was an admission charge, but we got there quite early on Tuesday, the queue was short and admission was free. I was captivated by the stained glass. No wonder Hitler wanted it to become a monument to the German people. (The absolute rotter)</p><p>Our gastro-tourism included choucroute - I cheated by having confit de canard served on a bed of choucroute. I'm OK with eating bacon, sausage and so on, but there is a limit, so I was thrilled when I saw duck on the menu instead. at chose chicken with spaetzles - Alsacien pasta.</p><p>Yesterday we had an evening flight home, so after our visit to the cathedral we bought a little pottery house for someone. The stall-holder congratulated us on our deliberation - it was our third visit to the stand. "You have to think before buying a house", he said. Then we went back to our first "good address" for flammekueche, or tarte-flambée. It's essentially a pizza on a very thin base, with crème fraiche instead of tomato sauce. We chose to share one garnished with garlic and chives.</p><p>Strasbourg is a fine city with a fascinating and troubled history. We were impressed by three initiatives.</p><p>Firstly, two christian cafés. Both are run as speciality coffee shops, by which I mean they have proper espresso machines and baristas who draw flowers and swans on your cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites. Both are linked with churches. One is actually the church premises. Both run various workshops, including English and French classes. Both are substantially bigger than our café here in Bordeaux.</p><p>The third was something we came across in the street - La Petite Cantine - a restaurant participitatif. The idea is that you book your slot and go and prepare the food with others. Then you pay what you can afford. The idea is to tackle problems of loneliness and to help those who don't eat properly, perhaps because they lack the means, skills or will.</p><p>We loved our little escaapade to Strasbourg, and we're glad to be back in Bordeaux.</p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8427106.post-1954586121371865892023-12-02T15:55:00.001+01:002023-12-02T15:55:04.070+01:00The amazing electricity company<p> Sometimes tradesmen come into the café. We seldom entrust ourselves to them.</p><p>For example one charming man from a nation wide fire extinguisher company came, introduced himself and asked if we minded if he inspected our fire extinguishers so he could sell us better ones. We told him that we did mind and advised him to sling his hook.</p><p>There have been several of these unsolicited encounters, and I have a principle of never signing up for something without at least a minimum of research.</p><p>Thus it was that when two charming people came in to tell us of a wonderful system whereby we could render patriotic service to France, save ourselves some money and automate our heating system (two electric radiators), our response was somewhat noncommittal.</p><p>In short, we did not commit ourselves.</p><p>We did, however, report to the committee of the café what the charming people had said.</p><p>"Run away", was the initial response.</p><p>I often feel that our initial, visceral response can be ill-founded and ill-judged - in indeed judged at all - so I did some research on the internet. This was the deal they had proposed, and it turned out to be true.</p><p>French homes are often heated by electricity. This is for various reasons including an essentially clement climate, nuclear power and the simplicity of installing electric radiators.</p><p>However, this leads to a high demand for power at certain times - especially in the evenings and at weekends when the weather is cold. At these times of peak demand France buys extra electricity from Germany. Germany, meanwhile, burns coal to produce electricity, or gas which it buys from Russia. The French electricity distributor decided that something should be done.</p><p>That which should be done included a scheme whereby little smart boxes are fitted to electric radiators allowing them to be controlled over a wireless connection. Another box provides 4G and wireless connectivity, and an app on your mobile hone allows you to programme your radiators. The system is installed free to its users, but is financed by the electricity distributor.</p><p>The system permits you to programme your radiators to come on and off at certain times, and allows you to set a desired temperature. In addition you can see whether your radiators are on or off and can override them. Thus we have been able to programme our radiators to come on 30 minutes before the café opens, to maintain a comfortable temperature, then to switch off 30 minutes before the café closes.</p><p>For the network provider, at times of peak demand they can switch off a proportion of radiators for 10 minutes at a time, and so manage the distribution of electricity. In this way it is hoped to avoid buying energy from other countries.</p><p>The system was installed on Thursday by a very cheerful and charming man. He showed us how to work the ap and how to control the system via the website. Then I programmed as described above.</p><p>Friday - we arrived at the café and it was warm! At 15h30 the radiators switched themselves off. </p><p>Same thing today.</p><p>So far it's marvellous!</p><p><br /></p>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083622749617464169noreply@blogger.com0