Les Vacances

Things are hotting up here. Not just the weather, the schools are on holiday, lots of the holiday homes in the village are in use and there are people about. Les vacances are finally here. We'd been warned that, after Bastille Day, the roads will jam, the French will leave the cities en masse and descend on the sea, the countryside, the mountains. The Dutch, the Brits and the Germans would all get drunk and fall in the Dordogne. R and I have been nervously preparing ourselves. And yes there are more people about: picnicking, running, swimming, looking at the views. Yesterday I even saw four teenagers in the square looking stylishly bored - probably city types! In the local towns, last Saturday, the volume of traffic meant that there were a couple of twenty second delays at road junctions. But, if this is supposed to be summer holiday madness, it's not happened yet. Maybe it'll kick off in August.



There was a village event on July 14th - a Repas Champetre, which seems to mean a meal in the fields. Actually it was in the square near the Salle Mille, which is a community centre. Everybody brought food and drink. Tables were laid out under a big tree and the Conseil Municipal donated aperitifs and drink. Lots of ex-pats as well as local French people and French holiday makers. Yet again, I was struck by the lack of officiousness, nobody seemed to be in charge, or giving orders, or getting flustered, but the tables and chairs got put out, the food turned up: salads and quiches and pizzas and pies; cakes and flans. It was lovely - we sat between a French couple and an English family on holiday, and managed to negotiate a meal long conversation in two languages. Very enjoyable - all it needed was some music but R wouldn't sing . Spoilsport.
















In honour of the holidays we went canoeing on the Dordogne - 20 kilometres from Argentat. We'd been on the water about 10 minutes and R., my very own qualified canoeing instructor [qualification extremely out of date I might add], directed us across the river to a place where we'd avoid weeds. As we headed back towards the main stream, I pointed out that we were heading for rocks. Hitting a rock isn't serious, he said, as we hit it and capsised. We both fell out, into the [quite] fast-flowing water, and then had to man handle the boat, half-full of water to the side. As I am smaller than R, I was in up to my ribs. He nearly lost his paddle. I actually lost my temper and almost my nerve. There were tears. There was shouting. But I got back in. And we had a great day. From now on, he's going to wear his glasses in the boat.