This week has been depressingly cold and grey with plenty of rain.  We’ve never known it like this before in the 5 years we have lived here.  Usually we can rely on the [tag-tec]Serre Chevalier[/tag-tec] never to rain more than 3 days in a row.

Michel popped round one afternoon to discuss properties with Chris and together they went up to Monetier to check out a chalet and a prospective new build of flats in Les Guibertes.   Now that [tag-tec] Sarkozy[/tag-tec] is bringing in tax relief on mortgage interest, much like in England during the 70’s and 80’s, as he would like as many people as possible to be homeowners, there will be more demand for houses which will increase prices and boost the economy.

Last night I had a pleasant surprise.  I received a phone call from Audrey (as in Samy and Audrey) who we have not heard from since they left in a hurry last November.  I told her that we had been upset they had not said goodbye and she apologised profusely hoping that we could remain friends and keep in touch.  Apparently they had trouble with their landlord and were so stressed out that they just couldn’t wait to leave.  I just don’t think their experience in Briancon was a happy one.  One wonders sometimes what is the exact mentality of some of the village people after the way Samy and Audrey were treated in Villar St Pancrace.  For instance, Rachel told me that on attending a residents meeting in Fontinel to discuss an issue concerning the village, there seemed to be one large slanging match going on with people hurling insults at each other.  Also, Swedish Caroline and husband Mark have now returned to Sweden after incidents in [tag-tec] Puy St Ricard[/tag-tec] where apparently all the villagers hated each other and Caroline had virtually become a recluse up there.  I must admit we have not heard of any problems in our village and all the people seem quite friendly, but we are right on the edge of the hamlet and slightly out of things.

Anyway, Samy and Audrey now seem very happy.  Audrey is working in tourism which is good as she has a degree in that subject plus she can speak several languages.  Samy is starting up his own business in computers.  This is something he talked about to us, but back then it had been an impossibility.  With Sarkozy in charge of the country, small business should thrive.  They now have a beautiful house, still have the dog and have also added a cat.

Today was Rachel’s 37th birthday but looking at least 10 years younger.  I popped round with a card and “petit cadeau” and stayed for a spot of lunch before heading off to French which starts at 1.30.  As Rick and I have both been away, we spent half of the lesson recounting our holiday experiences.  Valerie then passed to us an extract out of a popular current events magazine called Marianne*.  This particular clipping seemed to be stories from abroad starting with one about a wedding in India where the bridegroom had got so drunk the day of the wedding, the bride ended up marrying his brother.  After reading and translating this article, Valerie then asked us to re-write it in our own words, in French of cos.  I managed to write ¾ of a page whilst Rick’s effort was much shorter but accomplishing the exact same end result.  There was also a piece on the London Marathon outlining the numbers of runners who had to be hospitalised due to global warming.  But the most disturbing article, which Chris knew about when I told him later,
was about a man who walked into a crowded Italian restaurant in the Strand called Zizzi, marched straight into the kitchen and after picking up a very sharp knife, proceeded to “trancher le sexe”.   Did he pick this restaurant on purpose?  In French, “zizi” is a slang word for the male appendage!