I did my third painting yesterday with the main focus umbrella pines and mimosa and some palms. I'm in a little library in a small village close to us called Le Pradet. They newly have installed an Internet connection and the Mayor has made it free for everyone for the first year. And you can book two hours so it's great. I'm looking out over some magnificent pines as the local church bell is tolling one bell. It must be the end of the funeral I noticed about to start when I arrived. Lots of young people in the village square in front of the church waiting and most crying. Very sad.
I'm so glad we managed to get a place to live in this wonderful little village. It's such a pleasure to shop everyday for food but especially market day...people greeting each other and you can sense the absolute pleasure they have in buying these wonderful products that they are soon going to enjoy t the ultimate in an hour or two.This kind of food shopping is not a chore for anyone and what things cost seems irrelevant.
Big lineups at the old and tre vendors, but there are always a few new ones trying to break in. it ws interesting watching a new fellow trying to gain custom and doing all the wrong things. He started serving various people at once (not done!), gave an extra saucage to someone (good thing!) but then took a gram of potatoes away when he was weighing to get it exact (bad thing....the couple were incredulous!)
The opposite of this local shopping experience is in the Grand Var...absolute megastores...interesting in it's own way. We're going to do a big shop there this afternoon and looking forward to it. Some of the staff are on roller skates!
I may have managed to get one picture posted...very frustrating at the airport as the connection was intermittant. I've mailed some pix to Richard and will ask him to post them.
We have survived the first three weeks. Even though this is the third time we've done this and have travelled a lot in Europe, the first while is a continuous assault on nez information to process...just opening a door can be a problem because everything is so different. Or putting in a plug. Jim managed to shut down the electricity of a whole floor at the university plugging in an overhead projector. He's wary of plugging in anything now and has the students do it!
We went into Toulon Friday and managed not to get lost. Toulon does have its raffish charm and we sat outside in the sun for quite a while. We were invited to a wine and cheese put on by the Anglo_French society here. Jim has agreed to give a talk in April on Huxley's love letters so it zas nie to see what his audience will be. We though it might be rather like the Allance Francaise in Victoria where many of the members are either snob or gaga. We were very pleasantly surpised to find them a very active, lively, interesting, and welcoming group.
The meetings are held in a veteren's place with grenades for door handles!
Don, I see that pastis place has a website
www.lamaisondupastis.com
