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01/31/2008
White lines in Plestin
Some mysterious white lines appeared in Plestin on Monday morning someone has painted white stop lines on half a dozen junctions. Traffic circulation in all villages is a total mess as technically once you enter a village you have to give way to the right regardless if your road is a the principal one. I think its a hangover from ox and cart days so some enterprising person has put stop lines on most of the minor junctions, unfortunately it looks to be interior paint so will not last more than a couple of weeks.
Max's interview was a snip it was held at the police station in St Brieuc he said if it was up to him he would have handed a French passport on the spot as he ticked all the boxes. There is a slight racial bias in the system so when they get a " white" " Christian" clean living adult studying law and claiming he wants to join the police as a career move they snap them up. There was a story in the press last week of a Senegalese woman who had received French citizenship a few months ago but as she was 3 months pregnant at the time the child will not be French and her partner was being deported for working with false identity papers. Not sure whether they deported him because he was working ( unfrench activity ) or he had false papers.
There will be a few broken hearts this summer as Bas has got a regular girlfriend ,long telephone calls ,taxi service to Lannion and Trebuerden still her parents have a very smart house with good sea views.
08:15 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: brittany, gite, holiday, coat aillis, comments
01/22/2008
In defense of Sarkosy
To give the man his due he isn't a hypocrite whereas previous presidents have had affairs and the strict privacy laws stops it going in the tabloids and Mitterrand even had a daughter by his mistress and it wasn't reported until he died. So he's not a hypocrite but whether its seemly for a president to date a singer/model with a very impressive CV of male celebs its very interesting. I have never heard the French mock their president as much as the present one.
At last I have finished the roof it will be nice working with both feet at the same level another month and the make over for Les Etables will be completed. Max has his interview on Thursday for French nationality there are certain jobs which are restricted to French nationals such as fonctioners ( civil servants ) which probably accounts for half the jobs in France. Paulien visited the CAF (they are occupied with family allowance and family support ) to get yet another form for his visit to the Prefecture and was told that he is entitled to a student allowance of 150€ a month which would pay for half his flat rental.
The system in France taxes the population more but then gives lots of benefits back very socialist and doesn't really encourage initiative and for people to work hard. Whereas the Anglo system ,less tax but more borrowings and less job security makes people work harder. I don't who's got it right
19:45 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: brittany, france, gite, holiday, coat aillis, comments
01/02/2008
Smokeless bars
The new year kicks off with a smoking ban in all bars and restaurants which makes it more pleasant for me when I drink my coffee in the bar in the morning and the smokers have to go outside to satisfy their drug habit ha ha hopefully it will rain soon.We had a few friends over for the new year fete and Paulien stayed up to 10.30 which is quite an achievement for her as she needs 12 hours sleep normally. Our neighbour who has the bio shop ( organic veg ) came with his guitar which is a Stratocaster Fender so he is a very serious musician and has a gold disc but now grows veggies.It was a typical French meal ( 3 hours ) then around midnight everyone kisses including the men (I never realised beards pricked so much ) and then we had a bit of jam session with Steve ( the permaculture Brit ) Christoph and myself with Cloe later playing an accordion Breton style for the dancers. So didn't go to bed till 4.00 am still in the bar next day there were plenty of people who hadn't slept and were still socialable mainly due to alcohol.
Max the eldest went back to Brest a week early to revise for exams in a few weeks as they have a high failure rate so he takes it very seriously. The first year about 60% were culled from his course if he had done psychology you just need to turn up and they give you your degree.
Its very quiet on the political front as Sarko is holiday in Eygpt with his new girlfriend a starlet model /singer something politicians in the rest of the world wouldn't get away with.The protection of privacy in France is more strict but I guess it allows for more corruption. Last year the magazine Paris Match did some articles on his marriage and the editor got sacked as the owner is pally with the Sarko family.
12:55 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: brittany, gite, holiday, coat aillis, comments