France Life. Annual Holidays

The French take their holidays in July and August, but imagine my suprise when I visited the local market on Tuesday to find that 2 of the three cafe bars in the centre of town were closed for annual holiday.
The market in Civray was buzzing, lots of thirsty people in 30 degree heat, especially the holidaymakers who flock to the town on market day.

Why would you run a business and close it down at the busiest time of year?  




just imagine if everybody did this!

SMS DS WTF?

One of the joys of arriving in France was that my mobile phone could be placed in a drawer never to see the light again. This was after having spent years being permanently on call, thousands of miles spent on car journeys trying to concentrate on the road whilst engaged in conference calls or other business calls. I used to plan my journeys so that time wasn't wasted just driving and I would sit with  a list of calls to make on the passenger seat.
But that was "work" and perhaps a necessary evil. What I fail to understand is why mobiles and mobile computers / games stations have become a must have at all times accessory for those that are too young or too old to work, or whose work doesn't require contact when they are not there.
 

You have all seen it, the plane lands and the noise of the engines closing down is drowned by the sound of phones starting up, just in case!. Just in case of what?  Are these people so important that they cant spend an hour on a plane without being in contact with  ???
"we've just landed"    "just collecting our bags"   " off to the coach / car/ bus now"   If it is so important that someone somewhere knows all this shite, perhaps they should be there with you.
It may suprise you but if someone is waiting for you at an airport, there are screens that tell them the plane has landed, there is only ever one door out after customs and at some stage you and they will meet without a running commentary as to when this might be!

In the bar, telephone signals are sporadic to say the least but so what. People sit with mobiles on the table just in case, perhaps waiting for the text that tells them how much calls are in France?,
And if it rings, etiquette seems to be that the machine takes preference over food, over the conversation they were having or anything else.  " Somebody wants me!!!!!  I must be ever available!!"
Why?  You are on holiday, what is so important?

Last week I watched a young lad eat a complete meal without looking at the plate once. He was looking at his signal less phone, not a word to his parents or his grandparents that had treated him to the meal.

even small kids who are too young to have mobiles ( although I am sure in a couple of years kids will get a phone as soon as they can say a dozen word), have the portables DS machines to play with. Like a DVD they may keep kiddie quiet but at what future cost?

If we are not careful we will have a generation whose only communication is via text or phone. They are already showing signs of losing speech and returning to grunting


and of course there is no such thing as a mobile free zone!!!

2 years and onwards

Yesterday was the anniversary of our opening in 2010.

We have now run the bar for 2 years and do not regret the decision at all.  It wont make us rich, it is often very hard work and long hours but it is very rewarding.
There are thousands of people sitting at their computers every night scanning property sites in France with a dream of living the quieter life in places like the Vienne. Whilst in our case, redundancy was the trigger, my advice to anybody thinking of a move such as ours would be, just do it.
Yes it's a risk, but so is crossing the road
You don't get a second chance but you do get lots of time to regret.

In honour of our anniversary, googlemaps changed their web site for us!

Coincidently the "velos", our first ever food customers are back in Brehus on holiday and they cycled over to the bar again yesterday to have a cool beer or two on the terrace. Thank you Velos and thanks to all our regular customers, albeit daily, weekly monthly or anually for your continued support.

We set out to have a community bar, where people can eat, drink, meet others and get information. We open 70 hours a week at least throughout the year. We believe we have added to the community in the village and for the local expats. We are open today 11-22. do call in!



Yesterday also was the first day in France for Rosie and Richard, who have left the UK full time to life in the metropolis that is Champniers. For readers of the "Tout" series, in the house that was owned by the Railway Girls.  Rosie has started a blog which can be read here   www.rosie-en-france.blogspot.co.uk

post no 100 !! La Fête de la Musique

Welcome to the 100th blog entry. 




La Fête de la Musique started in France back in 1982. Designed to be a day of culture and music it is celebrated on June 21st each year, the longest day.
Music events are held all over France and are normally free of charge.


Champniers has never had an event in the past as Civray the local "big" town has a large event in the town square. However this year, a new inhabitant M Belot requested of the mayor if he could hold an event in the village. This was agreed but was to take place on Friday 22nd rather than compete with Civray.
Whilst the intention was excellent, the marketing left a little to be desired as posters appeared saying there was an event but neglecting to say what type of music. We attempted to advertise the event in the bar and on our newsletter although we had to be vague as we we unsure suprise was in store for the evening.


It turned out to be a disco run by M Belot of Eve Animation, set up in the square which ran from 7pm until just before midnight

The music was enjoyed by the people who came to watch and our customers at the bar. We managed to borrow extra tables and were able to sit more than 60 people outside on the terrace

Amateurish, yes,  poorly marketed, yes,   but this is a village of 350 people and it was offered free of charge by Patrice Belot for the people of the village. Would it happen in the UK?  I don't think so.
So thank you Patrice, thanks to the village and thanks to the people who came and made it such an enjoyable night.
Next year we will be better prepared as we do La Fête de la Musique again in Champniers

"Manners Timothy"

One of the great benefits of our job is that our social life comes to us. We get to talk to people from many different backgrounds, with different views and ideas. We love just sitting outside with a group of customers, chewing the fat. The vast majority of people are well mannered, polite and very pleasant but occasionally just occasionally we get a customer that frustrates by their lack of manners, demands or attitude.

For example

Customer decides that they will remove chairs from the dining room and take them outside as the 50 outside are all full.  Doesn't bother to ask if it's ok.  What next,  "it's sunny I think we'll take the pool table outside"

The only extra chairs allowed outside are the high chairs, if they are no good I am afraid you will just have to get here earlier

Customer who asked for a drink in the normal way, " a biere sil vous plait" and was told by her friend that there is no need to say please to a barman.  Correct madam and there is no need for us to serve you. 

Customers that think we are Google.

People ask us questions all of the time, weather forecast, local houses for sale, what's what in the village etc etc and we are happy to oblige, but there a limit even to my knowledge 

Who won the election in Calais?

What's the weather in Italy? I am thinking of going there sometime

Do moles have sex during the day or at night?

Why don't you think I have seen my neighbour recently?

Can I book a room at Paris Hilton?

and the classic " can you recommend somewhere to eat?"

If we have time and if the customer actually wants an answer to the question they ask, we have a computer available but .............

And if you do ask a question, have the decency to listen to the answer!  You asked a question, a question demands an answer. If you wanted to talk at us rather than with us then just talk, that way we don't need to listen as we are not involved in a conversation. Also don't tell us something different one day than you did yesterday.......

A further annoyance is the " fill it up " " my glass isn't full"  or words to that effect.

The measure and the glass size are not necessarily  the same because if they were the liquid would spill when you carry the glass. We are of course willing to fill glasses to the top and charge accordingly......for a cognac that means €20 and for a Jack Daniels €50.

One last thing before you think that all of our customers are ill mannered louts (which they are not!!!)

There are often two ways of saying something and most  people learn through life that one way often has better results than the other

for example

"please may I have" works better than "I want"

"I love you" works better than "let's go shag"

and

"I have this letter and it's all in French"   doesn't work as well as " J, when you have a minute could you have a look at this letter for me and explain it please Thanks very much"

I will finish with two points:

1. I don't think anyone reading this will recognise themselves but if you do, you just may be right
2. We think we have solved all issues with our newest drink..

They should have read the blog.....

About midnight the other evening as a group of us sat outside , a car passed the bar, (which is unusual in itself!!) and returned a few minutes later and stopped to ask for directions to a chambre d'hote ( guest house).
I had not heard of the name they were requesting so asked for the A4 sheet they were using for directions along with their sat nav.
As readers of previous blogs will guess they had directed themselves to the wrong Champniers. The 3 ladies and 2 children found themselves at midnight in the Vienne and not in Charente, some 80 kms away.
Surprisingly they found it quite amusing, more so I guess than the guest house owner when they finally turned up

It's a small world

I am constantly amazed as to the links that we find with other people
Considering the relatively small number of Brits in the area  it is incredible how closely some of them have in the past.
A few examples.

• A couple who had never been the bar before walked in, and the lady recognised another diner. It seems that one worked in a small village store in Cornwall 20 odd years ago and the other used to be a customer.
• Two people whose houses almost backed onto each other as youngsters recognised by an unusual surname.
• Robert, who like me visited Stamford Bridge ( or should it be pilgimaged to) and used the same cafe in the Kings Road for a pre match meal.
• A local couple and a holiday house owner who lived in the same road in Wales but never met there.

But then last week a couple came in, new to the bar. We got chatting, how long have you been in France? Where are you from in the UK?   Herne Bay was the answer. I said that I also came from Herne Bay and when we talked further we had once lived 10 doors apart. However their son, owns the very house that I lived in with my parents as a teenager.  

What next an old girlfriend turning up or someone arriving in one of my old cars?