la sainte semaine part 1

On Palm Sunday we were intrigued to discover if like in England, each worshipper is given a dried folded palm cross for the liturgy of Palm Sunday. We had asked one of the brothers in Taize but he was rather vague about it.

The palm crosses
we are used to!

 When we arrived at the church doors early on Sunday morning there was a long queue of mainly young people waiting to get into church. Two young people gave out branches that had been taken from hedgerows - literally branches - and we carried these into the church. We had what I would consider a "normal" Eucharist but what was very striking was watching the brothers leaving the church in a huddle carrying their branches and it looked like they were a following crowd. I loved the fact we were given "living" branches and we kept ours in a vase in the house for the rest of Holy week, adding flowers to them on Easter Sunday.
We had already decided that although we had guests staying for 2 nights over Easter, we would make the commitment for the week to get to morning prayer/Eucharist each morning at 8:15am and then to the Bible study at 10am and then back in the evening for the Evening prayer at 8:30pm.


After the Bible introduction on Monday, it being a lovely day with warm sunshine, Joe got out my bike so I could go out for a ride. It was the first time in about 7 years that I had ventured out - and I did think I might have forgotten how to ride! To make it easier we drove the car down to the village at the bottom of the hill where the "voie verte" runs - in a previous blog I have written about the voie verte that runs from Macon to Chalon running along the old railway line. The great joy is that it is car free and mainly easy riding!

Spring in its way on the edge of
the voie verte!

Joe got the bike into the back of the car for me and with the boot tied down with a piece of string, as he couldn't quite fit it in, we set off . Joe does not ride a bike with confidence but he loves to walk so whilst he walked I rode the bike - it was so warm that I was in a tee-shirt and really comfortable. Everything was going well, I didn't wobble too much and there were hardly any other people around! I rode ahead then turned around and I went back to Joe. I was conscious that of course I had to ride back to the car and since it was my first ride for so long I wasn't going to take any chances! After a couple of rides and turn around I suggested to Joe he walked on a little further whilst I rode back to the car and popped the bike in the back (of course I can do it!), then picked him up where a lane crosses the voie verte. I remembered to ask for the car keys and set off back to the old railway station at Massilly. I was feeling confident!

How misplaced that was!!

I have to tell you that our car is a Renault with a key less ignition system. As long as you have the card for the car with you, the door will open.

Approaching the car from the boot I dismounted and hanging on to the bike with one hand I opened the boot with the other. At this point sense left me completely! Having opened the boot I threw the car keys to the front of the car where they landed in the well of the passenger seat. Great place as it would be really easy to get into the driver's seat and simply reach over for them....
I remembered that Joe had not been able to shut the boot with the bike in the back. He had taken out one of the seats and when I looked at the space I couldn't really see how it was that he had had such difficulty! I would be able to do it!
I lifted the car in front wheel first, having already tried to take the wheel off, but soon realising that I should have taken a spanner with me...
OK, out comes the bike for the first time!
I decided that the bike might fit in better the other way round. I lift the bike in again. Hm not as easy as I thought. I decided that if I leave the bike in the back I can go around to the back door and then pull the bike through into the back much more easily, I wonder why Joe didn't do that?
Then disaster! I realise with horror and extreme embarrassment that I have locked myself out of the rest of the car and can only get back in again if I can get hold of the keys. The only way to get them is to clamber through the boot into the car and then I will be able to open the door. I lift the bike out of the boot once more, and as delicately as I can I climb into the boot and on my poor knackety knees I start to make my way towards the front of the car. Then a brainwave! I will open the passenger door behind the driver's seat from the inside, and that will help. I manage that and with as much dignity as I can now muster I retrace on my knees the exit out of the boot. (I should point out at this moment that there were 2 French people about 50 metres away having a chat, and I was hoping that they were so enthralled with their conversation that they were taking no notice of me and were not counting how many times by now I have tried to put the bike in the car!
I try the bike again, back wheel first and then I go around to the side door to pull it as far up the car as I can. This achieved I realise that this is hopeless, it is not length that I need but width so I can bend the wheel around to fit into the boot. I have a further thought - if I drop down another back seat the bike might now fit...The bike comes out of the car yet once more....(I now remember ruefully how hard I laughed when I heard the Hoffnung monologue about the bucket on the building site and I realise how very easy it is to get into the same kind of pickle!!!!)
I drop down the car seat, phew! more room. I lift the bike carefully into the larger space at which point the car shelf that has been stored on one side falls right in front of where I am trying to put the bike. I stop and lift the bike out again. By this time tears of frustration and laughter are duelling within me! I am truly dangerous, what was Joe thinking of when he let me decide to put the bike back myself? (well if I am truthful I was determined!!!)
I move the parcel shelf carefully back to one side and lift the bike in, go round to the passenger door at the back and pull it through. Back to the boot and a quick manoeuvre and the bike is in YES! At this moment I notice the string that Joe used to close the boot in the first place...I close the boot very quickly with a red face, and thinking that I have burnt more calories in lifted the bike in and out of the car rather than on my bike ride, I drive carefully past the French couple still talking avidly to one another and I go and collect Joe who has been waiting for some time...
Why did I entitle this blog holy week? Well I learnt a lesson in humility and I hope that I will remember it! More about the Easter three days in Taize in the next blog!

How did we get here?...

So far on my blog, I have made very little reference as to how we ended up in this part of France and why we have effectively emigrated from England. It has seemed right as we experienced Holy Week here for the first time, to reflect on how we were guided and led.

Joe and I have always worshipped together in various churches in the Church of England - 4 in fact and although Joe's background and heritage was Roman Catholic, he has always been able to live in an ecumenical dimension, holding his personal faith in parallel with the Anglican church. Sometimes he has found it puzzling, amusing and downright frustrating to observe the oddities of the established church of England!

For my part, I started my faith journey in the Methodist church, then 5 years in the Baptist church then eventually the Anglican church, in Jersey, Somerset, London, Wolverhampton, Wordsley and Wombourne.

Our family holidays, - in fact it started with our honeymoon have taken us almost every year to France. We've seen some parts more than once and have yet to visit many others.

This is how the French children are taught
 to draw their country!

The "hexagone" as it is known here (because of its shape) has an endless variety of countryside, hamlet, village, town and city to explore. From the Alps in the East - including Mont Blanc - which we can see from the top of the ridge above our house - to the breakers and dangerous tides of the Atlantic coast there is much to be explored.

When we worshipped in Wordsley, we were introduced to the music of Taizé. Taizé is a tiny village 8 minutes from our house where an ecumenical group of monks live, worship and share life.
www.taize.fr this tells you a lot more about it than I can on here- and much better than me!
Being curious to learn more, we arranged to take our trailer tent to a camp site from which we could drive to Taizé. We drove over hill and through valley for what seemed ages that very first time, and got there for evening prayer.
There were hundreds of young people milling around and the church, which seats about 6000 (on the floor and with a few benches for the older folk) filled up quickly and as the bells began to ring the brothers, wearing their prayer robes came in - not in an orderly fashion so much as in ones and twos. The church was in silence, as befits a monastic community, and soon one brother began to play the keyboard and the voices were raised and we were transported in faith and in the most wonderful atmosphere of God's presence that it is difficult to describe.

The whole service flowed, with no announcement and with an electronic display to tell you the number of the chant being sung. Then after a psalm, Bible reading and prayer - often translated into several different languages reflecting the nationalities of those present - both monks and visitors, there was silence. A silence so profound that you imagine that it is impossible to have that kind of silence among so many for so long - 10 minutes or so - then intercessions more singing and then the end...except that people stay in the church after most of the brothers are gone, either to consult the few who are left and stand at various points where they can be spoken with, or to continue to sing or to pray in front of the icon of the cross.

I wept through the silence the first time I was there; I felt for the first time ever that I was at home in this environment and God did not speak in a whisper, but with a clarity and directness I had rarely ever known.
I can't remember what we said - if anything - on the way back to the campsite, but the seeds were sown in that time of our future in department 71 - Saone et Loire - a department in the Burgundy region.
It was through conversations together, often as we drove through the area when on holiday, that we both separately came to the conclusion that if we were thinking "with our hearts" a phrase one of the brothers of the Taize community used in a Bible introduction we attended one summer, we wanted to be in France more often...did we even dare to think - for all the time? No, I don't think we had quite got that far...step by step...it is less scary that way!
Then we were in a position to buy a house here in France, there was no question that it would be as near as possible to Taizé....and so over 6 years on we are here...
This sets the context for the next blog - about Holy Week 2012 - la semaine sainte.

a French bureacracy and helpful officials!...

Over the last 24 hours I have once more been impressed by efficiency that I had not ever experienced in the UK.
Once more it was time to do business with the assurance and organise the process for getting our car registered in France and getting French plates (les plaques!). Again as a worrier I had wondered if with the limited French we have we could possibly circumnavigate all the official bits and get it all sorted. Again my worries appear to be groundless!
Yesterday, having waited for almost 3 weeks now for a parcel of correspondence from England which  still shows no sign of arriving we decided that with the one letter we had confirming 7 years of no claims bonus(although we now know that it should be more and are awaiting a letter direct from the insurance company in England), we should begin the process of insuring the car here. Again we returned to the wonderful employees of Gan Assurance in Cluny to plead in the worst French you can imagine for a policy for us both with "toutes risques". Madame is always so helpful; we asked if we could pay monthly - yes, with no extra charge;  could we be insured with the English number plate until we could get the "Immatriculation" - the registration documents with new number? - yes we could, as long as we got the paper work done and a new number within one month. Delighted, we got our little green sticker to attach to the windscreen to show we were insured by a French company - phew! part one completed. The insurance would commence at midnight! Payment would not begin until 6th May! Incredible!!!!! We came home and rang our English insurers to arrange to cancel the policy at midnight - not possible, we were told, once you tell us you want to cancel it has immediate effect and we charge you for it! Hmm, a bit of a risk - 4 hours outside the house with effectively no insurance! Then a discovery, - the letter confirming the no claims bonus is wrong - I question closely as it has a big impact on what we are paying in France. Yes there is definitely a mistake and the nice man at the other end of the phone in Ipswich he tells me,  promises that he will sort it out for me and send me another letter to correct the first!
So having patted ourselves on the back for getting that far, we planned the visit to Macon for the next pieces of paper. We had had information from an English friend that it had taken him 4 months to do this registration so we were not holding our breath - but we could have done. First to the "Centre Administrative" to ask for a "quittas fiscal". This document is necessary to ensure that if we have to pay tax to import the car, that we have done so. We had done our homework here,and had got the certificate of conformitie from Renault in England before we left - without charge! We also had our registration documents, our insurance, our passports and our driving licences. We had proof of our French address. Madame was delightful, everything was in order, she photocopied all the relevant documents and handed us the quittas fiscal - gratuit (free)! A 10 minute job! So much easier than we were expecting! She kindly explained that for the immatriculation we must go to the Prefecture building. It was such a sunny day that we left the car in the car park and walked the 20 minute walk to the Prefecture. We were met by a helpful lady on the welcome desk who gave us the form to complete asking for the relevant documents so when our number came up we were ready. She even marked on the form where I had to provide all the information - wonderful! We took our place clutching our number 076 - 060 was being currently seen but within about 25 minutes it was our turn. Again incredible efficiency - all the details put into the computer, paperwork all in order and in 10 minutes we were waiting to be called to the cash desk to pay - 282.50 euros handed over, and a temporary registration document issued - the permanent one to follow in the post within a week! Done! Completed! in less than 2 hours we had negotiated another bit of being here permanently!
As we came out of the building we noticed a conveniently placed number plate shop. Although it was after midday the proprietor welcomed us in - was the car outside? no we said its in the parking! Shall we return after lunch? The man was very pleased with that suggestion and if we bought the car round to the shop he would fix the plates on for us! Wow!
We treated ourselves to a lovely lunch by the river Saone, and saw several working barges ploughing their way through the shimmering waters as well as a cruise boat going towards Chalon.
We returned to the number plate shop having parked just around the corner. We were so impressed with the proprietor; he locked the shop and with a tool box came to our car, and fixed on the new plates - cost altogether including fitting 34 euros! We had a lovely chat with an elderly gentleman who wanted a key cut and so accompanied us whilst the number plates were fitted. We learnt that when St Peter's in Rome was built it was constructed 3 metres longer than Cluny Abbey as a mark of superiority - that's according to the proprietor! The elderly man was enchanted that we were now resident in France and expressed his pleasure that we could communicate in French (but truly I think he was being kind!)
We drove back to Cluny and amazed the assurance by our arrival with the temporary registration documents - both ladies were as amazed at us and at the simplicity and speed of the process! We now have a new insurance sticker with the French number on it - I found it hard to remember the English number so I am now needing to practice because I need to know the number in French!!!!
Often here we feel that a powerful and amazing God is watching over us, leading and guiding us step by step. It is truly amazing to us that we are receiving these signs of God's grace and mercy.
On Sunday we begin the journey through Holy week with the Taize community; our intention is to be at communion each morning at 8:10 and to get to evening prayer too.

A very French market...or how to spend your wedding anniversary!!

29 years ago today Joe and I got married at St. Brelade's Parish Church Jersey. The years have been eventful and challenging, and on this, our first wedding anniversary resident in France, we wanted to do something we had not done before.
We had heard about the market at Louhans, about an hour's drive from our home and we decided that a visit and lunch out would be a perfect way to spend the day! We had planned to be up early but I turned over and switched off the alarm and went back to sleep but we did well we thought, to set off by 9am. We met our neighbour Raymond as we were leaving, he wished us "bonne anniversaire" and when we told him where we were going he looked at his watch and said "trop tard" (too late!) as the market opens at 6am! We sped off and eventually arrived about an hour later. We parked in the free parking spaces and set off past the river towards the town. As you can see it was very tranquil!



Contrast this with the biggest market I have ever seen! Stall after stall sold an amazing variety of clothing, produce, plants, fruit trees, and then in a separate section live animals.
It took us over an hour to wander around the stalls occasionally being tempted by the amazing variety for sale. We tasted some lovely pepper, and artichoke pate for spreading on bread as little aperitifs. Then we tasted some strong (fort) comte cheese - and bought some - it has the texture of cheddar and a nutty flavour and we are looking forward to eating some later.
There was a wide variety of fruit and veg and a stall selling only nougat! Can you see Joe's hand sneaking a sample?

The market was busy but we were not even half way round it! 

Dried sausages are very popular all over the area - and the flavours are amazing and varied - we resisted temptation because it is Joe who eats this and we already had some at home!

We know that the French as a nation are not sentimental about animals - except of course domestic dogs and cats! But rabbits, goats, ducks, pintardes and chickens are for eating! All of these were for sale in the live animals section of the market. We saw 2 Siamese kittens for sale - at 450 euros each! But puppies, chicks, hens, goats, rabbits etc were all much cheaper (or cheeper if you are thinking about the chicks!!!)

Ducklings await sale



A variety of chickens to provide eggs and roast chicken!









We could have also bought a grandfather clock, carpets, beds, a dining table and chairs to seat 12, wine, fruit trees, shrubs, perrennial plants, lettuce plants, tomato plants, caulifower plants!

We ended our tour with a lovely market lunch - it was the market day menu de jour - mixed salad or pate starter, pizza or roast chicken and chips main course and cheese or apple tart dessert - all for 14 euros! We sat outside in the sunshine at the time we would have been married 29 years ago - and that was a sunny day too. After lunch we went into the church and lit a candle of thanks for all the ways in which God has blessed us and looked after us.

 

the outside of St Pierre



The window depicting the Revelation of St John

We have had such a wonderful day and we will certainly recommend the Monday market at Louhans to our guests - well worth the drive and the experience!!!



Spring has sprung in Burgundy...

For the last week, we have spent a lot of time unpacking our boxes and finding homes for them all. On Tuesday we drove up to Dijon - about one and half hours from here to visit Ikea clutching a shopping list for our friend Anton and for us. We realised that as we had left 2 bookcases in England so that the house was not completely bare, we would not be able to fit all our many and varied books on the shelves we had. We had been given a generous gift by our parish and had put the money to one side until we knew what we needed. We came back with shelves for the pans, hanging bars for all the utensils, a set of shelving for the electrical gadgets, a bookcase and a cupboard. We were delighted with our purchases and we spent yesterday putting it all together and finally feeling that we were reclaiming our home from the dreaded boxes!
We promised ourselves that we would not spend every moment unpacking as it makes us feel very dispirited - for every box emptied there was another...so on Tuesday we set out to see a dear friend, one who had encouraged us when we had told him 8 years ago that we were thinking of buying a house near to Taize. "Do it" said Jean-Michel, "And do it soon."
It was with delight that we found our friend cutting tiles to make a new kitchen in one of the gites on his campsite. Rather than post pictures here's the link to it www.chateau-de-montrouant.com

We had a moment of what I would call "clarity" as we sat in the kitchen of Jean-Michel and Emmanuelle's chateau home. We gave him a card with our address and phone number on it. "Oh," he commented when he saw the name. He esplained that the phrase "Le havre de paix" is a strong phrase and means a place of rest, tranquillity, peace and safety. We had no idea that this was the meaning of our home name and so we were thrilled because that is exactly what we wanted our home to be.

As we drove home we were very aware that Sping is here - there are so many signs. The lovely Charollais cattle are out in the fields once more after their sojourn in the cattle sheds over the winter.

The lambs too are out in the fields.

And today we came across an animal that is widespread in the are but usually hard to spot. The coypu came originally from America and was set free in France. It has become a real nuisance eroding the banks of the rivers and is often hunted and shot. The coypu we saw was happily chewing his way through the grass at the back of a neighbour's house.

We really struggled to get these photos so we are delighted with them! And then a real sign that Spring has come - in our garden the Spring flowers are peeping through the grass - we did not plant these, they came as a gift for God and His nature!

new home with old home fitted in....

Last week I wrote about my first visit to the doctor; to update those interested I am gradually getting better but it is taking a lot longer than I had expected or wished. The antibiotics are really working but I can now see why I was given a "double dose" with 10 days worth of medication...As long as I don't rush about, or stand for too long or walk too far, I am not in much pain, and each day it is a little better!

This week feels long already...we are feeding our lovely Dutch friends at lunchtimes this week as they are working on their little house here with a view to it becoming a gite. It's really a lovely place and they are busy wall paper stripping, painting and installing a new loo. At lunchtime they arrive and we all sit down and eat together and the 2 dogs come as well! I love the dogs, they sort of chat to you, not barking but making all sorts of yelping sounds! The first vicar I worked for back in Jersey had one of the same breed called Rufus and he too had a great character and personality. I enjoy cooking but it has been a bit of a struggle today, because at 9:40 the van arrived with all our belongings. So we are truly here! We had expected them last night but they felt they did not want to impose on our hospitality! I quickly cooked them sausages, egg and fried bread as they had had not breakfast and they set off unloading the van!

The van arriving outside

I was very impressed with the way the whole operation went. It was great to meet Sean and Darren again - they had loaded everything up in Wordsley and we felt we had got to know them a bit so we asked if they would do the trip and the operations manager at Burke Bros agreed!

 It was good to hear a West Midlands accent again and we were suitably impressed when they told us they had appeared last week in the new Amanda Lamb programme about deserving your house. This one was filmed in Birmingham and they were on it five or six times...wish our TV was sorted - we might have seen it, never mind!

Darren manoeuvred the van so that it was as close as possible then out came a long ramp that reached from the van on to our steps outside - very clever! And then, and then...

The ramp in place

then I began to realise just how much stuff had come down! Joe lent a hand and soon the quiet room was almost impossible to get into because of boxes, book cases filing cabinet, chairs etc etc. Then my food boxes arrived - and my kitchen gadgets - hurray, but then a panic - where on earth will it all go!

Sean and Darren reacquaint us with our stuff!

Joe too got stuck in!

It took hours to pack all that stuff, and Joe did most of it, but my goodness, that van was empty within 2 hours and we bade goodbye to Sean and Darren and wished them safe travelling as they set out for Brussels where they were due at 8pm this evening! I think Darren summed it up when he said, hmm you had a fair bit of stuff already here then!!!!!!

Tonight we can get to the kitchen the loo the bed via corridors of boxes, but tomorrow we hope to get the wardrobe assembled and the cupboards on the wall so we can get things put away. So far we have managed about 25 boxes during the afternoon and we are happy with that - but if there is anyone needing boxes in Burgundy tell us quick and you can have some from us!!!!!!

 









of medical services....

When we first came to France one of the first tasks that faced us was our registration for medical care. I was very scared about this but as I recorded in an earlier blog, all went well! We were really delighted when through the post came a letter from them at the beginning of last week to inform us that we have been accepted for health care under a reciprocal agreement with the UK and as a temporary measure here was a letter containing our health insurance number - they are much longer than those in the UK so I am pleased to say that as long as we go to the doctor armed with the number we will get the treatment we need.
You always hope that you won't need to use it, but for the last few days I have really felt unwell. I've struggled on but took to a warm bed and hot water bottle whenever I could. I was off food ( you can tell how much - I've lost over a kilo this week) and could not face tea, cereal with milk and found it very difficult to eat much at all. I began to feel life was worth living again on Wednesday but still felt distinctly unwell. Had I been in England I would have been at my local surgery on Tuesday morning, but I just kept hoping that I would not have to explain in my very basic and gappy French what the problem was...Today I surrendered. With some trepidation we went to the new Health centre that has just opened in Cluny. Recently the doctors of the area have come together under one roof and so you can walk in and ask for an appointment. (Rendezvous!) The receptionist spoke a little English which put us more at ease; plein, plein she said - full this morning but come back at 3:15 and you can see the temporay doctor as one is on holiday. She wrote it down for me as I am useless at numbers and between Joe and I we were able to give our French phone number. She offered us the chance to do it in English but we have been practising this for a couple of weeks so we could do it!
Back to Cluny for 3:15 and a very helpful receptionist pointed to upstairs and said a droit a droit! I found several others waiting and patted myself on the back when a woman turned and asked what time my appointment was and I was able to answer in French without first thinking in English!
Now I had always thought doctors looked young, but the medicin supplimentaire (the locum I think) was positively a teen-ager. She called me in and I took with me a sheaf of papers including a translation of my symptoms which she thankfully understood...she took down all my details including the medications I was already on, examined me and then explained what was wrong. After an unhurried 20 minutes she ushered me out with precriptions for 3 different tablets, a form to take to the medical labs and instructions not to start on the medication until I had been to the lab. I was so impressed...the chemist was also extremely helpful as was the lab.

The Maison de Sante (health centre) Cluny

So my first brush with the French health system worked well. I took the paper work from the Assurance Maladie and now I have to complete my claim form for them so I can re-coup a proportion back. I will consult our lovely English friends to find out which bits I need to complete!
And I have to return for my test results on Monday which will also be sent to the doctor automatically...I hope by then that the medication will have kicked in and I'll be as good as new - especially as the furniture van arrives on Monday.....