Juxtapositions

At 11 am this morning Council staff left their desks to observe a minutes silence on the lawns in front of the Civic Centre. It was a big crowd of people - in its own way, quite moving.

I took this later. The Tricolour flies at half mast, whilst a chap in a cherry picker fixes the Christmas Tree to the front of the building. A strange juxtaposition. Although the seasonal message of peace and hope is particularly poignant now, so maybe not.

Salford is twinned with three places in France - Narbonne, Clermont Ferrand, and St Ouen. That will be why the City has a Tricolour. St Ouen is part of Paris, just outside the old city walls and the area governed by the Paris Commune. I went on a visit years ago, and every January get a card wishing me a Happy New Year from their Committee des Jumileges. I wish them peace and hope in the midst of the current horror.

Random fact - St Ouen is home to the world's largest flea market, the marché de puces. Owned since 2014 by the Duke of Westminster.