A colourful bug

found on a hibiscus plant. Another mild warm day, we walked around the back of the village, very pleasant with many new builds and of course the older style. We found ourselves looking at one just around the corner from here, it's in desperate need of attention with a small triangular garden in the front and large area at the back including a laddened apple tree. A great sunny spot. Who ever buys it will need to do a major revamp. As so often seen there are any number of properties for sale in the area although many look empty. Villages around here often have a boulangerie, bank, pharmacy, even an estate agent in some cases. Also here they have their own Mairie office - looks after the community - and as mentioned before a bar/restaurant. We can't help but wonder how they all survive financially and admire the way they do. Our small boulangiere is very easy going, I called in just after 8.00 this morning and bought the last 4 croissants and a long thin baguette, it was warm. Both go well with the crabapple and blackberry jelly. We made another batch on Thursday, not sure about making any more.

A late add on: today is our 45th wedding anniversary.

I found this to go with the shape of markings of the bug:
True bugs / Punaise.
Pyrrhocoris apterus known as Firebug in English and in France various names - Gendarme, Diable cherche-midi,  Cordonnier, Masque-nègres plus others depending on region. A harmless insect that eats mostly fallen seeds and dead insects and can be found throughout France.

Also about the role of the Mairie:
Essentially, the mairie is the mayor of your village, town or city. They are an elected representative with a ‘direct line’ of communication to the decisions made locally, and are usually based in the town hall, which is likely to be one of the most impressive buildings in the town.

The role of the mairie and their potential involvement and influence in your life depends greatly on where you live – as a rule of thumb, the power a mairie has over local residents is far more pronounced in rural communities. In larger towns and cities, you may never get to meet your mairie, unless you go to a civic function, or get involved in local issues. It is still a good idea to stay on the right side of the mairie wherever possible, as you never know when you may need their help!