Water-cooler conversations

We've all heard the term and we all understand it to describe those unguarded general conversations we have with people of equal status to ourselves as we go about our daily business fetching water. In the late 90s I was involved with the design of a large office building in Canary Wharf where an odd corner feature was impossible to utilise efficiently unless all furniture was removed. It was designated as a space where people should mingle informally and was called “The Village Pump”
The village water-source is central to village life, or it was, until very recently. That is no longer true in my former Greek village, and I suspect a great many other villages worldwide.
But here, the fountain is central to everything, and I am overwhelmed to be living behind the door that opens onto that fountain. (Man in hat - extreme right of image)

It's Bastille Day, when everyone in France celebrates the day that once in their history they had the guts to overthrow the ruling regime because of a mis-handled economic crisis. Traditionally in Britain we tend to regard the French as cowardly. How bloody pathetic is that?

Lots of activity going on outside today and I confess to being too timid to join in. I feel utterly crippled by my lack of conversational French. Forty five years ago I would bluster my way through, but now most of my French vocabulary has been replaced with Greek words and I gasp like a fish out of water. But then a ring on the doorbell and a local friend of Veronica & Steve invited me to come out and join the celebrations. An introduction made all the difference, so I joined in with the pre-lunch drinks and met a small group of English-speakers. I felt far too self-conscious to bring the camera out with me to a social event, but happily found this later.