Book group

Our last book group meeting before our summer break was at newest member B's lovely house. She'd laid on a fantastic home-made spread -- she's definitely raised the bar for all of us. We talked about Erasure, the 20-year-old book on which the film American Fiction is (loosely) based. I haven't seen the film, but from what others said it seems like the characters are a whole lot more likeable than they are in the book. We all had a lot of criticisms of it, though it had its good moments as well.

When I got up this morning I discovered there was no water. I supposed this was due to the continuing works, but there hadn't been any announcement so I'd made no provision. Luckily there was enough leftover water in the kettle for coffee, but nothing for washing. I had to fill a watering can at the slowly dripping fountain to flush the toilet. I shrugged and went to the market supposing that it would be fixed by the time I got back. Reader, it wasn't, but it was lunchtime by then, so no point going to the Mairie. 

I had supposed it was a general problem, so I was surprised when I went after lunch to be told that no-one else had complained. Anyway, municipal worker J came round promptly, had a quick poke around, and established that they'd turned off the mains tap to our house in the street early this morning to do some work, and forgotten to turn it on again, so it was a quick fix.

Needless to say Mystère wouldn't have anything to do with the sardines in tomato sauce this morning, and was very glum. I cheered him up by buying some chicken thighs at the market and roasting one for him at lunchtime. Let's hope he still likes it tomorrow. All three of the election candidates, including the one parachuted in from Bordeaux for the Front Populaire, were leafleting in the market, but I didn't have time to engage with any of them. Philippe Poutou, the parachuted one, who has stood for President three times, is so "popular" that a local left councillor is standing against him with the support of some local big cheeses. 

In other election news, the three Rassemblement National candidates for the Aude held a press conference to which only the reporter and photographer from local newspaper L'Indépendant turned up. They promptly had a go at him for describing them as "extreme right" ,and when he said, "Well, that's because you are," they stomped off in a huff. Way to win people over.