Archive Article: 2001/01/19
DOWNTOWN Vimoutiers surprised everyone this year by installing an
ice-skating rink in the
Halle au Beurre.
Open every day including Christmas Day especially for families, at 10 francs an hour (including the hire of skates) no-one could complain. Apparently there had been grumbles about the large investment but every time we went it was busy
so I hope it has paid for itself and that they do the same next year.
Just two Santas were seen trying to break into the Credit Agricole Bank. Previous years have seen an invasion of red and white life-size Santas climbing lamp-posts, hanging from balconies and even climbing the church steeple. The
first year they appeared we counted 22, indubitably
a job lot off the back
of a lorry…
Have we had a good Christmas? You betcha.
I think in the company of ex-pats we must be party-people, or is it a little
hankering for tradition that leads us, en-masse, every year to Michael and Mary Coohs to sit around their gigantic table (which can hold up to 30) where we have a typically English Christmas tea of salmon
and cucumber sandwiches, sausage rolls and mince pies before piling into the sitting room to sing carols round the piano. Whatever the
reason we always enjoy
ourselves and fall into
festive mode tout de suite.
The Cheshire Greens (Jiggles and Al, Lyndsay and Nic) arrived on the Saturday just in time to get dolled up, 60s style, for a swinging party at Deb and Josss (farming dairy cows and B & B just outside Gaie).
This included lots of silly games such as "feel the knees to find the wife whilst blindfolded" which got them all guessing when Tim, dressed in shorts as his bell-bottomed loons no
longer fit, joined the row
of female knees!
Cherry had a double Christmas – going home with boyfriend Fred to
celebrate with his family French-style on Christmas Eve, then bringing Fred back to open stockings here on Christmas morning. Neither of them were
particularly hungry after their reveillon of oysters, snails, salmon and ostrich steaks – I cant think why. Freds first experience of opening a stocking was quite impressive – it isnt a French tradition.
The week rolled on with aperitifs at friends in town with a murder mystery
supper to follow where we had to dress the part. Arriving at Brigittes for drinks first, we were very apologetic for turning up ridiculously dressed, but I started to worry when her daughter Audrey said we didnt look disguised (I was going as a lap dancer).
New Years Eve saw us preparing for two events. Beth and her friends (about 16) had a sit-down do in the lounge while we had a
dinner for 15 in the dining room. This culminated in a frantically-rehearsed
rendition of You Dont Own Me performed by Jiggles and me, emphatically
dedicated to our husbands – the brothers not so Grimm as Green. (Eat your heart out Goldie Hawn.)
It all bodes well for the rest of the New Year.