#hautemarne

[francepittoresque]

EXPOSITION | Fragments d'un iguanodon découvert en Haute-Marne ➽ https://j.mp/3BQVvhh Découvert il y a 50 ans dans la région du Lac du Der, les fragments de l’iguanodon, un spécimen de dinosaure, originaire du Crétacé, sont à découvrir au musée de Saint-Dizier en Haute-Marne

[hlamtrong-blog]

le 11 novembre 1918, le jour de l’Armistice. Josephine photographie “les colombes de la paix” à Rimaucourt, où elle est infirmière en chef de l’hôpital américain n°59. 1918, November 11th, “Armistice day”. Josephine took a picture of “Peace doves” in Rimaucourt, Haute-Marne, France, where she was the chief nurse of Base Hospital #59

[francepittoresque]

PATRIMOINE | Maison de maître de forges à Rupt (Haute-Marne) : en lice pour le Loto du patrimoine 2021 ➽ https://j.mp/2RD389s Une grande bâtisse de Haute-Marne en péril, située à Rupt, près de Joinville, a été sélectionnée par la mission Stéphane Bern pour l'édition 2021 du Loto du patrimoine afin d'être restaurée. Il s'agit d'une maison de maître de forges

[thoanny]

Festival d'affiches au Festival de l'Affiche, 25 mai 2008. Photo tirée de mes archives.

[thoanny]

Affiches au Festival de l'Affiche, 25 mai 2008. Photo tirée de mes archives.

[thoanny]

Statue de la place Émile Goguenheim de Chaumont, 19 mai 2008. Photo tirée de mes archives.

[theretirementstory]

Bonjour tout le monde, and in particular to all men celebrating Father’s Day. It is cloudy, damp and cooler of late at 19c, but that is most welcome. Today is the first round of regional elections in France with the second round taking place next Sunday. As an “etranger” I am not allowed to vote which is just as well!!

I went to the cinema to see the movie “The Father”, not really knowing what to expect, I was at first a little confused but all became clearer before the end of the movie. I was surprised to see Mark Gatiss, a man who attended school in Newton Aycliffe, (a town I lived and worked in for many years). Don’t get me wrong I don’t know Mark Gatiss personally, but it was seeing him in the movie and having read of the loss of his own father earlier this year, I found it quite moving.

M. Francois, at the pharmacy, rang me this week with the offer of my 2ndCovid vaccination, I am going on the 24th and looking forward to getting that final jab.

Ahead of schedule, here in France, the overnight curfew is lifted from tonight, the wearing of masks outdoors is no longer compulsory apart from certain areas, like markets, public transport and other situations involving crowds.

I have been doing a lot of work in the garden, but as I am sure you know, you get an area looking weed free, have some sun and now rain and the fastest things to grow are the weeds. Oh what joy too with the broad beans, I harvested some the other day and to be honest I am blown away by the number of beans and the amount of flowers still on the plants. Two tomato plants have flowers on, the peas have flowers and some small pods, chillies and peppers are growing but no sign of flowers yet. I keep getting the “odd” strawberry but still have not been able to open the cream! I also had to have a sort out of the composter, since “rat-gate” I have been loathe to put anything into the composter other than grass cuttings. Now a good gardener will tell you that that is no good at all, consequently when I opened the composter the smell of ammonia was horrendous. I spent a very therapeutic afternoon shredding newspaper and then (using the rake) getting the dried leaves from under the hedge. I have been “googling” compost aerators and having decided which type I needed found that I couldn’t find them here in France not even on-line. I think I have decided on one which looks like an arrow tip unfortunately it doesn’t have two handles so I only hope that I can turn it on the compacted compost at the bottom of the box.

In January 2020, the water provider for the town was changed. I had previously paid by standing order but I don’t recall being given that option with the new provider. I was quite concerned last year when I hadn’t received a bill and I e-mailed them. They assured me that bills were being prepared and would be sent out soon. Months later still no bill and I emailed again, this time I was told it would be in the new year. A few months ago I received a letter re-assuring me that bills would be sent out. One arrived this week, it is for the period January – June 2020, there was a letter saying that the bill for June 2020 to June 2021 would be sent out in September this year along with the bill for sanitation. I do hope that people have been putting some money aside each month otherwise they are going to be in for a big shock!

It is now over TEN weeks since I had my appointment at the Prefecture for my new “Titre de Sejour” (this one relating to the Withdrawal Agreement). I was told in a response to a previous e-mail that it would arrive soon (this was on the 18 May) so I have now sent another e-mail saying how stressed I am at not having received this card yet. Re-arrange these words to form a well known phrase “ducks a water back off”!!!

My Godmother, who is still in hospital following a fall which left her with a compound fracture of the femur, will be 98 on Tuesday. I walked to the next village the other night in 29C to post her birthday card.

“The Daddy” has been on holiday for two weeks and he has managed to sort out a lot of things, namely a removal firm for the big move to the new house, his stamp collection which is now packed away again and last but by no means least he has been for his first Covid jab. “The Mummy” completed her final working week and is now officially on Maternity Leave. Her first job is to complete the final assignment for the course she has been taking. She has done so well and received distinctions for all of the assignments so far. I am hoping that we will be texting one another over the coming weeks while she waits for the arrival of the new baby. My gorgeous granddaughter was playing with soil, water, leaves and bulbs at Nursery, she was asked what she was making and she replied “A pork pie”!

“The Paralegal” has had another “stinky” week at work, as I keep saying, just soak it up only two more weeks to go. Who knows what the next few weeks will bring, as they say, every cloud……..

Lucy has been working again and so they have not seen as much of each other this week, this means that “The Paralegal” hasn’t seen the babies at all. He will be sad.

Holy smoke! I almost forgot to tell you, I noticed a bird, black head and back with a red tail, apparently it is a “Black redstart”, I have just seen him on the little wall a few minutes ago and I am sure his mate was on my patio table while I was eating my breakfast. I know “Not a lot” about birds but when I see something different it is easy to google them.

Takings at the bar will be down as I didn’t visit on Thursday, it was too warm to contemplate walking plus we also had reports of thunderstorms, so not wanting to get soaked to the skin again I stayed at home.

What an experience I had yesterday, my friend Marie-Therese had said that she would arrange for us to go to the Spiralina Farm in deepest darkest Haute-Marne. I said I would prepare a picnic to take with us and she said that she would pick me up at 10.30. Well she arrived at 10.45 and we were due to be there for 11.30. We got into her little car (no aircon) and she took off “like a bat out of hell”, I know that she drives into Paris but nothing prepared me for the way she got right up behind cars, relied on her brakes (I tend to use my gearbox for slowing down), took corners in 4th or 5thgear and drove in the centre of the road on country lanes which were winding, uphill and down dale”. I do believe she had taken me along as ballast! Apart from the temperature being around 30c+ I was soaked to the skin when we finally arrived, mainly due to the fact that we were lost a couple of times and that the time of our appointment had been and gone by more than 45 minutes. We spent about 15 minutes at the farm and then had the journey back. Fortunately, she could drive more leisurely and so the return was not such a “white knuckle” ride. We ate the picnic sitting in a bandstand in the middle of a large village, it was nice to have a break before continuing home. Did I mention that this friend is 85 years old?

I had four ladies at the knitting group and it was lovely. The Turkish lady had brought me some “brik” she had made and I took them on the picnic. We chatted and I love to hear all of their news, they love to see the pictures of my granddaughter too.

Now I really must get something done inside the house as the sun has come out and although only 22c it is warm.

Have a great week everyone.

[patricelecointre]