Les flics - The cops.

Living here I have got used to the numerous road side checks when one is pulled in and asked to show the log book and driving licence to "flic" number 1 whilst flic number 2 has a look at the car and checks the insurance and MOT which are displayed on the windscreen. The stomach churning anxiety which hit me the first time it happened has now changed into resignation at having to waste a few minutes finding the relevant documents and hoping that they find nothing wrong. On the way back from Cambo, yesterday, I was flagged down as I came off a roundabout on the dual carriageway. Being a Sunday it was pretty quiet so I assumed that they were short of customers. I coasted to a halt, wound down the window and said "Bonjour". I was asked for the paperwork and as I handed it over he informed me that I hadn't put my indicator on as I came off the roundabout. Now as this is one of my bugbears about other drivers, I should think that the vast majority don't do so, I couldn't believe that I had been "copped" for that!! I said how sorry I was- (je suis désolée sounds so dramatic!) that I had seen that there was no traffic coming in the other direction so I hadn't thought it necessary to do so. He told me that it was an offence and that there was an immediate fine of 45 euros but that he had also seen that there was no approaching traffic so that, in this instance, I could proceed with a warning. He asked what nationality I was and I replied British. Ah but you are French now, he said, as you have a French driving licence. What a nice young "flic" !!!!!!!!!!!!
We had another brush with the law earlier in the year. When we moved here we had to re-register the car and change the number plate as we had changed "departements" We did this but somehow never affixed the number plate correctly. In fact Nigel fixed the new one on top of the old one and we forgot about it. On the way into Aire sur l'Adour we were flagged down and as I presented the paperwork I noticed that the second "flic" was looking at the number plates. We were asked why they weren't properly fixed and I replied that we hadn't had time to do so. The "flic" looked at the logbook which showed that we had had 3 months to do so. We were told that this was an offence, that we had to turn round and go back up to the nearest garage and get them done properly and report back to him with the properly fixed plates. This we did with a fair bit of verbal abuse from me to Nigel about him not doing it right in the first place. It was soon done and on reporting back the "flic" finally let his mask slip and smiled and said,"there, it didn't take long did it" !!

Tuesday 28th October, operation day.

Nigel rang me on the Monday evening to say that he had arrived safely at the clinic in Bayonne. The surgeon had been to see him and told him that the operation was scheduled for 10am Tuesday. We arranged that he would call me when he was able to. I spoke to the nursing staff on several occasions on the Tuesday and Wednesday and was told that the operation had been a success, that he was in considerable pain which they were treating and that he was resting. He finally called me on the Thursday lunchtime, what a relief to talk to him again. He sounded reasonably OK but obviously in some pain and very uncomfortable. He has a drain in his side which will be in place for about a week. He says that it is very painful when they change the dressings. By Friday he was able to get out of bed and sit in the chair for his meals. I was quite worried when I spoke to him on Friday evening and Saturday lunchtime as he sounded much worse than he had previously. When he didn't call on Saturday evening I became more worried. He finally called again on Sunday morning and sounded much better. The medication that they are giving him for the pain had really knocked him about but he is now feeling more "with it". I had said that I would go over and see him today, Sunday, but he said it is not worth me making the trip for just an hour or two with him, says it will be better to see him again when he is back at Cambo. I'm disappointed in a way but as it is foul weather today, very wet, I am quite relieved not to be driving all the way to Bayonne and back.
The drain came out on Monday much to Nigels relief and on Wednesday he went back to Cambo. He's much happier now that he is back there as he is more comfortable and there is much less noise. He has a room on his own on the second floor next to the nurses room so they can keep an eye on him.
I went down to see him yesterday and was surprised but pleased to find him looking much better than I had expected. I took the CD player and a selection of CD's which will hopefully help pass the time for him. At the moment he is confined to his room but he was allowed down into the dining room for lunch with me. The staples in the wound are causing him a lot of pain but half of them are coming out tomorrow. I also took him an electronic notepad which may take him a while to work out how to use! Lunch is served at 12 and dinner at 7 so he is finding that he gets quite hungry mid afternoon. I took him some biscuits and some cake so hopefully they will fill the gap. The scar is 25cms (81/2") long, I'm not sure why he had a tape with him but it did come in useful to measure the scar! After lunch we went back to his room, chatted and played Scrabble and then it was time for me to leave. So good to see him again and so good to see him looking relatively well,.

Day at Cambo-les-Bains

Nigel's operation is scheduled for Tuesday 28th October and he will be taken to the clinic in Bayonne from Cambo. So on the Sunday I went down to spend the day with him. It was a beautiful day and looks as if it was the last day of our wonderful Indian summer as we had rain the next day. I got there about 11.30 and we went for a short walk before lunch. I was able to have lunch with him and the other residents in the dining room there. Although he usually sits at a table for four, the staff had kindly given us a table for two. The food was very good and all the other residents were very friendly. After lunch we walked again. First Nigel wanted to show me the centre that he goes to for his painting and pottery workshops. The centre is housed in a beautiful old Basque building. The architecture in Cambo is amazing, virtually all the buildings are of Basque architecture, it is a very beautiful town. We then walked down 2 flights of steps and a very steep, narrow lane down to the town gardens and spa. The gardens are amazing, very tropical. Cambo is renowned for its mild climate and the gardens are set in a sheltered area. There is a profusion of date palms and tree ferns and, to me, it looked almost like a New Zealand landscape. In front of the spa building is a large swimming pool set amongst the ferns and palms. We then walked back up the hill and steps to where we had parked the car in the town centre. It was amazing to see Nigel so fit and well. He walked up the hill and steps without stopping or coughing, something he wouldn't have been able to do for many years previously.
We then went to visit the villa Arnaga, the house built by Edmond Rostand, the author of Cyrano de Bergerac. The house was completed in 1906 in the Basque style. Today the villa and its park are the property of the commune of Cambo-les-Baths, and house the museum Edmond Rostand.Arnaga means “water on the stones” in Basque. Edmond Rostand was 32 years old when he contracted pneumonia and he first rented a house in Cambo because of the gentle climate. The 3 hectare gardens with orangery, pergola, ponds and fountains are stunning.One of the many famous visitors he received at Arnaga was Sarah Bernhardt.
After a fascinating couple of hours at Arnaga time was quickly running out, I wanted to get back home before it got too dark, so I took Nigel back to his temporary home. It was difficult to say goodbye to him, he is so well at the moment and it seems sad that once he has had the operation he will be quite ill for a time. Still the whole point of this is that he is fit for the operation, almost 4 weeks at Cambo has made such an improvement. We both agreed that it had been a perfect day and one that we shall remember for a long time.

3 day event Pau

On Friday the 24th October I went down to Pau to watch the 4 star dressage phase of the 3 day event. It was a perfect day, blue skies and sunny but not too hot. I got there at about 11am and was mildly surprised to see so few people. There were many free grandstand seats available but they were damp so as I had taken a fold up chair I opened that up and was able to sit right by the rails with a wonderful view of the arena. It was such a treat to see the immaculately turned out horses and their riders performing their dressage test. During the lunch break I wandered around the "village" looking at all the saddlery stalls and marvelling at the vast amount of equine gear available. I was quite grateful that I have no need to buy any of these products any more, it would have been so tempting! I sat at a table in the sun and had lunch, a foie gras sandwich and a glass of red wine, watching the world go by. For such a prestigious event there were not that many people there and it seemed to me that the majority of spectators were British. I then went round to the warm up area and spent a fascinating hour watching the top international horses and riders prepare their horses for their tests. Back at the ringside there were more people than in the morning but I was still able to set up my chair by the ringside. After a mornings viewing of the tests I was now able to anticipate which moves were coming next and to discern at some points when an error was made. The top score of the day went to Bettina Hoy, who was the eventual winner of the event. I didn't see her do her test as I was still watching at the warm up arena when she was in the arena but I did see her warming up. They all make it look so dreadfully simple!!