Skip to main content

Rubbish

I had a visit from a lady from the garbage department yesterday.  Apparently they are visiting all properties in the commune to explain the new system.  She brought with her 2 bins, one black and one yellow and she stuck a code on the black one.  The yellow one is for plastic only, she explained.  Paper and bottles will be put in the recycling bins at the edge of the village and the black one is for ordinary household waste.

The collection will be once a fortnight and I can't leave the black bin out unless it is full.  When I am here on my own that could take a long time.  'In summer that could be a problem,'  I ventured to say, but she said 'here is your ID card.  If the garbage starts to smell take it to the garbage centre and show your ID.'  Then without even blinking or pausing for breath she added, ' You will receive the bill for the garbage collection twice a year.'  What?  'You mean I have to pay for this new system?' I asked.  'Yes.'  was all she could summon up in reply.  So the way I see it I am having  to pay for delivering my own garbage.

I pointed out that at the moment we pay for garbage collection through our local taxes.  Does this mean that the tax will be reduced to avoid paying for garbage collection twice?   'I have visited nearly every household in the village,' she said,  'and you are the first person who has asked that question.'  I can't believe that none of my French neighbours haven't thought of it so when I saw my neighbour opposite I pointed out that we were in danger of paying for garbage collection twice.  'I hadn't thought of that,' she replied.  I give up.

Yesterday a bunch of us were thrown out of a cafe because it was 12 noon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Playing by ear

My father could play the piano.  Not an unusual skill but he was deaf.  He lost his  hearing fighting in the army in India in the 30s so he was an adult when he lost it and therefore remembered tunes, even though he couldn't hear him.  However he didn't have the skill to learn anything new so  either you liked the old music or you didn't.  He used to say that he played by ear and then would roar with laughter.  He would have struggled in many ways with modern living but most of all during the pandemic, he would have lost his ability to communicate as he always lip read.  There must be thousands of people like him today who still rely on reading lips to understand,  in fact all of us do it to some extent, so please be patient if someone is struggling to communicate while you are wearing a mask. I went to the supermarket today and at the check out, the cashier asked me to move the trolley into a particular position.  As I manoeuvred it ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mondays

 Last Monday my son and daughter in law were due to catch the 8.15am ferry from Portsmouth to Caen.  It was 6.45am when I stepped out of the shower and heard my phone  going.  I snatched it up.  It was a video  call.  'Mum, we have big problems here,'  and before I could speak he thrust the phone into the hands of a Brittany ferries' staff member and said, 'Talk  to my mum.'  Barely conscious of my wet, tangled hair and trying to cover myself up with a  towel which thought gravity was fun, I asked what the problem was.  Apparently they had the wrong vaccination certificates and were being refused passage.  I asked what I could do and she said they could go and get a test and take a later ferry.  'Where is the nearest test centre in Portsmouth?'  I asked.  'There isn't one,' she replied, 'there  is one in Southampton, or Havant.'  What!  No test centre in Portsmouth?  They both have learni...
1 comment
Read more

Equality

 I don't want to hear another person  say that women should be equal to men.  There is no 'should' about it, women ARE equal to men but they are not treated equally.  It has never occurred to me that I am  not equal to any man.  Am I treated equally?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  It requires a step change in the way women think of themselves as being equal before we can hope for attitudes, legislation, economics to  follow and that is my rant for the day. Ever since I have lived in France I have noticed a stark difference between the French and the British sense of humour.  The dry, irreverent humour of the British is completely wasted on the French, and the Dutch and the Americans sometimes for that matter.  Clearly the British humour is unique.  Yesterday I gave an article to a French friend to read.  It was a humorous piece, self deprecating about a woman suffering an attack by an insect on her face with hideous result...
Post a Comment
Read more