Rebels in action

 While the sewage continues to run through the courtyard in front of my apartment I am sending daily, polite but firm, emails to the company who is supposed to manage the buildings.  It has got so bad that I can no longer leave my apartment by my front door and today is a public holiday so the situation just grinds on.  Yesterday the owners of 4 of the apartments held a meeting in the courtyard until the smell and the cold drove us into my kitchen.  One owner, Franck, said the company is so bad that we should just get rid of them and run the buildings ourselves.  Fighting talk.  My neighbours nodded in agreement, clearly not understanding the consequences of such an action, but Franck was determined.  Raising his arm in the air he declared, 'c'est la guerre!', 'this is war!'  Gosh, my own yellow vest in our courtyard.  They took a vote.  I said it was worth exploring but the immediate problem was getting the managers to take action on the sewage problem.  They voted for getting rid of the management company.  As there are 7 apartments I am not sure how valid the vote would be but Franck was undeterred.  As the American owner has gone to the States for a week I asked Franck to send me an email covering the 'proceedings' and I would translate it and forward it to him.  I am wondering, if someone slipped on the disgusting mess and injured themselves could we sue the management company?  Would the Maire like to know that some of his citizens are living in the middle of a health hazard?  I am  so glad I moved here.

Elsewhere in the world, the major countries are working out how to sign climate change  agreements without actually having  to adhere to anything.  Boris Johnson is trying to charm the British into thinking that everything in the garden is lovely while the Tories are plotting how to get rid of him.  Macron is back pedalling on his promise to reform pensions and the retirement age, Biden is finding out that compromise with the republicans is almost impossible and China has announced that it will be building more coal powered facilities.   Thank goodness I can vent my frustrations on a tennis or golf ball.