Some Christmas themed books at our village library
Advent Day Seven
Christmas at the library
This afternoon, I’ve had fun at the village library putting together a little display of Christmas themed books and magazines to tempt our readers. There is something for everyone, from children’s stories, books on oysters and foie gras – both typically found on the Christmas and New Year table in France, and magazines full of ideas for decorations, recipes and seasonal days out. It isn’t quite as festive as I’d have liked, but with all the decorations locked in the basement, it was the best I could do today.
Qui a peur du Père Fouette ?
One of the books that caught my eye was called “Qui a peur du Père Fouettard ?” This translates to “Who is afraid of Father Whipper?” - although fouettard can also be used to describe a bogeyman. Instead of a jolly Père Noel, dressed in red and with his sack of presents, Père Fouettard, is dressed in dark robes, looks rather grumpy and brandishes a whip (un fouet).
We have all grown up knowing that Father Christmas only visits the good children, but in France the naughty children don’t just miss out on presents and Christmas cheer, they risk a visit from Père Fouettard (and his whip) and will receive a scolding for their misdemeanours.
You’ll be pleased to hear that in this book, Père Fouettard decides he has had enough of being nasty to the children, and as poor Père Noel is having to make his deliveries on foot, as his reindeers are all feeling poorly, the two of them decide to work together. After all, it is much nicer to bring joy and happiness, and help out a friend, than to be the one to deliver a scolding.
It was rather quiet in the library first thing this morning, just me, the books and the sound of rain falling on the roof.
It’s a Saturday, normally one of our busiest mornings as the weekly market takes place right outside our door. This year, the commune of Chef-Boutonne have made a real effort to ensure summer 2021 is something special. There is live music playing every week at the market and events taking place in all parts of the newly enlarged commune. It’s such a shame the weather has been so bad, for so long. I can normally hear the sounds of the market from the library. The chatter of the shoppers, the live music and the general hubub of a lively event. Today it was silent, aside from the drumming of the rain.
I’ve now completed two of the three weeks as sole librarian while boss C takes her summer break to walk in the mountains. I’m nicely up to date with all the tasks she has left me, so I took advantage of a quiet start to explore some of the bookshelves more closely. The great thing about the library is there is always something new to catch my eye, another book to add to my ever-growing list of books to read. I really am like a kid in a sweetshop, greedily feasting with my eyes and unable to choose which one to have next.
Some local books that have caught my eye
Life has been quite hectic these last few weeks, but I always feel both calmed and energised surrounded by books. Reading in French isn’t easy, even for me after seventeen years living here, but it is worth the effort. Seeing the words and sentences written down helps my brain to retain the vocabulary and reinforces the grammar I so often forget when I speak. Whether it is children’s easy readers, that I can read quickly, local history books that always interest me or novels that are similar to those I read in English, they are all helping.
Murder on the Orient Express comic book
I’ve even been branching out into the murky world of Bande Dessinée, comic books. I’ve never really been a fan, but the French love them, especially in our area as Angouleme is considered the BD capital of France. However, these last few weeks I’ve found some with topics I’m interested in, like a BD Diary of Anne Frank and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. As with any form of learning, it’s easier if the subject holds your interest. The thing I am now appreciating about BDs is that the pictures help me to follow the story and the words are mostly dialogue, so a great aid to improving conversational French.
The furniture arrives at our new house, August 2004
An important anniversary
Today is a special day for us as seventeen years ago we set off in our two-car convoy, to begin our new life in France. To think that our little three-year-old is now working and preparing to officially move in with his girlfriend, Pearl, and start a Master’s degree, or that my French is good enough to read and understand real books and work in an all-French environment, is nothing short of mind boggling.
You can read all about our first days in France and signing for our house in this series of blogs I wrote a few years ago. Let’s just say we might have had a plan, but in life, as we all know, things rarely go to plan.
My first month working at the library is done, I’m loving being back and life is good.
Life is also busy, and the biggest challenge has been coordinating life around three (or four if I include Ed’s girlfriend Pearl) different working schedules, as none of us are working Monday to Friday, nine to five. We have also had to factor in a flat move for Ed and Pearl an hour away in Poitiers, meaning packing, cleaning, moving and furniture buying also had to be slotted into our busy weeks. It hasn’t been easy, but we are almost there.
The weather hasn’t been on my side either. I don’t need wet, chilly days to keep on top of the mowing or to dry the washing, but consistent warm and sunny seems to have eluded us so far this summer. As we approach our seventeenth anniversary of moving to France (at the end of this week), experience tells me August is not normally a settled month weather wise, so I can only hope it will buck its usual trend this year. Chatting to Bernadette at our village boulangerie at the weekend, it was nice to know it is not just us struggling with the lack of sunshine. She confirmed that she and many other customers are also feeling fatigued and lacking in energy. It seems we all have solar cells that are desperately in need of a recharge.
My plastic storage box cupboard
Household chores are piling up, along with the potager produce, that needs processing and freezing. This photo, taken yesterday, of my plastic storage box cupboard reflects the current state of my mind. You can see that at one point there was organisation and order, but chaos is now creeping in. Just like the cupboard contents that spill out when I try to locate a specific box, with matching lid, things to do and stuff to remember are tumbling around in my head and getting lost.
It is my journal writing and blogging that have had to give and although I’m not happy about that, I have to accept I can’t always do everything. I have so much to share, from a new addition to the family (think wheels not feet) and a weekend away cycling, to proud parenting moments and exciting challenges at work. I will get there, I promise, once I’ve found a better balance and life calms down a little.
Yesterday was the first day of the month, my first day back at the library, my first commute by bike and the first time ever that all three of us went off to work after breakfast. If that wasn’t enough, this week, Ed’s been paid for the first time and tonight he’s off to his first work’s do, a summer barbeque. Yesterday, he even made a quiche (including making pastry for the first time, under my expert guidance) to take as his contribution to the shared meal. I’m struggling to keep up with the changes in our lives this summer and to accept how mature three-weeks work at the library has made Ed.
Back at the bibliothèque
The reassuringly familiar smell of books that hit my nose as I walked back into the library yesterday morning, left me feeling calm, despite my first-day nervous excitement. Whilst the layout hasn’t changed much since 2018, not everything is as it was last time. Instead of the eye-catching new arrivals laid out at the side of the welcome desk by the door, there is now a bottle of hand gel that must be used and of course everyone needs to wear a mask.
Last time, I arrived after the lady I’m replacing left on her maternity leave, but this time we have two mornings working together before she gets to put her feet up. With a busy summer of events on the calendar, it is vital that I am up to speed on the day to day tasks from the get-go. Thankfully, I still have my trusty notebook with the comprehensive instructions I wrote in 2018, and as I tentatively began familiarising myself with the system, I was relieved that things began to filter back into my head.
With Covid-19 closing down village life and Brexit removing me from the local council, my interaction with my French friends, and therefore my spoken French, has taken a real hit this last year. With the additional barrier of speaking through a mask, I’m pretty sure my biggest hurdle will be the communicating, but as my two colleagues chatted away yesterday morning, it felt good to be able to follow pretty much everything. I’m hoping this job is just what I need to coax me out of the safe, family bubble I’ve created since the first confinement and remind me there is still a world out there. Tomorrow morning, I will face my first test of interacting with the public, so fingers crossed for me please.
The view from the bike on my commute
One big difference with working this time, is that I arrived at the library by bike rather than by car. Chef Boutonne is about eight kilometres from our village and since Covid-19, we have made a real effort to take the bikes rather than the car for journeys under ten kilometres. I can’t promise I’ll only commute by bike for the next four months, as the weather isn’t likely to be on my side every day, but I am certainly planning to use the bike whenever possible. With a quiet commute through fields where sunflowers will bloom in the coming weeks, it really isn’t going to be a hard decision to take the bike instead of the car when the sun is shining.
A library on holiday
My first day wouldn’t have been complete without finding a book to read, and while putting away some of the returned books, this one found me.
“Une bibliothèque en voyage” (A library on holiday), is a first-reads novel for children from six years old, so shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for my written French. With a cover depicting a slightly greying librarian on her bicycle, I knew as soon as I picked it up, this book was there for me. As I am determined to read more in French this year, at least this has got me off to a good start.
Madame Chut (Mrs Shush)
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Life seems to have done nothing but change since early 2020, when Covid-19 burst into our lives. Some of these changes have turned out to be more positive than expected, like lockdown meaning we spent more time together as a couple and a family, as well as the ensuing changes to Adrian’s work that have enabled him to do so from home, without an international commute.
More recent changes to our lives have also been great news, like Ed finishing his degree, getting accepted for a Masters degree, returning home for the summer and getting himself the best holiday job in the world at the library in Sauze-Vaussais. I’m also looking forward to the change in routine that working at the Chef-Boutonne library will give me when I start at the beginning of July.
The changeable weather we have experienced this week, however, has not been so positive. The storms, rain and wind, interspersed with the odd moment of sunshine left me feeling unsettled and fed up that I couldn’t get out on my bike. That post-holiday feeling really hit hard having had two fantastic holidays in such a short space of time.
The recent Facebook updates for managing a Page made it more difficult to share my new blog posts directly on my page, and what I do post is now seen by fewer people, thanks to the algorithms. It was good to know that many of you had signed up to directly receive an email notification whenever I added a new post, until another change was thrust upon me; the withdrawal of the email subscription service by FeedBurner. Why do so many changes in the name of progress ultimately make things more complicated and create more work?
If you are an email subscriber, in the coming weeks the way you receive your email will change, but thankfully there is no need for you to do anything. Adrian and I have been busy setting up and testing out the new MailChimp email service, so please do look out for the new email and keep your fingers-crossed the transition will be a smooth one. I couldn’t have done it without him.
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Sunshine and storm clouds and hollyhocks
One change I don’t mind at this time of year is that every time I look out of the window, there are more hollyhock flowers to look at and admire. Every self-seeded plant stands at least as tall as me and although they are mostly all pink, each one is a slightly different shade of pink and shape of flower. Whatever the weather, they put a smile on my face.
Outdoor apero concert organised by the Chef-Boutonne library
Covid-19 changes in France
Today sees the next step in France’s ‘life with Covid-19’ policy come into force; our curfew is over. From six o’clock this morning and for the first time since the end of October 2020, when lockdown number two came into force, we are now free from any restrictions on our movement outside the house. The wearing of masks outside has also been relaxed, unless you are walking around a market or other crowded place, and we attended our first outdoor event on Friday night.
My individual apero selection
Organised by the Chef-Boutonne library, we enjoyed a poetry and musical apéro concert, held in the outdoor theatre at the back of the Mairie. There was ample space for everyone to sit in their small groups, sensibly distanced from the groups around them, and we were all served our own individual plate of nibbles, ensuring no contamination on a buffet table. It was a simple thing, but a sign of a return to normal, that gave so much pleasure.
I’d like to say we will be celebrating the lack of curfew with an all-night party, but with the excitement of so many changes to cope with, I think a family Father’s Day meal of spaghetti bolognaise with a nice glass of Cahors wine from the vineyards we were cycling in last week, will do for us tonight.
Those of you who have been following our life here in France for a while, will remember how much I enjoyed working at the library in Chef-Boutonne in 2018, on a four-month maternity replacement contract. I have good news; way back in January I received a phone call from them to say a second baby was on its way and would I be interested in covering the maternity leave this summer. No surprises, I said yes please.
This time, however, things weren’t quite as straightforward. Firstly, they had to ensure I was happy to commit to working all of July to October, without taking a holiday, something many French people would struggle to accept. I was also made aware that the other librarian had already booked her three-week annual leave during this period, so I would be in sole charge for those weeks.
Then we had to navigate the bureaucratic uncertainties caused by Brexit. As a third country national I no longer have the right to hold a full public service post in France (to be a fonctionnaire), and it took quite a bit of toing and froing before it was clear that a temporary contract, for a local authority, would be allowed.
The next issue was that they wanted a copy of my residence card, and my old (still in date) EU card wasn’t good enough, they needed proof of my Withdrawal Agreement status. We had already applied for this in January, but it was March before we had our file completed and were called in for finger printing, and then the end of April before the card itself arrived. Much as I was hopeful all would be OK; I didn’t dare get too excited.
On the morning of 1st June, as we were preparing to leave our holiday apartment in the Corréze, my phone rang. It was official, the council had met the night before and agreed my appointment. From 1stJuly, I will be back at the library for the summer, yippee.
In a bizarre coincidence, at the same time, on the same day, Ed was at an interview for a three-month summer job, to keep him busy before returning to Poitiers in September. The stars must have been aligned for us, as he too got the job. He started his work this week, as … wait for it … a part-time librarian in Sauze-Vaussais and I’m delighted to say my little bookworm is loving it almost as much as I do. There is something quite nice, and reassuringly positive, that his first real taste of paid employment is something he is enjoying, rather than it just being a means to an end financially.
I am sure there must be a ‘how many librarians’ joke out there somewhere, but what I did go looking for was the collective noun for librarians. Google gave me three options; a stack of librarians (which I find a bit dull), a catalogue of librarians (which I quite like) and my favourite, a shush of librarians.
Well done Ed we are both so proud of you and it seems sharing my love of books with you from a very young age was one of my better ideas.
As there will be no holidaying for us from July, we decadently set off on another adventure a week after our Corréze holiday, so my next post will be brought to you from the Lot Valley. Happy days!!!
This evening libraries and book shops all over France will be holding events for the 3rd annual book fest that is Nuit de la Lecture or Reading Night.
The idea is to bring together those who work with books and those who read them; not just librarians and bookshops, but also authors, publishers and academic associations. From this afternoon and all through the night, doors will be opened for readers to discover new books, ask questions, exchange ideas and have fun joining in activities.
Et Patati et Patata et Pause Café - Chit Chat Café
Sadly, there is nothing going on close enough to home to encourage me to leave the comfort of my favourite reading chair, but I don’t feel I’m missing out as this week I returned to the library where I worked last year, for their monthly book event and that fitted the Nuit de la Lecture theme perfectly. At “Et Patati et Patata et Pause Café”, or Chit Chat Café, a small group of us enjoy an afternoon of book talk, with the added bonus of tea, coffee and biscuits. Everyone is free to talk about any book they have enjoyed and once someone starts on a topic, conversation flows. Although we are mixed Franco/Anglais group, and books and poetry in English have been discussed alongside French ones, the language is all French. This means that it’s not only a fun social event that gives me ideas about what to read, it is also great for my brain to follow the discussions in French, that sometimes have quite complex themes.
If you are looking for some ideas of French themed books to read, here is a list of the most popular books I shared on the blog and on Facebook last year. Amazon kindly let me know how many books have been bought via my associate links – don’t panic, this doesn’t cost you any extra, but they do give me 4p for every £1 spent. I naturally use this money to buy myself more books set in France, that I can then share with you.
In no particular order, here are the French Village Diaries Top Ten most popular books from 2018.
Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy. I consumed every page of this book, always hungry for more and when I finished it, I could have started again. It is so beautifully written you will cry. You can read my full review here.
A Year of Taking Chances by Jennifer Bohnet. A lovely read following a year with two best friends, both determined to change their lives for the better. Sometimes all we need is a little help in getting started and the faith to put our trust in others. You can read my full review here.
In Foreign Fields by Susie Kelly. You know you are going to get a good read from a Susie Kelly book and this one, released in December 2018, is no exception. It is honest, funny and a must read for anyone who thinks moving to rural France will mean enjoying a quiet life. My full review will be on the blog next week.
Death in Provence by Serena Kent. A great fun read that contained all the best bits of life in France, plenty of humour and a mystery to be solved too, all set against the landscape of Provence. You can read my full review here.
The French Adventure by Lucy Coleman. Easy to get into, difficult to put down, with a good mix of characters all adding something to the plot. A perfect summer read, I could have stayed with them long after the sunflowers had faded. You can read my full review here.
Drawing Lessons by Patricia Sands. A book that beautifully describes Provence; the colours and scents of the markets, the history, the wild Camargue and the food. I felt I was there too. You can read my full review here.
Poppy’s Place in the Sun by Lorraine Wilson. I loved this book. There are mysteries to be solved, from unexpected finds in the local chateau to strange behaviour from some of the villagers, but Poppy's dogs prove to be great listeners when she’s not sure who else to turn to. You can read my full review here.
The Beekeepers Promise by Fiona Valpy. Having enjoyed Sea of Memories by Fiona, I was delighted she released a second novel in 2018. Sadly, I haven’t had time to read it yet, but I will!
A Beer in the Loire by Tommy Barnes. This book caught my eye when it was released in September 2018, but it too is still sitting on my kindle patiently waiting its turn to be read.
The Hairy Bikers Mediterranean Adventure. Having enjoyed the TV series that saw Si and Dave biking and cooking around the Mediterranean, I snapped up the kindle version of the cookbook when it was on a price promo. I do still prefer a cookbook in traditional paper format, as flicking through is much easier, but opened on my ipad, I get lovely colourful images as well as some tasty Mediterranean recipes, many of them vegetable focussed, just like our new diet regime. I especially enjoyed their little introductions to each area they visited and recipe they cook.
I hope this has inspired you open a book tonight. Happy reading.
Working in a library isn’t just about the books, it’s a people role too. There are now many regular faces I look forward to seeing, some each week, often at the same time and on the same day, who have become like friends. Other encounters, likely to be one-offs, are just as remarkable, like this week when I met a pilgrim.
The weather is at last as it should be for this time of year. It’s hot, sunny and it feels like the weight of winter has finally lifted. Our little library is no looker, from the outside at least, and with just one UPVC frosted glass door, opening directly onto the street, no one can see in, give us a wave when passing, or even know we are there. Yesterday, I took the bold step at opening time of unlocking the door and leaving it wide open! A welcoming sign I hoped would encourage people to pop in, and it did. Not only did I see twice as many people than I’d seen the previous afternoon, I also had a special visitor; a pilgrim on the Chemins de St Jacques making his way on foot from Paris to Compostelle in Spain, a 2000km journey he’s planning on completing in 100 days.
Our local town of Melle has been an important rest point for pilgrims on their way to Spain for hundreds of years, so he isn’t the first pilgrim I’ve seen, but he is the first I’ve spoken to. Cleverly using an all-terrain pushchair (just like the one we had for Ed many years ago) means he doesn’t have to carry his backpack, tent or equipment and his sign clearly announces his adventure to the world.
As he used our computer to back-up the photos on his phone, then refilled his water bottles and worked out which road to take next, we chatted, somewhat awkwardly unfortunately, as I found his Canadian French incredibly difficult to understand. His story was a fascinating one as his ancestors had lived just a few kilometres from the library before they set off on an astonishing voyage to Quebec, four hundred years ago. I’d only just been sorting through some of the local area books and had found one all about the history of Quebec, founded in 1608 by Pierre Dugua de Mons, an entrepreneur from Royan and Samual Champlain, an explorer born in Brouage. We have visited both of these places in the Charente Maritime many times over the years as well as the port of La Rochelle which was the gateway to a new life for many from our region.
I took his picture, stamped and dated his pilgrim’s passport with our library stamp and handed over the emergency muesli bar from my handbag as I couldn’t send him away empty handed. He took a selfie with me in it and upon hearing it was my dream to one day follow the Chemins de St Jacques from here to at least St Jean Pied du Port in the Pyrenees, he kindly offered to take my dream with him and release it in Compostelle.
I feel privileged to have met him and especially at such an important part of his journey; the last stop before arriving at the village his ancestors left behind in the 1600’s, and I’ll think of him over the coming days as he walks ever closer to his goal.
Like the sand in an egg timer, my time as a bibliothécaire is slipping away too quickly. I am now halfway through my four-month contract and eight weeks today I will have locked the door for the final time, and I know that I will miss it.
So much has happened since my last update (sorry), I’m not too sure where to start. Our bilingual story sessions with the local schools have all finished and were great fun for us, and judged to be a success, by the children as well as the teachers. We welcomed nine classes, with children aged from 3 to 10 years and the last class (of older children) arrived by bike, enjoyed a story, chose some books and then set off for a picnic at the local chateau. A perfect day out!
Anuki
We’ve hosted a musical event, where Anuki, a cartoon book, was brought to life by about forty students from the local music school. This was then followed up with an interactive exhibition where children were able to create their own story boards and cartoon drawings, complete magnetic puzzles and learn all about life for a Native American boy. All this goes to show libraries have to be so much more than just places to borrow books from these days, but I still find it sad to see people coming in just to use the computers to play Candy Crush all afternoon, when they are in a room surrounded by so many beautiful books.
New books
Once the children’s animations were finished, we turned our attention to the exciting task of getting our hands on new books. Some of these were borrowed from the department library in Niort, where we went for an afternoon out, and some we have been shopping for at a local book shop. I’ve helped with the research into what’s new on the French scene for this summer and even been allowed to make some of the purchasing choices, which is exciting and scary, especially as in France you can’t always choose based on an appealing cover. One of the popular publishers here only produces books with a plain cream front and no image.
Bernard Simmonet signing our books
We have also had local author Bernard Simmonet pay us a visit, in the hope we would be tempted to buy some of his books. He was friendly, chatty and as his books were crime novels (very popular with our readers) and set in the local area, we bought two. I might even be tempted to give them a go as they are a nice manageable size (my French reading is slow) and I’m always tempted by books set close to home.
Bernard's books
All the new purchases then need to be entered onto our system, coded, stamped and covered; all tasks that were new to me, but that I am now happy completing without supervision. This, along with my ‘Missions’ from C (working my way through a list of those jobs that no one normally has time to complete) means I am getting to know my way around the software and book shelves, as well as feeling useful. I’ve even been able to help when people have requested a specific book or books on a particular subject and many of the regulars are now friendly faces I recognise and enjoy chatting with. I’ve also been able to indulge in dipping into books on lots of different subjects, whenever I like. Happy days!
You can read my previous Diary of a bibliothécaire posts here, here, here and here.
