Friday, July 31st, 2009
As one’s thoughts turn to August………
August is an iconic month in France. Warm sunny summer days…….lazy lounging at seaside resorts…….outdoor al fresco dining…….bottles of rosé chilling in ice buckets……celeb spotting in Cannes or St Tropez……….as for commerce and industry - pouff - that can all wait until September!
One may as well go on holiday, because everyone else is. I kid you not. Look at this list of ‘absentees’.
Our boulangerie - closed for the first three weeks of August - catastrophe!
Phoned for a rendezvous for a haircut. Karine is en vacances the first, third and fourth weeks of August, can you make it the second week.
A letter arrived yesterday from our Accountant - le bureau est fermé between 10 and 21 August.
An email arived today from a real estate agent - we are closed 01 to 15 August.
And if you still have any doubts about August being a ‘lost’ month then read this.
During June, we applied to have our bank loan modified to incorporate more advantageous interest rates. We said it would be good if it could become effective from July. That would be very difficult we were told, I have to prepare the dossier, make application for approval, and then I will be en vacances for all of August, so it will be September or October before we can finalise the adjustment!!
Is it any wonder that President Sarkosy keeps talking about lifting productivity levels!
Of course it is not only the French who kick back during August. The main motorway south, the A6, is inundated with cars, caravans, and motorhomes bearing Dutch, Belgian and German license plates.
The French joke about the best time to invade the Netherlands is the middle weekend in August between 12 noon and 4 p.m. Half the population have finished their holidays and have not yet returned home, while the other half have commenced their holiday and have departed already!!
Hhmm, I wonder who is guarding those great masters of art in the Rijksmuseum; or all those diamonds in the jewellers’ windows; or even the Heineken factory for that matter.
Oh dear, I have just read that Sarko and the delectable Carla are going on 3 weeks holiday. I guess ‘ productivity’ can also wait until September………….