Quirieu, France, Sunday July 6th

We woke to the sound of thunder crashing, heavy rain and strong winds. This has certainly been a week of changeable weather, with some days too hot to go out and others too wet. Yves and Anne-Marie have patiently helped us with our French, correcting us and spending lots of time discussing interesting issues with us. We each have our own approach, with Keith’s more one of carefully trying to understand each word and mine being more concerned with understanding overall meaning. Keith thinks about, and sometimes prepares, vocabulary and grammar for speaking while I just listen and then open my mouth and hope that something intelligible in reasonable French will flow out. I also read in this gung-ho manner, and I am now becoming nearly as fast as in English, but with a much, much lower level of comprehension. Keith’s reading is picking up and he can now read some articles in the paper.
It was a wonderful surprise when, during our lunch of rice and tomato stuffed courgettes and salad of tomatoes, onions and basil, Rohan rang from England. He spoke to everyone, since he has stayed with the Primats as a boy and again last year. It was a delight to be able to ask questions and have the immediate answer, along with all the nuances of tone and expression. He is happy and we are thinking of seeing him in England in late August. We might have ‘run away’ from home but the ties to children never weaken, and their welfare and happiness is of paramount importance to us.
After lunch there was a break in the weather so we set off on a ‘promenade’ around modern Quirieu. We walked down the most charming little country lane, lined in some places with walls of trees and vines and in others by fields of golden wheat and lime green corn. An old stone seat waited under a tree at the fork of the lanes for someone to sit on it. Although it looked inviting, we continued on, with Anne-Marie collecting ferns and flowers for a giant bouquet. Walking up the highway was not quite so pleasant, although there was not too much traffic. A quick dart into a field of sunflowers (called ‘tournesols’ in French, which translates literally as ‘turn sun’), and the bunch was complete. As I write two days later, the pollen is dropping like yellow icing sugar onto a book beside the vase.
Turning off the highway, the path took us past a field where the corn grown is for the production of seed for following years. We discussed genetic modification of crops, which is forbidden here, and the introduction of animals and plants not native to a country. We have seen a bramble very like our blackberry and, while it grows well, it does not seem to dominate and take over like it does in Australia. There is a problem plant called Ambrosia which has a very bad effect on the respiratory system, causing the local government to call for its elimination in the area.
The Quirieu petanque area had cars in its car park but we could not see any games in progress. While it is played here, it is much more popular further south. Guard dogs barked at us as we made our way up the village street and although we looked, no squirrels emerged.
Before tea, armed with aperitifs and nibbling on nibbles, we watched a game show with lots of general knowledge questions, where contestants play against each other and, in some sections, the clock. Often I could not tell what was a quiz question and what was a ‘chat and be friendly’ question. I had no hope of understanding the quiz questions which were rattled off incredibly fast. At least, by the end, I knew that a question asked at normal speed was not a quiz question and that anything that sounded like French ‘blablablablablabla’, was. The woman who lost did not seem so happy with her prize of a collection of books about all the countries of the world, so I think that she had been hoping for a holiday at least and was planning to put general knowledge behind her.
Finally, seeing a little of ‘The Simpsons’ in French was very strange. Do the characters speak very slowly in English? They certainly do in French, so it was quite good for me but I couldn’t get over the thought that Homer must be more intelligent than I thought because there he was, speaking beautiful French!

The local soccer field - not much action here recently.

We returned from our walk just before the next thunderstorm approached.

Above: The statue of Jesus on the hilltop overlooking the village is in a gap in the trees in the centre of the photo. Below is a closer view.