We quite like this country and appreciate the small town closeness and solidarity that we so easily live with now.

My house is full of people and the stuff they bring with them, it is lively in the evening and breakfast is a great chit chat time with lashings of coffee and home made jam on toast. Billy and Pauline drove Mum here on Thursday and have already fitted in a game of golf and we have done the obligatory BBQ despite a north easterly wind, we eat outside right up to the coffee stage and then decanted into the kitchen out of the chilly air. Billy has had problems with his all singing all dancing phone and is stressed and upset that he cannot communicate with his work space being at the important point of a web site launch. Mike and I fully understand and empathise, it has however, served as a loud wake up call for us not to take our life style for granted and we have reflected on everyday work related issues that can so easily throw you into a place of disfunctionality.

Yesterday we all decided to participate in the May 8th gathering of remembrance at our little church at the highest point of Brevands. I always attend on the 11th of November and the 8th of May, the process is the same, which makes the events even more enjoyable as a known quantity, and yesterday was no exception. Mum, Billy and Pauline experienced the emotion and passion of being French, the names of the Brevands dead read out loudly by a brave and well educated twelve year old Brevandesse. Mort pour la France, is said with conviction and pride after each name is read and looking over the broad and beautiful view of our estuary is enough to bring tears to your eyes but when the Maire of Brevands stands to attention and at the top of his pure male alto voice heads up the communal singing of La Marseillaise I then realise why we quite like this country and appreciate the small town closeness and solidarity that we so easily live with now.