Yes, it's May 1st - celebrating workers. Normally in France on May 1st, it is difficult to avoid people selling sprigs of lily of the valley, and if you are in a big city, the unions, the Communists and the Front Nationale (or Rassemblement Nationale as they now like to be called) are all out demonstrating at the wonder of the common man and the evilness of all governments of whatever complexion. But this year it is all different. I was strangely moved to receive a sprig of lily of the valley from the boulangerie to thank me for my fidelity through the current crisis - of course I would be faithful to them, they are the cornerstone of my morning!
The unions decided that standing on your balcony banging a cooking pan was a good way to demonstrate this year (and sod any health workers who live nearby who might be trying to sleep, or indeed any babies and their frazzled parents). The Communists were more into sending electronic bunches of lilies of the valley to sympathisers - I've received a few today! Marine le Pen gave her usual press conference rant to the massed media this morning and for once I kind of smiled. She was wearing a mask so you couldn't read her lips, and her voice was very muffled behind the high quality mask she was wearing so it was hard to understand what she was saying (a bonus on any day). One reporter asked her why she was against all the government strategy, and if she had been in power, surely she would have closed things down as well? As far as I could tell her response was yes, they closed things down, which she would have done too, but a) they did it a month too late and b) they aren't her. The wonders of hindsight...
The Day of the Workers is the day that NOTHING at all happens in France, no papers, nothing. So apart from odd farming noises as animals still need to be fed, it is extraordinarily quiet out there, more than a normal lockdown day. And quite cold. Clearly birds are starving as I put 4 fat balls out in the feeder this morning and by mid afternoon half the volume had gone. I went out just now to release the chickens and there was perhaps half a fat ball left. Those sparrows are greedy so and sos sometimes!
Finally, a photo from earlier in the week of my favourite irises that come up at the edge of the wildflower meadow. I keep thinking I really must lift a corm or 3 once they have flowered to bring home - I'm sure they are getting too congested where they are!
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