This and that!

Well it looks like autumn might already be upon us as the mornings can be a bit nippy but after a couple of hours it's lovely. We don't get a particularly long summer and for that I'm grateful as I prefer the spring and autumn temperatures!

I was talking to my sister the other day and she was saying that her granddaughter will be leaving school next summer at the age of 16 and hopefully starting an apprenticeship in the travel industry. She's a clever and hardworking girl and at first I was a bit surprised that she wouldn't be staying on to do her A levels but nope, she wants to get out working as soon as she can (and travelling methinks). She's already working at a hairdresser's and a pub when she's not at school, so why not. It'll give her a bit of money and I actually think it's a good thing if more and more people go into "the trades", rather than setting themselves up for tons of higher education debt and no guarantee of a job afterwards. I used to see that when I worked in HR. Hundreds of supremely well-qualified applicants chasing after just one or two jobs! So then my sister said that she would have loved to go into midwifery but when she went to see the joke of a careers advisor she was told "that wouldn't be possible" and to go work in a shop or as a secretary! With that attitude what chance did the working class ever have of getting ahead, even just a little??? How times have changed then, because one of my friends at school was able to get in, but then I'm eight years younger than my sister. I do remember being told myself to go the shop or the secretary route but since I was so pissed off at that I also left school at 16 and went straight to college to study languages. To be completely honest I did end up getting a job as a secretary - but in Switzerland - so I'm pretty sure I earned a far better wage than that sexist (or elitist?) careers officer (or at least I hope I did)!

In other news I was talking to my neighbour and she told me that Stan's wife, Martine, (Stan is my Nigerian friend) looked to be losing her job as the small regional newspaper she has worked for for many years as a journalist is going out of print. Buuuuutttt she said that in that case she intends to run for Maire of our village when the occasion arises. I certainly hope I am French by that time because I believe she would do a great job. Hell, she apparently already knows about "dubious" dealings with land being sold off to developers at less than the value agreed by the authorities!!! Moreover, our current Maire is a miserable sod who can't keep office staff and my lovely neighbour, P, who agreed to be on the village council, resigned after just two months since, apparently, he was only there to agree with the Maire - dixit the Maire! This was more than apparent when we went to the old fogies lunch in conjunction with the next village over and their Maire was very pleasant, friendly and has a good reputation - a complete contrast to ours so I hope Martine gets in!

Talking of politics, but this time national not local politics, apparently a request for impeachment of our President has been (or will shortly be) lodged by the political party known as La France Insoumise! Now this is a left wing party (far left???) and I initially liked a few of their candidates and their leader is quite a convincing speaker. But he's been in politics for years and is a sly old dog (that's about as pleasant as I can be in that regard) and they are the ones that kept Macron's centrist party in power but now, he has them up in arms. You see it must be about six weeks ago that Macron dissolved Parliament due to the appalling results in the legislatives but the left helped keep him in power with the seeming understanding that they would be getting a few key posts - like Prime Minister. Buuut yesterday Macron issued a statement to the effect that he would be doing what he and he only wanted and might even bring in a few outside players (like the head of Renault) to take these posts, basically setting himself up as a dictator!!! I don't think there is much hope that this will go through but as my favourite politician said, at least it will now force the political groups to show their true colours! Fingers crossed but I suspect more outrage is in the offing!

And finally, little Elynn arrived safe and sound on 21st August. I only got to meet her today as I started coughing when they came out of hospital and didn't want to take the risk of anyone getting sick. The early days are hard enough without that aren't they!

Big brother!

Elynn!

... and I am one happy, happy grandma!