Thunderboxes found in the north

The bad news about being home in France is the return from prison of  Banjo, the worst dog ever born, who has somehow been given solace in our family unit. against my better judgement, no, my express wishes. He had been in prison for three weeks since we left Valbonne, and I had thoroughly enjoyed his absence and he seemed to know that. He announced his return to the house with a slimy deposit within two metres of my hammock, within twenty minutes of his arrival back on parole. For me it was a clear breach of the terms of his parole so I was all for sending him back to prison, and throwing away the key, but that nice lady decorator did not concur.

Today, as if we had not had enough sociliasing,some renegades from eastern England are about to descend upon us for a couple of days en route to their holiday home in Castelnou, where we once had a holiday home of our own before moving to France permanently, to drink my rose and in the case of Charles, give me 10 euros on the golf course on Monday. I have asked him over the years what he does but the answer is so utterly boring and incomprehensible that I am certain he is a spy, but then after Tuesday, nothing, what bliss!

Having to get up at 4.45am in order to escape from the frozen north of England yesterday morning, and this after being Peachied again at a dinner party the night before, it is fair to say that I was not at my best yesterday, so the hammock looked a good bet until the manic mutt decided to do his best to spoil it.

I had just begun to remember and reminisce about some of the lowlights of my trip up north and there are so many. One that was especially rewarding surrounded technology in the toilet. To pick up the theme of the hygienic improvements that I spotted over the last few days, I have noticed whilst communing with these salt of the  earth but primitive people, a distinct move forward in the toilet department. Instead of the hole in the ground technology widely employed elsewhere in the north, I came across an example of a mechanical device being employed which has dragged at least one household into the 19th century and feature it as my picture today.

Remarkable move forward in technology up north

Of course, us who lived in the south have had sensible toilet facilities for the last century consider these items to be antiques as these kind of mechanisms will have been replaced in the last hundred years or so with modern facilities not seen in the north. I believe these were called thunderboxes, and i suspect that when first employed the locals may have been as afraid of it as thunder itself, given the excessive gurgling associated with its operation. Luckily it does not require electricity, otherwise it would have been a white elephant.

Yesterday then was an exciting prospect, the prospect of being able to put shorts on and enjoy the sun on my back, but the combined effects of three weeks of camping and partying has had its effect and a very quiet day ensued followed by a quiet evening with just a small glass of wine to send me to sleep. I was determined not to dream about Currencies Direct, being still on vacation, but was not successful, so good is their service, but as I have resolved not to mention it whilst on holiday I will move swiftly on.

Chris France