Someone's knocking at the door...

Driving back from Le Grand Pressigny yesterday evening to Barrou I was behind a car that was going at a sensible pace,around 70 kmh when, with my French driving hat on, I was soon driving a little too close and thinking about overtaking when another adopted French trait applied itself and I decided to slow down and take my time...I was after all, in no particular hurry. I am reminded of this 'slow mo' idea almost every time I sit in my diesel engine car, after the initial 'switch on' I sit and wait the appropriate minute or less for the ignition lights to go off before starting the car - I normally do this before belting up and then proceed to drive away doing up the belt as I go. I now know that after turning the car on if I take the time to belt up, immediately afterwards lo and behold the lights have expired and I can start the engine.

I digress...I stuck with my pacesetter all the way into Barrou, even allowing a car and trailer (he was obviously in a hurry) to overtake both of us at a blind spot. As we both turned into the village the pacesetter stopped outside my house and I had to stop to allow a car coming in the opposite direction to pass. The occupants - two ladies sat tight though they seemed to be doing quite a bit of looking around. I parked the car in the riverside carpark as I do but instead of going home I walked up the road to say hello to some of our friends on Grand Rue who had just arrived from the UK. On my way up the road I glanced back to see if the ladies had left the car. It wasn't until I arrived at our friends gate that they decided it was in fact our house they were looking for and I saw them walk through the gates. I did an about turn and quickly returned down the road to find the ladies knocking on my door - who could they be? As they turned to see me coming in, their smiling faces and the magazines they were holding gave the game away. Now they were quite charming, inviting us along to a meeting later on in the month in Chatellerault that was aimed at 'their English friends'.  I can only assume that they have access to where 'their English friends' live as they had driven directly to our house to invite us - how kind of them!. I thanked them and explained I was going visiting my neighbours so our meeting was short but charming,