Some Days It’s A Mix

March 28, 2021 by libertatemamo 17 Comments

Some days I have no idea what I’m going to write about.

I think this is somewhat normal for any writer, except perhaps the rare few whose grey matter is always bursting with ideas. When I’m not traveling it happens more often than not, so I’ll typically go for a walk and wait for something to come to me. An idea that whispers in my ear, a thought that floats by, or an object that catches my eye.

Today it was the white flowers.

They’re everywhere at the moment, from small buds on the ground to enormous trees in full bloom, and on the surface of it all they’re simply stunning. The white trees stand out like elaborate decorations against the past months of grey, their blooms often fragrant and delicate up-close, their petals floating to the ground in the wind like a snowy day. When you stand underneath them you are enveloped in a blanket of blossoms, like the center of a cloud in a deep blue sky.

But some are not what they seem…

Turns out there’s all kind of trees that flower white around this time. Almond, pear, cherries, and certain species of plum all bloom in early spring and look quite similar. And then there’s the Bradford Pears, which are apparently a menace to nature due to their weak structure, and the way they cross-breed (and weaken) other trees. I don’t think we have any of the latter here in SW France, but it just goes to show that beauty can hide all kinds of dangers.

And I guess that’s where I find myself today.

With the joy of Spring coming alive all around us, lockdown #3 is looming over France like the Bradford Pear threatening to infect and break it all. It’s a strange and confusing mix that puts us in a state of limbo, and it’s probably why I’ve found it difficult to concentrate and nail down a storyline today.

So much like the blend of white flowers in the garden, I think I’ll just share my week from that perspective. A potpourri of what I’ve read and seen, from paperwork that kills to divine cheese, from Bordeaux in space to the ever-present virus. Some days, the mix is the only thing that makes sense.

French Paperwork Can Be Deadly

It’ll come as no surprise to those of you who follow my blog regularly that French paperwork can bring even the most detailed and stubborn of people to their knees. But you may be surprised to hear that it can kill you too.

Alas, such was the fate of one poor lady from Lyon by the name of Jeanne Pouchain. A dispute with her former employer led to a series of incredible paperwork-actions that ultimately declared her dead in November, 2017. It was an unfortunate series of events, and also quite permanently fatal, despite all evidence to the contrary.

You see once you’re dead paperwork-wise in France…well, you’re dead dead. And since there are no forms to resurrect the deceased, regrettably nothing can be done to reverse the situation. Eh, oui {{insert gallic shrug}}

As a result the poor madame has been battling for over three years to prove that she is still alive, caught in a nighmare-ish limbo with no health coverage, no bank account, no ID, and no rights to own a car or house. We can only hope that one day, she will find the golden piece of paperwork that will lead her way out.

I’m rooting for you, Jeanne…

French Cheese Is Divine

In the US you have Instacart, Uber Eats, and of course Amazon to rule them all.

But here God also has a say, thanks to the monks.

The history of monasteries dates back thousands of years to St. Benedict who established the first monastic order in 529 in Montecassino, Italy. The Benedictine movement spread north to France, and by the 11th century, the Abbey of Cluny (Burgundy) was powerful, controlling more than 1,000 dependent abbeys across Europe. Alas with power came greed, and corruption, and eventually (over time) a splintering of the movement into Cistercian, Franciscan, Dominican and other sub-groups. The history is complex and fascinating, but what captured my interest this week was their entrepreneurialism.

You see monks prayed and lived simply, but they also worked to be self-sufficient. As a result they started brewing beer, making cheese, producing wine and other endeavors. They were literate and smart, so they approached everything with scientific accuracy, perfecting recipes and creating products so good that many still exist today. In fact, despite centuries of upheaval and change, modern monastic products are estimated to value around 75 million euros a year. That’s what I call a good chunk of Godly change!

One such heavenly offering is the raw-milk cheese from the Cîteaux Abbey founded 1098, just south of Dijon. Unfortunately much like everyone this past year, COVID hit their sales sharply. Their 75 cows produced an excess of 2.8 tonnes of cheese leaving them with over 4,000 wheels. And without the usual slew of restaurants to buy their stock they had nowhere to unload it.

So who did they call? They turned to Divine Box of course, the internet startup the brings holy-made products to your living room with the click of a mouse. And Mon Dieu did it work! Within 24 hours of the Divine announcement all the cheese was gone, sold so fast I didn’t even manage to get my order in.

Divine intervention during COVID times. Jeanne could use a bit of that….

French Bordeaux Is Outta-Spacely

The other quirky news of the week is French wine in outer space.

You’ll be pleased to know (I’m sure) that a selection of the finest of French sommeliers have opened and tested the first of 12 bottles of a Bordeaux wine and more than 300 vine shoots that have spent a year in the International Space Station. The valued items caught a ride home just a few months ago aboard SpaceX Dragon, and have been carefully transported to the Institute for Wine and Vine Research in Bordeaux.

The results were much as you would expect for such an historic French event.

The CEO had tears in his eyes, one sommelier declared the wine energized, another proclaimed the tannins softened and the floral aromatics developed, while a third simply called the whole thing beautiful. Of course this was a ~€3500 bottle of Petrus Pomerol, so I imagine the tasting experience would be rather emotional no matter where it had been. Still, apparently outer space does good things to already outta-there wines.

Maybe we should bring the monks into this deal too?

Alas, The Virus Situation Here Is Worsening

We can kill living people with paperwork, sell 2 tonnes of cheese in a day, and shoot wine into outer space, but apparently we cannot get control of the virus that has been plaguing us for a year.

Oh it’s not good my friends, not good at all…..

Since the initial 16-department lockdown that I told you about last week, another 3 departments went under the hammer this week, with another 24 on the watchlist (possibly for next week). Even more concerning is the number of positive cases which seems to be rising everyday, and the fact that ICU capacity is now at a horrifying 94%.

Plus everything is shifting younger.

Whether it’s thanks to vaccinations (of older people), or the specifics of the British variant, a higher proportion of younger people are getting infected and ending up in ICU. It’s a subtle shift, but you can see it clearly in the statistics. Paul and I are now right smack in the middle of the high-risk circle.

And yet, still not enough vaccines…

This week I went into every pharmacy within a 20km circle to try and get us on the waiting list for excess vaccine shots. Only a few would even take our info (not enough vaccine, you’re too young/not eligible yet etc.) and none were confident on the timeline. And yet when I look to USA almost everyone I know has had at least one jab. It’s so frustrating…

We Will Get There In The End

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not yet the end.”

Admittedly I am not the best at being patient, having never developed that particular talent. But I know I am also not alone.

We are in a time of disparity where some people are getting vaccinated while others cannot, where certain countries are opening up and moving forward while others seemingly cannot get going in the right direction. Loopholes, issues, politics and luck all play into it. I know I am blessed to live where we do amongst the beauty in nature, and that I’m still healthy and still here. Yet I remain frustrated at not being able to move forward with any of our plans because of things beyond my control. I am caught between emotions, in the mix of it all.

So I stand under the white tree, and breathe in its wonderful perfume, and as I lose myself in its beauty I cannot help but pause, and wonder. Is it friend or is it foe?

I guess we’ll find out eventually…