Chatelaine

I’ve been a bit quiet for a while as I’ve been on a three-week thermal cure at Ax-les-Thermes. On prescription for back problems. I had to pay for my accommodation but all the treatments were covered by the French medical system – into which I pay quite heavily…

But what is impressive – to me, at any rate – is that the French will invest so readily into preventative medicine. It sounds idyllic: three weeks of spa treatments and massage – but three weeks is a very long time and, as one doctor told me, is why the French medical service won’t agree to shortening the time for a ‘cure’.

They feel that if it were available for a week or 10 days then people would just treat it as a spa treatment and as some sort of holiday.

Having said all that, while I was there I had a wonderfully relaxing time. The weather was stunning – blue skies and sunshine every day – and just eight kilometres up the mountain (whether by car or cable-car) is the ski resort of Bonascre – perfect for a relaxing lunch to recover from the morning’s treatments.

It was a long time – but an amazing experience. The mineral waters are a steady 38° and all the staff were delightful and seemed totally committed to the well-being of their clients.

Anyway, I’m back at work now.

In England, Armistice Day is celebrated on the Sunday nearest to the 11th November but, here in France, it is always celebrated on the day itself and becomes a public holiday.

Thus yesterday was a public holiday and in villages throughout France there was a short ceremony and one minute’s silence as flowers were placed at the foot of the Monument aux Morts.

Our village has fewer than 100 inhabitants but most of us turned out to pay our respects to those killed in two World Wars.

At the end of the minute’s silence, the Mayor read out a speech sent out from the President to all communes in France.

And then, of course, we all had a jolly apéritif and sat down to moules frites!

Small though our village is, we often don’t see many of our neighbours except to pass in our cars when leaving or entering the village and so these occasions are a really nice opportunity to catch up with everyone’s news.