Saturday was cold and gray. Sunday was warm and sunny. Monday is dawning. I see clouds and a little blue sky. The weather report says to expect rain this afternoon. So my work is cut out for me, and it has to be done before noon.
Last year's vine tendrils
Here are photos of some things I've been looking at around the hamlet and vineyard over the past few days. I get to look around a lot because I'm walking Callie twice a day. The dog and I been trying to dodge a series of perturbations, or weather fronts, which have been moving over the area and bringing rain and showers.
Wet weeds
Walt is scheduled to get back to France on Wednesday. He'll land at CDG airport (Roissy) at mid-morning and then have to figure out how to get down to Saint-Aignan, which is three or four hours south of Paris. It might take longer than that, depending on how it all plays out.
Flowers in a hedge
Strikes are announced. Surprise! — we're in France. This will be the latest in a series of protests and mouvements, as they call them, against new labor legislation being adopted by the Socialist government over objections from the right wing and even many Socialist members of the parliament.
Piles of tiles
On the news, they are saying that Paris transit workers will be participating in the strikes and that the métro and RER will be perturbés. Truck drivers are planning to block highways around many of the country's big towns and cities.
Vines coming back to life
Railway workers are going out on strike starting tomorrow (Tuesday) night, so train schedules might be chaotic on Wednesday and even Thursday. It's a good time to just stay home and not try to go anywhere. Unless you have no choice.
Hope Walt won't have any problem coming home on Wednesday. Keep my toes crossed, just in case!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it is some kind of Berberis on the third photo?
I don't know what that plant is. I just noticed it growing in a neighbor's hedge.
DeleteBonjour Cousin et Ken
Deleteje suis certaine que c'est le Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea'
There are always more strikes in weeks with holidays. Holiday today; strike tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAfter a long, gray, wet winter, people are frustrated. They are letting off steam. Of course, the government has also used unusual measures to cut off debate on the loi Travail and force its passage. In my case, I could drive up to Paris to pick Walt up, but what if the truckers are blocking the highways? I hope some trains will be running on Wednesday.
DeleteYou can come up with the dog and spend the night here if this is convenient and in an emergency.
DeleteMerci CHM. I hope things won't be so perturbed, but it's good to know there are solutions. Let's stay in touch.
DeleteI love that third photo. Wow :)
ReplyDeleteGeeeeeeze, I hope Walt won't have a big headache getting back to Saint Aignan.
I'm watching the noon news and they're making it sound like a very perturbed week. We'll see.
DeleteKen
DeleteDoes not look good:
Par LEXPRESS.fr , publié le 16/05/2016 à 12:42 , mis à jour à 12:42
Sur les routes
Les routiers appellent à une grève reconductible dans la nuit de lundi 16 et mardi 17 mai. Ce mouvement devrait toucher le Nord, Nantes, Caen, Marseille et surtout Bordeaux, les ports du Havre et de Nantes-Saint-Nazaire mais pas l'Ile-de-France.
Ils s'opposent à la loi Travail et plus particulièrement à la disposition permettant d'abaisser par accord d'entreprise le taux de majoration des heures supplémentaires.
Sur les rails
Préavis de grève à la RATP du lundi 16 à 22h30 jusqu'au 18 mai à 6 heures.
Il s'agit de permettre aux agents de pouvoir rejoindre la manifestation parisienne pour le retrait du projet de loi Travail.
A la SNCF, la CGT-cheminots appelle à cesser le travail chaque mercredi et jeudi, et SUD-Rail tous les jours à partir de mardi et jusqu'au 11 juillet, soit le lendemain de la finale de l'Euro de football.
Les cheminots entendent dénoncer la loi Travail, mais surtout peser dans les négociations en cours depuis début mai sur leurs conditions de travail.
Dans les airs
Contrôleurs aériens, personnels administratifs, ingénieurs, techniciens sont appelés à la grève par l'Usac-CGT le jeudi 19 mai.
A Paris Aéroport, qui exploite des plateformes aéroportuaires de Paris-Orly et Paris-Charles-de Gaulle, une grève de 24 heures reconductible dès mardi 17 mai est également lancée.
Les trois syndicats (CGT, FO et Unsa) réclament le retrait du projet de loi Travail, en plus de revendications propres à leur entreprise (emploi, salaires, conditions de travail, dialogue social, etc.)
Thanks for the detailed information. It matches the general sense I got from France 2 TV at lunchtime.
DeleteWell, this will be fun...
ReplyDeleteIf there are no trains or RER, could you take an airline bus, Air France or other, from CDG to Gare Montparnasse and take metro, if it's running, or walk, that's not that far, from there to my place and wait until Ken can pick you up here?
DeleteBonjour Walt et CHM
DeleteBus/Car AirFrance from CDG to Avenue Carnot near Etoile ( after a first stop at Porte Maillot for the passengers on that bus) ) and from there, worse case scenario, a long walk to your place cher cousin.
Looks like Pres.Hollande may face another 1968
One good option might be an airline bus from Roissy to Orly. I could drive to Orly, unless the truckers are blocking the highways. Even better would be the RER from Roissy to Massy, if the RER is running. I could also try to drive to Roissy, of course. That said, everything will probably go smoothly with public transit and trains. Restons optimistes.
DeleteBonjour Cousine,
DeleteHere is what the Air France says:
Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport
... Air France coaches: €15 to Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile, or Gare de Lyon or Gare de Montparnasse train stations Travel time to city center: 45 minutes Roissybus: €10 Travel time to Place de l'Opéra: 50 to 60 minutes Bus 350: Gare de l'Est Bus 351: Place de la Nation.
I should have said ...what the Air France website says:
DeleteThere is a shuttle to Orly
Air France shuttle bus to Paris Orly airport
Travel time: 1 hour
Price: €19
VEA Bus to Disneyland
Some days it seems like nothing can just go along smoothly, there has to be some sort of disturbance to "mess" things up.
ReplyDeleteI will hope that Walt gets lucky and gets home when expected, and not by walking :)
It would be a long walk, especially with a heavy suitcase. I'm sure it won't come to anything so drastic. I may be spending some time on the road on Wednesday/Thursday, but it will all work out.
DeleteYes, thank goodness, things usually do work out :)
DeleteI am now commenting to you from Jacksonville Florida.
I wimped out. No more New York winters .. ever..
All those years ago when I lived in Carteret County, NC — when I was in high school and college — we would listen to a Jacksonville, FL, radio station when we were out on the beach. There's nothing but ocean between there and J'ville, given the curve of the coast. I can see the attraction. Far south of upstate NY, but not all the way down to the bottom of Florida.
DeleteOur weather is chilly also and overcast a lot. We don't have strikes but maybe we should lol. I'm sure Walt will be happy to get back home no matter what it takes to get there!
ReplyDeleteSorry about your weather. Ours look to be improving as the week advances. The next two or three days are certainly going to be interesting.
Delete