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may day

May 1, 2010

Agaggh! Walking Biff this morning, I notice that the local Intermarché is closed, as is everything else for miles around, it being un jour férié (public holiday.) Not great news when the only thing in your fridge is a limp lettuce and a handful of wrinkled carrots. Fortunately, the local bookshop is open so it's back to the black coffee and chocolate diet as I plough on with my book edits. There is, I've discovered, only one thing worse than a wet bank holiday weekend and that's a bank holiday weekend facing a Christmas pudding for lunch.

comments (7)

1. Posted by Vanessa Vinos on May 1, 2010 6:12 PM

Hi Karen

Having the same experience over here in Spain. Completely forget that today was May 1 (Workers Day) here in Spain.
At least you have a limp lettuce in your fridge. We don't even have that! One consolation though, it's wonderfully sunny.Consequently it's Ben & Jerry's and Diet coke for lunch!


2. Posted by Margarita on May 1, 2010 7:46 PM

That is the absolute worse thing that can happen, luckily I now live in a large city where everything is open every single day, but I remember a time when it was a holiday, we lived in a small town, and EVERYTHING was closed. We ate cereal with milk for dinner that night. Superb.

http://www.margaritareczek.com

3. Posted by pierre l on May 1, 2010 10:00 PM

Yesterday, I had an e-mail advert from fnac.com. I was a little surprised that they stated that they were open on the 1st of May. Now I understand.
Good luck with the book edits, but sorry to read about the lack of food choice. On the other hand, Christmas pudding is nice.

4. Posted by jentana on May 5, 2010 9:04 AM

I was in Waterstone in Kensington yesterday and you will be glad to hear that your book is still a bestseller. Number 11. Pretty good almost a year after publication. I am looking forward to the next one.

5. Posted by Jasmine on May 5, 2010 8:42 PM

Will your 1st book be published in the US any time soon? I would love to read it, but if not I'll pick up in London this autumn. Hope you survived the bank holiday weekend on coffee and chocolate! Good luck with the edits. Aloha, Jasmine www.travel-tales.com

6. Posted by Rachel on May 8, 2010 3:48 PM

I know what you mean! I split time between England and Brittany, and because I don't live in France full time the fridge is always empty when I get there, and if I've been lazy about stocking the cupboards, and I travel on a holiday I have to eat plain pasta (if I'm lucky!) I'm never making that mistake again...


7. Posted by Kerry Ramsay on May 8, 2010 3:51 PM

The first time we ever travelled to France, we arrived on May Day. Since there no banks were open (and we underestimated the cost of the cab ride from the airport), we didn't have the francs to pay our driver. He was actually very nice to us, and accepted less than his full payment.

Fortunately, the site of all the May Day flower sellers made up the fact that everything was closed on our first day in France -- just one of the country's many quirks!

K

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