Antony (south) - Centre of the World

My local pizzeria (closed on Mondays, just in case you were thinking about it) had several awkward looking couples picking away at their Hawaiians as I walked home. I was just in at the club for recuperation after yesterday: 40 minutes cycling, split into 10 mins, 20, 10. I then headed straight for the hot bath, one of life’s great pleasures. I then hit the cold, then the hot, then the cold again, and so on.

Me and public transport are getting on quite well these days, as if there’s a telepathic link telling the driver to arrive just as I saunter up to the station or the bus stop. But I was left hitting the side of the bus this evening as it sped off, the scummy driver deliberately unaware of me just as the doors shut. I then proceeded to walk to the next stop up the road, as if it would then arrive sooner. On my way I saw an advert for the 23^rd Annual Antony Semi-Marathon!! Any keen runners out there keen to sample some of Paris’ finest suburban landscapes should book their entry too. 5th of March, making it the premier sporting occasion of the day for most who will be reading this.

Back on my bus, there are several things which get my goat. One of these is the elderly. Let me explain. The French are a very proud people, and the older you become as a French person, the more proud you seem to become. They are also very polite, so I feel a huge pressure from everyone on the bus to offer my seat. I would do this naturally, of course, but 20 pairs of eyes are very intimidating. This pressure also comes from the person of age who has just got onto the bus, dying (let me finish), dying to be offered a seat. So I offer, and they nearly always refuse. They just like to be asked.

My local boulangerie, purveyors of too many lovely types of bread, have put a notice up about their closure from the 21^st February to the 6^th March. The reason given is due to the law concerning conges payés. Now I have looked this up and apparently it’s a paid holiday?! They have to close because of a law relating to paid holiday. It’s extraordinary and the only thing preventing it from being one of the most French things going is that it’s the boulangerie. How will the population of South Antony survive?! Well, thoughtful people that they are, they have thought of this, and have written the name and address of the nearest boulangerie on the notice. (closed on Mondays too – just don’t come to my ‘hood on a Monday).