Summer 2024

Last
Word
In France they say of those of us who live in the far north of France, ‘they
might not have the sunshine on their heads, but they have it in their hearts.’
It’s true we are not as sun-kissed as our southern neighbours, but (and despite
a particularly wet winter this year) it doesn’t rain half as much as people think
it does.
Writer Somerset Maughan once described the French Riviera as a “sunny
spot for shady people”, you could say of Pas-de-Calais, that it’s a shady
spot for sunny people.
Any excuse to celebrate is considered a very good idea here. So when my
neighbour Jean-Claude, a man who rarely needs a reason to enjoy a glass
of wine or a plate of andouillette (extremely pungent sausages made with
offal, much-loved by the French, not understood by anyone else), decided
that he would honour the 60th birthday of his long-suffering wife Bernadette
with something special we knew it would be memorable. “A secret party in
the town hall salle des fetes” he said. It doesn’t sound like much, but in these
parts, people are potty about parties, and a lot of effort goes into making
sure the food is fabulous, the wine is worthy, and the music brings out the
dancer in all of us. The birthday girl pretended she knew nothing about the
special day, though you can’t keep a big secret in a small village.
Came the day and almost the entire village turned up bearing bottles of
wine, crates of beer and delicious dishes. A long table was crammed with the
most delectable home-made pies and pastries, mouth-watering tarts and
cakes, a basket of crisp baguettes and trays of smelly, sweaty and succulent
cheeses. And in the centre, an enormous celebration croquembouche cake,
a tower of profiteroles bound by an intricate embroidery of molten sugar
topped with a love heart shaped pink macaron, made by Jean-Claude with
help from Bernadette’s mother Claudette, the best cook in the village.
The DJ played the songs of the late, great but still much-loved Johnny
Hallyday, AKA the French Elvis, and upbeat songs that make the feet tap
long before they reach the dance floor. Abba’s Dancing Queen echoed
around the lush green Valleys battling with the gurgling of raging rain and
the rumbling, roaring wind.
And the sound of laughter of people with sunshine in their hearts
was priceless.
Janine
Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France; My Four Seasons in France; Toujours La France,
and How to be French: Eat, dress, travel and love la vie Française –
available on Amazon, all online bookshops and in bookstores in high streets everywhere.
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142 | The Good Life France
The Good Life France | 143