Day 2001 (Wednesday) 30th November 2022.

Summer is back! 32 degrees in direct sunlight – it won’t feel like that later when we’re on Kisbee going to Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat but for now it’s bliss.

Huw found this announcement on Facebook this morning – should be fun.

Kicking off the Christmas festivities Saturday, December 3rd with the inauguration of the city lights. Starting at 5:30 pm Place A. Pollonnais meet again, Children's Parade, Ambianceers and Jazz Band "NewsCat".

He also found this…

French baguette voted onto UN World Cultural Heritage list

The baguette – a mix of wheat flour, water, yeast, salt and a pinch of savoir-faire, and as much a symbol of France as the Eiffel Tower – has gained UNESCO recognition as the UN body on Wednesday voted to include the "artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread" on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. 

The baguette, now a symbol of France around the world, has been a central part of the French diet for at least 100 years, and there are several myths about its origins.

One legend has it that the bakers of Napoleon Bonaparte came up with the elongated shape to make it easier for his troops to carry, while another posits that it was actually an Austrian baker named August Zang who invented the baguette.

These days a baguette - which means "wand" or "baton" - is sold for around €1 ($1.04) each. More than six billion are baked each year in France.

Made only with flour, water, salt and yeast, baguette dough must rest 15 to 20 hours at a temperature between 4 and 6 degrees Celcius (39 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the French Bakers Confederation, which fights to protect its market from industrial bakeries.

But if the ingredients are always the same, each bakery has its own subtle style, and every year there are nationwide competitions to find the best baguette in the land.

Huw saw two firefighters yesterday in the boulangerie in formal uniform selling their calendars so we have the money by the front door ready to buy one. They are horrible but it’s the thought that counts and soon the postal workers will come. A few years ago someone told us that if we want our mail delivered we should buy one and in case of a fire we should buy the firefighters one as well.

France’s seasonal calendar-sellers: How to avoid scams

It's a winter tradition in France for public sector workers like firefighters and postal workers to go door to door selling calendars, but it's also fertile ground for scammers. Here's how to make sure your money is really going to a good cause.

It’s a long-held custom in France – from November, you will start to have people knocking on your door trying to sell you calendars for the new year. These have no fixed price so it is up to you how much money you choose to give in return.

But it’s important to know the rules and customs surrounding this practice so you don’t end up handing over money to unscrupulous fraudsters. These are the groups authorised to sell calendars:

Postal workers

They might have already delivered your letters that morning, but as we approach the end of the year, don’t be surprised to open the door later in the day to find your postal worker is back again.

Postal workers traditionally produce calendars every year, which could be yours in return for a small donation. The workers themselves are responsible for ordering their calendars, and they must sell them outside of their working hours.

It will most likely be the same person who delivers your post who sells you the calendar, making it easier to avoid scams, but know that they should also be wearing their official uniform and be able to show you their carte professionnelle (professional ID card).

Postal workers sell between 8 and 10 million calendars every year, according to Le Monde, with residents handing over on average €8 to €10. A tidy sum when added together, which replaces the “13th month” – an extra month’s salary which many employees in France receive at the end of the year, but which postal workers are not eligible for.

Firefighters

While postal workers’ calendars are tolerated, firefighters are officially allowed to sell theirs. They too are likely to arrive at your door, and they must be in uniform and able to show you their card. In the cities you will also see on-street sales of the pompiers’ calendars.

The money from the sales goes to a common fund which pays for things like Christmas festivities, activities for the firefighters and their families, and organisations which help the children of firefighters who have lost their lives on the job.

Usually fire stations put together their own calendars featuring local pompiers.

These calendars are sweet, but if you want to see a little more of France’s famously well-sculpted pompiers, there is also a more risqué annual calendar which is sold in support of international firefighter and other charities.

Waste collectors

The third group of workers who commonly engage in door-to-door sales are les éboueurs (rubbish collectors), who share the money between the different members of their team. But beware: in Paris, waste collectors and other city workers, including égoutiers (sewage workers), are strictly prohibited from selling calendars or asking for any kind of tip.

If a waste collector in the capital knocks on your door and asks for money, you are therefore encouraged to refuse, because they are most likely impersonating city employees, and may even have fake professional ID cards.

Other large cities like Nice and Lyon also ban waste collectors from asking for money, and other areas may have their own rules so check with your local town hall. This is partly because waste collectors are easier to impersonate, since most people are more likely to recognise their postal worker for example, and their uniforms are less recognisable as well.

Others

Sometimes local groups such as the village committee or a local charity will sell calendars, but they need permission from the mayor of Préfet in order to do this, so don’t be afraid to check.

What to do if you’re unsure

If somebody comes to your door and tries to sell a calendar, but you’re unsure whether they really are who they say they are, the French government offers the following advice:

Don’t let a stranger inside your home

Ask the seller to see their professional ID card

Make sure the official logo of the institution appears on the calendar

Don’t hesitate to warn elderly or isolated people you know about this type of door-to-door selling

Report suspicious or insistent behaviour to the police by dialling 17

Anybody else trying to sell calendars door-to-door requires specific written permission from the mayor or préfet, so don’t be afraid to ask to see this.

You can also call the town hall to find out who is allowed to sell calendars and whether there are set dates for this.

Now you have peace of mind and know where your money is going, you are free to be as generous as you like once the doorbell starts ringing (although don’t feel bad if times are tight and you have to say no).

Tips

Separate to calendar sales but involving some of the same people are les étrannes or the New Year tips that many people give to their local postal workers, waste collectors, cleaners and building managers.