Day 2272 (Monday) 28th August 2023

No nice photos today…

I did my Duolingo this morning and got to first position for about 3 minutes, so did Huw.

The weather wasn’t great and there was another cruise ship in the bay full of Spanish people.

Huw had to go up to Tamsin and Christian’s place to get the scooter because Pat gave us a lift home last night. He took some photos of the stormy skies from up the hill.

What’s happening in France this week – the Local France 

People sit along the 'Paris Plages', which will close down for the season at the end of August 2023 (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)

From the European Volleyball Championship to an end to free-floating electric scooters in Paris and the last day of summer holidays, here's what is happening in France this week.

Monday

Road closures - Due to ongoing road works on the Paris ringroad (périphérique), sections have been closed off at nighttime during the month of August. On Monday, August 28th the inner ring road from quai d’Issy to Porte de la Muette will be inaccessible between 9.30pm until 6am on Tuesday. The sliproad into Paris from A4 to the Institut medico-légal will also be closed.

Volleyball - The Men's European Volleyball Championship will kick off on August 28th, with 24 teams going head to head to determine the champion for 2023.

Tuesday

Road closures - Like Monday night, parts of the Paris ring road will be closed on Tuesday night. Specifically, the outer ring rod from Porte de la Muette to the A13.

Ministers meeting - French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with several ministers on Tuesday to discuss how to bring the goals he has planned for the rentrée (back to work after summer holidays) into action. Macron laid out his priorities in a lengthy interview with Le Point last week.

Through the week he will also be meeting leaders of the opposition parties in an attempt to build more consensus in the French parliament, in which no party has an overall majority.

Wednesday

Road closures - The inner ring road from Porte Dauphine to Porte de Bagnolet will close Wednesday night.

Thursday

Goodbye scooters - Thursday will mark the last day before free-floating electric scooters disappear from France's capital city. Parisians voted in April to get rid of the scooters, and in response city officials said they would not renew their contracts, set to end on August 31st, with the three scooter operators: Lime, Dott and Tier.

More road closures - On Thursday night, the outer ring road from Porte de Bagnolet to Porte Maillot will be closed for works.

Friday

Pension reform - The controversial pension reform, which raises the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 and was the subject of large-scale protests across the country during the spring of 2023, will go into effect on September 1st. 

Sunday

Free museum Sunday in Paris - Several museums across the capital, including the modern art museum Centre Pompidou, participate in 'free museum Sunday' which takes place the first Sunday of every month. Both visitors and residents can benefit from free entry.

End of the Paris Plages - Each year, the beach comes to Paris, along with a free swimming area along the Canal and a programme of free activities set up by City Hall. It will come to a close this year on September 3rd.

Last day of summer holidays - French schoolchildren will head back to the classroom starting on Monday, September 4th for the start of a new school year. 

The rules for foraging for fruit and mushrooms in France’s forests

Photo: Beth Jnr / Unsplash

The end of summer in rural France heralds the start of foraging season.

There are, it’s true, few things nicer than tucking into a huge mushroom omelette with fungi, or a fruit pie made with fresh berries that you have foraged for yourself in nearby woodland. 

But there are a few things you need to know before you get started.

Obviously, only eat something if you're sure that you know what it is - many of France's fruits, flowers and herbs are toxic to varying degrees. If you're foraging for mushrooms once the season starts, be aware that pharmacists offer a mushroom-identification service so that you can check that your haul is safe to eat.

But even if you're an experienced forager, there are certain rules to be aware of in France.

The key point is that every forest has an owner, and all the fruits of these forests belong to someone. 

According to French law (Article 547 of the Code Civil to be precise) mushrooms, fruit and berries legally belong to the owner of the land on which they grow.

The actual wording of the law is: "The natural or industrial fruits of the earth, the civil fruits, the growth of animals, belong to the owner by right of accession". 

That means you need the permission of the landowner before you start picking. Entering private land without an invitation is trespassing, and could land you in court. 

If you are caught picking fruit or mushrooms on private land, you can face fines of between €750 and €45,000 and up to three years in prison - rising to €75,000 and 5 years' imprisonment in the event of aggravating circumstances, such as getting into a scrap with the irate landowner.

This includes windfall. Article 673 adds: "The fruit that have fallen naturally from these branches belong to [the owner].”

So, if you don’t know who owns the land, it’s best to keep to public spaces such as national parks and woodland that are open to the public. 

In areas owned by the state, you can collect up a limited amount of wild produce - usually five litres (around 2 kilogrammes), and described as being “for family use”. 

Exceeding that limit leaves the picker subject to a fine ranging from €750 to €45,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment.

Be aware, local authorities might have passed additional rules to protect local inhabitants’ rights - especially on land that is owned by the commune rather than the State. In commune-owned areas picking is reserved for those who live or have property in the commune.

Note, too, that it is illegal to sell-on any produce you have foraged.

After that, pick only fruit growing above waist height to avoid fox urine, wash all your produce before you cook it, and take your mushrooms to a pharmacist for identification.

And now a few more French idioms

faire un tabac – to strike it rich
Literal Translation: to make tabacco
Un tabac is also the word for a French café that sells cigarettes and newspapers so this idiom could be understood literally to mean make a café.

filer à l'anglaise – to sneak out
Literal Translation: to slip away the English way

finir en queue de poisson – to fizzle out
Literal Translation: to end like a fishtail

la goutte d’eau qui fait déborder le vase – the final straw that breaks the camel’s back
Literal Translation: the water drop that makes the vase overflow

l’habit ne fait pas le moine – you can't judge a book by its cover
Literal Translation: clothes don’t make the monk