This is a little unexpected. I’m in an area of Georgia this week helping a small newsroom with their election planning.

The journalists tell me about the town’s most famous son who sounds familiar.

Charles Aznavour.

There is even a star in his honour at Akhaltsikhe’s Rabati castle.

When I look him him up on Wikipedia it says he was born in Paris in the 6th arrondisement.

But his father, Misha, was indeed an Armenian from Akhaltsikhe.

His family then ran an Armenian restaurant in Paris.

So I guess that does make him a famous son of Akhaltsikhe.

Maybe not Georgia’s most famous son – but then the less said about Stalin the better.

Work has taken me to Georgia.

On my first night in Tiblisi there were still some reminders of France.

It’s just like Lyon!

I’m doing a week’s work in Moldova and have noticed that as well as saying multumesc for thank you – the Moldovans, who speak Romanian, also say merci.

There is even a supermarket called Merci.

Although I detect quite a few Italian words in the Romanian language they also say déjà for already.

Languages – they’re funny, n’est-ce pas?

As I begin my new life as a consultant and am flying out to Moldova and Georgia for two weeks work I spotted this ad for car rental firm Sixt at Marseille airport.

I’m guessing it’s a play on treize – the departmental code for Provence and très.

Pas mal.

We’ve been in England for a few days and when we got back and checked the post there was a letter for me from France Travail.

It was about my appointment on 4 July and was asking why I hadn’t attended.

Now, readers of this blog might remember that I did attend an appointment at France Travail on 4 July.

The only ways of letting them know this is via their website or by post.

The problem is my account is still in the process of being created and so I cannot send them any messages.

So it was off to the post office to send a letter as fast as possible to the job centre. It said I had only 10 days to reply so I needed it there quickly.

I asked the man at the counter how long it would take to get the 13 km to Aix.

Mercredi, I was told.

Les camions ne roulent pas le lundi.

Le facteur

I should have just delivered it by hand.

Here’s a great example of giving your audience news that is useful to their lives.

La Provence marking the start of the holiday period to talk to an expert on how to make the most of les grandes vacances.

The tips include breaking your routine, turning your phone off and having a siesta.

I must have been on holiday for the last couple of months!

But seriously this is the type of journalism I will be advocating to clients in my new – as yet – unnamed- business. Articles that are useful to their audience.

Colibri media already exists so it might become cigale media.

This morning Cath spotted something swimming in the pool. And when I say swimming, I mean drowning really.

We dashed outside to see une musaraigne trying to keep its long nose above water.

I grabbed the net and fished it out and plonked it on the grass. It was pretty sodden – hopefully it will dry out and be all right.

It is the second shrew we have found in the pool. The second one didn’t have a happy ending as I found it in the skimmers, dead.

Picture available on request.

The local paper carries news of France’s exit last night at the hands of Spain.

It also had ex-Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi’s plan to return Olympique Marseille to their rightful place.

If it’s any consolation Les Bleus still adorn the bags for life in our local Intermarché.

When we go to Aix we tend to nip into the Goulard bookshop to have a look around.

The only problem with that is, it is such a lovely bookshop that you end coming home like this:

This Sunday is the second round of voting in France’s general election.

Turnout is reported to be a little bit higher than last week.

Will voters vote with their heads having voted with their hearts last time? – an old saying about the French election system.

This poster is calling for more voting from the heart.

We shall see.

UPDATE Monday 8 July

Well it was a surprise turnaround.

To read more and understand what has happened read this or this – as a nod to my two previous employers.