As promised in my post before Christmas I thought I would count the number of buzzards we saw on our journey back to Venelles from Rye, in East Sussex.

The journey was about 700 miles/1050km and we decided to try and do it in one day.

In my previous post I made the bold claim that we had probaly seen more than 100 buzzards on our way day so I was hoping to be able to back that up.

However, there are two mitigating factors with our return journey: the hour’s time difference between England and France meant we were only travelling from 11am til it got dark at about 5pm; and much of France was covered in fog as England had been so visibility was poor.

So how many did we see in that time? None? 10? 50? 100?

Well before the fog and darkness descended we saw 76 buzzards – soixante-seize buses.
We also saw about 20 kestrels – vingt crécerelles.

By the time we had travelled half the distance we had seen 62 buzzards so, with a few more hours of daylight, I am confident that my more than 100 prediction would have been proved to be correct.

Nearly 100 birds of prey, presque cent rapaces – not a bad way to pass a long journey.

In January 2023 I was on a work trip to Brussels when I watched my team Fulham beat Chelsea in the Premier League.

Well, I was in the UK for Christmas so took the opportunity to go to the Boxing Day fixture – Chelsea v Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

Now Fulham haven’t won at Stamford Bridge in the top flight since 1964 and their only other victory there was in the old Second Division in 1979.

So hopes weren’t high as I went with my sons to the Bridge.

But the boys from SW6 did not disappoint.

A 95th-minute winner meant a very merry Christmas for all fans of the only team in Fulham.

Where will I be watching the next one?

We are travelling to the UK for Christmas and, because of presents etc, we are driving.

We stopped overnight in Arras after reading this recommendation in The Times (subscription required).

There was a big Christmas market in the main square.

But the main attraction for me was the rats of Arras.

Apparently, since 1311 the rat has been the symbol of Arras.

It was the Thirty Years War that established the rat of Arras’ place in history.

When Louis XIII troops captured the Artois city from the Spanish on 9 August 1640, they found an inscription left behind by the Spanish:

When the French take Arras, the mice will eat the rats

The French soldiers replied by deleting one letter in the French word prendront to make it rendront, so the phrase became:

When the French give up Arras, the mice will eat the rats

Arras stayed in French hands – much to the delight of the rats.

So rats are everyone – especially chocolate ones sold in Patisserie Thibault.

Obviously we bought some.

Remember I once said that la buse should be the national bird of France as I’d seen so many on the drive to Lyon.

Well from Venelles to Calais I think we saw more than 100 on fence posts along the various motorways.

Cath said it was like they were forming a guard of honour.

I will endeavour to count them on our return journey to confirm.

Something for you to look forward to.

As it was nearly the last day of term before Christmas, Alma came home with a present from the mayor.

It contained:

Un père Noël en chocolat

Un gaufre

Beaucoup de bonbons

Alma also had with her all the work she had done in her first term at school.

It included les règles de la classe.

Do you remember we sowed some graines du blé earlier this month?

So how are we doing on the “going to have loads of money next year” front?

Pas terrible.

But better than in this restaurant in Marseille.

But not as good as the blé chez Hanna.

She is in for a good 2025.

We went on a tour of some of the Christmas lights in Venelles.

While having lunch in a crêperie in Marseille I spotted this hanging on the wall – key dates in French history to remember.

From Caesar’s invasion – Gallia est omnis divisa in partes très – to the death of Henri IV all the important dates are there.

481 Clovis I – first king of France.

1095 Urban II calls the First Crusade in Clermont Ferrand.

1346 Battle of Crécy

1431 death of Joan of Arc (sold out to the Brits by the Burgundians)

Strangely – unlike in Cours de Voraces in Lyon – they haven’t added in 1998!

On a work trip to Vienna, I saw this on the front page of the Heute newspaper.

Liz II Christmas tree baubles.

I’ve been to lots of Christmas markets here and seen plenty of Christmas tree decorations but sadly not this one.

Not so much Elf on the shelf, more Liz on the (Christmas) triz.

Sorry, not sorry.

Reminded me of this – seen in a picture shop in Lyon.

I went to see a doctor because of a badly swollen eye.

I normally wouldn’t bother but I will be away next week and didn’t want things to get worse while I was abroad.

The doctor examined me and then said it was:

Un orgelet – a stye

That is different from:

Une porcherie – a pigsty

Our trip to the supermarket ended a bit unusually today.

At the till we were asked if we wanted a little sachet of wheat seed.

Cath said we were English and we didn’t know what it was for.

The woman explained that yesterday – 4 December was the feast of Sainte Barbe and the Provençal tradition is to sow wheat seeds in three containers.

If they grow strong and high it means you will have a successful and healthy new year.

And they should adorn your table at Christmas.

So Cath has three pots on the go.

So as les Provençals say:

Quand lou blad vèn bèn

Tout vèn bèn