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

When I lived in Lyon I worried about the build up of flotsam around the bridges that cross the Saône.

Today I saw how the problem is dealt with.

This man was cutting up the trunks of dead trees.

And this crane and boat was collecting it all.

I bet Lyon residents will feel safer now crossing the river.

We went on a day-trip to Lyon for a bit of Christmas shopping in some of our favourite boutiques.

The city was gearing up for this week’s fête des lumières.

Unfortunately we will miss it as we went back to Aix on Tuesday evening.

“Comme un vrai lyonnais.” -as someone said to me about leaving town before the crowds descend.

C’est encore moi à la mangeoire.

I saw this on a trip to our local post office.

Une boîte aux lettres spéciale.

Strangely the priest at l’Église Notre Dame de l’Assomption in Puyricard is called Père Noël.

Maybe they just go to him?

Cath and I regularly do the Times Daily quiz in friendly competition with our London friends who visited us in Lyon.

One of today’s questions was:

^{11 Which Roman emperor was called “the common enemy of mankind” by Edward Gibbon?}

I didn’t know the answer- which is Caracalla.

I only knew of him for the baths that bear his name in Rome.

So I looked him up and learned he was born in Lugdunum – the Roman name for Lyon just like Claudius.

Caracalla passed a law granting the right of citizenship to every free man in the Empire

But Gibbon called him the common enemy of mankind for his cruelty and erratic behaviour.