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.

So the French are through to the semi-finals of the Euros knocking out Portugal on penalties.

I didn’t see a lot of the match but I hear it was a bit of a turgid affair.

So much so that BBC pundit Chris Sutton said:

Si l’équipe Française jouait dans mon jardin je tirerais les rideaux.

The local newspaper had a headline with an expression that I was unfamiliar with.

Down to the wire

We stumbled across a Saturday market in Venelles – so we went for a look.

There were clothes:

Olives:

Peaches:

And cheese:

Today I had a rdv chez Pôle Emploi – recently renamed France Travail – the equivalent of a job centre.

Having been fired by Euronews I am entitled to some unemployment benefits and help in finding a new job.

So this morning at 1020 I went to my first appointment in Aix-en-Provence.

On the way in I was handed a flyer telling me to vote for the Nouveau Front Populaire to keep out the extrême droite in Sunday’s election.

The pamphlets didn’t stop there.

In the waiting room there was plenty of advice on offer re looking for a job.

Unfortunately I was too late to take part in some job speed dating.

And a new job was suggested that I hadn’t considered up to now.

My rdv was fine – but of course there is beaucoup de paparasse.

My biggest problem is that if I want to start a microenterprise in France I need to change my visa – again.

I have written to the prefecture for some help but am yet to hear back.

Je vous tiens au courant.