As regular readers will know I have not applied for my job in Brussels – so, as of next April I will be being made redundant encore une fois. So I am entering the last three months of my employment at Euronews.

In France there are a myriad of ways to leave a company – and it’s all quite complicated.

So here’s my guide – it might not all be correct but it’s my best understanding to date. And be warned, there are plenty of acronyms.

So the first thing is the French trade unions – Comité Social et Economique – CSE. They spent more than six months with the Euronews managers to agree un Plan de Sauvegarde de l’Emploi or PSE.

There’s the first confusing thing because the plan to safeguard jobs saw Euronews close 199 jobs. It seemed to be more about negotiating the best terms for those people whose jobs were affected by the reorganisation.

After lengthy negotiations the two sides agreed so the details of the plan were sent to DREETS (Directions régionales de l’économie, de l’emploi, du travail et des solidarités) – a regional administrative department dealing with all things employment.

It took them a few weeks but they also agreed the plan for job closures at Euronews.

Plenty of jobs have closed and people have been leaving Euronews every day. Our Spanish team are now in Madrid, our Italian team in Rome, our German team in Berlin and our Portuguese team in Lisbon.

There is a pot de depart every week if not day.

Because the jobs in France are closing, employees are entitled to something called CSP – Contrat de Sécurisation Professionelle.

As mentioned in a previous post, it has just been renewed for another year.

It means those of us looking for a new job get a generous support package while we search.

So I can just leave Euronews at the end of March and all will be well?

Not exactly – I have to leave using some called Depart volontaire (not so volontaire really) creation d’entreprise.

My plan is to start a digital consultancy business and stay in France for a while if possible.

Euronews even gives me some money to help start the business.

I am working with a consultant from Lee Hecht Harrison on my business plan.

Cath had a great idea for a name based on our trip to Guadeloupe – Colibri Media.

I read this in the Times this morning about how France is on a high state of alert this New Year.

Maybe that explains the policing we saw in central Lyon.

I’ve just finished reading Jean de Florette by Marcel Pagnol.

Set in the mountains above Aubagne , it tells the story of the fight for water in Provence and what it drives men to do.

Having read the book we have now watched the film.

I learnt lots of new words but my favourite line is said by the evil Papet played by Yves Montand in the film:

Quand on a commencé d’étrangler le chat, il faut le finir.

Cesar Soubeyran

Nice!

It seems to me if you want to know what time of the year it is, you just need to look at the vitrines in the chocolate shops of Lyon.

Whether it’s 1 April, Easter or Christmas, their displays will let you know.

So as soon as Christmas is behind us, they have moved on to the next fête.

On est allé à Annecy pour la deuxième fois, plus d’un an apres notre première visite.

Et cette fois j’ai gouté ma première tartiflette.

Maintenant je comprends ce sticker.

Annecy est bondé mais elle est belle.

Et les groseilles étaient toujours là.

J’ai vu cette camionette avec les noms des differents types de nuisibles.

Quelques un je le savais:

Pigeons – pigeons

Punaises de lit– bedbugs

Guêpes – wasps

Fourmis– ants

Quelques autres – non.

Frelons Asiatiques Asian hornets

Rongeurs Rodents

Blattes Cockroaches

Débarras Clearing

We are in Aix-en-Provence for Christmas. The AirB&B looks grand.

Aix looks very Christmassy – it feels like being in Love Actually.

We even bumped into a choir.

And the Aix-mas lights were impressive.

It’s nearly Christmas so it can only mean one thing – the chocolate shops of Lyon are doing a roaring trade.

Which means there is a bit of a queue to get in.

There are other chocolate shops in Lyon – so many chocolate shops.

These are obviously popular because there was another queue.

But there is so much choice. So much.

Il y a de la brume ce matin. On ne peut pas voir La Saône du mon bureau.

Last year we took in a Christmas concert at the Basilique Saint Bonaventure.

This year it sold out very quickly so we tried something diffferent – a Neapolitan Christmas at L’Hostel Dieu.

It was a lovely setting for some pre-Christmas music.

Featuring the soprano Heather Newhouse and the Mandolin player Vincent Beer-Demander (I bet he likes a drink) it was an amazing evening of Christmas music, vigorous tarentellas, unusual instruments and fun.

The audience gave the musicians and choir an extended ovation at the end so we were treated to an encore.

I was hoping Beer-Demander might give us a bit of Maggie May but no such luck.