Banque Alimentaire

I went to The Food Bank again today.  I say that I went, but in fact I was taken.  The bloody car wouldn’t start, probably because it was bloody freezing.  And I mean really, really freezing.  But who can afford to miss The Food Bank?

However, a lady who lives just up the road from me,. purely by chance, also happens to go.  So I went begging for a lift with my totally inadequate French.  I din’t even get out half a sentence, that I had spent half an hour preparing.  She knew what was wrong the minute I knocked on her door

She picked me up after she collected two other people.  Fabienne can’t afford new tyres, and Correlais doesn’t have a car at all, at all.  So we all swanned along together.  What a laugh..

One of the ladies who dolls out the food, knew almost before I did, just how I had gotten there.  Although how she found out that my crap heap of a van wouldn’t start is still a bit of a mystery.  But her grandson probably owns the local garage.   He’s been hovering  for a minute or ten because he knows that my van has nearly had it.  He sold me this one in the first place, although no complaints on that score.  It’s been a really good, old van.  Old being the operative word.  So I will go to him on the next occasion.

“Occasion” means Second Hand in French.  Roll on the next Occasion.  I am being a bit silly at the moment, hoping that it will carry on for a bit yet, which it might, or might not.  But as long as I have got a lift to The Food Bank, who cares.

However, Number Three Son needs a car to work, so we are negotiating at the moment.  Although this is a negotiation that I can’t win.  He needs to work.  Forget that one.  I need him to work.  And he can’t afford to buy a car, while I can.  Courtesy of what I have save by going to The Food Bank.  Swings and Roundabouts, you see.

Anyway, we all picked up our not ungenerous hand outs, and then stopped off at Carrefour on the way home.  We all bought Dog Food, Cat Food and Bird Seed, and that was it.  The Food Bank doesn’t give you these things.  Occasionally they dish out some really crappy fish, which you probably wouldn’t feed to your dog, `but Charlotte loves it. None of that crap today, so I had to buy Dog Food.  As did everyone else.

All in all, another nice day.  These people are so kind to me.  I cannot even begin to tell you all about that.  I doubt that I will ever forget.