The End of Summer

 

It's the beginning of September. The end of the summer. The life guards have disappeared from the beach, schools have gone back and the tourists have changed from families with children to a much older crowd.. 


The weather doesn't seem aware that summer is over though. During a couple of days of intermittent rain and a night of amazing thunderstorms, the temperatures fell to the low twenties.  Now we are heading back up towards 30℃. I'm not complaining, the rain softened the ground enough for me to dig a big hole for my lemon tree and now the sun is shining again.



On Saturday I was woken by the sound of a distorted voice through a loud hailer. I was unable to distinguish any words. It crossed my mind that perhaps we were being invaded (I have been very lax about looking at the news since arriving here). I also wondered if there was a demonstration against the closure of the beach restaurants. There was only one way to find out so I donned my bikini, grabbed a towel and went down to the beach. There I found a dog agility show in full swing in the car park. My swim was accompanied by joyous barking, shouts, cheers and 1980s music




Changes are planned for the beaches nearest to our apartment. 

The 31st of August was the last day that the restaurants along the beach were allowed to open. They have been given two weeks to clear everything in preparation for the renovation due to start mid September. 

The beach will no longer be divided up into private areas attached to the restaurants—each with their own easily identifiable loungers and parasols. While I have no issue with the plans, it does seem an odd  time of year to do it. There are still tourists about and it is depressing to walk along as the restaurants and their kitchens are dismantled, their contents packed away in vans and trucks.


However, once you are on the beach, it is so much better.  Throughout the summer myself and others who couldn't (or wouldn't) pay around 20 € for a lounger, were packed tightly onto the public beach at the end, arriving earlier and earlier to secure a place. Now with the loungers already cleared away and the plastic fences dismantled it feels like a proper beach. I just hope that the work isn't too disruptive or prolonged.

Most of the loungers have gone



A forum of all the associations in Menton took place last Saturday, there were 160 little stalls with associations representing every sport, activity, reason for people to get together, that you could imagine. The enthusiasm was mind boggling, I caught the displays of judo and some slightly odd dancing in the short time that I was there but there were displays from all sorts of groups all day.  It reminded me of Freshers' Week at university (do they still do that?) but on a larger scale.  I came away with several leaflets that had found their way into my hands and having joined Les Amis du Val Rahmeh (the botanical gardens that border my own garden).

The stalls were inside and outside the Palais de Europe.




A bit of an eclectic mix of books read this week!


After reading his latest, I had to start at the beginning again.

A great short story selection
A bit of nonsense with Alan Bennetts usual skill!






 If you have enjoyed reading this and would like to be sent a link when the next episode is published, please contact me on info@jacquelinejames.co.uk and I will add you to the list.



https://jacquelinejames.co.uk

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