Une citrouille, in French, is a pumpkin (and a pumpkin is also a potiron). But in today’s story, une citrouille is a mode of transportation…and we’re not talking about a Citroën!
TODAY’S WORD: Une Citrouille
: pumpkin
: head (synonym, in French, for citrouille)
la citrouille d’Halloween = jack-o’-lantern
la tarte à la citrouille = pumpkin pie
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Une Citrouille. Et si Kristi et moi, on vous rendait visite dans un RV ou dans une citrouille?
Pumpkin. And what if Kristi and I visited you in an RV or in a pumpkin?
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A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
A realtor and some interested buyers showed up Saturday, to visit our home and vineyard. This latest development threatens to throw a clog, or sabot, into Plan B
–sabotaging my chance to rent this farmhouse, and so keep it for ourselves!
Standing beside our withering bougainvillea which once boasted bright fuchsia leaves, I pasted a welcoming smile on my face as I studied the buyers. She was a brunette, a natural beauty à la Jacqueline Bisset. He was a tall, boyishly handsome CEO. Both around our age (not yet 50). The Parisians spent an hour visiting our home and vineyard at which point the man looked at me and said,
“Vous avez fait de très très bon travail ici! You have done some very good work here!”
I wished Jean-Marc were around to hear that compliment! It might have revived his dream of creating this vineyard in Bandol. Hélas, my husband was away working part-time at a wine shop in Marseilles. (Most people don’t earn a living owning vineyard. It helps to have a side job. Jean-Marc has two of them!)
The couple turned to leave. I watched them walk happily down the driveway, past the row of blueberries I planted last spring, past the lilacs and the felled mimosa (which reappeared last year in a most hopeful display of new growth). The buyers disappeared behind the burgeoning mimosa and I could not see what kind of car they got into. But it might as well have been a golden carriage! For I was keenly aware of just how quickly my fairy tale French dream could be given to another to enjoy endlessly!
I needed to sit down. The edge of the garden beds offered a familiar perch. As I rested beside the strawberries, carrots, and ciboulette, I inhaled the familiar earthy perfume and ran my hand over the green leafy bed. “This is an experimental garden,” I had offered, earlier, as the couple looked around the unruly jungle. All those “experiments” were my joie de vivre, my new-found raison d’être. Like Willy Wonka in his Chocolate Factory, I thrived among my garden’s quirks, wonders and grand possibilities! With its backdrop of a stone farmhouse and, beyond, the sea, this environment has been, for four years now, a real life fantasy.
I was staring at one of the pumpkins which had wrapped its vine around an antique chair of my belle-mère’s… when a Willy Wonkian possibility came to me: PLAN C !
(“C” for Citrouille!)
Plan C honors Jean-Marc’s need to see new horizons–along with my need to be anchored to the sweet-scented earth.
Plan “C” rhymes with RV (and, come to think of it, with “citrouille“)!
Staring into my garden pumpkin, it became at once a globe and a vehicle (it worked for Cinderella, could it work for JM, Smokey and me?). I could see us traveling across America, as you readers have suggested. Because I will miss my organic garden and the fruits of the harvest, why not make GARDEN HOPPING the theme of our voyage?
My dream would then be to visit organic gardens across the USA! Jean-Marc and I could stop by your garden or potager and sink our hands into the good earth. Would you let us take a few supplies for the road? An apple? Some parsley? A rutabaga (something I’ve never grown!) And therein lies the magic – to continue to grow and learn. To expand this experimental garden from one end of the States to the other!
Can you just picture our RV with a row of plants (aloe vera, rosemary, and why not a lemon and an avocado seedling?) tied behind the windshield and a smiling driver and copilots just beyond? Can you see Smokey, buckled into the back seat?)
So what do you say, Dear Reader? Can we come dig in your garden? (We want to see you even if you don’t have a garden, in which case we’ll share some canned green-beans from the previous garden visit!)
Now to deck out this pumpkin-on-wheels, below, with some plants, some cots, a shower, a W.-C., and my dear family! In the comments (link below) let me know your thoughts. Mille mercis! In case I haven’t told you lately, That’s a thousand thanks in French!
FRENCH VOCABULARY
hélas = unfortunately
la ciboulette = chives
joie de vivre = joy of life
raison d’être = reason for being
la belle-mère = mother-in-law (also step-mother)
le potager = kitchen garden, vegetable garden
Smokey, on the road. “Oh the things we will see!”
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Here are some fun ideas for vineyard help — fun to consider, if not realistic. A world tour of organic wineries might be fun, but Smokey might prefer this option: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/blogs/kunekune-pigs-babydoll-sheep-sustainable-helpers-yealands-winery
A thousand bienvenues to you and Jean-Marc. You are always welcome at our home in Vermont. You’ve given me so much reading pleasure over these many years. Thank you. I’ve been touched and inspired by your dreams and brave hearts. Much love to you as you seek to broaden your horizons! Thrilling possibilities abound.
“Love is the bridge between you and everything.” – Rumi
Oh so many thoughts of where you could be at certain times of the year in an RV. Here collecting mushrooms in the Autumn, in the south during the colder months of winter, Colorado for Spring skiing and visiting New England once the snows melt for a wonderful beginning of summer’s bounty. So many places with beautiful gardens. And lots of garden events you could speak at. I know how you feel about staying (I am the same about staying up here on our mountain), but this could be a beautiful way to see what speaks to your heart in the next chapter.
Tthe “happy mobile”….the “HEAL mobile”, (the latter rhymes) sounds like a winner of an idea. And what fodder and fuel for many more blogs! It thus becomes not only a plan for discovering America, (and telling us about it in your inimitable way) ….ibut a time for self discovery. To know ourselves, who we truly are, who we envision we could be often becomes more accessible when we step away from who we WERE.
Kristi, Do not limit yourself to the US. You and Jean-Marc would be welcome at our home in British Columbia, Canada where we have about a half acre of organic garden amidst our two acres of mountainside. Not as steep as the Cévennes where we recently visited, not as sunny as Arles or as hot as Aix en Provence. Wine grapes may grow here but do not ripen before the cold and wet of October. Next time in Aix visiting Jacquie Jean-Marc may like to visit Mademoiselle Wine at 10 rue des Marseillais, off of Place Richelme. It is a small shop but mademoiselle served some wonderful cheeses and saucisson with the wine samples.
Best of luck with all your plans, including those which have yet to bud.
Bruce Lane, Procter, BC
Well, geez, it’s time for central coastal California to weigh in here — the veritable “salad bowl” of the world!!!!!By all means, swing by the Santa Cruz area. You can check out organic farms and gardens to your heart’s delight while Jean-Marc surfs and visits local wineries. Not bad, no? On a more serious note…..if moving to the US is still a possible option for you, this is an excellent way to not only see the country and visit all the lovely people (and gardens) in the previous relies to your post, but it also would open your eyes, hearts, and minds to new locations to consider to potentially put down roots.
Yes please do stop in!! Stay for dinner – or a day – or a week. You and JM are welcome in Arizona! We only have an herb garden, but you will not leave hungry!
Hi Kristi,
You might like to read the ‘Spark your Dream’ By Herman Zapp, or check out his FaceBook page ‘Spark your Dream’.
It’s about 1 Couple | 4 Kids | 40+ Countries | 11 Years | Still on the road traveling in a An extended family holiday, crossing borders and continents in an 84 year old Graham Paige model car in search of adventure! I say Kristi, go for it!!! Know doubt you will meet some fantastic people along the way….wow just think of the amazing adventure you will have!
Kristi:
Please keep all your fans posted on your plans for the future.
If you do come to the US I hope you’ll visit Savannah, Georgia.
We have a young Frenchman in the neighborhood who has his own wine shop up the street
right across from a beautiful park that looks its’ best on the Spring when all the azaleas are out.
Edie from Savannah
Hi Kristi,
Plan C sounds very interesting and really as Cynthia said, could be exhilarating too. You would be most welcome to come to Sonoma, CA and dig in our big vegetable garden, take what you want, shower up and then get out and enjoy the vines and wine in this and Napa Valley. There are lots of “farm trail” operations around here where you can pick your own fruit/veg as well. I am sure you can find that all along the west coast! Our daughter and son-in-law live in the Oregon pinot region and are both in the wine business, our son on the vineyard management side and daughter a winery manager. They are about your ages. On your travels, we would be happy to set you up for a visit with them!
Plans A, B, C and more do stretch the imagination and I am wishing you both clear thinking and good luck with any decision you make!
Bonne chance!
Here is what I would say to my clients who asked this question. Rent the place out for a year… Maybe those Parisians would want to test the waters, especially if it will eventually be a second home.
If you can afford it,RV through the US for a year. I suspect you would pay for few meals and little lodging… or buy a cheap car and a tent and just drive. There are 10,000 people who would love have you as house guests.
After a year, decide.
Marie La Salle
RE/MAX Greater Atlanta
My husband, 70# Samoyed/Husky mix, and I have traveled cross-country USA 3 times in a 21′ foot Class C, the first time without a permanent nest (AND with two cats!). We loved most of it and recommend it if you, JM, and Smoky a) don’t mind being in tight spaces days on end (my dog would get cranky at times being jammed in even less space than we humans had—also, when weather is hot, or freezing, it is not safe/possible to leave a dog in a vehicle alone, which will limit your options), b) can sit comfortably for hours on end, either in the coach or in the cab, c) you can happily manage to live closely with your large dog when he goes outside into mud, sand, snow and bounds back into the wee living space of your coach, dirty paws and all, d) are willing to camp in all kinds of facilities—campgrounds, full-timer trailer parks, Walmart parking lots—because sometimes those are all that are available (and size and configuration of your vehicle will impact/limit your options—-also, many residential communities, at least in CA, won’t allow overnight parking of RV’s on the street, or even in a driveway, where we live).
Before buying a vehicle, maybe try renting one for a month, to learn what it’s really like to live in such a way for an extended time, and as others have suggested, read/research blogs and forums of RV’ers. As a gardener like you, seeing others’s gardens, especially food-oriented ones, made me long for one of my own— plants in the window helped a bit, but only if within a given state due to ag regulations (but I did love having four spathyphyllums in the shower pan under the skylight to help clear toxic formaldehyde from the interior—a nasty thing about RV’s, especially when new.)
Ah, not much good in these comments, but these are also true: RVing is a wonderful way to travel and see far and wide, with the freedom for short or extended stays; to minimize your expenses (so long as you aren’t carrying a heavy financial cost of a separate residence or vehicle loan); to learn how to live with less, etc. Some of our most amusing and sweetest memories are of our trips. We sold our RV a few months ago…it is time for a different kind of travel for us, but already miss the “idea” of it. Bonne chance!
Come to Canada and dig in my garden, please.
P.S.: We also make awesome moussaka (Lebanese style) and tobouli. C’est tres bien!!!
Kristi, Old man that I am, lodged agreeably with my wife in a reirement community outside Philadelphia, I regrettably cannot offer you and Jean-Marc a garden stop invitation. Yet I continue to read with admiration your messages, aware of the courage it takes to approach change of the order you are contemplating. I feel confident that you will continue to cultivate your garden — n’importe ou.
David
Hi Kristi et Jean Marc,
You are warmly welcome to visit Sonoma County and experience our Farm-to-Table restaurants, Slo Food Movement, Cere’s Project, and acres of organic gardens- both commercial and residential- and our Farmer’s Markets that run from May through October every year.. You would find yourselves “chez vous”. You would be welcome to park your RV, depending on its size: it must fit through two BIG redwood trees on either side of the lane!
Would you ever consider renting your home to your readers possibly if we were to work in your garden and vineyard along side you?
Please see my website. Once there, go to the page titled: “Graton Guest House”. You will get an idea of my surroundings.
Kindest thoughts to you on your journey.
From your journals it seems as if you will be traveling west BUT if you get anywhere near Cape Cod we would be happy to have you visit. Our garden is small but you should visit the Heritage Musumes and Gardens in Sandwich, MA. It is 100 glorious acres! I would be happy to be your guide.
You are welcome to visit and stay with us for a few days in Nicasio (West Marin County), California. We have a small garden!
Kristi, I know the confusion and remorse of having sold a dream home, and would only advise as others have that taking time off to travel while renting your home out might be the best way to go. Even just a couple of months of exploration might make it easier to come to a good decision. If you do travel to the US, I hope you’ll add us to the list of Vermonters with open doors. My place is on the lake on Shelburne Point, near Shelburne Farms. There’s a healthy farm and food culture here, and even interesting wineries to check out!
You are so welcome here at our organic farm in the foothills of the Sierras in Northern California. You can help me in the garden as I always need help! In the summer we have tons of veggies, berries and herbs and in the fall, apples, figs, pears and plums.
Sounds like an adventure coming up!
Diane
Hi Kristen:
Perhaps this is worth a look? https://wwoofusa.org/
Visitors, or ‘WWOOFers’, spend about half a day helping out on a host farm, learn about the organic movement and sustainable agriculture, and receive room and board during their visit – with no money exchanged between hosts and WWOOFers.
http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/how-to-travel-and-work-around-the-world-with-wwoof/
Best wishes!
If you decide to come to Oregon, please visit us on the Oregon Coast. We are three hours from Portland and less than 2 from wine country. We have acres of woods and fields and an out of control semi-permaculture garden. Lots of wildlife and 3 miles from the beach. We’d love to see you both. Good luck.
Hi Kristin,
I have enjoyed your posts for years. If I might suggest this option to consider? Please see this website: WWOOF – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Perhaps you are already aware of it.
Best of luck to you and your family.
Sharon
Love that quote
I know how you feel. I spent some of the best years of my life sharing Plan X with our family on the idyllic shores of a beautiful lake in Wisconsin. We encouraged our children to dream and fly; and “flew” they did. What good is paradise without those one loves? A new possibility began to ferment. Could we leave Plan X for Plan Y? Now we live on Bainbridge Island, Washington not far from two sons and their families in Port Townsend, and quick flight to sunny Denver where our daughter and family live. Life is good. Embrace the change. Each day we open a new chapter in Plan Y. Going from Zone 5 to Zone 8 is a challenge, but what a challenge! If one loves abundant green space, unending flowering gardens, lots of water via Puget Sound and the Straits of San Juan de Fuega, the immediacy of the Olympic Mountains and stunning views of the Cascade Mountains, then imagine a life here on the Olympic Peninsula, just a 35 minute ferry ride from Seattle, and FULL of new possibilities. Please visit us as you make your own Plan Y. Off to watch the little ones in Port Townsend – It is Monday. (I have read your blog for years, but this is the first time to respond. You spoke to my heart – once again)
Cela me fait sourire!
I can’t relate to your thoughts of RV living as I’m an elderly widow, but I think you two could pull it off for a while. Interesting idea. Don’t think you’d want to carry plants around USA with the state laws, differing climates, etc.Visit the National Parks for real beauty.
You know you are welcome chez nous in Denver, although I suspect you would stay at your sister’s. I’d love to give you a tour of our little garden, as you did in May (though ours does not come close to your creation). I give two thumbs up to the road trip idea. You have so many friends awaiting you here in the US. Connect the dots and see what picture emerges. I am seeing a lighter glow in JM’s face, maybe a sign of the heaviness lifting and joy returning. Take his hand and show him the amazing US. Imagine your blog from a whole new travel perspective. Bienvenue, mes amis!
PS – there are some great websites for renting an RV – small, medium or large. Let me know if you want some ideas.
We don’t have a garden, but you are very welcome to visit us here north of Denver! Taking some time to visit before you make a decision on location sounds like a lovely plan!
No garden. But our house would be a welcoming stop for you both/all. Keep it in mind!
Kristen, Regarding comment from Rupert Suren. See Snopes link for the facts: http://www.snopes.com/hud-tiny-homes-ban/
HUD does not have the authority to pass such laws.
There are many RV enthusiasts who travel the USA, no problem.
You can come to beautiful Victoria BC Canada and work in my garden any time you want. It is an “experimental garden” gone wrong so anything done would be an improvement.
I love your pumpkin decoration. It is so eye catching.
Dear Kristi,I could feel you in this post having seen your lovely place overlooking the sea. I have such lovely photos to remember one of my favorite days last October at one of your wine tastings. I love that you keep exploring options, I am praying that the Lord will open the right doors and shut the ones that are not. My pastor always says, “God always give us His best when we leave the deciding to Him”. If in fact you do decide to do the RV thing, of course we would LOVE to have you visit. We have 40 acres, and plenty of room for you to park. We are located halfway between SanFrancisco and Portland. Out in the middle of nowhere but with the Lava Beds national monument literally in our back yard. Also near Crater Lake, and many other lovely natural sites. I do grow a garden and it is organic but I would love to learn more about permaculture. Mine is pretty simple. Our dear.neighbors grow a spectacular garden that I would love to show you, they love showing it off, He is a fellow Francophile that speaks fluent French and grows quite a bit of French produce from imported seeds. I know they would enjoy your visit as well. It would be great to see you again.
You are only on plan C. Not to worry until you get to around Plan M. This is a possibility. It would take some planning as to which route you might take given the time of year you decide to do this. North or South. But when you reach California coming to Carmel, Carmel Valley is a must. You will go through the Salinas Valley(known as The Salad Bowl of the World), the ocean is just 4 blocks from my house in Carmel(cold waters, but beautiful and wonderful fresh seafood all year). Oh, and on Carmel Beach there is no leash law….Smokey can run to his hearts content with all the other Goldens, Labs, and mutts. And then there is Carmel Valley…5-10 minutes away. There is an RV park out there that rents by the month…..and I may know of someone who has enough property for you to park it on. In the valley there is one of the very first commercial organic farms started in the US. Earthbound Farms, started with 2 acres. Look them up on the net, read the story….I bet they would hire you to work at the stand. Follow them on FB. Between my little garden and friends gardens we can supply you with Meyer lemons, lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, garlic, squash, onions and other goodies. And what we can’t supply, well there is a Farmers Market each day of the week at a different town all within a 15 mile radius that pride themselves in organic. And finally, Carmel Valley is also a micro wine growing haven. I am sure many of the owners and wine makers would be delighted to talk with Jean-Marc. Who knows, maybe even a job given his background in accounting and oenology. Rather than a large RV…..something like a VW camper might work just fine and better gas mileage. And if you do go that way….check out getting one in Germany and shipping it over….might be cheaper….and you could easily sell here I think for a profit.
And in the end, plan A,B, and C are all good.
Should you decide to do your cross-country visit to the States, I would be so happy to see you here in southern CA. I’ll feed you well, but I no longer garden anymore. I speak French and love your country. I hope you would plan to visit me. I’ll send the address when you do this Plan C. Mary Lou
Dear Kristi, an Australian perspective here – the constant rumination on different options, whilst creative, seems to be taking alot of emotional energy and seeming to not create positive energy.
Perhaps reflect on….if we really chose to trust ourselves and each other, what choice rises to the top and then leave it. Give yourself a period of not thinking about options and just be – perhaps set a date when you can next think about this conundrum but until then, stay present, relish where you are and what you have…otherwise, this period will ply by and, should you leave your French home, the final months/year will have been a whirl of option generation and worrying.
The right thing will come. Trust yourselves.
With love
Jessica
Kristi,
You two would be welcome to come dig in our organic garden! We could send you down the road with some Walla Walla Sweet Onions for a taste of here and a Petit Gris melon to remind you of Bandol.
I’d say “Go for Plan C!” My husband & I traveled in a 16ft van, camping, for over 10 years throughout the US, Mexico, Guatemala, and Canada. We did have a house to go back to. We also lived on a sailboat, twice, for a year at a time. There is this great sense of freedom to be able to go anywhere you want, and when, depending on weather. I feel very fortunate to have experienced the “gypsy” life. We are now writing a book about our adventures and have many stories to tell. We now have a Grand Piano instead of a boat. I dream of putting pontoons on the piano, and playing into the sunset!
Kristin,
I am always touched by your writing. While being real, it has taught me much about the French language in an authentic way. It is timely and touching. My husband and I live in Napa Valley and are familiar with your vineyard work and struggles. We would be interested to learn more about your home and vineyard. Would it be too forward to ask for you to email me your realtor’s information on your property?
Kind regards – Susan
This is old news and irrelevant. The regulation IF implemented wouldn’t have stopped you from living in an RV. It would require the manufacturer to notify you that the vehicle is “not intended for use as a permanent dwelling”. Yeah, ok, got it.
Kristi, I wish you could combine Plans B and C, renting out your house but traveling the U.S. in an RV for as long as you want. But whatever you decide, I know you will thrive. If you do end up traveling here in the U.S., I hope you make a stop in Orange County, CA. While I don’t have a garden, I could at least provide a meal. It would be so fun to meet you both! Prayers continue as you make this decision.
Kristi,
Good luck in dealing with Jean-Marc’s mid-life crisis, but don’t let yourself be dragged from your wonderful home on some improbable “adventure” that you will end up hating.
Marion Harris
San Francisco Bay Area
SINCE I plan on visiting you next Sept to celebrate my 90, I selfishly wish you stay right where you are at, if you need to vacation in the U S, by all meanes, go ahead, you are more than welcome to dip your toes in the BEAUTIFUL white sands of Clearwater Beach, I can conceive the scenario of starting a co op of all many readers chipping in, providing the where-with-all of JEAN- MARC continuing with his dream and making that dream a reality!!!!!!, love to all the family from old LOU
It may sound exciting going from place to place in a nomadic kind of way, however, after reading your blog for several years, I just cannot imagine
It would suit you or your family for very long. Just one opinion I know.
Back in the 1970’s I lived in beautiful Marin County north of San Francisco and loved it. During a very difficult divorce, I tried so hard to be able to stay and the more I tried it seemed, the worse things became. Finally my attorney advised me to sell the house and leave, as (among other things) the ‘ex’ would continue to harass me whenever possible. I felt shoe-horned out of my home, with 2 children, and no career to which I wanted to return. One option was, at age 40, to go to graduate school for a different degree. It turned out to be the best ‘dumb’ decision that I ever made! My international business degree required learning a 2nd language (you know which one I chose!) and within a year I ‘fell’ into a career I’d never considered, knew little about, that fit me perfectly. After a 23 year career, with a good salary and solid investments, I retired comfortably. Several years ago I discovered a town in the Vaucluse that also seemed to ‘fit’ my needs. After spending 7 summers there, I just bought an apartment in the magnificent ‘hotel particulier’ where I’ve spent the summers. Just self-published my first novel (historic fiction) and am looking forward to renovating and decorating what I call ‘Le Caprice.’ I look back at how hard I tried to stay in Marin and realize that only by leaving and moving forward, exploring new and various optons, that my life ‘bloomed.’ Sometimes there is a force that unwillingly makes us open doors that would have been forever closed. Be open to the adventure…et bon chance sur la route.
A wonderful friend of mine was granted a Churchill Fellowship to study herb growing and travelled through USA and France meeting various farmers. She returned to Australia and established a Rosemary Farm (Glenelg River Rosemary) – then wrote a book about her travels. It’s called The Great Herb Tour by Christina Hindhaugh (published by Hardie Grant Books). Not sure if it’s on Amazon. It’s a great read – AND a great idea for you to document your ‘growing’ travels! Maybe a(nother) book in it for you, too. Best wishes for whatever you both do.
Kristi, if you and Jean-Marc do decide to take on the RV life, please visit us in Louisville, KY. You’ll be surrounded by my loving family of Francophiles right down to our outdoor Tour Eiffel! If timing is right, we can even be your hosts at the Kentucky Derby!
Clearly you would have many, many friendly faces to visit all over this country! We are in the western suburbs of Chicago where I mostly flower garden, though I manage herbs and tomatoes too. If the garden is not a draw maybe my husbands wine cellar would be! We are partial to French wines, especially those of Bordeaux, and would enjoy sharing un verre ou deux sur la terrace. We’d love to welcome you. Your Plan C sounds like a great way to enjoy life while you discern the next steps. God is clearly opening up some new and creative possibilities for you!
Our dear Kristi,
So many times we must walk by faith and nor by sight.
This is one of those times.
All will be well.
Bon courage and blessings always.
Love
Natalia XO
A road trip in an RV sounds like a dream, but one that will end sooner or later.
If you do come to northern California I will show you my tiny eatable garden, and what you can do in a small space.
I have about 38 roses, 6 fruit trees, countless berry bushes and in between it all my vegetables.
With the skills you and Jean-Marc have, I think you would like it here in wine country and passionate organic growers, as well as pasture raised eggs, chicken, cattle, etc. One of the towns a bit north is Healdsburg, the center of hundreds of vineyards.
Probably Jean-Marc has been here.
Alors, bon courage,
IriS