Another grey morning but no rain at least.
I had the strangest dream last night in which I was watching a friend talking in French, much better French than mine. But given that it was my dream presumably the French was, in fact, mine. In the dream I was most envious and very admiring of her facility!
Today was French, French, French, homework and then Tutorial in the afternoon. The latest author Blanche has introduced me to is Marguerite Duras, a writer, dramatist, screen play writer and cinematographer. She also joined the Resistance in the War, fought for Algerian Independence and was a doughty feminist.
We have studied extracts from L’Amant: she wrote two books with that title and we have looked at both her first book and the second on the same subject. They are very autobiographical but written very differently. After the first book of L’Amant a film was made which she did not like so she rewrote the book!
I have been sent home with poetry this time, that of Jacques Prevert: this will be interesting.
On my way to my Tutorial I passed several policeman on a street corner opposite a church. So of course I stopped to see what was happening. 
The steps of the church were full of people in mourning.
There were two hearses at the foot of the step and flowers were being carried out from the church and put into both hearses, heaped on the coffin in one, and stacked in the other. Endless bouquets, all in white.
I did not like to intrude by asking questions but wondered about several things: were police always present when there was a large funeral, at least in Paris; is it the custom to have white flowers only; and are all hearses silver grey, as are these?
There was so much to discuss with my tutor that I did not have time to ask all the questions I wanted to. However she knew of no-one famous who had died recently and no, it was not the custom to have police at a funeral. But Paris was home to many famous and well-known people so a police presence was not unlikely for crowd or traffic control – ‘perhaps it was the funeral of a policeman?’ I said that it was a large church on the Rue de Turenne but she only laughed and said she did not know of any such there. When I told her the name she replied that it was not a large church. I had to remind her that I live in the country, and to me this was a large church!
Later I googled the issue and found the following:
Sudden death of Henri Riviere: Architect
Thursday, 18.11.2010, 06:00
The architect who was one of the founders of the city of Lace
We learned yesterday, via Alain Moatti and the whole agency team ‘Moatti and Rivière’, of the sudden death of Henri Riviere.
(Alain Moatii is the one with no hair, Henri Riviere the one with hair).
The Parisian architect established a good relationship with Calais by rehabilitating the old lace factory ‘Boulart’, reintroducing Calais now as a beautiful city of lace.
“Henry, you had such talent, both the talent of the creator and of making human relationship, that you used with generosity and passion every day,” said his colleagues, who share “this pain, with Sophie, his wife, Clement, his son and with his mother, Susan River”.
The religious ceremony will be celebrated Monday, November 22 to 14 hours at the church of Saint-Denys du Saint-Sacrement, 68, rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris.
Alain Moatti and the whole team of the architectural agency Moatti and Rivière in Paris, all share in the sadness of the sudden death of Henry the River last weekend. Born in 1965 in Albertville, this interior designer of OPQAI is renowned for having coauthored several world famous books on the subject of both Lace and its history, and De Gaulle, which he left to various museums.
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So I guess that explains that.
Blanche suggested various films and plays she thought I might enjoy and asked me how much actual French speaking I was managing to do. I explained that it was passing comments only with people in the street and shops etc and she answered that I need a French friend! I asked her how to go about that, and she just smiled.
I feel about five years old, in the school playground, where you go up to some one and ask “Will you be my friend?” I shall have to be creative and see what I can come up with! There was nice looking lady around my age in the local supermarket check out on Saturday who smiled at me: perhaps we will meet again and I shall have to think about some chat up lines. But I must be careful that my intentions are not misinterpreted! You just never know in the Marais.
I walked up to the Rue de la Bretonnerie through the gathering darkness and saw that many shops are now putting up their Christmas lights. I am always pleased with myself but also exhausted after one of my tutorials and feel as if I have been in a Turkish bath or sauna: so this time I treated myself to a hot brioche dusted with icing sugar and filled with cold ice cream flavoured ‘Inimitable’. As I walked away with my treasure, the lights twinkling and delicious flavours flooding my taste buds, it began to snow, very lightly, the tiny flakes glowing as they fell down out of the darkness in the light of the shop windows. I could feel one of my ‘moments’ coming on!
Once home I changed, it was necessary after expending all that effort, and with a pot of tea to hand researched the demonstration/street procession I had seen the day before. This is my nearest guess as to what was going on.
The following extract is my translation, rough I’m afraid,
of an article on the Blog Mises à jour, by a local Association called “Les Robins du Marais” (after Robin Hood) who stand for a Marais ‘free and lively’ focussing on inclusivity, mentioning in particular sexual, ethnic and differently abled people.
“November 17th to 21st sees Les Nuits Capitales: 5 nights devoted to music and Parisian nightlife.
Launched by the instigators of the petition “Paris: When the night is dying in silence” (part of the Association Night Live) and the MAP network (Modern Music in Paris), this event is dedicated to live music and clubbing in many places in Paris and the Ile de France.
Capital Nights is a venture to halt the decline of, and promote, Parisian nightlife. No need to go to Berlin, London or Barcelona to party: for five nights the top musical venues welcome you to special evening events at reduced rates. More than fifty institutions offer quality programming to fill your evenings and nights, enough to revive the vigour and brightness of the colourful Parisian nightlife.
Varied and eclectic choices will be on offer throughout the operation: from concert halls to large Paris Clubs, Hip Hop, electronic music, variety, nights of art and music, visits to Paris, Underground Nights (concerts in the metro), in places as diverse as the Rex club, Social club, Bellevilloise Batofar, the Panic Room, the Ephemeral Point, or the Duc Des Lombards …
As explained by the association Night Live, the instigators of the operation: “We must first consider Nights Capitals as an invitation to wander the streets, finding artists (known or unknown) and also, perhaps most importantly, as a journey of discovery into the city…”
Paris will not continue to die: Vive Paris!”
I think that explains that too!
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An evening watching a French dubbed, American film, ‘Chain Reaction’ with Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves. Luckily with such a formulaic plot I could manage to gauge what was going on. I enjoyed it, but with those two to look at who wouldn’t, and kidded myself that it was purely educational!
stopping by woods 
