Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Taking the Peace
Not having grown up in the countryside I had always harboured certain misgivings about the
great wide open and that generally it was a place best avoided, what with its flying-buzzing-
stinging things, its reactionary politics, its seemingly lackadaisical attitude to inbreeding and
its fresh air. As a townie born and bred, it wasn't for me. I can see now that these opinions,
though largely correct, weren't insurmountable and that if I were to achieve my goal of mov-
ing my family and me as far away from civilisation as reasonably possible, I just had to put
up with certain things and accept the rough with the smooth. I have even grown quite fond of
fresh air.
There are certain things, however - things that are peculiar to a country life - that I simply
will not tolerate: the lack of appreciation for a sharp suit, for instance, early mornings, muck
and the like. But by far the worst is 'facial mushrooms'. Yes, you read that correctly, 'facial
mushrooms'. For some weeks Thérence had had a rash on his face which the doctor insisted
was eczema, and so prescribed a cortisone cream to deal with it. The rash continued to spread
like a bushfire, however, and by this time was covering most of his face. It was an alarming
sight; fiercely red, it looked like second degree burns and had spread into his ears and around
his eyes.
Natalie had already made an appointment with the dermatologist, but it wasn't going to be
for another three weeks, so we went back to the doctor who, realising he'd made an error,
changed Thérence's prescription. By now, however, our confidence in him was pretty low and
we thought a second opinion was needed. The simplest way to get a second opinion on child
healthcare issues in France is simply just to walk your child down any given street at any time
of the day and just wait for old women to spring from the recesses and offer their unsolicited
advice on matters of health, clothing, haircuts etc. The French still have a very strong sense
of family - but not just their own, everybody else's too. There is also the opinion that if you
are a man alone with your child or children you are probably quite inept and therefore would
appreciate a bit of advice. Which we do - no, really, we love it; me especially. There's nothing
I like better than to be stopped in the street by a bearded old woman and be told that my son
isn't dressed warmly enough and then have my hand slapped away while the old crone tightens
the coat up herself! This kind of thing really happens. I was in the supermarket once and when
I returned to my trolley I was given a lecture on not leaving my child unattended while looking
