As the man said, hey gang aft a'gley. And they have. I had expected to have taken the dog to kennels this morning ready for our proposed trip to France. But that has been postponed - the trip to France, I mean.
France, we were informed by our newspapers and television, is in lockdown. Oil refineries are strike-bound and at least 40% of the country's petrol stations have run out or are short of supplies. Other unions are now going on strike as well, the air traffic controllers having only just returned to work.
I had really thought that this was typical scare-mongering by our news media and that, having filled up on this side of the Channel, I would be able to drive down to our cottage, potter around in a limited way, and find enough fuel to return to Blighty. To be on the safe side, I telephoned a local contact - only to be told that the situation is as dire as our press was making out! So we will not be going.
I have amended all bookings such as the kennels and the tunnel to early July in the hope that things might have settled down by then. That means that we are likely to run out of several things we usually buy in France, such as garlic, onions, coffee, orange juice, butter - and WINE!
It's ironic, really, that the strikes are being called because the workers object to proposals to tighten up the labour laws, making it easier for employers to hire and fire - by a socialist president!
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