Do you like the colour red? (le rouge in French). Most men prefer blue, but my husband, unfortunately favoured red. I say unfortunately, because after 6 years of being a Red Maid, I had hoped to avoid wearing it when I left school! Even our first bedroom had a burgundy coloured carpet and bedspread!

“Burgundy” is “Bordeaux”  in France, both good red wines! In the Biarritz region all the woodwork of the houses must be painted dark red. It’s said to depict the “blood of the bulls”. The house-holders buy the paint from their local Mairie (Town Hall) at a discount price. That was the only corner of France that we were glad to leave! Some of you may remember using rouge on your cheeks (the ladies I mean!) In France it’s called “Le fard”. When some one is very angry they are said to be seeing red. In French “se fâcher tout rouge”. Why am I chatting about red?

Well, I lunch regularly with various groups of friends. I’ve just met up with four ladies, three of whom I hadn’t met for fifty years! We all lived in the same road as children, houses 40, 42, 44, and 46. It is so interesting to learn how our lives have all taken different paths.

One lively lady, Margo Cevik, is the leading lady of “Cotswold Gems”, a branch of the Red Hat Society, which started in California. Their ethos is to have no rules! It’s a social club with members from all walks of life, who support each other. Their inspiration for no constraints comes from the poem “Warning” by Jenny Joseph. They believe in living life to the full. On Margo’s birthday some of her group arranged a surprise trip in a fire-engine. On their birthday they wear a purple hat…. and yes, she wore a purple crash-helmet! One of her group, a young 60 year old, has wing walked, abseiled down a building and hiked in the Himalayas amongst other things. Am I joining? I’m not brave enough to do daring acts, but I agree that we should make the most of every day. I wish Margo and her Red-hatted members continuation of their fun filled adventures.

I’ve just returned from celebrating my birthday in France as always. As I write, I am looking at the muguet (lily of the valley) that some of my friends gave me for good luck. On April 30th we had lunch at my favourite restaurant in one of my “top towns”. Have you ever visited ”Le Touquet”?

With my husband Ron, it was the first place in France that we saw in 1956. We caught a plane from Kent, it only had ourselves and two others on it. Le Touquet airport is like a car park with hundreds of tiny planes, row upon row.

Anyway Peter and I had a fabulous lunch! Ask me if you want any addresses or information. My meal ended under a sea of raspberry coulis. So it’s back to the red again!

I wish you all a red-rose June and may all your days be “red-lettered” ones. Have fun. Enjoy every day!

Esmé

Friends, I really hope that, like myself, you have many loyal friends. I could write a book about the fascinating lives that many of my friends have led and are still living. However, as my article is limited to one page, I must condense what I wanted to tell you about Victoria.

Born in Brittany, she moved to Paris when very young. Coincidentally, another of my friends who also lived in Dranc, a suburb of Paris, told me of the shocking day when the Nazis marched into their school and dragged out all the Jews. Victoria was one of them. The family left Paris on foot pushing the baby in its pram which contained their few possessions. Auschwitz came next where only the three children escaped the gas chambers. I thought that this would have been the worst time of my friend’s life. I was wrong!. Victoria told me that the most frightening time came after their release. She was all alone in a 5-star Parisian Hotel and felt totally abandoned until weeks later when an uncle came to claim her. She keeps her Auschwitz tattoo covered and never talked about these ordeals except to me.

Her sister Reneé gave many lectures and was honoured for her work in retrieving many valuable paintings which the Germans had stolen. We were invited to the Elyseé Palace for the ceremony.

Victoria was our tenant on the Port of Bormes but returned to Paris. She didn’t want to leave the south but if she lived in Paris, her pension would be doubled. In France, ex-concentration camp victims get many ‘perks’. One of them is a card stating that they never have to queue anywhere!

After my husband died I lived with Victoria for a while. Do you know Paris? I find it colourfully exciting. We had many adventures together.That’s another story, perhaps for another post!?
                 

                                Value them  —  your friends are precious

                                                      Esmé