This is what the main street of Cluny looked like Samedi morning. L'Association Maloquino- a Brazilian word meaning -"petit fou" which means little crazy one, I think. The parade and festival was - Regarde citoyens sur la sante mentale- Citizens looking at mental health. The friends and family of a young, schizophrenic man who was a street performance artist started the association that put on the festival. To help the suffering of persons with troubled psyches, victimes de tabous et d'exclusion, and people with physical and mental infirment. I loved how Orange and out about mental health (and taboo) the parade and festival was! I'm sure it's a great association though I hardly understood a word of the comedian that Sofie and I went to see at the theater or the play they put on a Narthex during the Spectacle de feu that we witnessed in the evening. OK that's not true, but it takes a lot more than a word here and there to understand why everyone's laughing, or standing, or clapping. But I felt the whole thing was for me, as well as others, complete with African music and dancing in the streets. I couldn't have done it better myself.

HiGuy- whose Israeli name I do not know how to spell dropped a bike off for Anja this morning which Caleb fixed and tomorrow we will go for a ride. He is a very nice, English speaking, friend of Caroline's with wife Annabelle and three kids. One of the children speaks English as well and is very sweet and helpful. We ran into them at the Cluny farmer's market on Sunday and went to lunch together. Higuy's son Gabrielle helped us read the menu. Anja is borrowing a bike they are not currently using as it is between children. We are very appreciative as a new one would cost about 100.00 Euro. I just returned from my French lesson, had one yesterday and one tomorrow too. I hope it is helping. HiGuy and Annabelle were meeting other friend for lunch that day one of them was Swiss with an American parent like Caleb. He lives in Loussanne, Switzerland in Co-Housing and invited us to visit when we go to Switzerland. My new massage table arrived today. It was only 119.00 Euro and was supposed to have a tear in the upholstery, but I haven't found one, which is great!
I've decided to quit eating all gluten rather than just wheat as I think it might help me. I decided this in the throes of a flu I came down with Saturday night, while trying to figure out if wheat is Ble or Froment in French. It may be both. This, of course, will be more challenging, but I think I will feel better so it will be worth it. We've been mostly eating vegetarian lately. We bought a chicken (we think) at the butcher. It may have been a wild bird? Or some other kind? It was scrawny and had very chewy dark meat. Perhaps it was meant to have been souped rather than roasted? However Sofie ordered a hamburger at lunch on Saturday and said it was the first thing that was not different to her taste. This is a compliment to Fircrest / Fiesta / whole Foods beef as the beef in this region is said to be very fine.
Saturday morning I also did Caroline's job of carrying a woman's bags back to her house from the market. This was enjoyable as she spoke simple French to me that I could understand unlike any I've heard really. It is a tourist town in which there is very little English spoken. Even my French teacher speaks quickly, and doesn't speak English. She has quite a few students from Laos, I've noticed. I
do not feel confident that the children will learn French as they are not in school, but they are certainly becoming more computer savvy by the day.