Tuesday, 14 July 2009

Bastille Day - pleasant exercise of hope and joy

Today is Bastille Day, and I am celebrating as ever.
I've just bought a croissant and the coffee pot is on the boil, I've even treated myself to a copy of Libé, well a couple of pages off the Libération webpage.
Anyway I digress.

I love "le quatorze juillet", I love the republican feel, I love its symbolism as an act of rebellion, I love the fact that a few weeks later feudalism was abolished, and a couple of weeks after that, the Declaration of the Rights of Man was proclaimed.

I shall make a nice cassoulet for my wife and boys for tea tonight. I know it's really a winter dish, but the weather is pretty overcast today.

When we've put the boys to bed, I think we'll watch Casablanca. I just love the bit when everyone in Rick's Cafe, of all colours and nationalities join in with singing the Marseillaise, and drown out Nazis.

It still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

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