Old Vehicles, Two and Four Wheels - Part 59

Along with the WW II ceremonies last weekend, Chasseneuil was the venue for two small parades of historic motor vehicles, organised I believe to recognise the 8 May opening of the Chasseneuil by-pass a few years ago.

The first parade was of Citroen 2CV cars and the second was of motor bikes of various ages. The dreadful weather was the reason, I suspect, that the numbers on parade were so low, there being only 10 or so of each form of transport.

As a foreigner, it was easy to recognise the 2CVs, which, quite rightly, have global appeal. Apart from the two or three British and Japanese bikes I noticed, the others were presumably French or Belgian and not familiar to me. However, it is a joy to see all these well cared-for old motors out on the road, and a rare opportunity, as for much of the year, they are locked up in garages and barns, out of view of and enjoyment by the general public.

Having owned, cleaned, polished and paraded a number of classic cars in South Africa (with a much better climate) in the past, I remember only too well how reluctant I was to venture out in the rain with them. Those brave souls who went out with their cars and bikes on Sunday deserve applause, not only for turning out, but also for the effort of cleaning and drying their vehicles, which they would have had to do when they got home.

I hope to see them again soon in better weather, but here are a few shots of them in Sunday’s downpour.

Round and About 2 -Part 58

This is the  musical organ grinder: I was disappointed there was no monkey, but his dog was very cute.

Note the cap, his bed and his very own umbrella.

The Boulangerie; even the children do their bit selling the small cakes outside the shop.

A table full of second hand junk! Umbrellas up and raincoats on.

Vegetables are part of the normal Saturday morning market.

The oyster stall - my favourite; take your pick of various sizes. I bought une douzaine (a baker's dozen-13) for the princely sum of €3; sorry Nigel but I could not resist them.  

A damp looking fun fair under cover waiting for the evening.

Public Holiday - May 8th - WWII Victory Day (1945).

Commemoration of the end of the Second World War (in Europe). Ceremonies take place to remember the soldiers killed during the war. Wreaths are placed on the tomb of the unknown soldier, at the base of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and at monuments to the dead of the war, throughout France.

On this public holiday, Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure also celebrated the opening of the new bypass in 2005. Before this, the main road N141 through the town was the only road for  all vehicles, regardless of size, to travel from Limoges to Angouleme.  It must have been a nightmare as the road is not very wide.  For their celebration, they close the road through the town and have what they call a Bric a Brac sale.  This means if you pay a small price for a place to put your table, you can sell anything you like.  I have to admit there is an awful lot of junk on sale, but junk to one person is  something useful for another.  In the evening, they have a fun fair for the children, and I am sure, some of the young at heart adults as well.  Celebrations of different kinds continue through the weekend.

Sadly, the weather was not at its best in the morning, and although not really raining, it was damp with  odd bits of drizzle coming down. It cleared up later, so I am sure the fun fair did well in the evening.  The following pictures were all taken on the morning of the 8th in Chasseneuil.