La Grippe! 19 November

Today was an ordinary day with housework, shopping and Virginia going to school. But we want to take an opportunity to tell you about the impact of Swine Flu here in France. This is, of course, the second wave of La Grippe as it is known here in the Northern Hemisphere and the vaccine has just, within the last week or two, become available. We're not sure if this is the same vaccine we used in Australia or a modified version. Whatever the case, there is a great deal of publicity about it and everyone is being encouraged to have Le Jab!

There is no question that the outbreak for this winter has started and the newspapers are reporting on a daily basis the number and where schools are closing. Virginia's school is probably at rather higher than normal risk since it has students enrolled from all over the world. Many of the Asian students at the school wear masks. There are notices everywhere telling people that the best way to avoid the virus is to wash one's hands. Just like in public institutions in Australia, there are hand anti-bacterial dispensers and notices reminding you to cover your face if you sneeze. Of course the great worry is that this second round will mutate and should it do so, that, of course, means that next winter in Australia we will have the all-new super bug to deal with. Still, we have the advantage of the Northern Hemisphere's experience to draw on.

Virginia's School - The Grand Staircase

The weather is mild and tomorrow we are going for a long stroll on the rue de Rivoli. When we were here last, Le Tour Saint Jacques was shrouded and being cleaned, but as we went past it the other day we noticed it is once again looking absolutely fantastic. More about that tomorrow.

By the way, you may remember our comments about the streets being cleaned with water from underground. Well, here is a picture of two Parisians taking full advantage of the bathing opportunity offered by this process.