Livers Cazelles, Tarn - 10th Jan. 1974

Dear C. Thank you for the p. card that came today ( "Dinah" eh! that girl gets around!) Sorry to hear that your Noel was dull - mine was too, but "different" I must admit. I must look into my Boots "Scrobblers" Diary for 1973 to see what I last wrote to you. Must keep track of what I say. I can't find anything recently so it must have been well before Christmas. That gives me plenty of scope. Bill and I have been to Albi a couple of times to the market and the cinema. Neither are much good really. The market building is octagonal like a large engine shed or roundhouse ( where engines go on roundabouts, swings annd coconut shys etc. ) inside are all the grub stalls - pates, cheeses, fruit and veg, fish, sharks and squid! One doesn't stay long in there - mainly because it stinks! Then we move on outside past the old ladies selling ragwort and bullrushes, down the cobbled streets to the square outside - the large ugly cathedral where crowds of colourful French peasants are gaily bantering and strangling chickens and geese etc. One doesn't stay too long there either! Thru' more cobbled streets, past old weather beaten houses, churches and a rubber goods shop until we come to the more colourful stalls that line a large street that stretches a quarter of a mile or more. Large sunshades cover each one and it's rather like Blackpool beach during the roaring 40's! (You must remember them?) On these stalls are plastic knickers, cakes, 'orrible French clothes, cloth, shoes and bottles etc. A load of old tat! Then after quite a walk we find a few junk stalls stuck round a corner by the toilets. But they prove to be expensive and nothing but rusty gate hinges and chipped vases anyway. There's one book stall full of French detective paperbacks and dirty books - also an army/police surplus stall with a nice line in truncheons and berets! So much for the market. The cinema we went to was called the VOX , an English style flea pit of the 50's ( it still had faded framed photos of Tony Curtis and Doris Day in the foyer!) There were about ten usherettes who kept tearing your ticket in half until there was nothing left! No roccoco cherubs inside - modernised in early 60's by the local bus company. The films included - in order of appearance were as follows - first a delightful film about French trawler fishermen - slicing up live fish etc. Lovely! Next a grey cloured public service film about ladies with dubbed high pitched voices ( This brought titters of laughter from the audience of 14 - mostly Bill and me!) Then there was an agonising long interval when an old lady of 103 came round with a tray of what looked like frozen cod fillets, but it turns out it was the equivelent of ice cream over here. Then, the advertising curtain, which had slowly decended during this jolly break, slowly rose up and the main feature started! The classic all-time-great award winning western starring Henry Fonda - "A Man Called Nobody" ( whadyermean you've never 'eard of it?!) Produced by Italians, made in Spain with a cast of International stars and dubbed in poxy French! What? Not even sub titles? Sacre plonk! Fortunately it was a visual epic and one could follow the subtle plot quite easily although some of the finer witticisms were lost to us. I don't think we'll be going to the flicks for a while! I'm glad to hear you are leaving the VAT splatt! What are you gonna do now, eh? I thought that nobody would be gathering Xmas Eve as everybody seems to be somewhere else this year. ( or so I thought ) I went for a moped rise today over the hills and far away to borrow some discs and livres from the scottish girls jollie maison. It was jolly cold coming back- I'd forgotten to put on my thermal vest on ! Tut tut! Mummy will be cross! Do you like this butch lavender papier? My sister sent me The Goon Show Scripts for Xmas - it's very funny Ho Ho! I go. I bought myself Tim Buchteeth's "Safronia" album - check it out - it's a real groove! Hot cha cha! Bill and Lynne bought me two pairs of topless peek-a-boo socks and book mark. Dick and Cheryl sent me a Mrs. Peakes Xmas Pudding and packette de custard! What did you get? Write soon. Happy thingies and whatnots. Michele Kurtwangler.