Welcome to France - land of strikes, subsidies and suppositries

I've been living in France for a couple of months now and thought it was about time I shared my observations with you. So what do we know about France?

It is a land where men wear manbags with no discernable sense of irony. It isn't fashion it is simply a large pocket on a strap to store all your stuff in.

Where the local pizza chain use goats' cheese on a four cheeses pizza. Which if you ask me is wrong, wrong, wrongity wrong. Why would I want my pizza to smell of old feet? There should be lovely melty blue cheese on it.

When the doctor gives you a prescription for baby paracetemol don't expect to pop to Boots and pick up a bottle of Calpol. Nope that would be a prescription for baby paracetemol via a suppository. I got Mr. C to take care of that end of things as it were.

Buses - they're free.

French lessons - they're free.

Plastic bags - no thanks. Please fill up my artisan-woven-basket-bag bag.

Supermarkets at the cost of the local economy - no thanks, we would still like some supermarkets but we will still be shopping at our weekly market if it is all the same with you. Filling up our artisan-woven-basket-bags with artisan crafted bread, cheese and charcuterie.

And of course if you don't like it you can always go on strike as a million or so workers did at the beginning of the month. The thing about the French strikes is that everyone seems to get in on the act. I’m all for unions and the rights of the workers so it seems very civilised that all those with a grievance strike at the same time, I am sure it makes the message so much more powerful. I do however have one curiosity. Students. Students striking. Now correct me if I’m wrong and things have changed since I was at university but being a student isn’t working. You may or may not work at your studies but you aren’t a paid up member of the workforce. So I am not very clear on how not going to class has an effect. Or perhaps I am misunderstanding and they are protesting rather than striking.

What I really want it know is when stay-at-home-mums and our babies can strike, and how would we strike? Perhaps by laying down dirty nappies outside government buildings? Or perhaps loading up water-pistols with breast-milk and firing them at the riot police, well it would make a change from eggs.

Such is life in France.