I complained once about what I suspected was interference in mail from overseas.
But then along comes Giles le facteur (the postman).
You hear him before you see him ... there's a loud, whistling soundtrack playing in his van.
It was around late May. We'd only just moved in when he drove up in his canary-yellow van and enthusiastically introduced himself.
Giles said if we ever had mail to post, he could do it for us. Put the letter or package in the letterbox and attach a clothes peg to the outside flap.
If we didn't have a stamp ... no worries, he would do that for us. Just leave some cash with the letter. If change was required, he would seal it in an envelope with a receipt from the Post Office.
It was easy and straightforward. Now, no more trips to the bureau de poste to find, alas, it was closed for lunch. Or, standing in a queue of people all wanting to do complex transactions.
Giles' service in La Poste began in Paris in 1985.
He then did a 10-year stint in Nantes and in 1997 went to work in Provence.
He was there for ten years before coming to the south-west.
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| Giles with his whistling van |
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| Giles ... the happiest postman in the Aquitaine |
Giles loves his job.
The best part, he reckons, is building and maintaining relationships with his clients.
He made an effort with us and I appreciated that.
There will be a bottle of champagne in the postbox this Christmas.
Don't you love the way guys like Gilles are happy and proud to be photographed for your blog. They love that you are acknowledging their work and interested in what they do. We get it all the time too. I've never heard any complaints about the people who deliver the mail, but parcel post is a different story. Somewhere in the journey parcels always seem to get damaged.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan ... before leaving Australia I read a couple of negative accounts of what can happen in the front office ... but never anything derogatory about the postmen and women.
DeleteAround Christmas time, your facteur will come knock at your door to offer a 2019 calendar and get whatever retribution (étrennes) you think his services are worth. I suggest a few euros in addition to the champagne, that certainly will be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteNever a bad idea to get in good terms with people whose services you might depend on.
Now a French proverb for you, Tony. On n'attrape pas les mouches avec du vinaigre!
Charles Henry ... obscure mais je soupconne sage.
DeleteTony, the English version is less obscure as it says, you catch flies with honey not with vinegar! Not that I compare your nice facteur to a fly!
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