Talking of rubber gloves, which we weren't but I've started, so I'll continue.

Back in around 2002/3 my wife and I were at la Salle de Fête in La Ferré, the village of our first home in France.

Invited to celebrate Quatorze juillet. We both thought it best to attend. A good time was had by all.

The usual dozen or so long trestle tables. Each with around twenty seated kind souls. 240 villagers in all.

Copious volumes of wine and local cider.

We were introduced by our dear voisins to a very nice man on our table, by the name of Gilbert.

Gilbert asked me what I did for a living. I explained that it was a bit boring but that I designed and created software for computer programs which are used by engineers.

He immediately responded, positively, so I thought it courteous to respectfully ask him what he did for a living. Gilbert was in his mid thirties I guess, so I presumed, correctly, in gainful employment.

Gilbert gleefully replied, in English, despite my forlorn attempts at speaking French. "I exterminate cows."

"You exterminate cows! In an abattoir?"

"Non, he replied. I exterminate them in their house."

I was shocked. "Is this due to the current Mad Cow disease epidemic?" I risked asking.

"Non. The cows, they are very 'appy."

At that moment around half of our dear neighbours on the same table each simultaneously raised their left arms vertically above their heads and with their right hand mimicked the donning of a long rubber glove.

"Ah. You mean you are a cow inseminator. Not an exterminator." I quipped.

"Yes. I fuck cows." Gilbert confirmed with a grin.

Another true story from the Knights of Avoirdupois.

Mistral's commitment:
Bringing benefits of computerisation to our RAC industry - without the commonly associated problems.

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