As advised, I have now screwed our new enamel house number onto our letter box, where it can clearly be seen by anyone who might wish to find us (provided they know our number).
Having previously been reached by our name, and that of our tiny hamlet, we now have both a house number and a street address that should (we are advised) be used at all times.
However, I did notice that on the letter that accompanied the delivery of our new number plaque, that the mayor's office failed to use their own new address, and where the letter had been addressed to us on the envelope, they didn't use our new one either.
I have owned this small house for about 45 of my 50 years residence in France, but I have obviously failed to notice one very important thing. Being number 268, I had failed to notice the other 265 homes further up the road in our tiny 3 house hamlet. Where can they be?
Lord, give me strength.
33 comments:
Perhaps the 268 relates to how many miles you are from anyone who cares? Like telephone pole people, mail deliverers etc.
We live in a small complex of approx 25 flats, there is no sense in the way they are laid out and people regularly phone to say they cannot find us.
I think 268 refers to amount of people it took to dream-up all this silliness.
Our tiny 3 house hamlet has a very short 6 letter name which was shared by us all. The post-lady always knew who lived in which house
I was thinking along the lines of River. Here rural properties have a RAPID number based on the distance from the start of the road. We used to be #80 being 800 meters from the start of the road
Here, too, there are no house numbers and street names. The most difficult thing is directing service personnel or refrigerator technicians and such to reach the house.
I shall have to make enquiries. This could be their reasoning.
We have to ask people if they know our neighbour (who is universally disliked), then say "we're the next house along".
We are on a short private road where there are only house names, no numbers. Although we have a house name sign attached to a tree at the entrance the house itself is not easily seen from there as it is hidden away up a steep driveway lined with trees. I have had to wait by the gate before now to wave to "lost" delivery drivers.
We have plenty of deliveries for the wrong address in Brighton. Most of the delivery people are foreigners who don't speak much English, so giving them directions to the proper address can be quite amusing; for both them and us.
Couldn't you have given your house a name rather than a number? Perhaps Les Sablonnières - as in "Le Grand Meaulnes" or "Amex" as in Brighton and Hove Albion's stadium.
Yet another example of "updating" and "streamlining" proving a disaster.
Some years ago our local council, in it's wisdom put up sign posts with the numbers of the houses along the way. Very tasteful - pale blue with tiny white lettering, hopeless to decipher from a car and too high to read when walking. No road names of course, and within a year almost half the signposts had been knocked over and some had disappeared completely. We don't get post delivered to the house - I had to pay 115€ for a post box that's a car drive away! It's no good using Google maps to find us either.
Names are more appropriate for isolated cottages or houses I think.
But Cro, how are you online? I'm reading on twitter that Macron has or is shutting down the internet in France as things are getting out of control.
Your answer to Yael reminded me of our old house in town. We had a nasty neighbour too who lived opposite. Everyone knew him and where he lived from all the controversy.
Are you going round counting houses today??
Meant to add that we also used the neighbour when directing people. Mind you, we had a bright pink house on the other side so no one ever got lost.
Most likely the numbers are based on a geographic location, a grid, that makes it much easier for emergency service providers to find the location.
Reading Travel above - I wondered if it was something to do with delivery vehicles and satnavs.
We used to call it La Taupiniere.
It all worked so well before, I can't see any reason to change it; apart from the convenience for delivery drivers.
I did hear that the rioters communicate via twitter, but that's hardly a reason to close down the whole net.
It's like giving directions by Pubs in the UK, if you have a nasty neighbour everyone will know him.
I'm sure there's a very sensible reason, but I'm not a sensible person.
I expect it's something like that. I must try putting my village and number into Google maps.
Don't make a montagne out of a taupiniere!
We often say that one of the good things about our house is that it is easy to find. The end of cul-de-sac, delivery drivers are safe to leave their vans open. The worst they'd get is a cat for a passenger. (Why google has let me leave a comment today I don't know. I'm still reading you, but have had commenting issues!)
GPS links everything. When you are out driving, enter your new number and address in to your GPS and you can verify this.
I do check my 'spam' folder every morning. You're not going there!
I don't have GPS, I really don't need it. The only thing I would have needed it for was to find our well-hidden hotel in Orléans, but even that I'm managing to find these days.
No, I've not been able to get as far as leaving a comment, not even as anon. Same on several other blogs!
Here, the house numbers reflect the distance, not the number of houses. Might it be so with yours? I'd ask when I called the mayors office to note that they did not address my letter correctly. THAT is hilarious.
Perseverance veg, perseverance!
I shall have to pace it out. I do know that the first house in the road is a very low number so I think distance in metres might be right. Why didn't they explain that?
The only likely emergency would be if you needed the pompiers. You could give them the What Thee Words address or your own which presumably is 268 metres from the boundary of your Lieu-dit.
Post a Comment