PEEPS OF FRANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 77

PEEPS OF FRANCE.

(Special for the Otago Witnxss.)

These articles, from the pen of a New Zealand girl who has gone to France to continue her education, have been specially written for my Little Folk. We hope that after reading them you wil] have a new idea of a country which, to many of you, is known only as another place to be learned about in a geography lesson.—DOT. LVII. CANNES. Mes Petites, —Cannes has been celebrating the memory of “ Thosp who go down to the sea in ships,” in other words of all fishermen and mariners lost at sea. The ceremony was simple, ■ but very beautiful. It was held on Sunday, in the harbour, arid the blue sea, slightly choppy with a fresh breeze blowing, seemed an ideal setting for such an occasion, and thoroughly in keepirig with the thoughts then uppermost in men’s minds, the memory of all those who have their graves in the sea. This commemoration service seemed appropriate at this particular time, for the Atlantic and the Channel have been swept lately with a terrific storm, and many lives have been lost off the coast of Brittany, where a number of fishing vessels put out to sea one day, never to return. In Brittany there is a day set apart each year in memory of those who have perished at sea, and this year Cannes folowed the example of the North and also honoured her dead.

Speaking of the dead, France celebrated All Saints’ Day five days ago, and now her cemeteries are a blaze of colour with the wealth of beautiful blossoms placed on the graves. Here at Cannes the beautiful cemetery is a picture- with chrysanthemums and asters, arid just a few precious roses, the first of the winter’s bloom. All up and down the well-kept tidy walks, are the rich-hued, sweet-smelling blossoms, and the whole place is such a veritable flower garden that a walk through the cemetery is a real pleasure. All Saints’ Day of course, is one of the big religious holidays in France, and the French keep it most carefully, holding Masses in their churches all day long, and stopping all business, of course.

Meanwhile here at Cannes we have had a series of terrific thunderstorms, with lightning and torrents of rain. November is the month of storms and in all respects lives up to its reputation. Some-

times the thunder is so terrific that many of the houses have their window panes shattered by the shock. As far as I know no windows -were smashed this time, but a dog was killed by lightning not far away. On several occasions the town’s supply of electricity was affected, and Cannes was plumped into darkness. For the present anyway we are enjoying calm after the storm, and the sun is shining once more. Certainly the rain is doing a great deal of good to the gardens, and the fresh crops of roses are welcomed with joy by all flower-lovers. Flowers are very cheap here, of course —much more so than in Paris, and winter boxes are very commonly seen. The flower markets are just as active as ever, and by degrees the shops are all opening up, and the winter season may be said to have actually begun. Already the nights are beginning to be a little chilly for the distant mountains are capped with snow, and the air, once the sun has set, is always fresh and keen. It is to be hoped that the sunshine continues for the pleasure of the tourists who continue to come every day in the Blue Train from the north. Jeanne.