July 1967

I was listening to Radio 3 this morning and Elizabeth Alker has a spot called "Croissant Corner" where listeners email in their reminiscences about France and request French music.  This morning's listener was remembering her French pen friend, and said that "we all had French pen friends in the 1960s".  I suddenly remembered my French pen friend from the 1960s.

Despairing of us ever learning French, my French teacher took a group of us to Paris in July 1967, perhaps to give us some motivation.  We were there on Bastille Day.  I don't remember which quartier we were staying in but I remember going to the local Bal des Pompiers.  I danced with a young Frenchman who called me his "petit' oiseau".  I was never a "petit' oiseau" but it was a good line to use on an English school girl.  We were pen friends for a year, until I passed my French O-level and he started National Service.  I don't remember his name but I do remember the "petit' oiseau".

I wish we weren't splitting from our European friends, and I feel great solidarité with the French in these difficult times.