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"Tout est au mieux" was the mantra of Voltaire's hapless Candide in the novel of the same name; "Everything is for the best." My wife often accuses me of over optimism - of myself having a slightly 'Candidien' approach to life. Today has been somewhat eventful for the Old Hack. Those of you who have read my Moving to France page will know that our Citroen car, specifically purchased for the purpose of moving to France, has recently presented us with a few problems.

Well today it decided (if inanimate objects can make decisions) that it didn't want to make the journey back to its homeland. Whilst negotiating traffic in central London, it made violent contact with a Japanese cousin (a Nissan) which suddenly stopped.

I'm no expert, but the damaged part of the bonnet conceals what my late father would have referred to as the "tichenachenator" which controls the gizmo which in turn decides to allow the car's onboard computer to operate and start the engine, etc. Fond though I have become of the Citroen's smooth and powerful drive, I am almost hoping that the insurance company decides that the poor old girl is now beyond economic repair. Were I not a devout atheist, I would swear it was jinxed by some dark thingy or other.

Now where was I - Oh yes, "tout est au mieux". That is not precisely what I was thinking as I waited for two and a half hours for the breakdown truck to arrive. My thoughts were slightly more disingenuous.

"Everything is for the best" I did not think as I stood in the middle of the road (the car was not moveable, and had blocked the busy outside lane of Vauxhall Bridge Road) while passing motorists in turn jeered, laughed and wound down their windows to let me know I was an idiot or worse for daring to block the road with my car. A couple of these new fangled police Community Support bods came along the road, but clearly decided that either I was not part of the Community or was not in need of their Support, and ignored me and the traffic predicament completely.

Which rather brings me to the point of today's blog. When the breakdown lorry arrived, it was driven by a Carribean looking man, very cheerful and exceedingly helpful and concerned. After he had put the car on the back of the low loader and we were heading back to the peace and tranquility of NW9, I remarked that his accent seemed somehow unusual, almost as though it were French.

It turned out he had emigrated from La Runion many years previously after first going to France and signing up for the French Foreign Legion. Jean-Pierre and I enjoyed a pleasant ride home, speaking in both French and English and putting the world to rights. He even introduced me to the music he was playing in the cab, a very 'chilled' album called 'Mea Culpa' by a French group called Enigma, which I must now try to obtain.

I put great value on meeting people and learning about them and their backgrounds and although by choice I would have spent the afternoon at a family dinner rather than at the roadside and in a breakdown truck, I have learned much that I would not otherwise have known. So maybe there is some truth in Candide's "tout est au mieux" after all.

I'm writing this while I wait for Mrs Old Hack to come back by public transport. Somehow I think I am too much of a coward to greet her with "Everything is for the best"!

Reprinted from my Blog "The First Post" http://oldhack.squarespace.com under the title of "Tout est au mieux" (everything is for the best)

Learn more about this author, Colin Morley.
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