On Wed, 15 Apr 2009, Judith in France wrote:

Making friends with the local maire is always a good idea.

It certainly is David, we are moderately friendly with him and he has
visited our home a few times for a BBQ and supper. We also support all
municipal events including the annual ball in the square, where we all
sit on scrubbed pine tables, eat, drink and dance. I've even danced,
or tried to dance, with him but my Auvergne clog dance is not up to
scratch :-)

Ah, you're doing all the right things. We found the value of that here
in Normandy.


LOL They have such power though, don't they?

They do! And they can circumvent local byelaws when they want.

I asked about an extra
window in the office when he was here and he took a look both inside
and out and said go ahead, no permission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT I have to
have permission for a greenhouse!!!!

Hmm, strange. Our maire, when he was first elected, was keen to get on
the right side of everyone. I have a lean-to on the side of the house
which was originally a cider shed - and it still has a cider press in
it. I asked him whether I could demolish the wooden structure and build
something more substantial. Would I need planning permission. Oh no, he
said, we can just say that it's replacing the original structure. And he
took a photograph of the wooden shed so that if anything were said we
could prove that there was a already a shed there!

Did you know that the maires of rural communes have a right to a free
supply of coal at the ratepayer's expense to keep them warm through the
winter? That's why the previous maire wasn't keen to give up the job
even though he was about 85!

David
--
David Rance
writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France