From about the age of fourteen I had a French pen-friend called Nicole. When I was seventeen I went and stayed with her in Normandy, and then she came back to England and stayed with my family. I had a great time in France – her family lived next to a Camembert factory where her father worked. Nicole worked too, so while I stayed with her family I spent most of my days with her sister, cycling round he countryside. In the evenings I went out with Nicole and her friends. A souvenir I brought back with me was an LP by the singer Alain Barrière. I don’t think I still have it, and I certainly wouldn’t want to buy another copy; however, hearing a song from Alain certainly takes me back to my fortnight in Normandy!
Lois Elsden 