Going shopping in coronavirus France is about as much fun as boiling your feet. But that is what I did this morning, food has to be bought, and petrol for the generator. I have never much liked shopping, no dawdling along the rows for me, quick in and out and off is my method- an accusation an ex girlfriend once made but that is a different story, and she wasn’t referring to shopping.

As I already wrote we are under a pretty strict lock down here in France, further restrictions were announced last night, including banning open air markets.

First thing is preparation, the correct form has to be downloaded and filled out from the Government website. This form has to be filled out every time you go out. Not having one on you leads to a fine, multiple infractions increases the fine hugely, just up to actual prison time for multiple offenders.

Then I called all the people I know locally to see if they needed anything, so my own small list increased six fold, and continued to grow all morning as folks sms-ed new items.

Caroline found some surgical gloves, and fashioned up a mouth covering out of scarves. I ended up looking like something between a bank robber and a member of the Taliban.

I also packed a book.  Perpignan has been reporting large queues outside of shops as they have been restricting the number of shoppers that can be inside at anyone time.

Last but not least I had a shower and scrubbed myself pink.

The off to the shops via numerous stops to pick up bank cards and cash.

Roads pretty empty, passed the local butcher doing deliveries

Got to Carrefour, car park half empty, no control at the doors, no queues.

Quite a few cars lined up for the Collect service for on line orders.

Inside their were still a number of people who clearly hadn’t followed the new Government order that couple should no longer shop together, only one person should enter the shop- but to be fair that was only announced last night.

It was interesting to see what there was, and was not on the shelves. Missing, or in very short supply, flour, pasta, sunflower oil, butter, milk, rice, tinned vegetables, there was freshly baled baguettes, but industrial white bread was gone. Fish section was limited, some holes in the vegetable rows. Yogurts, apart from those horrible sweet flavored ones. Very little cream, no ham or lardons, bacon bits we all love, Didn’t check the frozen food section as we don’t have a freezer. Luckily wine supplies still open and flowing.

Improvising and work arounds are the name of the game, no kiwis for Marie Paule- then a bag of mandarins to keep her Vitamin C levels up, no tomatoes pulp for sauce then a jar of tomato and herb sauce,

Got to the check out, glad to see the cashiers had a big Pyrex screen between them and the public, all had gloves on, and about half had masks, but very different ones so not I would think issued by the shop, rather brought along by those that had them at home.

Staff very helpful as I explained that I has six different orders, and would have to bag and pay for each one separately. Clearly and happily I wasn’t the first client that had asked for this.

Out of the supermarket, off to the tabac to feed the nasty habit of mine then back on the road heading for the hills of the Haut Corbieres. Various stop on the way to drop off bags of loot- then thankfully home.

No police controls either on the way down nor on the way back.

Straight into the shower for the second wash of the day.

This collective shopping seems to be the way to go, one trip for six people means five other people not at risk.

But it is some other bugger’s job next week.