HORNETS! Call the Fire Company!

And that's exactly what we did. Some two weeks ago (maybe 3) the next door neighbor lady came to our door about 1730 in an excited state and pointed to the edge of the house. I followed her in my bare feet as she gazed upwards to a large black/brown mass on the side of our abode near the chimney. I understood her one word of anglaise "Hornets!", I stared with her for a few minutes while she excitedly explained what I was to do about it...none of which I understood. (Ah the convienent language barrier) So back into the house I went and explained it all to Kelly who paid as much attention to the matter as I did...live and let live is a basic motto about this place. Interest peaked the day before yesterday when about 8pm a single LARGE (key word here) yellow and black HORNET made itself known buzzing about the chandelier in the upstairs landing. Then there were two, then 3. Audrey went into a STATE, locking herself into the guest room and climbing in her bed nest shrouded with the mosquito net...no help from her! Kelly continued to peck away at her laptop and I just stared at the monsters as they seemed to be working up a plan by being at the same spot at the same time about the base of the lamp. A plan was laid to call the fire company the next morning (yesterday) via Mary at the tourist office. They said they'd come for a payment of 50 Euros and that they would call before showing up. When they would come was not mentioned. This morning a nice fireman showed up at our door setting the time for the removal of the offending hornet's nest at 1730. All according to plan. The day proceeded with us making preparations for our guest for dinner tonight. Beef and cabbage soup, sweet and sour Rabbit with black pepper polenta, zuchinni quiche, lemon icecream. Just after our guest for the evening arrived a loud roar of a large diesel truck was heard and there appeared across the street a hook and ladder truck of the modern-type with the in-line hydralic lift ladder and basket. Our hornet's nest's demise was at hand. And a 8 person squad of fire-persons set up a road blockade, intoduced each other to us at the door and with great efficiency set up the truck and suited up in a blue anti-hornet outfit, climbed into the basket atop the truck and set off to reach and attack the nesting hornets where they lived, inside the walls of 35 Rue Marechal Joffre. Spray flew in great clouds and hornets buzzed about in a frenzied attack on the fire persons, including one next to me a hundred feet away from the house! They were insulted to say the least and weren't going down without a fight. Soon the outside action was complete, the long arm of the ladder retracted, the man out of the blue suit and soon a cadre of anti-hornet experts were tromping through our house headed for the attic (granier) to find and extract the rest of the nest. After a few minutes another fireman came down holding a plastic bag and showed us the contents, a HUGE nest filled with grubs and demised hornets. Amazing! Hundreds would have been born very shortly, much to our possible pain. They packed up all thier gear and after a signing ceremony including handshakes in all directions, much "mercies" in evidence they took thier leave. Whewww, that chapter was over, now onto dinner...