Letter from Brittany 119
103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120


Stamping out confusion!
(don't ya just love 'em? ;o)


Moi. ”Je voudrais acheter deux cents timbres-poste un euro s.v.p.”
(“I wish to buy two hundred 1 Euro stamps please.”)

Counter clerk: ”Nous n'avons pas un timbre-poste de l'euro deux cents.” (“We do not ‘ave any 200 Euro postage stamps.”)

Moi: “No, no. That’s not what I meant. I wish to buy a 1 Euro stamp but two hundred of them.”

Counter clerk: "Pourquoi?" (“Why?”)

Moi: “Because I have two hundred letters to post.”


Counter clerk: “You 'ave two 'undred letters to post!?” (look of utter astonishment and disbelief.)

Moi: “Yes.”

Counter clerk: “How do you know what stamp to affix to them?”

Moi: “I weighed them.”

Counter clerk: “You cannot weigh them. It is forbidden. You do not ‘ave a calibrated and certified balance postal!”

Moi: “Yes I do.”

Counter clerk: “Where did you get it? It is illegal.”

Moi: “No it isn’t illegal. I bought it in England.”

Counter clerk: “It will not work. You cannot use a balance postal such as you ‘ave in your possession ‘ere in France!”

Moi: “Of course it’ll work and I can use it here and no, it isn’t illegal as you put it. A gram weighs the same in England as it does in France.”

Counter clerk “I’ll fetch the manager.”

Manager: "Bonjour. Comment est-ce que je peux vous aider?" (“Hello. How I can 'elp you?”)

Moi: ”Je voudrais acheter deux cents timbres-poste un euro s.v.p.”
(“I wish to buy two hundred 1 Euro stamps please.”)

Manager: ”Nous n'avons pas un timbre-poste de l'euro deux cents.”
(“We do not ‘ave any 200 Euro postage stamps.”)


I’ve finished stamping now.

For the day anyway.