Quotation

"We learned that time in Provence is a very elastic commodity, even when it is described in clear and specific terms. Un petit quart d'heure means sometime today. Demain means sometime this week. And, the most elastic time segment of all, une quinzaine can mean 3 weeks, 2 months, or next year, but never, ever does it mean 15 days." "...occassionally reinforced by the magic word normalment, a supremely versatile escape clause worthy of an insurance policy.Normalment-providing it doesn't rain, providing the truck hasn't broken down, providing the brother-in-law hasn't borrowed the tool box-is the Provencal builder's equivalent of the fine print in a contract...."