Closed Borders

France lives in difficult times. It is under attack. It's borders are closing. Humour is required...
Paranoia rules over here in beleaguered France. Despite this, two commonwealth colonists originating from good old Hyde stock, father and daughter, have smuggled themselves from Canada into France, to stay with us for a week.
The father (apparently my first cousin once removed), Adam, has visited us before, some three years ago, and as far as we are aware left no unwelcome packages, and whilst here undertook no pillaging.

His daughter, Makena, was previously unknown to us, therefore viewed with suspicion. Her ability to smile radiantly on demand made us even more careful...

Checking their luggage for weapons of mass destruction yielded nothing, although our sniffer dog, Sky, seemed more interested in underwear than explosives.
Fearing their potential destructive power, we decided to tour some fortified towns, well able to protect themselves.

The first, Cordes-sur-Ciel, was not just fortified, but filled with defenders.
Some were mere foot soldiers...

...whilst others were formidable indeed.

Feeling our guests might report back about such advanced defensive capabilities, we pretended that they were just actors. I think they bought it.

Some of the infantry were radically new prototypes...

...sporting a variety of weapons:

Whilst the air power was truly frightening...

We left there tired and hungry, so stopped on our return in Penne, where we ate well, albeit troubled by the reddening sky...

Our next trip was to the amazing St Cirq Lapopie...

...a village perched on the side of a gorge...

and well protected by its deity.

That night, the Bastille celebrations. No humour possible here, the attack in Nice brought the real troubles close to home, as a friend of ours was there...

Our guests seemed beaten by the unyielding heat. Escaping to the river seemed to calm them...

...but that night, Montauban was to show its true colours.
This was to be their last night. It started with incitement to riot, with someone who reckoned he was the Queen, shouting that they were the champions...

...then the rioting started, with the combatants crying that they were 'Bad'...

...then things turned ugly...

And so Adam and Makena parted the next day, and peace returned to our little piece of paradise.