Portraits of elders at the elders' meal of this commune in Orne

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The meal for seniors in the town of L'Aigle (Orne) took place this Sunday November 17. The Michaux room was full. 265 people responded to the invitation of the city ​​hall. So much so that the staff serving the free meal were a little overwhelmed. On the menu, verrine and petit fours. Cassolette scallops as a starter, trou normand, duck breast with sweet potatoes afterwards. And then cheese and dessert.

We made the pleasure last

The service started a little after noon. But before sitting down, this Sunday reunion is a time to check in on people you haven't seen in a while. By the time everyone was seated, it was past 1 p.m. And between each service, Emily and Jerome Ortet who provide entertainment on vocals, accordion and keyboard invite you to take a spin on the dance floor.

Hubert et Annick are tireless. They get up and join the floor as soon as the music starts. He is 85 years old, she is 78! These two found themselves on an 80s beat.

Lunch is finally served at 3 p.m. The traditional meal for seniors is reserved for people over 71 years old and their husbands or wives.

Michel Lasseur sits at the head of the table. “I arrived at The Eagle in 1962 when I returned from the regiment. Michel spent two years in Algeria with the 19^e combat cavalry regiment. He was a tank shooter. His parents were farmers in Boucé. He found work at agricultural cooperative has The Eagle. He then worked in livestock feed. “I hurt my back, there were no forklifts back then.” He says of L'Aigle: “I've gotten used to it, it has everything you need, and we're at peace.”

The vice-president of the club ARPA (Association of Retirees of Pays Aiglon) is delighted with the day. Bernadette Maréchal knows about catering. She ran the restaurant The Swan » at L'Aigle between 1967 and 2007! She regrets that today “people no longer do things like they used to, they find each other less”. Things have changed a lot. Bernadette Maréchal remembers the time when his restaurant was a place of reunions. One of the restaurant's specialties was calf's head. “We sold 40 kg per week.”

“I insisted on coming”

Liliane Merliaud is here for the first time. At 83, she was the one who insisted on being able to come. “I was the one who called the town hall, they told me there was no more space, and I wanted to come.” Liliane arrived in L'Aigle in 1986 from Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen. She never left town again. “I took care of the sick ofAlzheimer. And I don’t regret coming to L’Aigle.”

Liliane is a widow. But she's not going to dance. “I broke my femur in a fall last year.” A misadventure that could have ended tragically. Liliane remained lying there, unable to get up, for four days at home before emergency services were notified. She will remember this distressing ordeal for a long time. But today she is smiling at her great age tabled.

How can we accommodate more?

François Guêmon full of energy. At 85 he has a face smiling. This former house painter is in great health! “I ride a bike”, maybe that’s his secret? He brings everyone to his table. François arrived in L'Aigle in 1962. He never left the town again. He still lives independently in his maisonroute de St Evroult where he takes care, among other things, of his garden and his ten fruit trees.

The “seniors’ meal” was a success. Our seniors love these moments of meeting and celebrating. What could be more normal? THE maire wonders how he will manage to to welcome even more people next year. L'Aigle has 1,700 people over 71 years old according to the latest count.

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