Politeness is an essential oil for living in village France.
We live in the old part of the village and no-one there would dream of passing you in the street without a “Bonjour” or “Bonsoir”.
In the flat of the town, where the shops are, this is not so rigidly maintained , but never would a greeting go unanswered.

On entering a shop one always says “Bonjour Messieurs Dames” to all present and “Au revoir Messieurs Dames” as you go, having already politely thanked the shopkeeper for their kindness in serving you.

They have a greeting for all occasions, on our trips to campsites no-one passed, if one was eating, without saying “Bon Appetit”(and this included children.)

“Bonne Soiree” is “Have a good evening” and is used between 6.00 and 8.00 only.
“Bon Weekend” is used on Friday evenings.
A waitress, having wished one “Bon Appetit” before the first course will wish you “Bonne Continuation” as she serves the second.
As we pulled up in front of the house last July and started to unpack a neighbour drove by and stuck his head out the window to wish us “Bon Installation” and enivitably as we pack to go we will be wished “Bon Retour”.
(“Bon Retour” is interesting because it does not mean, as I thought, and was gently corrected by a neighbour, ; “Welcome back” but rather something more like “Safe Home”)

Such politeness is not , of course, easily learned.
Walking through the village if you see a parent or (more likely) a grand parent walking out with a toddler you say “Bonjour” to the adult and then another “Bonjour” (traditionally accompanied by an ingratiating smirk) to the child.
Woe Betide the child who doesn’t give the appropiate response.
The French have no shame in public displays of corporal punishment.

As I passed the carpark by the church last week I suddenly became aware of a persistant and repeated sound.
Two unaccompanied small boys with red faces were yelling “Bonjour” at the top of their lungs, I had not replied.
Positively embarrassed I immediately managed the reply complete with smirk and they retired triumphant.

They had , of course, been learning the rules of La Politesse for longer than I.

Post Scriptum September 30th.

In an article in todays (English) Independent, Terence Blacker, under the title of
“Why Britons love la vie en rose” answers his own question by saying;
“they are responding to a sense of community which the French have mysteriously managed to retain….. It is the way they greet each other in the street or in the shops, in the attitude towards children and across generations generally.”

I feel that Mr. Blacker and myself might be using the same hymn book