Open farms and the first of May

The paradoxes of France never cease to amaze me even after 10 years.  Take for example this weekend,  Saturday was the first of May, workers day and as French socialist tradition dictates nobody is supposed to work.  If the 1st May falls on a weekday it is a public holiday, and if it is a Tuesday or Thursday many people have the bonus of a 'Pont'.  This is literally a bridge between the public holiday and the weekend, giving you a four day weekend.  Unfortunately for most of us this year the 1st May fell on a Saturday, however it was good news for those who normally work on Saturdays.
The paradox for me was that this weekend the 1st and 2nd May was the 'Bienvenue à la ferme' (Bienvenue à la ferme ) weekend in our region. On these two days partner farms open their doors to the public to present what they do, and sell their produce.  It seems strange that while the rest of the country is celebrating workers day the farmers are at work, I suppose it could be argued they work all year anyway.  At least the shoppers denied their saturday pleasure have something else to do.
We visited two sites, a vineyard in the Savoie and a dairy farm in the Chartreuse mountains (The chartreuse region/).  The vineyard was more interesting from an adults point of view as we were able to taste and buy wine.  Many French wine connoisseurs sneer at the mention of Savoie wines, but I find the Reds light and easy to drink, and the whites great with cheese.  Our second stop was for the kids and provided something of a surprise.  The ferme Habert is tucked away at the Northnmost extremity of the Chartreuse.  The location is stunning, as you drive up to the farm the moutains close around you in a semi- circle.  The farm raises Tarantaise cattle for their milk to produce cheese.  It is, in fact, a farm that operates to help people with psychological problems re-integrate society.  We were given a tour by a lady who was obviously part of the permanent staff before being handed over to a young man who clearly had some mental difficulties.  It was good to visit this type of structure for the kids to meet people that our society normally tries to hide away.  Everybody was very friendly and the kids particularly enjoyed the calf who decided to eat my raincoat.  We finished with a cheese tasting and splashed out on some cheese.
This type of event takes place every year in May and, despite the fact that this year it was the first so the farmers couldn't take their day off, it is a great way to discover the region and its produce.