Friday, January 27, 2017

A standoff.


Cold when we head out of the front gate. The air heavy, the ground hard underfoot. Bob thinks it's wonderful.


At the greengrocers a lady turns to me and says '' What lovely agrumi ". It's not every day you get greeted like this. 


Lucky Charms appear on the USA section of the exotic foods aisle next to the peanut butter and marshmallow spread. I have no idea what they are. After studying the packaging I'm still none the wiser.


It's still frosty as Bob and his master head down the hill to the little waterfall.


Bob stops to stare at two late to bed owls sitting on a walnut branch. They stare back. A stand off develops. We are there some time.


Sophie is walked to the end of the ridge. She pauses, soaks in the view and barks at the donkeys. Not an aggressive bark. More an 'I'm back' bark. The French teacher stops her little Renault Clio and gets out to say hello. Sophie revels in the attention. 


The family diva then sprints home. 

Inconsequential to many but a 200 metre walk to the ridge is a big, big moment in the life of a four year old PON  girl who's been housebound for nearly six months.

These are the little things that tear down walls and make the world turn.

So starts a chilly Friday in deepest, deepest France profonde.





16 comments:

Coppa's girl said...

Your first photo is so atmospheric. It won't be long before Sophie will be able to accompany Bob to the little waterfall, and then they can both have a stand off with the owls. How nice of the teacher to stop and take time to make a fuss of Sophie.
Are those lucky charms the same ones they'll be selling with all food bought in the US soon?

WFT Nobby said...

Sophie walking 200 m to the ridge is absolutely not inconsequential. Bertie and I are thrilled!

Anonymous said...

I am with Bertie on this. Mlle Sophies outing is not inconsequential. Of note is that the teacher stopped to chat Mlle Sophie. Clearly the PONS are adored not only by their BLOG fans but the local populace as well. Gosh these are special dogs.

Angus said...

In French villages dogs hold a special place.

Angus said...

Now she's fallen into a deep healing sleep.

Angus said...

Roll on the warmer weather and Sophie will be paddling again.

Taste of France said...

Beautiful first photo! I can almost smell the air.
Lucky Charms are a kind of breakfast cereal in which half the volume of the box is filled with dessicated pink and green marshmallows in the shape of shamrocks. Cheaper and lighter than 100% cereal.
I brought back some marshmallow fluff for making cake frosting--the kind that pipes into fantastic decorations. I finally realized that kind of frosting was simply meringue frosting; no need for the artificial version, though I haven't tried it yet because I lack a candy thermometer.
The agrumi do look lovely.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

At the very start of my day, the poem you posted on my blog is a gentle reminder- Many kind thanks for thinking of us and remembering Teddy!

Wonderful to see Sophie getting back to her old routine! Max just had his staples removed and 3 week x-rays yesterday. Everything is healing well - 3 weeks down, too many to count left to go!

**Lucky Charms have been around since the mid 1960's. Not my favorite sugary-cereal growing up, I used to be more of a Fruit-Loops and Captain Crunch kinda girl. And one use of Marshmallow Fluff is to make Fluffernutters, a sandwich made with peanut butter and Fluff .... Sorry, you just can't make this up.

Elle Clancy said...

Lucky Charms are dreadful. If not for the sugar content, then for the offensive Irish stereotype they used to portray in their advertisements (not sure if they still run those; hopefully not). And I too used to eat Fluffernutter sandwiches as a child; I remember absolutely loving them! (I know: sad....)

MLou said...

Hurray for Sophie's 200m debut! A super milestone in her recovery!

BaileyBobSouthernDog said...

I just bet the donkeys were equally as happy to see Sophie!

Peter Kouwenhoven said...

A wonderful day for Sophie. She'll be ready for spring...

Stephanie said...

Lovely pictures of both Bob and Sophie and such a grand outing for Sophie. One can’t help but rejoice with her.
Whatever you do, avoid the Lucky Charms. I speak from experience. Stay with the agrumi.

Kari said...

Amazing woman. Must remind myself to do that, you know, appreciate the simple beauty that is all around us.
Sophie's joy brings such joy to my heart. I wish I could hug her and tell her how much her being able to take her walk means to all of us who love her.

Angus said...

In a neighbouring village an old lady stopped me as I was walking a previous generation of PONs with the words 'What dogs. In beauty surpassing the Princes of Troy'. That shows the wonders of a French education.

Angus said...

Sage advice.