A ceremony at the war memorial. Something to do with the end of the Algerian War. The mayor in his tricolor sash, the little lady with the Edith Piaf voice, a gaggle of retired gendarmes, a slightly flustered Madame Bay with a petulant grandchild. In the centre of this small crowd the old and very old farmers. Bob and Sophie look on from their 'secret' corner of the garden behind the laurel hedge. The old farmer is wearing a blazer, grey trousers , lumber jack hat with ear flaps and open toed sandals without socks. A model of formality.
The first of the seasons gariguette strawberries. Slightly bitter. Give them another week and they'll be perfect. Nine years away from Scotland and we're still amazed at having strawberries in March.
Bob and Sophie are given their first haircut of the year. Sophie turns on her back and falls asleep while the clippers hum. Bob squirms and complains. Brother and sister like chalk and cheese.
Those strawberries do look good in the picture!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Gail.
PS Thanks for the kind words about HGD.
We're thinking of you. Nobody ever tells you how exhausting grief is .
DeleteOne of my first small but memorable experiences of moving to France, in March, was discovering tiny wild strawberries on our morning walks. We would collect enough to sprinkle on our breakfast each day. Those ones we deemed unchristened by the foxes!
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We bought some seeds in Poland years ago. Planted them here and they're spreading almost as rapidly as the acanthus.
DeleteThat's so very nice of Bob and Sophie to "attend" the ceremony at the war memorial....just like kids they love hanging out in secret places.
ReplyDeleteAnd they were miraculously quiet.
DeleteBob and Sophie behind bars !
ReplyDeleteWhat have they done wrong ?
How much time do you have ?
DeleteBob and Sophie's secret spot best stay a secret. Who could possibly pay attention to the ceremony with two such delightful faces in plain
ReplyDeleteview (Sophie looking especially captivating).
The old farmer, always the village fashion plate!
A late response to previous post. Life moves on regardless! Totally agree with you. The simplest,most logical explanation for the mystery of flight MH370 is a fire and smoke in the cockpit.
ReplyDeleteThey may be as different as chalk and cheese, but as Forrest Gump said about he and Jenny, "they goes together like peas and carrots."
ReplyDeleteLove the big hairy paws at the fence.
ReplyDeleteI thought the old farmer had gone off to visit a ladyfriend -- was it Lyon? And now he's back? Such a bunch of jet-setters.
ReplyDeleteFive hours there, five hours back. Best to take the road via Clermont Ferrand I'm reliably informed.
DeleteLove the surveillance posts.
ReplyDeleteXXXOOO Bella & Roxy
Mme Bay would approve of Sophie's new look - tres chic!
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