Sunday, December 13, 2015

Christmas miracle.


Bob heads off for a power walk with 'The Font'. A power walk round the lake is that special moment when he can act as family guardian, chase ducks and escape his sister. In human terms this is known as bliss.

Sophie heads off with her owner to the little market town. They settle at a table outside the cafe on the market square. Angus reads Le Figaro. From time to time he shares a snippet of information with the princess. Non-dog owning clientele look at him warily. Sophie gets a bowl of water but sadly no half croissant. 


The fancy bakers wife is in a recognizably post-natal mood. She asks if we've had snow. This is a surprising question as its sunny, cloudless and a spring like 14 degrees outside. 



Sophie has a diva moment. She emits her concrete shredding yelp. She is given some crumbs of choux pastry. Some dogs get rewarded for being good. Sophie is a dog that gets bribed to be quiet.


We wander down the hill in the afternoon sunshine. The Very Old Farmer can be seen sitting on an ancient orange tractor. He lolls from side to side as he ploughs. '' Bonjour M'Ongoose. Lovely day " he says when I ask if I can be of any help.  How he a) managed to propel himself across the village from his house to his vegetable patch b) managed to get out of his wheelchair into the tractors driving seat and c) manages to steer the tractor as he has no feeling in his arms below the elbows - are mysteries. It is however the day off for the regular district nurse.


Among the village octogenarians and nonagenarians the spark of life burns brightly. Very brightly indeed. In its own way a small Christmas miracle. 'The Font' observes that the ordinariness of life in a small French village is bizarre. 





10 comments:

Coppa's girl said...

Catching up on the news, slivers of choux pastry, a power walk, and those cakes...another perfect day in deepest France profonde. Add sausages, and it's the best day ever - until tomorrow !

WFT Nobby said...

There are far worse places to grow old. I love hearing about the village's non-conformist nonogenerians. Which way will they be voting today, I wonder?
Cheers, Gail.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

Life is also not boring!

BaileyBobSouthernDog said...

I love visiting France profonde every morning. Thank you for being our guide to your community and the delightful occupants there in!

Anonymous said...

love ly sweets

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

Oh boy! I bet you did a double take when you saw who was on the tractor!!!

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

You can't keep a good farmer down.

2015 seems to have been a very bad year for illicit croissants, we hope 2016 is better.

dustbunny8 said...

Viva The Very Old Farmer! LIVE every minute you can, why sit and wait to die!

Kari said...

We celebrate the very old farmer. One of the last of his kind, I'm afraid.
Good show Sophie. What ever works.

Jane Le Galloudec said...

I love seeing the photographs of the Patisserie window, we don't have bakers like that here in my part of Spain. Actually the bakers is quite poor by comparison, but blimey... the price of those cakes per slice is eye wobbling!!!! I really enjoy your dogs eye view on life in rural France... and thank you for posting the cake photo's... looking at them is of course free and totally unfattening.