Tuesday, March 1, 2016

A salon of unhappiness.


Up early. Bobs hair is a gravity defying miracle.

Sophie's nose glistens.


Two lanes of the motorway are blocked by a group of farmers. Another 'escargot' protest. Today, instead of burning tyres, they've set up a 'Salon of unhappiness' . This involves a group of them sitting on deck chairs in the fast lane. They're surrounded by a small caged menagerie of goats, an unhappy looking pig and a bemused donkey tied to the rear fender of a tractor. Three lanes merge into one and we drive by slowly. The farmers don't look very unhappy. They seem to be having a whale of a time.


The driving school instructors are also blockading the roads. They are 'en colere' over proposed changes to the syllabus. A group of instructors have parked so that all the roads into the town centre are impassable. We find a spot by the river and walk, PONs leading the way, to the electrical store.

We need a dishwasher urgently. A fitted one can be delivered in two weeks. We settle for a stand alone one that should fit into the gap in the downstairs kitchen where the old one was. Delivery and fitting is promised for Wednesday afternoon. Hope springs eternal.


In the green grocers some strange leathery brown things are on sale. 'The Font' looks at them . I look at them. We both look at them. We are still none the wiser as to what they are. We have got to the age where the old adage ' you should try everything once' no longer applies. This is particularly true if the 'everything' in question is unlabeled. The lady behind the counter doesn't know what they are either.


12 comments:

Lisa in Tokyo said...

I believe the spiky ones are rambutan - http://www.rambutan.com/. We had them for breakfast in Malaysia and they were delicious, although I don't know how they would hold up through the trip to France.

Coppa's girl said...

The brown leathery ones have a similar appearance to avocado - I wonder if they are from the same family?
Not sure why you need the dishwasher urgently, when you have a very willing Bob and Sophie, !!
One can only assume that the farmers had brought along some "liquid refreshment" to keep them going !

Lisa in Tokyo said...

I tried Googling "small brown leathery fruit," and it seems they are this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salak

WFT Nobby said...

Presumably the French driving test includes a section on 'how to park your vehicle to most effectively block a motorway/city street etc. as part of the protest'...

Angus said...

Strikes by air traffic controllers, farmers, government employees are all part of the daily routine and you get used to them. But, driving instructors ?

Angus said...

Thank you. You may be right. What they're doing here a mystery.

Angus said...

In this part of the world farmers always bring along liquid refreshment to help pass the time !

Julie said...

We had to ask instructions on how to eat the rambutan when on holiday in Malaya and I can say it was worth it...have a go Angus, they were very tasty

Kittypup said...

Oooh.Snake Fruit...lovely!

BaileyBobSouthernDog said...

The warm glow from the window at the end of your front hall is pure delight!

Anonymous said...

The brown leathery ones look like unhatched armadillos. I hear they're delicious.
Vancouver Barbara

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

Gravity defying hair...love it. The fruit looks like a cousin to lychees.