Thursday, March 24, 2016

Discerning customers.


Hugo the malevolent Maltese is walking in circles on the Lane. He's still doing it as we return from our morning walk. A silver Peugeot brakes to avoid him. A white van, undeterred by the new speed bump, goes racing past. Hugo jumps when I come to pick him up. He's gone blind. Probably just had a stroke. His heart races but he makes no attempt to struggle. His mistress is matron of the Old Folks home in the market town.She often does the night shift and with the curtains drawn it looks as if she has let him out then gone to sleep. I open the front door and pop Hugo into the entrance hall then tip toe silently away. Madame Bay is dispatched to wake the matron and make sure Hugo is ok. His ridiculous yelping as The PONz stroll past has been a comical feature of our time here.

Both Bob and Sophie seemed to be aware that all was not well with their canine neighbour. Sophie was uncharacteristically silent. Bob examined Hugo with a gentle, concerned air.  Animal interaction and communication can surprise.

Sophie settles down on the wooden garden table for a post walk doze.


Her brother exudes essence of shaggy dog.

 'The Font' notices a rather alarming feature of the bar stools at the dog friendly cafe.


In the little antique shop on the square an 1820 print of dog grooming. The dogs appear to be asleep.


The sky above the cathedral has turned that unreal Southern France blue. A sure sign of a change in the seasons.


We have received a letter from the manager of the supermarket asking us to a special preview of the Easter wine sale. The letter informs us that the invitation is only for 'discerning customers'. 'The Font' wonders what constitutes 'discernment'. 








15 comments:

Coppa's girl said...

Poor Hugo - we hope he'll be OK and soon back to yelping at the happy duo.

WFT Nobby said...

Yes poor wee Hugo. But he does not sound the ideal dog for an old folks' home.
Love the poodle grooming print.
Cheers, Gail.

Kittypup said...

Bless little Hugo x
Those bar stools with Ricketts best be avoided at all costs
Another full and lively day in deepest France profonde

Sheila said...

Dogs can also be trained (or have an innate ability) to anticipate the onset of epileptic seizures. How
mysterious.

Angus said...

The more you know them the more amazing they are.

Angus said...

The bar stools are another example of design trumping practicality.

Angus said...

14 isn't a bad innings.

Angus said...

He was out sun bathing this afternoon - but in a fenced off piece of the garden.

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

It is incredible the silent communications between dogs isn't it? I hope he's doing okay. One of our labs suffered a stroke at age 9, lost the use of his legs. Sad day indeed.

Those bar stools look rickety!

Anonymous said...

Thank You for your care of Hugo, hopefully all works out, but it does sound like a stroke.
Dogs are amazing animals and their sense of illness can be awesome at times.
I've had problems leaving comments, but continue to enjoy your blog each morning.

10NISNE1 said...

Prayers said for Hugo.

The beer and absinthe crowd would not fare well on those bar stools.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

The NatGeo story is accurate, at least in Apple's case. When my Mother became ill with cancer, Apple did not want to be in the same room with her. Mother was always her favourite and she'd run to jump up in her lap whenever we dropped by. As soon as she became sick, Apple would hide in the back of the house away from her or, if Mother was here at our house, Apple would sit by the back door to be let out. Fortunately, Mother didn't seem to notice. I do hope Hugo is alright. xxx

Coppa's girl said...

..or any bar stools that high....

Unknown said...

Hugo sunbathing seems a hopeful sign, as well as the protection of fencing. The PONs' concern is touching and thought-provoking. The bar stools are alarming.

alarmclock said...

I just discovered your blogs and intend to start with the first one and read up to current. I did read the post about Wilf dying and had a good cry. Thank you for your writing.