Sudden silence.

The gardens resound to the sound of pneumatic drills. Week two of the drainage works is underway.

In the afternoon there is a sudden silence. Not a cigarette break silence but an ominous calm .

By the side of the palm tree outside the front door the Bozo family have gathered in a group. They are peering into a hole. From the hole a jet of crystal clear water emerges, arcs through the air and lands on the courtyard gravel. One of the morose lads has found the village water main. In fact he's not so much found it as removed a length of it. In the process he's also removed our stop cock.

'' How serious is it ? " asks 'The Font'.  '' I'm sure it's not an intractable problem " replies Angus in his supposedly reassuring Captain of the Titanic tone of voice. '' That bad ? " comes the reply.

While we wait for the water board Angus and Sophie go for a walk on the village green. Sophie finds the shadows cast by the pollarded trees intriguing. She pounces on them in a peculiarly feline way.

On the grass verge by the churchyard she finds some fox droppings. Cue for rolling in the grass, legs in the air, not a care in the world. I suggest she stops. In return Sophie gives me her '' You should try it. Great for stress " look.

Sometimes dogs have all the answers.

The man from the water board arrives at four thirty. All the Bozo's greet him with a kiss on each cheek. Angus shakes his hand. The water board man looks in the hole and says ' Oh La La '. He then repeats himself. It starts to rain. '' You lot always do this to me on Mondays " he says to one of the morose Bozo's. 

By seven the water is reconnected. Before he goes the man from the water board tells me that his girl friend has set up a company to help foreigners with project management. He gives me her card. It says in English ' Josephine's Solutions. A company providing both property and related lifestyle services. Whatever the complexity of a problem we will make sure the management process is smooth and easy '.

So passes another day in deepest, deepest France profonde.

Bob and Sophie know today has been the best day ever. Who knows what adventures tomorrow will bring ?

Refering to growth in education in India and China this little snippet from the FT caught my eye :  'The number of people alive today with a degree is greater than the total number of degrees awarded before 1980.  It may seem difficult to believe at times, but our planet is growing smarter '.