The heat building again. The swimming pool pump, replaced last year at great expense, has stopped working. I have no idea why. The engineer says : ' I'll be along some time this week .... or maybe next '. Imagine my delight when he shows up, announced, in the late afternoon. When things like this make you happy you KNOW you've become your father.
As readers of the blog will remember The Old Farmer has decided not to take his venerable motor home to Lithuania. Instead he's going in the equally venerable silver Mercedes. '' It's more comfortable ". Angus looks at the drivers seat , which is rapidly losing its foam stuffing where the fabric has worn away, but decides to say nothing. The Old Farmer reckons he can do the journey to Lithuania in two days. '' I'll stop and sleep for four or five hours in a lay by outside Strasbourg and then do Berlin and Warsaw and onto Vilnius in one go . Today he is setting off on a two day journey to Nimes. '' Want to make sure the new brakes bed in properly ".
The authorities have informed the mayor that the village hall, the church, the town hall and the village hall lavatory ( a hole in the ground affair ) must all be made wheel chair accessible. The mayor asked the local mason to come up with a quote for installing concrete ramps. The masons quote was E2,650. The quote was turned down by the Prefecture. The regional bureaucracy informed the mayor that he'll need to have an accredited architect draw up plans. The architects quote for the design is E7,500. Village economies are going to have to be made. It is suggested that the street lights be turned off completely in the summer. Rumblings of discontent are already stirring from the horse farm and the widow with the cottage by the crossroads.
Bob and Sophie have a hectic day. A group of 30 or so Croat pilgrims walk through the village. The PONs bark - the pilgrims ( unaware of the ferocity of the beasts watching them ) sing something Slavic and wave .The special needs children hold a danceathon on the village green. The noise and the approximation to dancing keep the angelic duo mesmerized for an hour. Before dinner the lady who's bought the old Presbytery by the church comes to borrow a screwdriver ( Sophie gets tickled on the head - Bob gets called 'Beau' ). Oh, and of course the pool man requires careful monitoring.
11.00 pm. At the end of a long day Sophie can be found, on her back, in the middle of the hall carpet, snoring happily away. She's oblivious to the world. I feel like telling her how indecorous this is but sometimes a family diva should be left alone to dream of derring-do.
15 comments:
what a picture! Sophie looks a complete Angel :-)
Saw the first picture with the sunflowers and was planning to comment on how lovely it was but then I saw the rest of the pictures and they were all equally beautiful even the one of the Diva snoring. She must feel very safe and much loved to be able to sleep like that.
What beautiful summer pictures! Might it be time for another villiage fundraiser?
The old Farmer is amazing, though I'm not sure I'd want to trust the venerable Mercedes...
Another pretty good day for the PONs - even some Pilgrims the bark at. You are much in demand - the mayor borrowing stepladders, and now the lady borrowing screwdrivers - have you thought of setting up in tool hire, Angus? It could be a nice little side line !
Bob and Sophie on the sun-drenched terrace steps, the yellow roses, the summer sky . . . just lovely.
If my suggestions make no sense, please consider my grandmothers saying, " she is crazy with the heat! ". Re the village hall lavatory: could estimates be given from outside the village for the work needed to be done? Will these facilities be closed if the work is not done? Is there a time frame for the work to be done? I don't know if fund raising is the answer due to the amount of funds needed. Yes, these projects need to be done,but what a sad situation if all of this is just political. I am going to drink ice water now!
Is there a date by which all of the work on the village facilities must be completed? A nice 5 year extention with the possibility of another 5 years due to financial constraints may help.
Sophie looks especially adorable today.
The works must be completed within 2 years. There are no grants so the funding must come from the village budget. Only approved architects/ suppliers will be accepted. Sigh.
French bureaucracy has spoken. The mayor must obey.
That awful word "approved" usually translates into many €€€€'s What a pity there isn't a village handyman to do these things at a reasonable cost.
There is but guess what ? He's not approved.
Would like to see 'a hole in the ground' made wheelchair accessible...
Enjoyable photos today, Angus!
But how unfortunate that others will be making more money than what may be reasonable on the backs of villages with limited budgets. Sounds like a version of Donald Trump's, the Art of the Deal.
A wish of safe travels to the Old Farmer.
The mayor and villagers are being placed in wretched circumstances. I am so very sorry, as I know the mayor cares for his flock, the way Bob cares for his!
Your village has more goings on than my neighborhood, I wish I had such a fantastic story to tell daily. Beautiful photos today, even of the darling snoring away.
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