The day of the village pottery fair.The highpoint of the social calendar. Something we'd quite forgotten about.
This year there is to be a parade of vintage cars. They start arriving early. Bob takes the opportunity to carefully christen the tyres of two Mercedes convertibles, a Panhard and a 2003 Peugeot coupe. The latter is not exactly a classic but determination of what is, and what isn't, a vintage car has been left to the owners discretion.
Having vintage cars at the pottery fair is a stoke of genius. Local farmers , instead of wanting to rush off, can be found standing, arms folded, looking at sixty year old Citroens. Conversations follow along the lines of " Does this have the Ford V8? " or " I had an uncle in St.Etienne who had one of these. Of course it was an earlier model with the convex cantilevered camshaft ".
The wives of the vintage car owners all wear straw hats with ribbons and think they look like Audrey Hepburn.
We do a tour of the stalls before 'The Font' rushes off to a neighbouring village for a talk on the fourth dimension given by an astrophysicist from Paris. Angus is left alone to mingle with the parting words 'Do remember to smile and make small talk' echoing in his ears.
A very tactile woman in paisley patterned baggy pants kisses me three times. Angus can't remember ever having set eyes on her before. She, however, treats Angus like a long lost cousin. It transpires the baggy panted lady is working in Toulouse and her husband is working in Paris. She commutes up to see him every weekend. ' Do you fly ?' I ask by way of small talk. '' Fly! Fly!" she says. '' I work with medical magnets. It would be impossible". This statement leaves Angus flummoxed. . Perhaps the medical magnets leave a dose of radiation that sets off the airport scanners ?
The Old Farmer is displaying a 1960 petrol powered bicycle in the vintage car display. Every so often he clambers onto it and does a tour of the village. He tells me he's going to Belarus with the Belgian lady who's having an ongoing battle with the neighbouring horse farm. Before I can express my astonishment he's on his bike and off again.
Bob and Sophie thought Saturday afternoons wedding was exciting. That was until they saw the cars show up for the pottery festival. Bob takes time off for lunch and a post lunch nap. Apart from that he's on guard - all day. Sophie takes a somewhat longer nap. This is followed by twenty minutes guarding then another considerably longer nap.
Both PONs are left wondering - Can life get any better ?
15 comments:
The Old Farmer and the Belgian Lady? Life never ceases to surprise!
Cheers, Gail.
PS Should one take advice on small talk from one heading to an astrophysics lecture on the fourth dimension?
'The Font' informs me that the presentation started with the line " Let's all imagine a two hundred sided dodecahedron '. Guess that by comparison with that anything else is small talk.
I want to know more about the fourth dimension and medical magnets!
Some friends here have antique cars and do rallies around France. They seem to have a lot of fun, holding elaborate theme parties along the way.
Romance in a village is at once complicated and not. The range of choice is limited, but when things don't work out, the complications begin. The horse farm might get some respite once the Old Farmer falls out of love.
You haven't told us about your purchases this year.
One doesn't think of neighboring villages when one thinks of astrophysics lectures. Someone is finding their sebbatical a bit dull maybe.
I love the Solex! I used to borrow one occasionally when I was a teenager in the Netherlands.
A stroke of genius indeed - vintage cars always seem to draw the crowds. Lots of tyres for Bob to christen. Please keep us up to date with the Old Farmer's latest romance. Didn't he have an "amour" in Paris for last year's journey?
I must add a ribbon to my straw hat if that's all it takes to think I look like Audrey Hepburn.
Are there any additions to the pottery collection in the cellar?
As the Belgian lady is viewed as a psychopath by many of the locals I fear this latest twist to the story will not end well. There again three weeks in an ancient Mercedes en route to Minsk and who knows what might happen ?
Rather bizarrely a neighbouring hamlet is host to one of Europes leading conferences on astrophysics. It is the only time of the year when the cafe echoes to the sound of American accents.
It made a humorous noise as he drove around on it. 50 years ahead of battery powered bikes. Proof that there's nothing new under the sun.
The Old Farmer has an old flame in Paris and another who makes him tripe a la ancienne. We wait to hear about this latest affair of the heart.
A 50 year old Citroen to lean out of also helps.
Only vases this year. Our collection of artisinal mugs has reached saturation point.
The smiling is easy. It's the small talk that I find tricky. Love the vintage bike. It is beautifully looked after.
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