Saturday, February 4, 2017

There is no wealth but life.





It's wet and blustery. The storms that have caused chaos in the North of the country slowly making their way South. Angus and Bob head into the little market town. We used to go there every day but the new owners of the cafe under the arcades don't welcome dogs. Our trips there are now much less frequent. One by one the little shops are going out of business their customers lured to the always open supermarket in the out of town shopping mall. This morning we notice that the chocolatier is the latest to be shuttered. 


Time for a haircut. Bob leads the way from the car park to the coiffeurs. Up against the salon wall one of the old farmers is asleep on the worn red leather sofa, mouth open, an old copy of Paris Match open on his lap. He stirs as we enter, woken by the bell on the door, mutters, snorts and falls back asleep. Bob settles down under the sickly aspidistra. Angus has his trim. The barber is off to Vietnam next month with his wife for their annual holiday. He informs me that ' Vietnam used to be French so we're hoping the food is good'.


On our return to the car a moment of high adventure as we pass a cat on a window ledge. Bob is of the canine school of thought that believes that you should never pass a cat on a window ledge without greeting it - loudly.


A drink from the stream then home to greet a little sister who's been taking a nap. She seems less than delighted to be woken by her overly enthusiastic oaf of a brother.


Little Saturday morning things. A reminder that there is no wealth but life.

And here's a thought to get the day started : 



11 comments:

Coppa's girl said...

Poor Bob - he looks so dejected in that last photo, and his sister does, indeed, look less than delighted to see him !
The chocolatier closed - oh no - we hope they have just gone on their annual holiday too !

WFT Nobby said...

Thank goodness the barber is still in business and welcomes dogs. Hairdressing is one line of work that will never be outsourced to the other side of the world or fall victim to automation!

Anonymous said...

That aspidistra may be sickly but it has staying power.
Lovely to see both Bob and Sophie doing so well.
x

Taste of France said...

The arcaded street must be delightful in the summer heat. Much more so than a galerie next to a supermarket in a sea of a parking lot.

Stephanie said...

Not the chocolatier. One shudders to think what might be next.
I like the barber’s reasoning regarding Vietnamese cuisine.
And what’s this about the new cafĂ© owners not welcoming dogs? Do they not know they’re in France?

Trisha said...

It's a real shame the small shops are closing, not everyone has transport for out of town malls I for one detest them, shop local or you lose them, love your blog by the way, a fellow scot as well.

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

I think the three bananas I bought yesterday are straight! But I didn't even notice.

The Vietnamese refugees of the 80s certainly improved the bread in Australia!

Kari said...

What can be going on in the cafe owners head? Hopefully, that will all change with time.
Beautiful ginger cat!

BaileyBobSouthernDog said...

I just hate that the nearby town is dwindling. Such a shame.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

Interesting thought....

Read your past posts and am so glad Bob is improving, could it have been nerve damage? Bob is right about cats, Scotties have the same thoughts.

We had friends, a brother and sister, years ago that were Vietnamese. Their Mother was the Vietnamese consult to France during the war, and they lived around Paris after it was over. The two were in the US for the brother to get his masters degree. But they used to cook combinations of Vietnamese and French dishes for us so I have to think that the Barber could possibly be correct.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

Also left you a comment on your January 30th post .