Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas.


6:00 am Christmas morning. No sign of the PONs in the upstairs hall.


Nor the downstairs.


They have taken an executive decision to sleep in the kitchen and guard the turkey and mince pies. How's that for selfless devotion ? Bob does his best to pretend he's not just woken up .


No Silent Night for the owls who have spent their night chatting on the gutters outside the bedroom window. They head off with an irritated screech as the front door is opened. The owls circle, then settle on a branch of the plane tree on the other side of the lane. ‘ Come and see this ‘ I shout out to ‘The Font’ and so we start our Christmas morning standing in the doorway laughing at six round street lamp lit faces peering back at us.

Dogs and master head off along the ridge. That particular once a year Christmas silence undisturbed by the distant roar of aircraft or the sound of cars. The PONs roll on their backs in the frost. We pause to greet the  donkeys in the field, the cows by the crossroads and the horses by the pond. Something ‘right’ about being with cattle, donkeys, horses and ( of course ) sheepdogs on Christmas day. All hint at our shared place in the cosmos. Gentle intimations of a world beyond agency and prediction.

Bob sits next to Angus on the storm drain and is told that this is his country. He's then told that this is a day when the angels of mans better nature are allowed take wing. A day when kings and wise men learn from poverty and innocence. Bob seems to like that thought and leans into me. Sophie heads off after something decidedly unChristmasy in the drainage ditch. For her solemn stillness and angels with harps of gold can wait. This morning there's a chance of finding a pre-breakfast dessicated vole .


So starts a Christmas morning in deepest, deepest France profonde.

A very merry Christmas to one and all from the two and four legged at The Rickety Old Farmhouse.











22 comments:

Anonymous said...

And the very very merriest of Christmases to you ANGUS, the FONT, and of course to the stars of this show.........BOB and SOPHIE.
We are just now settling in to our Christmas Eve Dinner.......to be followed tomorrow, Christmas Day, with the Roast Turkey Feast and all the trimmings. We are promised snowfall overnight for a white Christmas......we shall see. Warmest Holiday greetings to you from the Westcoast of Canada, by the sea.

BaileyBobSouthernDog said...

Many Christmas wishes to all at TROF. May it be the best day ever! And to all who read this most entertaining and educational blog, Merry Christmas to each of you. From a very grateful reader in Georgia.

opakowana said...

And a merry Christmas to you 4 too. For me the angels with harps can wait, too. I don't need a dessicated vole, as I need some dessicated chemicals for my blood pressure ;)

Your Christmas has started rather nicely with the frosty fresh walk, let the rest of Christmas not disappoint either!

MOPL said...

A happy christmas to all the readers of this blog, to Angus, the Font and the 2 wonderful Pons who delight us each day. Best wishes to all those in the village, Loic , his mother and the old farmer who is such a character and is so devoted to his late wife. Such a charming place in the world. To all a good night

Coppa's girl said...

Merry Christmas to everyone, from the two of us, just down the road in sunny Spain !
Inca (my Lab) would like to know if Sophie would care to share a pungent vole with her? In spite of a lot of ferreting in the undergrowth, there don't seem to be any round here !

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Returned Blessings and Love to all at the ROF... and to those commenters who share in the delights here, a little place of warmth and uplift. YAM xx

Poppy Q said...

Merry Christmas to you all. Enjoy your feasting.

Julie and Poppyq

WFT Nobby said...

And a very Merry Christmas to all at the ROF from your devoted followers Gail and Bertie.

Beau and Mom said...

A Very Merry Christmas 🎄 to everyone at this beautiful blog. Thanks for being part of my life.

Swan said...

Merry Christmas to you, our family lived near Marietta for years!

Swan said...

Merry Christmas to you all, and thank you for brightening up each day 🙏🏼❤️🌲

Charlotte said...

Have a very blessed Christmas.

BaileyBobSouthernDog said...

Thank you. We are in Woodstock, neighbors and never knew! Wish you could have seen the nine inches of snow we had several weeks ago. Absolutely beautiful, even with no heat or electricity.

Swan said...

I remember ice storms that shut down Atlanta. 😊

Susan said...

Merry Christmas and God's Blessings to you in 2018!

rottrover said...

Merry Christmas to all!

OJ said...

A blessed Christmas to all!

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

Merry Christmas! We love the quiet early mornings here....before putting on the News.

Unknown said...

Merry Christmas and may God bless you all.

dustbunny8 said...

A very Merry Christmas to you and yours.Thank you for sharing your world with us.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

I hope everyone at the ROF had an enjoyable and memorable Christmas day.

liparifam said...

Wishing you all the best - Merry Christmas to all!