Tuesday, September 10, 2019

A welcome home gesture.


The last of the sunflowers cut and put out on the breakfast table. Despite the early hour bees, en masse, arrive and start collecting pollen. The deputy mayor walks slowly past the gate. We haven't seen him for two weeks  and discover from a brief chat that he's returned from hospital after surgery for lung cancer. He's been told to walk for an hour - twice a day. I wish him Bon courage. At the war memorial each of the teenage boys waiting for the school bus shake his hand in a 'welcome home' gesture. Somethings about France you have to love.

A colourful display of cakes at the bakers this morning. The eldest child has started play school. The other two seem to have increased their level of hyperactivity to compensate.


The Polish builders are back. They were supposed to have finished the work in the house by the village pond in time for Easter. They did indeed finish but have now returned to put in the bannister on the staircase and tile the hallway. 'Good day Mister Angus ' says Gregor the chain smoking team leader before adding  'We drive from Nowy Sancz overnight '.  Angus has no idea where Nowy Sancz might be but makes a low pitched whistle of amazement. This seems to please Gregor who adds ' Yes! It is very far but our van flies '.


The weather now much cooler. Ten degrees this morning. A thin layer of low cloud hangs over the valley.

Sophie is taken to the vet for some harvest mite shampoo.


For her trip to the vet Sophie has adopted her abandoned and abused dog look. Bob simply looks squiffy. Why is it dogs can never look groomed when you need them to ?



Dog dementia - https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-09-08/dog-dementia-more-common-as-pets-live-longer/11481852

British pragmatism. The law has always been an issue for politicians. Some choose to abide by it - others ....
https://twitter.com/i/status/1170715746240012289

Awesome - in the literal sense of the word :

6 comments:

Lisa in Tokyo said...

Did Bob have to have the shampoo as well, just in case? Thank you for the clip from Man for All Seasons - I love that movie but realize I haven't thought of it in a long time.

Susan said...

Oh poor Sophie if she has had harvest mites! They are the itchiest bloody things ever. I regularly suffer, whenever I do any work in my orchard.

WFT Nobby said...

Absolutely love the fact that the teenagers shook hands with deputy mayor. I frequently attend meetings in the Aberdeen offices of the French oil company Total, and the meetings always begin with lots of very civilised and respectful hand shaking, even when we only saw each other a few days before, which I think is part of the French culture of the company.
Cheers, Gail.

Poppy Q said...

7 degrees here tonight at 9pm, but the day had some warmth in it which was lovely. The seasons are swapping and we are glad to get some heat back.

Alas I too suffer with the pons scruffiness, with days when I need to be presentable I end up looking like Sophie.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
Bob and Sophie, the ragamuffin twins! Hope the mites are displaced mightily fast. My darling angel Jade had some dementia in her last six months. Every bit as sad as it is in our human relatives. YAM xx

E Snook said...

Well thank you very much for the morning weepy: that article on dog dementia really summed up our experience with our Westie Hamish, who recently passed (or whom we recently “farewelled” as the article put it). We missed his sunny disposition and smarts for a year before his body gave out and he was unable to walk. It is reassuring to read about others’ experience.