Schools start again today. On our early morning walk we pass the two tikes standing waiting by the war memorial for the bus. They are staring forlornly at their phones and have the look of men about to be dragged off to the gallows. Their elder sister stands apart from them. She exhibits that supremely amplified form of disdain that an eleven year old girl reserves for younger brothers.
The carpenters youngest son is starting at the Lycee in the little market town. He greets Bob and Sophie with a cheerful ''Bonjour". His big brother has walked down to see him off on the bus for his first day at the new school. Later this week the big brother is heading off on a two year course at an opthamology institute in Cahors. He'll be staying there during the week and coming home at weekends. A big thing for a sixteen year old.The bigger brother has had a growth spurt and must be all of six feet tall although he's as thin as a stick insect. I tell him that opthamology will be a very exciting profession although, on reflection, 'fulfilling' might have been a better choice of word.
New schools. New adventures. Leaving home. Village rites of passage.
Back at home the PONs are allowed to lick clean the yogurt pots. They stand side by side in the garden and exude a happiness that you could cut with a knife.
Today we head off to the fancy bakers. A mille feuille catches my eye. Too big. 'The Font' will take a mouthful , say delicious and then pass the rest across the lunch table.
We toy with the idea of a smaller strawberry and chocolate tart for me and a Rhum Baba for 'The Font' ...
but opt instead for a very adult wholemeal Tarte Tatin.
One of my favourites by the man whose job it is to watch North Korean television. The video of the dancing coal miners is intriguing :
https://twitter.com/alistaircoleman/status/1166646484563058688
And Audens September 1st poem. The final stanza the most powerful thing he ever wrote ? It makes me think how brave young demonstrators are :
https://poets.org/poem/september-1-1939
8 comments:
What a way to start the week - happy PONs, not one, not two, but three, bakery shots and two amazing links. The Auden is terrifying - I wake up not infrequently these days wondering if that's where we are heading again. But then again, almost every day I also find myself moved by all sorts of people who are standing up for what is decent and right. And I've noticed that more and more people are including dog posts in their otherwise serious Twitter feeds - a first it was mostly George Conway with his corgis, but it's spreading rapidly now and has to be a good sign!
How does one slice a circular mille feuille?
I heard an excellent Radio 4 programme on the Auden poem while driving to Aviemore yesterday. What a contrast between the magnificence of the scenery and the sombre mood of Auden's words.
Cheers, Gail.
Hari OM
I can but echo the balance and contrast you offer us this Monday morning, Angus. "We must love one another or die" ought to become an anthem. YAM xx
A local guy who has vast expertise in consumption of desserts advised me once to tip a mille feuille on its side to eat it. That way the custard doesn't squeeze out when you press a fork into the pastry. How that works with a circular mille feuille is a mystery.
How come a mille feuille for four is too big but a tarte tatin for four is OK? Will The Font eat more than one bite of tarte tatin?
It's a cream thing. A mille feuille for 4 is somehow worse for Angus's cholesterol than a similar sized tarte tatin.
The cakes are looking rather delicious today.
The Pons look happy cleaning out the yogurt containers. You made us smile at the thought of all the kids being dragged off back to school.
The Mille Feuilles looks scrumptious!
x
Thank goodness I have to live gluten free because if not I would eat all the food. Interesting the French school boards in my area started last week and the English boards go back to school tomorrow.
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