Our day starts, as every day starts, with the PONs wanting to know what exciting things are planned. Whatever it is they indeed to be all in.
The weekends festivities went well.
The 2 day petanque tournament was a great success. The new car park was left entirely empty. The locals adhered to their tried and tested parking routine along the grass verges .
This year the 40 somethings are taking charge of the village. The mayor, in his 80's, slowly handing over to his deputy nearly half his age. The Chair of the organizing committee doing the same thing. As the old guard bows out some things change, somethings stay the same, some new things are tried out. On Sunday morning there was a mass and the statue of the village saint was paraded round the walls. The first time this has been done in ten years. A priest is brought in from the archbishopric for the ceremony. The church full. Wars, revolutions, occupations, good times ... and bad, but the village still revolves around its traditions. The medieval bell ( hidden from the Germans who wanted to melt it down ) peels away. I remember the Very Old Farmer telling me that it rang out on Liberation Day in 1944. As a young thing he made love in the fields.
One of the village dogs settled down under one of the recently installed parking signs for a nap. Sophie yelps at him in a ' Don't you know this is my village ?' way. The sheepdog ignores her.
Scotland lose in the rugby to a better side. The German billionaires wife and the man with anger management issues have not repaired their relationship.
So starts a new week in a small village in deepest, deepest France profonde.
4 comments:
Glad to hear all went well with the fete, and sorry about the rugby. I think you were probably the inspiration for me to watch, and the match was quite a revelation. I had always heard from my English colleagues how rugby is a genteel sport as compared to lowly football. So now I'm trying to figure out how on earth that was genteel! Lots of fun, though, and Scotland was very good in the second half. Japan is, of course, thrilled. It's interesting how sports is helping Japan to finally begin understanding the value of diversity.
It is time for the 80 year old mayor to hand over the keys and put his feet up. Glad it was a successful weekend.
It was a good rugby game, the Japanese did very well. Now for us to face Ireland.
Your 80 year old mayor reminds me of some of the members of congress who should also hand over their jobs to someone else too. But I know it's hard and for many in these roles, its become who and what they are and practically all they know.
Hari OM
traditions are there for precisely the memories brought up. They have to start somewhere, so new blood may bring along innovations that will, after years of use, become yet more traditions. The rolling of society, like the peeling of a bell...
It was a match worth the watching, and served a purpose far beyond the stands in that stadium. The right team won and Scotland did not shame themselves. Bravo Japan - now... my dream final. OZ v Nippon! (dream, I said...)YAM xx
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