A pumpkin arrives at The Rickety Old Farmhouse. Dropped off by some early rising villager on their way to work. Sophie eyes it up, suspiciously. The behaviour of the villagers mid the second wave of the pandemic is changing. Conversations, which used to be face to face , are now conducted from one side of the village green to the other - a super safe distance. It would also seem that vegetable sharing is being done 'anonymously'. The locals who ignored mask wearing earlier in the year have now taken to wearing masks when driving - a peculiar sight in a conurbation of 67 souls.The lane, quiet at the best of times, doubly so now. There's been an outbreak of the virus in the old folks home twelve miles away. The outbreak follows on two weeks after the traditional All Souls day family holiday.
As we return from our morning walk we come across the new mayor at the war memorial. He's sporting a black mask. The first I've seen in France where pale blue is the norm. 'Glad you're here M'Ongoose. I didn't want to do this alone'. He's there to lay the official Armistice Day wreath . Sophie and her master watch as he lays it, bows his head and mutters ' Mort pour la France'. Then he says 'goodbye' and is off to his house at the end of the village. Another little vignette of pandemic life recorded here so that it's not completely forgotten.
Back at The Rickety Old Farmhouse an audacious black C-A-T has taken to sleeping on the back steps. It's been there , on and off, for three days now. A perfect spot to catch the warmth of the morning sun. Sophie hasn't yet discovered black C-A-Ts presence. Just another gentle day in a small French village in turbulent times.
4 comments:
It's nice that you were able to keep the new mayor company as he laid the wreath. And it's a very lovely pumpkin that someone has left you. I was just thinking this morning it's about time to get rid of the Jack-O-Lantern my daughter decorated for Halloween, but it probably wouldn't taste as good as yours. Black cats ARE audacious. The cat in your photo reminds me of a tiny black cat I brought home with me during my first year of college. My family also had a Jack Russell and one day a gallivanting Irish Setter from the other side of town tried to play with our terrier. The cat mistook it for an attack and launched herself onto the Setter's head, screaming bloody murder. The poor dog ended up with blood streaming down his face before we were able to rescue him. It wasn't that the cat and the terrier were especially good friends, but I guess it was a matter of family honor.
For sure you (and the whole village) will know about it when Sophie does eventually spot the black C-A-T...
Hari Om
A gentler pace of COVIDitionitis exists around the ROF it seems. Apart from the retirement home that is. Such a shame. YAM xx
That's a kiri squash, I believe. They contain an incredible number of seeds but are delicious, my favorite. Texas has now surpassed 1 million covid cases.
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