The pool man phones to say the grey liner has been delivered and that he'll be here to fit it ' when the weather improves '. This is one of those gloriously vague promises that village workmen trot out. Perhaps they all go to a special college where they're taught to speak like this ? I try to get him to be more precise but all he'll add is that ' the temperature has got to be right for the glue to dry'. This leaves me none the wiser as to when he'll be here. It's possible he said something else but by the time I'd translated this unexpected and complicated sentence he had ended the call.
Loic the heavily bifocaled gardener shows up. There are no leaves to blow but he's keen to take the lawn tractor out for a spin. I learn from him that the Russian owners of the 80 bedroom chateau down by the river have not been seen for a year. There has been some sort of dispute with the chateaus caretaker over salary payments, the caretaker has now disappeared, the grounds are becoming overgrown and the mayor has become involved over non-payment of property taxes. This is Loics take on things - the reality may of course be quite different. As one of Gods ' happy people' Loic is quite unburdened by the need to provide details .... or facts.
Still struggling through this book on China. A very interesting and very detailed history of the Cultural Revolution. The problem is its full of Chinese politicians that appear with little , if any, explanation of who they are or what they're doing. At one point Wu Han from Wuhan enters the story before quickly disappearing. I'm managing ten pages a night . At this rate I'll not finish it off until the end of June. A very ' worthy' read.
8 comments:
Yikes, you've got spam - maybe this is a sign that the blog is going viral? I'm happy in any event to hear that Loic has returned - I was wondering how he would be impacted by the lockdown. I always think that he and Charlie would become fast friends, as leaves are Charlie's favorite thing in the universe. He manages to find them everywhere even in April, so we can't imagine what things will be like come fall - although perhaps he'll be all grown up and serious by then.
The China book does sound a struggle. I'm not normally scared of a 'challenging' book, but recently in a fit of lockdown enthusiasm I pulled one of the relatively few unread books from my shelves and made my second ever attempt at Proust's 'Remembrance of Things Past'. The first attempt was in my twenties - the bookmark was a postcard from my mother written in 1984). At that time I then to about page 400. This time I only battled on to P250 before giving up the fight, leaving Swann in Love but his situation unresolved. I'm now reading Hadley Freeman's family memoir 'House of Glass', also mostly set in France and if not a classic, at least considerably more digestible!
Cheer, Gail.
Yes. Thank you for pointing it out - duly removed. Spam with links to click on never a good thing !
It is hard to find good help. I am having a similar problem with my plumber. Lead pipes were uncovered in the renovation of my new place, and everything is at a standstill waiting for him to replace them. He promised two weeks ago, then last Thursday, then Friday, then today or tomorrow. I can't get too mad at him because the last time I called him, for a blocked kitchen sink in our house, he came the same day, at 9 p.m., after dinner, and then didn't charge me. He's the plumber you want in an emergency.
Must admit that I wondered where the first post came from. Sophie looks rather bemused by the content, and wonders why they don't know she is a beautifully behaved diva and in no need of training?
Under other circumstances Loic's take on things would make him an excellent politician!
Admire your persistence to plough through such a mighty tome as the book on China, Angus. It's been a long, long time since I have read anything remotely weighty.
Oh, my goodness, I got a lot of laughs from the map! Having lived in Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Georgia, I'd say he nailed it :)
I live in Louisville, KY. so imagine my surprise at reading a reference to my city in a blog written by someone in France! I love that description and cannot think of any better one I have heard. Thank you for the daily dose of smiles and giggles you provide to this southern gal in Derby City, USA. Give Sophie an ear scrunch for me.
50 miles down the river from Louisville....hot soup...air that you wear...uck humidity on humidity.
Reading here often brings me smiles.
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