The village owls convene at 5:35 am. Some sit on The Rickety Old Farmhouses window ledges. Others make themselves comfortable on the roof beams in the barn. They shoot the breeze, happily and noisily, for quarter of an hour, then go. 'The Font' sleeps soundly through their hooting. Sophie is less forgiving. Our day starts.
Sunrise. Angus checks the new bulbs that were planted last month. Some of them are already starting to sprout. Sophie checks for C-A-T-S or squirrels.
At the shopping centre they're starting to put out the Christmas decorations. A large star has appeared on the pavement outside the modern cafe. It hasn't been wired up yet and looks more utilitarian than festive. Dog and master sit in the back of the car and share a croissant. We are the only folks up and about. You can put that down to sharing a house with noisy owls. Sophie likes these early morning excursions to the shopping centre in a country girl visits the big city way.
The local paper informs its readers that a baker has won 4th prize in a national croissant baking competition in Vannes. The next time we head off to the airport I shall make sure to stop and see how good his croissants are. The baker stands in the middle of the photo looking suitably serious. The other men in the photo look altogether much happier but we're not told who they are. The croissants in the photo look enormous. Sophie would approve.
We are now at the time of year where Christmas culture appears in the French countryside. An article about two performers with their music and dance routine catches my eye. Let it not be said that the caption editor is lacking in a sense of humour.
Another hotel delayed by the pandemic but finally opening. Apparently French hotels had a really good 2021 summer season. Not a lot of foreign visitors but the French stayed at home and booked many places solid :https://www.maybourneriviera.com/
7 comments:
We don't have owls in our neighborhood, but oddly enough for central Tokyo, we do have a rooster. Most Japanese temples are pretty austere - Buddhists have the funeral market here, so that's the main business of the temples. The little temple down the street from us is different. They do funerals, but it's also a real neighborhood institution, with a nursery school and a basketball hoop and various creatures the priest has adopted. Most recently, he added a couple of Japanese chickens so he could get fresh eggs. They are beautiful white birds with feathery feet, and their pen out in front of the temple has become a major attraction. Last night, when we walked by on our evening stroll with Charlie, the priest and his son were busy building some sort of wooden enclosure. It turns out that the rooster in this little flock has taken to crowing loudly at dawn, and the priest was trying to fashion a darker enclosure to discourage those morning greetings while he looks for a new home for the bird. Best laid plans . . .
There are worse ways to start the day than waking to a parliament of owls conducting a debate.
Born before 1960 and having developed an arthritic index finger over the past year, I'm scouring the 'Granny gets a Grip' website with interest.
Cheers! Gail.
The gardening section is ideal for those who suffer from frozen shoulder.
How wonderful ! And I like the thought that Charlie is involved.
The early bird, helps Sophie get the freshest croissant
That first photo is a good one of Sophie, I didn't realise she had such a very fine tail! Not a view we often see of her.
I wonder if those croissants were made specially for the competition and his normal ones are a 6/10? We eagerly await Sophie's verdict.
The 'Granny Gets a Grip' website left me feeling despondent - will I really need all these things!
Will you need those things ? Probably not - but good to know they exist. The hip trug is a very useful piece of garden equipment no matter how sprightly one is, or isn't.
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