Sophie now requires careful post walk grooming. The grass seeds have dried out and become sharp and hard as needles. Unless carefully monitored these can work their way through a girls coat and into her skin of ears.
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This mornings Radio Nostalgie offering as we drive off for our curly croissant ends :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMlzfpwJZuc
Three farmers show up at the gate and ask if its true that we're moving. One becomes weepy. I think this isn't down to us but the fact he doesn't like change.
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Before we go we'll host a champagne get together for the villagers to meet the new owner. On his visit yesterday he eschewed water and refused anything to eat but smoked constantly and had no less than five of The Fonts super strength Swedish espressos. He chatted away to Sophie who, to our surprise, took to him like a long lost friend.
The last of the sunflowers cut in the orchard and set on the downstairs terrace. No sooner are they put in vases than they drop their pollen.
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A trip en famille to the bakers. Double curly croissant ends for Sophie. Her tail wagging goes into overdrive. The croissants this morning exceptional - soft, fluffy and buttery. A 9.4/10.
This mornings Radio Nostalgie offering as we drive off for our curly croissant ends :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMlzfpwJZuc
There may be some truth in this :https://www.sciencealert.com/the-human-mind-is-not-meant-to-be-awake-after-midnight-scientists-warn
17 comments:
So nice you and The Font are introducing the new owner of the ROFH to your village before you go.
One suggestion from me, to use or ignore, written with best wishes is to take a break from moving chores and pick the best bottle from your cellar (with wonderful memories or the highest price) as perhaps this is the time you have been saving it for.
Pack a special lunch, dinner, or snacks (including treats and water for Sophie) and rug, and go to where Wilf, Digby, and Bob are. Enjoy the views and looking at the fields, and then raise your first glass to your three family fellows and all the good times shared with them, the second glass to the friends you have made and adventures you have had while in your small village, and the third glass to the good times ahead of you, “The Font” and Sophie as you start the next chapter of your lives. This can be a private thing, never mentioned on your blog, but the older I get the more I know the end of one good era and the beginning of a new era needs to be marked.
Excellent suggestion in the 'Life of Riley' comment above.
The part of me that doesn't like change feels sympathy for the weepy farmer. I am wondering how big a part climate (and climate change) figured in the decision to move back to Scotland?
Cheers, Gail.
We understand the teary farmer. We are sure that your presence in the village will be missed by many. It has been a highlight of so many of our days to check in and join you on your walks, and see how todays croissant rates ( one of the best today). Thank you.
WFT - You are spot on with regard to climate change being part of our decision. 4 years ago we noted that the temperature at night was staying up in the high 30's. In other words the house never really cooled down after the heat of the day. Then came the repeated and ever more severe droughts. In Italy , by contrast, the temperatures would often rise to the low 40's but then fell sharply at night so you could get a breeze and a good nights sleep. We put in a much more powerful pump to get water out of the well but the water table has fallen and even the new system has become 'intermittent'. When 'paradise' becomes uncomfortable it's time to think of moving on.
How will you cope without your morning café et croissant ?
Kerrie - You can be sure morning coffee and croissnats will remain a key part of Sophie's day
Hari OM
Yes, even the sunflowers weep... bittersweet. YAM xx
Riley's mention of Bob, Digby, and Wilf, has made me wonder if you have told (or are obliged to tell) the new owners that your dogs are buried in the garden? The picnic and the toasts a lovely idea, but a sad occasion for you both.
The Old Farmer must be devastated - he has come to rely on you, and you have always kept a caring watch over him.
What will Sophie do in Scotland without her croissant ends?
I would deeply miss you and Sophie if you were moving away from my neighborhood.
How wonderful the old mayor is organizing the village farmers in an attempt to put more water in the village pond to help the moorhens and other feathered friends survive. I too think ‘The Life of Riley’s’ suggestion is excellent. I am taking Sophie’s approval of the new owner as a sign that this next chapter of her and her flock was meant to be. Please take the two vases and two flower bricks, that the sunflowers are in, with you to your new home!
I've been wondering too about the sacred spot where Wilf, Digby, and Bob are laid to rest. I remember that moment when a Pilgrim stopped to set things right before the rain on Wilf's grave. Their spirits there now testimony to the fact that the ROFH was once inhabited by two dear people and their dear companions.
Do you know when you will be leaving?
Although I am still bereft about losing my view into a small French village, the logic of the move north is perfectly sound. A year ago we left the desert in Arizona and moved 17 degrees north to escape the heat and coming water shortages.
All the best to you and yours and here's wishing you a seamless move.
I have always enjoyed your posts, but your relocation posts have been great! I believe you could label yourselves as climate refugees. Continued good luck on the move!
The new location, will be cooler in the summer? What about the winter months? Is there a well there also?
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