Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Buying coffee as theatre

Now exams are underway the rain has stopped and the weather is on the bright and sunny side. The temperatures are forecast to get into double digits today and may reach 13 degrees on Friday.


Down on the beach someone has built a 'fort' out of stones and old tree trunks. It must have taken hours to collect the stones, build the walls and balance the beams. I shall ask the farmers wife who was responsible although our betting is that the 'New Age' couple from Hampshire with their three children are behind it. They're renting a cottage in the village while she does a post grad degree. He spends a lot of time on the beach with the children. 


'Puppy' finds us. She forgives us for the fact that we set off on our walk without her.


In town we see the first storage van collecting students belongings. What a brilliant business idea - buy a warehouse, get students to pack their belongings in cardboard boxes, collect them, store them and charge a fortune for doing so. Do the same in reverse come September. 

Some lucky souls have finished their exams and are heading home. May, June, July, August and half of September aren't bad as a summer vacation. Italian tourists have started to arrive. They're dressed as if going to the Arctic. They sport the European hats, boots, scarves and padded jackets look.  Eight of them are standing outside the coffee shop discussing their order. They're doing this in what can best be described as a 'animated' manner. No sooner has the order been placed - six espressos and two Americanos -  than one of them decides she wants a cup of tea. This change causes the others to gesticulate and embark on a fresh bout of arm waving. When her drink does arrive it has a tea bag in it. We watch in silent amazement as she attempts to scoop it out - first with her fingers, then with a pen and finally with her sunglasses - and then find somewhere to put it. New levels of theatricality arise when it's discovered the tea bag is hot. 

Two American girls in trouser suits at a neighbouring table discuss their summer plans. One of them is unsure whether or not it's a good idea to invite 'Humphrey' to their lake house. 'Humphrey' is her English boyfriend and she's not entirely sure her father is ready to meet him - or indeed any - boyfriend. The mothers likely reaction is not discussed so is presumably a non-issue.  'Humphrey', we agree,  is the sort of old fashioned male name that you're more likely find in a town like this. 


The benches on the shopping street already occupied by local pensioners enjoying the twin miracle of warmth and sunshine.

So starts a quiet Wednesday morning in a small town coming alive as summer nears.

8 comments:

WFT Nobby said...

I love the Labrador humour. Clearly the three pictured in todays link are resisting the sort of stereotyping that casts Italians as excessively theatrical or fathers as overly suspicious of their daughters' boyfriends!
Cheers, Gail.
PS In defence of Labradors' resilience I should point out that Angus, the black lab I take for a walk on Tuesday afternoons, is more than happy to go out, whatever the weather throws at us.

jabblog said...

Labradors are quite happy in the rain so long as they have human company!

Lisa in France said...

We were in the shopping center in Nice on Monday afternoon when we heard a huge clap of thunder and then a pounding on the roof, a huge hailstorm that left the beach completely white. Charlie was with us, totally unfazed by the thunder and pounding and quite willing to step out into the hail, which he seemed to find interesting. Further proof that toy poodles are not wusses. As to aging, Keith Richards is now 80 and going strong, so it must be somewhere a bit later than that. I have never heard of Walton Ford, but I would love to see this exhibition.

Coppa's girl said...

The Labrador humour raised a chuckle here too - having had one Lab that refused to go out if there was so much as a hint of rain! Most of them couldn't wait to get outside and get wet. One in particular had to be regularly dragged from any puddle deep enough to wallow in.
Do you sometimes feel that Puppy is stalking you!

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Hah! My post coming up on Friday is about ageing (as perceived from turning 65 on that day)—and I may have entered it already. YAM xx

Pam in NH said...

I expect that Humphrey would be welcome at the lake house as long as he enjoys a pup tent sleeping arrangement. Better talk it over with Mom because Dads can be so Dad-ish.

Bailey Bob Southern Dog said...

I love your first and third photos of the clouds (and of course Puppy). I can feel them moving past me overhead.

rottrover said...

Puppy!