Thursday, July 22, 2010

The garlic fair continues.





Five and a half decades old. You go to bed one night aged twenty five and you wake up the next morning to discover that thirty years have rushed past in your sleep. Where does all the time go ? The font helpfully points out that an active old age beckons as it will take at least another fifty five years to get the rickety old farmhouse habitable. That's a cheery birthday thought . From the comments at the breakfast table it's clear that the younger members of the family consider fifty five to be the non-biblical equivalent of reaching the age of Methuselah.

While Wilf and I discussed the meaning of life and the elasticity of time over a coffee and a bowl of water, the house echoed to the sound of the roofer (replacing the slates) , the plasterer ( patching up the boot sized hole in the ceiling) , and the decorator ( an unexpected arrival ). The decorator is a chain smoking lady, barely five feet tall, who dresses in a white t-shirt and black cycling shorts. Her name is Aude. This causes great hilarity among the aforementioned younger members of the family who pronounce the name as 'odd'. 'Hi Odd'. 'How's it going Odd'. The names is perhaps not altogether misplaced as she holds lengthy conversations with herself while working away. Yesterday was a day for discussing who would be the next President ( apparently she does not like Monsieur Sarkozy), the relative merits of Farrow and Ball as opposed to supermarket own brand paint, and the various idiots that had lacquered the roof beams. This is a not a case of talking out loud but an altogether more worrying bi-polar ability to take both sides of an argument.

The garlic fair continues. After yesterdays attempt to break the world record for garlic peeling ( they didn't) today sees the award for the best decorated garlic strand. Can anyone out there in dogblogland can beat that for excitement ?

Just a quick mention of a heartwarming blog that manages to sum up that special link between dog and human, www.my-dog-farm.blogspot.com. The last couple of posts show the highs and lows of that relationship. Yesterdays entry brought a happy smile to my face.

21 comments:

  1. hey - happy Birthday! how does it feel with that sort of age upon you? I'll catch up with you in 1/2 year ;PPP
    Wilf seems well settled into single life...old age is probably creeping up on him too.....

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  2. Happy birthday, Angus from a long time reader, but not blogger. 55 doesnt sound too bad for one who is 74 in a few days. I think you are doing great and will for many years. I enjoy your post from the daily life in France every day and love your houmorous way to put words together - and I learn a few new words. Best wishes for the day and the future for you and the family - and Wilf of course. EM in DK

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  3. Happy Birthday...Methuselah !!

    Zach

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  4. Your photos today of the garlic fair remind me of a quote I heard that goes something like, "What garlic is to food, insanity is to art." I really think in this case the two have joined together!

    I will also wish you a happy-happy birthday!! Whatever or whoever the day has brought, I hope it's an enjoyable one--Is the decorator related to or friends of Madame Bay? Birds of a feather you know... :-)

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  5. It was our human's birthday today, too; but she's way older than you!

    Love the garlic flower baskets. Someone has imagination.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

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  6. HEY THAT'S ME?! thank you for the kind words, means more than you know. glad the farm can share and make friends smile. :)

    Angus, ♪♫
    %%%•*¨*•.¸¸...¸¸.•*¨*•%%%•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨**&&&...HApPy BiRthDAy...&&&•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•&...

    so what was Wilf's theory on the meaning of life?

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  7. Happiest of Birthdays to you! I hope you enjoy it, and just remind those whippersnappers that you could have been a male model! You don't have to tell the part about how they were the old ladies at the church art class!

    That is a lot of garlic!

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  8. Bonne anniversaire, M'ongoose! You're three years ahead of mr, but we share some of the same joys and woes with my rickety old pre-war apartment here in New York. So perhaps the garlic festival is in honor of your special day? (will it be followed by the mouthwash festival?) just hope there isn't any garlic in your birthday cake!

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  9. Happy birthday Angus. They say (apparently) that you are only as old as you feel - or what you are feeling (wink, wink, nudge, nudge!) Sue x

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  10. Happy Birthday Angus - you are officially a senior citizen now. Right along with me!

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  11. Happy Birthday! So, is Wilf yet 55 in dog years? I realized that K and I will become the same age this year... an interesting thought since she still seems young to me!

    I cannot beat your stories for excitement, especially not the garlic peeling one!

    Where do you find these workers? Recent releases from the local looney farm? They make for some very funny posts!!!

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  12. Happy Birthday!

    What amazing pictures!

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  13. Happy Birthday!

    Looks like the garlic festival is in full-swing...I love the first garlic pic that's made to look like a cake :)

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  14. Edward, Apple and I send you the best of birthday wishes. You should feel young - Paul McCartney is 13 years older than you!! Happy Day, Angus!

    Oh, and by the way, as a decorator myself (or at least, I used to be, before the economy went seriously off the rails) I can empirically state that we all talk to ourselves. Believe me, all my myself I can sound like several people at once.

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  15. Happy Birthday, Angus! We think you must be a young 55 with all you do. My Alpha Mom will be 55 next month and she's the young one. Blog Mom and Daddy are already 60! Can you imagine?

    You also have more garlic related excitement going on than anyone else we know. Say Hi to Wilf for us.

    wags, Lola

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  16. A most happy birthday! And ignore those younger ones - that is my motto.

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  17. Happy Birthday to you!

    I bet that garlilc smells wonderful :)

    Kisses,
    Emma Rose

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  18. Happy birthday Angus – you’re not the age of an old dog yet (although you often seem as wise as an old dog!), so celebrate your 55 years well with your family and friends today.

    I also hope that seeing all that garlic at the garlic fair doesn’t result in alliumphobia for you (or Wilf) when you have your birthday dinner!

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  19. I don't know how I missed this yesterday. Happy Birthday, Angus!

    I will check out that blog you linked to.

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  20. happy belated birthday, angus! i hope you had a wonderful (garlic-filled - haha!) day!

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