Sunday, September 5, 2010

Clogs, geese and collared doves.





Autumn has arrived and the weather has finally settled into a stable routine - 16 degrees when we wake up in the morning and a high of 33 in the late afternoon. Wilf and Jerome can now enjoy their Sunday morning, leaf kicking, cross country ramble in leisurely comfort.

After breakfast off in the car to a neighbouring village for their annual pageant. Quite, quite wonderful. By the time we got there the prizes for the best garlic decorations had already been handed out ( these country folk start early) but we caught the tail end of the collared dove judging and the cacophonous short listing of entrants for the 'goose of the show' award. Wilf sat, feet rooted firmly to the ground at the taxidermists stand - a defiant look on his face that said ' he ain't coming anywhere near me'. He was only too happy to leave the display of stuffed foxes and move quickly along to where the local clog maker was doing a roaring trade. After a visit to the cart horse judging and the cattle ring it was time to go home. Wilf used the opportunity of the walk across the village green to carefully mark the tyres on the old Citroens and Renaults that were parked there. He trotted contentedly off as if to say 'no point in wasting a visit'.

If you have the time please pop along to http://www.fourpawsandwhiskers.blogspot.com/ . The kind people there have been through the most terrible earthquake. Knowing that other people have them in their thoughts makes so much difference at a time like this .

11 comments:

  1. Don't know that I'd like to win 'Goose of the Show'. Our daytime temps are about the same as your lows.

    Visited the NZ site. Have heard on the news, but always different when it becomes personalized.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

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  2. The sure is alot of Garlic. We sure hope you have a wonderful rest of the weekend.

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  3. By our standards here in the mountains, your weather is still very warm but the morning time sounds delightful.

    Wilf's tyre christening sounds very funny! We've never had a dog who did that. Do the car owners ever get angry about it?

    I'm going to check out the NZ blog. It was a big one from what I've heard.

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  4. Ahh, you've already won "Mongoose of the Year" in our books, hands down. Did you get a pair of clogs, perfect for kicking workmen around?

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  5. I positively shudder to think what Edward would do if he happened upon a cattle judging competition. He almost lost his voice the first, and only, time he met a donkey.

    My travel agent is in New Zealand. She arrived the day before the quake. I'm worried about her!

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  6. I can just picture Wilf's face at the taxidermy stand! At least he didn't decide to christen those! That could have been an expensive visit and a big change in your decorating scheme!

    We're off to visit the New Zealand blog. I was relieved to see that the three we know from there were okay and have been hoping nobody we knew was affected.

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  7. We are having a beootiful late summer day here in NY, sunny and not too hot :) That's the good news, the bad news is, because it is such a nice day to be outside, I think I am getting a bath...
    Mom and me will visit your furiends in New Zealand.

    Woofs and Licks,
    Maggie Mae

    PeeS That is a lot of garlic!

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  8. That's one of the things I like most about Europe. You travel a few miles and you're in a completely different town!

    Does anyone actually wear the clogs? I seem to remember that sometimes the farmers wore them out in the muddy fields.

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  9. chris has just gone to france and brought back a load of smoked garlic back which smells lovely!!!!!!

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  10. I have a pair of wooden clogs! I don't know why but I keep them by the front door. They don't fit anymore so I don't wear them but I used to wear them somewhat regularly when I lived in Holland.

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  11. thank you Wilf and Angus - lots of lovely people have been to catch up on the earthquake news :)

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