Two or three times a year a ferocious hot desert wind, the Autan, sweeps across the mediterranean from North Africa. It blows relentlessly for three or four days then disappears homewards just as quickly as it came. Its brute strength generates a hail storm of acorns and rips the red and gold leaves from the trees . Today is one of those ferocious 'Autan' days. Wilf and yours truly wandered unsuspectingly out onto the lane to be met by searing conditions more reminiscent of the Sahara than the gentle South West of France. Seven in the morning and its already 24 degrees. Wilf stood in the middle of the track, eyes closed, head held high, nose to the surging wind breathing in the scents and smells of a different continent - souks and medinas, saffron and orange groves. Transported to Morocco or Algeria he stood transfixed, lost in a reverie of his own imagining. Completely immovable. When a PON decides he's not going to move nothing, but nothing, will move him. The French word for stubborn is tetu. If ever we get another PON that will be a leading candidate for a name.More about the trip to Asia tomorrow but I couldn't resist the blurred picture of the Funky Monkey Tattoo Studio taken in Delhi. If only I'd been thirty years younger ! One of the hotels provided their guests with no less than eight different mobile phone chargers.That makes life on the road much easier.
Oh I loved hearing about Wilf taking in the smells on the wind.
ReplyDeletePON puppies born, Bratsiostra kennels Belgium my pon Rupiec has same dad Walor and mother is also champion (walor is from the Gower Wales)Contact them.Bev and Roo PS love your blog.
ReplyDeleteAngus
ReplyDeleteSO disappointed that you passed up on the Funky Monkey opportunity. I'm sure 'the FONT' would have loved to see a tattoo (!), Madame Bay would have a rival for the local 'most outlandish appearance' prize (surely your village has a festival for that at some point in the year?), and all those men in grey suits that attend you after dinner speeches would take you even more seriously....
Cheers,
Gail.
PS Hamish had a pretty good set of anchors too, when he chose; Bertie has not yet developed that trait!
The winds remind me of the "Chinooks" we used to get when we lived in Alaska--I always thought of the places they traveled from to get to us was kind of like a 'natural pathway.'
ReplyDeleteTattoos aren't so bad, four of our dogs have them--However they weren't given by someone who worked at an establishment like the Funky Monkey and there's not much artwork to them, just good penmanship! :-)
How exotic!
ReplyDeleteYou know M'ongoose, one of the many treats of your posts is studying the photos first and trying to guess at the accompanying text. My mind was running quite wild this morning and not once did a searing wind from the Sahara factor in!
ReplyDeleteI think I could do without the Funky Monkey Tatoo parlor - even if I was 30 years younger!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more pictures from your trip.
ReplyDeleteWoofs and Licks,
Maggie Mae
PeeS What a crazy fun name for a tattoo parlor! :)
When my lil guy here decides to not move during his walks... he actually grows roots on the ground.. no wind or rain gonna move him. I have just the same tetuness in mine. Just a much smaller version than a PON.
ReplyDeleteI love your description of the winds and how they mesmerized Wilf. I didn't know that Pons were stubborn... funny word for it!
ReplyDeleteI think you should have gotten a tattoo of a heart with the word FONT written inside it. However, that gesture might have gotten you more than you bargined for.
ReplyDeleteYou know how we always peer carefully at all your photos? The picture behind the lamp in the photo has us curious.
ReplyDeleteAs for tetu: it could be the middle name of both Jake and Just Harry - if they didn;t already have middle names. Calling Tetu at an immobile PON may not come out right though -- it would sound as though you should be saying "Tais toi!!" (not "Tais tu") and may get the villagers wondering a) if your French needs some work and b) if you and the font are having some words.
xxJoan
What? No iPhone charger? What kind of an establishment was that??
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have picked Wilf for a stubborn fellow, but I guess all dogs know their own minds! After that description, I'm envious that I don't get to experience the Autan.
ReplyDeleteNo tattoo? Now I'm just disappointed! Think of how the ladies in art class would have tittered over that!
We look forward to your posts about your trip. We love your photo with the stuffie!
ReplyDeleteThe Funky Monkey place looks a but scary for us. Waaaah
Love,
Piappies Fudgie, Princess, Frappie, Mocha, Sugar, Wai-Pai & Wai-Max
I was going to ask if you got a tattoo but alas, it appears as if you didn't. You can get them at any age, you know!
ReplyDeleteI think my Shiver should've been named Tetu. He's very stubborn. My Chico is more laid back and will pretty much do whatever you want/need him to do. He's such a sweetheart and I can't figure out why his previous owners would give him up.
Your posts are always so thought-provoking. You are a dog of deep reflection. Jed loves to sit up on our hill and be transported by the smells on the breeze, too. And we even get particles of Africa blown across the Atlantic to us, especially in hurricane season.
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