Friday, April 29, 2011

I was glad.









A humdinger of a row between the blue coated workmen and the overweight electrician. The blue coated workmen asked the electrician to redo some wiring in the attic . He said it was just fine the way it was . They said it wasn't. He asked them what they knew about wiring. They said enough to know when it's was botched . And so it escalated from there. After five minutes of ever louder shouting and ever more agitated arm waving the portly electrician left. Being French he didn't just go. He slammed the door of his red van, raced the engine, shouted something really rather impolite and then hurtled down the drive narrowly missing the gate piers and sending gravel scattering in every direction . ' The font ' looked at me and said " I suppose that means we'll have to find someone else to wire up the lights ".


A motor home has been parked on the village green for the last two nights. The owners get up around ten, set out a table and two chairs and sit down under a flowering tamarisk to enjoy breakfast. They then go through the same routine at lunch and dinner time. Last night they brought out a primus stove and fried liver in a large pan. An action which immediately attracted Wilfs attention and required a detour on our evening walk . They're still there this morning. How bizarre. The village might be pretty but would you really want to sit on a folding chair and look at it for three days ?.


In the absence of an electrician we shan't be watching the wedding on the wide screen television upstairs. Instead we shall be forced into following events on the small screen in the kitchen below. As the trumpets march up the stave and the choir readies itself to sing the words of the opening hymn , ' I was glad when they said unto me ', the champagne will be brought out of the fridge in readiness for a toast . Wilf will get half a croissant.

18 comments:

  1. It's a special occassion. Give him the whole darn thing! :)

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  2. Fried liver! Now that's food for a celebration..
    We suspect that the motor home occupants are secret readers of your blog, have figured out the location of your village and decided, paparazzi style, to try and catch a glimpse of Madame Bay and the assorted cast of bizarre characters regularly featured!

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  3. Oh the trials of hiring contractors, it's all so much funnier somehow because it's French !

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  4. The happy campers are probably Todd and Sarah Palin excitedly thinking they have a front row seat for the wedding procession.

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  5. Mama has been watching the BBC [via our local PBS] for 2 hours and so far NOTHING interesting has happened. It's 5 a.m. and we can tell mama is thinking about a nap. Sounds like another 90 minutes until the actual wedding. While you're hoisting a glass of champagne, mama is going to need a restorative cup of tea.

    Sounds like the electrican being driven off may have been a stroke of luck, notwithstanding the loss of the big TV for the wedding. If he really is incompetent, best be rid of him before he burns the place down.

    Controlling diabetes in animals is so difficult. It's just not practical to check their blood multiple times a day to test the blood sugar level, so treatment is necessarily a bit 'on a wing and a prayer.' Wilf is looking good and we hope is mostly feeling good.

    Jed & Abby

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  6. After what happened with the long-distance truck driver, I can't believe that Madame Bay and the ladies of the 'Beautiful Byeways' Committee have allowed the motor home to remain there--Maybe it's the same driver.

    The wedding here is of course on all the networks and we are of course watching.

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  7. We were up at 4 am so as not to miss a thing. Tradition, elegance, beauty, love -- what an awesome contrast to their opposites throughout the world.

    We needed this!!! And we enjoyed every second!

    xxx Joan

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  8. I wondered the same thing as Kim. Why hasn't Madame Bay chased those interlopers away? It does sound bizarre... Why there? It does look beautiful but three days?

    I hope that the small tele works for the wedding. I also hope that the fight between the workers didn't scare Wilf!

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  9. Does anyone know who the campers are? That does seem a bit strange!

    It sounds like you've finally found some workmen with some ethics, at least! I hope you find a new electrician soon.

    I saw a little of the Royal Wedding this morning, and it was a lovely affair. I thought for a second at the end of your post that you were going to say that Wilf had champagne with you as you toasted the nuptials! lol

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  10. Completely intoxicated by the wedding my Patterdale will wear a floral wreath of white roses to visit local (intern.) aristo's this afternoon for tea - austro-hungarians trying their best... Wilfie- any liver-frying activity in Southern France going on the village green - hip hip horaah - congrats to a lovely bride - Susanne, flowergirl and -boy Daisy and Foxiie

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  11. What a wonderful wedding! I was up at 5:30 to watch the festivities, Petey went into the bedroom and went back to sleep. Apparently he has little to no interest in seeing who designed the beautiful wedding dress. Waving my official tea towel this side of the pond!

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  12. Fried liver while camping? UGH...

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  13. Being in California today meant I was up at 2am to watch the celebration. It also means I look a bit "less than" today.
    But wasn't it lovely?!

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  14. Being 6 hours behind the UK, I opted to record it and will watch it at leisure this evening, but I can honestly say that I did catch the live procession and the TWO kisses on the balcony....wonderful stuff!!

    Hopefully Wilf can get the 2nd half of the croissant as a treat before bed? Hope springs eternal! Keep going Wilf....sweet boy!

    With love your Canadian pals (who are supposed to get snow {!!} tomorrow *sigh*),
    Dianna along with Tor, Willow and Tucker

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  15. We think the motor home occupants are there just to see Wilf saunter pass.

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  16. I was just laughing at my friend 10nisne1's hilarious comment about the Palins! Where are the Beautiful Byways Committee members when you need them.

    The wedding was so spectacular, I soaked up all of the unfolding pagentry and enjoyed witnessing history. The Twitters were also lots of fun. I thought of Lady Diana quite a few times, she would have been so proud of her sons.

    Too bad about the new wrinkle in the renovation proceedings. I am shaking my head over here.

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  17. The motor home should be moving along shortly. The septic holding system, you know.
    Your workman may show up tomorrow acting like nothing happened.
    We really thought that you were going to the wedding. Just had a feeling you were invited. Now that it is over, you can tell us! Did you receive an invite?

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  18. Since you're celebrating with champagne, couldn't Wilf have a WHOLE croissant? It's a special occasion!

    I recorded the wedding on DVR so I could sleep in (it started at like 3 or 4 in the morning here!) and watch it when I'm not so inundated with homework. I won't be drinking champange when I watch it though.

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