'' It's quite a job ! "

A few small ribbons survive here and there but the snow's largely gone . The rising temperatures bringing an outbreak of burst pipes. The bakers once again without water . Wilf has to forego his illicit half croissant . He gets a hair tousle instead. No water for coffee at the cafe so we wave farewell to the beer and absinthe crowd who raise their pre-breakfast beer glasses in return.

The workmen digging up the square tell me that the mains will need to be repaired. " It's quite a job ! " the foreman adds by way of embelishment . Angus nods , looks in the hole at nothing in particular, and makes what he hopes is a suitably Gallic sound . He aims for surprise mixed with horror but it comes out sounding as if he has a bad case of phlegm . Wilf sniffs the air.

Back in the village , the old widows water pipes have also burst. A lake forming in the dip in the road outside her front door. Wilf circles the lake cautiously, then decides to walk through it. Angus bangs on the door to break the bad news . The location of the stopcock unknown . '' My husband dealt with things like that " . Eventually it's found . Angus, supported by a small, white, increasingly muddy, polar bear digs a ditch to let the water drain away .

The plumber says he's busy but after being reminded that ' she could be your grandmother ' arrives after lunch . Rule #3 when living abroad : Where reason fails , try shame.

Life in deepest France Profonde . A corner of the world where people still understand the old maxim : ' Go often to the house of thy friend , for weeds choke the unused path '.