Saturday, February 11, 2012

Normal service. Almost .





Another day of arctic temperatures . Late afternoon and a snow plough finally makes it through to the village . Six full days after the blizzard . The driver gets out to smoke a cigarette . Wilf uses the opportunity to carefully christen its tyres .

Saturday morning . Outside the chateau a fleet of white vans . Men in blue overalls everywhere. Seems that the pipes have burst and brought down the ballroom ceiling . Takes a German billionaire and triple overtime to get this many plumbers out on a Saturday morning .

The road into the little market town now free of snow. On our way to collect the breakfast croissants we pass three cars that have skidded into the drainage ditches . The locals unused to driving on icy surfaces . Crossroads a version of Russian roulette . Best to stop and wait .

Wilf gets his illicit half croissant at the cafe under the arcades. The man with the crimson motability scooter is to be found in his usual place , outside the cafe , drinking a beer . The purple haired lady in the newsagent has had her central heating restored . She's still wrapped up in seven layers of clothing and the red felt hat with the flaps, but is , she tells me, less cold . Normal service almost resumed .


17 comments:

  1. Relieved to hear the worst may be over. Wilf looks in his element in these photos, just needs a few sheep. Beautiful photos of a strange winter world.

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  2. Glad to hear you're making it ok. And we infer you have no burst pipes. Must be all that work you had done, paying off when it counts.

    It's good that Wilf's routine has been restored and he's getting his bit of croissant again. Routine is important as we age. Just ask mama.

    Jed & Abby

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  3. Can't be too bad if the Motability Scooting beer drinker is out so early in the morning. Does Wilf have a message for his wheels or does he sort of know that it is 'not done'?

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  4. So relieved to read that Wilf made it into town for his croissant this morning. And that he has added the snowplough to his long list of marked cars.
    But the world truly is turned upside down just now. Still mild in ABZ.
    Toodle pip!
    Bertie.

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  5. Wilfie looking gorgegous tousled today - after blizzard style.
    Love Susanne, Daisy, Foxiie and Kiri - very tiger

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  6. Good to hear you're being dug out....even if it did take 6 days.

    Our boy looks gorgeous in the snow....just like a real polar bear.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & roxy

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  7. Your first 3 pictures are like postcards, Wilf looks very handsome in the snow!

    I know the good feeling when life starts to resume after a storm like you've had! We have had a dusting overnight and in 45 minutes, I've seen snow trucks pass on our road twice. There is obviously still a lot of money in the county budget for plowing, and too many trucks and not enough snow.

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  8. We, too, had a dusting overnight with temps into the teens as least (F). Much colder than what we have had this winter - it is finally here and I have no polar bear - Wilf looks dapper, happily back into his routine of christening and enjoying his croissant. Routine = all's right with the would.....sort of :).

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  9. Love Wilf's cowlick. What a handsome fellow!

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  10. hooray! sun on snow. just lifts the spirit...
    whether you're a world famous wee polar bear pon or the best writer in france profonde.
    i can only guess at madam bay's outfits in the blizzard. would have been colorfully toastie, no doubt!
    love and hugs to the thawing three,
    tammy j

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  11. I'm glad to hear that you're finally digging out just a bit. And glad that Wilf is back to getting his croissant! Those vistas in the first two shots are gorgeous, and then there's Wilf at the end with his tousled hair! Thanks for a Saturday morning smile!

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  12. Yes, plumbers do not like to work on Sundays, my brother is a retired one.

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  13. I loved looking at the photos of the surrounding area covered in snow. And then when I looked a bit closer at the plow, I saw the brand New Holland. New Holland is a small town in Pennsylvania where my mom was born and my grandfather had a dry goods store for decades. It's Amish country.

    A bit of history:

    1895 Abe Zimmerman began in an equipment repair shop in 1895 in New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA, which is where our name comes from. In the same year, Alexandre Braud introduced stationary threshers to farmers in western France.

    The rest is a series of mergers and acquisitions, culminating in your little village in france profonde being cleared of the unusual snowfall and Wilf getting his morning illicit croissant.

    http://agriculture.newholland.com/us/en/About-New-Holland/New-Holland-Story/Pages/alonghistory.aspx

    Joan

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  14. Take care on the roads! All hail 4x4's! Hopefully Wilf is still enjoying the snow and chilly temps! Keep on going Wilf!

    With love from your Canadian pals,
    Dianna along with Tor, Willow and Tucker

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  15. ha ha your purple haired newsagent and i have our seven layers of clothes in common however my hat is minus the flaps!!!..newsagents... florist..sometimes retail is hard going and devoid of fashion sense in winter! take care out on those roads little polar bear! !!....

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  16. Thankful that things are starting to get back to normal. Hopefully your weather will change soon too. Stay safe and warm. Hugs for Wilf.

    Blessings and Love,
    Janelle, Maggie Mae and Max

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  17. We have lots of snow removal vehicles like the one pictured in your post. They are so big and they scare me! Glad service is almost back to normal.

    Wow, the ballroom ceiling collapsed! Pretty major damage!

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