Why is it ?

The Saturday night rugby match between Ireland and France cancelled two minutes after the scheduled kick-off time . The pitch in the Paris stadium frozen hard as iron . 80,000 disappointed fans . Here, on top of the ridge, it falls to minus sixteen again. This morning more white vans outside the chateau. More men in blue overalls standing around. The burst pipes clearly a major problem.

' The font ' , busy at work in the town hall archives , unearths a letter written by the villagers in 1776 to the Kings representative in Toulouse . A protest against high taxes .'' Pourquoi donc est-ce que ce sont les riches qui payent les moins et les pauvres qui payent le plus ? " - Why is it the rich pay less and the poor pay more ? The 99% conversing as lucidly then as today .

Wilf has problems on our morning walk . The path in front of the church turned into an ice rink. He's usually so sure of himself that it's easy to forget that the old fellow can't see. He slips, falls on his chin, then picks himself up and turns towards me . That trusting ' you lead , I'll follow ' look . A blind dogs eyes so expressive . As he gingerly picks his way home an old Scots line of poetry comes to mind : " Love is not blind; it is an extra eye, which shows us what is most worthy of regard ' .