Monday, April 16, 2012

The badly placed bollard.





A starry night followed by a cloudy ,chilly, start to the morning . 6 degrees . The outside tables at the cafe under the arcades almost deserted . The only customers daft enought to sit there a man in a bobble hat and what appears to be a small polar bear with a half croissant between his front paws. On our way back to the car a detour to the cake shop. Angus chooses a strawberry flan .

Hugo, the good for nothing son-in-law, drops Madame Bay at the front gate. '' Pick me up at twelve. Don't be late ! " her parting words . Hugo, oblivious, is already holding a mobile phone to his ear while lighting a cigarette . The gold metallic ' Wild Child ' voiturette , Madame Bay's usual conveyance ,is in the garage to have its front wing rejoined to its body . The effect of a moments confusion between the accelerator and the brake . '' A stupid place to put a bollard " the now , well practised , defence .

Soon every radio in the house is tuned to Radio Nostalgie. Long forgotten French crooners from the 50's. Smoochy lyrics, cheerful accordions and lots and lots of flutes . Unchallenging , clear cut rhythms , ethereal chords . Madame Bays idea of heaven . She doesn't so much hoover as waltz along the corridors. A Monday morning vision of loveliness in orange chiffon. Wilf heads off to the peace of the library for a nap .

16 comments:

  1. We have often wondered what happens to the other half of Wilf's morning croissant? Is there another lucky canine in the village or does Angus get the same special treatment (from the waitress) that Wilf gets?

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  2. Mad dogs and 'Englishmen' go out in the morning chill.
    We watched A Good Year again yesterday and Mme Bay was there as Mme Duflo. Sadly no Edmundo Ross on Nostalgie.

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  3. Good choice of desserts today Angus.
    But I can't not comment on the title of today's post, which I might use for my write up of my just finished cycling tour. A badly placed bollard in the middle of a cycle path near Trier in Germany collided with the youngest member of our party. Madame Bay would surely sympathise. Clearly the German health services are not resource constrained like the NHS - two doctors arrived by helicopter arrived promptly to treat what turned out to be a badly bruised knee cap.
    Cheers, Gail.

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  4. SHE's with Madame Bay....'they' whoever they are always put walls, posts, bollards and signs in stupid places...BOL!

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  5. At least the 'Wild Child' is the only thing that got injured--But I heard on the radio last week about a new study that showed that women drivers over are more likely then men to mistake the gas pedal for the brake and cause an accident--I'll have to remember that it really is a 'stupid place to put a bollard.'

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  6. Your writing makes me imagine the waltzing cleaning lady... fantastique...
    Big Hug to my favourite polar bear in the world from Susanne, DAisy, Foxiie and Kiri

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  7. It seems like everybody is having crazy weather right now. Here's hoping tomorrow's trip to the cafe is warmer!

    Madame Bay could be a character in a best-selling book. I never seem to get tired of stories about her!

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  8. Poor Madame Bay, although by your description of waltzing chiffon it doesn't seem to have bothered her too much! Bobble hats are needed in Ireland at the moment, too. Love the mind's eye picture of you and Wilf at the outdoor table.

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  9. The orange dome-like cake in the bakery scene appears to have decorative mice on it. Very appealing. Not!

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  10. brrr! even the pictures of wilfee look chilly. and we know he would even enjoy some snow!!!
    maybe he's just looking cold to be empathizing with his best buddy.
    apparently madame bay feels no chill in her floating chiffon.
    now i want a cake with berries in it and on it.
    love and hugs and a tummy rub for my wee bear!
    tammy j

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  11. What would life be like over there without your Madame Bay??? She definitely adds color and spice to your day that me thinks you would sorely miss if it were to be removed...Maybe even Wilf would miss his "chouchou" kisses??? a (hug) for the Polar Bear! **your bakery and pastry photos make me drool... just sayin'. :-)

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  12. We too here in the middle of the Canadian prairies are experiencing a brief "setback" of weather. Bobble hats are rather commonly seen here! You would fit right in! Fingers crossed the weather improves. Did a small slice of the flan find its way to Wilf's dish perhaps? Keep on going Wilf!

    With love from your frozen Candian pals,
    Dianna along with Tor (who is really digging this made for Huskies weather), Willow and Tucker (who both hide inside during the cold weather)

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  13. Yes I do see the mice!!! I'll take it!!!

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  14. I had to look up bobble hat. It's amazing what you can find on Google!

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  15. Ah, it took me a moment but you were the daft man!!!

    I love the vision of Madame Bay.

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