Eight in the morning and the peace of the village is interrupted by the arrival of an ancient and very battered motor home . It proceeds along the lane towards us producing a noise not unlike the contents of a cutlery drawer being emptied onto a marble floor. With a final crunch of the gears it finally pulls up outside the old farmers front door . He steps down , gingerly, from the cab , waves delightedly at Wilf and yours truly and shouts " It's for my vacation " . We wave back but remain silent while digesting this latest piece of news . Considering the decrepitude of the vehicle and the fact that the district nurse comes to give the old farmer injections twice a day for his ' trouble ' he is presumably going to holiday close by . Maybe in his back garden . Motor home and the equally ancient mechanical digger are now parallel parked on the patch of grass next to his atelier . Madame Bay arrives shortly afterwards. Today she is resplendent in lime green chiffon , black angora cardigan, grey calf length leggings, and sparkly gold open toed sandals . Faced with this vision of overpowering loveliness Wilf and yours truly escape to the sanity of the cafe under the arcades for our morning cofee , bowl of water and croissant . Local peaches in the greengrocers today. Unpriced, ie startlingly expensive , unlike the Spanish imports at €3 .40 a kilo.
Madame Bay should audition for "France's Got Talent!". :)
ReplyDeleteIs there a 'Mrs' Farmer - perhaps he needs a vacation from her... That would explain it all, home (not so far away) from home!
ReplyDeleteMme. Bay had no opinion about vacation destinations for the old farmer?
ReplyDeleteAre you sure the old farmer isn't starting a collection of decrepit machinery as a sideline for the tourists? Astounding weather around the globe this year. Mme Bey is wearing cardigans and we're melting in 100 F heat. As long as Wilf is comfortable, we're happy.
ReplyDeleteJed & Abby
I'm picturing the farmer setting up something seen in a Florida retirement mobile home park complete with hanging lights and a picnic table...
ReplyDeleteWe note you did not describe the farmer's outfit today.
ReplyDeleteMuch relief to sensitive souls!
I just know one day you will post a photo of Madame Bay and I will be disappointed. I was disappointed that she had no opinion on the vacation of the the farmer.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Mme Bay gets her outfits from a fashion house called "House of Bay" ??!!
ReplyDeleteI have seen many village shops (we would probably have called them "drapers" years ago) selling similar attire all over France. Along with fairly fearsome-looking undergarments usually on display in the shop window, next to the knitting needles, thimbles and lacey table cloths with bright flowers on them.
Cover Wilf's eyes, Madame Bay's Fashion Parade in coming to a town near you! Oh the thought, we were always told the french were to be copied not laughed at! Poor Wilf, he has to witness these off the wall creations.
ReplyDeleteAt least Madame Bay isn't big on showing a lot of skin! That outfit really must have been a vision!
ReplyDeletePerhaps the farmer is going to invite you over for a trip during his vacation. I am looking forward to hearing how this little slice of life in France is going to play out!
for just a magic moment, i thought your long absent shutter painters had arrived, deciding that on their prolonged work schedule, they would need a place to stay! laughs and delight from you always! love to my wilfee...
ReplyDeletetammy
Life in your village is never boring, is it? I wonder if the mechanical digger will be taken on vacation too?
ReplyDeleteAh, Madame Bay, an everlasting source of amazement.
Ironically in our corner of the planet, last night around 8 pm an enormous and luxurious motor home from possibly Illinois silently glided into place alongside the house across the street. The motorhome and its elderly occupants will remain for the summer to assist our new neighbor with his many small children while his divorce plays out... I am hoping to get a tour!
ReplyDeleteMadame Bay's outfit sounds positively outstanding and I can just smell the deliciousness of the fresh, albeit expensive, produce!
Wilf looks like a young pup in the 2nd snap!! For a moment, when I read the title today I thought Wilf was away on holiday. Good thing its the old farmer instead! What would I do without my daily Wilf news? Fruit is highly expensive here too on the Canadian prairies...exporting to the middle of Canada and the cost of petrol makes its mark!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, we hope you enjoy the weekend and keep on going Wilf! Lovely boy!
With love your Canadian pals,
Dianna along with Tor, Willow and Tucker
Are there any zoning laws or rules about parking RVs and the ancient mechanical digger in your france profonde paradise?
ReplyDeleteHow is Wilf doing the past days. Water? Pit stops? Moving around?
He's always in our thoughts!
xxx Joan
Glorious local peaches! The fresh peach season is so short, why not enjoy?
ReplyDeleteThe weather probably affected the crop hence the $ prices. First the digger and now the motor home? Don't like the sound of it. No, not one bit. Maybe he plans to vacation on site, in the home and use the digger to excavate something. I smell something going on with the plumbing/ cesspit!