The Good Life France Newsletter and a story of rural life | EUROtoday

Good morning

I hope that you simply and yours are nicely.

In my little village, group is all the things. If somebody desires assist, all of us pitch in, so when Jean-Claude knocked on the door and requested me to ship Mark (my husband) to him at his home simply down the hill from us, I did not hesitate to say sure.

Jean-Claude was ready outdoors his home when Mark arrived “quick, quick” he stated, “I need you to help me get something up to my mother-in-law’s barn before Bernadette sees.”

Bernadette, his long-suffering spouse might be heard singing “La Mer” out of tune within the storage behind him. “Darling“she called”I need assistance dusting the highest of the wall.” It is a widely known truth in our village that Bernadette is a cleansing fanatic.

“I can’t my little cabbage” cried Jean-Claude, “Mark needs my help.” It can also be a widely known undeniable fact that Jean-Claude is a grasp of procrastination and wangling out of serving to with the housekeeping or some other sort of labor for that matter.

“Hop in the tractor and I’ll show you what I want” Jean-Claude grinned at Mark. He drives a tractor like everybody else drives a automobile – even to the outlets!

They headed to Madame Dubois’ home – she lives by the village church, and in her entrance backyard was a worn-out previous couch that was lower in half able to go to the garbage dump. Jean-Claude wished Mark to carry one half of the couch into the tractor bucket for him. Mark is significantly youthful, fitter and stronger than Jean-Claude and is usually roped in for jobs of a bodily demanding nature. The pair then drove to my next-door neighbor Claudette’s home (Jean-Claude’s mother-in-law), the place Mark was instructed to unload the half couch and put it in a barn.

One finish of the half couch has two legs, the opposite half has none, so it sloped significantly. “Well, that’s fine” stated Jean-Claude as he snuggled lopsidedly into the makeshift chair. “This is perfect. I can sit in here listening to Radio Nostalgie, thinking about life, enjoying the tranquility, testing my home-made cider. The bales of straw will keep it warm, and the spiders will keep Bernadette out – she’ll never find me in here.”

As man-caves go, it is not going to win any awards. It appears a bit Halloweenish with years and years of cobwebs dangling down, deserted farm instruments and some unlucky wanting wide-eyed dolls within the nook that Jean-Claude says get dragged out when youngsters come to the home and are courageous sufficient to enterprise via the damaged barn door. But I’m betting it will not be lengthy earlier than the opposite half of the couch is shipped for, and some damaged chairs and a desk, and this can develop into the brand new assembly place for Jean-Claude’s cronies to play playing cards and hang around !

Kisses from a tiny village in the course of nowhere France, the place I like to stroll my canines (high picture!)
Janine
Editor

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Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream, My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Always France: Living the Dream in Rural France all obtainable as e book, print & audio, on Amazon in every single place & all good bookshops on-line. Her new e-book How to be French – a celebration of the French way of life and artwork of dwellingis out now – a take a look at the French lifestyle.

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