Friday, December 21, 2012

One of those days.


Down to the greengrocers to collect the large Christmas tree for the upstairs hallway. Selected , paid for and set aside last Saturday. '' It'll be here for you Monsieur Ongoose whenever you want to collect it ". When I get there the greengrocer isn't there but his wife is.  ' We don't have any trees left. I sold the last one yesterday ' . She calls her husband . ' Oops ! It was your tree I sold '. That omnipresent French phrase '' Je suis desolee " .

Outside the supermarket a spindly six foot affair. The last unsold Christmas tree in France. Somewhere, somehow it seems to have lost most of the branches on one side.  ' The font ' looks at it for a moment. " Guess you won't be needing the step ladders ".

On the village green high drama. The clock in the church tower hasn't worked since a dead pigeon fell off the belfry into the mechanism and became wedged in the cogs. Two years of glorious silence without its dunk dunk dunk every hour ; twice.  Lunchtime . A large truck arrives with a crane on it. This is soon followed by a white van with three men in grey overalls. They spend the afternoon trying to prise the clock from the wall. They fail. The mayor waves his hands. Madame mayor shouts encouragement. At five on the dot the men, the blue truck with the crane and the white van all go.

13 comments:

  1. How kind of you to give a loving home to an otherwise unwanted tree, and to decorate it so nicely!
    Cheers, Gail.

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  2. We don't think you need to worry about that clock working any time soon.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  3. "I never thought it was such a bad little tree.
    It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs
    a little love."
    -Linus Van Pelt-

    "Ditto"
    -Camille-

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  4. The tree looks nice even if it was not your original tree. Merry Christmas!

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  5. That little "unwanted" tree is standing so tall and proud...to make you happy.
    Like a child that wants to please....I love it.

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  6. I really need to move to your village. I want that same slow paced excitement. Sorry to hear your tree was sold. But I really like the new one! Missing branches and all!

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  7. No tree in my house - unless I go to Austria and have the full Christmas glory.
    Love to you all from Southern Italy Susanne, Foxiie, Daisy and Kiri

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  8. Perhaps it's time you and 'the font'
    joined the legions of artificial tree
    owners. You could get one just about
    the size you need and avoid all the
    hassle. And remember, you're doing the
    environment a favor. Once decorated,
    they all look the same.

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  9. She sold your tree?! Good heaven, why didn't you take it home right then? M'Ongoose, you have a bad history with Christmas trees, as I recall.

    Who knew one little pigeon carcass could cause so much fuss?

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  10. Maybe the greengrocer's wife thought the world was going to end today, and it wasn't going to matter if she sold it ...

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  11. Bad history with trees as we recalll. This year too? Could have been quite ugly.
    And weren't you the one that discovered and freed the pigeon carcas from the clock to begin with?
    What did your village ever do without your kind heart and willing spirit?
    Your tree looks lovely, Angus and Font. Well done!

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  12. How could any tree look bad in that space. I really like how the plaster is peeling to reveal the brick, the beamed ceiling, the bookcase, the bust, and is that a slipcovered chair? It all looks so perfect.

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