Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Is delight ! No !





'' Book now ! Only one room left at this unbeatable price ". Angus quickly enters the  credit card details. How bad can the hotel be ?

The lobby a riot of colour . More Bollywood than Toulouse. Spirally patterned carpet , a set of blue silk chairs,  white and orange striped silk wallcovering , green velour curtains and in a corner that might have been the bar, or just a corner , a collection of Louis XVI sofas . Each covered in a different fabric. Chintz, paisley, polka dot.

'' For you we have room with great privilege " says the receptionist leading us along a long , narrow, corridor . We discover she is from Baku, has a French boyfriend, and wants to study business. Finally, we stop,  she flings open a door , says '' Is delight ! No ! " and , before we can reply, is gone . 

The room neither small nor large. Walls half panelled in dark oak. The upper part covered in red felt. Two black leather sofas. A tired looking television. The focal point a window set high in the wall. On closer examination we find its a large window divided into two. The room above must have its half at floor level. '' Perfect for one night " says ' the font ' delphically. Not a room to tarry in . 

Outside , in the square in front of the cathedral,  a young man with a dog. The dog is leaping , effortlessly, in and out of an ancient fountain . It dips its head down under the water then emerges again with a whoosh of surprise,  water splashing everywhere , delight on its face. The young man laughs. The dog repeats his routine . Passers by stop and laugh . We laugh . The dog know it's the centre of happy attention . Another of natures jesters. All of us in a unscripted commonwealth of joy .


31 comments:

  1. Oh! You are writing! YAY! Life is really not quite the same without reading your blogs even for a day. You are missed.

    Enjoy your holidays.. both of you... :) can't wait to see India, Maine.. anywhere.. from your eyes.

    Dogs.. who are natural jesters no doubt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hooray. Great to see the new blog. And that dogs will still get a mention!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey there Mongoose,
    So glad to see this entry and to realise that you have not disappeared (or avoided writing). I agree with Gail...'YAY!'. Enjoy your travels, your writing... and take time to heal.
    With love

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dogs and joy...natural companions.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So very happy this morning to find a new entry in your familiar and wonderful style of writing. Life is good.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have checked here each day since you ended the other blog. Happy to have found something new from you this morning.After reading your other blog for so long, it is hard not to look for words and pictures each day. You have been missed.I have been reading all the old stories from when you stared your first blog. Wonderful stories, some made me laugh and share with others. I really hope you will never take the other blogs down. I want to be able to always go back and read and look at all the great pictures that you shared with us for so many years.They are great pictures and it would be a great lost to every one if you closed those teo blogs. Can you please, let us know if you are going to leave them up.

    I hope taking trips that takes you away from home, helps with your healing. It was good to hear from you. Have been praying for you and the Font.

    Just keeping on letting us hear what is going on in your life. We all seem to be hooked to your blogs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Charlotte

      The old blogs will stay up until two new PON brothers arrive . We've thought , briefly , about bringing the date forward but will stick wih our original plan of looking for new boyz in Spring next year . Until then the two blog will stay up.

      Delete
  7. Is room for Madame Bay! No!
    So very glad to read a new post.
    Sheila

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello Angus, so happy to "see" you this morning...you have no idea what a relief it is to read a new post from you....always enjoyable.
    Is delight! No!
    Love, Virginia

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like how quickly she disappeared before you could refute her comment! Love the little snippet of life as seen from beside a fountain. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think you shall have followers till the end of time!! This is a delight, no?! :) Sounds like the hotel room is something to be desired? That dog is just precious!!

    With love from your Canadian pals (patiently waiting for spring!),
    Dianna along with Tor, Willow and Tucker

    ReplyDelete
  11. Angus,

    Thank you for answering my question about the blogs and thank you so much for keeping them up. They have helped me so much since last Friday. Even with two new Pons coming, it would still be nice to see the other polar bears.Just looking at them bring so much happiness. Do you know of any way I can save your blogs in floders before you take them down?

    Oh, how I wish you had kept your thought of moving the date forward. Spring is ten months away, if you count April as the first month of spring.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Red felt walls are quite enough but the bottom half of a shared window is the limit!
    On a previous visit, did you leave the bath tub running, bump a potted plant off a ledge sending it crashing to the street below. Was the managers automobile tyre unwelcomely christened?
    But a dog brings joy and laughter. Something familiar there.......

    ReplyDelete
  13. How ironic that a post here showed up today--I had planned to publish a request for your writings and postings to start again. It's refreshing to start the day and know that life abounds, though mixed with ahppiness and sadness, in a favorite part of the world. We can't wait to read of your travels and especially look forward to 'seeing' the new boyz!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Enjoy your travels!..It sounds like an epic trip in the works! :-p Love the doggie moment. :-) Just wanted to say I am happy for your header photo...I like continuing to be able to "see" Wilf. Wishing you interesting days and memories as you continue to get back to your center of "happy"....after your last days of sadness. Blissful adventures!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mr. O & I are delighted to "accompany" you on this adventure (over our morning coffee, no!).

    ReplyDelete
  16. New adventures! Gotta love those happy, good natured funny dogs.
    I am pleased that Wilf's blog will remain up for for now. It is a beautiful tribute to him. Of course, I look forward to next spring when new life blooms again. Enjoy your travels and I will continue to read all about them!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Though I'm so glad you two are out and about, I'm terribly sorry about the room. Like most eccentrics, I am hideously sensitive to my surroundings. Red felt and one half of a window.... there's no telling how I would be affected.

    Did I ever tell you about the room we scored one night in Paris. The mattress was actually on the floor. However, we still received an enthusiastic... "Is delight! No?"

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am so glad to see you blogging again so soon. Love the pictures - years ago my family and I visited my brother who was in the US military at that time and was staying in England. While we were there, they reanted a small motor home and we toured south into the continent and up north into Wales and Ireland but it was all so fast. We did get into France for a short time and went through Paris. All your beautiful pictures remind me of this lovely vacation we had. I find myself smiling at the dog, jumping around in the fountain – definitely a spokesdog for all the simple pleasures that brings joy to one's life.
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  19. So glad you are out and about, but also very glad you are blogging. Would miss your writing. Good wishes to you and 'the font' - enjoy your travels.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you for continuing to post, I really enjoy your writing. Great dog story.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Like the fountain!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you for keeping the blog world mesmerized with your wonderful life, we will look forward to a future Boyz blog as well.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi Angus! Your post reminds me of when we stayed at the 'Old Faithful Inn' in Yellowstone. We were told that it was a 'really nice room' and we found out it was because it had a bathroom (some don't). It also didn't have a TV, but Old Faithful was right outside the window so it couldn't get any better than that--Just like your view! :-)

    I'm glad you and the font were able to get away--I read your reply to an above comment, I somehow thought you'd considger getting a couple of Scottie's... :-))!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. We're so happy too ! that you're blogging still. Bonjour future adventures !! Your travel plans sound tres exciting - hope you can blog on the go (perhaps an ipad is in your future). Loads of love xoxo S + Gang

    ReplyDelete
  25. Glad to see you writing. I hope the rest of your outing was fabulous enough to make up for the room. A waterdog in it's element is a joyful thing.

    ReplyDelete
  26. So very glad to see you continuing on with blogging. Though we've taken a long hiatus from blogging, ourselves, I always look forward to and enjoy the time spent reading yours. You add a rich layer of specialness to our days. Thank you, so much. And, though we've never met, know we think of your and your whole family with fondness.

    xx
    Jake, Fergi and TheirMoma, Sally

    ReplyDelete
  27. Lovely to see some posts - I thought I had subscribed to this blog but nothign arrived in my reader...random sighting on another blog site of a new post sent me over fast! I will investigate that next..
    Just wanted to say how much I enjoy looking back at your past blogs - Please dont take them down... just leave them as a past reference for us. Just like the Italy blog has been.
    Or make them into an e book! Then we can keep the story forever :)

    So glad Cost Centre #2 is there to cheer you all up - it has been a tough few weeks for you both.

    This week we are reeling from the news of our oldest daughter in law's cancer being confirmed as terminal, and our younger daughter in law was knocked off her bike last night and is in hospital, luckily only with a badly broken arm but sobering reality .... too much pain to deal with all round :(
    Life is never easy eh.

    Hope you both have a great trip

    ReplyDelete
  28. silly silly me. are my computer skills so lacking? yes apparently.
    i have been coming here every day looking for a new post.
    you are saved to my favorites bar of course.
    always i saw the "planning" post. sighed but smiled.
    he's so busy i thought. this morning... duh! i scrolled across
    from the bottom to the archives on the right and see two new posts for may!!!
    good grief. and hallelujah!!!!
    i love your blog and you and the font. and ditto to all the comments above!
    tammy j

    ReplyDelete
  29. Lovely posts....you are so dear to everyone who comes here....I can almost "feel" the ache within you as the other patrons share the company of their dogs as they dine. Yes, life goes on, but at a bittersweet pace. You will know when the time is right to bring more dogs into the family. For now, you reflect, you savor, you grieve, you heal...all in the space of the same 5 minute time span, over and over again. And we join you on the journey to the degree that we can, sending our love to you and the "Font", lending our support, remembering all we have shared with you in the past, patient for whatever the future may hold.

    ReplyDelete
  30. so fun to appreciate dogs when one does not have one in tow. They are absolute joy. The pleasure of dog blogging...

    ReplyDelete