Saturday, July 21, 2012

The rarest of visitors.






Friday morning. The electrician, his baseball cap wearing mate, and the two morose lads show up to repair the lights in the downstairs kitchen. Work finished, the head honcho informs me that he's off on holiday to St.Tropez for a month. Moneys tight.  Could I possibly pay him now ? The two morose lads spend most of their morning standing in a flower bed smoking a cigarette. 

Late afternoon. The stonemason, the rarest of visitors,  arrives in his large Mercedes and suggests that he be paid in advance for the steps by the pool. Angus says that he'll gladly give him a deposit when he sees a design, a quote and an example of the stone that he intends to use. The unhappy stonemason goes. ' The font ' wonders if we'll see him again this year.

The garden beginning to reveal former glories. Acanthus running wild. The strangely exotic  'pineapple' plants sprouting in the herb garden and gladioli appearing in the wasteland by the garage. We also have a new canine visitor - Jasper. Even though we  have a full house Jasper manages to be the centre of attention .

13 comments:

  1. Jasper looks like the kind of fellow who would make himself the center of attention at a gathering! :)

    It seems like you've learned a prudent way to do business with the local tradesmen!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Move over Brunhilda and Hugo, there's a new sheriff in town..and his name is Jasper!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Angus!...now I know the name of the plant we have in our garden 'Acanthus' wahoo! (the neighbours gardener dislikes it though, just hope it doesn't spread next door!).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cute dog! Sic him on the stone mason!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jasper is a handsome boy! He should be the centre of attention! Lovely flowers!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your garden is lovely! And how nice of Jasper to voluntarily entertain your guests! Is he one of the town Jack Russells who attends sporting events?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think Jasper must have heard the rumours about coconut ice-cream and the 'font's' skills in the kitchen.
    Where is he from?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jasper knows he is welcome.

    ReplyDelete
  9. i think jasper is chuckling at how you handled all the "specialists."
    good to see you're staying strong. it boggles the mind that they would
    dare to ask for payment in advance when their work is so sporadic as to
    be non existent!
    cool hugs to you and the font!
    tammy j

    ReplyDelete
  10. The surest way of not seeing the workmen is to pay them in advance.
    Jasper is an adorable fellow. Dogs do manage to become the center of attention, don't they? Especially useful for lulls in conversation or boring guests.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It must be fun to have Jasper visiting. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I saw on the news yesterday that a dog was also the center of attention on the Tour de France between Blagnac and Brive-la-Gaillarde and caused a crash--I'm just glad it wasn't one from your village!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jasper's a smart dog - he knows dog lovers when he meets them. Way to handle the workmen..

    ReplyDelete