Friday, August 10, 2012

The Scottish client.




Too hot to do anything. By ten o'clock the heat haze dancing on the lane. At one end of the Place de la Republique the municipal workmen have installed a 'shade sculpture' . Despite its grandiose name this turns out to be nothing more than a series of white linen sails suspended from the guttering of the nearby houses . While he waits for his coffee Angus wonders how long the 'shade sculpture' will last in a Pyrenean thunderstorm.

In the afternoon the heating oil delivery man comes. €0.94 a litre. The last time he delivered in February it was €1.12 a litre. I ask him to fill up the tank. '' See you next year " he says before adding, mysteriously, " I've got another Scottish customer ". ' The font ' wonders if this is a real Scot or another 'canny' buyer of heating oil in high summer.
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13 comments:

  1. WFT NobbyAugust 10, 2012 at 7:49 AM

    I think you need to investigate further...

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  2. VirginiaCAugust 10, 2012 at 11:11 AM

    It's extremely HOT here too, can't ever remember it being this HOT.
    "Shade sculpture" is just a fancy smancy name to make the cost seem appropriate. Government squandered funds on the loose..what else is new?
    Keep cool.

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  3. UnknownAugust 10, 2012 at 12:02 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. UnknownAugust 10, 2012 at 12:10 PM

      II like the shade sculpture! It reminds me of floating umbrellas or sails--both cooling thoughts. Sometimes something can just "be"-- it doesn't always have to "do" something. If it makes you look at something that is so familiar that it has become invisible and see it anew with fresh eyes, it has served its purpose. And I'm 1/2 Scot saying that!

      Dear Angus, your recent posts seem much more critical since Wilf's departure. Perhaps it's time to start considering another pup to return some of your joie de vivre?

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  4. ~Kim at Golden Pines~August 10, 2012 at 12:21 PM

    I think you're right about the 'shade sculpture.' I don't see it holding up in a Virginia rainstorm either.

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  5. houndstoothAugust 10, 2012 at 2:39 PM

    I see a funny update about the shade sculpture in the near future!

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  6. Whispering WallsAugust 10, 2012 at 2:44 PM

    You could always drape a St Andrew's flag up there...

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  7. tammy jAugust 10, 2012 at 3:05 PM

    i like the shade sculptures!
    but i know what you mean about the wind.
    i live in a state where your food blows off the plate
    at a picnic on any given day. eating outdoors the way
    our sophisticated friends in picturesque places do it is
    merely a dream for us.
    you make me laugh. i love your droll (not quite as droll though
    as the font)... humor. and i think being a scot customer is a
    compliment! so there oil man. take that.

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  8. Robin LarkspurAugust 10, 2012 at 4:55 PM

    It would be an artistic activity to watch the shade sculptures sail away on lofty breezes.

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  9. HildredAugust 10, 2012 at 5:24 PM

    I think the shade sculpture is charming -not to be disparaging, Angus! Look on the bright side and the immediate pleasure they provide, and what an opportunity for comment when (if) they do blow away.

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  10. KariAugust 10, 2012 at 7:32 PM

    I live in a horrifically hot area- 46C/115F- where we use the sails and every bit of shade is appreciated. Especially by the elderly who sometimes walk because they don't drive.. It can be a life threatening experience to walk across an open paved open area in the afternoon. As far as wind is concerned, if the sails are nstalled properly, they'll stand up to winds that uproot trees, a frequent
    seasonal occurrence here.
    I recall several years back, >14,000 people in France died from the heat. Just a few degrees reduction can help.

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  11. Fi from Four Paws and WhiskersAugust 11, 2012 at 12:03 AM

    Alex left Toulouse this week and is missing the heart as it is 20C in Berlin - not 35 in Pyrenees! Easier for sightseeing though :)
    I like the "sculpture" but you're right - wont last long :(

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  12. UnknownAugust 11, 2012 at 1:43 AM

    I, too, like the wind sculpture; it may be lost to wind and rain but is lovely at the moment. Hmmm...interesting about the other Scot and good price for your oil. The heat here in SE MO was in the 80s (F) today - felt almost cool in comparison!

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