Buying art

I don't collect art, at least as it's normally understood.   I do have a large collection of recorded music, and since music is an art form, you could argue that I collect art.   But if we restrict our definition to physical objects, you wouldn't call me an art collector.

However, there are certain objects that I have encountered during my life that I remember being attracted to.   There was a carved wooden bear (about 3 feet high) and cub, fashioned out of old railway sleepers if I remember rightly, that I saw perhaps 45 years ago in the Barbican in London.  I liked them, but it would have cost me about a month's (pre-tax) salary.  I didn't buy it, and the artist explained to me that I would remember, and probably regret the decision for ever.  He had a point.  But there was the cost, and how would we transport it, and where would we put it, and all the other excuses you make using logic in situations when it's emotion that counts.

There are a few other things too, prominent among them being a stained-glass screen, a room divider, that I first saw when I was on a flute course in the Dordogne,  perhaps 25 years ago.   Made by Jennifer Weller in Bordeaux, it shows three characters from Mozart's Magic Flute; Papageno, Tamino and the Queen of the Night.   I loved it then, but practical considerations held sway again.   I was pleased to discover at the time, that it was bought by someone I know, a lover of all things flute, a former professional player, and a teacher.

It is a sadnes that this great lady, to whom I (and many, many others) owe much in terms of musical understanding and fluting, is divesting herself of her flute-related treasures as she is nearing the end of her life.  So my pleasure in acquiring this screen that I have loved from afar, is not unalloyed.   Here it is, as displayed in its former home.

Garden work (Continued)

I trim the hedge twice a year.   I always think of it as a long hard slog, but perhaps if I did it a bit more often, it would be less difficult.  It takes about three afternoons to cut it, but that's because I leave it so long that I have to spend quite a lot of time setting eyelines to make sure that the result is straight and level.  Perhaps if I could still see the outlines of the last trimming it would be easier.

The shredder in the foreground does a fine job of turning the trimmings into a ground cover to suppress weeds.  The long-throw trimmer hanging on the scaffold reaches 3/4 across the hedge.   The standard trimmer on the ground is for doing the vertical sides.

Garden work

A task that has been nagging at me for some time (that is, for a few years), is the filling in of the gap behind a dry stone wall in the garden.   The wall (mostly) holds back the soil that is at a higher level, and  I figured it would take 3 or 4 metres cubed of topsoil to fill in the gap and bring it up to the level of the rest of the grass behind.   

I have been scouting around for topsoil, but Leo told me that our local waste recycling depot (déchetterie) is offering compost, free, once per month, in quantities of up to a cubic metre to anyone who wants to come and get it.   We went to get some.

It's black, smells a bit of being burnt, or perhaps of disinfectant, but looks to be good.  I came back with a trailer load and spent this afternoon transferring it into the gap.   The picture doesn't show the size or depth of the gap very well, but it is about half filled now, and so hopefully, next month and another cubic metre will see it sorted.

I have planted grass seed on the part that is at the right level, and that will tell me a lot about the compost as I watch it germinate and grow.

Transports of delight

What a fine machine is the tractor!   I'm serving at the bistrot on a Tuesday evening, possibly for the last time if this pass sanitaire nonsense gets through.   My neighbour turns up with a family posse on this tractor and cart.  (Him, his new lady and her two kids).  Wonderfully rustic and not a seat belt or licence plate in sight.   Vintage 1947 I am told.  (Not the lady, the tractor)

Since he lives just up the road from me and I happened to have walked to the bistrot, I couldn't not cadge a lift back, could I?

Quiet walk

 Yesterday's walk was unusual in that it was almost completely silent.  Not a sound to be heard - no cars, no farm machinery, no birdsong, no cows or cockerels.  

Random blue flower

The corn is as high as an elephant's eye.  Plenty of rain this year has made for healthy corn.  Most is fed to cows; people here are surprised to know that people eat it.

To scrump.  What a wonderful thing is the English language.  It has a word that means to steal, but it applies only to stealing apples, and only from a tree.

Random butterfly

The barrage at St Pierre sur Erve

It really is a spectacularly ugly dam, holding back the water for a mill that no longer exists.  When you buy a house in France that has a garden backing on to a river, you own the river until halfway across, where the person who owns the land on the opposite bank becomes the owner.   So normally a dam like this will have two owners.   But this one extends for a bit upstream as well as from side to side, and the middle bit has a third owner.  In order to destroy it, you need permission from all the interested parties.  Mission impossible.

Customer service

I ordered a pump on the internet.  It was due to be delivered to my home address on Wednesday last.   It was not delivered on Wednesday.   I got an email saying that it had not been delivered (delivery failure)  This often happens because we're out in the sticks and sometimes the driver can't be bothered.   The delivery was programmed for Thursday.   Sine we were out for some of Thursday, I asked on lione for it to be delivered on Friday, and got the message that it would be deliverd on Friday afternoon, between 13h30 and 17h30 if memory serves.

I was out walking on Friday afternoon and got a call on the mobile from the driver asking if I could accept a delivery to the post office in Vaiges at 08h30 the following morning (Saturday) and collect it from there.  Oh, OK, I guess I can do that.

So on Saturday I go online and discover that the package has been left at Evron and would be delivered to a point near me, and I would be informed.  But the message on the site detaled information said:

samedi 24/07/2021 09:20	LE MANS CHRONOPOST Echec de livraison, en attente d'instructions pour nouvelle livraison

That is, delivery failure, waiting on instructions for a new delivery.  So I did the necessary interaction to specify a delivery date on today, Monday.  So given that the website is giving me contradictory information (is it going to arrive at a delivery point near me, or will it be delivered to my home address today?) I went to the online help.

- Bonjour je suis Léonard, le robot de Chronopost. Que puis-je faire pour vous aider ?   En démarrant la conversation, vous acceptez que Chronopost traite vos données personnelles afin de répondre à vos demandes (ex : numéro colis).

- Bonjour, mon colis sera livré aujour d'hui ou non?

- Vous souhaitez connaître l'adresse de livraison du colis ?  Je suis navré, il s'agit d'une information confidentielle. Pour des raisons de risque de fraude, je ne peux pas vous la communiquer.

- Non, je connais l'addresse de livraison

- Vous souhaitez connaître l'adresse de livraison du colis ?  Je suis navré, il s'agit d'une information confidentielle. Pour des raisons de risque de fraude, je ne peux pas vous la communiquer.

- Une vraie personne svp

- Avant de contacter mes collègues, dites-moi quel est votre problème ? Je peux peut-être vous être utile.

- Vous etes inutile

- J'en suis navré… comment puis-je vous aider ?

- je veut savoire si mon colis sera livré aujour d'hui

-Regardons ensemble votre colis xxxxxxxxxxxxx.   D'après mes informations, votre colis sera déposé dans un point de proximité (relais commerçant, agence ou bureau de poste).   Vous recevrez les coordonnées de ce relais via un email dès que notre livreur l'aura déposé. Merci pour votre patience ! 😊   Astuce : En vous abonnant aux notifications de suivi par email, vous êtes informé en temps réel de son dépôt en point de proximité.

- C'es pas cela

- Je ne suis pas sûr d'avoir compris ... On recommence ?

- Je veut parler à un personne

-Je vais vous apporter mon aide.   Dites-moi, êtes-vous un particulier ou un professionnel ?

- particulier

J'en prends note !  Le Service Client Particuliers est joignable au 09 69 391 391 (appel non surtaxé)   Du lundi au vendredi de 8h à 19h (hors jours fériés) et le samedi de 8h à 12h.   Vous pouvez aussi le contacter via Facebook Messenger en cliquant ici. Je serai présent pour transférer votre demande vers un conseiller.   Je reste disponible, n'hésitez pas à me solliciter si vous avez d'autres questions.

- oui j'ai des questions

- Je suis un robot plein de ressources, comment puis-je vous aider ?

(The facebook link takes me to another robot)

At this point I phone up, I do get through, quite quickly, to a real person who was able to relay to me the history of the package, and who assured me that it would be delivered today chez moi.   We wait.

UPDATE 6PM: I have an email telling me that the package awaits my collection at the Ste Suzanne post office.  Good grief.

The Bistrot

Our village has a bistrot, it's right in the centre of the village, opposite the church.    When we arrived here it was not in use, but it has since opened, serving a locally-brewed beer, and it's staffed by volunteers.   A very fine establishment.

I'm the volunteer server on Tuesday evenings, an activity I have recently started.   It gives me an opportunity to meet the locals, shoot the breeze, etc.   We sit out on the terrace and enjoy a beer as the evening cools down.

There's enough being debated on the current disease outbreak; I don't need to rehash it here.   But I will not be party to any mandating of vax passports that I can possibly avoid.   So if, from the 1st August, as currently mooted by our leader, I would have to demand such a document from the clients, I won't be volunteering any more.

How far to take this?   If I am required to demand it for gîte customers I probably don't have much choice.  But if the end-of-year concerts given by the harmony orchestras that I play in will demand it?   I should probably stop playing.

Given that égalité is a prized part of the French constiution, I am hoping that a vax passport would be declared unconstiutional.  I wouldn't bet on it though.

There's a free concert tonight in Evron.  You have to reserve your place so I phoned up the local tourist office to do so.   Good - no problem with availability.   I was able to assure the lady that yes, I do have the vax certificate and identity card that will be required of me in order to get in.

Shit, it's started.