France 2014 number 4

Goodness me! It feels as if we have been really busy all week but when I look at my notes they seem very thin. Monday got us off to a flying start when we met Veronique, the char lady, for the first time. She does not speak English, although she knows a few words which she throws into the conversation somewhat haphazardly, and she giggles a lot. She also must have an accent or something like it as we find it quite hard to understand what she is saying – being used to listening to people from further south, as we are. I can see that communication may well be a problem now and again. Anyway, leaving her to get on with her chores, we were driven off to be introduced to some more neighbours. This time it was an ex-South African and her husband, although she left South Africa so long ago that she has forgotten more about it than she ever knew. It was a strange feeling to sit in their lounge, surrounded by artwork depicting South African wildlife or veld scenes; to be offered a slice of milk tart with our coffee; and to notice odd knick-knacks that quite obviously originated in South Africa but to know that we were actually in France. We may be biased, but we thought they were a really nice couple. That afternoon we declined any further driving around as we felt that our host really needed to pay some attention to packing his suitcase for his flight to South Africa, due to leave the next day.

On Tuesday, we knew that we would be going to Poitiers to take our host to the station, but he suggested that we leave earlier than necessary so that he could show us around Poitiers, pointing out places that we could visit again at our leisure and also to visit a huge shopping mall with a giant supermarket and wonderful other specialist shops. We could even have lunch there! So off we went at about midday, quickly covered the relatively short distance to Poitiers and made our way to the shopping mall. He was right! It is immense. Probably not bigger than Somerset Mall in total area but at least half of it is supermarket, the likes of which I have never seen before. It is as if someone has combined all the food supermarkets that we know in South Africa with Game, Pep Stores, Foschini, Midas and probably a few others too, and has put the entire stock of all those stores under one roof. It is mind boggling! Attached to one side, is the restaurant which has just as many choices. It is a self-service style place with both hot and cold meals, or snacks, on offer and one could choose anything from a hamburger (freshly made) to crayfish tails (cold in a mayonnaise-type sauce). First world countries continue to amaze and impress me and as Neels said, we really did feel like country bumpkins when confronted with a place like this. After lunch, we took a leisurely drive through the old town of Poitiers which has some beautiful buildings, to end up at the station where Chris would  catch his train to the airport in Paris for the flight back south.

The next there days passed quickly with not much to show for it apart from a bundle of freshly washed clothes, a huge container of cooked dog food in the fridge and a number of miles covered looking for a chateau that we had seen on one of our outings. The nearest town to us is Sauze-Vaussais which is about 20 kilometres away and is where we do our shopping. The nearest village though, is about five kilometres away in the same direction and is Clussais-la-Pommeraie. The population is about 600, so ……..not very big. In spite of this though, they have community hall (Salle de fetes) and someone has gone to the trouble of decorating it most beautifully with trompe-l’oeil – those wonderful 3D paintings that trick one’s eye into seeing something that isn’t there. We first noticed it when driving past – there were two children peering around the corner of the building not far from an old man repairing a shoe. Beyond the corner, a cow was tethered and a bit further on was a blacksmith’s forge. We thought nothing more of the front of the building which has a canopy roof that projects out above large plate glass windows, with five square attic windows above that and a sloping tiled roof. It was only when we had to go to the far end of the building to dispose of our recycling bags that we realised that everything above the canopy roof is painted on to a flat wall. It was then too, that we saw the final artwork – a country landscape as viewed through some fine vaulted arches, and that too, is painted on to a perfectly flat wall. The 3D effect is impressive and the artist must be very talented to maintain the perspective over such a large surface.

We eventually had to ask where the chateau was that we were looking for and discovered that we had been just about 180 degrees out in our navigation. Once given the right direction we found it easily but the statue in the garden that I had wanted to photograph was once again in deep shade on the other side of a wall, and I was foiled again! The statue, or statues, represent a pack of hunting dogs attacking a wild boar which is not the most pleasing of topics but it is so well done  and so well placed in the grounds that one could be fooled into thinking it was real rather than stone. Unfortunately, visitors are not permitted into the house or grounds so the only way for us to see this artwork was to clamber up a small , muddy bank and peer over the wall. The chateau is being restored and converted into a hotel and holiday flats so perhaps one day we can return and see the sculptures from the other side.

Which pretty much brings us to the end of the week. The weather has been getting steadily better and better, with the temperatures climbing to 24 degrees on Saturday. The breeze, when it blows, still has an icy nip to it but is getting less frequent. The animals seemed to have accepted that we are here ‘for the duration’ and have settled down well. I think that Duke, the big, black Labrador is missing his ‘Mom’ as he has become my permanent shadow even following me to the loo and bouncing with joy when I re-emerge. I too, for the first time in my life, am having to get used to something different - sleeping with two males in my bed!! Sam, the Burmese cat, prefers to sleep underneath the covers with us, often creeping in once we are asleep and lying between us. I’m terrified that we will squash him but he seems to be quite agile and wriggles away when we get too close. We have continued the established routine of all four of us going for a walk every afternoon and it is quite a sight – me, Neels, Duke and Sam all parading down the lane together. I wish I could get a picture of us all together but someone has to take the photographs!