A log delivery from our Ribérac neighbours

 

White van man and woman arrive chez nous

In response to the rather harsh winter we have already endured, today saw us take in the second log delivery of the season, courtesy of our near neighbour, M et Mme Poupard.  It was back during the heady days of  September, when days were still long, rosé was sipped à midi and the starlings swooped into nearby trees in ever decreasing circles that we last saw M. Poupard.  At that time he delivered une brasse (4m2) of some of the Dordogne's finest oak.  I remember thinking as I admired my beaufifully stacked arrangement, that's more than enough to see us through.  Frankly I should have known better.  Although not totally deplete, our stocks were getting low enough to begin calculations of how many more weeks of cold we were likely to have set against an average daily consumption.  It's also about a general feeling of security in these troubled times, something to combat the floods, war, pestilence and a Euro disappearing down the plughole.  And of course the ever constant presence of Grippe A.

 

Ribérac oak being delivered to our door 

M. Poupard arrived at 11.00 sharp.  Today, he was accompanied by his rather glamorous wife Madame Leontine.  Madame Leontine hails from the Indian Ocean Isle of Madagascar and in no time at all she had her sleeves rolled up and was getting stuck in.  She did pass comment on the rather chilly temperatures saying she preferred the more benign climate of her homeland.  M et Mme Poupard chatted as the logs came off into the wheelbarrow which was then upended at the top of our garage.  I collected them from here and carried them to our dependance building where they were carefully arranged.  They told us that they had an alternative enterprise to selling wood.  They owned two bungalows on beachland on Madagascar and these were let out for most of the year to a predominantely French clientele.  Mme. Poupard informed us that the dry season in Madagascar ran from April to November.  After taking down the details of the website we were suprised to see you could enjoy beachside accomodation in what appeared to be an absolutely beautiful setting for as little as 10€ a day.  See for yourselves at www.normada.com/chezleontine

 

All well seasoned and ready to burn

 

My security blanket