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| Don't think that this bike will make the tour de France this year |
A week ago i was asked by a very nice Frenchman, his English luckily was pretty good, if we would not mind moving our car this Saturday as they were doing a reading on the back steps of the church for a mini festival. I told him it was not a problem, it was only from three onwards and the market would have finished leaving half the square to park in.
The day before our friend Piers dragged a knackered old bike in and propped it against the steps, we made silly jokes about it not making the tour de France this year. Early the next morning i noticed a trail of books up the step and strategically placed next door as though there was a little trail...very intriguing. Including a trilogy propped up on the huge Butagaz bottle next door?!
The day of the fete, the market as always on a Saturday was buzzing and so was the hotel Dupont, by midday their was a very good band singing African, Cuban jazzy style music. The vocalist was superb!
I bumped into Piers again who had delivered the bike a couple of days before, with Raoul and Isadore, the boys. later i bumped into our friend Nick who i spent the next four hours with at this enjoyable, imaginative but simple festival.
After listening to some of the music we decided to amble over to a large space behind the salle de fete, libraire and bureau de poste. Lots of families enjoying themselves set up under large tents with hammocks strung between the poplars for the children.
Mini festivities had been set up, with a bendy circus mirror and a few stalls. The key thing about the group that had come down is that they were all interested in the written word, either verbally, holistically or visually. The lady shown below invites anybody to draw a word from the days event and illustrate, photograph it in whatever media they feel comfortable with. Each year there is an A4 commemorative copy of all the people who have celebrated a word from the event, a very unique idea.
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| intriguing illustrative records of the last seven years of festivals |
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| the children are taught to massage the parents...like the thinking, wonder if could teach the dog |
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| french poems relayed down fishing cord |
The word was illustrated throughout the festival, whether french poems whispered along a line of nylon cord, whilst the participants relaxed in a deck chair (nick is far right) or words been used for massage, taking part in a child, parent massage. Young and old were captivated, engaged and for the most part participating making it a good fun event.
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| does my bum look big in this? |
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| the cast for the next two hours of intrigue |
Our playful cast were brilliant, we took a two and half hour journey round the nooks and crannies of the village, above is our start on the church steps. With people and books, or just books, mini artistic isnstallations and readings....it was really magic.
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a first recital at the beginning of our road
The guy above was the orchestrator as well as reading his charming recitals , like Dick Whittington he kept everyone following, the tinkle of his bell
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| a recital on the church steps.... |
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| ...and lots of interest outside our front door |
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| perfectly perched next door, just reading |
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| book hedgehogs along the way and books swinging from the trees |
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| on top of the hill behind our house, with spectacular views |
After we left our house we went behind and above to Patrick's house to be met by a piano and pianist and also a flautist, not to mention Josette the clown. All three played and fooled around, Josette much to the appreciation of a younger very hooked audience. She had minimal props for her clowning, an old piano stool and very thick rope, and later produced an accordion.
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| Josette the clown turns up with some original props.... |
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| .....and an accordion |
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| all tied up |
After Josette and some lovely music we are back to our tour of the village, our pianist becomes a very good violinist, and together the violin and the flute walk us across roads and around the village, more books hidden in tiny places. People either reading or sitting reading round the town. below a lively washer woman spouting her poetry throwing her clothes out of the basket.
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| the next player, with more readings |
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| books were propped all over the town |
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| a bizarre spot to pick to read,next to a tumbledown and derelict house or perhaps she is typing her book |
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| have a word, please |
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| the blood has certainly reached her head |
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| Romeo and Juliet from a pretty balcony |
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| back to the start for cold drinks and cake |
Then it was back to the start for cold drinks and home made cakes and biscuits, this is all free although you are invited to make contributions, which i sincerely hope everyone did. After this we were to take our seats for the final spectacle.
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| the next spectacle, i wondered what those poles were for? |
The final spectacle. The fact that i have only two shots for this last item is not because they were anything less than superb and they were definitely the grand finale. I had had such a good day, plus my point and click everywhere, finally ran out of juice. It's a shame as i would have like to have recorded more of these two funny talented acrobats. The first pictured above pretended to be the warm up artist for the show of the piece, whom at first you just saw waving elegant gloved arms or stilettos above and below a small elegant screen. When she finally appeared after this young lady had fixed the ropes and done several major tricks herself, the first assumed the role of secretary including looking bored and filing her nails, to the amusement of the younger audience. The second appeared to be the class act, not necessarily by the tricks performed they had worked it to be like that in a comedic way. They had minimum props, such as painted wooden red chairs with no seats, which frequently both of them pretended to be stuck in at ten foot above?! in their stilettos. All done to both classical, rock and modern pop music. They were brilliant and managed to appeal to both very young children in the audience, whom were captivated and lots of older ones too, including with Nick and I
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two very entertaining lovely ladies, here she is singing and rocking to Alicia keys on her broom handle?
to girl on fire...very funny |
