Cravant faces: Monsieur

Monsieur

Sudden change in temperature today from around 25 to 13. So out come the jumpers, cardigans and the 'early autumn lighter weight trousers'. That's the correct fashion term apparently.

None of this weather stuff will of course make the slightest difference to Monsieur, who works throughout the year, outside, in blue. He's from an older generation in Cravant, who continue to work the land. Although gradually the younger ones are coming in to help, or take over. Madame throughout the year, wears a cotton dress and cross-over apron. We know it's really cold when she puts on a cardigan. They are a resiliant pair, used to the seasons and all the changes they bring. Unless it's too hot or too cold, we'll see them outside every day working in their fields - one close to their house (behind monsieur in the photo) and the other on the same side as us, just a little further along at the top of our road.

Seats for two

I would be interested to hear from them one day, just how much Cravant has changed. M. et Mme have family very close by - opposite their own house and just down from it. So I'm guessing that one of them at least was born here, grew up here and continued to work as well as live here. Cravant has long been a land-based economy with associated industries, so their answer perhaps would be mainly to do with people and what's grown. The first time we really 'met' M. et Mme was on 11 November 2010. It's that precise, because we'd walked down to the centre of Cravant for the remembrance service. It's a national holiday in France. They were there and wanted a chat. These days if we're driving by, we'll always wave to each other. Or if we're out walking and they're outside, we'll stop and have a chat. Mme is petite and slim with a wonderful smile. We always look out for them when we return from the UK. They are for us as much a feature of the landscape as the vines and the fields.

Church steeple

I took the photo of Monsieur last year. 
I'd been out walking round the village on a photo amble taking shots of wheat and grasses. Monsieur was as usual outside working the soil. I of course asked his permission to take the photo, which he was happy to do. I gave one copy to his daughter Jacqueline and a second to pass on to Monsieur, as she drops in regularly to see them both. By all accounts he is delighted with it, and keeps it on the mantlepiece.

Jacqueline and her husband Norbert are neighbours and along with our next-door neighbours, Jean-Phi and Isobel, are two of the kindest people you could meet. They also have a huge potager (vegetable patch) and we often find a sack of gorgeous vegetables waiting on our garden fence: tomatoes, leeks, lettuce, beetroot. Very generous. We see each other quite often.