CHAPTER NINETY-ONE :
Last week, after pumpkin carving and candies binging, I was feeling a bit washed-out, and, I must confess, a bit sick, as well.
Don't get me wrong ! I had not been round, playing ' Knock,knock, trick-or-treat ', but I had bought far too many candies for the few little monsters, witches and ghosts who visited me !
Then, guess what happened to the Halloween treats left in stock ?
Perky Greedy Busy Bee couldn't help fluttering around them, and resisting their sugary fragrant was beyond her strength !!
So, three days later and one belt loop looser, I was stumped in my armchair, knowing that I should publish something, but unable to decide on what. An insurmontable hurdle for my poor sugar-coated brain !
My sweet craving had numbed me.
I had Friday on my mind. Sure, I wouldn't be able to respect that deadline to finalize my new chapter !!
Thursday was on and the fear of the blank page was about to get the upper hand !
There was no getting away from it : I absolutely needed to pull myself together !
So, before that awful white space flew out of the screen and engulfed me, I clicked on perkybusybee@gmail.com .
Sure, I'd get by with a little help from my friends, I mean, you, mydear readers.
Bingo !! Once more the old saying "A friend in need is a friend indeed " proved true !
I had received a mail saying :
Hi Perky,
I live in Scotland, in a city whose nickname is "Auld Reekie " (I guess you know it !). It's a great city to live in, but over the last few months I have been feeling the urge to be closer to Mother Nature, I mean, to move to the countryside. As I am a home-based worker, it's something I can decide on and achieve pretty quickly.
But, I 'm a Libra, and, as you may know, making decisions is not Libra people's strong suit.
Last week, while scrolling down your blog to change my mind off things and to have fun, I came across chapter 68 ' Hunting Season ', and the very first lines caught my attention . You wrote "..When we settled down in Charentes, we didn't have the foggiest idea about what living in the countryside all year round meant ...''.
So, I guess you are the one who can help me take the plunge.
Honestly, dear Perky, what is better, living in the city or living in the country ?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Dear Matthew, your question came just at the right time. I was a poor stumped blogger about to give up, and then, no sooner had I read your mail than my hands were on the keyboard, ready to type a new chapter .
Don't get me wrong. It is nearly impossible to find a good answer to your question.
What is good for one person might not be good for another.
Even though I am not a Libra, making the decision to leave the hustle and bustle of Paris to settle down in a village in the middle of nowhere was not that easy.
We spent time weighing the pros and cons, but eventually we found as many advantages as disadvantages, so we tossed a coin over our departure.
Come on, I'm kidding !!
Anyway, the crux of such a major life decision is really personal, and it's uo to you, dear Matthew ...
But your mail jogged my memory, so this week let me tell you one of my adventures as a new country-dweller.
The very first year we settled down in Charentes was full of twists and turns, and sometimes ups and downs, too.
' When in Rome do as the Romans do ' was our motto, so we slowed down our fast-paced and hectic life, and learnt to loosen up and take it easy. Some shots of Pineau made it easier ...
Three months later we were quite in the mood, and had even managed to pick up a few Charentais words and phrases.
Autumn was a bit rough. The Hunting Season (chapter 68) played havoc on my poor animal-lover heart. As for my neighbours' wild mushrooms treats, they were simply stress-triggering : poisonous and edible mushrooms often look alike, don't they ? So, were my neighbours clever mushroom gatherers ??
All throughout Autumn and Winter my stomach remained on the alert and I kept the poison-control number at my fingertips !
Fortunately Spring came, and the fishing season gave us the opportunity to appreciate the outdoors, enjoy the serenity of water and greenery, and even win the title of ' Pranksters of the year '( chapter 72 Funny Fishing Net) !
And then Summer was back with its blue sky, its scorching sun, and more often than not lazing on a sunny afternoon was the main occupation.
Life suddenly seemed at a standstill.
The village would have been a little piece of heaven, if some noisy trucks driving through had not disturbed our Carpe Diem Summer way of life.
By the end of August they were more and more numerous, and noisier and noisier !
Where on earth were they taking their gravel loads to, and what for ?
Too many for roadworks, but perhaps for a huge buiding site in the nearby town ??
It was boring, but comforting for a perky busy bee who always looks on the bright side, cause it is well-known that when the buiding trade is thriving, everything is thriving !
Anyway, after wondering about the whys and wherefores, I asked my neighbours if they had any clue about the gravel destination.
Curiosity kills the cat ...
They burst out laughing. They were in stitches and kept repeating " the gravel, the gravel ! ".
As I was looking more and more embarrassed, they calmed down and explained :
" Perky, since you settled down here, you've learnt a lot about countrylife, but you've still plenty of things to discover. Actually, what you take for gravels are sunflower seeds ! They have dried down, so it's time to harvest them and take them to the cooperative and then turn them into oil ".
They were right : I was still a newbie in the country !
Well, my neighbours could not help sending the word round, and the following days, whenever one of the lorries was driving through the village, there was always one ' good soul ' to shout :
" Hey, Perky, the delivery truck is coming, do you need gravel for your path ? ".
I didn't mind, cause taking a joke has nothing to do with living in the city or lving in the country, does it ?
That's all for this week, folks !
Enjoy your reading, and don't forget : be perky !
FOR SHARING !
