Tuesday January 20 th 2016. Charenton-du-Cher 28 km

Yesterday evening the indwelling son came in to say hello. I estimated him around 50. He did some fuzzing in the green house. My kitchen window yealded to the greenhouse. Tosca immediately started barking. I said, Entrez, and he did. Some chatting about his donkey: a cross between the almost extinct longhair Poitou donkey and a regional race: for those who are interested. Always something to chat about, albeit a donkey. As long as it is cozy.
This morning dark mucus from my nose. That’s not a good sign! Turned out to be due to the dirty char coal air heater. Anyway, I have not suffered carbon monoxide poisoning for those 9 E.
Back in time, because the next few days will be long trips. I have to anticipate on my schedule a little to be able to take it easier, when the 2 women will join me for a week, soon. The landlord came to me. I think he’s far over 80. His wife decaesed some years ago. Last year he had cardiac surgery. Sometimes that is the way live starts going down . 9 E for the night and for breakfast 3,25 E. On top of that the horse meadow and bike rental. Mm! 20 E total, is that o.k? Good! Then he came with a photo book of all his pilgrims. Come on dear chap, don’t keep me up. I want to leave now. Interesting was a pilgrim couple with a young child on dad’s back and a donkey. My landlord, “say Paul” wanted to take pictures, but kept the camera awfully upsided. I didn’t want to upset him, so I kept quiet. Soon he will find a picture of me as an oblique pilgrim with an equally bent over limping, crooked horse. His progeny meanwhile had woken up, so I immortalized them by taking a picture.
Nice weather, but cold. A fox ran through the middle of a hamlet. Again, many big white herons , much bigger than those common small cattle herons one can often see in the South of Europe. These large white herons I have been seeing in the Nl. only since a few years. Because of climate changing they move up more up North in Europe. Also, many bull finches here, that I consider one of the more beautiful birds. The kite I see rarely, compared to Spain. A lot of buzzards, like in the Netherlands. A few times flattened( by car) fire salamanders( salamandra salamandra), big, black, with yellow stripes on the back. In our country very rare and here just flattened. Or is it a flat version? Hardly a car, let alone a human being encountered. Tosca had a ball, was very enthusiastic. The bloody skin spot of Leon is doing fine, because of a different way of packing the luggage on his back. And so we went on, and entered, after nearly 3 hours and 10 km., Saint-Amand-Montrond Rand. And who stops there? My last night’s landlord Paul.. A smile on his face. I had forgotten the aluminum trough of Tosca. Indeed, I had fed Tosca outside, because this morning she had to wait a while for me. I often let her wait a few hours in the cold to get her used to the cold, just in case she happens not to be allowed inside at night. Well, that is very nice again. Vive la France! Vive la République!
I walked along a long canal. You can not get lost and no mountains, so fast walking. Allready long ago my older brother Jack invited his family to go with him and with his wife Gaby sailing on the French canals. But then we should evade this type of locks, actually waterfalls. Due to other priorities of everyone, including Jack in the meantime, the plan has not yet been realized. (Photo). For cineast Rudi: I did film for Rudi’s movie. On the way I got a text message, always a positive surprise. Especially for a lonely ranger as I am now. H and E from Vijlen, my village. Very nice, that friends / patients also sympathize.
I remember well, E, that I, as a young doctor came to you on maternity visit. You had the flu with high fever during labor. How you got it done! But hey, you had no choice. Now I don’t have a choice either. Once you said “A” you’ve gotta go on and say B, right?. I must think again of the modern conception of education and of life: ‘fun’ is the magic word. A constant state of satisfaction. That is the ideal. Then you must have been at least a yogi! Ha, ha, do not fool me. Go look in India. Quite some beggars became a priest, in order to beg with more authority. Life is not perfect. Negativity of me? Maybe, but with all positivity you should not lose your perception of reality. Eternal happiness is only in movies, like the eternal love, the continuous sacrifice etc. For that we need martyrs and saints. Pas moi alors.
And so we arrived at 5 pm first in Saint-Pierre-les-Etieux and next in Charenton-du-Cher. Why do French sites so often have assembled names? Perhaps because many similar names appear in various regions?
Another kind of castle farm. Mme. Mativon, she looks about 80, appeared at the upstairs window. She was a little sick, she said. When I walked in she was looking for the switch at a totally wrong place. Ill, nervous, or Alzheimer’s light? She led me through the chamber of the aforementioned upstairs window to my bedroom. I just peeked through her open door. Apparently she also lived in that room: sewing machine, an indescribable mess. A student boys room is neat compared to this.
So yet a little disoriented in place? Maybe even in time and in person. I’ll find out in about 10 min., when I am supposed to show up for supper. Before supper I ate in my room the few slices of bread with (nuts) chocolate, that I still had with me, as an old woman usually does not eat much more than a small piece of chicken. And if she is sick, she won’t eat more than a sick chicken.
We’re one hour later now: 20:17 u. And my suspicion came true. Diner was just leftovers. Thin soup, I took twice. Among others foi gras, a little leftover chicken, a few heated potatoes, vegetables. After I had taken my part of leftover chicken, a tiny little rest of the chicken was left. You can see that this lady has been through the war, or was in this region the Vichy regime? Leftovers are delicious. I’ve heard that before! It’s my mother- in- law’s favorite. It resembles the cheap Dutch cheese slider: Each bite the cheese is slightly moved back. If the sandwich is finished, the slice of cheese is put back into the refrigerator. This meal reminds me of that, let’s just say Scottish, couple that was visiting. There were two pieces of meat brought home. The children were instructed: if we ask, who wants meat, you say, “we do not.” So the 2 steaks were given to the visiters. After dinner the children were starving and attacked the desert. Wham, wham, those who do not eat meat do not get any dessert. I feel like one of the children. After our diner I went back to my room and ate part of the stale bread that I had kept for the horse. Tomorrow’s petit dejeuner is included in the price. I’m preparing already for two dry cookies, or 2 dry bisquits with a teaspoon of jam. Fortunately, I had quickly noted that in front of this castle is a baker’s shop. Selective perception! OK. Way to go. I still have to check tomorrow’s route, scraping the dirt of my skin and then go to bed. Showering is not really necessary. I do not sweat with the calm saunter and if I ever perspire, I can just tap it off my skin! Really?