Last night I went inspecting his sheep of course. 150 meatsheep, all lairage, many with lambs. Interesting to me that he did only feed straw, with 80 gr. concentrate a day per sheep. That is infinitely less than is recommended in our books. Is the food industry behind those books? This morning cozy breakfast with dad, mom, son and daughter. The son works in Paris, in the organization of the railways. The daughter I do not know. She was rather quiet. Impressed?
Rain was predicted, but except for a few drops, with tailwind, I have not noticed much.
But I did notice that the sticky lime soil here is like wet cement. It sticks worse than our boasted Limburg löss clay and you slide like a penguin. First I kicked the clay off my shoes, but it was no use. Then just trotting with heavy shoes. It seems like walking uphill. Everything is filthy: trousers, lead rope of Leon and therefore my jacket again. As before, again no village bar open. Because I had covered all backpacks with a tight rain cover, it was hard to reach my supplies. Yeah, why don’t you put it in an easily accessible place?” I know the advice.
In my mind I’ve ever gone through the route for next week. It’s hard to concentrate when you dredging Office is trying to get ahead of you and because you must always pay attention to the road, the animals and their movements. These followers want to know where they stand. I would have liked to walk the gym club from Seville to Merida and then at night visit these beautiful cities with the visiting gym club, and on weekends, when my gym club is gone and has been replaced by my colleagues and collaborators of my work, chat or whatever in a cozy lodge.
The manager of the pilgrims’ shelter, the boss of Bar Longchamp in Chateau-Porcien, pointed me to the municipal gite: next to the bank. I look all over the place. So it was not next to, but opposite of, with no sign “gite”. Fortunately, someone pointed it, otherwise I would not have recognized it. Horse can go to the riding farm straight past the next bar. It proved not directly adjacent, but a few farms further. Men! Poor spatial awareness? Whether this is the French started? The cottage door code was incorrect. After 2 x to have been returned to the administrator, the manager of Cafe Longchamp, 150 m. Further, finally the code was right and I could enter. The cottage is just about nothing: a small loft with two bunkbeds, occupying half the space, no blankets. I gave my tent and sleeping bag to my esteemed spouse to take home, two weeks ago. Luckily I always among the pack-saddle of the horse blanket, which “Tosca at night sleeping. That blanket is full with horse hair and Tosca has bitten quite some air holes in it, but the blanket can still serve me tonight. Tomorrow morning I can take a shower, because there indeed is one. Only, before my departure the towel will not be dry on the miniradiatortje there. But I can again apply the already proven method, by drying myself with toilet paper. That sounds dirtier than it is. I use clean paper!
All men are the same, women say! Poor spatial awareness? Whether this is the French way of doing things? The cottage door code was incorrect. After having returned twice to the refuge- guardian in the bar, the manager of Cafe Longchamp, 150 m. from the refuge, finally the door code was right and I could enter. The cottage is just about nothing: a small loft with two bunkbeds, occupying half the space, no blankets. And I gave my esteemed spouse my tent and sleeping bag to take home, two weeks ago. Luckily between the pack-saddle and the chabrque I always put a horse blanket, on which Tosca sleeps at night. That blanket is well filled with horse hair and Tosca has bitten quite some air holes in it, but the blanket can still serve me tonight. Tomorrow morning I can take a shower, because there is one here. Only before my departure the towel will not dry on the tiny miniradiator there. But I can apply the already proven method, by drying myself with toilet paper. That sounds dirtier than it is. I use clean paper!
First doing some shopping. Says the teacher in the supermarket: are you looking for something ?, but in French of course. Yes, I say, razors. Are you that guy with that horse and dog? I was hoping quietly for an invitation for an evening dinner. Again I peed next to the potty! I got two carrots for the horse, a rejected pear and apple, which didn’t seem rotten. My purchased pear and apple are now in the same box. Maybe I’ll eat them myself, including those for the horse, and then in return, I leave Leon a little longer eating at the roadside. Yes, you have to improvise. After having washed my coat in the shower of the refuge, I hope I will be denied less easily at catering establishments like Cafe Longchamp. There I first glanced at an i-padvideo of a motorcycle racer who like crazy was speeding between the traffic on the highway. We all laughed together while sipping a Leffe.
Another guest comes in, shakes my hand and asks me the newspaper, lying next to me, which still want to read. No, preserved for you, I answer, and continue with i-toads. I try to understand a phone call from a customer at the bar, but I do not understand a word. Is this the local dialect, I ask. No, says the boss, he is Portuguese. Ha ha. And the other one is from the Ukraine. And I’m from the Netherlands. Then you barkeeper, being Frenchman, are the minority.
What else happened today? Oh yeah, sms, I’m someone’s Valentine. Hey hey, finally someone who is thinking of a poor man who wants to be necessary, yet consistent. Who says A, has to say B. But not always. My college friend and swim club colleague Jan O. V. Used to say: life is too short to be consistent. I always remember! Anyway, thanks to the Valentine SMS, I still feel a little bit part of society. Thanks B and H.
My food is now served at bar Longchamp. So break. To be continued.
The infrastructuring, mainly organizing sleeping and the next route has kept me busy a long time. But for hangers, Mgr. Willem van H. has arranged for me to sleep in a friendly female voice in Rimogne. Tuesday I am looking for something between Bourg-Fidele and Rocroi. For Wednesday night I think of Oignies-en-Thiérache.
Harrie Huijben pony en hond
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