11 November 2008 Tuesday – Armistice Day

A grey Armistice Day but mid morning we set off on a walk into Foix. Only the bread shops and Casino seem to be open today, but we wander around. The usual crowd of “homeless” with their dogs adorn the steps of the main post office and one sits on the pavement with his dog, cap out in front of him with a few coins in it.
There are queues at the tills of the Casino, and at the bread shop adjacent to it. We climb the two flights of stairs to the Bazaar and I splash out on a bit of plastic sheeting to protect the wall next to the kitchen from oil splashes, and a frying pan spatter guard.

The town is fairly deserted. A few elderly ladies are coming out of the Abbey and any memorial service that may have taken place at the war memorial has disbanded. The local newspaper has been asking the question, where are all the names of all the heroic women on the nation’s war memorials? There are less than three in our area of the South West.
Bread is bought from a boulangerie in the old town, but not from my usual shop, as through their window I can see that their bread baskets are empty.
On the way back we take a detour along the road which runs one garden away from my house. We pass some big houses and a primary school and then we are in the countryside. A field with three donkeys, a house with a big shed for his pigeons and some big black and white birds. Rather pongy. A few hundred meters before the road becomes single track and disappears round a bend we find Rene’s house. The man that I met on the choir’s autumn walk. It is set back from the road in a dip. Big gates then a long driveway to the parking area, then the large house. Big lawn too. From this area of Foix the castle is clearly visible.
We return home.Later that evening I receive an email from Rene and his wife. It has an attachment which turns out to be a photo slide show of millionaire’s houses in Canada. They are built on little islands and can only be reached if you have a boat. There is also an invitation to visit them sometime. Perhaps they spotted us in their road this morning?