Timeline: Saturday 3 November 2013: La maman de Marcel passed from this life a couple of
months ago and my friend, saddened enough by this event, has been sifting
through the lifetime of memories and emotions in the household, as he and his
wife make preparations to sell the old house and move on with life to the more
happy times ahead.
We were in our kitchen
sharing some local bubbles with Marcel and Brigitte when the bride and I were
invited to visit the old house by the church which we reverently did. The house
wore the patina of age graciously and we were soon discovering plenty of
treasures holding an abundance of social and family history. Our friends
insisted we were helping to clear the house and were pleased that numerous
items were going to an appreciative new home, rather than to a house clearance
company.
In consequence, we have
wonderful top and bowler hats in their original purpose made boxes, both
bearing matching maker’s names; kitchen balance scales with a set of brass weights;
a bedroom nightstand wash set; a pair of forged iron fire dogs made by Marcel’s
brother (now residing on the Maison d’Amis’s hearth, but not the brother!) and
a multitude of wine glasses. We continued through the outbuildings finding
other gems and came across a huge antique wine press of the type you used to
see all over France many decades ago and whilst lusting over such an iconic
piece of rural French heritage, we realised it really wouldn’t fit anywhere,
unfortunately : (
A couple of weeks later,
Marcel e-mails me asking me to bring two friends along to help with the
delivery of the wine press. Well did you really think we could possibly pass up
the opportunity to look after such a relic, particularly a fully serviceable
example?
Despite Marcel’s tractor and trailer, it still took nine of us 30
minutes to extricate the remarkably heavy oak and iron contraption out of its
old home and onto the trailer and after driving it the short distance to its
new home, another 45 minutes getting it into one of the larger outbuildings, where
its now feeling quite at home amongst a profusion of wine barrels.
 |
| Just thinking! |
 |
| . . . and discussing |
 |
| Bon installation! |
The exercise particularly
reminded me of the Year in Provence
story from Peter Mayle when the delivery and positioning of a similarly large
and heavy stone table was only affected by the equally robust application of
French manpower. Much advice, heaving, lifting, pushing, pulling, levering and
grunting ensued after which there was the traditional celebratory vin d’honneur
to seal the deed.
A bientôt,
LC
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