Carving in the park

This sculpture has been there for many years and looks quite weathered. The rain held off in the morning and I was able to play tennis. However, it is now hammering down and the rain is forecast to last until the Friday. There  were a few more at French conversation including a French lady who had prepared a short session on the correct pronunciation of words containing a 'r'. Not pronouncing the sound at the back of the palette with a slight guttural sound immediately gives away an English native. There then followed a fascinating account from Gaby, who is in his nineties, of the 'Aiguat', the great flood of 1940 that swept away a large part of the village. He spoke of his childhood recollections of the event. There had only been three days of steady rain but the damage was caused by the natural accumulation of logs and debris forming dams along the river which gave way in a domino effect. This caused the huge rush of water.  He also described some wartime experiences when he was out after curfew and got in terrible trouble as he could have compromised the family which was a hotbed of resistance. He also told some other more risqué stories of following his uncle and girlfriend with his mates to the woods and the things he saw!