There’s a track where I often take my dog for a walk – it’s perfect for us – fairly flat, but enough ups and downs and rocks and trees and plants to make it interesting. We usually meet all kinds of joggers and walkers, and best of all for Alfie – dogs! There is a woman who strides along on the higher path with her big earphones on – I once saw her pulling ivy off a tree, which you might think is weird, but we all have our favourite mug or “my” chair, don’t we – (well, my sister doesn’t) – so who is weirder?

There was quite an interesting man on a bicycle yesterday – he had a helmet on, but he looked nice from what I could see of him – the trouble in these parts/neck of the woods/insert your own cliché here, is they are highly likely to be computer engineers, as everyone either works at Amadeus or some other company in  Sophia-Antipolis – France’s equivalent of the USA’s Silicon Valley.

As my dog and I – (or as Prince Harry would say: Me and the dog – talk about the Queen’s English!) got near a bend, I could hear digging again – the other day when we passed the same spot, there were two teenage boys hacking away at the bank with a pick-axe, and then shovelling the earth from one side of the track to the other. At first, I thought they must be hiding their drugs – probably just cannabis, though I thought it was an odd place to choose, being so public.

A pick-axe is quite a scarey looking weapon, but Alfie and I acted cool as we walked past this time – we even managed a Bonjour to show how accepting we were of them digging up this public and protected woodland.They said Bonjour back, which was good. It’s best to form a rapport with your attackers, I’ve read.

Well if they were still digging two days later – which they were, it wasn’t to hide a little packet of pot, was it? And the loud conversation I heard as we got nearer, was
“….and she doesn’t even wear make-up”. What were they up to? Were they plotting to bury the class geek, and were getting things ready?

Alfie had started his refusal routine when we heard the digging, but we managed to go a bit further before turning around just beyond the chantier (for you, Jane). Now we were behind a stooped man carrying a long, rounded piece of bark. He was walking with two women and their dog. I noticed they stopped and asked one of the diggers what he was doing, so of course I caught up with them and said ‘Excuse me, I’m very curious – what did they say they were doing?’
‘They’re building a ramp for their bikes’
I said ‘That’s better than a …’
‘ Tombe’ (a grave), the woman filled in the blank for me.
‘Exactly’, I said – ‘to bury the people who walk past’.
The lovely man said ‘We didn’t see any corpses!’  which made us all laugh, and then Alfie joined their party and dawdled with them the rest of the way, leaving me to go ahead like the snooty Brexiter.So disloyal, that dog.

ps I wish Admin would stop torturing me with “views” and “visitor” – we all know it’s me!
I did have a follower a couple of months ago, but her computer’s up the spout, with no sign of it being fixed any time soon. She’s a friend of mine, and an ex-English teacher, so likes things like two spaces after a full stop    . I ask you! The good news is, since she doesn’t have a computer, she has started baking – so far, other friends and I have sampled her very chocolatey chocolate cupcakes and perfect profiteroles.