Monday, July 11, 2005

Nurses, wine tasting and a bizarre sight.

One of the first things the doctor requested, when Jan visited her with her recent health problem, was that a nurse should visit the house daily to administer an injection. The doctor even made the call to the nursing practice to make the arrangements. The injection is being given to prevent a potential thrombosis and by default to let the nurse give additional help and advice. The nurse did in fact change the medicine, after consultation with the doctor. We have to say that the medical care, and the nursing care in particular, has been excellent.

***

Jan suggests that we venture out for a change, so she is definitely feeling better, and we decide to visit some domains for a little wine tasting. Pic St Loup is a well respected wine producing area, about 30 minutes away, so we head first for Chateau l'Euziere in Fontanes. We try a white and two reds and as usual end up buying two boxes of the most expensive at 11.50 euros per bottle. Absolutely delicious. Next is Chateau La Roque, where we try six wines, two whites, a rose, and three reds. They are all so nice that we buy some of each. This is turning into an interesting, expensive and very enjoyable afternoon.
But the smiles get much wider. We are on our way back, when we are flashed by cars coming in the opposite direction. This usually means that there are police ahead, so we dutifully slow down. It's not the police, but an accident. One car is totally blocking the road, another has flipped onto its side and there are several people milling around. I spot what I now suspect is the cause of the accident. An elderly man, with some kind of elaborate decoration in his hair, is standing by the side of the road surveying the scene. I know he is elderly by the size and quantity of the veins running up the back of his legs and over his backside. He is also very wrinkly. How do I see the veins running up his legs, how do I know he is wrinkly? Because he is virtually naked. He is wearing absolutely nothing but a thong and wooden 'platform' clogs. He also has dreadlocks half way down his back. I very much doubted that he was a passenger in one of the cars, my best guess being, based upon the deep brown colour of his skin, that he walks around like this. We have never seen anything so bizarre or funny and I'd say that at least one of the drivers was so distracted (as indeed we were) that he lost concentration and crashed. Oh that we had a camera! The rest of the day was boring in comparison.

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