Websites To Trousers And Rocks

Website

The day before yesterday I got a phone call from Frans Oort , whom the Mairie has appointed to help villagers using the PCs in the media centre in the new library. He wanted to discuss my website on the village, it now being in the public domain (www.mon-mollans-sur-ouveze.fr). So I went along to see what he wanted. He said the mayor and councillors were very excited by it; they were amazed at what I had done; it was just the sort of site they wanted.

I said: “Fine, so they can take it over as the official site; I said I would give it to the village if it wanted it”.

“No, no” said Frans, “they have asked me to create a website just like it and I wanted to ask you if I could copy your material; we'll acknowledge it, of course”.

I said: “You can copy what you want but why not just take over the site?”

“The problem”, said Frans, “is that it all has to be approved by the mayor”.

“OK”, I replied, “So let the mayor vet it and just take out what he doesn't want”.

“No”, said Frans, “I have to create a new site and I am not so keen on WordPress for the software; I prefer to use GetSimple. I will do all the updating so that will be fine”.

Clearly, my idea of having several villagers able to maintain the site has gone out of the window, though it does leave hanging the question of what happens if Frans falls under a lorry.

So the village will create a new website, just like mine. I left the meeting assuring Frans I would be willing to help in any way I could but have the feeling that my job is done. I'm not sure whether I hit paranoia, NIH syndrome, xenophobia, more (paid) work for Frans or whatever but I shall continue with my website, worrying less about the practical information that needs to be on a village site and focussing more on what I want to put on it. It sounds crazy to me but it frees me to do what I want.

Trousers

As I was leaving the meeting (several other villagers using computers were in the room), one of them, Geneviève, asked me if I would like to come to lunch the next day. I had had lunch with her a week previously wearing trousers that were slightly too long and she had noticed and said she would fix them for me. I said I would be glad to come to lunch so she called out: “And don't forget to bring your trousers”. Eyebrows raised and giggles all around the room.

Weather

It snowed last Sunday. None of the villagers I know can remember it ever having snowed in October before, although it was only a light covering which had disappeared by the following morning, even from the top of Mont Ventoux. Now, though, Mont Ventoux has a thick white winter coating at the top and that will probably stay until next March or April. I still haven't found it necessary to have any heating in the house apart from in the living room in the evenings but that too will come soon. Winter is definitely approaching.

Crests Of Rock

Geneviève's house has a spectacular view of Mont Ventoux from her dining room. Whilst having lunch with her and admiring the view I noticed a crest of rock rising sharply above the hamlet of Veaux, which lies at the foot of Mont Ventoux. I hadn't noticed it before. This struck me particularly as there is a similar crest above Buis les Baronnies, known locally as the wall of China, and, indeed, a very large one atop a hill that is a local landmark called Les Dentelles de Montmirail. Since the hills around are generally rounded and wooded, these crests of thin, bald, sheer rock stand out noticeably. I'm not enough of a geologist to know whether these are made of a harder rock to withstand the erosion that must have shaped the rounded hills from which they stand out or whether some later seismic event has forced them to the surface (but I would assume the former). Either way I now realise they are a definite feature of the landscape.