SEPTEMBER 2024

The things a dog has to do!  The Mrs has been at the brushes again – the ones on sticks that I am not allowed to chew! 

My dearest French friend Frédéric (commonly known as Frédo) (pronounced Fraydoh) invited us all to watch the combine harvester cut the field of corn belonging to his family.  In fact we all turned out, our visitors, his family and Frédo, being inordinately keen on big machines of any sort – tractors, harvesters, balers, etc – you get the picture – asked the Mrs is she would do another painting for him - of the “batteuse”.  This will be a gift to say thank you for all the friendship and generosity his family shows us, me included.  She has previously completed paintings of himself, his tractor, his log splitter, the family dog and their house.   All the family work on farms or with wood and I recognise the sound of his tractor coming up the road now, so I know when to look out for him and get a friendly pat. 

The Mrs takes a few days to complete the painting and I helped, of course, by jogging her occasionally when I felt she had been sitting too long in the same position.  She knows I am right and reluctantly leaves the easel for a stretch and a bit of playing with me and my favourite tennis ball.   She wants a photo of her work so gets her own back for my jogging her by getting me to sit very still for quite some time so she can lean it against me in the best light by the window and take a snap.   I think I look quite handsome, the combine's not too bad and Frédo was so pleased with his painting he gave me extra pats.