Puyloubier - more early impressions

Puyloubier (weeks 4-5)

Some more impressions of Puyloubier now that we've spent a week here:

There are a lot of cyclists in this area, and the roads are at best 1.5 lanes with ditches on either side (to prevent road runoff from getting into the vineyards, presumably), so you really have to be on your toes.  It is not too busy, but there is steady traffic through the roads.  Neighbourhood kids have a few places to play including, literally, in the street.  Just like in Canada, the first to see one shouts "voiture!" and the kids jump onto the sidewalk, and resume playing after the car has passed.

Fortunately, there are also a couple of other places to play - such as the school playgrounds and especially the Parc des Sports.  The area has an enclosed basketball/something court (indoor soccer? handball?) - as you can see from the picture, it has a fabric surface which makes dribbling tricky.  It also has a very well-cared for soccer pitch, etc.  Andrew has invented a game called "lineball", where the boys try to get the ball past each other but must stick to the court lines (this is what they are doing in the picture).  David also shoots hoops, and the previous tenants left behind a couple junior tennis rackets and a big bag of balls, so Yolanda has been practicing with them.

The church bell keeps track of time on the hour every hour, even through the night.  Luckily it is not that loud!  There is a second, ruined church up the hill, which we gather is medieval.  All that's left is a couple walls, about 10-12 feet high.  They have also restored part of the medieval (?) wall, which is lit up at night with floodlights (we can see it from our patio).

Andrew has befriended a local cat.  Her name is Dexey, and is the pet of the local handyman (he also cares for our place in the absence of the landlords, who are Canadian).  People have a very laissez-faire attitude to pets here - they seem to be more like co-habitants rather than beloved family members.  Small dogs and cats wander at random through town, but they seem to have the same laid-back attitude as everyone else.  It's too hot to bite or scratch anyone!