Le Grand-Pressigny may be a village of only about 950 people, but it’s a busy place. Last weekend was the “La Nature dans tous ses états,” which translates to “Nature in all its states,” but let’s just call it Nature Day.

As we’d been eager to get involved in the community as much as possible, we were happy to be asked to help out with this event. On Saturday, we were part of the team that set up the booths and tents in the yard of the Gothic-style church in the village square. We considered working in the booth selling drinks, but we’re still not so quick with counting Euro coins and didn’t want to inflict our ignorance on the patrons.

The weather cooperated on Nature Day, and everyone seemed pleased with the attendance. We enjoyed catching up with our new friends and neighbors as we strolled through the assortment of crafts and plants for sale (three tomato plants went home with us). In a side tent, there were lectures on various subjects such as area wildlife, and a local man presented an interesting slide show of his travels to Antarctica. At mid-day, it was time for a wine reception and lunch from a man in a wooden caravan selling “fouées,” delicious little pita breads freshly-cooked in a clay oven, with savory or sweet fillings.

One woman had some interesting medallion necklaces for sale. When she said something about them in French to me, I apologized and asked if she spoke any English. She smiled and said “George Clooney!” and pointed to the necklaces. It took me a minute, but I realized she was saying that the necklaces were made from recycled Nespresso coffee pods. You would never know it by looking at them – they were quite pretty. (Sorry, I’m kicking myself now for not getting a photo of them.)

Things I learned this week:

• The word “pet” in French is “animal de compagnie.” Isn’t that perfect?
• Northern France has the distinction of having towns with the longest name (Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson) and the shortest name (Y).
• The entire country of France would fit in the state of Texas.

Update on renovations:

• Work is scheduled to begin on May 20th. Hallelujah!