Going Nowhere , livre ebook
289
pages
English
Ebooks
2013
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289
pages
English
Ebooks
2013
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
14 mars 2013
Nombre de lectures
2
EAN13
9781782342113
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
On a touring holiday in south-west France, a young English couple, Jennifer and Peter Robbins, quickly fall under the charms of the Lot region - a land of wide meandering rivers, wooded hillsides, rugged moors and quaint stone villages bathed in warm sunshine (not to mention the more worldly pleasures of good food and curiously strong drink). Their holiday takes a step into the unknown when they decide, on impulse, to purchase a house in need of restoration in the remote and pretty village of Lecul-en-Quercy. During their frequent visits, they get to know many of the local characters, including Thomas Chene, the wily mayor; Maisie Connell, the English estate agent who has special techniques for promoting business; Messieurs Blanc and Grospetit, the rival bakers; Marie, the Mayor's long suffering sister and reluctant spinster who daily faces the challenges of computers, community keys and the temperamental town-hall toilet. The Robbinses also have to deal with incomers like themselves -William Montgomery, the retired palaeontologist with a deep secret; Gilbert and Nancy, who impress the locals with their fertility; Stephanie de Chartres, with her out-of-place airs and graces, and even President Jacques Chirac. But it's the hilarious situations that prove the most memorable - the hunter's dinner, where British honour is at stake; the annual snail race, when extreme steps are taken to ensure victory; the terrible revenge meted out to an ambitious mobile trader; the auction of the beer-drinking billy goat; the curious consequence of the incomers' visit to the cemetery that divides the community, and the pending disaster that brings them all together again. And all this in a village that, due to a cartographer's deafness and a faulty telephone, has been removed from the Michelin maps since 1939.
Voir
Publié par
Date de parution
14 mars 2013
EAN13
9781782342113
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
Contents
Front Matter ..................................................... 3 Title Page ..................................................... 3 PublisHer Information ................................... 4 Dedication ................................................... 5
Goîng Nowere................................................. 6 CHapter One ................................................ 6 CHapter Two .............................................. 22 CHapter hree............................................. 43 CHapter Four.............................................. 63 CHapter Five .............................................. 86 CHapter Six .............................................. 104 CHapter Seven .......................................... 128 CHapter EigHt........................................... 151 CHapter Nine ........................................... 172 CHapter Ten ............................................. 183 CHapter Eleven ......................................... 203 CHapter Twelve......................................... 226 CHapter hirteen ...................................... 249 CHapter Fourteen...................................... 266
Back Matter .................................................. 288 Also Available........................................... 288
GOING NOWHERE
A Novel By Roderick Craig Low
Publiser Information
Goîng Nowere Pubîsed în 2012 by Andrews UK îmîted www.andrewsuk.com
hîs book îs sod subject to te condîtîon tat ît sa not, by way o trade or oterwîse, be ent, resod, îred out or oterwîse cîrcuated wîtout te pubîser’s prîor wrîtten consent în any orm o bîndîng or cover oter tan tat în wîc ît îs pubîsed, and wîtout a sîmîar condîtîon beîng împosed on te subsequent purcaser.
Copyrîgt © 2012 Roderîck Craîg ow
he rîgt o Roderîck Craîg ow to be îdentîIed as autor o tîs book as been asserted în accordance wît sectîon 77 and 78 o te Copyrîgts Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.
Dedication
For Canta. hank you or everytîng.
hîs book îs dedîcated to te great many peope, past and present, wo ave brougt me joy, companîonsîp, good conversatîon and ove aong te way. ï wî never orget you and wî aways be grateu. ï ope my cumsy afectîon wî be remembered wît a smîe.
Capter One
Wen Jennîer and Peter Robbîns Irst dîscovered ecu-en-Quercy, ît was by accîdent. hey ater dîscovered tat te popuatîon o ecu-en-Quercy rougy e înto two camps - tose wose ancestors ad îved tere sînce at east Napoeonîc tîmes and tose wo, îke tem, ad ound te pace by accîdent. he accîdent aspect îs down to two actors. he Irst îs te car-ownîng penomenon o spendîng oîdays cruîsîng around pretty parts o te word wît no partîcuar destînatîon în mînd. he second îs tat ecu-en-Quercy doesn’t reay exîst. he guîdebooks or sout-west France encourage oîday-makers wît teîr own transport to spend a appy day drîvîng up te ot vaey rom Caors towards Capdenac and ten over te top to Fîgeac beore trundîng down te Céé vaey to return to te capîta o te département du ot. hey reer, by name o course, to te încomparabe St. Cîrc apopîe, wît îts pretty arcîtecture, to Pec-Mere and te amous caves, and a ew oter deîgts suc as deensîve ruîns, beautîu vîews and câteaux, but ecu-en-Quercy îs anonymousy dîsmîssed by te “and too many oter pretty vîages to mentîon by name” generaîsatîon. Anoter obvîous dîsadvantage or te pace îs tat ecu-en-Quercy doesn’t appear on any map. hîs îs due to an oversîgt on te part o a cartograper workîng or Mîceîn în 1939. He was generay up to te usua îg standard or tat august and paînstakîng organîsatîon but sufered rom premature deaness and te provîsîon by îs empoyer o a deectîve teepone. A year beore, în 1938, te prîvate raîway companîes în France ad been natîonaîsed, and SNCF - te ten new organîsatîon wîc bears te same name today - carged wît te task o reducîng costs by varîous metods încudîng avoîdîng dupîcatîon and cosîng
passenger statîons were te meagre eve o traic barey warranted teîr retentîon, sent one o teîr înspectors down rom Parîs to te sender extremîtîes o te network o te ormer Parîs Oreans Mîdî Raîway. To avoîd avourîtîsm, înspectîons were carrîed out by peope wîtout a vested înterest, rater îke usîng a Sout Arîcan reeree to adjudîcate an înternatîona rugby matc between Engand and ïtay. So, down to te ot came a Monsîeur Pume, orîgînay rom îe, round o stature, rounder o ace, wît a copy o te oca raîway tîmetabe, a arge înen-backed map o France pubîsed, as ît appens, by Mîceîn, an oicîa ookîng pad o pre-prînted orms and, naturay, a pume to wrîte wît. He mîgt ave mîssed te branc îne atogeter were ît not or a ong od-up at an întermedîate statîon on te îne rom Caors to Capdenac on a very ot day wîe te track aead was occupîed by a goods traîn coectîng wagons o quarry stone rom wat ooked to a întents and purposes îke a sedom-used sîdîng. Wît notîng to do, and te stîLîngy ot and trobbîng raîcar quîcky înducîng one o Monsîeur Pume’s a-too-requent mîgraînes, e decîded to get of te traîn, Ind a seat în te sade somewere and ook troug îs tîmetabe. To Monsîeur Pume, a raîway tîmetabe was a tîng o absorbîng înterest. On a ong journey e woud învarîaby buy a newspaper but ît was aways quîcky abandoned or te întrîcate deîgts o tose coumns o tîmes and paces, abbrevîatîons and dates. Empoyed în te tîmetabîng sectîon o te Cemîn de Fer du Nord untî îts recent natîonaîsatîon, e coud read beneat te superIcîa înormatîon provîded or members o te pubîc. He woud see a traîn rom A to B, îdentîy îts return rom B to A and puzze over weter ît just stood tere waîtîng or ours, or perormed some oter servîce rom B to C and back în te meantîme. hus, to îm, te tîmetabe became a compex range o subte cues to traîn scedues, roîng stock utîîsatîon and traîn crew provîsîon. here was aways room or împrovement, aways ways o reducîng
unnecessary traîn movements, aways metods or empoyîng te staf more expedîtîousy. Monsîeur Pume was îdeay suîted to îs vocatîon. Dedîcated, exactîng, just a îtte bît pernîckety and wît a te attrîbutes o poîce detectîve, Monsîeur Pume was an obvîous coîce to joîn te team învestîgatîng wat SNCF ad înerîted. Sîttîng în te coo grandeur o te statîon waîtîng room-cum-bookîng oice, avîng Irst înormed te traîn crew o te dîre consequences o eavîng beînd a raîway oicîa rom Head Oice în Parîs soud te îne suddeny become cear, e soon ound were e was on te map and reaîsed te sîdîng wasn’t a sîdîng at a. ïnstead, ît was a branc îne wîc ran due sout aong a deep vaey to a statîon wît te name o ecu-et-Mesesses. Beyond te aorementîoned statîon, te îne contînued or tree or our kîometres to a quarry were ît came to an end în a questîon-mark o a curve înto te îsîde. As îs so oten te case în rura paces, te statîon name reerred to te two vîages cosest to te raîway at tat poînt. Neîter was, owever, remotey near te statîon, te centre o Mesesses avîng been passed at east tree kîometres beore and seventy metres above te raîway îne în a ortîIed posîtîon îg on te moor-îke causses, wîe ecu was even urter up te vaey, way beyond te quarry. Raîways rarey made teîr money rom passenger traic, certaîny not în tose days, and statîons were named as raîeads - tîs îs were to send traic ‘or’ te above-named, rater tan tîs îs te name o te ocaîty. Monsîeur Pume turned îs attentîon rom te map to te tîmetabe and rom tat moment ecu commenced îts journey înto obscurîty. ït was not a dramatîc moment. he poundîng yeow and red raîcar outsîde te înrequenty opened door o te combîned bookîng oice and waîtîng room; te eîsurey puing and wîstîng o te ancîent goods engîne as ît based îts trucks back and ort înto sîdîngs beore reassembîng îts traîn; te Lutterîng passage o a trapped dragonLy, îts îrîdescent wîngs Lasîng în te sunîgt
penetratîng te dusty wîndows; te drone o conversatîon rom beînd te gass wîndow în te bookîng a înterspersed wît te catter o rubber stamps assîgnîng a crate o îve cîckens to Rodez, curns o mîk to Caors, or a new buock-aued reapîng macîne to a armer just outsîde te vîage. Not a dramatîc moment. But ît was a sîgnîIcant moment. For Monsîeur Pume ound te branc îne to nowere, saw tat îts twîce-a-day passenger traîn connected wît notîng on te maîn îne, made te assumptîon tat, at most, tere woud be a coupe o return mînera traîns up to te quarry în addîtîon to te two out-and-back passenger workîngs (e was wrong because te traîn ony worked to te quarry twîce a week at most) and concuded tat te îne requîred coser examînatîon. Had ît not been or te od-up, woud tere stî be a traîn servîce to ecu-et-Mesesses? Probaby not. îne cosures contînue to tîs day. But at east ecu-en-Quercy mîgt stî be on te map. To cut a ong story sort, Monsîeur Pume contînued îs journey to Capdenac and came back to Caors vîa Fîgeac, St Denîs - Marte and Souîac, but stayed an extra unpanned day or a return to te sîte o îs earîer dîscovery. He waîted at te waysîde statîon or tree ours (strîcty speakîng, e spent te tîme în te bar o te Hôte de a Gare sampîng severa gasses o Pastîs) beore boardîng te traîn to ecu-et-Mesesses ater askîng te bookîng oice cerk ow many tîckets e ad sod or te branc îne în te ast mont. ‘hat’s easy,’ te cerk saîd, ‘but Irst you must te me ow many Tuesdays and hursdays tere ave been în te ast mont.’ ‘Wy must you know tat?’ Monsîeur Pume asked, rîlîng absent-mîndedy troug te pages o îs dîary as e waîted or an answer. ‘Because Madame eeu vîsîts er sîster on Tuesdays and hursdays.’ Monsîeur Pume was not aways very quîck on te uptake. He was îrrîtated by wat e saw as a sîmpe enquîry beîng answered by wat appeared to îm to be anoter but totay unreated questîon. He ad eard storîes about te resîdents o te sout-west beore and
guessed tîs mîgt be a manîestatîon o teîr reported contrarîness înduced, so ît was saîd, by rampant înbreedîng caused by a cronîc ack o coîce în te eîgîbe partner stakes and te parous state o te oca roads. ‘Dear me, wat a questîon. et me see.’ Monsîeur Pume turned te pages o îs dîary and counted sîenty to îmse as e mouted te numbers. Havîng reaced today, e cosed îs dîary wît a bang. ‘here ave been our hursdays and tree Tuesdays so ar tîs mont.’ ‘Four and tree,’ te cerk murmured. ‘Four and tree....’ ‘Seven!’ Monsîeur Pume beowed; te eat, îs portîness, and te efect o te Pastîs rayîng îs normay unLappabe demeanour. ‘Now wî you answer my questîon?’ ‘Seven,’ te cerk repîed, as toug e ad just reaced te answer-îne în a prîmary scoo arîtmetîc test ong ater îs cassmates. ‘ï know our and tree make...’ ‘Seven. hat’s te answer to your questîon. Seven. Madame eeu îs te ony one wo buys tîckets.’ ‘Wat? You ony ave one passenger? And se ony traves on Tuesdays and hursdays?’ he cerk gave a knowîng ook. ‘ï dîdn’t say se was our ony passenger. ï saîd se’s te ony one wo buys tîckets.’ ‘Wat?’ ‘We, tere’s you, îsn’t tere? You’re goîng up to ecu-et-Mesesses but you’re not buyîng a tîcket, are you?’ ‘ï’m on oicîa busîness!’ Monsîeur Pume barked. ‘Not te same at a! ïs tat a?’ ‘hen tere are te passengers rom te oter end.’ ‘he oter end?’ ‘Yes.’ Monsîeur Pume smîed and wîped îs drîppîng brow wît a arge, red, sîk andkercîe. He was not an entusîast or cosîng raîways înes. He îked raîways, îked traveîng on traîns, ated te act tat e ad been seconded to a department desîgned to weed out te unproItabe. ït was agaînst îs nature. He was a stîcker
