When I'm actually travelling on business, before going to sleep I check all the park benches nearby to make sure there are no other people sleeping near me. I hate it when there's someone nearby in case they steal my shoes when I'm asleep.
And that's how I first met Bernard Rossignol. He is French, you know. You don't pronounce his name Bernard like in English, but Bear Naar ... like in French.
Anyway, there I was in the park at midnight searching for a free bench on which to sleep when I saw Bernard walking through the trees. I stopped him and asked, "Are you looking for a free bench too?"
He must have thought I was a Park Ranger because of my abrupt manner of speaking.
"Non monsieur ..." he said in a French accent, "I am doing zee walking of my tortoise!"
"Walking a tortoise?" I said incredulously, "I see no tortoise here!"
"Zat eez bee cause I let 'im off ze lead and he run away in ze bushes!" he replied.
I did not believe him and asked him his name which he gave me without hesitation. So I asked him what he was doing in the park at this late hour. He said that he was a music conductor and a tenor. He likes to go out on a walk at night as the fresh air clears his lungs and helps him sing.
As he was talking, a fox came out hurriedly from the bushes and ran between his legs. That's when I first realised that he was bow-legged.
"With legs like that you should play the cello!" I said.
I don't think he understood because he replied, "I cannot Monsieur ... I 'ave ze cold!"
At that moment a tortoise happened to walk by slowly from some bushes. It had a red flashing light on its back to help see it in the dark. It also had a sensor stuck on its shell. Apparently he has a receiver in his pocket and can locate the tortoise if he loses it.
"Allo Alphonse ..." he said as he picked up the tortoise and put it in his bag.
I asked him what Rossignol meant in French. He said it is nightingale; the singing bird!
He gave me a couple of tickets for his next concert. Here's a short video I took on my cellphone of him conducting the orchestra.
...I guess that you can meet interesting people on park benches at night.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. Squirrels too, and badgers sometimes, and the odd fox.
DeleteGod bless, Tom.
Your mind certainly works in mysterious ways, Victor, and that's a good thing!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
As long as it makes someone smile, Martha; I am happy. I liked that cello joke. Sometimes my thoughts make me smile.
DeleteGod bless you.
You never know who you'll meet in a park.
ReplyDeleteNever expected a tenor with a tortoise.
DeleteGod bless you, Bill.
Thanks for today's entertainment. I enjoyed the story and Berr---narr's directions. I need the classical stuff at least once a week (and get it on the car radio!)
ReplyDeleteSending the best from over here..
Sherry & jack
I'm so pleased you enjoyed the classical music, Jack. Here is some more I made in video format. I hope you like them.
ReplyDeletehttps://timeforreflections.blogspot.com/2021/02/bonzo-bookshelf.html
God bless you and Sherry always.
You meet the strangest people! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I often do, Happyone.
DeleteGod bless.
Anyone who has a pet tortoise with its own tracking device can't be all bad! Still trying to get the cello v. bad cold reference -- I know there's a joke in there somewhere, but my mind hasn't processed it yet.
ReplyDeleteYears ago in the UK there was a TV program called Monty Python Flying Circus. I am not sure if it ever got to TV in the USA. A famous sketch on that show is the Dead Parrot sketch. At the beginning, a customer makes a complaint at a pet shop, and starts by calling the male assistant "Miss". The pet shop assistant irately says, "what do you mean, Miss?" To which the customer replies, "I am sorry I got a cold!"
DeleteNo particular meaning of this line, but it was typical of British humour at the time on this particular show. Often lines were said which made no logical sense.
Here is the sketch in question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZw35VUBdzo
God bless you, Mevely.
Dearest Victor,
ReplyDeleteHaha, what a story!
You at least know how to list a video with some copyrighted music... 😉
Hugs,
Mariette
Thanx Mariette. I hope you enjoyed the video. Took ages to make the animations.
DeleteGod bless.
😳
DeleteHow interesting, to walk your tortoise. Be careful on those benches, they are narrow and you don't want to fall off when you turn over.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did that many times, Mimi.
DeleteGod bless always my friend.
The last thing I do is turn off the bedside lamp. No park benches for me. I like my comforts. I've learned in the last few decades that conducting an orchestra is more than just waving a stick in the air.
ReplyDeleteDo you play music, River, or conduct an orchestra? I often wondered why the musicians all have sheet music to follow, but not the conductor.
DeleteGod bless.
There is no music in my fingers, but I love to listen.
DeleteHow much fun can a pet tortoise be? I can't quite visualize that concept especially one with a tracking devise. Cute story and entertaining read. Hugs and blessings to you Victor.
ReplyDeleteI suppose he liked a slow creature to share his walks with. It helped him think about his next aria.
DeleteGod bless you always, Nells my friend.