The simple joy of idleness

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For the last many weeks, we have been living in our town house in the small mountain village of Antraigues-Sur-Volane in the south of France

Almost every day, the sun has been shining, the heat has been massive – and not very much has been happening in our lives.

Our daily decisions have mostly been

- what book to read, 

- which shady part of our gardens to sit in, 

- where on the village square to perhaps play a game of petanque, 

- what  to buy for dinner in the local epicerie, 

- which  local café to choose for our occasional evening apéritif.

Whenever we stay in Antraigues, we experience this ‘joie simple du farniente’ - the simple joy of idleness.

The only exception each year is the one single night in June, where the quiet village life  suddenly turns into  a wild party.

That night was last night!

Loud rock music was thundering off the walls of the old stone houses around the village square and the villagers  danced and played until the early morning.

We all celebrated a local giant – the painter Jean Saussac, who almost 60 years ago became the communist mayor of the village.

The charismatic Saussac attracted famous, leftwing artists to the village, where they partied with the villagers at the fabled ‘Nuits d’Antraigues’ - the huge open-air dinners on the square, which would attract a thousand guests. 

During the Sixties and Seventies, Saussac almost singlehandedly succeeded in transforming Antraigues. 

It used to be a village in the grip of a continuous rural exodus, but it became a refuge for progressives from all of France.

When the ‘Nuits d’Antraigues’ finally ended, some of the artists chose to stay in the village, and even though only a few of them are living today, the spirit of the golden age of Antraigues is still alive on this fabulous June night.

Saussac always worked for  ‘La force du lien",  the strength of the bond, and last night everybody -  villagers and summer guests alike - felt  the bond, that the old mayor formed 60 years ago. 

This morning the party is over, and - as most bonds will eventually be broken. Tomorrow Rita and I  leave for Scotland, for England, and for adventures beyond that.

There is still a huge world to explore, and the next few years we might not have time left just for months of simple idleness - how joyful it otherwise might seem to be!