Wonderful, wonderful Tartapain bakery, Yffiniac!
Not only do I say this because they produce excellent wholemeal, moist and soft-crusted, small walnut and raisin loaves, and another similar with sweet dried fruits, a big round gallette au four and a lovely light oily baguette they call a guilette which is a little like ciabatta, to say nothing of kouign amann nearly as good as you get in Finistere, not only because all the girls who sell the bread are young and lovely, and all the boys who bake it are young and comely, but also because they have just done a marvellous thing.
On approaching the counter today, I looked down and saw my purse was not in its habitual pocket in my bag, which was gaping open. I ran back to Tom, who gave me his wallet, then retraced my step back to the petrol station over the road where I had first got out of the car. My conviction, however was that I had never replaced the purse after taking it out that morning for a stamp, and I remembered it had been lying on the table, so I didn't worry unduly, and we went about our business.
On getting home, no purse. Not under the car seat, nowhere. I rang the petrol station, no luck.
I rang the bakery. The joy in the girl's voice when she told me they had found it, and repeated my phone number back to me was nearly as great as my own. Now Tom's gone to fetch it. I feel like that woman in the Bible who found a lost coin and called all her friends to round for a party, probably spending the refound money in the process, and spending all the 70 odd euros in celebration, including champagne and flowers for the lovely young people at Tartapain!
11 comments:
Worth celebrating, even if you do spend more than the money you thought you'd lost!
The delicious Breton names got me wondering how much of the language you've had occasion to learn.
Wonderful, so much joy added.
Dagnab, the excitement of all that happened has got you speaking in tongues, Lucy. Yffiniac?
Oh phew...
Oh, I am so glad for you! And glad for the human race, that this happened.
In my earliest days in Croatia, when the war had just begun and the borders often were closed, I left my passport on a bus...and it was turned in to a police station, and I got it back. I don't suppose I'll ever know who found it and turned it in, but if I could, I would celebrate them as you did!
My mouth is watering, ummmm. And such a wonderful parable!
Thanks.
And of course the money was only the start of it, there would have been my driving licence, medical card, debit card...
Jean - I regret to say Kouign Amann is about the limit of my grasp of Breton (it means 'butter cake', and was originally a way of making a treat from left over bread dough, rolled and folded many times with butter and sugar, delicious and very wicked). I do recognise some of the elements of place names from living in Wales, but not really of the written language generally. In fact there is a line running more or less north to south through the Paimpol peninsular and Guingamp down to the Morbihan coast, west of which is Breton Brittany, east of which, where we are, is the Pays Gallo. The indigenous country language here is, or was, it's rare now, a Gallic patois.
Hence, Catalyst, Yffiniac! It may look like a comment verification, but it is in fact a local place name! They get better. A town near here is Ploeuc, pronounced Plurk, and a bit west you can find Kerfot and Kerpert. Possibly a useful way to avoid swearing would be to say 'Ah, Merdrignac!' But perhaps my very favourite Brittany place names are Squiffiec and Brasparts!
Sheila - that story is very heartening too, especially from a time and place where people must have been under a lot of strain...
The very next time that I take the wrong exit from the N12 and find myself in Yffiniac I will hunt down this bakery.
Didn't they host a Tibetan weekend last year in Yffiniac? I meant to go and then something, as ever, came up
Meanwhile, please, how do I pronounce Yffiniac comme les Bretons?
So far I haven't attempted it
Hello Mouse, lovely to see you!
The Tibetan weekend doesn't sound quite right for Yffiniac, though it might have been while we were away... it rings a bell,though, perhaps it was an exhibition type thing at Brezillet, sorry, don't really know. I habitually mispronounce many place names and more besides, but the stress is on the first syllable which is an 'ee' vowel sound, not a 'yod'.
Actually Breton place names are often more fun if you mispronounce them!
A great happy post! And more joy & fun in the comments!
I love a story with a happy ending. Especially if there's a party involved. Even if I'm not invited! :)
Post a Comment