A lot has happened here

I asked the farmers wife if she would listen to the talk that I am going to give on Thursday in French and she sat here. It didn't feel right to take her photo so I took this when she went out of the room for a moment. She sat perfectly still right in front of me and was astonished that I did this without notes.. I had them to hand but left them on the table! And she chatted first and got out a bowl of cherries for us to eat. I resisted while I gave the talk. I was not sure how she would react as it is in part about the rape in Delhi last year. She is a tough lady.

In the background you can just see a picture of one of the grandchildren with her husband Albert who died earlier this year.. partly as as result of the tragedy that has unfolded in this family which I have alluded to from time to time. And it continues ... Last night we watched the american version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the girls actions in that film came to mind as being the only kind of solution!!

It seems that French law is so rigid that P (the farmers wife) will continue to lose all their land that they worked for all their lives. Fortunately I think that her house is safe. All to a daugher in law (whose husband - (P's son) killed himself because of his wife's actions) who seems to be prepared to stop at nothing. In my talk I speak of how to find lifelines in situations that are seemingly beyond our control but I have to say I just do not know what more they can do here... P however remains remarkably strong. She is without doubt an example of how to just carry on ..

Sorry for such a serious blip .. but this situation leaves me without words most of the time ...